*Bonus Post*

A lot of people have asked if they could see a better version of the plans. I've attached a large-scale picture below. Once again, out of respect for the intellectual property of our designer, please don't try to download and copy these. Thanks!

We Have Concrete!

Here is a picture of some of the smoothest concrete I've ever seen. It's really beautiful. The pour went off really well today and as you can see Rick's team did a wonderful job preserving our slab for scored and stained concrete floors. With our slab done and ready to go, the Eco-Block materials are being delivered tomorrow and Rick estimates our exterior walls (weather permitting) will be done in 2 - 3 weeks.

We've been blessed with some beautiful weather, especially today when the unseasonably cool weather made the air just a bit drier than usual allowing our concrete to set up flawlessly.

Hats off to Rick and his team again. He really does rock!

Slab Pouring Delayed 'til Tuesday

In a highly regarded abundance of caution, awesome builder Rick Vinyard delayed our concrete pour until next Tuesday. His concern was about the rough weather scheduled to pass through the area tonight on the leading edge of a "cold" front. High winds and rain are expected and that could mar the surface of the concrete making an impact on our scored and stained concrete floors.

The wire forms for the post-tension slab are in place and Kenny, the guy from Post-Tension Slabs, Inc., was putting the finishing touches on today thanks to some engineering re-reviews by Rick and co. For more information on post-tension slab creation, visit the Post-Tension Slabs, Inc. website.

More pictures from today are in the slideshow gallery.

Slab Form Passes Inspection

Our slab form was inspected yesterday and we are ready to go on pouring concrete. If the weather cooperates, we'll get the slab poured this week. In talking with Rick yesterday, he explained to me in more detail how the slab was going to work. In what is called a "post-tension" slab, those trenches you see in the picture are going to become concrete beams. Wire is run throughout them and pressure is put on the wire to pull them as supports for the slab. It's an amazingly strong foundation, which every house should be built on.

Wire and Re-bar

So today I went by the lot after Leadership Class and the VIPS Golden Apple Picnic (sorry, didn't have my camera handy), and there was a ton of wire and re-bar run throughout the form. It's supposed to rain later in the week, so I wouldn't be surprised if Rick was ready to pour concrete before Friday. Rick and his team must be exhausted because they've really been working hard these past two weeks!

Quick Post on the Plumbing Rough In

When I say moving along fast, I mean we're moving along FAST! Here's a picture of the plumbing rough-in shot on Sunday. The plastic protected the dirt from the downpours we had late Friday night and Saturday morning. It was pretty dry out there on Sunday, so slab pouring is imminent!

Things are Moving Along Quickly!

I had not been out to the site since the last post in March, thinking it was going to take Rick's team longer to get the land ready. However, blessed with the gift of relatively good weather, Rick's team has been rocking and rolling on getting the slab ready to pour. Hopefully his team will be pouring concrete next Friday, April 11.

Here's a picture of the form for the slab being pieced together by Rick's team. We also finished all of our window selections this week, nailed down the plumbing fixtures and have already done all of the paint colors for the interior. We're finalizing some guidance for the electrical contractor this week for placement of the floor outlets in the gameroom and any additional outside stubs we may want before they pour the slab next week. After all this time of our house being purely theoretical (on paper and in our heads), it was really exciting to see some actual forms in the ground!

Keep checking back... if the weather cooperates, we'll keep moving along quickly.

Permits Have Been Approved!

The city-parish permit office accidentally called me today to tell us that our permits had been approved for building our house! After calling me, she called our builder Rick to let him know he could pick up the permits. We're one step closer to turning some dirt.

We Have an Electrical Pole & Box

Yesterday I went by the lot and our electrician had installed a temporary pole and a box to hold the electrical meter. As soon as our permits are approved by the city-parish, we'll be able to get Entergy out to hook up the meter and get us ready for power to our site for building.

We also have a little sign marking our lot and our address. Before you know it we'll start seeing the framing for the slab!

We've Closed on Financing

On Friday, February 29 (yes, leap day), we closed on the financing for our new home and gave our builder, Rick Vinyard, authorization to proceed. This move means that the beginnings of construction are imminent, as we are waiting on permits from the city-parish and we'll be turning some dirt very soon!

We'd like to thank the folks at IberiaBank for all their hard work through the lending process. Building a custom home isn't like financing a regular home buy and our house is especially tricky because of the ICF construction and green construction elements. We'd like to thank Justin Tregre who was our closing agent and who will be working with us for the drawdowns with the builder. We'd especially like to thank Ferol Hebert who worked her magic with financing options and made this all possible. If you're looking for financing options, definitely check them out by calling Ferol at (225) 921-0829. We'd also like to give a shout out to the folks at Signature Title, they've handled both of our closing so far (the land, and now the construction loan), and their service is really great. You've got to have a title company, and as they say it, "put their name on the line everyday," so check them out at (225) 767-7777.