Updates

I still feel like I am trying to catch up since finishing the house, we have been up to lots of things.


At our ward Halloween party they had bobbing for apples, all the teenagers were trying unsuccessfully to get an apple and were all soaking wet, we walked in and I was sure the kids wouldn't want to try. Wes said "Ill do it" and he got an apple on the first try, not a drop on him. Mae was a little hesitant but she got an apple on her second try with just a little water on her forehead. Everyone asked if we practiced at home!

Vera says: Mama, Dada, Uh-Oh, Doggy, Lamby, and I-do
She has also been standing on her own, but no steps yet


Wes' new word is above and he uses it in every sentence, except he says "bebove"
I told Wes that even though he is asking Santa for two presents he will probably only get one since there are a lot of kids around the world that need presents too. Now he tells Mae and all his friends that they should only ask for one present. When he sat on Santas lap at the Mall he told him only one present and Santa said "is that it?" The one present he is asking for is sold out around the country right now :(

Mae loves to say the prayer and the first thing she always asks for is to "bless the merica"
Mae also has a lot of mood swings, tantrums, and meal quirks lately....
She also talks to everyone while we are out: the man at the post office, the lady at Little Ceasars, the boy serving us at the restaurant, she tells everyone how she is three now and about her toys and anything else she can think of.
She also cut off all her bangs with a pair of scissors since they were in her face.

I am almost done with Christmas shopping, only two more gifts left...
And we are packing up our house... because we sold it... because a family moving here from texas saw it and made us a really good offer... and we signed it... and now we get to built again!... but this next house is going to be very very different... a little smaller, a totally different style, a very different layout... and ten times cooler even than this one;) We close this week, cant wait.

House Details

These are a few details I wanted to record about building our house:

I really tried to save money as much as I could while we were building, and I spent a lot of time researching, haggling, and bargaining with local suppliers. Since we were across the country while our house was being built there were still some things that ended up being done that did not save us money but for the most part we were pretty smart.

Like I said before I spent over a year on our kitchen and in the kitchen I spent the most time worrying/planning/searching for countertops. I really wanted Calacatta Gold Marble, which of coarse is the most expensive material you could want. The initial quote for our kitchen was more than we paid for either of our cars. So I looked into just about every material but couldnt find anything that fit in our budget and also had the look I wanted. I ended up finding a slab of calacatta on sale at a fabricators shop that one of their clients decided against, and they wanted to get rid of it. One slab wasn't enough for our kitchen, we needed three. So they called the supplier and they had two more that they wanted to get rid of as well because they were the last two in the bundle. They were about half the price, cha ching! Let me tell you this marble is Gorgeous. So on top of the good deal on the stone, I talked the fabricator down a bit. Then when they came to install they messed up big time, with huge gaps, really visible seams, and crooked pieces, I was super bummed. So I made them come back and fix everything, make and install a backsplash for free and then give me a really big discount. Before the discount I was going to pay about the same as a mid grade granite, but I think I ended up paying about what you would pay for low grade granite, score!

Our stovetop I found on craigslist in California for 1/3 the price

Our other appliances I purchased for 12% off and then had a 10% rebate

I really wanted wool carpet but my goodness, its expensive. So I shopped around like crazy and found a really cute wood blend carpet that was in our budget, and it turned out perfect.

We did trade for a few of our subcontractors in exchange for work, saving us many thousands of dollars:)

I searched and searched for tile for our bathrooms, for months. Our tile budget was next to nothing and I came across this white polished porcelain tile that was super cheap, all the other sizes were discontinued except the 24x24. So our tile guy took the time to cut down and polish each tile, he even cut down really small pieces and laid a herringbone pattern on the bottom of our shower, he did such an awesome job!

I kind of agonized over faucets, which is kind of silly. But to make a long story short I found some great ones that were on the very cheap side that I still liked. I wanted single handle faucets for the bathrooms so that the kids didn't turn on the hot water and burn themselves. I had a very specific faucet in mind for our kitchen but could not find any look a likes that fit the budget or the look. On my way out of the showroom I spotted a faucet hidden in the back that really looked exactly right, and when I found out the price it was even under the budget, awesome.

