Mark and Natalie's Home Building Experience

Exterior Lights and Sinks

2010-05-12T10:40:00.003-06:00

The rock was finished yesterday

We really like our exterior garage lights.

Our kitchen sink. We aren't sure about this one. We were supposed to get a porcelain sink.

Both of our bathroom sinks look the same.

Rock, Countertops, Back Porch

2010-05-10T09:57:00.003-06:00

Cabinets, Flatwork, and Hardware

2010-05-02T20:14:00.002-06:00

This last week the cabinets were installed, the driveway and walkway were poured, and all the door knobs, towel racks and other hardware was installed.

We also put another coat of paint on the interior walls to cover up some striping and the baseboard that went over hard floors were reinstalled. This next week we will be picking up some odds and ends and maybe start some landscaping. Also the countertops should be installed this coming week.

Hardwood Finished

2010-04-11T15:11:00.004-06:00

On Saturday, the hardwood was finished and it looks pretty good. Also, the fields of the tile have been put in. The electricians came in and installed the lights in the kitchen, outlets, and light switches.

Hardwood and and Tile Started

2010-04-04T10:41:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, we put down some backerboard for the areas where we will be laying tile. Also, the hardwood was started.

Paint

2010-03-26T21:03:00.002-06:00

The interior walls were painted this week.

Lighting

2010-03-24T23:19:00.012-06:00

Well, we went and picked out the lighting for the house. It wasn't as hard as we thought it would be. It took us a little over an hour and we are really happy with the picks we made.

There will be one of these lights on each side of the garage door.

There will be one of these smaller outdoor lights by the back door from the garage and by the french doors in the back.

There are three sizes of this light. The larger, 3-light version will be in the bedrooms, master closet, and the entryway. The medium, 2-light version will be in the hallway, and a small, 1-light version will be in the master toilet room.

This light will be in the living room.

This is the vanity light for the master bathroom.

This light is the ceiling light for the master bath. It's a match for the vanity light.

This is the vanity light for the common bathroom.

More Finish Work

2010-03-14T21:54:00.005-06:00

This week the gutters were installed, the baseboard was finished, and the finish stair treads were put in. The garage door guy finally installed the correct door. Also, the prep for painting was started.

Yesterday the hardwood and tile was delivered.

Soffits and Shelving

2010-03-07T13:15:00.003-07:00

Two days ago the soffit guys got to work and did a good lookin job. Yesterday, we did some work on the inside. The baseboard was prepped and some of it was installed. The shelving was also done, which I got to do most of. It was the first time I have been able to work on our house in a long time.

Stucco Color and Interior Doors

2010-02-27T20:26:00.005-07:00

The stucco color was applied yesterday. It only took one day and it looks pretty good. We were expecting the trim to be a little lighter, but it may lighten up after a few days as it cures. The rock won't be installed until it warms up a little more, but probably within the next month.

On the inside of the house, the materials for all the baseboards, trim, and shelving was delivered. Today, the interior doors and closet shelving was started.

Flooring Layout

2010-02-21T13:11:00.003-07:00

Yesterday we decided on the flooring layout. We will have carpet in the bedrooms, bedroom closets, hallway, and in the living room. Tile will be in the bathrooms, laundry room, and the entryway. The Kitchen, dining area, and just past the entryway going into the kitchen will be solid wood flooring. Natalie hasn't finalized the flooring decisions yet, but will this week.

Interior Wall Texture

2010-02-21T12:32:00.002-07:00

Last week the wall texturing was done.

Stucco Base Coat

2010-02-21T12:25:00.003-07:00

On 2-17 the stucco base coat was put on

Sheetrock

2010-02-05T12:33:00.002-07:00

Yesterday the sheetrockers put up all of the sheetrock in one day. Next the walls will be mudded and then the texture will be applied. The picture is from the living room looking into the kitchen. The first video is the living room, then the kitchen, and then the view out the back. The second video is of the basement.

Insulation

2010-02-02T10:21:00.004-07:00

The insulation was put in last week and yesterday the sheetrock was delivered. We can't wait to see the house with sheetrock up!

Door and Front Porch

2010-01-16T15:59:00.003-07:00

The glass was put in our front door and earlier this week the front porch concrete was poured. The shingles were delivered and the roof should be put up in the next couple of weeks.

Electrical and Heating

2010-01-14T22:15:00.003-07:00

The electirical and heating was started this week.

Dried In With Windows and Doors

2010-01-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the house was dried in and the windows and doors were installed. On the inside the ladder blocks were installed and a few odds and ends were taken care of. The front door is missing its glass, but it should be put in soon.

Trusses and Roof Sheeting

2010-01-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

The Trusses and sheeting for the roof were finally finished this week.

