Tills Home

The Final Entry

2008-12-07T13:49:00.006-06:00

We're finally feeling like we've created a home, so I thought I'd share one final post and several photos. We've come a long way since the last post, but it seems the "to-do" list continues to grow...and financial prioritizing seems to prevent things from progressing as quickly as we'd like. Despite all that remains to be completed, we are loving every minute in the space that Matt designed. It is amazing how much a beautiful, well thought out space can affect your mood and overall outlook on life. During these short winter days we are really appreciating every little bit of sunshine that finds it's way through the south facing facade of windows and the radiant heat in the concrete floors.

2008-12-07T13:11:00.007-06:00

Entry

carpet tiles by FLOR...we still need to find the perfect stools for the kitchen island.
Back Hallway
the hallway storage is one of my favorite spaces...so much stuff "neatly" hidden away!
Steps to living room
reclaimed douglas fir...same as the heavy timbers. and more FLOR tiles.

Living Room

the East wall is so massive that it was difficult to fill the space with conventional art. we comissioned this piece from an artist that works full-time for "Anthropologie."

Fireplace

this was the most difficult part of the design process for us...but we finally have all the "issues" resolved and are pleased with the end result.

2008-12-07T12:48:00.006-06:00

Dining room

View out dining room window from kitchen sink. Matt hopes to eventually build a dining room table from the huge white oak tree that was removed for construction. we had the tree milled and it is currently drying. the adjacent porch (just off the dining room) will be screened-in this spring.

Powder room on main floor

This is was our first "color" attempt....the photo doesn't do it justice. It has been very intimidating to think about color selections in this blank slate.

Master bath

View of powder room from master bath

Stairwell

So that's it. Thanks to all who have followed along...come visit in person to see future updates!

Final Grade

2008-06-06T11:51:00.002-05:00

The grading and seeding was completed this week - just in time for some great summer storms. No need to water around here! Another grade of sorts: our home has been energy star certified by the state of Wisconsin and is in the top 5% of home as far as energy efficiency is concerned.

In other news, yesterday we spotted a large snapping turtle crossing the yard and had coyotes howling quite nearby...always something new around here!

A long awaited update

2008-05-20T09:57:00.004-05:00

Where does all the time go? We continue to make progress - this weekend we parked both cars in the garage! Our landscaping (basically grading) is scheduled for the first week in June. It will sure be nice to not be tracking sand and gravel in every time we enter the house. Matt hopes to get a start on the screening for the porch within the next couple weeks as well. We have enjoyed many guests and have our weekends full for the next 4 weeks, so that leaves little time for projects...but we are so happy to have a roof over our heads and friends and family to host. This is a decal we placed on the boy's bathroom wall. Titled "Strength in Numbers," I think it works perfectly in the room and is a good lesson for the little guys as well! Blik is a great source for crazy decals of all types.

One of our frequent visitors, the boys are not even excited to see turkeys anymore! Unfortunately, our windows have become somewhat of a hazard to the birds around here...last week 2 scarlet tanagers lost their lives to the windows and the week before it was 2 yellow bellied woodpeckers. (and our windows are filthy - what will happen when we get them washed?!!)
And now for some exterior shots... The prodema worked out beautifully.

The shower

2008-04-27T15:03:00.003-05:00

We're finally able to take a shower in our master bathroom. It's been a long time coming, but I think the final product was actually worth the wait. Our tilers did an amazing job and created a beautiful work of art out of what we had simply planned would be a square shower. The interior corners are all perfectly curved and the bench area is amazing. The major reason this piece of our project took so long was delays in delivery of the tile...which we ordered through Matt's office. If anyone needs a recommendation for tiling companies, we certainly would use these guys again.

Prodema

2008-04-16T20:24:00.002-05:00

A few nice, dry days here have allowed for some exterior work to be done. This is the prodema siding on the East side of the house. The garage has not yet been done, and rain is expected for the rest of the week, so we'll just keep our hopes low for completion. The master shower tile is about half done now - and wow! it's going to be bold. It will probably be all placed by tomorrow night and then will still need a day of grouting - hopefully Friday. Slowly, very slowly, we're nearing completion. We are feeling very at home here now...it is a wonderful space to call home. Both Matt and I have had nightmares about selling this house...needless to say, we are very happy to be in, and, at this time, NEVER want to leave this place!

Getting settled

2008-04-01T11:05:00.002-05:00

The metal siding portion of the exterior of the house was completed last Friday. From this angle, it nearly looks finished! ...but the prodema (see link for info) portion of the siding still needs to be installed. That will be placed on the East side of the house (living room wall) and around the stairway windows.
The empty spot on the garage will also have prodema siding. We have a bit of landscaping yet to do! Matt is planning on screening in the porch this spring...and we'll need it; I spotted a mosquito last week - at 42 degrees!
The tile of the kitchen backsplash was installed last week... we're still waiting for our master shower tile to arrive. This tile is clear glass, but has a beautiful sea-green hue to it installed.
The custom cabinetry was installed in the living room last week, too. We are still waiting on the fireplace surround, which is currently being fabricated. (Note the mess already collected on the entryway ledge....)

That's it for this week's update....more to come.

Getting there....

2008-03-12T11:42:00.002-05:00

Dining room from kitchen
Kitchen from entrance
Living room from steps
Master bath

We're living in the house now! The exterior still has a ways to go, but inside we're feeling pretty comfortable...especially with the heated concrete floors. It's been too long since I've posted, but I don't have time to go into great detail. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?

Upstairs

2008-03-12T11:32:00.002-05:00

Stairwell as seen from the front doorFrom the landing, looking up to the second floor
Looking down the stairwell from upstairs hallway
Boys' bathroom
Boys' bedrooms....sliding door to be done at a later date!

