April 4, 2015
After a 6 month delay...they finally held the Sustainability Awards. We were thrilled to be a part of it. Here are some pictures of the plaque we got. It's very cool. They were made by the kids in woodshop. And the tiles were made by a local artist. Just waiting for Steve to put it up on the front porch by the doorbell!!! We were honored to get this plaque. And many thanks to our builder, Jeff Knorr of JKC, Inc. and his interior designer, Kerry-Lyn Love (she was unable to attend). I would highly recommend them to anyone.
October 3, 2014: Well, we have success at last. The grey water system Steve has been working forever is getting its test run today. Two of the three leach field pipes have been installed and buried and we are testing the pump now...Good thing, too, as our septic tank is reaching a critical point!!! You have to remember that all water from the house (laundry, showers, kitchen sink, dishwasher AND toilets) has all been going into this 4,000 gallon tank. We really want to avoid having the pump company come out and pump the tank so....this has been a "must complete this week - priority goal". So far, so good. We just need to make sure it perks properly and we can continue on with the third pipe. YES!!!! You have no idea what a big weight off our minds this is. Steve is just fricking amazing!!!!!! Thank you, Honey!!
April 7, 2014: Today we had a "blow test" done on the house....to see how air tight it is. We passed with flying colors, and our builder was quite happy! Our house was rated 3.1. Most homes are between 6 and 7. So, all the extras we did to make it energy efficient - WORKED! Oh, one thing Eli noted (and now will be corrected by the insulation company) was that there is a gap between the subfloor and the insulation. Since that is the case, our in-floor heating has been also heating that gap as well as the house. Once all that insulation is pushed up tight to the bottom of the subfloor, we believe we will see our heating bill decrease considerably. That is great news and a good find! Thank you, Eli and thank you Jeff for suggesting we do the test! Also, we got a special deal on the blow test. It is normally a $400 test but part of it was paid for by the county as part of a program they have, so we only had to pay $99. Below are a couple of pictures:
March 19, 2014: We have been in the house for 2 weeks now. Many of the boxes we packed up 2 years ago are finally empty. But it has been a lot of hard work...physically and mentally. Physical in the sense that lifting so many boxes is a hassle and mental because it's a constant thought in your mind "where should I put this?" My head still hasn't shut off! But we are so content and happy here. It's truly a dream come true. Here are some more recent pictures. I'm still deciding where to hang pictures so you'll see them against the wall where I think they may end up....who knows??
March 7, 2014: We are 95% moved out of the rental house. We have until March 15 to be out. Mostly garage items need to be moved, like Steve's rolling tool boxes and the BBQ. What a whirlwind move this has been. We are exhausted. Even though we try to only do a little each day, somehow we can never stick to that plan and by evening, we are pooped. We spent our first night in the new house Wednesday. Here are a few pictures from moving. Once tags are off the new furniture and things are in their right space, I'll take more pictures.
March 1, 2014: Well, today, in the snow, we started moving. We pretty much took all the boxes that had been stored in the garage here at the rental house over to the garage at the new house. It only took us about 3 hours. I have included some pictures. Sparkles was whining that she had not been to the new house so we took some pictures of her showing off the Certificate of Occupancy and then enjoying the great room.
February 28, 2014: We did the final walk-through with Jeff and Kerry-Lyn today. Most of what is needed is just painting touch up. And some trim work around the dishwasher. We got the keys and can start moving any time. Here is the awesome crew that put this magnificent house together for us. And on a side note, I'd like to let you know that Jeff is running for City Council!! We can't vote because we don't live in the city limits, but we can sure tell everyone we know to vote for him. He'll make a great councilman!!
February 27, 2014:
The Fat Lady has sung! We got our Certificate of Occupancy today!
We meet with Jeff, our builder, Kerry-Lyn, our designer and Frank, our overseer of construction tomorrow at 9 AM for a final walk-through and hopefully our keys! What an amazing journey this has been. Never in a million years would I have ever guessed that Steve and I would build our own house at our age. Yep, amazing.
Thank you all, too, for your prayers and support. They kept us grounded and positive.
The Fat Lady has sung! We got our Certificate of Occupancy today!
