Will's window up top and dining room below

Wow…way too long since I’ve updated the blog but WE HAVE BEEN BUSY!!!  Not joking, we have spent every spare moment out at the house working and cleaning.  We are on week #7 of siding (seriously) but slowly but surely it is coming along.  In speaking to our siding guy, he did not anticipate it taking this long.  So it goes with this project;-)

Back of master bedroom

We are using a fiber cement siding product from the James Hardie company.  I’ve loved the color from the get-go.  We went with the ColorPlus product which comes with the color/finish baked right in.  This product has its pros and cons which you can explore at www.jameshardie.com.  From a distance, it looks exactly as I pictured but the finish details have me a bit concerned.  I’ve been assured I will be satisfied with the finished product but watching this stuff go up has been tedious at best.

My goal in putting the exterior look together was to create a home that made me smile.  It definitely happens when I drive up;-)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  Communication is key.  I would suggest putting everything in writing because oral communication often goes unheard or misunderstood.  Having detailed plans is NOT enough because the plans are often ignored or not even referenced.  Arrgghh.

Shake was installed early this week ~ left side of house

Part of the reason it's taking so long...our siding guy has one 40-foot ladder;-/ I honestly don't envy them when they are up in this area...

Gracie and her green hammer

We have tried to involve the kids as much as possible in the construction process and we’ve finally gotten to a point where most of the “dangerous” stuff is done.  Open holes, unsteady planks, and nails in boards don’t jive with young ones;-/  The kids also made it clear to us that they didn’t like the extreme heat and bug bites that came with being at the lot over the past months.

The munchkins on the front porch

A couple of weeks ago, we had a nice turn in the weather and the kids were ready.  One of their favorite things to do has been borrowing Daddy’s hammer and simply whacking nails into boards.  We thought it was time for them all to start their tool collections so we stopped at Lowe’s on the way to the lot and let them all pick out their weapon of choice.  Gracie would have gotten a hot pink hammer if they had one but she settled for neon green.

Will Russian dancing...I don't know why

After a quick (but thorough) lesson on hammering safety, we let them loose in the house with a box of scrap wood.  I made a specific point to show them a board with a nail through it…explaining that the board should NEVER be placed with the nail pointing up or better yet the nail needed to be pulled out.

Rusty and I got to work on the front porch.  Rusty commented that he loved to hear the kids pounding away creating various toys and structures.  Not 10 minutes after the lesson, we were startled by blood curdling screams and Gracie and Will bursting out the front door.  We flew in the house to Will frantically yelling, Gracie pointing us in the direction of the other two, and Addie doubled over on the floor.  Talk about a parent’s heart stopping!!!  I was picturing blood gushing from someone’s head or a missing digit…

Gracie showing off her cart transport thingy

After we figured out which one was injured, we found a board just hanging from Addie’s knee.  She had kneeled directly onto the nail in the EXACT BOARD I had used in my safety demo.  Yikes.  The nail had gone through her jeans and sunk about 1/8″ into the skin.  It definitely looked worse than it was.  There was minimal blood and very little pain (according to Addie).  Will was more traumatized than her…

Needless to say, Addie hung up the hammer after that.  Gracie got back to inventing and Rusty and I resumed our work on the porch.  After a few minutes, Will wandered out onto the porch.  He stated, “Momma? Daddy?  I just don’t think I can hammer anymore today…especially after seeing one of my sisters punctuated.  I just can’t.”

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  Make sure everyone is up to date on their tetanus shots.  Nails in knees and screws in shoes happen;-/

Addie working on a ride-on horse post punctuation

Gracie opted for writing her name in the sand pit

Gracie & Will decided that burying each other was more fun;-)

I'm never going to get those pants clean *sigh*

]]> http://fresheggbuild.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/punctuation-error/feed/ 0 jessiecarter 20111003-105403.jpg 20111003-105215.jpg 20111003-105322.jpg 20111003-105201.jpg 20111003-105233.jpg 20111003-105258.jpg 20111003-105444.jpg 20111003-105423.jpg http://fresheggbuild.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/cute-pumps-and-a-music-constructor/ http://fresheggbuild.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/cute-pumps-and-a-music-constructor/#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 01:00:58 +0000 jessiecarter http://fresheggbuild.wordpress.com/?p=720 ]]> This is one of those posts where I’m just saying thanks to some people who have been spectacular this week.  The first goes to Toby Hunter with Orgain Ready Mix for rescuing me from another weekend of back-breaking work and answering my texts without making me feel like a crazy woman.  Toby put us in contact with Ed Roberts with Roberts Concrete Pumping who gave us an excellent deal on pumping the concrete that Toby provided into the front porch piers…this was concrete I then DID NOT HAVE TO SHOVEL — WOOHOO!  Ed and his sidekick (we’ll call him Hard Hat Guy) were fun to be around and their service was excellent!

