I'm Floored

Literally....I'm floored! Both the basement and the garage floors are now covered in smooth, beautiful concrete! Here I go again...getting excited about the simplest of things. But every step gets us closer to living in paradise.

Otis and I spent an hour or so out at the site last night and never heard another person or vehicle. As a kid I was always taught to not wish time away, but can next Spring get here any sooner? There are times when life really could use a fast forward button. But I suppose there's something to be said for the beauty of anticipation. So we wait....and wait.....

With concrete in place can framing and a well be far behind? Stay tuned!

Footprints in the Hills

We have rather impressive foundation walls...and plumbing in our basement floor! It's pretty cool to be able to actually see the footprint of the house...to know where my office will be situated and where the bedroom closet will be. The photo to the right shows the front of the house from the "inside" the "T" shape is the front porch and to the left of that is my office.

To appreciate just how impressively high these walls are, take a look at the photo on the left. Ann is only 5'2", but the wall is high. Some of this will be underground (note the waterproofing). But, when you think in terms of our bedroom floor sitting on top of this wall it gives you an appreciation of our treetop view!

Otis enjoyed running around in the "garage", but not nearly as much as he enjoyed running around in the rain and mud (much of which he transferred to the back of my car where I could now plant crops).

We've picked out tub/shower units for the guest bathrooms so y'all can begin making your reservations now! Still much to do...we're looking at exterior paint colors now so we can pick windows, soffits and roofing. Then it's on to all the really tough (but fun) stuff...lighting, plumbing fixtures, appliances, etc, etc....

Hope to report back next week...looking for a basement/garage floor, a well, and maybe even the beginning of some framing!

The Wall

It's been a couple weeks since I've provided an update. I had an extended business trip that took me to Wisconsin, Green Bay to be more specific and to Lincoln, NE. After my week in the nation's heartland we took a few days over the holiday weekend (Happy Birthday, Independence!) to travel to the Elk River nestled in the Cumberland Mountains near Winchester, TN. We spent a couple nights camping and a couple days floating down the Elk in a canoe. It was a beautiful part of our state that we had never seen. Really mesmerizing. We saw all sorts of wildlife including a mink who we followed along the bank of the river for several hundred yards. He was a little guy...made me a little sad to think about how many of those it would take to make a damn coat...a coat that looks way better on its original owner. But, I digress...We also got to see some friends and meet some really nice new folks. There was a lot of musical talent in the group so the campfire at night was an experience we won't soon forget.

After more than a week and a half away, I dropped by the home site yesterday afternoon. Amazing! The forms are in place for the foundation walls (house and garage) which will be poured this week. At the far end of the house (the left end if you're facing it) the wall must be 18 feet high! some of that will be underground, of course, but it's impressive how tall the final structure will be. The master bedroom will literally overlook treetops.

It's time to start making some decisions. Tomorrow it's bathtubs for the guest rooms! We have to pick them now so the drains can be roughed in before the basement floor is poured sometime later this week. Shouldn't be too tough, but I have this fear we'll get there and find that there are 75 options. Imagine how tough it will be once we get to the real detail...cabinet hardware, wall colors, faucets, light fixtures...

It's not too early to start praying for water. No, not rain...I know we've had enough this Spring and Summer to last us a while. The well diggers will be coming next week. Wouldn't it be most unfortunate at this late stage of the game to find that we have no water?

Watch for more photos soon! I have to get a new camera to replace the one that went swimming with me in the Elk River on Friday afternoon! Note to self....self: put electronics into sealed plastic bags when floating down ANY body of water.