The final measurement for the kitchen happened. The guys attempted to move my stove from one side of the kitchen to the other…it did not work. The house plan calls for the stove to be directly over the area I would stretch out my hands to put things on the breakfast bar…so the stove got moved. I can not imagine doing that not to mention one of the children reaching into the kitchen and hit a hot pot. The stove is going to be moved into the corner. Which is a little awkward for the cabinet guys however they are PROS so they can handle it.
www.ivycreek.cc

We have quotes coming in from drywallers. We even have one that will do the painting as well.
So in the next two weeks we should be hiring a drywaller and starting on the drywall. Which means my next big step is attempting to pick out paint colors for rooms. This is going to be really hard for me since I am a visual person and I can not even stand in the room and “SEE” what it is going to look like.
And I really wish that my Mommie was still with me that she could pick out all the colors for me and then I would not have to feel so stuck. UGH !

We need to have the fireplace complete, the deck, septic system and fireplace for the certificate of occupancy. So we are picking out decking material this week.

All of the wiring is completed.  It works in all of the rooms.  We did have one issue in Andrew’s room.  An outlet wasn’t working, but they traced the problem and got that fixed.  But we’ve got live electricity in the house, but we’re not plugging anything in the outlets yet, because we’re waiting for the electrical inspection.  We’re also going to be putting in some lighting on the outside of the house.

HOW’S THE SEPTIC SYSTEM COMING ALONG?

The last time we talked, John was going to be digging out the septic system, but as it turned out, he didn’t start that because were supposed to get rain later that day.  At this point, we still have not dug for the septic system, because it has been raining every day.   We’ll have to wait for the ground to dry out.   John is going back-and-forth between using either a metal or a plastic septic tank.  So we need to do more research to see what the better decision would be.  Since we haven’t started digging yet, we will have some time to think about it.

HOW ABOUT THE REST OF THE PLUMBING?

The well is hooked up to the house and we have water, but the only place the water can come out into is buckets, because we don’t have the septic system in yet.  We can turn it on, it just can’t go anywhere.

Also, today we are insulating the walls in Andrew’s and Sarah’s rooms.  On Friday of last week, John and I went and picked out the soffit and fascia.  I wanted to pick a darker color than the siding, so I picked out a dark bronze.   We won’t be able to put that on until the weather gets better.  Everything is muddy again.

We also have heat.   We can turn on our geothermal system.   It’s funny, because it blows out air that, at first is a little bit cooler.  We spent a little extra money on a staged-speed fan, so when it first starts out, it blows just a little bit.  But as the system warms up, the fan blows harder.

WHAT’S THE NEXT STAGE?

I’m kind of going crazy on the kitchen.  Because we’re so close to drywall time, we need the final measurement for the kitchen.  Once they make the final measurements for the cabinets, I have to make my final decisions for what actually want inside my cabinets - as far as what kind of drawers I’ll want.  There are too many choices already, and they gave me this huge list of options.  John and I sat down and he redrew the kitchen on the computer.  So, now I think we know where everything is going, but now I need to go over to the house to stand in the kitchen to see if I can visualize it.

Another thing we’re dealing with is outlets in the living room.  I want to put two outlets in the floor in the living room - for lamps - but we’ll be getting a new sofa and I don’t know exactly where the outlets should go.  So we’re going to go to the house and draw out some chalk lines where the furniture will go, and we’ll try our best to decide where to put the outlets.

The other thing we did was, we put in the wiring for the alarm system and Ethernet and phone system.  None of it is live yet, but it’s in.  It will be nice to have the security - more for me than for John.

The other thing that we need to do is pick out what the material that we’ll put on the exposed walls of the basement.  I’m thinking maybe a fake stone façade.   As soon as the weather cooperates, we’ll be able to get more of that outside work done.   We have a lot of work that needs to me moved for the driveway.

I’m going to check later this week, on what we need for our certificate of occupancy.  Once that’s done, we’ll know checklist-wise, what we’ll need to do before moving in.  I don’t care if we don’t have carpet in.  I’m just anxious to get in.

IS THAT ABOUT IT?

Yes, that’s it for this week.

The wells for the geothermal system and the water have just been drilled.  On the first well they drilled for our water and actually hit water at 213 feet, which was amazing, because we thought we’d have to go past that.   He continued drilling down to 250 feet, so that even if we had a drought, the water table would still be good.  He set the pump at 225 feet.  That one was an easy one.   It only took two days.  I allowed my two children to be late for school the one day, because it was so cool to watch them drill the well.

