Bring the Rubber Boots

  Good news first!  We got the building permit and we have an address.  We haven't gotten much farther on our to do list this week.  We've been too busy with pre-school sing a longs, field trips, and ballet recitals.  We did however manage to meet with our builder, excavator, and the contractor who will be doing the plumbing, heating, and electrical. Our Amish builder suggested (with a good amount humor) that we would be better off finding someone else to to do those trades considering he doesn't have a lot of experience with electric and plumbing. 

   We went up to the property on Tuesday and it was a glorious day, hot and humid.  This is why I showed up in shorts and sandals.  It took about 1.5 seconds and my foot sinking into the mud as soon as I stepped out of the car to realize that I was not properly attired for this outing.   Dan's work boots are now my new favorite fashion accessory.

 

  Our purpose for heading out to the property was to mark the foot print of the house with hopes that the excavation could be done this Friday and the footer for the foundation could be started on Monday.   Now for the bad news.  It didn't take us long to realize the property was much to wet to start excavation.   Not only have we had copious amounts of rain this spring, but it also look liked someone purposely tried to get the water from the hill above to run  pretty much to the dead center of where we would like to put the house.  It was suggested that we wait at least another week for the water to dry and to dig a trench to divert the water as it enters the top of the property line.  I'm all for a water feature, but I don't want it going through the center of my basement.  I was a little disappointed at first, but it doesn't hurt to have an extra week to get our ducks and then hopefully have them in the same room.  I'm not thinking they're going to cooperate and get all in a row.  I'm just hoping they're in close proximity to one another.

  We were able to stake out the property line.  I thought we could just decide where we wanted to put it based on the view and the slope of the property.  Apparently there are rules for the whole house placement business.  We have to be 50 feet away from our neighbors and and the septic has to be a certain distance away from the house and the road.  We also had to consider what proportion of the yard we wanted designated to the front and back.  We loved the idea of being further back from the road, but we didn't want to loose too much of the back yard.

This is Dan standing at what we hope eventually becomes the north east corner of the house.

 

 

  The process consisted of looking at our survey and finding the pins that marked out our property lines.

We then took a super long measuring tape and measured approximately 115 feet back from the road and 60 feet away from our neighbors property line and put a stake to mark that as the corner.  Titus then came with surveying tools (I don't have any pictures of this part of the process because the Amish don't take pictures of themselves) and did precise measurements from our first corner to outline the rest of the house.  The excavators calculated how much of a grade they would have to make and how much dirt would have to be removed in order for the basement to be poured to code.  This was all very boring and completely beyond my comprehension.  I'm sure I could have figured it out if I tried, but I've never been much of an achiever.  I was to busy enjoying this view and trying not to loose my rubber boots in the mud.

After discussion about water diversion and asking everyone to pray for dry days filled with sun we decided that June 13 would be our next target date to start the foundation.  It's always good to have a goal to aim for right?  Goals are supposed to be set, and adjusted, and then they are reevaluated, and finally you realize it maybe isn't that goal that is the problem, but the person setting the goal.  That my friend, is a topic for another blog on another day.

Things We're Contemplating

    We ignored our growing to do list and took off yesterday for a little R&R.  It was great to enjoy Memorial day as a family. We are so grateful for all of the men and women who have given their lives to allow us the freedom to have such a weekend.  We drove to Wellsboro, PA and enjoyed an overnight stay in a umm... charming 1960's era motel.  I'm pretty sure the bedding and the lady at the front desk were original to the motel.

We went for a couple of bike rides in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, ate in a refurbished train car, and watched Kung Fu Panda 2. Unfortunately all good times must come to an end and we are back home working on our revised to do list.  Here is a quick run down:

1. Find a washer and dryer for my mom's house
2. Remove the washer that we bought on Craig's List for my mom's house because A) it does not spin and B) it does leak.
3. Remove the dryer that we just delivered to my mom's house that has an incompatible plug with the outlet in the wall.
4. Do my mom's laundry since she doesn't have a washer or dryer.
5. Decide on windows for the house.  Do we get the expensive ones that are nice or do we get the REALLY expensive ones that are REALLY nice?
6. Get a porta potty for the men doing construction.
7. Get electric service
8. Get gas service
9. Get an address so the electric and gas people know where to go.
10. Pray that we get our permit this week.  ( I should know by tomorrow).
11. Finish planting my plants and pray they do not die on my watch.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is an exaustING one. Hopefully my next pics will be of large equipment moving even larger amounts of dirt on our property!  What's on your to do list this week?