We meet with Jeff, our builder, Kerry-Lyn, our designer and Frank, our overseer of construction tomorrow at 9 AM for a final walk-through and hopefully our keys! What an amazing journey this has been. Never in a million years would I have ever guessed that Steve and I would build our own house at our age. Yep, amazing.
Thank you all, too, for your prayers and support. They kept us grounded and positive.
February 26, 2014: Today was inspection day to get our C of O (Certificate Of Occupancy). But we didn't pass....drat it. Apparently the electrician missed putting a grommet in the electrical panel. He will do that and we have the inspectors coming back tomorrow. We should pass then. Fat Lady is still warming up......lalalalalalalalalala!
February 21, 2014: The front door has been stained and it looks amazing. I'm beginning to think this home needs to be shown off in a magazine or something....<big grin>. We're noticing little things are getting cleaned up; like pipes outside the house are being painted to match the house, the little heater coils that fit at the bottom of the gutters to prevent ice have been installed. The glass enclosure for the shower in the master bath is in and looks great. I have posted a few more pictures. They finally took the paper off the hardwood floors but now I'm nervous about them getting scratched. I know, I need to cool it and not be such a worry wart but it's hard!!
February 20, 2014: Well....we got some very good news from the builder today. He believes they will be ready for certificate of occupancy inspection on Wednesday or Thursday next week. He will then do a final walk-through with us on Friday (Feb. 28) and if there are only little items we need to get fixed, we can move in immediately. OMG, this is what we have been waiting for. I'm practicing my happy dance......
February 18, 2014: Today the appliances were delivered. I did a happy dance in the kitchen even though the dishwasher and microwave still need to be placed. The stove and refrigerator are in as well as the washer. The dryer needs a gas shut off valve installed before it can be pushed back in place. And the plumber will install the dishwasher and microwave. The staining of the entrance tongue and groove AND wood posts is complete and looks awesome...still need to do the front door and side panels, though. The inside posts were stained as well.
February 12, 2014: The granite counter tops for the kitchen and for both bathrooms were installed this week, along with the sinks. Also, the faucets were put in today and WE HAVE RUNNING WATER!!!! Be still our hearts....Steve and I were just grinning ear to ear at each other. It's getting so hard to wait for the final occupancy date BUT there is still stuff to be done. Like appliances....they get installed next week. But, the doors, door stops and handles have all been installed. The floor trim is being painted and looking good! We are waiting to see some more samples of stain colors for the three peaks inside the house. Also, the tongue and groove on the front and back porch still has not been stained nor have the big support Douglas first columns. And the strip lighting still needs to be added to the bottom of the railing on the front porch. With less than three weeks to go, they will be hustling to get everything ready for final inspection. Of course, we are ready to load up and move over there RIGHT NOW (especially since we have water) but we will practice patience. The "fat lady" is definitely warming up. More later.
February 7, 2014: No new pictures as my computer is on the blink (again....and Steve is really upset since this will be the 4th time in 5 months we've had to take it back to Best Buy) so the pictures will not download off the camera into my computer. BUT....there has been a lot of progress. The tiling is finished, the wood floors are finished. The pipes that go from the gutters to the storage tanks have been connected and buried...we are collecting lots of water because we've had some snow!! Our "wood guy", Frankie, who installed those three fabulous wood peaks in our house, is working on all the trim now. He is scheduled for one week. There is a lot of trim.....geesh, I would not want his job for anything! He will be doing the trim, installing all the doors, the door knobs, installing towel bars, etc. He is amazing. At some point, he will have to come back and stain the three wood peaks. We've had to wait for the floors to be installed so we could see how dark we want to stain them. Boy, there's just a lot of little stuff to take care of. That's it for now!
January 30, 2014: The fellas are making good headway on laying the wood floor. The Great Room is almost done as well and half of the office/den and the hallway. Sure, there are several days to go, but it's looking good. The tile setters are doing well, too. The guest bath and laundry room hallway are complete and grouted. The master bath shower and floor have been tiled and grouted. The master shower is finally completed with the bullnose and the tub area and window look complete. They only need to be grouted. Hopefully the pictures show the detailed cuts they had to do in order to go around the window! Getting the water/snow off the roof and into the storage tanks is quite a feat. Check out the pipes needed to get the job done (see last two pictures). A lot of trenching work was done at the front of the house but I didn't get any pictures as it is very muddy, again, due to the trenching.
