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 . . .