For the geothermal system well, it took longer because the shaft caved in, and there was a rock that was stuck in the middle of the hole.  It took about another day extra because of that.   From my understanding, there is a pipe that’s a closed loop that the water circulates through, and that’s how it pulls the hot or cold from the ground.  The following day we got rain, so it took a few days before they came out again - but when they did, they put the cap on for the geothermal system and the line from the water well to the house.

We have something called a water manifold.  It has red and blue lines (hot and cold) and you hook all of your water lines up to that.  That’s essentially hooked up, but we’re waiting for an inspection on the plumbing and electrical.  The plumbing is still waiting for inspection, before gluing it all together.

Having power is amazing.  Actually, the electrical outlets aren’t in, but we have power to the electrical box inside the house, so we can hook into that and have power inside.  It’s nice, because we can keep the house warm with heaters, and plug in more than one light.  We’ve marked where all of the outlets and switches and outside lights - and we needed to move where the doorbell will go, since the side door will be actually what we will use for the front door.  They will be starting to pull the wires today.

ANYTING ELSE?

John has a backhoe today and is digging out the area for the septic system.  We have the water and the electricity, but we need the septic system.  We’re going to try to get that in prior to the spring rains.  Also, our kitchen designer came out the other day and discovered that our kitchen will need to be redesigned, because John somehow made  the closet at the top of the stairs bigger than it was supposed to be.  So, now my refrigerator won’t fit along-side my stove.  It’s really not a big problem.  We’ll just need to redesign the kitchen.  It’s not the end of the world.

Otherwise, that’s about it for this week.

The biggest excitement for the week is that they finished all of the HVAC ductwork.  That’s all the farther we’ve gotten with that because the electrical inspection is our next step.  It’s for the line that goes into the house, from the outside.  And, when he does that inspection, he will do the inspection for the duct work and also for the roughed-in plumbing.  All of the plumbing is in, but it’s just not glued together yet.  So, he can take a look at all three of those things when he’s there.

The other funny thing that happened is, because it was too cold to do the soffit and fascia, he went out and bought a roll of insulation, which he cut to fit where the soffit and fascia will go.  So, now it’s a lot warmer inside, because the heat is staying in.   I think he was brilliant to do that.

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT?

This weekend, we’re going to go through the house with a big marker and mark all of the spots for the electricity - all the switches and plugs, etc.  John has an electrical code book, so he knows what requirements he has to do.  I’m sure we will end up doing more outlets than required.  We’re looking forward to doing that.

WHEN WILL YOU BEGIN WIRING THE HOUSE?

Once we know where everything will be (outlets, plugs, etc.) then we can start stringing the wires.  John has an electrician friend who will help out with that.  After the wiring is in, the inspector will come out again, and then PP&L will be able to turn on the power.

WHAT ABOUT DRYWALL?

We will be able to start dry walling after the inspections for the HVAC and the electrical.  We haven’t yet made a decision on which drywall company we’ll be using.  Hopefully, we can start that work in the kitchen area, so I can get my cabinets ordered.

DOES THAT DO IT FOR THIS WEEK?

Yes, we had a short week, so that’s about it for now.

We’re definitely working on the inside, more than the outside.  They’re just about finished with the first stage of the HVAC, which will allow us to get going on the electrical.  The meter base is on the outside of the house, but we still need to get the meter put on it.   We have a friend who is a certified electrician, so he will help us with that.   The next thing is, we’re almost ready for an inspection for the electrical on the outside, from the pole to the house.  So I need to call and get that set up.

ANY MORE PROGRESS ON THE GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM?

They’re going to end up doing it in three stages.   The first stage was the HVAC ductwork.  That’s about done.  Next stages will involve getting the system installed and we also have a two hour training session to learn how to use it.

HOW’S THE PLUMBING COMING ALONG?

The toilets are still basically loose, and so is the whirlpool, but the whirlpool has a wooden base built around it, so it won’t be going anywhere.  As soon as it’s possible, John will start digging the holes for the septic system.   And then the well drilling people will come out and drill the two well holes.

HOW ABOUT DRYWALL?