The Front Door

2008-02-27T11:32:00.002-06:00

Our friend, Vic, in San Antonio just sent this photo of the front door. It's upside down here, but we think it looks great. They plan to ship it this week, and we're anxious to see the hardware on it.

The tiling is mostly complete in the boys' bathroom and looks good. Unfortunately, the tile we ordered for our shower is backordered for a 2nd time - to the end of March. The plumber arrived yesterday and should get most of the plumbing done this week. Our countops are to be installed today. Trimwork continues...there is just so much of it to be done, but it's looking beautiful.

The roof has finally been started and yesterday we also saw a glimpse of the siding...we're anxious to see more of it, but the zinc color is going to look very nice with the timbers.

We're getting very tired of being completely unsettled. This is our 4th week of homelessness! The boys are handling it much better than I am...but we're hopeful that we only have one more week of this. Again, we're so grateful for all of our wonderful friends who have taken us in and offered to take us in, as well as to my parents, who have earned their grandparenting merit badges!

Photo Update

2008-02-22T11:40:00.002-06:00

Alright, here are some photos, finally! Things are starting to come together....but there are plenty of things yet to do. Today they actually are starting to install the metal roof! (It's a balmy 25 degrees!)
This is the start of the custom cabinetry in the living room. This view is from the stairs looking toward the front door. A long bench made out of douglas fir will span the entire length.
This is the kitchen cabinetry last week. The island is now installed as well. Next week we hope for countertops and appliances. We also need to install the hardware....an ikea purchase.

The stonework has been completed inside and out. It looks wonderful! The fireplace surround will be metal plating (designed by my architect) and should be installed next week.
The window trim is looking good. This is the living room - East side wall.
The final trim on an upstairs bedroom window. Very clean and simple.
A tile-prepping master has been hard at work in our master shower all week. He's created an unbelievable space that was totally unexpected to us. We're anxious to see the tile start going in next week.
The cabinetry/lighting in our master bath. Again, the countertop should be placed next week, so that the sinks can be installed. The plumber arrives Tuesday to start hooking up appliances and fixtures.

Slow Home

2008-02-21T09:55:00.003-06:00

I just discovered this movement - the "Slow Home" - that epitimizes what we believe and are trying to accomplish. (and, unfortunately, is exactly the speed of our construction!) Check it out! http://theslowhome.com/blog/index/

Good Test

2008-02-20T15:16:00.002-06:00

I forgot to mention in my previous post that we had a good test of the performance of our home Tuesday night. While working at the house that night, we noticed that the furnace/water heater was not working and determined that it was some sort of power failure, but no one could take a look at it until the next morning. When we left the house at 10 PM, the temperature was 67 degrees...upon arriving at 7:30 the next morning, after a night with absolutely no heat and sub-zero temperatures outside, the thermostat read 60 degrees. Pretty darn impressive, I think! (It was an electrical issue that was quickly resolved.) I can't wait to see how low we can keep our heating/cooling bills...score 1 for SIPs!

Deep breaths

2008-02-20T09:59:00.003-06:00

As you may have noticed, I've taken a bit of a break from posting here. For the past 2 1/2 weeks we've been gypsies and life has been stressful, to say the least. But thanks to good friends and excellent parents/grandparents, we're making it through. I have found an apartment we can rent week to week for the next 2-3 weeks so that we can be living as a family again. (And possibly be able to post pictures - if we can get a wireless connection on our laptop.)

On the construction front, things are improving. All the drywall is painted, the kitchen cabinets are installed, we've assembled and installed our "custom closet" from ikea, the master shower is prepped for tile, doors are being stained and hung, window trim is stained and being installed, the interior stonework will be done today, custom cabinetry in the living room is being fabricated, and most of the lighting has been installed. Our hardwood flooring has been installed in the upstairs hallway and the stair landing...but still needs to be finished.

It's a busy place, but a lot still needs to happen. The counters in the kitchen and master bath were measured yesterday...and will take 1-2 weeks to complete. (They're just formica with wood trim) All of our exterior siding, roofing, and trim has arrived, but we need to wait for temperatures to rise above 0 degrees...maybe tomorrow...for that to get going. Our appliances are all here, but won't be installed until everything else is complete, and we're also waiting on the plumber to get the toilets and sinks hooked up. (He needs the countertops installed first, though.) The tile needs to be laid in the boys' bath, our master shower, and the kitchen backsplash, the stair treads haven't yet arrived (but the railing has and looks great!), and the carpet in the upstairs bedrooms will be the last thing to go in.

Phew - I'm exhausted just thinking about it all. Having a place to stay for the next few weeks does make it all seem much more tolerable, though... and, I just have to add a political note here - the results of WI elections yesterday gives me great hope - GO OBAMA!

Kitchen Backsplash

2008-01-30T14:54:00.000-06:00

This is the 2"x4" subway tile we've chosen for the kitchen backsplash. The lighting is not the greatest here - it's clear glass and I think we'll do a white grout with it. The tiles have some depth to them, which creates a neat effect when lit.

Floor Photos

2008-01-28T19:50:00.000-06:00

A little difficult to see - these are the floors following the staining process, but not yet sealed. The seal coat should bring out a bit more contrast...we actually like all the variation. These photos are in our master bedroom. Not at all what we planned on, but we think it's going to be good.

Floor Update

2008-01-27T19:05:00.000-06:00

As anticipated, we had a frustrating weekend. Unfortunately the stain did not "stick" again. After another test, we discovered the color buffed out. It did leave the floor a slightly warmer gray and after much debate over whether or not to just seal the raw concrete (as is seen in virtually every "Dwell" home recently), we decided that the stain does give the floor a bit more character and warmth. So we did it....and it all buffed out as expected, but we feel alright with the result. Because the color continues to come out when buffed, it also added a day to the process before it can be sealed, so we have to push the drywallers back until Wednesday...which is a big bummer. Every day seems so significant when you're facing homelessness!

