TWO-THIRDS
The house is about two-thirds completed, at least according to how much of the construction loan the bank has paid out to the contractor. And that seems like a fairly good eyeball estimate to us. Most of the work now is in the interior, a bit less dramatic than seeing the frame go up. According to our builder/contractor, things are still on schedule for a Thanksgiving finish date.
We think we have the flooring under control. And we have picked out ceiling fans, sink fixtures, kitchen countertop material, and made the Maytag man very happy with our appliance selections. As you can see in the photos, the walls and ceilings are nearing completion. We had a bit of discussion about what wall material to use in the patio given the hot tub's humidity, but we think that has been resolved. (The patio is heated and cooled like the rest of the house so we can use it year round.) The drywall guys will do the ceiling plaster and then the contractor/builder's crew will do the painting. The fireplace has arrived and that will also be going in shortly.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157602691793580/
On the exterior most of the work left involves the infrastructure parts. The photos show some of the work on the leach bed; the cistern should be installed soon as well on the opposite side of the house. The gas line and the electric lines still need to be laid to the house. We have gutters and garage doors now. Unfortunately Mrs. T still has a bit of a wait for her topsoil.
The main hindrance right now is the weather, but probably not in a way you imagine. If it rains too much – like the deluge we had on Tuesday – the construction people generally postpone work because they know they will probably be stuck in the mud and will need a tow to get out as has happened a couple of times.
We draw your attention to the photo of tree roots. As has been related, the property was strip mined for coal. That does not mean every ounce of coal was removed, only the portion that was economical to extract at the time. We find outcroppings here and there and probably could even heat the house with coal we could find on our land. There theoretically could even be a rich seam underground somewhere. It is interesting how this tree managed to grow around a deposit.
Some of you have paid a visit and we invite all of you to come if you like. Just let us know so we can schedule a trip; you might get lost trying to find it on your own.
Hope all is well. Keep in touch.
Dan and Rebecca
http://casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com/
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