Coffee break

So, I know... it's been awhile since our last post. Let's just call it a brief recess. School's out tomorrow, so things should be a bit more regular soon.

To make up for the intermission, we'll start with a couple pics of Otto checking out more nature. He surprised us by walking right into the water; normally, he won't go near ponds and streams around here. Maybe there's a bit of "water dog" in his blood.

Making an entrance

We have a front door! Absolutely love it... very "Craftsman."

Hopefully we'll have garage doors soon, too.

HVAC

The HVAC guys have been hard at work installing the furnaces and ventilation systems. We're looking forward to living in a house that won't require the use of window air conditioners and space heaters to supplement the central system. (The joys of living in a 90 year old house... ahhh...)

HVAC "stuff"

Scott, Otto, and Furnace Numero Uno

Furnace Numero Dos

Super exciting, huh?

Roof, etc.

The roofing is in progress...... And, wiring has started.........
Bugs have invaded........ gross, huh?
And, we have a fireplace! (The disappointing news is that we're going to have to raise the tv to fit in the ventilation system and a mantle. Oh well; we'll deal.)

Otto squeaker

Not much happening at the money pit, so we thought we'd share a bit more of Otto.

What could be better than a squeaker shaped like a beer bottle?

This just might be the most annoying sound in the entire world, but lucky for us, he's already broken the squeaker in it, twice. (Scott fixed it the first time. We'll see if he has the compassion to do it again.)

Roof stuff

May 5

Roof stuff is here. Can you see it?

In between

May 4

Well, the framers have moved out, and we're just waiting for the next step. Crazy-busy picking out all our lighting, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, appliances, and everything else that goes into a new house. Here are just a few pictures from Sunday.

What is THAT?

It was a pretty day. Someone was out there boating --- maybe a future neighbor? We'll have to make friends with them; we haven't budgeted for any watercraft. :)

Just wanted to share with everyone that there's a fire hydrant on the edge of our lot. So, in the event that the deck catches fire during one of our summer parties, you all can feel safe.

Another garage picture. Just because.

Throw it out the window

Because we CAN!

May 1

The framers have finished; the overall shape is complete, and we have windows to boot. Somehow we have managed to have just a half day of rain between the dig of the basement and completion of framing. The timing couldn't have been better; just a few hours after the crew left, Wichita had its first major thunderstorm of the season, complete with small hail. Scott went to the house today at lunch and said that very little water made it through the sheeting inside, so we should have a good, strong floor. No squeaks... I can dream, right?

The front view... And the back...

The basic frame of the ceiling in our bedroom. Much more elaborate that we expected.

Now I realize what a weird picture this is... but basically, this is the frame for a coffered ceiling, you know, the ones with the rope lighting? I'm pretty excited about it.

Future fireplace. The TV will be above it. Now, this was a point of contention for me, especially. I'm not generally a fan of TV's above fireplaces. I don't appreciate the feeling of being in the front row of the movie theatre, and I don't want to have that experience at home. However, with our open floor plan, the only wall in the living room that is able to house the television is also the home of the fireplace.

It would be really weird to mount the fireplace over the TV, so we were kind of stuck with the TV-on-the-wall scenerio. Thankfully, we have a great foreman and great framers, and with their help, we determined that we can lower the fireplace (we sacrifice the hearth) and consequently lower the TV. Yea! We will save ourselves many neck injuries.

Cute, useful shelf along the stairway. :)

Closin' in

April 29 --- The roof almost closed in

The "bones" of the living room trim feature...

We decided to arch the doorway from the master bedroom into the master bath, breaking our squared-off, straight-line approach to the rest of the house.

This was a bit of a stressful decision. :)