Our appliances will all be delivered (to the garage) tomorrow. Also, the siding and roofing materials should arrive to the installers this week...that means installation could begin soon. Our good friend, Vic, in San Antonio thinks our front door will be shipped this week as well. All good news, as we are packing right now to move (into storage) next weekend.

Progress Report

2008-01-22T18:05:00.000-06:00

We now have defined rooms! The drywall is all hung. No word on if the mudding will begin tomorrow, so that's a probable no. Despite those frustrations, we are very pleased with the spaces that have emerged and the overall brightness of the rooms. This photo was taken standing just inside the front door - to the left is the kitchen.
Looking towards the living room from the kitchen/entrance.
In the kitchen looking towards the dining area.
Looking towards the kitchen from the living room.

Drywall

2008-01-21T19:37:00.001-06:00

This is where things were over the weekend. The upstairs drywall was all hung, as well as most of the downstairs ceilings. Today the remaining ceilings were finished, and the rest should be complete by tomorrow. Then on to the mudding. This weekend we REALLY think the floors will be treated....but I say that with a bit of skepticism. More pics to come...

No news is NOT good news.

2008-01-13T20:22:00.000-06:00

The drywall has not been started. Our 6 month old digital camera died. It's not been a good week.

Success!

2008-01-05T15:05:00.000-06:00

We found a stain that worked! What a relief. This is a water-based stain and we need to do a bit more research on the sealer, but are excited about the color.
Olive and Artichoke will have a secret entrance to the litter boxes from our bedroom, so that we won't need to worry about keeping the door open between the kitchen and utility room. This will get framed in a bit more before the drywall goes up.
The drywalling is finally scheduled to start next week. The electricians need one more day and then, following an inspection, things can really start to improve. This is the receiving end of the laundry chute located just inside our bedroom. Tim framed it so that a laundry hamper can be placed on the top shelf to receive the boys' laundry and we can have another hamper or storage underneath.

This is the upstairs portion of the laundry chute....did I mention that we occassionally see small elves haunting the site?!

Matt is busy figuring out how to wire for sound in the media room, living room, kitchen, and master bath. He plans to do that this weekend...before the drywall goes up.

More Decisions

2007-12-19T14:10:00.000-06:00

While the concrete floors are at a standstill, we are frantically trying to make some final decisions on other finishes. This bathroom is a bit too "busy", but we're going to do a similar tile gradient for the tub surround in the boys' bathroom. This is 3/4" x 3/4" glass tile from Hakatai.com. (Matt gets an excellent trade discount!) We are going to use the white blend that is shown on the floor here for the boys' bathroom floor and then the gradient tiles starting at the tub and going up will have more white than shown here. The darkest blue at the top perfectly matches the cabinetry we got at Ikea.

We are also narrowing in on tile for our master shower and the kitchen backsplash. (I'll post those once a decision has been reached.) Unfortunately, we were hoping to know what color our concrete floors would be before selecting countertop colors in the kitchen and master bath....we may just have to make a blind choice.

Another option

2007-12-19T13:52:00.000-06:00

Roy, from Milwaukee, shared these photos of his living room with us. I think the floors look beautiful! He explained the process a bit in the comments section of my previous post. (In brief: The surface of the concrete is ground down to expose the aggregate, an epoxy is placed to fill in voids, and a high gloss sealer is the final step.) While we're still pursuing a stained look at the moment, it's nice to have this option in our back pocket. Thanks again for sharing, Roy!

Floor Frustrations

2007-12-18T14:05:00.001-06:00

Well, by now we were supposed to have beautiful stained concrete floors in a rich brown color. Our floors are still grey. For some reason, the stain isn't taking and even though it looks perfect when the acid stain is rinsed off, the buffer, which is the next step in the process, removes all the color. We (the stainer and us) have no idea why this is happening. There were no additives placed in the concrete, so we're at a loss. We may try looking at some water based dyes or think about just polishing our concrete as it is. I've been noticing many homes with polished concrete that is unstained in Dwell recently, so I don't think it will be the end of the world if that's the route we have to choose.

If anyone has experience with this type of problem, I would love suggestions!

Ikea Wardrobe

2007-12-15T20:49:00.000-06:00

For the disgruntled blog reader who couldn't fathom a house without a built-in closet in the bedroom, this is what we purchased yesterday. It's a 5' wide, 7'9" tall wardrobe from Ikea, which can be completely customized with drawers, shoe racks, shelving, etc.

Along with the wardrobe, we also came home with the cabinetry for the boy's bathroom, all the hardware for the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, and all sorts of odds and ends - from towel racks to toilet paper holders.

So much to do in so little time...

2007-12-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

So on we go. We are absolutely out of our condo on Feb. 2, but at a meeting with our contractor this Friday, he didn't think that was going to be a feasible deadline. I guess we may just be moving into a lot of dust because we'll have no choice!

This weekend the concrete floors are getting stained and sealed. We met with Tom Cranley on Thursday night and he showed us a sample of the stain on the shower floor. This photo looks like a toxic dump because the process involed an acid reaction with the concrete. We were very pleased with the brown/rust color that resulted - I just forgot to take a photo. Anyway, it's a 3 day process, so we won't really get a good look at it until Tuesday.

A little "oops" - we forgot to have an outlet placed in the concrete for the kitchen island as required by code. Tim was able to cut a section of the concrete in a place that will be covered by the island and another section under the kitchen cabinets and then slide some conduit beneath the slab. This was a little nerve-wracking, considering that the slab is dense with radiant floor tubing.
Wiring is nearing completion in most of the house...this is the back wall of the kitchen where the sink and cabinetry will be located.

