A Summer's Worth of Progress

While my family spent the summer basking by the lake....

 

Rock Climbing in Yosemite National Park..

Trekking around Europe...

Sweating it out at high school marching band camp....

                                                                 And starting the new school year...

The Construction crew has been hard at work.  The house has transformed from this:

...to this:

From this:

...to this:

The exterior is nearly complete with siding, stone, piers and walkways almost finished.

Inside, the wood flooring and stairs are in, tile work is progressing in the bathrooms, doors  and interior trim work are being installed this week.

Everyday there are decisions to make regarding everything from the color of the gutters to doorknobs.  It's mind numbing at times but at the same time very exciting to see how all of our previous choices are taking shape and forming the personality of the house.

Tracy and Steve, the builders at Cottonwood Development, proclaim that we are within the 60 day window for completion!  There is still so much to be done but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be moving in by Halloween.  I'm a little superstitious--it's a bit like counting on a pregnancy due date--more a rough estimate than an absolute. 

Trip the Light Fantastic



"Trip the Light Fantastic" means to dance nimbly or lightly,
 or to move in a pattern to musical accompaniment.



I wish that I could say that I was "tripping the light fantastic" while working on the electrical plan for our house.  However, I did NOT "dance nimbly or lightly" through the process and the only musical accompaniment was the sound of cymbals crashing in my head from confusion...

This is Gary Norman, owner of Norman Electric, Inc.   Gary is a patient man.  A few weeks ago we met at the house for a walk-thru to discuss the electrical layout of the house.  This involves going from room to room noting the type of light fixtures, ceiling fans, location of switches and outlets, etc.  Gary said it usually takes about 1-11/2 hours. 

It took 3 hours.

I was not prepared to shoulder so much responsibility!  You know those houses that have light switches everywhere that seem to make no sense?  The places that you think to yourself "what the heck were they thinking?"  Well...I was now the person making the decisions that will last for the life of the house, for better or worse. 

Whenever Gary asked whether I wanted to be able to turn on a light from two or more different switch locations, I would stare at him like a deer in headlights.  My mind was racing.  Did I want that?  Or would it add unnecessary confusion?  Lightswitch confusion...we've all experienced it...best avoided if possible, right? Sigh.  Room after room-- canned lights or fixture?  Ceiling fan in this room?  Outlet in this corner?  Switch on the inside or outside of the wall?  My mind was muddled.

Now I'm not usually an indecisive person but after about the 2 hour mark, I cracked.  I answered every question with the question "what would you recommend, Gary?"  I hit the default button.  I couldn't make another decision.  

Gary, being the kind and patient person that he is, gave me an out.  He informed me that once he had the boxes installed, I could walk the house again and make any changes.  Changes were easy to do, he said, until the drywall goes up.

So, that's what I'm doing now.  Spending time walking through the house, pretending it's the middle of the night and I need to turn on a light (during which I would be thinking "it would be fantastic if I could trip the light.")   Where would be the most natural place for the switch?  Does there need to be another switch for the same light somewhere else in the house?  Where should that be?  I'm trying to get it right.  But if you come to my house sometime in the future and can't seem to make sense of the multitude of switches and buttons scattered all over, you'll know who to blame.   Dave.



Front

 

Back



The windows are in!  The roof is on!  HVAC and plumbing rough-in is complete! And we are in the process of rockin' down to...."Electric Avenue".  Coming up next....drywall!

"I've been framed!"



If houses could talk, that's what ours would be saying right now!



Back of the house



It wasn't quick and it wasn't easy, but the house is fully framed, the roof is on and the windows will be going in this week.  Framing started in February but thanks to multiple weather delays (whad'ya expect in February and March, right?) it is just now reaching completion.  I admit that my patience was tested.  I am not a patient person by nature and this process proved it!  At first the progress was impressive..."Wow!  The walls of the basement were finished in just a couple of days!" The main floor also seemed to go up quickly.  Then came the roof.