We interrupt this chaos....

 Things have been at a bit of a standstill, well sort of.  Nothing is really standing still, but nothing is really moving forward.  We moved my mom into her temporary housing. It's a cute house, but needs a little TLC.  Painting everything, refinishing wood floors and unpacking are on the top of the list.
   We submitted all of the plans to the code enforcer.  Apparently this past week was the one week out of the year where she had meeting ALL week long.  Typically plans can get reviewed and permitted in two days.  For us it will be over a week because of the meetings and Monday is a holiday.    Even with the delay this coming week we should be able to get the property staked out and the driveway set in order to accommodate the construction trucks and the well drilling equipment.

     In other news we are trying to get our current house ready for the market. I've been sorting through closets and packing away unnecessary items ( We have A LOT of unnecessary items).  I'm considering hiding in the closets because I'm not ready to take on the eyesore we call the outside of our house.  My biggest job this week is to make this

  Look like this:

blog.aboutgarden.info

 

 

 

 

 

 

   And just as a side note.  I'm really bad horrible at gardening. I promise to post an update as soon as I finish.  I'm off to pack for an impromptu road trip. Hopefully next time there will be more to share.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly (or the Sold, the Buy, the Sell, and the Build)

  How's that for a title?  Well we have A LOT of work to do around here, but I wanted to keep you in the loop!
Here's what's going on:

The Sold

  Here is my mom's B & B that we just sold.  The Tree Farm Bed and Breakfast in Dundee, NY.  She sold it to some great friends who also own this B & B.  If you are looking for a place to stay in the Finger Lakes, give them a call.

 

 

 

The Buy

  We are buying this house for my mom to live in while we build.  We will rent it out when she moves in with us.  I could go into a long explanation of why we are dong this.  Basically, it's a good investment and as far as I'm concerned every woman needs her own kitchen (my mom totally agrees with this.).

The Sell

  Yes, I know it's ugly, but we try to make ugly things lovely.  I figure some plants, window boxes, and a pair of rose colored glasses and it will be a winner.  We will be starting on some "staging" projects for this house.  I'll keep you posted as it progresses. 

  So this is a glimpse of what our weekend, weeknights, and early morning hours will be consumed filled with over the next few months.  It will be fun right?!  We all know you think we're crazy.  You don't have to talk about it behind our backs anymore.  We are fully aware of our insanity.  We just hope you still want to be friends with us.  Anybody else tackling some major home renovations this summer?

 

Was it Worth It?

    The kitchen is the heart of the home and a majority of the time the most expensive part of it.  Like most moms I am usually in the kitchen or doing laundry so these two spaces in the house are the most important to me.  I seriously could have dirt floors in the rest of the house as long as I have decent kitchen.
  In an effort to save money we decided to do an IKEA kitchen.  They look good, have those cool drawers that don't slam shut, and they are inexpensive compared to other kitchen cabinetry.  I did research on the quality of the cabinetry by 1) searching reviews on google 2) talking to my friend who installed an IKEA kitchen last year 3) talking to another friend who knows someone who put in an IKEA kitchen.  I didn't say I did extensive research, I just did research.  Anyway... all those sources said that the kitchen was worth the money and the effort.
  Even though we haven't even broken ground we decided to buy our kitchen because IKEA was offering a discount of 20% off the entire kitchen including appliances through MAY 1st.  IKEA kitchens are already less expensive than most other big box stores, so an additional 20% is a real deal.  the only catch for us is the closest store is about 4 hours away.  We had to calculate the additional cost of driving, renting a UHAUL, and the time and effort it would take to put the cabinetry together to see if it really would be a deal.  In the end, even with all of the work we figured we saved about $1,500  by buying during the sale.  We probably saved  $4,000-$5,000 by getting it from IKEA vs.  Lowes (I still love Lowes) or  Home Depot.
   We spent a whole day at IKEA in April planning out the kitchen.  It was totally worth it when the helpful associate gave us free meal tickets since we had been there for 7 hours!  I had the salmon and Dan got the Swedish meatballs.  It's not bad for cafeteria food.  FYI  they're having a Mother's Day brunch for those of you who live near one.  We then drove down 2 weeks later to pick the whole thing up.  We got the STAT door style, this refridgerator and this dishwasher.  Whirlpool makes their appliances and they come with a good guarantee.

