We Have Visitors!

Today, Kelly, her husband and their two beautiful children came to see the house and we squeezed in a short visit.  Kelly is a colleague of mine at TRECA.  How ironic is it that at a staff meeting, someone asked to see a picture of the house we were building.  I brought up the picture and Kelly's jaw hit the ground.  She and her husband had picked out the exact same plan!  We laughed and laughed.  Who would have thought that after searching through thousands of plans, as they did, we would pick the same one.  They are still in the early stages and hoping to build soon, but it was great to share our vision for the house with the adjustments, changes, and variations we have made.  We certainly don't mind showing it off : )  Avery, Cody, and Braeden had a great time playing!  Here are a few pictures with  

Drywalling has begun!

The kitchen ceiling is started.  Avery is checking things out to make sure it has been done correctly : )

The kids were playing under the stairs.  

So cute!  Avery, Cody, and Braeden.  They played so well together!  They loved running in the basement. 

Drywall Delivery and Front Door Transom!

The drywall has been delivered.  They placed the appropriate amount in each room.  In addition, the transom over the front door is in and I LOVE it!  So pretty and it lets in so much light.  As you can tell, we certainly have a more simple style.  We do not like hearts, frills, or "fufu" things.  You can tell that in the things we have selected thus far.  There is one exception that I continue to work on with Brian......I do like tasteful chandeliers.  Some are very pretty in oil rubbed bronze and a few crystals.  Nothing too crazy : )

Love these guys!  Tracy and Chief hard at work!

Drywall in the dining room.

Drywall in breakfast nook.

Front door with transom and trim.  So pretty!

Can't wait to see it with the trim on the window in the door and the dental moulding on the door!

Drywall in the living room.

Dining Room.

Doors and Insulation!

Things seem to be moving so quickly!  We were surprised to learn that the walls would be insulated today.  This means that drywall is just around the corner.  It was AMAZING the difference that the insulation made, even without the house being completely enclosed.

This is the man door in the garage.  

This is the door in the master bedroom that leads to the lanai.  We love the blind that is in between the glass.  

The guys had to replace the current wood posts with steel posts.  This is one of the many things that our builder has done to make sure our house lasts for the next 100 years!  Although it called for wood posts, Tracy traded out the posts for steel beams.  

Exhaust fan

I LOVE this door!  Brian needed some convincing.  While it is missing the  trim for the window that will make three narrow glass panels and the moulding on the outside, I still do not think it looks like a prison door as Brian states.  He thinks it looks like one could open up the the top window and pass the slop along : (  I think the craftsman door will look great with the style of the house.  It will grow on him!

Insulation in the garage.

Here you can see the blown in foam insulation with the batting over top.  

Insulation in dining room.

You can see where they insulated between each joist in the basement.  

Electrical, Plumbing, and Heating/Cooling cont....

Electrical area in basement.  This is underneath the master bedroom.

Duct work and plumbing.

More duct work that fits between the ijoists.  The ceilings in the basement will still be well over 8 feet.  Therefore, with the natural light, it will not really feel like a basement once it is finished. 

Master shower which will be tiled.

This is the laundry hookups in the utility room.

Another view of the utility/laundry room.

They are framing the arches in.  This side will be stone and the gables will be shakes.  

Electrical, Plumbing, and Heating/Cooling!

The past week has been really exciting at the house.  They have roughed in the electrical, plumbing and the heating/cooling.

Here is the breakdown:

Geothermal for heating and cooling
Gas for fireplace and cooktop
Electric backup for geothermal

This is the beginning of the plumbing in the utility room.

Braeden is inside our fireplace.  We really debated on how we wanted the fireplace.  Who knew there were so many options for fireplaces.  Thank you Pinterest and Google Images for helping us to narrow down what we like!  We decided on floor to ceiling with a step back.  It will be stone with a mantle and hearth.  The part that is set back will hold Brian's new beloved TV.  My husband is a happy man!

Another view of the fireplace.  At some point, we want to have built in cabinets made that will flank each side of the fireplace and will hold all mechanicals, dvd's, etc.

View of living/family room.

This is the dining room which now shows the half walls on each side and in the middle.  Columns will adorn each half wall.  To the right of the dining room is the front door and foyer. 

A view from the living room facing the kitchen.  The first door to the right is the pantry.  The one beside it is the master bedroom.

To the right of the front door is my office.

Really??  All those wires for three switches!!

Copper water pipe

Geothermal ducts

That is a LOT of wire!  I certainly would not want to be the one to tie it into the panel!