The next thanks goes to Brian Thompson with B&R Exteriors.  He has been flexible, understanding, and all-around great in handling our project.  Even when we told him that we wanted him to redo work they had spent all day on due to our mistake and miscommunication, he handled it in stride.

Even though we’ve met some great people along the way, the build has been very stressful the past month.  We have tried to stop and smell the roses here and there.  I am posting some pictures of some amazing sunsets we’ve seen on the way out to the house along with a cute project Will did at school last week.

Will says he would like to be a "music canstrkter" when he grows up...I think he is getting Daddy's two jobs mixed up a little;-)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  What is the best way to express your gratitude to contractors?  We have found that being too nice sometimes backfires.  Donuts go over well but I never want to sabotage someone if they are watching what they eat.  I say “thank you” a lot and I know that prompt payment is always appreciated.  I’ve come up with a few of my own…for the concrete pump guys: “Cute pumps!” only I don’t think Hard Hat Guy would have found that amusing.  For the framers: “It’s hip to be square” translated to Spanish of course.  Other suggestions are welcome;-)

I will post a bunch of pictures with descriptions and captions to document the progress…

The HardiePlank was started on the back side of the garage last week...they've switched gears to complete soffit, fascia, and trim before they continue with more green.

Rusty built me an arch over my bathtub...love it and him!

Receptacle that Gracie and I installed next to the front door...I know not very woohoo but we both learned how to use a reciprocating saw and that WAS exciting;-)

I was just disassembling concrete forms but it zapped me this day...Rusty and his Dad are working on framing on the front porch

The side porch posts were set yesterday and soffit & fascia are done on this part of the house.

Here are the blocks stacked on the porch ready to be used...it was a great workout to lug those things up a 2x8 plank by hand;-)

These are the front porch piers that I built...20 blocks x 6 piers...that's a lot of block and a very sore back!

Wet concrete right after it was pumped into the piers on Thursday...David did the finish work and I was the hose girl

The finished piers on the front porch with 4" caps where the columns will be set to support the load of the porch roof

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  As we’ve been planning this house over the past year, I have been snapping pictures of contractors trucks around town to add to our sub list to contact for bids.  I would make notes as to time of day that I saw them, location, professionalism, etc.  This list has come in very handy and since all the pics are on my phone, I can scroll back quickly to obtain contact information.  This past week, we were put into contact with a FANTASTIC sub whose truck I had photographed at a local store…as soon as he pulled in the drive, I remembered where I’d seen him previously.  It was a good ice breaker and he got a chuckle when he found out he was being stalked while eating breakfast;-)

I’ve had people ask me where we are getting everything for the house so I’m going to give a partial list with the vendors listed and a note about my experience (if I have an opinion). I’ll also list the brand that we purchased as this heavily affects the purchase price with each vendor. If you have a specific question, never hesitate to comment or contact me.

Dining room windows with a sneak peek of what the trim will look like...

Windows (Jeld-Wen) — DirectBuy — www.directbuy.com

Hands down they had the best price and service (thanks to Eric Snider)…the nearest bid with a local building supply company was over $5000 more for the exact same window package (yes, I said thousands). The company they came from held these for A LONG TIME while we were waiting for framing to be completed and they didn’t make me feel bad about it. Three windows were dropped in the warehouse on delivery day but were delivered unscathed ~10 days later.

Tile (mix of brands) — Buy Floors Direct / www.buyfloorsdirect.com & Florim Tile Outlet / www.outlettile.com

I got the kids’ tile and back splash on clearance months ago along with all the tile for the utility room. I have the master bathroom tile picked out at Florim here locally (Florim has a factory located in our town and they have an outlet center that offers both first and second quality products at great prices).

Flooring for the kitchen, dining, and living rooms

Hardwood Floors (Virginia Mill Works Co.) — Lumber Liquidators — www.lumberliquidators.com

The floors we wanted NEVER seemed to go on sale after watching the price for months. I did wait for a Facebook coupon code that ended up covering tax — the price on the floors went up the week after I purchased so I timed this one very well;-)

Appliances (Bosch) — Plesser’s Appliance — www.plessers.com

I purchased all of my appliances on sale on Black Friday last fall. This was then coupled with a double rebate — 10% back from Bosch and 10% back from the store. The price before rebate was ~5% higher than other online stores and local chains but the rebates made up for this with enough left over to pay for tile.

