Getting Ready to Pour!

Here's an update of where we are at.....looks like a big old mess huh!!! Here is a shot of the front of our house.The opening is where the front door will be located. This is a shot from the back where the basement windows are.

This is the only way in the house right now until it gets backfilled.

Here's another picture of the back windows and the metal forms are of the stairs leading to the basement from the garage.

Here's another shot of the back side of the house, the garage will go here - someday!

This is the back of the house. You can see our existing house in the back of the picture.

Here's an up close shot at what the blocks actually look like on the inside before they are filled with concrete and rebar.

Tomorrow (Saturday, October 16th) we are pouring the remainder of the basement walls and just above where the first floor elevation is. This will allow us to set the beam and floor joists and then backfill the house. It will be so much easier to access our house from this point on. We are still hoping to have it under roof by winter!

Basement Walls - FINALLY!

I've had several people asking for an update, so here it is! It isn't much to look at from a picture, but we "finally" poured 6 foot of our basement walls last Monday, September 20, 2010. It was a total of 34 yards and we did it with a telebelt. Dave, my Dad, my father-in-law, and myself made the pour. That is probably one of the last times I will run a vibrator....I was sore for about 3 days! Now Dave is gearing up for the next pour to just above the 1st floor. We are having 9 foot walls in the basement, so we still have another 4 to 5 feet to pour before we get that high, then we can set the floor joists and put on the subfloor and backfill in the basement. It will be much easier to get in and out of then.

There is a ton of bracing as you can probably imagine.

Here's a picture of the telebelt. It makes these pours so much easier!

Here's a shot of all the bracing and the "mess" inside the hole! It's hard to get around, but once the next few layers are set it should clear out some! We are hoping to pour in about a week and a half. Dave just framed up the first window for our house! Pretty Exciting!

Blocks have arrived!

The semi-truck arrived about 8:15 a.m. Saturday morning.

Dave unloaded the blocks with the skidster. Our pile of blocks sitting in the yard!

Kale hanging out in his playpen while we clear the forms from the basement floor pour.

Here's a shot of the floor....see Ava helping her Daddy in the corner and Kale still hanging out in the middle!

Ava helping Daddy...note the pink hello kitty boots!

The blocks have begun! The hardest part was getting the first row set.

Most of the blocks have been set in preparation for the 1st wall pour.

Basement Floor

Picture of the geo-thermal and plumbing pipes.Getting Ready for the basement floor pour (with Ava's help!) Rebar has been set and they are ready to pour.

The tele-belt has arrived and they are about to start.

They poured a 4000 psi mix with some fly-ash, a total of 28 yards on Friday Sept 3rd.

Finishing the floor.

Papa and Kale watching the concrete truck!

The finished product!

Mounds of dirt that surround the house site!

ICF blocks should be arriving Saturday morning via a semi-truck from Omaha, Nebraska.

Footing Pour

Most of the week was spent getting the basement footings ready for the pour on August 30th. You can see the view we will eventually have from our porch out to the barn.


Here is a shot of all the rebar and formadrain in place. The footings look great. The rain held off and only sprinkled a tiny bit during the pour. We poured a total of 23.5 yards.

Here is a shot of the driveway leading up to the garage. The hole towards the back of the house is for the steps leading to the basement from the garage. This will allow for Dave to get into the house after working with the horses and will lead straight to a bathroom.

The Big Hole

Our excavation contractor started on August 23rd. He started at 7:40 and was finished with the "hole" by 2:30. Ava has named this "the hole" and we are constantly telling her to not get close. The hole was so clean and precise. Ava had to stand in it right away and wanting to know where her room was going to be, so she is looking up 2 more stories to her new room! (She already has new horse bedding!)

Our Final House Plans!

The Front of our house with our wrap around porch so we can sit outside and watch the horses!

Our porch wraps around and leads to the backyard where we will eventually have a concrete patio leading out to the barn and the kid's swingset.

This is a view from the East looking at our garage.

This is the South view or our house. Many weeks went into tweeking our floor plans. We rearranged rooms countless times, but I think we finally have what we are going to build! This is the first floor plans. The living room will be open to the 2nd floor and the kitchen will be open to the living room with arches between columns.

Our bedroom will be on the main floor as well as our walk in closet with laundry. The dining room is located just to the left when you walk through our front door.The kids bedrooms will be upstairs and the loft is a space for all the toys....finally! There will be a door at the end of the hall leading to my "Future Stamp Room". I can't wait to have that room complete!

We are thrilled to have started our dream home. It all seems very surreal right now! We just wish Ethan were here to see. He was so excited about building a house too!