The cabinets are coming, the cabinets are coming!

Monday the guys begin installing cabinets. That reminded me that I sadly decided against recycled paper countertop for the 1/2 bath and mudroom. I was willing to pay a bit more to use a recycled product, most especially paper, but it was coming in tens of times more. Off to look for a different top! Any recommendations for a vessel sink?

 

Mast's crew is working on trim. I have to admit that I grin when I see the design chosen for the windows:

east bathroom window

bedroom floor trim, looking southeast

Wood flooring is nearly complete on the stairs to the tower. This is the landing, looking north. (Well, perhaps, looking toward the core of the earth.) The east end will be a library. Yeah, it is small, but there are plenty of bookcases other places.

Randall Mast working on trim in the living room. Photo is looking southwest. Truth be told, we were talking about visiting New Orleans.

Looking from Dennis' office into mine. That gorgeous yellow lights up my smile every time!

Perhaps this blog should have been subtitled, "A lesson in patience." Slowly, slowly.

Maybe mid-March move-in?

Dennis has been so busy painting he hasn't had time to pass photos on to me for posting. I think this is good for us, but not for those of you at a distance who wonder how the house is going. (I'm curious what will we talk about after the house is finished? Maybe gardens, paths in the woods, wild life we've seen, energy to have people over for a meal, real life, the world's ills....)

 

Most everything is now scheduled (cabinets, tile, flooring, final plumbing...oh, and the things I forget: sewer, gas, electricity, water) and we are in the final throes of picking out appliances, lighting fixtures and fans. Perhaps we begin moving mid-March. Dennis dreams of moving a few things at a time as rooms are ready. If you have a couple hours to help, we'd be glad to know! Pick a room, pick a time, pick a snow storm . . . . .

 

We haven't finished the basement. We chose to finish the main floor and tower, move in, and then work on the basement. Unfortunately this means we won't have guest rooms for a while, although we do have Laura's futon for available for friends willing to live in the chaos. We also aren't bothering with new furniture yet, which means this carefully coiffured house will have shockingly mismatched colors and plaids and such here and there. My unable to decorate self WILL out!

 

Dennis loves his barn. Adam and Joel helped build the dividing wall between the shop and vehicle ends over the holidays. The temperature was a huge shock to their warm southern sensibilities. After Dennis finishes painting inside the house, he can begin organizing closets and bookshelves from his shop. Eventually, he might make some furniture for the house.

Wild turkeys are so wacky to watch! I wish I had a video to send of this flock which chose to lead us down the drive one day. They had no intention of getting off the road although they were nervous about our closeness.

We had our Assembly small group meeting in the tower a few weeks ago. Our gathering included (from left) Elroy Yoder-Holsopple, Ben Nelson, Mary Y-H, Susan Nelson, John and Lois Nafziger. Helen and Bruce Glick were enjoying warmer, sunnier locations and of course, Dennis took the photo.

The wood floor is now completely laid in the main room, 1/2 bath, hallway and our two offices. We had hoped to use the wood from the old GC Union gym, but for various reasons, that just hasn't worked out. My womb room has become my office and my office, Dennis' office, since we haven't finished the basement.

The siding is nearly all on. We will be giving the city a deposit of the amount we need to spend on landscaping since we can't finish that before we move in.

This siding is now finished, also.

Thanks for checking in with us! Oh, and YES! All the grandchildren in womb are doing just fine. Laura is due March 25 and Michaela May 23.
Susan

Might this be the year we live in our new house?

Progress has been nearly rapid lately! The well is dug, the electricity and plumbing is in and the dry wall is nearly finished. We have to wait for gas. Rumor is that a local Amish bishop decided his congregation could have gas since last winter was bitterly cold and the price of propane soared. The gas company is meeting that demand and then might find time for us.

 

 In the meantime, all four of the kids have been home, the women visibly pregnant, and put back on planes. We're dreaming of an end of February move in date, so expect cold temperatures and a blizzard about that time.

 

 Blowing insulation. Dennis earlier insulated all holes in the ceiling. 

 Dennis' barn is sided and nearly finished inside. He has moved his tools in, which gives our storage units a bit more breathing space. He, Joel and Adam worked on a wall between the tractor storage area and Dennis' work area. When it is a bit heated, he can start making book cases and other special items for the house.

The house is nearly sided. This is a back view, with the walk out basement.

Blessings on your new year!

Crane's away!

Current interior work includes electrical, heating and plumbing. Doesn't make for grand photos, even though the house is sometimes full of people working away. However, we have photos from two more major events a couple weeks ago: raising the sides of the barn and lowering the cement slabs for the back deck.

Elroy Holsopple's framing classes at Goshen High School put the barn sides together and brought them out to set in place.

Even though the USB is on the walls and ceiling, Dennis found the barn floor soaked this morning. We've been having high winds and rain. Some rain even leaked in around the house windows. Better to learn that now.