January 25, 2014: Amazing that anyone would work on the weekend, but they installed the gutters today! Check that off the list! Yippee!! Now we just need to get the downspouts put on and connected to pipes that run under the house (and underground) to the storage tanks. Nothing is ever easy......but not impossible!!
January 24, 2014: A productive day! The hardware was installed on all the kitchen cabinets and both bathroom vanities. The work continues on the tile in the master bath. More of the shower was done today...and they started on the niches. The gutters arrived. Oh Happy Day. They go up next week and after that, we will be seriously praying for snow and rain so we can start catching water!! They were also working on the railing for the three sets of stairs (front entry, back deck and garage into mudroom). The weather has been most cooperative. Chilly outside (in the 40's) but toasty warm on the inside due to the in-floor heating. All is well at Randall Ranch. Enjoy the pictures. You do know to put your mouse over the picture to see the description, right?? PS: I included a picture of the bitchen pendant lights...made from recycled traffic lenses...
January 23, 2014: The Master Bath tiling is moving right along. There are a million cuts and I think they have at least 3-5 full days to go. The tiles on the shower walls are 10x16. The tiles on the bathtub deck are 10x16 also but in order to make the grout lines along the tub sides match the back wall, they cut the tiles down to 6x16. To me they look like oversized subway tiles and I LOVE SUBWAY TILES so I'm quite pleased. The deco tile is 3 inches in the tub area and 4 inches in the shower. The deco band in the shower is all three walls. The deco band in the tub area is only the back wall - so as not to "overkill" the deco tile! The shower pan tiles are dark mocha and are 2x2. The main floor is also dark mocha and they are 18x18. None of that has been started yet! Then they have to also finish the guest bathroom and laundry area....Tiling takes a lot of time! Here are some progress photos of the Master Bathroom shower and tub area.
January 22, 2014: The wood stove has been installed. That is a LONG pipe (because of the vaulted ceilings). I can't wait to stack a pile of firewood next to it and our little wood bear we call "Chip"! This picture also shows the golden color we have painted the walls in the den, greatroom, kitchen, entry and mudroom.
All the ceiling fans have been installed as well as the inside and outside lighting fixtures. And my bitchen pendant lights (pictures soon)!!!
I have included pictures of the finished front posts. They will finish the stairs this week. We've picked the stain for the tongue and groove entry ceiling (and back porch ceiling) and for the douglar fir posts. Not sure when they get stained. The stain for the front door is also here but don't know when that gets done either.
Tiling has started on the guest bath. Below is the schedule the builder gave us today that is tentative (but shows C of O - Certificate of Occupancy on March 3rd). I'm trying to hold off doing the happy dance but it's really, really hard!!!
Week of:
Jan 20 - tile flooring , tile surrounds, install wood stove, complete decks/rails
Jan 27 - wood flooring , measure master enclosure, gutters Feb 3 - wood flooring , base , gutter drains, cabinet trim
Feb 10 - counter tops , plumbing trim , trim/hardware, HVAC trim , final grading Feb 17 - appliances, shower enclosure, mirrors, rough clean,
Feb 24 - DW repairs, touch up paint, final clean, window clean
Mar 3 - C of O, homeowner Walk Through, punch list
All the ceiling fans have been installed as well as the inside and outside lighting fixtures. And my bitchen pendant lights (pictures soon)!!!
I have included pictures of the finished front posts. They will finish the stairs this week. We've picked the stain for the tongue and groove entry ceiling (and back porch ceiling) and for the douglar fir posts. Not sure when they get stained. The stain for the front door is also here but don't know when that gets done either.
Tiling has started on the guest bath. Below is the schedule the builder gave us today that is tentative (but shows C of O - Certificate of Occupancy on March 3rd). I'm trying to hold off doing the happy dance but it's really, really hard!!!
