What happened to November???

As I look back on my last post, I realize that I haven't updated this blog since October. I guess when you're busy building a house you don't have time to write about it!

Fall has become a distance memory and we're now facing a long, cold winter. Lots of deadlines had to be met so we could winterize the cabin. Although it's a very comfortable place to stay during the warmer months, the cabin has no central heating system and can't be used during the winter. It felt strange leaving the cabin behind. It's been a great place to stay while we worked on the house, and we're both grateful to Don and Gaye Kuester for allowing us to use it.

So with a lot to accomplish in November, I'm happy to say that we now have:

1. Heat in the house! Very important when you consider that it's 5 degrees outside today.



2. Lights and power! Not all the lights work, but it's enough to get by on. Most of the outlets are live, so that allows us to plug in extra lights as we need them.



3. Hot water! The well was dug this summer, but we've been going outside to get water into the house. I'm happy to report that we now have one sink, one shower, and two toilets!
   

So with the necessities taken care of, we can focus on the jobs that make the house a more inviting place to stay.


Most of the painting is complete, and I couldn't be happier to have that job out of the way. We decided to use Behr paint from Home Depot with colors from the mid to deep tone collection. I'm happy with the colors we chose, however whenever you paint with red tones you can expect MULTIPLE coats. With some of the high spots being 20 feet up there, we've spent many hours on scaffolding painting and re-painting areas in the kitchen and master bedroom. Although the colors are rich and beautiful, it has been quite an ordeal to achieve the coverage we want.

The tile work is completed in the master bath, 1/2 bath, and both entries. The double shower was quite a job and we're both so pleased with the way it turned out. By the way, if you're looking for beautiful but inexpensive tile, head to the tile outlet store at 23rd and 291 in Independence. Great stuff and DIRT cheap!!

Half of the house is sided, but with the weather turning colder it's been difficult to get the workers out to finish the job. I'm not thinking we'll see them this week either, so who knows when that will get done!

With the two of us working on the house things are going slow, but the work is quality!!! This week we're putting in the loft flooring and attaching the trim. Mark has become a pretty good carpenter, and with me as his supervisor, you know it's going to get done right! I have to admit that even though it's been a slow, laborious process, it's been great working on this dream together. As for Christmas this year, I think we'll give each other a house . . .

A Room with a View

With fall in full swing, the Ozarks have taken on a beauty of their own. It's so nice to work in such a pristine environment, and to be able to step outside and enjoy this perfect view when we need a break.

So what exactly has been going on these past few weeks? Time for an update!

The electricians (Bill and Darlene) started the tedious process of wiring the house. This is not an easy task since the wires have to be run through the conduit in the SIP's, so there is no room for adjustments. Both of them have been great to work with and don't seem to mind at all when we make a slight change to the plans.

The heating and air crew of Ransom Heating and Cooling in Steelville, Mo. were the next folks up to bat. They managed to weave the duct work around huge beams and timbers, all the while giving us the best air flow possible. I'm sure it wasn't an easy job, but we were very pleased with the outcome when all the ducts and vents were in place.

Plumbing was another story! Our original plumber decided the job was much bigger than the bid price he had qouted us previously. We're still not quite sure why he seemed so suprised by the magnitude of the job (he had the plans!!), but we wound up excusing him from his duties mid-job and going with Lynch's Plumbing out of St. James. We're currently waiting for our septic system to be hooked up, but everything else is ready to go.

Now for the job we've been dreading the most: Drywall! If you've ever experienced the process of drywalling you know what a mess it makes! When you throw in the timbers, stairs, and rails that you are guarding with your life, the stress level goes through the roof. Our main objective was to keep the timbers free of drywall mud and get the walls ready for primer. Kudos to Mark who has worked some very long days cleaning, priming, and preparing the walls for color.

Although we've made great strides in moving this project along there is still so much to be done. The light fixtures and ceiling fans have been delivered and are ready for installation. Paint colors have been selected, and kitchen plans are being discussed.

So much to do and all the time in the world to do it . . .

I think I'll just kick back and enjoy the view!

Decisions, decisions, DECISIONS!!

We came home on Wednesday this week mainly because we are both on OVERLOAD from all the decisions we've had to make. I never thought there would be so many details that had such an impact on the final outcome. Everything from window styles to outlet colors have been discussed and planned out so carefully that I fear that when the house is complete Mark is going to find me whimpering in a corner because I put a pot light in the wrong place.

The windows went in early Monday morning and it was a bit nerve-racking watching these high-dollar panes of glass being lifted and balanced by three men on a lift. I wanted to scream "PLEASE BE CAREFUL!" even though I knew they were the pros and I needed to just let them do their jobs. (Can you say CONTROL FREAK?!?) But as you can see the windows and doors are all in and they look amazing!

