December 31, 2013
We're still waiting for our trapezoids to be shipped to Menards from the factory and then delivered to us. We've had LOTS of snow this month, so Steve has been working hard to keep the driveway open at the property. Here's the last photo Steve took of the house on December 13.
We had about 88" of snow as of that date. As of yesterday, we've had 151". It's deep up here, folks!
November 15, 2013
November 11, 2013
Still waiting on the new windows.
October 26, 2013
We have a problem with the trapezoid windows. They were made with a 12/12 pitch instead of a 15/12 pitch, so the angle doesn't match the angle of the roof. Looks like a pair of sad eyes.
It doesn't look right that way, does it? OK, so the trapezoids will be returned, and Menards said they will make it right for us. We'll just have to wait for the new ones to arrive. In the meantime, the crew still has plenty to do.
Our garage doors were installed.
The guys worked on the front porch. . .
and the sliding doors that will sit under the new trapezoids.
October 23, 2013
Starting on the windows!
Yes, that was snow in the valley of the roof!
October 14, 2013
The windows and exterior doors were delivered today. Here's the front door and sidelight.
Here's one of the windows. The interior is pine.
Here's another window. The exterior is bronze.
This is what we're really excited about. It's one of the trapezoid windows for the Great Room - sideways at the moment.
Can't you just imagine it upright and in place above one of the headers for the sliding doors?
The local building inspector has to come out to make his first inspection before the windows are installed. He does want them on site, however. In the meantime, the crew is working on the soffits and fascia.
October 11, 2013
The wrapping continues.
Yes, we will have windows in our house. The crew left them covered with wrap to keep most of the leaves out of the house. You may have noticed the soffit in that last photo. You can see it again in the next one.
Today's long shot:
Our leaves are leaving!
October 9, 2013
After spending 3 days in Rapid River, Steve returned with our wood. Our contractor helped us out with the use of his long trailer again, and Steve snapped a picture as he followed the trailer on the way home.
Two better shots of the load:
The wood isn't all unloaded yet, but at least it's back on our property (where it originated as standing trees). While Steve was away, the crew started on the house wrap.
Those were shingle scraps in the valley of the roof - since removed. The guys also began framing the wall with the patio doors. . .
and they finished the shingles on the garage roof. Here's the long shot.
Did you notice how much the trees have changed in just 4 days? If not, scroll down to look at the last photo on the October 5th post. Windows and exterior doors will be delivered on Monday!
October 5, 2013
We don't have the temporary stairs from the first floor to the second floor yet, but there is a ladder. Although the trapezoid windows haven't been installed, this is the view we have from the loft.
Here's the view from the loft down into the Great Room.
Next, a better shot of the shingles.
Finally, today's long shot.
October 2, 2013
We drove to Houghton and ordered our overhead garage doors on Monday. We splurged and added the automatic garage door openers. Hey, we're not getting any younger! The crew is working on the roof this week. Can we say shingles?
We're so excited to see the shingles going up on the roof. The guys on the crew said they were shocked when they opened the bundles and saw all the colors. Now, they love them. They said it's the best looking roof they've ever done.
The roof looks even better in person, as it was hard to photograph well with the sun and shade. Can't wait for the windows, doors and siding.
Finally, today's long shot.
September 28, 2013
Our roofing and siding materials were delivered this morning.
We had a crew of 7 working on the house today, and they finished the garage trusses.
The pitch on the garage roof is not as steep as on the house.
The guys also got more of the sheeting on the house roof. It's a steep roof, so it's a huge job.
Here's today's long shot.
September 27, 2013
The crew worked on the trusses again today. All the trusses on the house are now finished, and they put up a few of the garage trusses.
They also started sheeting the house roof and will put in another full day tomorrow.
September 26, 2013
It should be obvious to everyone by now that we have lots of trusses. The crew is working hard. The truss manufacturer labeled everything and the trusses are going up without any problems. Amen! Here's a side view of the trusses above the Great Room.
