Sprinklers, Glass Shower & Progress

You didn't think I was done posting about progress we've made on the house, did you? Cause we still have quite a punch list . . . and I'd like a complete record of building this house. So, let me show you what we've been up to, apart from moving and getting settled in.

We installed the Washer & Dryer the weekend after we moved in. I'm loving the large room and how much faster the dryer is.

Adam dug a trench and connected the main pipe to our irrigation system. He also put in the backflow preventer, which you see sticking above the ground.

Here's what it looks like after the dirt and grass was put back. We still need to insulate the pipes, but it's looking great.

For the rest of the Sprinkler System, we need to finish installing the zone valves, control panel and sprinkler heads. I think we're going to work on that this weekend. I was very thankful for the rain we had the last couple days, after it staying dry for over a month.

The mirror for the Master Bathroom was installed yesterday! I can't tell you what a huge difference it makes to the room. It feels so much larger, I love it!

The glass for the Master Shower was also installed yesterday. We finished up the paint & caulk in preparation and now the shower is functional! I am excited to use it for the first time tonight, instead of using one on the other side of the house.

The Mirror for the Jack & Jill Bathroom. Now, our bathrooms are pretty much done.

That's all for now. I'll try to stay more current with posting, especially since we have internet at home now. We are taking the punch list work slowly, because we're trying to enjoy life and not be enslaved to the house. So, it'll be a process to get everything done, and we're okay with that.

We should offically close on our home in the next week or so and are blessed that everything has gone smooth with the inspections, appraisal and paperwork. We got a really low rate and look forward to having a set payment. As for the condo, we have emptied it out and cleaned it thoroughly. We have shown it to three people so far and hope that we get a committed renter soon. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Beam me up, Scotty

Okay, I am not a treki, but we have been putting beams up on the house. Here's some of my newest pictures:

This is the beam that is in between the living room and breakfast nook. There are several floor trusses that hang off of this beam - Adam is aligning a hanger for one of the trusses.

This beam is over the laundry room. The floor trusses that attach to the previous beam, will also attach this beam.

This is over the master bathroom. You can also see the knee wall on the exterior wall.

You can see the trusses hanging off of the beam here. These hangers require over 30 galvanized nails a peice. At first, Adam and his dad were nailing these in by hand. They quickly learned that this wasn't the best way, as it took them an hour and a half to do one bracket. So, we went shopping and got us a time-saving tool . . .

Adam is showing off his palm nailer. This nifty little tool will hammer in the nails for you, perfectly straight. It saves your wrist and elbow and is very quick. It's just loud.

Here's the trusses in place. We're missing four of these brackets, so we'll have to wait to finish these trusses.

Adam is nailing the knee wall in over the wall, between the living room and hall.


Adam's enjoying a his break, on the high rise.

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In unrelated news, I have been doing some planting at our condo.

I grew this avocado tree from the pit of an avocado, in a glass of water!

I planted my little tree in some dirt, and also planted a bulb of an amaryllis while I was at it. It's probably not the right time of year to be planting, but I finally got around to buying dirt. So, I did it.

Busy, Busy

We have been keeping pretty busy lately. Adam has been out to the land here and there, getting the foundation level and trying to recapture his thoughts on what needs to happen next - apparently, the cruise has left his mind blank. The big discovery of the week: Adam found our Sanitary line! This is late in coming, but at least we know where to look now.

We may of found a renter for our condo. I have been posting adds to sell it on craigslist.com, and someone called asking if we'd be interested in renting it out! So, we made her an offer and we'll see what comes of it. There is a chance we'd be moving out at the end of this month!

I have been preparing for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam - which I take tomorrow. It is an 8-hour exam covering everything I learned in college. I graduated three years ago, so relearning all this stuff hasn't been too fun, but I feel prepared. This is a preliminary test to becoming a Professional Engineer - I still need a couple more years of experience, recommendations, and take another exam.

Adam is having a reunion with some of his college buddies and their families this weekend, so I'll meet up with him in Gainesville Saturday night. The point of all of this is we're gone another weekend and won't be getting much work done on our land. Hopefully we'll kick it into gear soon and make some good progress. Until, then . . . I leave you with another picture from the cruise.

Waiting on Permit & Condo for Sale

Today, we officially submitted our set to Duval County for approval. Our set met the preliminary requirements to be reviewed, now they will sit through about a week's worth of reviewing at the county. If all goes well, we'll get a permit next week. YAY!

I don't know if we'll get any other work done on the land in the mean time, but this is a pretty big step forward . . . so, I'm excited.

In other news, we decided to sell our condo ourselves instead of going through a realtor. It has been on the market since the beginning of October with only 2 or 3 people even looking at it. Selling it ourselves will save us a fair chunk of change, but means more work for me. So, if you would like a lovely 1,118 sq ft, 2 bed / 2 bath condo in the Jacksonville area - or know anyone else that would - please let me know and I'd be happy to show it or send pictures.