The roof was another great addition to the house. Finally we can put our squeegees away and sweep sawdust instead of pushing water. Mark has spent hours watching the radar and "willing" the rain away, so now he can stress about other things. The roof we chose is metal, and we're both pleased with the way it looks. I did however, change the siding to a lighter beige color when I realized how dark the roof appeared. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the trim, siding, stone, and roof will look like a well-orchestrated plan and not something just thrown together by a couple of amateurs!

So with the windows and roof in place, the house is starting to come together and look like something that will soon be a home. And as I obsess over tile, paint colors, and cabinets, I step back and look at what we've already accomplished and smile. And if you look real closely, it smiles back!

A Painful Process

When we started this process I really didn't believe my friends who said, "If your marriage can survive building a house, it can survive anything!" We agreed on design, layout, color and all the finer details of the home. What were they talking about??


I think I'm starting to get it . . .


Being locked in a small cabin with three dogs, no TV, no computer, and a radio station that reads the obituaries every day at 9AM can wear on a relationship. I need space!!!

Once the timber framers had left town, it was time for the walls, ceiling, and roof to go on. The walls and roof were designed by Thermocore of Missouri, a company based in Jefferson City. Known as Structural Insulated Panels, these SIP's are very energy efficient and arrive at the site already cut and fitted to the frame. They have the electrical conduit built into the panels as well as spaces for windows and doors. Basically it's like putting together a puzzle and hoping each piece fits.

According to the guys who built these panels, if the foundation fits, the frame will fit. If the frame fits, the panels will fit. Everything fit perfectly! Painless? Well, almost. . .

As the final wall SIP was being set into place, Pat, a designer/drafter for Thermacore made the mistake of placing his foot into an outlet box at floor level to push the panel in place. Unaware that the box was actually located below the sub floor, Pat pushed the panel down and trapped his foot between the wall and floor. OUCH! The crane lifted the wall off of his foot and Mark and I rushed Pat to the ER in Lebanon. Three toes were seriously injured and would require surgery to repair the damage. NOT A GOOD DAY! Fortunately Pat was able to return to Jefferson City for the surgery and at last report was doing well, although his second toe is now about a half inch shorter than it was. Pat is a bright, young guy and we wish him the best!

When we returned from our hospital visit, we discovered that the process of placing the tongue and groove panels on the ceiling had begun, and it looked amazing! Unfortunately the roof couldn't be completed due to another rain event that seemed more like a hurricane than a thunderstorm. Once again we were fighting machinery and mud, but by the end of the week the walls, roof, and ceiling were in place. Windows and a metal roof will go on early next week and our home should finally be dry for good.

And we're still married . . .

Timber!!!

It's difficult to describe the emotions you feel when your dreams become a reality. 10 years of researching, planning and saving comes down to two days of timber raising. Even though there were a few hurdles we had to overcome, the end result is beyond anything we could have imagined.

The whole process started Tuesday, September 7th with the timber framing crew from Hutchinson, Kansas arriving around noon. The first roadblock (literally) was figuring out how to get a 60-ton crane and two 48 ft. flatbeds around a very tight turn at a very dangerous place on the road, and down a steep, winding gravel driveway. The answer: Call the highway patrol to stop traffic. A BIG thanks to those guys!

Once the crane was in place and the trucks were down the drive, a lift or telehandler was used to unload the timbers and stairs from the trucks. All of the pieces were laid out on slats and the process of putting the frame together began.

The timbers are moved up onto the sub-floor and the framers began building the first bent. Once a bent was constructed they were stacked in the order that they were to be lifted by the crane. Each bent weighed many tons and had been pre-fitted at the shop in Hutchinson.

The construction of the frame began in full early Wednesday morning, September 8. (Happy Birthday, Mom!) The second challenge of the process became apparent as the framers began brainstorming the best way to place the two-story stairs and rails in a really tight spot without damaging the beautiful woodwork. Everyone held their breath as the crane lifted the stairs high in the air and placed it PERFECTLY in the stairwell. INCREDIBLE - and everyone exhaled all at once!

After the stairs were nestled in their spot, the first bent was lifted up and over the stairs and attached to the rails. Since it was the first bent to be raised, trees were used to hold it in place. It was a bit like setting a piece of paper on it's edge and expecting it to stand - a little precarious, but leave it to the pros to make it happen!

Attaching the second bent gave the structure a little more support. The framers climbed the sides of these timbers like circus performers and seemed to work without the fear of a misstep.

Throughout the day, the crane floated parts of our home through the air and we all watched as the framers took the timbers off the crane a piece at a time and placed it in the right position.

As the house came together, rooms became more defined, and it was exciting to actually see
the kitchen and living room emerge out of nothing!

We are probably most excited about the white oak stairs and walnut rails. They are stunning, and I'm already thinking about what greenery I'm going to wrap them in at Christmas. I don't know if it will be ready for Christmas, but it sure is fun thinking about it.

