DAY 420: Here Comes the Stone! Tile Preps!

 The last two days have been busy at our concrete home.  We have someone tiling, someone doing finish work, and our siding crew.  Brent and I haven't been working inside the house as much as we want just because there is no space right now.  It's taking shape.

We chose Harristone, Chief Joseph, Summit color for our stone.  I think that Brent was expecting not to have so many big pieces of stone (the squares and rectangles) but more of the long thin stones.  So was I.  It's so hard to tell from a sample panel at a store.  We probably should have gone to visit a few houses.  However, I still think that it's going to be beautiful!

The stone mason is Noah and he does beautiful work!

 This shot was taken Monday just after they finished the gable.  The foam on the porch is now officially the ONLY exposed foam left on the entire house!  Big milestone for us! 

 This is the last view of our window repair from months and months ago...

 We are using our neighbor Randy as our tile setter.  For the past three days he has laid and stapled wire mesh, floated the cement to prep the floor and picked up half of our 4,000+ pounds of tile. We chose a Contempo tile called "Lines".  It's a large 20x20 tile and I'm excited to see the results.  The tile is beautiful, modern, and I haven't seen it in other homes.  Contempo has beautiful tile but they do not budge on prices.  DalTile was going to give us a sweet deal on a similar tile, I just didn't like it as much.  I went in this morning to barter a bit to try to get the price down.  I told my story and the clerk just looked at me and said with an attitude "Go to DalTile".  Unfortunately for me, it was the Contempo tile that  really loved so we bought the tile. 

Sneek peek at the stair case that Ben is working on.  The photo was taken when it was a wee bit dark.  Brent is making the banister/railings that he will start to place on Saturday.  It's gonna' be a cute staircase.  Should have taken a picture: the wood lines both sides of the stairs, the carpet will look like a runner.  Now we have to choose a stain that will match all the other wood that we have going on in other places....

All of the choices and decisions are a bit overwhelming.  There are SO many choices, luckily a budget limits some of the choices.  I hope that everything will go together right, from carpet to paint to tile to lights to cupboards to wood stains to everything.  Ugh.  But happy ugh!! 

DAY 416: Crazy Saturday

Today I felt this house as if it were a living breathing organism pushing up and rising from the dust.  It has been a very memorable experience to watch (I mean work to make) our ideas become three dimensional, tangible, real. 

I had intended to stay home for the morning, work with the girlies and place a little organization into our current home.  Things were moving along when Brent called to see if I could come over.  In a matter of a few moments the stone mason, three siding workers, the painter, finish work Ben, and our tile worker all arrived with questions.  The place was a beehive today and I was grateful for the help.  

Things are moving quickly right now.  So, I don't know where we will celebrate Christmas.  It could happen...

DAY 415: Brent's Deck

In case you were wondering...yes...we worked on Thanksgiving Day.  We worked the day before Thanksgiving and we worked today.  I will always be grateful for hands that work.  For hands that can work.  For hands that like to work.  It's a blessing!

The kidlettes and I worked on filling all the finish work holes in the basement.  It took us many hours but all the finish work holes are FINISHED!  (Imagine all of us doing the happy dance).

This weeks highlight: the deck.  Brent has been working hard on this project.  Before we even excavated he had started the banister.  I love it and Brent has done a wonderful job on making it look sleek, stylish and completely awesome.  I also love that Cole is learning how to weld.  He enjoys welding as a result of our family project. Tonight Brent said that he makes beautiful welds.  Doesn't surprise me, he is a meticulous kid when it comes to projects and making stuff. 

Brent and Cole will weld the entire banister, take it down, and send it off to be powder coated and baked.  It will be a gorgeous matte black.  As I type Brent and Cole are welding in the dark finishing off the north side of the deck.  We are enjoying a fun phase of the house--watching all the parts come together.  Some are even better than we EVER imagined that they would be.  For example, I love the paint choices.  I agonized over the right combination but I think we nailed it.  

 NEW BLACK WIDOW TALLY: 12

Yesterday I drenched three fine specimens in a juicy spider poison cocktail.  This menacing fella (or sista?) crawled back into his web and gave up.  I buried him.  What is up with all the black widows at our house?  Maybe we have one of those creepy mother of all spiders like the Harry Potter movie and she is sending out all of her babies to scare us off.  Eeeeewwwww, I do not like spiders.

