Framing

Last Friday they started framing our house. They ran into some issues with the temporary power so we are a few days behind, but we are making progress.

The framer told me that the stairs to the basement would be put in today... the roof trusses will be put in by Monday, and the inside framing will be done by the end of the week. We'll see how it goes!

Lisa Williams, PHR

I did it! I did it! I did it!

I passed my Professional in Human Resources exam and I now have three important letters after my name... PHR.

What a crazy ride... driving over an hour to Sandy every Tuesday for 3+ months, having a child be in the hospital, having my house sell and have to move, going to Nashville work work, all while trying to take this class and study for this exam.

I am thankful for the friendships I made during the class as the day before my exam I got some notes that helped me study exactly what I needed. Without that information, I think I may have been looking at other things thinking they were important to find out I didn't need to know it. (every time the test taking window opens, the test questions change. Not everyone got the same questions this time around but you at least knew what areas to study more of once some classmates too their test)

My work has been so supportive of me getting this certification. Yesterday morning our VP came in singing and dancing as if he was in a parade. They got me a cake, a card, and gift certificates. I am so blessed to work with such a great group of people!

Exterior and Foundation

Yesterday we finished picking out our exterior... front door color, garage door color, stucco, siding, etc. We have an amazing help at Master's who is so in tune with what we are doing and what we want, it's made it really easy.

We went over to the lot and they had finished putting up the foundation walls and were waiting on the cement trucks to come. I ran into a lady I used to go to church with who will now be our next door neighbor. She introduced me to someone from across the street. She says she loves the neighborhood and our builder!

 

We were looking around and I freaked out a little bit because I couldn't figure out the walkout door in the basement. It wasn't making sense to me. Then I thought they forgot Ty's room b/c I didn't see a window. I called my dad and my parents came over and we walked through. My dad even climbed the wall to tell me the window was down inside. I felt a lot better :)

A little while later we went back over when the cement trucks were there to see them pouring. It's amazing to me how each step of this works and how good they do. If I were to try, cement would have been everywhere. Instead, these guys working on it make it look effortless.

One of the coolest things I found was a lady bug in the basement. It was in my moment of panic and it was there. It almost felt like God was telling me to calm down. Lady bugs have always been important to me. My great-Aunt always wore a ladybug pin on her shoulder as a sign of good luck. 

Stone, Lighting, and Footings

Yesterday, Bryan and I went to Harristone to pick the stone for the outside of our house. As soon as we got there, it was a rain/hail storm but that didn't stop us from doing what we needed and we found one that we really liked.

Then we went over to Century Lighting. Holy overwhelming! Luckily we met with a nice lady who helped us figure out what we needed and where it all was. Here are a few things we chose:

They dropped off the footings and should be installed today!

We have a hole!

True to the builder's word... they dug a hole on Friday.

Saturday was a visit to Out of the Woods to pick counters, cabinets, sinks, etc. We decided on a dark espresso colored wood and a light granite counter top with black and tan flecks. Then we went to Master's and met with Angel to pick out flooring, paint, and tile.

Today we will go to Harristone to choose our stone for the outside then back to Master's on Saturday to pick stucco and roofing. That will just leave lighting which I think will be the biggest struggle for us... our tastes vary a bit. We'll see how that goes :)

It's Really Happening!

It's really happening! We signed the construction loan on Wednesday... then we met with the builder to red-line our plans... then we went to Home Depot. I have a feeling that will become a 2nd home to us for the next little while.

It's funny, I used to go there before and dreaded it. Now I'm asking to go there... to wander down the aisles and get ideas for different things. I won't even be buying anything there for the building of the house, but it's a readily available place for me to physically touch and see things without an appointment or pressure to buy to get the ideas I need.

We go to Wheelright Lumber today to choose our interior and exterior doors and the railing for down the stairs. We go to Out of the Woods tomorrow to choose our cabinets and granite. We go to Master's tomorrow afternoon to choose flooring, stucco, paint, shingles, and all that fun stuff. Thankfully, Bryan and my taste are very similar so as we go into these places I think we will be in agreement for the most part.

We went through what was the spec home but since sold to a family for probably one of the last times as they are about to get flooring laid. We got to see where they placed their lights and what their banister looks like and how they did their covered patio. It's the same floor plan as ours so it makes me even more excited for our home because you walk in and its inviting. It's homey. It's elegant. I am so excited!!

Here's the first step of our building adventure. Our builder out staking the lot. If the rain holds off today, they will dig the hole. My daughter wanted to stop by and meet the builder so she could "know who was building her room". I thought it was cute :)