Interior

We've had our windows in for a while and the plumber finished the rough in last week.  I was hoping the roofer could have started this week but rain has slowed him down.  He should get to it next week.  The electrician started yesterday and is getting a lot of boxes set and wire run. 
            I realized that I don't have many interior pictures so here are a few.  The first two are facing the kitchen from the living room next to the master bedroom wall.

These other two are upstairs showing the bonus room over the garage.  It turned out bigger than we expected.
 

           

Woo Hoo - Windows!

The windows arrived and were installed this week.  We went with a lesser known brand name window that still has the qualities we wanted and saved some money.  Low-E glass, gas filled panes, double hung on upper levels, etc.  Now our house has eyes!

The good news is the framing was finished last week.  The not-as-good news is that everything else by comparison will be slower and less visually exciting.  There was a delay on our windows  being made and they're just coming in this week.  Danny and his guys already went to start Sam & Rachel's house last week but will return for the windows and doors. 
      We're making decisions right now like which color of shingles, siding and stone veneer.  I have the roofer scheduled to shingle the roof next week.  The house should be pretty well sealed after it's roofed and the windows & doors are installed.  The exterior sheathing panels are made specifically for that purpose and are even taped with a special sticky tape that makes it well sealed. 

     The plumber, Scott, has been at the house this week roughing-in the plumbing lines.  I've also given the go-ahead for the heat & air guy to order the material for a groundsource, geo-thermal system.  If you're not familiar with what that is, the simple version is:  long pipes are buried in the ground outside the house which keep a consistent temperature throughout the year which is much, much closer to the temperature we want inside our house than the outside temperature.  As a result, the system only needs to heat or cool that air a little to meet our needs and we use much less energy to do so.  As a bonus, any extra heat goes to warm the water heater, again saving some money.  The "bad" part is the upfront cost.  A ground source system is considerably more expensive to purchase than traditional forced air but the reasoning is the energy savings will pay for it within a handful of years.
       Here are a few pictures of my parents when they visited a couple of weeks ago.  Silvia & Rose love playing at the house, and having Grammy and Pop J there is extra super fun.

As it turns out, Bonnie is an excellent firewood stacker.  I never doubted her.

The Pace Quickens

The framing is almost complete as of last weekend.  Danny says he should be finished this week as long as the weather doesn't delay them too much.  Despite seeing through the walls still, we can really "see" our house now.  We walked through with my parents over the weekend and said things like "We'll have the refrigerator here, the bathtub here, our bed there" and it makes sense now.  Not like when we just had blue chalk lines on the subfloor and no walls.  I'm a little dissapointed on the window order though.  I was first told to expect them last Wednesday, then by Friday, and now this Wednesday.
         I started a master list of things left to buy.  I'm sure I forgot some things and I'll be adding to it.  I'm starting to feel more like I'm juggling now, with trying to line up multiple contractors to be doing work at or near the same time.  Until now it's been one trade waiting on the other.  Now I'm meeting with the plumber tomorrow to finalize things, I'm choosing where to buy shingles and siding and picking who to install those.  We have city water supply but not sewer so I don't have to dig a well but I do need a septic system for sewage.  That should start in another week or two. 
It's starting to feel more like I have to keep up with the trades as the timing is right for each and not slow the house down.  We're moving along.

Higher and Higher

Our house is getting taller this week as Danny and the guys are framing the roof.  The back porch was framed last week and the upstairs rooms are finished.  By the end of today the roof should be covered, or close to it.  Our windows are supposed to arrive in town today too.  With Danny taking Friday off, he's expecting to be done with the framing around the middle of next week.  We're moving along!