Matt Mungall, owner of  MM Carpentry,LLC



Steve and Tracy (Cottonwood Builders) had warned us that this was an extremely complicated roof line.  The designer, Ken Pieper, is famous for his eye-catching multi-peak roof lines.  It makes for a dramatic appearance both inside and out.  But they're not easy to construct.  Matt Mungall, owner of the framing company MM Carpentry,  predicted it would take at least 2 weeks to complete the roof. 

"No way", I thought.  "It couldn't possibly take two whole weeks just to frame the roof!"  Matt was right.  With so many peaks, the roof line resembles the Himalayan mountain range!

The hardworking crew braved dizzying heights atop the skeleton-like backbone of the roof.  It was a tedious process.  Trusses had to be custom built, rather than using pre-fabricated trusses made off site.





Back of the house that faces Lake James



The hard working framing crew





The most exciting part of the whole process was seeing the translation of the blueprint plan into a real three dimensional  building.  No matter how many times we scrutinized the house plans, we never got the true feeling of walking through the actual rooms.  In fact, we had missed several details that Ken Pieper, the architect,  had included in the design.  Once they were framed out, it was like uncovering a surprise gift from him!  For example;  all of us, including the builders, were surprised to see that the large window over the front door was bumped out 2 feet over the front porch, creating a ledge on the inside.

Front door with overhead window and ledge


When talking with Ken Pieper, the architect,  on the phone one day he asked how we liked the feel of the house now that we could see it in real life.  I said that I felt like he'd hidden little gifts in the blueprints that we were just now discovering!

Matt, the framer, has also provided his share of surprises. It was his idea to change the ceiling over the kitchen island to a barrel style.  He used the same idea in the master bedroom, echoing the arc of the curved window high on the wall.



Barrel ceiling in the kitchen over the island


Now that framing is complete they will begin working on the deck and exterior.  In the coming weeks the plumbing, HVAC and electrical work will be installed before the drywall goes in.  It's definitely progress but so hard to be patient!  Stay tuned for the next post... Takin' the walk down to Electric Avenue...

Happenings in and around Lake James

With all of the house construction "busy-ness".  I've been neglectful in mentioning some of the upcoming events in and around the Lake James area. Now that spring is here and the water level at  Lake James will be too low for recreational use until May,  there are lots of fun things to do in the area.  It's one of the main reasons we moved to this area from Charlotte!

 http://www.burkehospice.org/31-bike

The Burke County Hospice Metric Century is a 62 mile bike ride on Saturday, April 17th.  It is the first year for this event that is sponsored by the new (and awesome!) bike shop in town, Cycle Wright.



http://www.maydaybiathlon.com/



The 21st Annual May Day Biathlon and 5K run will be held on Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st.  Dave and I participated in the Biathlon last year.  It's a 5K run followed by a challenging 30K bike ride from Freedom High School,  up to Lake James and back.  



http://www.mtatriathlon.blueridgemultisports.com/



The 2nd Annual Lake James Triathlon will be held Saturday, May 24th at the Lake James State Park, Paddy's Creek location.  It is a 750 Meter swim, 22 mile bike around the lake and a 5K trail run in the park.  I did this race as a relay with my son, Davis last year.  He did the swim portion and was one of the first few racers out of the water---at age 13!  We won the mixed relay category and received a medal for our efforts! It's a beautiful place to hold a triathlon!

For those who may not be interested in athletic competitions, there are plenty of options for entertainment coming to the area:

 

The Art of Chocolate on Friday, May 6th is an elegant evening held at the Armory of Morganton.

This will be the fourth year that OPTIONS, Inc. has successfully collaborated with local artists, musicians, chocolatiers, floral designers, culinary artists and volunteers to present The Art of Chocolate.  OPTIONS, Inc. is a non profit organization that provides shelter, counseling and legal support to women and children suffering from domestic violence and rape.

 The first annual Art in the Park will be held at the Catawba Meadows Park in Morganton on Saturday, May 14th.   There will be booths displaying sculpture, pottery, jewelry, metal work and other fine arts for sale as well as live music and food vendors.  Admission is free!  Come enjoy a spring Saturday strolling the greenway along the Catawba River.  One of the most picturesque spots in the city!