This is the plumbing/electrical for the master bath...2 sinks.

Details

2007-12-07T15:31:00.000-06:00

There's not been a huge amount of visible progress this week, but a lot is going on. The heat is on and the plumber and electrician have been hard at work. The exterior masonry is done (with the exception of a little correction that unfortunately is going to be difficult - no fault of the mason's - he's been wonderful) We found these door handles on-line and ordered a set to see how they feel - Matt was thrilled with them, and we'll be ordering them for the whole house this weekend. We will have two of these vessel sinks in the master bath. They arrived this week and seem huge, but have been assured by several sets of eyes that they'll fit in just fine. I like the simple lines of them and think they will look great with the faucet we selected so, so long ago.

The technical stuff

2007-12-02T20:49:00.000-06:00

This is the utility room as it looks this weekend. The water heater is very large because it is dual purposed. It heats both the floors and the domestic hot water. The system is much more complicated than that, though, and we've relied on the expertise of our HVAC system designer, John, at Air Care in Beaver Dam, WI. The house is zoned in several areas with both in-floor heat and forced air, and after living in a very drafty house for the past 3 years, we're excited to feel the difference!
A new challenge: Snow! We're waiting for the front door design to be completed and fabricated by our good friend, Vic, down in San Antonio. His family has been constructing doors for centuries. So, until then, we have a fancy plywood door screwed to the house. No keys necessary, just a cordless drill! We were surprised to find a bathtub upstairs yesterday! This is the boys' tub, and will be rotated to fit against that back wall. The plumber has been very busy and most of the lines are in and waiting for fixtures.

This week we anticipate the completion of the stone on the exterior, the radiant floor heat should be turned on, and the electrician will arrive.

Visible Progress

2007-11-28T19:10:00.000-06:00

As luck would have it, one of our old neighbors is a stone mason. He's been hard at work the last few days, and doing a beautiful job. This is a synthetic stone veneer by Eldorado...Manzanita is the color. Matt wanted as close to a dry stack as possible...which aparantly is very difficult in our climate.

The plumber and HVAC crew were out working again today. We met with the concrete floor stainer yesterday - he's scheduled for Dec. 7th, assuming the house is heated by then. We also met with the woman designing our kitchen cabinetry yesterday and that all should be finalized by the end of this week.

Our completion date has been set for Feb. 1. A bit later than we were hoping, but fortunately the condo we're renting is still available until then.

We're Thankful for Progress!

2007-11-25T18:14:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since our last post, but progress is continuing. Upon our arrival at the house on Wednesday, we were pleased to find a very busy work site. The mason was getting started on the stonework, both the HVAC and carpenter crews were hard at work, and the water from the well had been connected to the pump and house.

A view of the fireplace and future stonework from the living room. The stone will go where the black mesh has been placed.
Gus turned "1" today and started to walk this weekend. Today he took his first walk in his new bedroom! The prodema crate has been opened! Here it is shown with the cedar trim that surrounds the roof.

Baby steps

2007-11-15T09:55:00.000-06:00

This has been a week of tying up loose ends. The wall for the stonework has been sealed up, and the stone has been delivered. An old "Beverly Road" neighbor of ours is going to be starting the stonework once the roof gets started around the chimney. Today they're placing cedar fascia around the edge of the roof. I liked the "to-do" list I found nailed to a wall this morning...written on a board!

The Fireplace

2007-11-12T13:16:00.000-06:00

Today the fireplace was installed. That corner of the living room was a busy place at noon today, where they were also placing the final windows.

Still working on the windows...

2007-11-08T20:02:00.000-06:00

The windows continue to go in - a bit longer process than anticipated, but they look great and will be worth the wait. Also, today the chimney got framed in. I've seen so many computerized drawings of the final house, that I almost didn't notice it - it just looked like it belonged there. I guess that's a good sign! The front living room windows and final stairway windows will go in tomorrow. On Monday the fireplace will be installed.

Progress continues!

2007-11-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

The windows are waiting.....the upstairs ones were installed today and look great. We're pleased with the "cranberry" color. I'll try to post pics of those tomorrow. The builders were very impressed with the Loewen windows - said they were they heaviest windows they've ever installed.

The ceiling of the porch is done and the roof is being built today. These beams are the most beautiful - they're the old, reclaimed ones with many "scars," but the aged wood is so much deeper in color.

All roofed in...

2007-11-04T15:52:00.000-06:00

On Friday the roof finally went over our living room. The ceiling looks great, and we're exited to see what a difference the windows will make this week! All of the major beams are now in place...the only roof section left to place is over the screened in porch area. Once the windows are in and the house is "closed up", we'll get going on staining the concrete floors. Here's to no more rain delays!

A Halloween Treat

2007-10-31T19:53:00.000-05:00

Here's a glimpse of the living room ceiling...more tomorrow!

More beams....

2007-10-30T19:20:00.000-05:00

All of the living room beams have been placed now, as has the main beam from the house to the garage, where the screened-in porch will be located. I think the support brackets that Matt designed look great!

Beam me up!

2007-10-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the first two beams were placed...those are the most difficult ones, and today should show a big change as more go up. That main beam will be trimmed down (it's about 6 ft too long right now) once all the others are placed.

On Saturday Matt enjoyed doing some physical labor on the house - using Tim's joiner to smooth the sides of what will be the treads of our stairway.

The details

2007-10-27T08:39:00.000-05:00

The sofits of the garage and second story were completed this week with the same douglas fir tongue in groove paneling that will cover the living room and porch ceilings....