Although the rains arrived early on Thursday morning, the framers continued to work and put the timbers together. At no time did they consider stopping, and probably did their most dangerous work climbing those rain-slick timbers in a steady rain.

With the frame constructed, the timber framers gathered their supplies and left their beautiful artwork behind. Mark and I cannot begin to express our gratitude to John Van Bruggen and his team that made our home a reality. Although there are still walls to go up and finishes to be completed, thanks to the crew at Clydesdale Frames, our home has a soul.

Bring on the rain!

Just when you think everything is under control, the rains hit!

We arrived at the farm early Monday morning planning to prepare the porch for the concrete pour on Tuesday. Things looked good until:

1. Rob called and said that due to his schedule he wouldn't be there to pour until Wednesday. Slight delay, but managable. The guys have plenty to do framing the interior walls in the basement.



2. John VanBruggen calls to discuss the timber raising plans for September 8. Mark shares the plans for the porch floor and John shares with Mark why it's NOT going to work. BIG PROBLEM! Can't discuss it with Ron (the GC), he's in Hawaii.



3. Mark has 4 different phone discussions with John and Chris, our designer. We quickly learn an important lesson: Don't mess with Chris's plans. He drew them that way for a reason, and now understand why the porch was designed the way it was.
   

Time to regroup. The carpenters will show up on Tuesday (no they won't, because Corey has a doctor's appointment). The carpenters will show up on Wednesday and get the porch set up for a wood deck floor and block it out for the big timbers that are going to be sitting on it. In the meantime, I need a break! We take off Tuesday afternoon for Steelville to see Katie and Clyde at Peaceful Bend Winery. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough go to a winery.

So we're ready to go Wednesday morning, right? WRONG! Here comes the rain. Not just a shower, but 3 inches of rain. At this point I'm getting stressed! Seeing my breaking point is at hand, Mark wisely decides that we should head home for the rest of the week and recover from all the roadblocks we have encountered in the last 3 days. I guess he wanted to stay married.

Time to focus on the positive. The carpenters worked Thursday and Friday and everything is ready to go. The crane arrived at the jobsite on Friday, so all the equipment is there and waiting for the Clydesdale crew to arrive Tuesday. And best of all, John sent us this picture of our interior stairs and they are absolutely beautiful!

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel . . .

Curves in the Road

As with any big project, there are always going to be some curve balls thrown at you to test your ability to cope with adversity. So far, so good . . . until Sunday!


We arrived at the farm Sunday evening around 5:00 expecting to have a nice dinner at the cabin and a glass of wine at the new house. Yet, as we come down the driveway we discover our powerline down and the top of the pole missing! Apparently a lightning strike had taken out the power to the site, and with workers scheduled to show up the next morning, we are faced with a serious problem.



Mark immediately put a call in to Laclede Electric hoping that they could come out the next morning to repair the line. Fortunately Mark used the phrase, "power line down" and a truck was on site within 45 minutes. Seeing the low hanging wire and damage to the transformer and power pole, a crew was called out and a new pole was planted to carry the power to the house. Our evening was spent sitting at the house and watching the repair process. The power was restored and the workers were ready to go Monday morning. Whew!!!


This week was spent watching the basement walls go up and large beams placed by a lift to support the weight of the timbers. While Cowboy drove the lift (not sure what his real name is!) Corey and Dan carefully placed each beam in PERFECT position Once the beams were placed, the joist hangers were attached and more support beams were put in place so the subfloor could be nailed down.



With the supports in place and the floor on, the next job will be to pour the floor on the screened porch. Because we didn't really follow the original plans and instead chose to use the space below as storage, a new plan was drawn up to support the timbers on the porch. Rob will return on Monday or Tuesday to pour the floor, and hopefully this will not turn into another "curve" in our road!





As a side note I'd like to wish my Dad a Happy 94th birthday. Can't wait to get you down to the new place Dad!

Pinch me!

A few years ago there was a commercial on TV with this man lying on a beach next to a beautiful woman. With a drink in one hand and the sun beating down on him, he said, "Pinch me!" because he thought the scene was a dream. Unfortunately for him, when she pinched him he zoomed out of the fantasy world and into reality - a small office cubicle with his desk stacked in work. It was a dream. This week framing started on the basement of the house, and as I stood on the top of the foundation wall I realized it's not a dream!

Monday afternoon Becker Millworks from Freeburg, MO delivered the lumber, and the rough in carpenters (Corey and Dan) began the tedious job of lining out the walls and posts. Listening to them calling out measurements down to 1/16th of an inch, and leveling every board and beam, made me realize the importance of paying attention in math class. These guys made sure that every square inch of this house was straight and level. They are good at what they do, and for that we are both grateful. Large support beams were also delivered, and Mark planned on helping the men lift the beams in place. Unfortunately the beam weighed approximately 1,000 lbs., so machinery will be required for this job.