Steve was standing next the the garage for that shot. Yes, there is a large overhang. It's a wise thing to do in this area (snow!). The next photo shows the same area from the rear.
Remember, that open exterior wall is the one that will have the 2 sets of sliding doors and the trapezoid windows - lots of glass. Steve stood just outside that wall and pointed the camera toward the interior for the next picture.
That one reminds me of a cathedral. Be sure to click on it to enlarge it, and you'll see what I mean. Lastly, here's the long shot at the end of the day today.
September 23, 2013
The roof is really taking shape! The crew continued working on the trusses today. You can see one of the guys on the cherry picker in the next two photos. He's working on the trusses above the Great Room and Loft.
They put the peaks on the 2nd floor Bedroom trusses.
Here's a long shot taken at the end of the day today.
Lastly, a better photo of the current progress on the trusses above the Great Room and Loft.
September 20, 2013
Although it rained again today, we made some major visual progress on the trusses. It was like putting a puzzle together, but all the pieces were labeled well.
The cherry picker was extremely useful.
In place above the kitchen:
If it's not pouring rain tomorrow, the crew will be working again, so I may have another update tomorrow night.
September 19, 2013
Due to a saw breakdown at the truss manufacturer, our trusses weren't delivered until this afternoon. Steve was there with the camera to capture all the excitement. Here's the truck about to turn off Hwy 41 onto our road.
Turning into our driveway:
In our driveway:
Turning around in our driveway in order to back up to the house site:
Backing up:
Parked next to the house and getting ready to unload:
The trusses rolling off the truck:
Steve was thrilled to see his name on the trusses.
The delivery went perfectly and the truck was soon on its way back to Wisconsin.
September 17, 2013
The crew is working on interior partitions and the loft while waiting for the trusses. Here's a shot of the loft area from outside the Great Room.
An interior shot:
Laundry room window:
Master closet and bath area:
Beginning the front porch:
The current long shot:
September 13, 2013
We're waiting for our truss delivery next week, so there isn't a lot to do on the house this week. It has also been raining, so Steve is trying to keep things covered and dry. The men did work on the garage yesterday, and it's looking good.
We'll have 9 ft. overhead garage doors.
One of the main guys in the construction department at Menards in Marquette asked us to send him some photos of our house as it progresses. He said he never gets to see the houses that he works on, and people always promise to email photos but they never do. Well, we sent him some photos the other day, and he's now using one of them as the wallpaper (background) on his computer at the main desk in the contractor area. Cool, huh?
September 6, 2013
The crew has been working so hard that Steve decided to reward them with doughnuts today.
We have neglected to show you the trench for the utilities running from the power box to the house site. Our buddy, Josh, is digging it for us.
After all these years, we finally have indoor plumbing on the property!
Garage framing was today's project.
Here's the long shot at the end of the day.
It's beginning to sink in. We're actually building a house!
September 5, 2013
Lots of progress was made again today. Here's the long shot.
The next photo shows the large window in our bedroom on the left and the bump out is the great room. The exterior wall that's missing will hold two sets of patio doors with large trapezoid windows above them.
Steve was standing in the kitchen when he took the next photo. You can see the two dining room windows.
The next shot shows the window opening above the kitchen sink and the door leading from the garage into the laundry room.
The last photo today shows the large opening for the front door, and the window on the right is in the master bathroom. The large hole in the floor is where the staircases will be - one going down to the basement and one going up to the loft.
September 4, 2013
Work is progressing on the house. Here's a shot of the nice tall basement. (Steve hadn't finished cleaning the floor when he snapped this photo.)
This photo shows the temporary steps leading from the basement up into the attached garage.
Next, the long shot taken at the end of the day.
Finally, here's a shot of one of our bedroom walls. Our bed will sit between those two windows.
September 3, 2013
It's I-Joist Day! Here's the long shot.
Here's the close up.
The new support posts worked perfectly.
August 30, 2013
The fun begins!
August 28, 2013
This was the day that marked our first delivery from Menards!
The truck was equipped with a forklift, but some items were too wide to make it back to the house site, so they were unloaded by the barn.