Our cabinet guy gave me 10% off, and he did a really good job.

I chose the cheapest tub possible that fit in our spot, and it turned out to look pretty good.

I found cheap knock off lighting at overstock that was about 20% the price of the originals

We had just the base of a deck built and we were going to add the railing and bench later since it was expensive but the builder built the deck too high so to pass code he had to install the railing, which we got for free:)

I also spent hours and hours going over every invoice, and detail on bills from subs, which I was able to catch thousands that were overcharged or overlooked.

So There were a few things that we did spend some extra on:

We did a solid wood floor, with a waterbased finish.
We spent some extra and got solid cast bronze knobs on all the doors.
And I had the concrete guys do our front steps with overhangs using fiberglass reinforced concrete, which was not cheap.

Not sure that I would do the knobs and the steps again, but the floors were worth it.

It was a very long year, with a lot of stress, glad its over.

#1

Our master bath turned out to be me and Johns favorite room, we really didn't have any expectations, and have never had a master bath before so we have just loved it. We found this really cool polished porcelain tile for really cheap and had the tile guy round down all the corners since it didn't come with any bullnose pieces. Since its really big and polished it is really easy to clean since there isn't much grout. We were about a week away from being done with the house and I still hadn't picked out a countertop for the bath, I wanted to use the same marble as the kitchen but the countertop place quoted me an outrageous amount so I was looking for a remnant to use. The countertop place called at the last minute and said they would sell me the extra marble and fabricate the counter at half the price, I said no, how about a third the price and they agreed!

We love having outlets in our drawers, I can keep my blowdryer plugged in and put it back in when Im done, our bathroom finally looks uncluttered on a regular basis.
At the last minute I had our vanity light changed from on overhead light to two wall lights and Im really glad, the light is really flattering and makes it easy to see for putting on make up and doing hair etc.
We kept going back and forth about having two or one sink, but I really wasn't convinced that we would use two, and Im glad we only did one, we really dont use our sink much.
When we were planning our house several people told us that or closet was a little on the small side and that we should maybe make it bigger but we ended up keeping it, and it has been the perfect size. Over all the layout and size of our bathroom/closet is just perfect!

#2 is our Kitchen

I worked long and hard on this kitchen, it probably took more of my energy than any other room in the house. I found our range top on craigslist, got a good deal on our other appliances, and worked for year trying to get these countertops. I still have not found the perfect pendant lights but these work for now.

House #3

Our loft is another favorite. We have a small little family room upstairs with a "cubby" for the kids to climb into and play. This is by far Wes and Mae's favorite part of the house, I even came upstairs to find that Vera had climbed up the stairs and was playing inside. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the other side of the loft. Also, I love the dutch door, it is nice to close the door to keep Vera from going downstairs but still be able to hear them playing. In the afternoons I will take a book and sit on the daybed and read while the kids play in the cubby or with the little kitchen, I love it.

Our first fire

One of the very first requirements we had for our house was to have a wood burning fireplace. So glad we did it.

House #4

The Nursery would be my fourth favorite room, mainly because it is the only room in the house that is actually finished. But also I am just glad to be able to use my crib again, this is the first time that Vera has slept in a crib and I am just so glad to have a comfy cozy little spot for my baby. Vera is obsessed with this little rocking lamb, she could sit on it all day long. I change her diaper next to it and she just talks to it until I'm done :)

House #5

*Sidenote: before you read anything else about my house I have to get this off my chest. Remember when we first started building our house and I went on and on about how this house is a "not so big" house and we cut a bunch of square feet etc... Well, Im pretty embarrassed now that the house is done and it's huge, so please don't judge me on house size. I know you are all thinking that my idea of a regular sized house must be some enormous mansion or something but really my conceptual planning of the house on paper was all done in my head and hard to relate to real tangible space. With that said, we really could have gone quite a bit smaller and still have been very happy with it.

