Back to Work

While we were visiting family and friends in the Midwest, our project manager, Aaron and the crew were still at it, hammering away to get the roof completed and the house under cover. We passed our roof and nail-down inspections, and Team Kammerdiener is moving right along only slightly behind schedule -- if such a thing exists in custom home construction.

The crew is making progress daily finishing up the rough-in details. Meanwhile, the peel-and-stick material, necessary for our metal roof, is on, and the plumbers are at the site this week doing their rough-in work. As always, we are working through issues that surface. The most recent is that the carpenters recommended installing beams under the gambrel entry way to support that structure. I wasn't thrilled but not surprised. They will be cutting the horizontal beam you see in the photo for the arch.

In the meantime, my vacation is over. After meeting with the cabinet builder today, we now have many decisions to make during the next week. We will be choosing garage doors, all kitchen and laundry appliances, baskets for the mudroom and a new kennel for our dog. I'll explain that last one in a post down the road. I must confess, I'm a little overwhelmed, but I've learned a few lessons thus far:

1) Trust your instincts. Even if you're a girl, you may very well be right.
2) Ask lots of questions. Don't be proud; educate yourself when making decisions.
3) Predawn worries have a way of dissipating in the light of day.
4) Hire good people. When you don't have the solutions, they will.
5) Rarely do you have to choose between black and white; the solution is very often a shade of gray.
6) When you have so much to do, just do the next thing.

As we move forward, our excitement level is at a fever pitch. Even on a hot, summer day, we have found the house is filled with refreshing breezes off the water. It is quickly becoming our home.

For the remainder of this post, I will explain several new photos: Aaron has been a blessing to this project. He's a genius -- and a nice guy. The next photo is the side entry of the house, and then you can see the guys working on the bonus room. That window will have a circle top and gave me a dose of reality when we ordered the windows. Let's just say we made a few adjustments to lessen the cost, but it was still a splurge, one that I think will be worth it as it frames the view very nicely.

I've also included pictures of the outdoor fireplace and the back of the house. On the sides of that opening for the bonus room window will be two balconies.