The beams are now stained and ready to be placed first thing next week! By the end of next week, the living room ceiling and roof should be complete. The weather forecast finally looks good - and once the house is closed in, the weather will no longer matter!

A full garage

2007-10-23T20:50:00.000-05:00

Materials continue to arrive daily. The Prodema siding (the resin impregnated wood veneer panels used on the East side of the house, garage, and around the large stairwell windows) arrived from Spain yesterday. It's an amazingly small crate - that weighs a ton! (as in 2000 pounds) It's still sealed up, so we are like children at Christmas, waiting to see what's inside.

The douglas fir tongue-in-groove paneling has also arrived. (see photo) This will be the ceiling of our living room and porch, as well as the underside of the exterior sofits of the house. They started working on the sofits today - and we hear they look great, but haven't yet seen them.

The interior photo here is from the living room looking into the kitchen/dining rooms.

We're hoping those 26 foot beams can be stained this week - until those are ready, we're at a bit of a standstill. Once those are up, windows can go in! (They've arrived offsite and are just waiting for us.)

More fixtures...

2007-10-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

These are a few fixtures we ordered yesterday. Our exterior lighting will be similar to the bottom right fixture in the collage of photos. The one that looks like folded paper is for the "media room" just off the living room, and the sconces are for the master bath.

The timbers have arrived!

2007-10-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

Our 26 foot douglas fir beams arrived on Thursday and they look beautiful! There was a bit of a mix-up, though...they weren't finished (as in varnished). It's kind of a mixed blessing, as now we will be able to really control the color and final finish, but it will put us back about a week in the schedule. All of the other beams arrived, as well, most of them being reclaimed from old warehouses. It's neat to see the old nail holes and think about the stories these beams could tell. Matt designed the brackets that hold the beams and they also arrived on Thursday...with their black powder coat finish, I think they're going to look great.

Yesterday we drove over to Milwaukee to see the fireplace we've selected in person. It is amazing, and we are feeling much better about opting for gas over wood burning. We also visited a crazy lighting store - BBC Lighting Supply...and purchased several fixtures. Even if you're not really in the market for light fixtures, if you're in the Milwaukee area, this is something to see!

In other news, we closed on the sale of our house this Friday! Phew.

Fireplace Frustrations

2007-10-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

We have continued to struggle with the fireplace. On one hand, we really like the idea (smell, feel) of a wood burning fireplace. On the other hand, we are aware that it is polluting and worse for the environment than gas. Another major struggle has been with the look of gas fireplaces...ie: the fake log. Also, if we do a non-sealed wood burning fireplace, our home will not qualify as an "energy star" home...not that that gets us anything other than bragging rights. Yesterday we re-discovered this gas fireplace from Montigo and have decided to throw out the idea of a corner fireplace in favor of this contemporary gas one with stones instead of a fake log.

The roof

2007-10-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, the roof trusses were installed and today the roof sheathing was placed...what a difference it makes in the way the upstairs rooms feel! A temporary stairway is in place, so we can really see how things are going up there. The crew plans on completing the SIP portions of the roof this week, and once we get a decent dry stretch, the timber beams and tongue in grove paneling for the the living room ceiling can be placed.

Keeping an eye on the prize

2007-10-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

What a dramatic change in the past two weeks - all the SIP walls are up. Now the progress becomes less obvious. Today all of the upstairs walls were framed and the stairway was started. Here's a little eye candy (to me anyways!) of the revised exterior of the house...with the metal siding, red windows, and updated stonework.

Onwards and Upwards!

2007-10-09T20:20:00.000-05:00

Today Matt and I met for lunch at the land and were pleasantly suprised to see the second story going up! All of the SIP walls are now in place and tomorrow they will start on the stairway or the SIP roof panels. Also, the concrete guys were out to prepare to pour the porch floor, outside entry, and living room steps tomorrow. The timber for the beams is scheduled to arrive this week, and next week the windows should arrive! Today was a good day.

On a side note, we moved this past weekend to our condo sublet. What a job with our two little guys! We're still not done moving the garage stuff, but are anxious to close on our house sale on the 19th - that will be a big relief.

Progress continues....

2007-10-02T19:51:00.000-05:00

The first floor SIPs are almost all up - the missing spaces are mostly windows...and we can tell that the windows are going to be pretty impressive in the living room. The ceiling is high - 13' - and all glass on the South facing wall. You can see in the photo the media room door and window from the living room. The concrete closet will be poured tomorrow. Other concrete will have to be delayed due to rain, but what's new?

October is off to a good start!

2007-10-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

After being away for almost a week, we were pleasantly surprised upon our first visit back to the land. The walls are going up and most of them should be erected by the end of this week. Today Tim placed the styrofoam forms (ICFs) for our concrete closet - my "safe room" from tornadoes, since we have no basement. (You can see that in the photo - the white walls.) Currently the first floor of the West side of the house and most of the North side are up, as well as the South facing dining room wall.

The plan is to have our garage floor, the master closet walls, porch floor, exterior entry, and living room steps all poured with concrete this Thursday. It's very exciting to have something to look at finally - and even more fun to walk around and picture the final product in our minds.

The Slab

2007-09-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday all the tubing was laid for the radiant floor heat...in the picture you can see that the bathroom, living room, and media room have denser tubing for warmer floors.

Today the slab was poured! Overall, it went well... however, since this will be our finished floor we are being pretty nit-picky. There are some large scratches in circular patterns in the entrance to our bedroom which are pretty disappointing. One "flaw" we were pleased with are a few little leaf prints in the entryway to our home. We are very glad to have the ball rolling again. Tomorrow they will make saw cuts in 8 ft intervals on the diagonal as control joints to prevent cracks in the concrete. The garage slab as well as the porch, outside entry, and living room steps still need to be poured - hopefully soon.