Kitchen faucet

Faucets (Delta) — FaucetDirect.com — www.faucetdirect.com (a Build.com company)

DirectBuy had good prices on plumbing products so I was surprised to see FaucetDirect beat them. Again, I used a Facebook coupon code. The faucets arrived in ~5 days. There were 4 items missing which the company sent overnight without question. They also sent a nice coupon for future purchases from Build.com — I am planning on ordering all my toilets (American Standard) from this outfit also.

Firebox & Gas Logs (Empire Comfort Systems) — The Hearth & Grill Shop — www.hearthandgrill.com

To be fair, DirectBuy beat the price I got from The Hearth & Grill Shop by $35 BUT The Hearth & Grill salesmen were extremely helpful and they loaded my truck. I also didn’t have to make an extra trip to Nashville to pick them up weeks later (maybe months?). By the way, August is a great month to buy gas logs and fireplaces.

Powder room sink

Console Sink (American Standard) — eBay / ebay.com but the actual vendor ended up being csnstores.com

eBay offered the best price on the specific model that I wanted and it shipped super fast — the item arrived in perfect condition exactly two days after I ordered it

Interior Lighting (Troy Lighting & Four Hands) — DirectBuy — www.directbuy.com

DirectBuy has implemented a new payment system over the past few months and my orders have been arriving a lot quicker. I received my Troy Lighting orders less than two weeks after I ordered them (and they were delivered to the front door). Rusty has termed one of my choices the “ugly chandelier”…he’ll grow to love it;-)

Sinks, Bathtubs (Kohler) — DirectBuy — www.directbuy.com

This was a frustrating experience. The lead time was 4-6 weeks on these products. I called at the 6-week mark after hearing nothing regarding the order. I was told that the ship date was another 2 weeks out due to the order being incomplete and even that was not guaranteed. After pushing the issue and asking that it be looked into, we received a partial order the following week and the complete order within 2 weeks.

Decking for back porch

Decking (Fiberon Tropic) — Southeastern Salvage — www.southeasternsalvage.com

Lucked out on this one…I’ve been checking for composite decking at Southeastern for nearly 9 months. They have everything from inexpensive damaged products and odd lots to new merchandise and items you can get in a high-priced showroom. I was able to get enough composite decking for our back deck, stairs and garage walkout for just a little more than the price of treated wood. I love the dark, rich color and it has a hidden fastener system. Score!

Siding & Exterior Trim (HardiePlank) — Builder’s First Source — www.buildersfirstsource.com

I really tried hard to find a local vendor on this one but BFS beat the local guys by thousands. BFS stocks the ColorPlus version of the lap siding and trim boards — both of which we needed and have continually needed pending the needs of our siding guy. BFS did run out of the matching aluminum coil this week (arrrggghhh) which I was able to track down through Lansing Building Products (www.lansingbp.com). The guys at Lansing were knowledgeable, efficient lifesavers. BFS also did not carry the accessories we needed for the HardiePlank which included trim pieces for the receptacles, outside vents, and lights. I ended up getting those through ABC Supply (www.abcsupply.com) but JW Garland and Best Distributing were extremely helpful also. Soffit and porch ceiling materials did come from Best Distributing (www.bestdistributing.com) after we asked our siding guy whom he would prefer to work with.

Exterior lights

Exterior Lighting (Minka Lavery) — Capitol Lighting — www.1800lighting.com

I tried at least 10 different vendors for this one and ended up finding the fixtures at the cheapest price at this online vendor. I also found a 10% coupon code for this particular brand at this vendor through RetailMeNot.com. The lights were listed as “Out of Stock” on the website but a quick call revealed they had them in a different warehouse and that I could order them online despite the status. They arrived in less than 2 weeks to the front door with no beat up boxes or damage!

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20: This is one of those things that only comes with experience but I didn’t truly understand the whole soffit/fascia/trim thing. Our siding crew had ~1/3 of the fascia done only for me to think the color looked horrible. It was one of those things where Rusty and I had barely talked at all much less about what was communicated to the crew. They ended up taking it all down the next day at our request. Our siding guy Brian told me after the fact that he liked the new color better too and that his wife would have made him redo it also…that made my day;-)

That van with the ladder on top...that would be us;-)

We’ve had a few running jokes going over the past months.  The first is in reference to our minivan which became a lethal weapon after we moved in with my parents.  My parents literally live in a forest.  After I ran over two squirrels and a frog in a 1-week period of time, the kids and I decided that the creatures of the forest come running when they see me coming;-)  And I didn’t just gently kill them…I squished them to the point that their “eyes bugged out” as Will put it.  Those poor squirrels literally rolled over on their backs and let me roll right over their tummies.  Gross.