The three cement slabs for the back deck each weigh 9000 pounds. The first crane sent to lift them got stuck in the sand and couldn't budget a beam. Here are photos of the large crane doing the job. Dennis was tempted to ask the crane to halt when a beam was directly over the house so he could get a clean shot . . . and then decided that wasn't the wisest request.

 

A furnace sits in the house, but we don't yet have electricity. Crews have been running kerosene heaters to get a bit of warmth into their bodies.

 

While the house OSB does look rather nice, the siding is a different color. I sort of forget which of many combinations we finally chose. Now we are looking at light fixtures, fans, appliances, finishing up kitchen and bath cabinet choices and avoiding decisions in any other parts of our lives.

 

No. We don't have a move in date. We just don't. Likely until the day before, we won't. 

A pile of photos

Work on the Double Oak house has been steady, but not rapid. However, since we haven't posted for a while, you'll note many changes below. I'll be brief. Dennis took all the photos.

 

 Nailing the OSB on the garage roof

 Elroy Holsopple's framing class is building the walls of Dennis' barn. Here he begins instructions.

The completed framing is on view at Goshen High School.

Boring the sewer line

The most information I can get from Dennis is that this is a white lifty thing. Front of the house

also front of the house

 

 The metal for the roof comes to the site in huge coils which are then cut to exact size.

They bring their own crew. Here a worker adds the ridging.

October 18, we invited folks to come see the house layout, walk the paths and word the walls. Everything written will be covered up, but the sentiment will whisper to us and the generations to come. The day was ugly and cold and we couldn't offer heat or even a warm drink. A few people braved the weather. Here are some of their wishes:

 Of course, we had a few snacks.

 

There are colored markers under the dining room window (facing north) if you'd like to visit and write your own words. I wrote on door jams the purpose of the rooms if you want to find an appropriate spot.

 

Dennis found a few nooks and crannies as the house has taken shape. We can easily use them for storage of various things, but do you have other suggestions? Or specific hard to store things?

Come see the place!

The date might change, BUT YOU ARE INVITED!

 Come tour Double Oak!

October 18, Saturday, 3:00-5:00

Come and go. No program.

Walk the paths (prepare for poison ivy) and write on the walls of our house.

(Your words might be a poem or inspirational quotation, a joke, a blessing, a Bible verse.

What words should be buried for all time in the walls of our house?
In the quiet will they whisper to us?)

Light refreshments.

Contact us for directions: SusanMarkLandis@gmail.com

Hope to see you!

(Have words but can't come? Send them!)

OSB on the roof and walls (or, I'm rotten at headlines)

These are the days progress is fast. As one person commented when the roof is on and the outside walls are up, it looks 90% done but there is yet 90% to do.

 

OSB board, Zip Board, on the west side. You can see a tree Dennis is trying to save, even though it is scraggly and perhaps cuts off our access to wireless internet. Opinions?

This shot is inside the house toward the west end where the main living space is: dining by the large window on your right, north, and sofa and chairs at the end. The shorter window to your left is over the kitchen sink. The heating/cooling consultant thinks we might have too many windows, but we love sun and the view.

Here is what we'll see while doing the dishes. This west slope will likely be terraced. You can see prairie grass.

Dennis climbed the scaffolding to look out the tower window. The east slope will be wheel chair accessible to the lower level.


The crew nailing OSB on the roof. The final layer will be steel.

This shot is from the northwest: garage on the left, living area on the right, tower in the middle, sand everywhere.

The crew put room dividers on the main floor so we could get a feel for spaces. We discovered the mudroom/laundry room was the most spacious in the house. Dennis made some changes and my office space benefitted. (SML photo and all that follow, but you can easily tell the inferior quality.)

I have trouble believing that the closet on your left is deep enough for a hanger. Most of the rooms seem teeny.































Dennis borrowed the skid steer from the crew to clear a 5' path on each side of the driveway. Why is it called a skid steer? Because of the tracks, one basically steers by skidding this way and that. Note the cage for possible roll overs.

You can't tell, but Dennis has a huge grin on his face: a man and his new toy.

The spirit, not the letter

The days it didn't rain this week, the crew set roof trusses.

"Setting trusses while obeying the spirit of OSHA if not the letter" Dennis

View from the northeast. Notice the sand!

Walk out, walk in

 (9.6.2014) The big excavating equipment came back end of this week to fill in around the house and rough in the basement walkout. Dennis commented that the drivers handled the equipment like toys.

Main floor walls are up. Now that the house is easier to access,

Dennis enjoys standing at the windows and looking out.

water proofing the foundation walls

 

 View from the south with walk out, accessible basement for guests

(the not visible, east slope is gentle)

Dennis has been collecting rocks for landscaping. Here is his prize.