Week of:
Jan 20 - tile flooring , tile surrounds, install wood stove, complete decks/rails
Jan 27 - wood flooring , measure master enclosure, gutters Feb 3 - wood flooring , base , gutter drains, cabinet trim
Feb 10 - counter tops , plumbing trim , trim/hardware, HVAC trim , final grading Feb 17 - appliances, shower enclosure, mirrors, rough clean,
Feb 24 - DW repairs, touch up paint, final clean, window clean
Mar 3 - C of O, homeowner Walk Through, punch list
January 16, 2014: The hearth under the wood stove has been laid. It is awesome. It has a buttery yellow color. And the wood floor has arrived. Not sure when they start installing it. Also, the malapai surrounds on the two outside front entry posts were done today but they were in the shadow by the time we got over to the house to take pictures so I'll have to add a picture later. It looks great, though. Pablo, did the work. He also laid the stove hearth stone. Our builder, Jeff, calls him "an artist with stone". He's right!
January 14, 2014: Lots to report!! The inside of the house has been painted. The interior doors and trim have been painted. The inside of the closets have been painted. The garage doors AND the inside of the garage has been painted. The front stairs and railing are done. And today, they started installing the kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Here are some pictures!
January 4, 2014: Not too much to report. The heaters have been drying out the gypcrete and removed and now a dehumidifier is in their place. The in-floor heating is working great and the temperature inside the house is steady at around 74, still drying out the gypcrete. The wood worker, Frankie, is still working his magic. He is installing all the doors and putting in the shelving. Oh, and installing the bottom trim around all the windows. This is a time-consuming job but his work is top-notch. Here are a few pictures.
December 19, 2013: Another productive day. The concrete pad in front of the garage was poured today. The drywall was textured as well. The heaters are still cooking away inside the house, trying to help dry the gypcrete floor. It's so hot and humid in there, it fogged up my glasses! Good thing the concrete was done earlier today as it now 6 PM and has started to snow .....we think we saw the concrete guy driving over to the house (around 4:30 PM) to put a protective tarp over the driveway pad....at least we hope that's what he did!!
December 18, 2013: WOW, the gypcrete is done and the house is full of furnaces helping dry it out! They get it up to about 90 degrees inside! Amazing. The garage doors were installed today, too. They still need to be painted. Much of the outside of the house has been painted. The installation of the tank-less water heater is almost finished. They are working like crazy in this warm weather streak we are going through...you know, mid 50's!! Pictures are below.
December 17, 2013: Lots of action today! The gypcrete was mixed on site and pumped over the in-floor heating tubing. We have not been to see it yet....tomorrow for sure. It's supposed to be try enough for the drywallers to come back and do more taping and mudding! They also painted another coat on the outside of the house and the first coat of the trim. We also received final approval on our septic tank. That is GREAT news!!
December 10, 2013: The tubing for the in-floor heating has been installed. We have some "down time" until 12-17 when they pour the gypcrete over the tubing....but I don't feel too bad about that since the temperature this morning was below zero (AGAIN) and I cringe when I see workers over there in the freezing cold!!
December 8, 2013: Let me start by saying the weather here has been extremely cold (-10 at night) and the fact that the workers keep showing up is FIRST CLASS!!
