Building a home

[Asher]

Week 11.5

Week 11.5: Siding is (mostly) on. Shakes going on. Driveway & front walkway poured. Wasn't able to go in since they were very busy in there.

[Asher]

Oh, and the basement floor is about to go in.

[Burning_Monkey]

hardly. he's just some muttonhead from iowa that was getting bored with watching someone treat another forum we go to as if it were livejournal.

Wait. I thought that I was the whinny ***** over there.

[self biased]

you know who i speak of. the Harlot.

[Burning_Monkey]

you know who i speak of. the Harlot.

She is only one of many annoying people there.

[onodera]

Asher, are the side walls missing windows because the lot is so narrow or are you and your so aesthetically challenged?

[Asher]

There's really not much point to putting lots of windows on the side of the house (especially towards the middle) because all you'll see is the neighbour's house. They largely don't make sense anyway, the way the house is laid out. For instance, the kitchen runs along one side of it which has the cabinets, stove, etc...then there's a half bath then a garage. No windows needed in any of those.

The nook and great room have tons of windows.

[Hot Mustard]

Very nice looking place, Asher. Haven't read whole thread but sounds like you were very prepared. May be too late, but here are some tips I've learned over the years:

Try to think of the common, and uncommon, activities you have to do around the outside, and inside of the house and whether your layout, spacing, etc will make those things easy or hard - some examples:
- snow removal - what area will need clearing, where will it go, where do you store the equipment?
- garbage/recycling - where does it go, compost?, think about plate/room-to-curb process
- large furniture - easy to move in, to get up/down stairs, to turn corners?
- landscaping - do you want low upkeep or like a garden? what equipment will you need and where will it go? Think twice about basement or garage storage, even for infrequently used items - it can be a major pain to move things through the house or around cars when you need them.

Lastly, while perhaps not as much a concern where you are, remember the saying "Water is the enemy". Rain, Show, Ice, Gutters, draining, sealing, watching and fixing cracks - paying extra attention to these things over the years will save you misery.

[Asher]

Thanks.

These are largely things I've tried to consider as well. The snow removal/garbage thing is why I widened the garage (storage without the need for a shed). We won't be doing landscaping until a year after we move in, to let the land settle...but we're thinking fairly low maintenance. We will have grass, of course...but I don't think it'll be an issue to store that stuff in the side of the garage. It's how my family's always done it.

My SO is a chemical process engineer so he was all over the blueprints for the grading and water drainage in particular. It looks like we're so far, so good.

I just want to move in already...

[Hot Mustard]

Sounds great.

On the garage storage, my Dad did something in every place we lived in that made the garage so much better - pick one wall and absolutely cover it in peg-board from about 3 or 4 ft up. Buy a variety of peg-board hooks and hangers and you'll last a long, long time before you run out of place to hang tools, equipment, sporting stuff, etc. He hated having to move things around on the floor and would boast all the time that to sweep or hose out the garage all he had to do was move the cars out.

[Asher]

My dad's always done the same as well. Yeah, it's going to be a good storage place as well. Also put some shelving up near the wall to the house.

[onodera]

Check if you're half-brothers, just in case.

[Fake Boris]

[Asher]

Week 12: Drywall!

Week 12: More of the exterior done


Week 12: View from the foyer into the flex room.


Week 12: View from the foyer into the entry hall with the half bath on the left, walk-through pantry straight ahead, and hall to the kitchen/greatroom/stairs on the right of that, with part of the flex room on the far right.


Week 12: View of the nook from the great room.


Week 12: View of the kitchen, walk-through pantry, and part of the flexroom from the nook.


View of the great room (left), stairs, flex room, walk-through pantry, and kitchen from the nook.


View of the great room from the kitchen.


Bedroom #2: What will be the computer room.


Bedroom #3: What will be the guest bedroom.


View of the bonus from the guest bedroom.


View of the bonus room.


View of the bonus room from the other side. The door is to a closet.


View of the bonus room from the stairs.


View of the bonus room from the corner near the computer room. The door on the left is to the laundry room, to the right of that is the linen closet, and to the right of that the master bedroom.


View from the master bedroom onto the deck, which is a duradek surface (zero maintenance).


View from the master bedroom into the ensuite. There will be a cabinet with a sink on either side of the jetted tub.


Ensuite bathroom.


Ensuite bathroom.


Master bedroom.


Master bedroom.


Master bedroom. Door on the left is the entrance to the bonus room, in the middle is to the walk-in closet, to the right is to the ensuite.


View of the bonus room from the master bedroom. The hall in the middle goes to the main bath and the other two bedrooms.


Bonus room.


Looking onto the nook and great room from the stair landing.


View of the flexroom and foyer from the kitchen.

[KrazyHorse]

Asher, why so few windows on the side of the house? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what did you drop on it?