DAY 412: Problem Solving

It's a day of problem solving.The posts on the side and front of the house have vexed us from the beginning.  We have a framer over there right now working to make sense of it all.  Somewhere between the architect's drawing, the engineer's math, the framer's construction and the cement work we have posts that don't match up with the porch.  Once again, I'm learning that building a house is an organic, living, breathing process and not an exact art.  I imagine that it's more of an exact art for those who have built their own house before but we're learning as we are working.  And then we go and throw the ICF walls into the mix and we have a formula for a challenge. 

We have some posts on the side of the house now.  Nate, siding guru, will make sure that they look good, get covered with stone, etc.

So the posts were supposed to land clean and neat on the corners of the porch....

But voici, le probleme. There was NO possible way to fit in a concrete porch next to that window well.  The measurements were all off.  So, this post will work, Nate will wrap it some fancy way and it will look great.

 The other side is a little funky, it partially lands on the steps. 

Now to most people driving by or visiting, they will never notice the posts.  They will just see two posts.  If you decide to build a house brace yourself for the hic-ups.  There are plenty. 

But just take a look at that hardi board!!!  I can't wait to get it painted Hampshire Gray (more green than gray).  Actually, that's what Brent and I will be working on tomorrow and half day on Thanksgiving (THANKS to my Mom and Dad for having us over for dinner--the kidlettes will feel like it's a holiday). 

 Shot of the front at noon today...

If you enlarge the photo below you can see lots of numbers on the foam.  There are also some letters, specifically a BB that is kindof in a box.  This represents the STRONGEST point of the ICF webbing.  Siding can be nailed and screwed into these points.  If it's any other place it will pull out because it's just going into foam. 

 I can't remember what happened here, whacked the corner with a backhoe or something.  We had to rebuild this corner as best as possible.  I just wanted to document the awesomeness of this corner.  It's going to disappear today or tomorrow...

I'm also working on the basement tub.  I want a surround instead of tile (for cost, and because I don't want to scrub more grout than I have to).  We have another framing goof we are working through.  We didn't notice it at the right time so now we have a gap between the tub and the wall.  The rep from White Water Tubs thinks that they can place a trim down there if it clears the faucet. 

 Ta-Dah

 This was outside our window Sunday.  Maya took a picture.  It was so vivid, so beautiful.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

DAY 409: Half of the 7,130,915 Holes FILLED!

Just like I predicted....I filled holes for the day.  It was a lllllloooooonnnnngggggg day but we made great progress! Crawfords is my new favorite putty (and it comes in a nice tin).  It was a tip/recommendation from our finish work guy Ben.  It is oil based, quick and slick, and doesn't need sanding when dried. (Photo has a special guest visitor--shout out to my siblings!)

Maya did AWESOME filling up holes once I taught her the trick. 

The putty had to be squeezed into a point and pushed into the hole.  With the thumb still over the hole you slide the putty knife underneath and quickly pull it out again.  These are Maya's cute little hands showing her work.

 The hold is clean, smooth, perfect and doesn't need sanding.

After Maya mastered the hole filling I taught Estee.  She could do it too but lost interest after about half an hour.

One of Estee's jobs was to clean the scraps out of the house.  She struggled a bit with the chore, distracted with other interests.  When I went outside I found this on the porch....

 Maya gets the bragging rights for building the deck with her Dad.  It was a chore that she enjoyed and it was fun to watch her work so hard.  Brent was able to finish up almost ALL of the electrical work today.  We have a few more lights that he will need to hang but YAY!!! Almost done! 

 Our work buckets all got stuck together.  Maya was sitting on the new bench in the mud room so I snapped a pic when she was working to seperate them.  Just showing you the newly made bench (to be painted white).

 It was supposed to be warm today.  Thought that we would be able to paint the entire back of the house.  But Timp tells the story of what we dealt with today. 

8:38 pm and we're just now home.  It was another 12 hour Saturday work day, time for bed!