My brother-in-law very sweetly pointed out that the garage needed to be mowed

Because our van is white, we gave it the name Snow White.  Snow has been a lifesaver.  She has become our construction vehicle.  She’s a spring chicken at 10 years old but she’ll have almost 200,000 miles on her before she gets her deserved parking spot in an actual garage.  We will have to mow the garage before she gets to pull in, however.

The other thing that often gets said when we pull up to the house is, “Darn it – the elves didn’t come.”  Rusty has started to follow that up with an update on when his Dad will be back to help.

David this past Thursday after a concrete project...I had just said, "So we can remember this day forever." He started laughing...wonder what he meant by that?;-)

More than an elf, David has truly been a God-send in this process.  Not that any of the other parents have been any less needed or giving of their time, but David can do the technical stuff that Rusty needs help with.  Rusty has expressed numerous times that he just feels and does better when his Dad is at the house to bounce things off of.  He did tell us today that we are on our own if we decide to do this again.  I did remind him that I will bake him chocolate chip cookies for life…that will start right after he helps Rusty install my oven;-)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  We would have told David we needed help with more than just electrical.  I think he’s figured it out though.

If you substitute green for blue, this is about as close as you can get to the look we are going for on the exterior...

During the building of our home, we’ve been told on more than one occasion that our house is “unique.”  But it hasn’t been the I-love-this unique…moreover it’s been the you’re-crazy unique.  One of the guys I deal with at a local building supply company even said to me with “that tone” one day, “There’s definitely not another house like yours in Clarksville.”  I felt like telling him that’s exactly what we are going for!

There is one neighborhood in town that we love — it’s full of bright-colored cottages interspersed with brick bungalows.  Unfortunately, there was no acreage available in the neighborhood and we were wanting to stretch out a little.  What we weren’t looking to do was build a house with NO CHARACTER.  I want a memorable home…a home that makes me happy every time I drive up to it.

Gracie & Will all smiles with their paintbrushes...they lasted a whole 45 minutes;-)

Another thing people ask is, “How many square feet is it?”  They ask as if the square footage determines the quality or value of the home.  I think people should ask, “How many cozy nooks do you have?”  “Where are the window seats?”  Do you have a secret passageway?”  These are the things I will remember about a home…not the square footage.  I think it’s an accomplishment to create a fun, creative, and functional home in an economical package.

Today was a fun character-building day…for the house and for the kids.  Gracie and Will helped paint the elbow brackets for the house today.  They did a great job and actually helped a lot.  I can’t wait for them to see the brackets go up on the house knowing that they helped make it happen!

The finished products...pre-downpour

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  Regardless of the forecast, I will never leave freshly painted woodwork outside.  The downpour did hold off until 11:23 p.m….exactly 3 minutes after Rusty and I got everything moved indoors out at the lot;-/

The ramp up to the front porch

The porches were poured today!!!  Woohoo!!!  The trucks arrived by 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday which I was thoroughly impressed with.  I think our concrete guy rocks…he was recommended to us by Jeremy and Kelley Corley who build homes locally and whose opinion I trusted.  I had already gotten three concrete bids by the time Jeff Perry’s name was thrown into the mix, but Jeff just seemed to shoot it to me straight.  The way Rusty puts it, Jeff is just one of those guys you can’t help but like.  He did an awesome job on our basement slab (see previous post Progress Report).  If you are ever in need of residential or commercial concrete work, I can’t say enough good things about Jeff and his crew.  He didn’t go for my proposed $50 per porch price tag but I can’t fault him on that one;-)

Concrete trucks are much more nimble than I thought

Remember those delays I am now thankful for?  One of them was that we were going to have to pay $500 extra to use a pump truck to get the concrete up to the front porch because of the elevation difference.  After our excavator, Jeff Shepherd, built a ramp out of piled dirt in the front yard and strategically dumped gravel to accommodate the regular truck, we were set to pour.  Needless to say, we have worked with some amazing Jeffs while building our home;-)

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.  I can’t wait to sit and rock on the front porch…now all I need is a rocker!

The view out the front door this morning

Wet concrete...I honestly thought this was the finished product...and I would have been perfectly happy;-)

Concrete piers for the back porch being poured

Finished front porch

Finished side porch (picture taken from the front porch)

Finished front porch with the top of the concrete form removed

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  I am going to start linking to some of our favorite subcontractors in the footer at the bottom of the blog.  We’ve been working off of three sub lists that were given to us by friends and those lists have been invaluable throughout this process.  Jeff gave me his permission today to mention him and show his truck logo.  Most of these craftsman seem to have plenty of word-of-mouth business but I’ve linked to their websites or Facebook pages if they have one.