I asked John if it mattered where we start dry walling, and he said he didn’t know.  I would like to have it started in the kitchen if we can, so they can come out and do the final measurements for the cabinets.   We have two different bids for drywall, and the only difference is that, one of them said they will put on the first coat of primer paint.  So, I need to sit down and compare those costs.

WHAT ABOUT FLOORING?

We made a decision about the kitchen, living room and dining room - basically, the main level of the home - we’re going to do hardwood floors.   We don’t know which kind of wood yet.  We’re going to do carpet everywhere else.  We still need to make a decision about the stairs going up to the second level.  I think we’ll probably do carpet, so we won’t be slipping down the steps.    In the basement, and up the basement steps, we’ll be doing berber carpet because it can take so much abuse.

THAT’S A LOT GOING ON.  ANYTHING ELSE?

No, I think that just about does it for this week.

Our big exciting news is that we did, in fact, go with geothermal.  We signed on it last Friday.  The person who will be the lead person on the project came out on Monday and discussed the specifics of what they will be doing in the house with ductwork.  They’ll be cutting holes in my floors and walls, and put in the ductwork.   They’ll be doing that tomorrow.

They’ll end up drilling two wells - one for our water, and one for the geothermal.  The hole for the geothermal is not really a well, because it’s sealed after they put the tubes down in the ground.   The tubing looks like PVC.  They use some kind of special hot glue to put it all together.   After the tubing is placed in the ground, they fill it with water and add anti-freeze, then they cap the hole.   If we don’t hit water on the first drilling attempt, we’ll use that hole for the geothermal, and hopefully the second hole will have water.

Today, John dug the trench with a DitchWitch for the electrical to come into the house.  Now what he need to do, is to get the meter box and the pipe that goes from the trench, up the side of the house.   Now that the plumbing is done, the next thing will be the electrical on the inside.  We need to have two inspections.  One for the HVAC, and the other for the electrical that will come into the house.

WHAT ELSE?

We were hoping to get the soffit and fascia in, but we’ve had so much rain, it’s made the driveway impassible, and we can’t get the lift back to the house.   The same goes for drilling the wells.   Hopefully the ground will freeze, so they will be able to get the equipment in.

The other thing is, we got all of the door hardware installed, so now we can lock the house.  It’s exciting for me, because I was worried some kids would get in there and get hurt.  So now you have to have a key to get in.

Also, I went online today and signed up to get on the mailing list for a tree sale through our conservation district.  It might take ten years for them to grow up, but it will be good for the environment.  It will help to stop the winds from blowing so hard, too.  They also have flowers, so hopefully I can get those planted too.

IS THAT ABOUT IT FOR THIS WEEK?

I think that’s about it for now.

The main focus has been on plumbing.  John’s doing all the rough-in for the plumbing.   We’ve purchased all of the PVC pipe and fittings and I think we’ve got everything we need.   John said I had one more chance to make any changes to where things would go, before he cut the holes - and I made absolutely no changes from the first time we marked it out, which I was very pleased about.    So, everything for the children’s bathroom, the half bath and master bath is plumbed in.   There’s a spot for the refrigerator to have a water intake and drain, in case we decide to get a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, which I’ve never had.

John’s biggest annoyance is the kitchen sink, because we don’t know exactly where it’s going.  On the plans, we changed where the stove is going, so everything is off a little bit.   He cut the holes and all the pipes are in place, and he made sure all the fittings when through, but he hasn’t glued anything yet.  When we get to the point when everything needs to be done, he’ll just go back and glue it.

IT SOUNDS LIKE THE PLUMBING IS GOING PRETTY WELL.

The thing John’s had the biggest issue with, is the sink in our bathroom.  The fact that I wanted a pocket door, is making it hard for him, because there is not a wall for him to run the pipes through.   He’s gotten frustrated with that, and I told him I don’t really have to have a pocket door, but he says, “No, I know you want a pocket door.”   He wants me to have everything I want in this house.   He said he will deal with the annoyance so I can have what I want, because this is my “Someday House.”   He’s so sweet, and that’s why I love him so much.  He’s doing a wonderful job and I feel bad about that.  Had I known it was going to be a problem, I would have never asked for a pocket door.  I just like pocket doors, because they don’t take up space.  They’re just nice.

