6/23/11

4384 U Street

Well, we officially have a new address...even though we won't actually live there for quite awhile yet.

It's one of my goals {okay, more like one of the things that keeps me up at night} to document the whole process of building a house.  Here's the background on how we choose the spot we did.  This is going to give you a real glimpse into how big of tight-wads we are...I like to think of it as practical.  Also, how much I value history and what "used" to be.

The first picture is from way down south looking north towards where the house will be.  The house will sit roughly where the arrow is pointing.








Well now that you have taken a little photo tour of the "site" here's a little additional background into the thought process of choosing a sight.  You might have noticed above that I mentioned the original homestead to the ranch used to be on this same hill.  That's a selling point to me...it really doesn't mean a whole lot to Jeremy.  There are things I wish I knew more about...like what this house looked like in it's "prime" and what life was like back then.  Why did they move?  Where did they go?

On to Jeremy's reasons for choosing this place.  There is already electricity, as well as a water well, both within a matter of yards.  This will mean major cost savings in the long run.  Not having to run electric or water lines for miles will mean more money for the house...which also means that I saw the value of this location.  Ultimately, this will mean more money to spend on fun things like light fixtures and cabinet hardware...BONUS!

We had our final meeting with our builder just to finalize all the details of the plan.  I wasn't expecting to make many changes...we have been over this plan for MONTHS!!  But, we did manage to find a few things to think about.  Little things like where to place the doorway to the hall that leads to the upstairs bedrooms, where to place the toilet in the upstairs bathroom, whether or not to put a column in the dining room, and a few other things as well.  The good news is that we can wait until framing to make most of these decisions since the visual will help.  Kelsey even told us that it was good that we were expecting to wait to make some of these changes and that we are know there might be more.

Now that we are SO close to the whole process starting I am getting really anxious!  It seems like we have been planning this house for a really LONG time.  It has been 9 months and you women out there know how long that can SEEM!!

With that being said, I am trying not to get too overly optimistic about actuallly seeing progress when we have been told we will.  I have already realized that nothing goes as you expect it to and for the most part you just have to sit back and ride the ride.  I will be honest, this is not one of my strengths, and I find it very difficult to just hang back and wait for things to happen.  LOTS of time in prayer has already been spent, with much more to come I have no doubt!

On a more positive note, we have gotten our first major decision made.  Due to the recent tornado in Joplin the price of roof shingles is going to increase dramatically.  With that knowledge we were advised to go ahead and place our order, even though we won't actually need them for weeks.  We ended up going with TAMKO, Rustic Redwood.
The hope is that it coordinates with the color we "think" we want on the siding!  I have faith that we made the right decision, but I would say that Jeremy was less sure.  We narrowed it down to two very, VERY close choices.  So close, in fact that I really wouldn't have cared which one we got.

Here's a little reminder of the original house plan.  A couple things will look different.

1. No dormers.
2. South side of the garage {the side opposite the house} will slope down. It's kind of hard to describe.
3. The garage will be wider and longer.
4. There a couple of other small things, but it is hard to see them from this little picture, so I won't try to describe them.

If you are curious, here is the original floorplan.  You guessed it, it has also been modified, but I am not going to go into all the changes there! {I think if you click on the picture it will get bigger}.  The major thing is that we will have a basement underneath.  That was not part of the original plan, so we had to sketch that out on our own.  I will have to scan that in so you can see it...but that's a chore for another post!
{*Edited: I removed the floorplan.  My senses got the best of me and I decided that having our specific floorplan out there for everyone to see might not be the wisest idea. I'll invite you over when it is finished and you can see it for yourself!}
Well, there you have it!  The first post in a whole series I am tagging "4384".  Look for more in the coming weeks {HOPEFULLY!}

7 comments:

The Murphy's said...

I totally get where you are coming from on location and history of the location! Joe and his siblings played and played in the pasture where we built our house. He stood on that hill many times and thought he could see the whole world! So even though this was the ONLY pasture without water, electricity or gas we still built there because you can see the whole world! And we LOVE it! But we did pay dearly to bring electricty there and wells dug. Can't wait to see your house it will be worth the wait and the stress!!! Congrats! ;-)

Becky said...

I was just thinking about you guys today and wondering how things were going with the house!! I'm so excited to see the process! I too love the history of things, and that's one of the reasons I love the farm so very much. My great grandfather played there, my grandfather played there, my dad played there, and I played there. =)
Missing you guys!! Hug your kiddos for me!

Rhonda said...

Looks exciting! I'm kind of like you, wondering about the history of the place, and how that old house might've looked once upon a time.

Janelle Wensler said...

Get the book that mom and dad have. One of the Douglas's wrote one about the history of the ranch. Still love the house plan :)

Melanie said...

I really like the color of the shingles. .you can do a lot with that!! Yeah. .stretching patience. .I get that! Good luck with the whole project. .it'll be here before you know it!

Robin Allen said...

I am so happy for you and jealous of a brand new house at the same time...Can't wait to see all of your plans and ideas come to life before our very eyes.....I hanging on...I think it will be a wild ride...for ALLLLLLLL of us....remember it's only money....and you are building a HOME not just a HOUSE....::))

Melissa said...

So exciting! Thanks for sharing this wonderful journey through your pictures. You have to keep me updated...and next time I am there...you have to take me to see everything!