2/22/11 Brick-o-mania!

brick delivery

old mosstown

Briggs looking out of sunroom windows

breakfast room windows

front door and dining room window

so what do ya think?

kings of the mountain...Anna, Andrew, Jacely and Briggs

Good weather has finally returned to Georgia.  Yesterday, 10,000 bricks were delivered to the house (and that's only half of the order) and today the walls are going up.  It will take about three weeks to brick the entire house and that's IF the good (meaning dry) weather holds.  I LOVE the bricks we chose.  Good thing as I'll be looking at them for the rest of my life!  They're called "Old Mosstown" and they do look a bit "mossy."  Using a buff colored mortar so it's all very brown but the individual bricks have touches of white, cream, black and even green.  Now that they've finished the corner where the electric meter is going, we can get powered up and off extension cords.  The shop should be up and running by tomorrow.  Tommy is like a kid at Christmas, unpacking and arranging his shop.  So much more room than he ever had before.  And the shop's front room ( lovingly called the "man-cave" even though I intend to spend time there too) is almost finished. We're painting the ceiling now; will start on the walls next.  The ceiling is beadboard and the walls are textured T1-11 so it's all pretty rustic looking.  Not sure what we'll do with the floor yet...Brin wants to paint/stain the cement and leave it at that.  Maybe...  Meanwhile, in the house, things are moving along.  Todd has most of the wiring done - which is no small feat considering we put in more than 75 "can" ceiling lights - not to mention 6 ceiling fans! I'm gonna need a road map for all the switches!  He's also been working on the plumbing and some of the basics are in.  The kitchen cabinets are being built as we speak.  Decided on hickory, lightly glazed in chocolate.  Sounds good enough to eat!  Lots of people at the building site this week  - 4 in the brick crew, Todd, Tommy, the 3-man framing and multi-purpose crew and Briggs, who loves being away from the small apartment.  Yesterday, Jacely was playing with 2 cousins on the pile of dirt out back.  You can only imagine the dirt that went home with those kids.  All in all, we're getting a bad case of spring fever and will be sorely disappointed when the cold returns - which it surely will (this is still February, after all).  Good thing the house is becoming more of a "real" thing everyday.  Hoping it won't be more than eight weeks before we can move in.

2/2/11 Basking in mud

driveway - yuck!

more windows to come...and a door!

cathedral ceiling in Great Room

insulation in shop

While the rest of you are shivering in the latest blast of cold, snow and ice,...we're basking in a realative balmy 60-something today. But - we're mired in mud!  It seems like the entire month of January was one rainy day after another.  Good thing the house is dried in and we can work mostly indoors.  OK - I call it "dried in" but I'm not sure if that's official.  The good news is that the shop is zipping right along.  Wired, plumbed, heat and a/c in, and as of this week, insulated.  Today, the garage door went up and tomorrow, the door knobs and locks will be in.  So, as far as insurance is concerned, it's lockable.  We'll be able to store building supplies inside and feel like they are relatively secure.  After we put up plywood on the inside walls and ceiling, Tommy will be ready to set up his shop toys.  The front room of the shop is ready to finish too but will be a bit more sophisticated...textured 1-11 plywood walls (rough paneling) with wood plank ceiling and floor.  Still pretty rustic.  Can lights are in, and it's wired for ceiling fans.  The shop porch is ready for 3 lights and 2 fans.  Oh - and did I say that the shop is finished on the outside?  Vinyl siding (alas, bricks for the shop weren't in the budget) is up and trimmed out.

So - where does that leave the house?  Well, all the windows arrived this week and the first two are up.  Todd's been working on wiring this week, mostly putting up can lights.  Does it seem excessive that there will be about 75 cans in the house?  Nice to have an electrician in the family!  We met with the cabinet maker last week and are finalizing the kitchen layout.  Looks like the cabinets will be hickory wood - very pretty.  But that led to the need to order the appliances so we're sure everything fits.  Sears thanked us for buying french-door refrigerator, double oven stove, dishwasher, microwave/vent, upright freezer, and a secondary fridge for the shop.  Whew!  Doing all of those in stainless steel.  Ordered the vanity for the guest bath as well as a Mexican talavera vessel sink.  Lots and lots of decisions and choices yet to come, but all in all, it's coming along.  Hopefully the pictures will fill in where where my words don't.  Wish you all were here to see the progress!