The framing contractor said he would load those items on his trailer and haul them the rest of the way up the driveway - no problem. Steve said he couldn't resist snapping the next photo.
Seeing our name on the materials made it seem real.
August 24, 2013
We stopped by the property today to check on things. I hadn't see the garage floor in person, so it was nice to see the progress.
The concrete was drying nicely.
Steve was very happy with the way the drain turned out.
The Bible verse reference he wrote on the garage floor was easily visible.
Here's the current long shot.
A deer had also stopped by to check on the progress.
August 23, 2013
The cement boys were on the property again today, as it was time to pour the garage floor. The day started out cool as they made their final preparations.
Here comes the concrete!
Cement Greg operated the thing that looks like a giant squeegee as his twin brothers worked beside him.
Lots more smoothing followed. The day grew quite warm, and they were working really hard.
Once again, they did a great job!
August 22, 2013
Cement Greg and his twin brothers were back again! They made the final preparations for the concrete on the garage floor.
Steve is just crazy about the drain in the middle of the floor. Seriously! You should hear him talk about it!
They also sealed the basement floor. (Steve's crazy about that, too.)
That really made the Bible verses stand out.
August 20, 2013
The excavator was back again to backfill around the garage.
We always like to show you a photo from the next vantage point so you can get a good look at the house site.
The excavator also readied the garage floor for concrete. You can see the opening for the stairs that will lead down into the basement.
Safety-conscious Steve "covered" the opening. He didn't want anyone to accidentally fall down into it.
Mission accomplished!
August 15, 2013
We were sad to see Carrie and Grace leave this morning, but we were excited by the progress made on our garage blocks today.
Here's the current view of the back of the house.
August 13, 2013
Carrie and Grace were visiting, but we stopped by the property in the evening to see what progress had been made on the garage blocks. Wow, they accomplished quite a bit today!
The basement floor has dried nicely, too.
August 12, 2013
Cement Greg and his twin brothers came back to work on the footings for the attached garage. First, they built the forms.
Then, the truck arrives and the concrete is poured.
Nice job!
August 10, 2013
The excavator was back to the site to dig the footings for the attached garage.
August 5, 2013
The cement contractor was back on the job today. Here's the block for the attached garage.
They worked on the block that will surround the stairs leading from the garage down into the basement.
July 31, 2013
Menards had an 11% rebate promotion this week! One of the employees gave us the heads-up on the date of the promotion, so we couldn't pass up this opportunity to purchase our framing materials. Steve and our framing contractor made the drive to Marquette and went over the items in our framing package (line by line) in an attempt to make sure we ordered everything we needed. This photo shows Steve as he returned home with the lengthy receipt.
His pockets were empty, but he was still smiling. Since many of the items we needed were also on sale (before applying the rebate), he was very happy with the amount of money we saved.
July 29, 2013
We had to switch cement contractors and the weather has been pretty wet for most of the month of July, but we finally have a basement floor today!
The trucks arrived -
and Cement Greg and his twin brothers got started.
They worked really hard -
and were able to finish the floor.
Steve added the final touch!
The Lord is good!
June 27, 2013
The weather hasn't been cooperating with our construction plans, so we're still waiting for the basement floor to be poured. Before the rain began last week, Steve started working on the hole for the sump pump.
When reinforcements arrive (Josh), you give them the bull work, right?
Josh did a beautiful job on finishing up that hole. Of course, stones went in before the crock was inserted.
After doing such nice work on the hole, Steve allowed Josh to dig out all the moss that had been growing on the dirt floor of the basement. Once again, good job.
The vapor barrier went down and that narrow bottom row of OSB was removed from the basement walls. All was ready for the cement guy. Now, if it would just stop raining!
May 29, 2013
Then, the drainage tile was installed in Steve's trench.
May 26, 2013
Our basement was constructed in 2007. This is how it looks today - before backfilling.
We needed to install tile for drainage under the basement. This is the trench Steve had to dig for that purpose.
May 23, 2013
Construction is beginning soon!
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