Building our new house is still extremely slow and frustrating.
All in all, we are now almost five months behind where we should be. Summer is over, it is now fall, and winter is around the corner. There is still so much to do. Cindi & I are frustrated.
I have been remiss by not giving credit to my beautiful wife Cindi, for all of her help and hard work. She has been there nearly every day helping me in so many ways. Nothing would be getting done without her. As hard as this has been on me, it has been even more difficult on her. Our frustration level is extreme. At this point building our dream house is more of a nightmare. I hope it gets better.
Cindi and I built the first concrete forms for the front porch. I did not expect how much pressure wet concrete puts on the forms. The forms exploded and concrete went everywhere. In nearly 100-degree temperatures, we had to shovel tons of concrete out of the area. It took nearly two hours of backbreaking work. Cindi led the way as my strength started to give out.
Cindi and I rebuilt and set the four-foot-tall concrete forms for the front porch and poured concrete into them. Then, with the help of my wife and brother-in-law, we filled the porch base with gravel. Then we poured the concrete porch. It took Cindi and me three weeks of very hard work and ten cubic yards of concrete to build the porch.
Once the concrete was dry, I set the three 6" x 6" x 10' posts that support the roof over the front porch and then wrapped them with Hardy board siding. We painted them to give the area a finished look. Next, we built the railings and installed them.
While waiting for exterior siding materials, Cindi and I worked every day on small details. Details make a difference.
Last Sunday in the cold and rain Cindi and I moved nearly one-hundred and sixty 20-foot lengths of rebar away from the house so the siding guys would have access to the north wall. It was very hard work and took nearly 4 hours. I'm convinced that Cindi is stronger than me and just as tough or tougher.
Siding, facia, and soffit materials are here. The installation is scheduled to start on Thursday, November 2. (A month late) I hope they show up.
The electrician is supposed to come back and run the main electric line inside the house and fix a few things that I've noticed.
The plumber is scheduled to run the gas line inside the house for the furnace but still, after a month has not shown up.
After the siding is on, hopefully, we'll get the electricity, water, and propane lines run to the house. The septic tanks should be dug and installed along with the drain field. It might take a few weeks for that.
Next Jacob should backfill around the house using the mountains of dirt and rock piled up from the excavation in March.
Drywall, interior painting, furnaces and AC, plumbing and electrical fixtures, cabinets, flooring, interior trim, and interior doors are just a few things that need to be done inside. Outside we'll need sidewalks, steps, and the driveway. Landscaping will have to hold off until spring.
There still is a lot to do. I have no valid idea when we'll be ready to move in. It seems like a long way off.
Working with Jacob (my third contractor) is still very frustrating. I ask for updates and a schedule every week. Most times all I get are some vague answers. I never know what exactly is next or how much things will cost. Things are not getting better.
As soon as I can, I'll take over finding sub-contractors to help me, and Cindi and I will do more of the work ourselves.
To this point, I'm convinced I did a much better job as my own general contractor on my last home in Woodland Park. It was certainly less stressful. I'll probably take over managing the final phases of construction when I feel I can handle it.
Just a note on my health; I'm slowly getting better. I'm still not strong. My knees and legs get weak quickly. I'm still having issues lifting. My right hand still trembles when I'm stressed or overly tired.
I'm improving.
I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Just a few new pictures this week. Cindi has been taking the pictures. I need to include her in the pictures as she has been there working too.