There has been a lot of progress on the house. I have not been able to get the pictures off my camera on to my computer. Hopefully the problem has been remedied (thank you Geek Squad). The insulation is complete. The huge wood pillar peaks that frame four entry areas of the house have been installed and they are masterpieces! The metal roof has been installed and the drywall has been put in. They are now doing the taping and mudding. Since we have had more snow, they have heaters going inside the house, trying to dry the taping and mudding....it's like a sauna in there! We have picked the outside paint color and the trim color and the gutter colors. Whew! We have also picked the colors for the interior. It looks like the tubing for the heated floors will be installed in the next week or so and the gypcrete that goes over the flooring is scheduled for Dec. 17th. We've been told that once elk season starts, it's hard to get a full week of work out of anyone so there may be some delays. Who would have ever guessed there were so many hunters in Flagstaff....and I just thought it was a college town <big smile>!! Here are some of the latest photos:
There has been a lot of progress on the house. I have not been able to get the pictures off my camera on to my computer. Hopefully the problem has been remedied (thank you Geek Squad). The insulation is complete. The huge wood pillar peaks that frame four entry areas of the house have been installed and they are masterpieces! The metal roof has been installed and the drywall has been put in. They are now doing the taping and mudding. Since we have had more snow, they have heaters going inside the house, trying to dry the taping and mudding....it's like a sauna in there! We have picked the outside paint color and the trim color and the gutter colors. Whew! We have also picked the colors for the interior. It looks like the tubing for the heated floors will be installed in the next week or so and the gypcrete that goes over the flooring is scheduled for Dec. 17th. We've been told that once elk season starts, it's hard to get a full week of work out of anyone so there may be some delays. Who would have ever guessed there were so many hunters in Flagstaff....and I just thought it was a college town <big smile>!! Here are some of the latest photos:
November 22: It's been a dreary couple of days. We feel so sorry for the workers. It's very cold and now it's been raining for two days. They are trying to finish the siding AND installing the insulation. Here is a picture of what is going on inside the walls (drywall is supposed to start next week, I believe). We upgraded to the blow in kind of insulation....and note that it has also been blown into the green boxes Steve had them install to keep help keep the house as air-tight as possible.
November 19: I have been having trouble downloading pictures from my camera so I'm playing catch up here....
The rough trades have been inspected and approved. That covers electrical and plumbing and Steve's low voltage work. YIPPEE!!! Next we are waiting for the insulation and dry wall. Also, the metal roof is here and waiting to be installed. We have been going over exterior paint colors. What a pain that is! How on earth are we supposed to decide the color for an entire house???? Kerry-Lyn is getting more sample colors tomorrow and hopefully we can make some decisions. The kitchen cabinets and both bathroom vanities have been ordered and take about 6 weeks to get...no problem since the in-floor heating and wood floor need to go in before the cabinets anyway. Most of the siding is finished, too. Here are some newer pictures...I'll post more as soon as I get the camera problem resolved...grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
The rough trades have been inspected and approved. That covers electrical and plumbing and Steve's low voltage work. YIPPEE!!! Next we are waiting for the insulation and dry wall. Also, the metal roof is here and waiting to be installed. We have been going over exterior paint colors. What a pain that is! How on earth are we supposed to decide the color for an entire house???? Kerry-Lyn is getting more sample colors tomorrow and hopefully we can make some decisions. The kitchen cabinets and both bathroom vanities have been ordered and take about 6 weeks to get...no problem since the in-floor heating and wood floor need to go in before the cabinets anyway. Most of the siding is finished, too. Here are some newer pictures...I'll post more as soon as I get the camera problem resolved...grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
November 1 (late afternoon): Well, it was quite a productive day...and everyone did a lot of work. Guess they were catching up from us having snow on Tuesday! The pictures show the house wrapped AND the windows in. I also have a picture of one of the two HUGE holes that were dug for the water catchment tanks and the vault and haul septic tank. Man, oh, man....those are some deeeeeeeeeeeeeep holes!
November 1: How many trucks can you get on a construction site? Apparently quite a few!! Let's start counting..the contractor, the project manager, the framing truck including a trailer, the framing company owner, another framing truck, the window delivery truck, the septic contractor and 2 bucket excavators AND two dump trucks delivering gravel. How many is that????? A bunch.
They started wrapping the house this morning and the contractor and project manager are going to snap the kitchen cupboards, the island and the bathroom vanities. The septic contractor will start excavation for three 2500 gallon water catchment tanks and cistern AND a 4000 gallon vault and haul septic tank. It's all pretty amazing to watch the show from our bedroom window....Steve with binoculars in hand a good share of the time!!! It's all good. Here are some photos of the roof trusses from the inside and from the "truck mania" today:
They started wrapping the house this morning and the contractor and project manager are going to snap the kitchen cupboards, the island and the bathroom vanities. The septic contractor will start excavation for three 2500 gallon water catchment tanks and cistern AND a 4000 gallon vault and haul septic tank. It's all pretty amazing to watch the show from our bedroom window....Steve with binoculars in hand a good share of the time!!! It's all good. Here are some photos of the roof trusses from the inside and from the "truck mania" today:
October 21-22: Roof trusses have been installed. Enjoy the pictures. It was quite an exciting day for us. It's actually starting to look like a house (on the outside)!