Although we left Thursday afternoon with work in progress, we look forward to returning Monday to see the progress they've made and to actually stand in my new living room. Pinch me!

Waiting for the frame

Here we go again! Clydesdale Timberframes has posted new pictures of our project on their website! Everytime they add pictures, we gather around the computer to see the progress. Looking at these beautiful white oak timbers it's easy to understand why we've chosen to build a timberframe . . .

After the timbers arrive from the mill in Ohio, they are cut and fitted by the framers in Hutchinson, Ks. Not only are they putting our frame together, but they are creating the rails and stairs as well. If you look closely you can see the walnut spindles on the oak frame. (Just click on the photo for a close up view.) Referred to as a bent, this piece will be the opening to our loft on the west side of the house.

The stairs are made from solid white oak, and are shown here without with the rails and spindles. During the planning process we thought we would have the framers create the outside deck, stairs, and spindles as well, but once we realized we were retired teachers and not movie stars or professional athletes, we came to our senses and decided to turn that part of the project over to our contractor. I'm sure we'll be pleased with the outcome.

The timber raising is scheduled for September 8-9. Once the frame has been lifted and set in place by a 50-ton crane, the walls will go on and the frame will be treated with an oil to give it a natural sheen. Can't wait!!!

Leaving it to the Pros

As I write this next entry, I can't help but mention the people we have had the opportunity to meet along the way. Although the pouring of the foundation is exciting when you're starting any building project, the folks that make it happen are the real heros of the process. In more populated areas of the country you would probably expect the workers sent out by a company to be their hired employees. Yet in these smaller communities, the owners of the company are the ones excavating the land and pouring the walls. All of these people take pride in their business and make sure their part of the job is done right.



The footings were poured and the forms went up the week prior to the foundation pour. Because we are building with timbers, there is a lot of concrete in the footings and foundation. At least we know that the house is well supported!



On Monday, July 26th, we met with our contractor, Ron and our foundation guy, Rob. After looking at the forms, we began to question the space below the screened in porch. Although the plan called for the space to be backfilled with gravel, it looked like a perfect place to park mowers and store garden tools. After much thought and a phone call to the home designer, we changed the plan and added a new doorway in the foundation.




With the foundation complete, we're ready for drain tiles, plumbing, and soon a floor. The timber raising has been scheduled for September 8-9 and the SIPS, windows, and roof will follow. Hopefully we will be looking at a house (unfinished, but dry!) by middle to late September.

Foundations of Friendship

Sometimes I can't help but question if we're doing the right thing in building this place. I mean SERIOUSLY! We're young, retired from teaching, and have the resources to live comfortably without a lot of stress. So why would we want to take on the work, expense, and responsibility of building this place? After this weekend it all became a little clearer.

Excavation began in full on Wednesday, July 14th. Mark left our Grain Valley home at 5:30AM so he would be there when "Archie" and his backhoe arrived. Unfortunately Archie had some issues getting there (flat tire on the trailer, delays by the department of transportation, etc.), but managed to get his equipment to the job site that afternoon. Ground was broken and the fun began!!

I arrived with John and Andrea Allen and their daughters, Sydney and Natalie, on Thursday evening. It was our annual river trip with the Allen's and it wasn't going to be cancelled because of construction. Although we were busy with contractors and suppliers Friday morning, we managed to put floor plans and cell phones away to spend some quality time on the river.

Spending a day on the river can put everything into perspective, especially when you have friends sharing the time with you. There is so much to do, yet nothing you HAVE to do! It's then that you realize all the work, sweat, and expense put into this project has a purpose. You're not building a house, you're building a life you can share with family and friends.

So now it's on to the foundation. The cement trucks will arrive on Monday morning and our home will have legs to stand on!

Anybody wanna build a fence???

Okay, so you're probably asking yourself, "Why in the world would you want to keep these cuties out of your front yard?" Answer: Cattle are the dirtiest, smelliest, creatures on earth and make lousy pets!! So goes the saga of running fence across the pasture, through the woods, and up a driveway in blistering heat!

Truthfully I had NO idea how difficult running a barb wire fence could be, and it probably wouldn't be so tough if it weren't for the extreme heat and the rocky, cement-like soil you find on an Ozark farm. To date Mark has cut 16 cedar posts and dug 9 - 3 ft. holes for fence supports. He has also pounded over 75 metal posts into the rocky soil and sweat so much the river level has risen! I have been hit on the head with a post hole driver, pounded on my middle toe with a tamper, and broke 3 nails.

Fortunately, there is a light at end of the tunnel (or should I say fence row?). Soon our smelly, fly-ridden friends will be confined to their own area and we can enjoy life without cow pies. Today excavation begins for the foundation and soon we'll be raising timbers. Praying for cooler weather and the building process to be stress-free!!