Week 6 - The Transformation

I do not know where to start...Wednesday I had a foundation and 3 sides of a retaining wall and now I have a nearly completed framed house. The crew they hired from Phx are animals and basically have framed the entire house in 4 days. They took today off (Sunday) and will come back tomorrow and Tuesday to finish with the inspection set for Tuesday night. I have taken to going by the house three time a day because it has been changing that quickly.

So, Wednesday the downstairs was framed...Thursday, the second story was framed...Friday, the roof framed and the inside started...and Saturday, all the rooms done with some minor touches needed on Monday. The will then begin to sheet the house (I think that is the terminology but I could be wrong).

Windows are set for tomorrow with heating and electrical to follow this week. I honestly can barely keep up but it is really exciting. Terry and Jeanette have made this very easy for me so far and have been awesome to work with. They have a few more lots for sale if anyone wants to be my neighbor ;-) They do great work!!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos, there may be one more entry before I leave for MN and CA for the holidays. I can not even fathom what it will look like when I return...The adventure truly continues.

Weeks 4 and 5 - The house amid the election

Sorry the Blog had to take a short hiatus due to the election...I could not focus on anything but what was happening in this country. For a while there I had to turn off the TV because the hype was pushing me over the edge. I ended up making a Mole as a celebration dinner, mostly because it is actually quite complicated and time consuming and I needed a distraction. It worked and it turned out great...so the evening was a success.

As for the house, the good Karma continues. Week four brought the plumbing and the completion of the retaining wall, back filled and all. During this phase the house was looking very small again and i was struggling to imagine it at its projected 2000 sq ft. There is so much dirt from the excavation that the whole lot looks tiny. It actually put me in the mind of San Diego Airport pre-renovations when there use to be a big hill that traffic went up and around to access the airport, and then one day it was gone and the road was flat. I know it is possible but it doesn't make it any stranger to see it happen.

Week 5 was another huge step...the foundation was poured and we will begin framing on Wednesday next week. they project 1.5 weeks to have it framed, inspected and windows in. So far so good and if things keep flowing it should be complete early March. Keep your fingers crossed ;-)

Week 3 - The "Good Karma" House

I had my first round of inspections this week and the inspector passed it with no hitches. He apparently was raving about the great quality of work by the builder...this is obviously all very good ;-) I walked by on Thursday to take some photos and got to talk with Paul about the progress. Paul is an interesting character and makes the endeavor that most more of a fascinating prospect. Anyway, he looked me in the eye for a moment and said, "you seem like the kinda person I can say this to, this is a good karma house." He went on to explain that so far everything has gone very smoothly. He said the land likes what is happening to it and good energy surrounds it. Well, what do you say to that? Thanks! I am glad and actually it feels good to me to. Now, no laughing...I live in Sedona and this is a normal occurrence here, and I have to say, I much rather that than the alternative.

As far as the construction. The retaining wall is nearly finished. They have added the drains and will back fill next week. This metamorphosis of the land is truly fascinating. One day it looks like a tiny house and the next it looks huge. I imagine it will continue to fluctuate like this throughout. It will be roughly 2000 square feet, which most of you know is more than twice the size of my old house on La Junta Ave...so I guess small is truly relative as it is not 800 sq. ft. In all it will be a 3BR/3BA with a "great" room down stairs, 2 car garage, and an oen plan kitchen livingroom...so it will be cozy with room for guest.

Week 2 - The House...and some politics

I decided daily updates are not practical and really, unnecessary because the changes are so slight now that you would need better photos to see the changes. But changes there are...The footings have been poured/laid, whatever...they are there ;-) and week 3 will see the building of the retaining wall and the back filling of the dirt once the wall is complete. Windows and door have been ordered with the hope the framing will begin at the end of the week and be done into week 4.

It really is amazing just how much planning goes into building a house and how all parts are interrelated. Kind of like this world if we could just figure that part out. The notion that we can accomplish anything without others is absurd, we realize that in building but not in life...hmmmm...go figure. But then with notions like, "Troops to Teachers" with no competency exams, it becomes painfully obvious how out of touch we are. It is amazing how everyone is an expert on how to teach simply because they went to school, could you imagine telling a doctor what to and how to do something simply because you've been to one before? That simplistic thought is dangerous for an already troubled institution...yet there will be some who think it is a brilliant idea, which is REALLY the scary part.

Funny, this did ot start out about politics but once I made the analogy about building my mind took off ;-) I just changed the title to give you all fair waring as to what you were about to encounter. I am sure this will not be the last time, so be forewarned ;-)

The House - Day 4

It is kind of blowing my mind how fast it is moving. They were putting in the re barb today to get ready to put the footings in (whatever that means ;-). The tractor is still there tearing up the solid rock we hit. It was not much but there was enough to add a days work to his docket. Terry (my builder and friend) is like, "I should have raised the house a foot," what a thought. Oh well, it is truly underway. We hope to have the footings in tomorrow and get approval from the city so the foundation can be laid.

They new house is only a few blocks from where I live now, so I get to walk by daily and check it out. I think I can actually hear the tractor pounding the rock from my office. I am sure my neighbors love me about now...just wait, it only get better I am sure ;-)

Where does the time go?

It has been 10 months since my post "Coming full circle," and if feels like yesterday. I have been living in Sedona, Az and taking it a day at a time. I find it easier to be in the moment here due to fewer stimuli. I have wonderful friends which are like family and a great boyfriend who is very patient with me.

I have decided to, once again, try to keep a Blog of my new adventure...building a house. I closed escrow last week and have begun the excavation of the land. It is pretty exciting to see how quickly things can move. I will take pictures every day to have a photo journal of the process and try to post a few photos along with a few words daily for my records and for friends if they are also interested in following along.

So Consider this Day 2 of "The House" since I missed Day 1 where you would have seen the land in its pristine condition before the bulldozer.