Progress.

2007-09-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

Today Tim leveled the gravel in preparation for the slab and started to lay the vapor barrier and styrofoam that will be under the slab. This is something Tim takes great pride in...really insulating the house, making it as energy efficient as possible. He'll finish the vapor barrier and insulation tomorrow and then the HVAC crew will come in to place tubing for the heated floors. The lastest thought is that the slab will be poured on Thursday...no promises, though!

Patience is a virtue.

2007-09-15T19:11:00.000-05:00

Still nothing. Here are a few pics of the garage with some of the SIPs piled next to it. Also, with some help from Mom and Dad (Laura's), we seeded the septic field with a woodland prarie mix two weeks ago. The rye grass is sure sprouting - at least something's happening on the site. We are hopeful that the slab will be poured next week (it's been said before...). Then the concrete needs to sit for 3 days untouched - in order to get the best finish for staining. Since the concrete is the final finish for the main level floors, the workers will have to be very careful throughout construction.

Garage

2007-09-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

Well, after a frustrating week, we do have something to show! The garage has been framed, and it's so exciting to see the drawings come to life....it's getting easier to imagine a house on our lot. The plumber had a good day today - got all the PVC pipes laid for all the drains in the house. Tim also installed all the tiling for the sump pump - around the perimeter of every wall. There will be a lot more plumbing next week, as the tubing gets laid for the heated floors among other things. The SIPs will be delivered Monday and stored on-site until we're ready for them - hopefully the following week.

Snails Pace

2007-09-05T20:52:00.000-05:00

We are slowing inching forward. Our plumber's truck broke down and so we're stuck waiting for him in order to make any progress with the foundation floor...."why can't he take a cab?" was my question, but apparantly his truck is pretty important. They did start framing the garage today, which is at least something visible. Our SIP panels are done and they will start charging us $180/day to store them after Sept. 10th...unfortunately, due to the plumber issue, we won't be ready for them, but they will be delivered and stacked safely on site next Monday. It's been a frustrating day.

Still waiting...

2007-08-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we're still waiting for things to dry out. We are to have 5 consecutive dry days here, so that should help. The main question is; is the water inside the foundation walls from pooling rain or has the water table risen so high that we won't be able to pump out the excess. Tim hopes to find the answer to that question tomorrow. In the meantime, our SIP panels are complete and waiting for us - as is all the heavy timber! So that means once we get the foundation poured, things will really happen! Keep your fingers crossed.

Stained Concrete

2007-08-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

These are a couple images of the concrete stain color we are considering. We will not finish it with such a high-gloss, but the color is about right.

Here comes the sun...

2007-08-25T21:05:00.000-05:00

...and it has some work to do! These are a couple photos of the garage foundation walls...there's quite a bit of water that will need to evaporate/be pumped before backfilling can begin. Today could not have been more beautiful - and tomorrow should be the same, so next week should be better for construction. (Liz - despite this picture, Matt has been wearing his new t-shirt!)

Plumbing fixtures

2007-08-24T20:07:00.000-05:00

These are a couple fixtures we've selected for our sinks. The first is our kitchen faucet, the other is our bathroom faucet....we're checking off our list one item at a time!

While we wait for the waters to recede....

2007-08-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd post a couple fixtures here, since nothing is happening at the site this week. This fan is currently our top pick for in the stairwell and our bedroom, and we have ordered three of these wall sconces for the master bathroom. It's so fun to browse http://ylighting.com and imagine all the possibilities! Despite our frustrations with the non-stop rain, it has been a good test of drainage - and so far it looks fine. Let's hope for some sun this weekend!

Garage foundation walls

2007-08-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

Despite all the rain, progress was actually made today! The foundation walls for the garage and posts for the porch and entry were poured. It is a mudhole out there - and 3 year old boy's paradise. Once things dry out a bit, foundation work can begin - hopefully Monday. It's really fun to see how the couryard area between the house and garage will look and where the screened porch will be. Judging from the onslaught of mosquitoes this week - it will be a very important room in our house!

Should we build an ark?

2007-08-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

We were out of town this weekend, but from what we hear, we had 5 inches of rain! A brief stop at the land tonight showed that the garage footings have been poured, but are covered by about 6 inches of water. The house foundation walls have been insulated and were backfilled last Thursday. Now the tubing for the sump pump will be placed, as will all that needs to go into the foundation; tubing for the heated floors, plumbing, electric, etc... The weather forecast looks very wet, so who knows what this week will bring.

Foundation walls

2007-08-14T09:16:00.000-05:00

The outline of our house is emerging! This is where we're at...this week we hope to get the walls lined with Styrofoam and then back fill against them. Once that is complete, slab work can begin and the garage footings will be started. It absolutely poured last night, of course, so who knows what will actually be accomplished today. Rain is predicted for the rest of the week.

Stuck in a rut

2007-08-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

This photo was taken 2 days ago and since then, the ruts have only deepened. Because of all the wonderful rain we've had this week (wonderful for the rest of Madison), the cement truck is now unable to get to our site...so any further pours have been delayed until at least next Monday. About half of the foundation walls were poured yesterday, and the crew will finish framing the rest of the walls today....and then we wait. The start of our construction is so frustratingly slow!!

Getting a good footing

2007-08-06T19:09:00.000-05:00

Despite a torrential rain Saturday night and some collapsed sides of the excavation, most of the footings were poured today! The Northeast corner has quite a bit of water in it still, but Tim may be able to pump that out tomorrow to finish the footings. If it's not raining too much tomorrow, we hope they can continue on to work on the walls. (It figures that after 6 weeks without a raindrop, the week we need it to be dry, it is forecast to storm every day!) The turkey photo is from yesterday - 6 of them wander in and around our property.

