From Drywall Almost to Stucco

 We Celebrated our first anniversary in the Keys where we took a trip on The African Queen. At the house things were looking great.  Drywall, Tile and stucco prep.  Amy joined us for Christmas.  December was the most wonderful time of the year.

Thankful for Windows!

In November we saw everything moving along.  Bathrooms are taking shape and the most exciting event - the windows and doors arrived. It takes so long to get things during the pandemic that this was a momentous occasion. So much to be thankful for!

New Pipes, Framing and Hurricane Straps

 September and October saw things moving along on our project.  All of the plumbing is being replaced all the way out to the street. Pete and I helped Ed with the hurricane straps.  This is crucial in a "High Velocity Hurricane Zone".  Every rafter gets a metal strap where it attaches to the concrete block structure,  Every strap gets nine screws.  We used a speciall drill bit for the concrete.  With Pete's construction background and patience doing projects together is fun.  We love being able to contribute our labor to building our home.

Building Blocks

 August 20, 2021 Big Stuff!  The Florida room which was not built to code has been replaced by our kitchen addition.  Window openinngs were adjusted for our window changes.  Good progress!

The Snail Has Sprouted Wings

 Yes, our little project is finally taking off. We ran into a snag because the soil where the kitchen is being rebuilt did not pass the first two compaction tests for the footings.  So Ed (our GC) did some excavating, added different fill and the test was successful.

The footings were quickly readied for pouring. This passed on the first inspection and today the concrete was poured! Each step is so exciting. This weekend more masonry will begin. Pete is keeping me updated with pictures and video footage while I am in Minnesota

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All of the old windows have been removed.

Today marks our eight month wedding anniversary and sadly we are separated but it’s all for a good cause as I will be working on the South Dakota Women’s Tres Dias Weekend #2. Then Pete will join me for a week of Crosslake fun. He doesn’t want to be away from the project for long. I’ll be so excited when I see the progress upon my return.

At a Snail's Pace

 It looks like the snail is about to take off.  Footings for the kitchen are starting this week.  If things go according to our contractor's schedule we'll be in the house at the end of October.  That means we will need to extend our lease one month at our apartment or find other accommodations.  If things don't go according to the schedule ... oh, we'll figure that out later.

In the meantime we have been shopping and researching.  So many things to pick out... My decor theme is Wood, White and Blue.... unless I change my mind

I played with a 3D app and got a pretty good idea of the floor plan with our furniture.  It's a quirky and compact home.  Many decisions are being made to maximize storage.  

Mostly we are excited that the construction has a schedule and things are beginning to happen.

Shopping

 Of course one of the things that we are doing in this process is picking out things for the house. I call this nesting and it’s one of my favorite things to do. I use Pinterest and my photo albums to keep track of the things we like. We are good at finding things we both like though sometimes it takes a little while. I would say that we meet in the middle on most things. The flooring choice has been the most challenging. Pete is pretty much getting what he wants there and I am conceding with input into the actual coloring of the type of flooring Pete wants. I think he’s letting me take the lead on the kitchen cabinets. Here are a few pictures of the process. The photos are not necessarily what we have chosen...

More Demo

 Demo continues as the roof comes off of the Florida room and the storage closet illegally built onto the side of the house is removed.