Framing Wraps Up and Electric Begins

I made a quick stop by the construction site today and was surprised at the progress.

The house is one story and laid out with rotundas (round areas) as the turning points for the hallways. Here is the dome area of one of the rotundas. We'll eventually add character to each dome with either faux paint or stone work.

The electricians were on-site today as well installing the plugs and overhead lights. Gotta love it!

Meeting with the GC

We met with the GC last night to finalize windows, cabinets and the front door. Next on our plate - flooring and interior lighting. They hope to have framing completed this week and drywall started by the end of February. The electricians, plumbers and HVAC guys come in next.

We've also agreed on the pool and BBQ location. This picture is a bit dark, but gives and idea of what you'll see when entering the front door. I took this looking out the 3 lg picture windows in the formal dining room. The covered patio framing is showing along with the big hole where the pool will go. The black wall in the background is where the BBQ pit/swim up bar will be located. It's a bit of a haul from the kitchen, but lord knows we can always use the exercise!

The roof, the roof, the roof is ON

It's so great to see the house at this phase where we can somewhat feel the rooms and envision the placement of furniture, etc.

The framing is about 2 weeks behind schedule and we're hoping the GC can schedule the next set of trades at the same time to get us back on track.

Click on the picture for a close up view. The front entry (round structure) is to the left of the saguaro cactus in the center of the picture. The master bedroom and den are to the left of the entry. The guest casita is on the far right and our back yard faces the opposite side of the entry.

More Wood

Wow - I can't believe a week has gone by since my last post. The framers are rocking and have about 10 days left of work. Here is a shot of the front entry along with the view looking into the family room/kitchen from the covered patio.

We made a few minor changes last week to enlarge the laundry room by 2.5 feet and added a window to the master bedroom. I can't decide on one kitchen island versus two...would love to save the cash and stick with one, but worry we may regret it later. Where is that crystal ball??

Framing...

The crew continues to move forward with framing. The entire process should take about 3 1/2 weeks with this Friday being the 3 week mark. We are meeting the GC on Wednesday for an update and expect marching orders to start selecting...tile, appliances, paint, etc. Fun stuff!

Click on the below picture to enlarge for a better view of the framing.

Framing Continues

We're impressed with the framing progress this week. With the exception of a few walls, the major skeleton is staged. The roof and sheering (plywood around the house) will follow. We walked the house with our friends Kamie and Dana last night. We're going to see about adding windows and AC to the storage room off of the garage (a 14x8 room to house my Christmas obsession supplies). By doing so, we can easily convert the storage to a Hobby Room....you never know, I may take up pottery.

Here is a picture of Joe standing inside the front door. The outside entry will be rounded/Tuscan style with a courtyard to the right. The plywood on the ground marks the undercover entry and the curved cement base to the right is part of the rounded wall. So hard to explain!!