October 14: Work continues on the framing. And the roof trusses have been delivered. I'm hoping they can start on the roof soon! I'm not too anxious, right? Here are some pictures showing the entry "peak" into the great room, the hallway, the library/den room that looks directly into the great room and me sitting in the window of the master bedroom...yes, the pit toilet is still there.... Enjoy!!
October 9 and 10: The day of the Miracle Framers! Yes, the framing has started! The pictures you see below are of the back wall of the house and then also one side will of the garage (but it's still laying on the floor). These guys are amazing to have accomplished so much in one day. Good thing, too, as October 10th, it snowed and they couldn't do anything!
September 15 - October 3: The stem walls were completed by September 15. Then further cinder was placed in the garage area and grated flat. The garage floor was poured September 20. Next came the floor. The wood for the floor was delivered on September 27 and the work began on October 1. The sub-floor was completed on Oct. 2 and the owner of the construction company and the project manager snapped the lines for framing on October 3. See pictures below....
8-27-13: Well, today, the excavator did a number on removing ground cover in the work area and where the house will be built. Also, 10 trucks of cinder were dropped at the site and the excavator started building a driveway for the workmen to use. What a messy, muddy venture. We've had 10 inches of rain in the last 6 weeks and once the ground cover was removed, all that remains is mud. I'm guessing there will be at least 2 more days with 10 trucks each day full of cinders to get the driveway complete. What a muddy mess!!!
8-26-13: It's official. The first bucket of dirt has been turned TODAY! Amazing, too, seeing as it has been a day with spotty thunder storms...we were surprised to see the excavator dropped at the property and some dirt actually dug up! So now it begins....
We pray for good weather so digging can continue, however, thunder storms are in the forecast for the next week so we're not holding our breath!
We pray for good weather so digging can continue, however, thunder storms are in the forecast for the next week so we're not holding our breath!
8-15-13: We received word from the bank that the loan has been 100% approved. We should sign papers next week and get the show on the road. Jeff Knorr, of JKC Construction, our builder, has put his sign on the property and the big address numbers are out there, too, so the subcontractors know how to find our lot! YIPPE!!!!!!!
7-26-13: Today the appraisal report was supposed to be turned into the bank. We believe this is the last item that needs to be completed to finish the construction loan.
6-26-13: The plans have been approved and the septic system has also been approved and we have a permit. Just waiting for the appraisal to finish the construction financing...This report could take from 30-45 days to get.
6-3-13: We have picked a builder!! Yea!! Next step is to get the paperwork to the title company so we can get an appraisal and finish the paperwork at the bank for the construction. It will take 30-45 days to get the appraisal. This will put us mid to the end of July to start construction. Much, much later than we had hoped, but, you know...we're retired and when the house is done, we'll move in. Deadlines for Thanksgiving or Christmas really don't matter. We are just happy to be moving forward
5-16-13: The construction log begins. Today our plans were submitted to the building department. Letters, plans and specifications were e-mailed to the builders we want bids from. Deadline for them to have their bids back to us is May 31. We're on our way.....
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7-26-13: Today the appraisal report was supposed to be turned into the bank. We believe this is the last item that needs to be completed to finish the construction loan.
6-26-13: The plans have been approved and the septic system has also been approved and we have a permit. Just waiting for the appraisal to finish the construction financing...This report could take from 30-45 days to get.
6-3-13: We have picked a builder!! Yea!! Next step is to get the paperwork to the title company so we can get an appraisal and finish the paperwork at the bank for the construction. It will take 30-45 days to get the appraisal. This will put us mid to the end of July to start construction. Much, much later than we had hoped, but, you know...we're retired and when the house is done, we'll move in. Deadlines for Thanksgiving or Christmas really don't matter. We are just happy to be moving forward
5-16-13: The construction log begins. Today our plans were submitted to the building department. Letters, plans and specifications were e-mailed to the builders we want bids from. Deadline for them to have their bids back to us is May 31. We're on our way.....
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