The back deck has been a big question mark the past few weeks.  We’ve had to push forward with figuring the deck out because siding is set to start this week (fingers crossed).  First, we had to clear that the trusses were capable of holding the load of the deck…this allowed us to go ahead and attach the ledger board to the trusses as opposed to constructing a free-standing deck.  We originally thought we were only going to need two concrete piers to carry the load of the deck (see previous post Feel the Burn).  After pricing treated lumber in the lengths needed, however, we had to regroup.

Instead of two piers, we needed three…pronto.  Thank goodness there was no concrete in those forms!!!  After we were told concrete would be coming Friday or Saturday, we had to make the changes Thursday night.  Nervous energy is good…it took until 11:00 and our neighbors had to endure saws and hammers, but it was done and done well.  I gained a new skill…not that I will ever need to jack up a roof again but I’ll add it to my resume!

Pulled out the work light for a late night...Rusty did attempt to take a picture of me digging but go figure there was lint on the lens and I was a blur (yes, I do get my hands dirty)

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  When I heard frustration in Rusty’s voice Thursday night, I didn’t want to waste 40 minutes running home to change into work clothes before heading out to the lot.  I wear dark scrubs to work and they can be easily cleaned even after dirt and sweat get into every crevice.  I’m willing to sacrifice my uniform…but my bra was another story.

I have my favorites as I’m sure most women do…occasionally I even splurge in the pink store.  Thursday, I was wearing my fave.  Since I can count on two fingers how many times we’ve had unexpected visitors when we’ve been working, it didn’t even cross my mind that someone would stop by…much less to go into the house via the 2×8 access plank.

While we were sweating in the back, we heard someone come in the house.  We couldn’t really tell who it was other than he was friendly and acted like he knew us…so of course we motioned him down the stairs to the back.  Then panic set in…I looked up at Rusty with a deer-in-the-headlights look.  He asked, “What’s wrong?”  Oh, nothing other than my bra is lying in plain view.  Glad I could make him laugh;-)

So our very nice neighbor will probably never see this but he may wonder why I had my arms crossed during most of the conversation.  It wasn’t that I was uninterested or bad at small talk…it was that I was mortified.  Lesson I never thought I would have to tuck away:  never under any circumstances remove your undergarments when building concrete forms;-/

Warmly Yours SmartStat - Radiant Floor Heating

1)  Will you be putting Christmas lights on your home?  Consider placing electrical outlets in the eaves with an interior on/off switch.

2)  Want to warm up your morning routine?  Consider radiant heat flooring in your tiled areas to avoid chilly winter mornings…they can be programmed to warm before you wake.

3)  How do you use electricity outdoors?  If you are planning on using wired lawn care equipment or vacuums, make sure you place your outlets in accessible places where cord movement will not be obstructed.

Unique Schoolhouse Light c. early 1900s

4)  How do you want your home to feel?  Consider mixing old and new fixtures to create an environment that reflects your tastes, lifestyle, and overall aesthetic.  Filling your home with things you love is the ultimate “design” you will enjoy year after year.

5)  What is your nighttime routine?  Consider placing light and fan controls next to the bed for convenience.

Skyscraper Pendant Light c. 1930s

6)  Is technology a part of your daily routine?  Consider specialized outlets with built-in USB ports for charging portable devices.

7)  What is your TV preference?  If you watch the news in the morning, consider placing an outlet in the master bathroom to devote to the boob tube.

USB Outlet

8)  Do you have any pets?  Consider installing outlets in areas where you may be blow drying your dogs or performing grooming tasks.

9)  Do you need outlets where you perform specialty tasks?  If your craft table is in the middle of a room, consider installing a floor outlet for a sewing machine or hot glue gun.  Likewise, consider installing an elevated outlet ironing center where you plan to iron…and don’t forget to take into account if you are right- or left-handed.

10)  Want hot water at your fingertips?  Instant hot water heaters require an outlet installed under the sink.

Instant Hot Water Faucet

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:  When it comes to planning, I really pushed for a laundry chute.  We are having trouble finding anything regarding code on this one which has delayed its installation.  I grew up with a laundry chute and we had so much fun passing non-laundry items through that thing…my only concern with my kids at this point is that one of them is still small enough to be passed through the chute (accidentally of course;-).