Blue Moon

2009-12-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well news year's eve 2009 has a blue moon which is weird because it seems like the sub contractors work on the homes once every blue moon. On the 27th one of the subs put up the trusses, and today they put up half of the sheeting. Before that, it was late November when the stairs were put in and that had been the last activity on our home for a whole month(besides shoveling snow out of it). Hopefully the subs will finish the other half of the sheeting soon.

Faith in the program is waning, but hopefully we are past the halfway point and will be over with the whole thing sooner than later.

Basement Stairs

2009-11-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

This week the stairs to the basement were put in. Also, the windows have been cut out. The trusses should be next!

Interior Walls and Garage

2009-11-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got a lot done on the house. The interior walls were laid out, built, and then put up. The exterior walls on the garage were built and put up as well. It is starting to look more like a house every week!

Entry Door

2009-10-31T18:30:00.001-06:00

Here is what our entry door will look like.

Exterior Walls and Shearing

2009-10-24T19:14:00.000-06:00

This week the exterior walls were finished (except for the garage), and the sheering was put on.

Exterior Walls

2009-10-17T18:09:00.000-06:00

The exterior walls were started today. You can see the wall facing the backyard. The first large opening is the door going to the back yard, then to the right is the kitchen window, then the master bedroom window

Floor Sheeting

2009-10-10T17:50:00.001-06:00

The sheeting for the floor was installed. The layout for the upstairs walls was started

Rim Board and Floor Joists

2009-10-09T17:45:00.000-06:00

In the last couple of days the rim board and floor joists have been added. Today the green board was put in the garage and tomorrow we will probably put in the sheeting on the floor.

Basement Framing and Main Beam

2009-10-03T18:23:00.000-06:00

Today we got a lot done on our house. We had about a dozen volunteers from Wells Fargo in Park City and they were a great help. We got the main beam and posts put in today. The green boards on the top of the foundation were put in. Also, the framing around the stairwell and the utility room was done today.

Basement and Garage Floors

2009-10-01T14:26:00.000-06:00

The basement and garage floors were poured and leveled. Looks great!

Grading the Yard

2009-09-30T22:08:00.000-06:00

Today the yard was graded and the last of the gravel for the window wells and garage was put in. It also snowed today. If you told me last spring that it would snow before one nail was put in our house, I would never have believed you.

Foundation Backfill and Basement Plumbing

2009-09-27T19:26:00.000-06:00

Today we went and checked out what was done on Friday. The foundation was backfilled and the basement floor was filled with gravel. Also, the drain pipes were put in.

More Foundation Work

2009-09-22T22:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the damp proofing and the window wells were put in.

The Foundation Was Poured!

2009-09-18T18:02:00.000-06:00

The concrete was poured into the forms the other day and yesterday the forms were removed. I was able to stand in our house this morning!

Foundation Work

2009-09-11T20:33:00.000-06:00

The footings have been poured and the forms for the foundation are up. The foundation should be poured in the next day or two.

Finally!!!

2009-09-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

We started working on a few of the other lots in the group a couple of weeks ago and have been making pretty good progress. But, we have been growing anxious waiting for work to start on our lot.

Well, we finally got to see some progress. Our foundation was dug out yesterday!

Exterior Colors

2009-07-18T18:51:00.000-06:00

After a lot of deliberation, Natalie picked out some of the exterior features of the house. The colors aren't quite perfect on the computer, but they are close and will give you an idea of the color scheme.

House Plot Layout

2009-07-18T16:10:00.000-06:00

After deciding which floorplan we wanted, we met with Guy (our onsite foreman/contractor) to decide where we wanted the house placed on the property. We had to follow a few codes like having the house back 25' from the sidewalk, etc. This is what we came up with.

Floorplan

2009-07-18T13:59:00.000-06:00

The toughest decision we have had so far was choosing which layout we liked the best. We finally chose the Aspen.

Lot Choice

2009-07-18T13:02:00.001-06:00

In the self help program, home building choices are done in the order in which each family was accepted into the program. We were the 2nd family accepted into the program, so we had 2nd choice for our lot. We chose Lot #5, which is directly west of the Blazzard's and just north of Natalie's parents' land.

The top picture shows a satellite view of our lot and shows where we are in relation to Rod and Connie's land and where we live now.

The bottom picture shows a ground level view of our lot. Unfortunately we didn't think to take a picture until after all of the weeds started coming up. The view is to the SE.

The beginning

2009-07-18T12:17:00.000-06:00

We decided to create a blog of our home building experience so that friends and family can see what's happening. It will also be cool to be able to look back at the process when we are finished.

We are building a home through USDA Rural Development. It is a self help program to help bring families into rural areas and to also help facilitate home ownership to low income families. We applied in July of 2008 and were accepted into the program this last winter.

As of now, there are 4 other families in the program with us, but there will eventually be 8 in total. Each family is required to put in 30 hours each week building the houses. We help each other building the homes and no one can move into their homes until all of the homes are finished.

We were hoping to start building in May or June, but it looks as though we won't begin construction until August.