    One of the reasons the kitchens at IKEA are less expensive is because you have to actually put them together.  They come in about a bazillion pieces with directions with no words and you have to figure out how to get those bazillion pieces into a working piece of cabinetry.

stockbee.blogspot.com

  Dan and I have probably bought about 5 larger pieces of furniture from IKEA and have been very happy with them.  I try and look at the time we spend putting together the furniture like one of those team building activities you do at workshops and leadership meetings.  It's a time for Dan and I to improve our communication and teamwork in a loving way.  We usually reflect on the whole experience and see what we've learned from it.  This happens when we've finally started talking to each other and Dan has healed from whatever tool I threw at his head.  Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to putting this all together.       
  I will have additional kitchen details once we actually have a house to put the kitchen in.   Take a look at the pics at let me know if you think it's worth it.

Friendly IKEA Employee.

A man and his U HAUL (This is Dan being Dan)

Loaded Truck

Kitchen in a garage.  This was around 12:00 am.

   
  Anyone else have an IKEA kitchen?  Have any tips or tricks ?  Please share any wisdom you may have.

The Architect Behind the Design

      I am notoriously cheap.  I'm actually embarrassed about how vocal I am about my frugality.  It just comes out.  I try to stop it, but I can't.  If someone compliments me on an article of clothing.  I have to tell them that it came from the Salvation Army (most of clothes come from the Salvation Army).  See, I can't help it.  Anyway, being as cheap as I am I didn't think we could afford an architect.  I was almost too embarrassed to call one because I didn't want to be like "oh, I'm sorry we can't afford you", or "do you have any specials coming up?"  After searching the internet for house plans with no success, I decided to call up a local architect to see what they charged.  Again, not being one for a lot of research I searched Corning Architect on Google and Anne Hirsh popped up.  I clicked on her website and was excited to see that she had designed the library in my hometown.  I REALLY liked that library,.... why wouldn't I like a house she designed?
  After a conversation where I tried not to sound too cheap.  I decided she was the one.  I sent her my inspiration and after months of back of forth we have the plans!  I go to pick them up in about an hour.  Yipee!

Front View

Rear and Side View

1st and 2nd Floor 

   These aren't the actual blue prints, but are the most recent drawings she has given us.  Let's hope it looks as good on land as it does on paper.

Inspiration

I've always wanted to build a house.  In the same way that I've always wanted to go to Europe.  It's one of those things that you want to do, but don't really expect to get to.  I never thought it would be a reality, until one day I  started thinking, not just everyday thinking, but really thinking in the scheming sort of way you think when you really want what you want. This thinking involved reaching back into past knowledge and experience.
    Dan and I had been able to buy "distressed" houses put some money and a lot of sweat equity into them and sell them for more.  Hmmmm...If we could do it on a remodel, why couldn't we do it on a new construction?  So I embarked on researching (via google) on how to build an affordable house.  Many options came up, like building a yurt or dome house.  They appealed to me in the sense that I would feel like I was part of a Star Wars movie every time I came home, but other than hoping some Ewoks would be my next doors I couldn't really see living in one of these.  I did find a 20-Point Affordability Checklist at Building Affordable.com.  Basically it said don't go custom.  Not rocket science or anything.  Not long after I starting thinking scheming.  I saw this article in Country Living Magazine March 2010.

Country Living March 2010

 

 

 

Country Living March 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

   I hope to be standing at my kitchen island someday serving my family in just this way.  I think my picture will have a lot more dirty dishes and my childrens' feet I'm sure would have mud on them. Other than that and the fact that we're all brunettes I'm sure the scene at our house will be very similar to this one (to be read with a hint of sarcasm ).

  The things that stood out to me about this house were.

1. The simple framing (no bump outs or extravagant roof lines).
2. Board and Batten siding (I have since learned that vinyl will be the same price and will be easier to maintain in the future).
3. The overall simplicity of it.  There were no custom light fixtures or imported hardwood floors.  Most of the finishes could be picked up at the local building store.  Mass productions = Less money.  These are good qualities in my book.

So this article was the numero uno inspiration for our new home.  I'll be uploading our plans soon so you can compare the two casas.    We should be getting our final plans this week which means we apply for our building permit and schedule excavation!  Can't wait to share the details.