# 558 - Country House Update...WEATHER Stalls Work

The house is coming along. Over the past few weeks the weather has truly interfered with construction progress. It is difficult because I can see in this house in the distance, through the woods, yet we cannot move into it yet.

The above view is from a second downstairs bedroom or from a room that can be used as a den.

The hardy board is primed a yellowish color...yet to be painted.

My husband has taken care of most of the electrical requirements for the house because the bids were astronomical, so he's now been doing things in a significant manner so we can finish the house.

I've worked extremely hard to keep our budget within strict boundaries. That doesn't happen easily. And things have come up, of course, that have blown the budget to a degree.

The plumbing has been a hefty expense, but our plumber is very experienced, which counts for a lot. The septic tank is a separate expense and will be a few thousand more than expected because our soil dictates that a gravity-fed system is impossible, so an aerobic system is required. But, I adore our plumber, a Cajun from Louisiana; he's very experienced with designing great plumbing systems with efficient layout, but he strictly does pipe plumbing for the house and the septic requires a completely different crew.

As a former city girl, I had not truly understood that these were such separate areas...plumbers and septic installers are not necessarily one in the same.

Another area that we didn't plan for was the piping from the water main to the house...Sgt. Dave is currently running 1 1/2" schedule 40 piping from the main to the house for the plumber to connect so we will have running water.

The septic workers haven't been able to come do the installation because the weather won't allow the heavy equipment to be operated in the mucky mess. And we can't spread the Rye seed until the septic is installed because it will just be ruined by the septic crew. So, for now, we have a muddy mess surrounding the house.

The larger piping from the water main to the house will be better able to handle the proper pressure needed to transfer and disperse water to the house. So, a lot of underground piping will need to be done properly so the house can actually be connected to the water supply.

Here is the back of the house and the general area, likely, where
the septic system and leech field will be located.

Back to the electrical part of construction...The electrical was shockingly expensive. Our builder is normally within an accurate guessing range of $500 to $1,000. for each area of work needed to finish the house, but even he has been astounded by sky high estimates for electrical work.

For instance, one company gave a quote to ONLY run electrical wire through the house. Sgt. Dave drilled all the holes through the 2x4's, and he installed all the blue outlet/switch housing boxes. We were supplying all materials to strand the wire, and they wanted almost $10,000. just to string the wire, that's it.

The way the stained glass windows look from the porch
when there is a light turned on inside the house via electrical cord.

The great thing is that I managed to save us thousands by drawing, re-drawing and again drawing our house plans that were carefully followed by the builder. I consulted with too many experts, did too much research, and took too much time to carefully consider every single detail for the layout of this house. Working to understand the most efficient layout for plumbing, the most desirable kitchen design, and to build a house with GREAT closet space has been crucial for me. Working in real estate for years definitely helped.

And it was a challenge to find the best appliances at the deepest savings...the work to get this house built has been stressful and never-ending. The hardest part for me is that even in my "down" time, my brain is in continual high gear and processing the things that need to be done, the order of events so we don't spend extra money or time trying to correct a needless mistake, and I must make sure that the people I must stay in contact with understand everything that is happening with other contractors and time-lines so they never step on each other's toes. It's been a massive juggling act.

However, things have definitely slowed down. Much has been accomplished, but as the saying goes, "The devil is in the details." It is true that the details are the most challenging and difficult part of the process.

Still, the expense to build a custom home in a rural area is significant.

There are other ways I've learned to save a great deal of money. For instance, I don't make one trip to Lowe's or Home Depot without KNOWING exactly what I am going to buy and the research has already been done with extensive notes ready for referral. We cannot afford, money-wise or time-wise, to be wandering through the store, and we can't buy things that are unnecessary or the wrong item. Sometimes they don't have the things we came to buy. That stinks.

At the start of the process, I bought a college notebook with ruled pages to take extensive notes, and I carry that sucker with me everywhere. It is filled with crucial measurements, layout information, directional details...such as which side the tub skirt and drain should be facing, etc.

As for me, I had to design the bathrooms to fit the tubs, showers, toilets, sinks, etc., and let me tell you that there is much to consider with room layouts...shower pans/basins, type of tub, direction of drain, placement of drain, height of shower walls, types of shower doors, desired depth and length of shower space and much more. I've seen my share of HORRIBLE bathroom layouts, so let's keep our fingers crossed that my planning and efforts will pay off with un-horrible bathrooms.

So far, the most exciting part of the rough-in process has been to see the HVAC system be installed. The crew built the rigid runs on the job-site and used rigid as much as possible, but in some areas flex duct was required. The attention to detail was awesome. I stand in each room and look at the vents and imagine what it will feel like to have cold air or heat blasting through them.

Because the house has a story and a half with a vaulted ceiling across almost half the house, I knew we needed a dual-zoned air-conditioning system. This means we would have two systems with two thermostats.

I spoke with a total of three potential HVAC contractors and one of them didn't want to install a true separate zoned systems...he wanted to put in one 5-ton unit. This guy tried to convince me that this one unit would do the job, in Texas, with a second floor of multiple rooms and high ceilings. The HVAC company I ended up hiring was in total agreement regarding the necessity of the separately zoned system and the owner of the company clarified the reasons the one 5-ton unit would not be efficient, specifically due to the design of the house.

