Nothing new to report

We were hoping that the concrete pour would have happened this coming week, but our plans are still under review at the city. We also had an unexpected delay due to the fire sprinker system. Turns out that the city now requires complete plans of the system before construction begins...of course every sprinkler vendor is backed up. Our other option is to pay to have a new fire hydrant installed 100 feet closer than the existing hydrant. No thanks! Hopefully we can start the garage foundation before heading to Mexico on our much needed mini vacation.

In the mean time.....we have 10 sheep that live next door during the summer months. Here's a picture of Andy introducing himself....proper neighborly conduct. :)

Nothing new to report

We were hoping that the concrete pour would have happened this coming week, but our plans are still under review at the city. We also had an unexpected delay due to the fire sprinker system. Turns out that the city now requires complete plans of the system before construction begins...of course every sprinkler vendor is backed up. Our other option is to pay to have a new fire hydrant installed 100 feet closer than the existing hydrant. No thanks! Hopefully we can start the garage foundation before heading to Mexico on our much needed mini vacation.

In the mean time.....we have 10 sheep that live next door during the summer months. Here's a picture of Andy introducing himself....proper neighborly conduct. :)

Excavation Day 2

Another day of digging. The house and garage are now completely dug out. We have huge dirt piles everywhere. Andy decided to change the existing road to the shop so that it wasn't running through the middle of the property. They moved it over closer to the property line so now there is a road as wide as Hwy 217 running through the lot. Next step is to bring in a lot of gravel to pour on the new road and start compacting. The big piles of dirt that are left will be used to backfill the house once the concrete foundation is poured and to push down to hill to make our yard even bigger. Got dirt?? We need more!
After the lot was excavated we put down tarps to keep it dry from the rain.

Excavation Day 2

Another day of digging. The house and garage are now completely dug out. We have huge dirt piles everywhere. Andy decided to change the existing road to the shop so that it wasn't running through the middle of the property. They moved it over closer to the property line so now there is a road as wide as Hwy 217 running through the lot. Next step is to bring in a lot of gravel to pour on the new road and start compacting. The big piles of dirt that are left will be used to backfill the house once the concrete foundation is poured and to push down to hill to make our yard even bigger. Got dirt?? We need more!
After the lot was excavated we put down tarps to keep it dry from the rain.

Breaking Ground on 10/17/06

Today was the big day - We've officially broken ground on the project. We've had the property ready to be excavated for a few weeks and the day of "the big dig" has finally come! Don Burke Excavating arrived at 7:30AM to drop off the machinery. Traffic on Multnomah Blvd had to be stopped so this big monster could back down the road. I've never seen so much dirt!

Breaking Ground on 10/17/06

Today was the big day - We've officially broken ground on the project. We've had the property ready to be excavated for a few weeks and the day of "the big dig" has finally come! Don Burke Excavating arrived at 7:30AM to drop off the machinery. Traffic on Multnomah Blvd had to be stopped so this big monster could back down the road. I've never seen so much dirt!

Demo

This is Andy & Nick's favorite part so far....Demolition! A few other surprises were found in the run down house that we removed from the property. At first we were going to try to live there while we were building...good thing we changed our mind.

Along with the property we purchased a backhoe....the best investment ever!

Of course we needed more than a backhoe to do demo.....so we rented another toy for Andy and Nick. A Trackhoe!

Demo

This is Andy & Nick's favorite part so far....Demolition! A few other surprises were found in the run down house that we removed from the property. At first we were going to try to live there while we were building...good thing we changed our mind.

Along with the property we purchased a backhoe....the best investment ever!

Of course we needed more than a backhoe to do demo.....so we rented another toy for Andy and Nick. A Trackhoe!

The Floor Plan

Finding a house plan was a little more difficult than we both expected. We looked at thousands of house plans online trying to find the perfect layout. I think we had "the perfect one" at least four times. Finally Andy found a company based out of Bend that specializes in Craftsman and Prairie style homes. Their designs on the website were just black and white sketches - nothing flashy like the other websites we'd been looking at, but Andy was drawn to a specific one. Our final choice was a traditional craftsman likely to be found in the Portland area. After making our decision we found out that the house was actually built up in Washougal, WA for the Parade of Homes. We were very excited to have the chance to actually drive past it and make sure it was what we were looking for and to see what we could do differently.

The house is a small foot print but it is 2 story with a walkout basement. We should definitely have enough room for quite some time. The first part of our master plan is to build a detached garage with an apartment above that we can move into as soon as possible. Once that is complete, the construction will begin on the main house. We love 99% of the layout and will make just a few small changes and customizations for the final product. I've already been thinking about paint colors, wood trim, tile, and furniture and have started an idea box of magazine clippings. Andy thinks I am so weird! Much to Andy's dismay I've even bought a few things for the "new house".

The Floor Plan

Finding a house plan was a little more difficult than we both expected. We looked at thousands of house plans online trying to find the perfect layout. I think we had "the perfect one" at least four times. Finally Andy found a company based out of Bend that specializes in Craftsman and Prairie style homes. Their designs on the website were just black and white sketches - nothing flashy like the other websites we'd been looking at, but Andy was drawn to a specific one. Our final choice was a traditional craftsman likely to be found in the Portland area. After making our decision we found out that the house was actually built up in Washougal, WA for the Parade of Homes. We were very excited to have the chance to actually drive past it and make sure it was what we were looking for and to see what we could do differently.

The house is a small foot print but it is 2 story with a walkout basement. We should definitely have enough room for quite some time. The first part of our master plan is to build a detached garage with an apartment above that we can move into as soon as possible. Once that is complete, the construction will begin on the main house. We love 99% of the layout and will make just a few small changes and customizations for the final product. I've already been thinking about paint colors, wood trim, tile, and furniture and have started an idea box of magazine clippings. Andy thinks I am so weird! Much to Andy's dismay I've even bought a few things for the "new house".

We're buying a lot??

On weekends Andy and I love to drive around looking at houses and dreaming of where our future house would be and what it would look like. One crazy day in March we decided it would be a good idea to find a lot and hang on to it for a few years before we build....just like his parents did with Labor Rd. Let the fun begin! We spent a few weeks looking at available lots and found beautiful views that would only accommodate a house dangling off the side of a steep cliff, on a busy road, or a cute little lot tucked right in the backyard of an older existing home - no thanks!

Then we found it - on craigs list. The posting was very vague but it was right outside of Multnomah Village....walking distance to Old Market Pub, included a newer 1200 sqft shop/garage AND it was over and acre. Next thing we know, we've bought it (and the 28 yr old Back Hoe) and not only are we not saving it for the future, but we're planning to build as soon as possible and sell our current house....what happened to hanging on to it for a few years??

We're buying a lot??

On weekends Andy and I love to drive around looking at houses and dreaming of where our future house would be and what it would look like. One crazy day in March we decided it would be a good idea to find a lot and hang on to it for a few years before we build....just like his parents did with Labor Rd. Let the fun begin! We spent a few weeks looking at available lots and found beautiful views that would only accommodate a house dangling off the side of a steep cliff, on a busy road, or a cute little lot tucked right in the backyard of an older existing home - no thanks!

Then we found it - on craigs list. The posting was very vague but it was right outside of Multnomah Village....walking distance to Old Market Pub, included a newer 1200 sqft shop/garage AND it was over and acre. Next thing we know, we've bought it (and the 28 yr old Back Hoe) and not only are we not saving it for the future, but we're planning to build as soon as possible and sell our current house....what happened to hanging on to it for a few years??