The Mudroom would probably be #5

again, it would probably be higher on the list but it isn't done yet either. The mudroom is the room we come in from the garage, our pantry, and laundry room. Right now all we have in there is the pantry cupboards and our old washer and dryer. Eventually we will have all built in cupboards along two walls but I didn't want to have them built around our current old washer and dryer and then have them break down and have to buy new ones that probably wouldn't fit in the space.

So when we replace our washer and dryer we will get cabinets made. A cupboard for vacuum, broom, cleaning etc, a sink under one of the windows and then lots of counterspace and storage for cleaning, and laundry stuff. I have two cute little pendant lights that hang down in each window that you can see from the outside when they are turned on. We will also have a space for hangin coats and hats and shoes. It's fun to dream about it even if it is a long ways away.

Here is the only decent shot of the room looking in through the entry way, you can see our pantry cupboards.

House #6

Well we moved in over a month ago and I have finally got around to getting some pictures done. I thought I would show you my top 6 favorite rooms/parts of the house.

So #6 is the Exterior
it would probably rank closer to the top but its not finished, we still have the yard, a few stone walls, a fence etc to do, and probably wont be done realistically for several years.

My favorite things about the outside are:
The white siding. There aren't very many here but every time I see a white house it brightens my day. Im not so sure that many people really like a white house, people in the neighborhood seem to ignore the subject but it is my favorite.
Our lighting
The backyard hot/cold spout to rinse down the kids with when they play in the mud/sand/dirt
The deck
Our horse neighbors
Our amazing views
A big driveway for the kids to ride around on
A pile of sand the someone dumped in our yard (I love it and hate it;)

Sunset

One of our favorite things to do since we moved in is to sit outside when John gets home from work and eat dinner on the front porch, or ride bikes, or walk or anything fun outside. We have loved our view of the sunset and tonight it was especially pretty. Here is a picture from a few weeks ago. The days are getting colder and shorter now and we are trying to get as much fun from the outside as we can.

Moving Day

It's moving day and it feels like Christmas morning :)

Also, before we even moved in we had a tub of moonsand dumped in the carpet and a set of poster paints emptied on the carpet. Luckily our neighbor owns a floor cleaning business and came over and steamed the mess.

A few days ago Vera caught a bee with her little tweezer fingers, she started crying when it stung her finger and when I came to help her she was still holding on tight to it and it was wiggling to get free! While I was helping Vera, Wes and Mae found of big bag of bbq charcoal to dump out and play with, they made black hand prints and foot prints all over the driveway and rubbed their faces black ... wish I had a picture:)

How am I going to keep this house clean when we have a Mabel and a Wesley moving in?

hello...

We are still alive. living in a very small basement. waiting for our house to be done. two weeks left...

Jerks

So someone broke into our house in the middle of the night and cut all the wires and ripped out the copper wiring and busted up the control panel and the AC. This is the second attempt, last time they cut all the wires but didn't take anything, and three windows were broken. Seriously? This time, while they were trying to get the wiring out, they lost their balance and fell through the ceiling and into the garage, ha, leaving behind a cigarette trail and a crow bar.

The house is back on track and moving quickly along. Finishwork, siding, painting, and cabinets are all happening in the next week or two. My goodness, this house is a lot of work. I am trying my hardest to be so smart and money conscious. And as of yesterday I totaled all of my items that we have added after the fact and I am only $300 over budget! BUT that is not counting the several things that John has added to the house and a couple of invoices that came up today from the builder. A couple of hundred dollars here and there, and a few thousand on other things really add up fast!

This process has been such a whirlwind that it has been so hard to stay on top of all the little details. Things have been overlooked, forgotten, or will have to be added later, and some things we have just taken out all together. But (to quote my Dad) for the most part everything is looking fantastic! I hope that in the last few weeks our budget doesn't totally fly out the door and that we have a cozy place to crash this fall!

PS, if you are going to build a house anytime soon please allow me to write you a long list of all the things not to do

It's looking real

They started the drywall and now I really feel excited! We have had a couple of things set us back but now the house is back on track. I am excited, nervous, and stressed, but mostly happy.