Big Excitement!

2007-08-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

What a big day. First, and foremost, we broke ground! The excavator arrived at 7 AM to begin digging the footings of the foundation....which was done by noon. We had much fun tonight walking the maze that will be the support of our home.

Almost even more exciting, though, is that today we accepted an offer on our current house! What a relief. We will need to move out in October and find temporary housing, but we just feel so lucky to have sold our home (without a realtor!) in just 2 weeks...especially in this market.

The final bit of excitement today was the delivery of our new (old) bathtub. We all tried it out...and can't wait to really soak in it.

What a great wedding anniversary! (our 9th - yesterday)

While we wait....

2007-07-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

We are actually starting construction on Wednesday! The surveyor has marked all of the exterior walls - it's pretty strange to stand where our dining room table will be and look at the actual view. While we've waited to get going, we've had our large White Oak turned into some beautiful boards. We also had a visit from a few "neighbors" tonight. Several wild turkeys live right around our lot....this guy was on our septic mound.

Water!

2007-07-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Our well was drilled yesterday- 111 feet down. (Slightly shallower than estimated) From what our neighbors tell us, it's supposed to be wonderful water. Sam was particularly excited that the well company is called "Sam's Well Drilling, Inc." Nanny is in this pic with the boys - she's really been getting our old house ready to sell! (check out www.fsbomadison.com if you're interested!)

Let's get going!

2007-07-11T10:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a big day...not at the site, but as far as getting this project going. We picked up our building permit and closed on our construction loan. Tim got the downpayment for the SIP panels, and we're on our way! Well, not quite. Tim is on vacation the next two weeks, so while he's gone, we'll get the final survey for exact placement of the foundation, the well placed, electric hookup, and the surcharge removed. Also during that time the SIPs company will finalize the plans and get ready to fabricate the panels. The heavy timbers have already been ordered. We should be ready for foundation work to start on July 30.

Buried septic

2007-07-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Just a couple pictures from today's events. The tank is buried and the drain field is covered. We'll seed the topsoil with native wildflowers as advised by the UW Arboretum.

Wow!

2007-07-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

Well, this week didn't quite go as planned! Matt's grandma, Helen, died on Monday and so we found ourselves in New Mexico from Wednesday until late last night. It turned out to be a great celebration, and we were so glad to be there. Our closing has been rescheduled to this Tuesday. Progress has been made, however. When we showed up at our land this morning to do some clearing for the septic system, this is what we found! Due to the wet forecast for this upcoming week, our septic contractors wanted to get our tank and drain field placed. Matt is meeting with our well guy tomorrow in hopes of getting that done this week. I think things are really going to speed up from here on out!

Toilet talk

2007-07-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

We're set to close on our financing this Friday, July 6. It's hard to believe it's been almost a full year since we purchased a tennis court and the dream of building our own home "someday" became more eminent. The timber for the heavy beams has been ordered and once we close on the construction loan, we will order the SIP panels. Last week we had a great time looking at plumbing fixtures....skeptical about what we would find, we were pleasantly surprised with our options. We are almost certainly going to install the Toto Aquia toilet - a dual flush, low flow toilet. This should be helpful with our septic system, but I've read the low water level is a little disconcerning at first use.

On a separate note, we are having to re-evaluate our fireplace. Our builder just discovered that our home won't qualify as "Energy Star" with a non-sealed wood burning unit. So, we need to decide what is more important to us, the "Energy Star" label (which is simply that, a label, but something we really believe in) or having a real log burning on those cold, long winter nights in Wisconsin. It's looking like we may be giving up the crackle of a "real" fire for a natural gas insert....we've just got to find one that fits. (Sound familiar, Jason?!)

If you find our blog interesting in any way, you might want to check out the blog of our "virtual friends," Jason and Stacy Hammond. It is just unbelievable how much we have in common - they are hoping to break ground on their home in Minneapolis this month, and are documenting their process for the Star Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/blogs/newhouse/

Window Poll

2007-06-24T17:42:00.000-05:00

This is a post especially for Becker, who has been wanting a more interactive blog. We are trying to decide on the color of our window frames and the options are chestnut brown or cranberry red. So, let us know what you think! (Also, you can now see what the metal clad siding will look like.)

Curse of the signed contract?

2007-06-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

We're hoping it's merely a coincidence, but since we signed the contract we've had a bit of bad luck. The microwave died (only needed it 6 more months!), our stereo's central speaker went out at the amp, and yesterday our clothes dryer and digital camera passed away. ARG! So, we have ordered our new washer and dryer a bit earlier than expected. Fortunately we have discovered that architects can get great discounts on appliances through a special website, but the entire situation is just so frustrating!! Special thanks to Kiki and Seth for the use of their microwave for the rest of the year.

The Contract is Signed!

2007-06-20T12:58:00.001-05:00

It's official now! On Monday night we met with Tim and signed the contract. Now we are able to get our financing settled and get to work. We hope to close on our construction loan the first week of July. Once that happens, we will get the septic system installed and have the well dug. We will also put our down payment on the SIPs down and those will be fabricated off-site. While we wait for the SIPs to arrive, the garage will be built. Once things are really underway, it will be time to sell our old house...anyone looking for a nice 3 bedroom with a fenced-in yard on Madison's West side? It's going to be a busy summer!

Floor Plans

2007-06-03T22:23:00.001-05:00

Budget Crunch

2007-06-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a BIG week...it appears we are significantly over budget and are having to take a lot of our ideas to the chopping block. Our biggest and saddest loss is the geothermal heat system. This is so unfortunate because it really is the best way to heat our home on this site. However, Tim assures us that our house will be so "tight" because of the SIPs construction that our heating and cooling systems will still be a lot more efficient than the typical house. Other items to be changed are the exterior siding (from cement board to metal clad - sounds strange, but I'll try to post an updated sketch...Matt really likes this change!), the chimney (from stone to possibly stucco), eliminating some upstairs windows, and various other things. We're hopeful that most of the changes will not affect the integrity of Matt's design and that we can still shoot for a December completion date. More to come...