The other thing we did was, we picked up all of the hardware for the sinks.  The only thing we had to special order was the faucet for the whirlpool tub.  The standard ones weren’t big enough to reach across the lip of the tub, and they didn’t have a high enough GPM rating (gallons per minute).   It’s these little weird things we never would have known about.

The last exciting thing is, we are going to sign for our HVAC system tomorrow.   I’m 99% sure we’re going to have geothermal, which ended up really being a surprise.  Geothermal was totally off the table because of the price difference between the two quotes we’d gotten.  But we got the third quote in for the HVAC and it was phenomenal.  It was exactly where it needed to be.   He showed us the cost analysis and explained that we will get a tax credit.  As it turns out, it will have paid for itself within seven years.  So, that makes it worthwhile for us to do.  It’s very exciting, because it’s so good for the environment.

AFTER THE PLUMBING GOES IN, ARE HVAC AND WIRING NEXT?

I think the HVAC and wiring will go in at about the same time.  John spoke with PP&L the other day, and as long as the ground doesn’t freeze within the next few weeks, we will have the power hooked up.   They have to come out and do an inspection of the trench when it’s dug, and of the electrical box and meter.

THAT ABOUT DOES IT FOR NOW THEN?

That’s about it for now.

All the windows are in and the garage doors are on, so we’re all closed in.

SO, IS IT WARM INSIDE THE HOUSE NOW?

Actually, the biggest problem that we’ve had is that the garage doors arrived a few days ago, and we until today, they weren’t installed - and that’s the side where all the wind comes in.  So, the wind was blowing into the garage and going right up the steps and into the house like a big wind tunnel.   They put the garage doors together today and they are installed.  The garage door openers aren’t in, but we don’t have electricity yet, so that doesn’t matter.   There’s no wind inside anymore, so it will be more comfortable to work in there, and they’ll be able to use propane heaters to make it warm.   There’s no risk of getting asphyxiated because the soffits aren’t in yet and there’s plenty of circulation.

The next exciting thing is, we’re going to go pick out hardware for all of the doors.   Earlier this week we laid out where the tubs and sinks and toilets are going to go, so John can start roughing in the plumbing.  It didn’t take as long as I thought it would.  Everything is where it needs to be.  Everything is out of the boxes.   For the shower stall that goes into the master bath, we had to cut about an inch off to get it to fit inside the bathroom.   We thought it was forty eight inches, and it was actually forty nine.   They weren’t too happy about having to do that, but at the time I was laughing, because after cutting it, they were all covered in fiberglass.  I suppose they didn’t appreciate that.

WHAT’S THE LATEST ON YOUR HVAC QUOTES?

The third guy came over the other day and got all the information he needed.   We’re supposed to have a quote from him in a day or two.   Then we’ll know what we’re going to do with the HVAC.  

Next week, depending on the temperature, John will start digging the hole for the septic system.   He wants to get that dug before the ground freezes.   He also has to dig the trench from the PP&L pole to the house, so they’ll be able to run electricity to the house.

IS THAT IT FOR NOW?

I believe that will take care of things ‘till next week.

For the bathrooms, I don’t want “cookie cutter” sinks and cabinets, so we went looking for those things at a store that sells all sorts of building materials that were cancelled special orders, or maybe slightly damaged.   We got a really cool pedestal sink for our master bathroom and a cabinet sink for the kids’ room.  Our sink had been a special order for someone who decided that they didn’t want white.   The kids’ sink had a scratch on one side that will be up against the wall.  No one will ever see it - and both of these were so much cheaper than they would have been otherwise.   We also got toilets for all three bathrooms, and they’re all the same style.  But, for the master bath toilet, we got one with a higher seat, in the event that - God forbid - someday we would need that if one of us was in a wheelchair.

John is putting a shower in, in the basement, so when he comes home from work he can clean up down there.  It’s just a shower stall and a utility sink.  The kids will be able to use it too if they get messy.  It just makes sense.

The siding also came in and it was amazing to watch it go up, because we had some type of a lift.  The first piece they put up was the corner piece, and they put a piece of J channel down at the bottom.  And then they just hooked into each other, one after the other.  It was really cold outside, so I felt bad for them.   The first side went the slowest, because it was their learning curve.  None of the guys had ever put up siding before.  They were finished siding in three days - except for the front of the house.

SO, EVERYTHING IS DONE EXCEPT THE FRONT?  WHAT’S NEXT?