Neighbors

Before we left we spent a Saturday at our house. John had been dying to spend some time on the property fixing things up, so he went around and gathered up all the scraps, garbage, and debris. The kids played in the dirt and collected rocks, and talked with our new neighbors, the horses.

I spent some time inside working out some logistics and I christened our front entry with my favorite scripture. This was revelation given to Joseph Smith regarding the temple, and I think how appropriate to establish our homes after the order of the temple if we truly want our homes to be a refuge. I have always liked this scripture and have kept it in the back of my mind in regards to our home, wherever we have been living.

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;" D&C 88:119

roof and windows

it's silly but I really love this roof

House Update

Our house is starting to look more like a house. The further along we get the more stressful and exciting it becomes. It's been fun planning all the details out and seeing things come together. More updates to come…

Do not feel obligated to read this, just some thoughts on building a house.

We decided to build a "not so big" house. Our original plan was a lot roomier and when we turned the plans into the engineers we felt a little uneasy about it. We decided to go back to the drawing board and were able to cut out a lot of space and make the overall floorplan much more efficient. When we first started thinking about building a dream house I was sure that we were going to have a large laundry room, a spacious pantry and an awesome mudroom, you know, so that I could be so much more efficient at doing all my Mom duties. But its funny how your ideas change along the way. Those rooms were the first to go when we were creating a more efficient space, and to be honest, I didn't really want to pay to build the space, then pay to heat and cool the space, pay to maintain that space, and to have to always clean that space, so out they went. We ended up combining the laundry, mudroom and pantry into one room that shares walking space which allowed us to use more space in the rooms that we are actually going to be "living" in, like the kitchen, dining, and family rooms.

I will be honest, sometimes it sounds nice to have a giant house with giant rooms and giant storage, but is that really what I want? Do I really want to pay to build a giant house to store all of my junk that I spent so much money on that we worked so hard to earn? No. I would rather fill my house with children, memories, friends and family. Im not sure if this makes sense but when Im making a big decision I like to figure out exactly what I want if money, time and resources were not an issue, then I like to take into consideration what my needs are and try and fill all those needs with the minimum amount of those three resources. I usually end up with something totally different than I originally planned but somehow I always end up happier with the outcome. I mean doesn't it just feel good not to have everything you want, really. Since we have been married we have done this with every major purchase and decision and we always look back and are SO glad we went the conservative route. (I mean look at what car I drive, a white minivan, definitely not my dream car as far as looks go, but I would never want to drive anything else, and it has literally been a blessing to have that car.)

Oh my goodness, did that even make sense or do I just sound so materialistic and dumb?

I have really tried so hard to pay close attention to the spirit while making plans and decisions for this house. I pray every day that this house can be the perfect spot for us. When all is said and done I think our house is going to be just right for our little family and it is so exciting to see the progress.

We stopped by and saw them lifting the trusses with a crane, the kids thought it was cool. This first picture is the view from standing in the front doorway.

Framing and Passive Solar Heating

When we were looking for a lot I was pretty insistent on finding a spot with a great southern exposure. It was seriously a challenge to find something in our budget that was the size we wanted, in the school boundaries we wanted, and have the exposure we wanted. We had quite a few stressful months of looking and even when we were signing the offer I was not convinced but now I am so glad we will be where we are!

I really wanted to get a southern exposure to maximize the amount of winter sun to warm the house and minimize the summer sun, yet let a lot of light in so that we can keep lights off during the day. I studied passive solar heating in school a little bit and knew I wanted to try and use the ideas for our house. The whole back of our house faces south and is full of windows and a set of french doors. The eaves on the southern side are extended to keep out the summer heat but will be just the right length to let the lower winter sun in and warm the main rooms of the house. We will also plant well placed trees around the house to take advantage of the shade in the warmer months. Hopefully we will be able to cut down on our energy bills and let nature heat our house.

Progress

Here are the latest pictures, the foundation is poured and cured, and the window wells are in and all the dirt is backfilled. The framing will start next week!