Our Styro-Chicken House

I did it again! Every time I do a post I swear to update more often - especially as so many things with the house are changing. This time I promise...I think.

In the past 10 days we have selected our low voltage company and I'll be meeting him this morning to go over the placement of TVs, phones etc. The lathe was also started and now on hold waiting for the windows to arrive. Typically, the lathe begins when the windows are in, but due to our time line, it was started early. The lathe is a styrofoam wrap that goes on the outside walls of the house followed by wire (similar to chicken wire). The stucco is then added.

I've spent the past week researching flooring, granite, plumbing, etc. as the prices we have from the GC are not coming in as low as we would like. As time consuming (and frustrating) as it can be, the research will pay off in the end - like the $1000 we saved on fireplaces.

Next up - the windows will be installed October 12th followed by the finishing touches of the lathe. In the meantime, electric and low voltage will finish up there work.

Several Trades at Work

A slew of things transpired at the house this past week:

Roof - The tar paper was put in place and the tiles were stacked on roof (see video and pic).

Electric - Most of the wiring was pulled. We decided to add canned lights to the laundry room at $55 a pop and several niche lights were added for $60 each.....that stuff adds up!

Sprinklers - because of our location and limited access for the firetrucks, we had to include sprinklers in our house plans. They were installed this week.

Windows - we finally received approval from the HOA on the window changes (eliminated the grids and modified the size of five windows).

Lathe - the scaffolding is up so I'm thinking they will start the Lathe this week (see picture looking through breakfast nook windows).

Pool - boulders were added to the pool and we're in the process of picking on the tile color.

Low Voltage - we're getting a few quotes for Cat5e cabling

Pool Taking Form

The pool shotcrete is complete, giving us a good feeling for the size and flow of the pool. The far left side (by the house) is the spa which will spill into the shallow 'pond' with bubble features. The actual pool is a bit lower and all the blue marks represent where the boulders will be placed. The three yellow cylinders inside the pool will be stools and the actual entrance to the pool is at the bottom of the photo (unless, of course, you are doing a cannon bomb).

Pool on the move

Wow - I can't believe it's been a week since my last post. My how time flies. We met with the GC last night for an electrical walk. Wouldn't it be nice if everything was wireless?? I hope we picked the right spots for TV, phone and data jacks.

I was amazed to see the pool moving along. They have most of the rebar in and will be doing the shotcrete in the next day or so. The pool will then sit empty until the house is closer to completion. I want to go swimming now!

Multiple Trades at Work

The framing is complete - wahoo! We now have several trades working at the same time in an effort to catch up on construction. We remain hopeful to be in the house by the end of January.

Joe and I met with the GC on Wednesday to pick out flooring, counter tops and bath/shower tile. We found an awesome granite design for the kitchen and master. We also found a funky piece of granite for the game room - hoping to mix it up a bit. The kitchen, hall, bath and family room flooring will be travertine tile in brownish tones. The den will have wood and the rest of the house will have a medium to dark brown carpet. The GC will meet us at the house next week with samples so we can finalize our selections.

Yesterday, the GC and I worked out kitchen island details. We decided to go with one big island vs a medium and small size. I signed off on the cabinets today so the manufacturer will get to work on constructing. The cabinets throughout the house will be knotty alder pine (med/dark brown with black glaze). The glaze shows up in the seams. The kitchen island will be an oatmeal color with the glaze as well for the seams.

Next up - the roof tile should be place on top of the house for weight balance next week. For those not from AZ, the tile is set on the roof prior to drywall. Once drywall is complete, the roof tiles will be put in place. The GC said we should be drywalling by the end of the month. Can't wait!

The plumber was at the house and had the plans open to the elevation page. Click on the picture for a larger view.