Siding the front will be next, but we will have to wait until the next time we can get another lift.  The front windows are all in and they look absolutely fantastic, except for the fingerprints that are all over them.  My brother KC sealed the outside of the windows for us, which will protect everything.  We can wait and do the siding when we do the soffit and the fascia.

DID THE BIG TRAPAZOID WINDOWS GO IN EASILY?

They began at around 8:00 in the morning and they were finished at noon.  But those guys are professionals.  It was pretty uneventful.  Nobody got hurt.  Nobody got cut on the edges, which was a concern I had, because it’s clean-cut glass.

Andrew got to help them install the windows.  They said he was really big help in getting what they needed, and was almost second guessing what they needed.  He really loved doing that.

SO YOU’RE COMPLETELY CLOSED IN NOW?

Well, other than the garage doors, which they just called about this morning - five weeks later, instead of just the two weeks that they initially promised.  John and KC will put them in.  KC had worked for a garage door company when he was in high school, so he has experience with that.  So, they’ll get that done next week.

HOW ARE YOUR OTHER QUOTES COMING ALONG?

We did get two quotes in for our HVAC.   John wants to get a third quote in, because the two we’ve gotten are so dramatically different in price.  He just thinks it would probably be best to get a third one.

WHAT ABOUT POWER AND PLUMBING?

We have the lines run.  We have the box on order, and we need to get a trencher to dig the trench.  The problem is, with all that we have going on, we only seem to be able to really work on the house every other weekend.  Usually, it’s Sunday after church and Monday, or it’s Friday and Saturday.  It’s usually just a couple of days a week.  So hopefully that will get done next week.

The other thing we’re going to do is decide where we want everything to go in the bathrooms, so John can start the rough-in for the plumbing - so that when the HVAC guys come, we’ll know everything’s going to be OK with the plumbing.   Apparently the HVAC guys get first choice and the plumbing guys get second choice.  At least that’s the way we’re doing it. 

The next major thing to put a deposit on will be the septic system.

IS THAT ABOUT IT FOR NOW THEN?

That’s about it ‘till next time.

The good news is, we now have the siding on site.  The bad news is the garage doors are delayed.  They are not going to get to us for a week or two.  The PP&L power poles are all in - at least, all but one.  The next step is, we will have to put the trench in, so they can run the power from the poles to the house.   John will get a trencher machine and dig that.

There are three decisions we need to make.  The first one is, we need to make a decision about our two HVAC quotes.  I’m 98% sure we’re leaning towards the heat pump, as much as I like the idea of geothermal.  It just doesn’t seem like it’s going to pay off in the end for us.  In my reading about it, it’s not quite cold enough, or hot enough here.  I think it needs to be a little more extreme, one way or another.  John might change his mind, the HVAC is really his thing.  I only put my two cents in for the geothermal because I thought it would be a more green choice.  But we need to take the “green” and the cost and put the two together.  So, I’m pretty sure we’ll go with the heat pump and have a propane backup.

The other thing is, we have not picked out the whirlpool tub for the bathroom.  We need to get that picked out, so we can get it in before the walls are so closed up that we can’t get it in.

The third thing is, we have drawn where all of the sinks and toilets will go, so they will start cutting the holes for that.

Also, I need to pick out hardware for my cabinets.  I kind of put that off for a while, because it will be a while before I need to make any decisions. 

SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SIDING.

Well, it’s made by Certainteed and it’s called Board and Batten.  It’s made out of Vinyl.  It’s got a textured surface to look like sawn cedar boards.  We’ll be putting it up next week.   We have all the trim pieces and something called starter strips.   We will need to rent a cherry picker to put it up, because it will be too high to reach otherwise.

HOW ABOUT THE WELL?

We have two quotes on the well.  They actually charge based on the number of feet they think they’ll have to go down.  The one guy that quoted us was recommended by a friend of ours.   Our friend said he actually uses divining rods to find the water.  The last time I saw a well drilled, I was about ten years old, and I remember a man coming out and using the divining rod.   So, I guess they still use that method.   If we end up hiring that guy, I would love to take a video of him doing that.

I don’t know where John is with the septic system.  I know he has talked with people, but I don’t think we have any quotes yet.

YOU’VE GOT A LOT IRONS IN THE FIRE.  DOES THAT TAKE US UP TO SPEED?

Yes, it’s a lot going on - and yes, I think that takes us up to speed for this week.