We have an address!

2007-05-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

No longer do we have to refer to the lot as "0 Balden St." - It is now 2501 Balden Street! That's the big news for the week. (not a big week) Next week we get the budget numbers...I'm sure that will be a BIG week! Yikes.

Kitchen Pendants

2007-05-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

Our weekend trip to Chicago was productive - we got some final quotes on the kitchen and worked on a lot of the bathroom fixtures at Ikea. Our most fun, though, was walking around downtown in an area of the city that seemed to be entirely composed of modern furniture and fixture stores. We happened to find a great floor sample sale...and came home with three of these "bocci" pendants for over the kitchen island. We already have the dining room fixture, which is in our current home...it will look much better in the new home. (In fact it was purchased about 6 mos before we became serious about this project or even had the land - and was some inspiration to the new home!)

Dirt Pile

2007-05-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

So now we have this giant pile of dirt that will sit here until July. Tim is going to spread it out a little more, but the excitement is over for a while. We are heading to Ikea in Chicago this weekend (thanks, Nanny!) to figure out the kitchen and closets. Matt continues to pour over catalogs and is glued to the computer tweaking plans...but I think he's still enjoying it!

It has begun!

2007-05-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

A big day today.... the driveway has been created in it's new location and the tennis court has been removed. (It is actually now part of the driveway!) Last week we had 4 trees removed - 3 for the driveway and 1 large red oak (which we hope will someday be our dining room table) where our septic will be placed. We obtained our erosion control plan permit last week and now have silt fence surrounding the site. Tomorrow the footprint of the house will be raised 4 feet - 2' for the foundation and then 2' more for the surcharge that will sit until the beginning of July. Our car in the photo is parked approximately where the garage will be, and the large piles are in our dining room/kitchen area. I'll try to get a floorplan posted here soon.

Invisible Progress

2007-04-12T15:22:00.000-05:00

Today Matt got all the requirements turned in for our erosion control plan as well as the driveway permit. He and Tim also met with the man who will be doing the excavation and tentatively scheduled our "ground breaking" for the first week of May. Things are moving along!

New Tub!

2007-04-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

Are we doing things a little backwards? Maybe - but I can't wait to soak in this tub :)

Demolition begins...a little.

2007-04-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Nothing is simple about this project. Because our site was once a lake bed, the soil is peat. The people who built the tennis court did a lot of work for us, though, as we found loads and loads of gravel under it (at least 7 ft...probably more like 10-12!). Matt had an engineer and soil expert from Planning (his office) out with Tim Wood, who brought his bobcat for the event. Sam was in heaven. (and Gus was also moderately entertained!) The results were about what we expected as far as what we need to do for the foundation and there is absolutetly no chance of a basement - the test holes rapidly filled with water up to just a few feet below the surface! Our next step will be to submit a soil erosion plan for our constuction, remove the court, and get a driveway started. We then need to surcharge, or "compress" the footprint of our home for a month or two with 2 feet of sand or soil - this will hopefully prevent settling of the house at a later time. Wells (drinking and for geothermal heating/cooling) and septic will follow soon after.

Bye Bye Mosquitos!

2007-03-25T21:59:00.000-05:00

We just ordered our very own Blue Rhino Skeeter Trap...stand by for results! (We saw our first mosquito yesterday - this is war.)
4/3 Update: The Blue Rhino has arrived, but we will wait a while to test it out. Again a mosquito was spotted today in 40 degree weather!

Slow and steady...

2007-03-25T20:37:00.000-05:00

Though there isn't much to show for it, progress continues. Matt has been working away on finalizing the drawings...so many details to figure out. He also worked all afternoon on Saturday taking down the chain link fence - a slow job for one person, but he got about half of it down. Sam, Gus, and I joined Matt late in the afternoon for a hike through our "back yard." We explored a boardwalk trail and saw skunk cabbage, wild turkey, and deer. What a great place for two boys to grow up!

More Schematic Views

2007-03-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

view from above

Inside the living room

Schematic Views

2007-03-12T20:38:00.000-05:00

View from driveway
View from street (without trees)
Entryway

Site Plan

2007-03-12T20:36:00.000-05:00

This is a rough plan of the site as it is now....along with the house it was separated from.
Our site plan

Model Photos

2007-03-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

Tennis Court Views

2007-03-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

view from the road

Tennis Court Picnic

2007-03-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

This is the day we closed on our land!

We're building a home!

2007-03-06T21:26:00.000-06:00

We're building a home!

Last summer we purchased a delapidated, old tennis court in the Unversity of Wisconsin's arboretum. We hope to post our progress on this site.

Since July '06, Matt has been hard at work designing our future residence. In February 2007, Matt successfully rezoned our lot from R2 to R3 in order to locate the house on the footprint of the court by reducing the rear setback line. This will hopefully allow us to keep the majority of the trees on our 1 acre lot. As this lot is in an unsewered portion of the Town of Madison, we have secured our septic permit and will also need to drill a well. There is some controversy in the neighborhood over development of a nearby property for profit. It is unfortunate timing, but as a result, we've met many of our future neighbors and have felt very welcome.

We have selected Tim Wood of Oregon, WI as our builder. He has experience with SIPs (structural insulated panels), which we are planning on using. It is our hope to build this home as "green" as possible and as efficient as possible. We are planning on a geothermal system for heating and cooling the building.

Construction is set to commence in July.