A New Friend

I met a new friend on the road into the lake. He (she?) was very busy gathering food and wasn't about to be interrupted by my filming.

There were a lot of deer around, so I guess I should bring some more deer blocks up for them to nibble on. This one was right outside the front door, looking as if she wanted to come in for a visit.

There was some noticeable construction progress from Monday...


"Plumbing Central" looks more organized and together.

An outdoor faucet and dryer vent have appeared.

The porch railing has been started.

And the trash pile is definitely growing!

What's Different About This Picture?

If you are old enough to remember Highlights magazine, you might also remember the puzzles that were included in each issue. One was comparing two pictures and finding the changes in the second picture. That is what my trip to the lake today reminded me of - some pictures that I have taken in the past now look a bit different as work has progressed.  


For example, here is the master bathroom a week ago...

 ...and today there is a tub!

We had rain off and on last week and then all weekend, so I didn't think much work would have been done. Fortunately, there were things that could be done inside, so the weather was not as much of a factor as I thought.


This is looking from the dining room toward the kitchen a week ago...

 ...and today you can see the basic plumbing for the kitchen sink in the foreground and what looks like "plumbing central" in the background.

Here is a close up of "plumbing central" near the utility room.

A week ago - no front door...

 Today - front door and some additional trim above the door installed...

The doors on the lake side are not correct, but I am guessing that they know that. Both should be 9-lite doors. The door on the dining room is an interior door and the door on the master bedroom is like the one on the front door.

I Love Surprises!

It is always exciting to pull into the drive at the lake these days, because I never know what I will find! I'm always hopeful that there will be visible progress, but I don't know what or how much until I round the bend and pull into the driveway.


Today when I drove in, I was looking specifically at the roof, but I did not see anything different from the last visit. As I got closer I realized that the windows had been installed! An even closer look revealed that the Hardiplank siding was also up on three sides!


The windows really make it more home-like...I love surprises!


From the front:

 From the side:

 From the living room looking toward the lake:

 The porch:

 Standing at the front door looking through the living room toward the lake:

Almost a Roof!

   Drove to the lake with my mother-in-law today. With the holidays and some rain, we did not expect to see much change from the last visit. We were wrong! 
   They have gotten much of the roof covered, and it is beginning to look like a "real" house! I think they will have it shingled before too much longer. They also have erected a walkway/scaffold around the exterior - I am guessing it is for them to stand on when they wrap and put siding on the house.
   View from the front:

   View from the lake side:

   The picture below is of the porch - should make for some good sitting and visiting!

   This is the view from the master bedroom window.

Windows Have Arrived!

Terry had to drive back up to work on Tuesday afternoon, so we took a drive up to the lake Tuesday morning to see what was going on. It was drizzling, but there were three guys working on some roof framing. The rain picked up a bit while we were there, so they had to quit. Rain and power tools is not a great combination!

While we were there, the windows were delivered by a Bryan lumber company. It will really be great to see them installed, but I don't think they are quite ready for that yet! 

Terry's mom is still here, so we will take a ride up later in the week to see how things are going. There has been rain today, but I hope they can get some work hours in before the week is over. We need the rain, so I won't wish it away even though it slows the building progress right now!

Bit by Bit, Board by Board

We took Terry's mom to the lake today so she could see the new construction. No one was there working, but we could see visible progress from when we were here last Saturday. Steps, some roof framing, engineered beams...bit by bit, board by board!

First Walk-Through

After Matt's graduation from SHSU this morning and a celebratory lunch afterwards, we went to the lake to check on the progress. This was the first time that Terry has seen any of the construction in person - he has not had anytime off work to come home since they have started.


It was great to see some of the basic framing up. I have added a few labels to give some perspective to the layout. 

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

We could walk up the ramp, although the boards were not yet nailed in place. That enabled us to have our first walk-through of the house - very exciting to actually see where everything was going to be!

Standing on the porch (that is where Terry is at), we could imagine how great it will be when it is all done!

We even saw a Unicorn! Well, not exactly...

New Wood!

I love the smell of new wood in the morning! There are stacks of wood all over the property...

...and some of it is even on the pilings!

There were no workers there but it looked like it had rained, so they probably couldn't work. It is exciting to see progress though!

Tilson Pride!

I talked to my builder who apologized in advance if he was difficult to reach in the upcoming week. Tilson Homes is building a home for one of soldiers injured in the Fort Hood shooting a little more than a year ago. This home will be featured on an upcoming Extreme Home Makeover show...and my builder is building this home!

Read about the family who is receiving this well-deserved home:

http://www.heartoftexasbuild.com/the-family.aspx

I am more than happy to wait with my questions so that this soldier can get a home that will accommodate his needs! I'm proud to be associated with Tilson Homes!

Here We Go!

The lack of postings has probably been a pretty good indication that nothing has been going on with our new home. It has been a very long month, and the waiting has become more and more difficult as the days have passed.

Fortunately, I got a call from our builder last week, and he said that they were ready to get started! What great news that was! I had to hurry and call the electric company to get service reconnected. Water still has to be reconnected - there are a couple of extra things to be done before that can happen.

Matt and I drove up this morning and the place was buzzing with activity! What a great sight it was!

The pilings are all in although they still need to be cut to the right heights. I have a listing of what things will be done in what order, so that will be our checklist of progress. I hope to post pictures as frequently as possible to mark the progress.

I am so glad to be started! Here we go...