Where space is tight, they installed flex ducting.

Having one 5-ton unit would have perpetually created zones in the house that would either be too hot or too cool...controlled temperatures would have been more difficult. With one unit, getting the entire house to a feel-great consistent temperature would have been impossible.

We also went with a heatpump, which these days can be switched off when not needed. The heat-pumps of today are not the same as they were a few years ago. They can save major energy and when not needed, you just flip a switch to turn them off.

We are also have two 4-ton blowers, which will truly help blast the cool air throughout the house.

I've already gotten the estimate to get the house insulated with the blown-in expanding foam insulation that is top-notch. One of my HVAC workers said that once that insulation is in place that the interior of the house will be the same as a YETI Ice Chest. That cracked me up. I don't know how they'll get the insulation in the area behind the air-conditioning units, but we will see.

But, we can't move forward with the insulation until the plumbing, HVAC and electrical is finished being roughed-in. Almost there...just electrical needs to be finished and then we can roll forward.

And, the kitchen cabinets are going to be a dream-come-true for me and my husband. At this time, they are in the process of being built. Our cabinet builder even MILLS HIS OWN WOOD. He is incredible. I was in disbelief that our kitchen cabinetry, custom built AND installed, is LESS money than buying the ready-made-to-install cabinetry at the local hardware store. I had never dreamed of being able to have a kitchen as we will enjoy because Houston prices were off the charts. This is one area where country living has paid off.

I have already researched, priced, ordered and paid for our kitchen appliances. All Kenmore Elite appliances. They are sitting in a warehouse waiting to be delivered and installed. I was able to buy high-end appliances by sticking to a budget, being patient, ordering through our Sears Hometown store that had the freedom to come down even further off the advertised sale's price while ordering multiple appliances also reduced the overall cost by another 15%. Ordering on a holiday weekend made the sale prices even better.

Our Sears Hometown store is also delivering and INSTALLING all the appliances for approximately $87. - a one-time fee for all appliances to be installed. The only thing they won't do is connect water/plumbing lines, so I already purchased all the connections for the dishwasher and refrigerator water/ice-maker for Sgt. Dave to hook up during the Sears installation. Since the double-ovens weigh nearly 300 lbs, this is a valuable benefit of working with the local store...ordering through a regular Corporately owned Sears would've meant a much higher price for at-home delivery and installation.

As for kitchen countertops, I am still exploring options. I am old-fashioned and love tiled countertops because of the texture and depth, but the grout lines are not good for some food prepping, such as baking. So, the island will likely have granite.

Another expense was garage doors.

After calling around to price different companies, I was surprised to discovered a significant difference between one local company and another that is about 40 miles further away. The one further away was at least $350. less for the same door.

So, we installed two insulated garage doors and purchased decorative perimeter weather stripping and it cost right at $1,565.00. for both doors, installed. Not Bad!

After next weekend, we will officially begin locking the doors to the house and garage.

This is the house BEFORE the full beams were added around
the entire porch. Beefy beams.

But, the BEST feeling was to see the first tub installed upstairs. This tub is porcelain over steel and cost only $110. at Home Depot!

The Master Bathroom will have a regular tub, but with a more angled back to allow for soaking. We decided to not get an over-sized corner or garden tub because the water usage would be ridiculous and that's not great for a septic system...too much water can cause hydraulic overload. So, we remained conservative in these areas.

We have three bathrooms and have these toilets. It is interesting.

This toilet has two flush options on top of tank. Let me break it down for you...there's a PeePee flush option that uses less water, and a second Poo-Poo flush option that uses more water and pressure to SWISH the poo AWAY! Eventually, I will let you know how these work.

And to catch up...In September, me and my daughter Stefie made a road trip to see my oldest daughter since she had just given birth to their first son. We had a wonderful few days at the Johnson house. Stefie had a great time giving Coraline extra attention; it isn't easy suddenly becoming a big sissy!

Hank was 9 lbs 6oz when he was born in a birthing center as my daughter delivered him completely natural. Heather is amazing. I have two grand-babies now. I've been back a couple more times for visits since his birth, but this first visit with Hank was awesome.

Me and my week old grandson, Hank.

It was wonderful to hold my grandson and worth the crazy road trip to get there! Stefie and I laughed so hard and had such a wonderful road trip together that I'd do it again in a heartbeat with her.

My daughter and son-in-law, Heather & Henry with their babies...
Coraline and Hank. Their family is beautiful.

Heather is a very busy momma with TWO children!

Getting our house finished is extra important. Our family is growing. We all love each other and want to spend more time together. For me, this time of living in an RV for over 2 1/2 years has been extremely difficult since I am super involved with my family. There were moments I'd love to just walk away and say FORGET IT...then we drive into the city and remember the increasing congestion and the conveniences aren't worth it.

This time of great sacrifice is for a bigger reason...being patient a little longer is my requirement. Well, being a patient a LOT longer is going to be necessary, but we will keep going and enjoy the journey.