While you're here explore the thrilling zip line course at Catawba Meadows Park.  Beanstalk Journey is a blend of zip line tours and ropes courses, incorporates fun and excitement with education and recreation for children and adults alike. The Journey transports individuals and groups through a labyrinth of independent tree houses which serve as rest stops and educational destinations. Each station offers 360-degree views suspended as high as 50-feet above the ground.



Click here to see the complete list of events

Lake James State Park has an action-packed event calendar for April and May!  Hosting events like a Turtle Stroll, Canoe Excursion, History of Lake James Hike, Predators of the Park and Astronomy, something is going on every week.  It's worth printing out the monthly list of events to keep on your refrigerator.

There's really just too many fun things to do that I'm running out of space (and energy!) to name them all.  You're just going to have to come here and experience some of these things in person.  Heck, you may just have to move here because this place is so freakin' fun!

One final thing that I want to mention because it's near and dear to my heart...touring pretty houses.  On Saturday, May 14th Linville United Methodist Church presents the Tour of Homes by the Waters from 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.  Featuring 5 private homes on Lake James and the Linville River.  Tickets are $15 and lunch is available at the church that day.

Surely one of these events will entice you!  Hope to see you around this spring!





Faucets and Fridges and Sinks, Oh My!

From Refrigerators...






..to faucets...



...sinks...

....and wall ovens...

The sheer number of options is frightening.  Faucets and fridges and ovens...oh my!

One trip to showroom was all it took to shake my confidence.  Up until then I was sure that I'd  be able to make my selections with ease.  Hey, it would even be fun!  I thought that I'd lived in enough houses to know what I did and did not like.  I have a developed sense of style by now and above all else, I'm practical (and budget conscious)...how hard could it be, right?  HA! 

My husband, David, and I walked into the showroom one Friday morning with our house plans and budget numbers in hand.  We wandered around looking at beautiful model kitchens with state of the art appliances and "statement" faucets and sinks.  We looked at shower fixtures that had 16 water jets coming out at all angles, like a drive-thru carwash.  We saw sinks made from rocks, faucets shaped  koi fish and ultra-sleek contemporary bath tubs.

Now, I appreciate artistic fixtures in an upscale restaurant or high-end hotel when I visit (the hotel rooms at the Kohler Resort in Kohler, Wisconsin have, by far, the coolest bathroom fixtures I've ever seen! Now THAT was a "car wash" style shower, and it was AWESOME!) but do I really need to have my fixtures making statements about me in my house?  What would they be saying?  If I were to choose, say, the Koi Fish Faucet, I think it'd be saying that I'm an idiot. 

It didn't take long for David and I to realize that we were not going to find what we were looking for in the showroom.  One peek at a kitchen faucet price tag of $2095 assured us of that.

A few days later, Adam, a sales rep from the same showroom visited me at my office. They must have a whole department to deal with people like us.  Maybe they've dubbed us "Hopelessy Practical" or "Non-Statement Makers" or just, "Boring".   He came with a small, glossy page catalog featuring a manageable number of "ordinary" faucets, sinks, shower fixtures, bathtubs and toilets.  In about half an hour he walked me through the selection process for fixtures for 4 bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room that our house will need.  The fixtures that I selected are quality brands (better quality than any I've had in any home so far) and stylish.  The quote came in under budget.  I think the only "statement" they make is that the owners of the house are practical and budget conscious.  But I guess I'll have to wait until they're installed before I can hear what they have to say. 

...and suddenly, it's all very clear...




Lot #77 Before Construction


...and suddenly, it's all very clear...Lot #77, that is....after an agonizingly long wait, construction is underway!   Since pictures speak louder than words, here's what's happened so far:



The building site was cleared



The downed trees were fed into THE BEAST and turned into mulch

A LOT of mulch!  To be used later.

My sons have become the "site supervisors"

The basement has been dug



The Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake

Polly Leadbetter at Lake James Real Estate