DAY 408: Au Revior Twinkie the Kid, Salut Shelving!

 Yup, I did, I fully participated in the American Cultural Frenzy Buy Out of Twinkies.  I bonded with an older Grandpa and Grandma who were stock piling their favorites.  They reminisced about their favorite Hostess snacks as they guarded their loot on the check-out conveyor belt.  They even both waved at me in the parking lot as they drove away with huge smiles on their faces.  They were a hoot!

So, we brought our Twinkies to share with the subs (I still have some at home....).  Good times.

 Maya checked out her closet.  She and Estee beat me downstairs and by the time I got there they had decided which shelf belongs to which girlie.  They decided that they must have a step stool in their closet.

Here's another funky oops in the house.  Our plumber did not place one of the pipes INTO the foam.  He didn't cut out the foam so that the pipe would be flat on the cement wall.  It was too late when we saw it.  So, Cole ended up with some funky framing in his closet.  Of all my kids who NEED shelf space, it's Cole.  His room is FILLED with inventions and projects.  I think I will have to donate ONE, only one, section of shelf in the food storage room.  It's right next to his room so it shouldn't be a big deal.  So, if you end up doing ICF for your home, check EVERYTHING and make sure that lines don't poke outside of the foam.  

 This is the bead board in my yellow powder room.  I can't wait to prime the walls, paint it white and get that cute hexagon tile on the floor.  It's going to be SO cheery!

Our siding crew knocked off a little early I assume because of rain.  This is the side of the house, the family entrance from the garage.  I am anxious to get paint on the house!  

I spent my entire day (not exaggerating) listening to sales people talk carpet.  My head is spinning, so much to consider.  And ooohhhh, whoa, the cost!  Deep breath, deep breath.

I stand corrected.  Tomorrow I will be filling 7, 130, 915 holes with putty.  I counted. 

DAY 407: Interior Doors--In!!! Trim--Up!! It's looking more like a house!!

 After 407 days of work...this feels like a very fun part!  The foam is starting to look like a home!  But then, I look at it and there is still so much to do.  However, the end is in sight. 

Spencer and Ben installed all the interior doors, trimmed the doors and put up the window casings. These are the very same type of casings we had in our first home--the bungalow in downtown Provo. We are all about the simple, straight lines. 

 View of kitchen windows with casing...

 Our kitchen is fill with tools....

 And supplies....

Spencer and Ben started all the closets.  This one is the pantry...

 This is our closet...

After taking a close look at the trim, the cupboards, finish work, I realize that I have my work cut out for me this weekend.  I will be filling approximatey 4,375,302 tiny holes with oil putty.  Maybe I'll get a good book on tape or something.  This was the view out of our basement window...more supplies

Our siding crew used the back "deck" for cutting and prep work...

Nate and Mike working on a side corner.  The foam has been a little tricky.  It's kindof organic, we worked our hardest to make straight walls.  Nate and Mike have done an awesome job at making everything straight.  This morning I was checking out a spot where we had a big concrete blowout. At the time I wondered how we would ever fix it and that it wouldn't look "normal".    It is now covered with board and batten and you can't even tell that there was a problem.

 We'll work on painting the back of the house Saturday.  We're lucky because Nate is going to leave his ladder system for us to use.  We're also lucky because we still have temps in the 50's so we can paint. 

 Ta-dah and double ta-dah!  I am pleased with the way it looks!  Pleased is an understament--it's just as Brent and I hoped it would turn out.  These guys have been at it for about a month.  It's tideous work but it will be be-ah-uuu-ti-ful!  Nate said that the back of the house was the trickiest so the rest ought to be a bit smoother.  He thinks the board and batten/lap siding will be finished by next Tuesday or Wednesday.  Keep thinking I might become a little sentimental when I can't see the foam anymore, no wait, probably not.  It's time for the foam to do his job--INSULATE!!!!

On a final note...I have been touched by the number of people who express interest in our project and in us.  I have loved the visits from friends and family (and strangers who would like to know more about ICF).  People are just plain nice, kind and generous.  Thank you to all my friends who ask "how's the house" (even if I give you a glazed over look) and every kind word of encouragement that comes our way.