Hat's Off, But Almost Ready to Go On!

The weather was working against the crew today as they continued to frame up the house. As I talked to Rick this afternoon he used the expression "put the hat on" to refer to the roof being added. So hat's off to the team for getting the framing closer to putting that hat ON!

Also this week, we've firmed up the floor plans with our scored and stained concrete expert, Emily Heroman of NuCrete Designs. She's most excited about our plans and we can't wait to see her work her magic on the floors. Rick mentioned this afternoon that he's seen our completed front door as well, so we're very excited about the windows and doors being added soon. Wow... it's almost too fast to be real.

Hammering Right Along!

It's amazing to watch a house take shape. All the skill and precision and engineering that go into every piece of wood. Here are some pictures from this afternoon with more to follow this week as the skeleton of the roof goes up.

Framing Underway!

Framing is well underway and going quite well thanks to the expert craftsmen on Rick's crew. The walls should be finished by Tuesday and then they'll start on the ceiling and roof. Everyday it gets closer to looking like a house.

A key meeting this week is with Robert at RS Superior Cabinets to discuss our cabinetry and shelving. Last week we met with Emily Heroman at Nucrete to discuss our scored and stained concrete floors, which we'll be finalizing in plans with her this week.

So many details, so little time! So much fun, though. More to come.

Framing Starts June 4

Framing on the house will most likely start June 4. Framing will include the roof and interior walls. The windows are also set to be installed in the next couple of weeks. We'll keep updating pictures.

The house across the street from us is the 2008 Children's Miracle Mansion. Tickets for a chance to win the house along with a number of other fabulous prizes are available now and the drawing is Saturday, June 1. To purchase a ticket for a chance to win the Mansion, go to www.childrensmiraclemansion.org. Proceeds from the fundraiser go to the Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital to improve the technology and level of care to all children in the Baton Rouge area. It's a great cause and a great opportunity to win a free house. Visit the site today to buy your tickets online.

Exterior Bracing Comes Down

The exterior bracing for the concrete pour was taken down on Friday. The exterior walls are now completely visible and awaiting for framing to start.

Feel free to come by and "push" on the walls to feel how strong they are. Once the exterior stucco and limestone are added, there will be no way to tell on the exterior that the walls are made of styrofoam and concrete.

Caught in the Act: Rick Vinyard on the Jobsite

Rick Vinyard takes a moment to lean on his shovel from cleaning up the concrete falling from the top of the frame. This guy is a master project manager, he had his whole team working flawlessly to get the concrete poured, respond to the necessary trouble spots and keep our interior floors from getting stained or mucked up. Rick knew exactly where his resources were today and when/where they needed to be deployed, which is exactly what makes a great project manager.

I can't say enough good things about our builder. Not only is he a great builder/contractor, he's fun to work with because he knows he has everything in order when he shows up at the site.

Concrete Pour!

Here's some video of how the pour went today on the job site. The pour went off really well and Rick was out to supervise the crew along with Brian who directed the pour team. The bracing will remain up for a few more days as the concrete cures, but the exterior walls are essentially done!

There were a lot of visitors today to see the site, especially with the pump truck visible from Nicholson. The weather was really great, not too hot, sunny with a light breeze. We've had some excellent karma leading Kerry to tell me this morning he thought our house was "blessed."

I couldn't agree more!

(What you see in this footage is the pump truck hose pumping the concrete in while Brian taps on the wall forms to ensure the concrete has settled into the right location. The guy walking around with the joysticks looking up at the pump is Roger, he's controlling how the pump hose moves. And the guy in the gray shirt just standing around looking smart, that's Rick our builder.)

Pictures from Thursday, May 1, 2008

On Thursday they were almost finished with the wall forms and doing the final preparations for Tuesday's pour. Here are some pictures from Thursday.

Pictures from Tuesday

Brian and his crew should be done with the foam blocking by today and will spend tomorrow and maybe Friday finishing the seals and putting up the rest of the walking planks. The weather has really cooperated with us and we're looking forward to next Tuesday's pour.

In these pictures you can see how the foam is actually going together, in the first picture, Kerry is sliding a piece of foam block over the re-bar sticking up from the slab. See the rest of Tuesday's pictures in the slideshow by clicking on the picture under slideshow below.

Pictures from Friday

With a 2008 Parade of Homes house just down the street, we are sure to get our drive-bys this weekend. I talked with Brian yesterday and told him how great it was coming along and he said they'd be done by now if so many people hadn't stopped by to ask him what he was doing!

Still, the walls are going up great and yesterday Rick and Brian scheduled the wall pour for Tuesday, May 6. Here are some pictures from Friday (top to bottom): The garage where the driveway door will be; the front of the house facing the street; inside the living room/game room where the assembled block has been.