Our new home

[mmandley]

I haven't mentioned a couple times me and Claudia have been looking for a new home. Well we got one now. We decided it was best to have a custom built one so we really get the important things we need.

This thread will be the building of the new home. Please feel free to post anything you like on this thread. I will update it each week as new progress is made. Right now we are waiting on building permits and we hope to break ground in 2 to 3 weeks.

The house we picked is a custom. The floor plan is standard to the house although we could have changed it more. We are able to pick everything in the house for finishes and such. We spent our money mostly on the things we cant change later. So in simple terms framing and electrical type upgrades.

The bones of this house are.

apx 1400 sqft. on .17 lot in a 20 home division.
3bed 2 bath
2 car garage 20 ft wide and 27ft deep. Fully insulated and finished with custom paint color
RV pad next to garage
Central heat and AC
2x6 construction
Full fire sprinkler system in ceiling with custom drop down sprinkler heads. < lets hope i never see that in action>
Stainless appliances.
Custom features = kitchen island, kitchen bar, bay window in living room, oil stained bronze fixtures, custom wood cabinets, custom doors, custom windows, vaulted ceilings, shelves on upper part of walls where ceiling is vaulted, yard sprinkler system, RV gate, wrap around fence, dog run, and some others im sure im forgetting.

Anyhow heres the first pictures. More to follow as the changes begin.

Oso checking out the new yard to be. This will be the front of the property
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/New%20home/Picture026.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/New%20home/Picture027.jpg
Standing on the back corner of the lot.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/New%20home/Picture030.jpg
Side of the lot.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/New%20home/Picture029.jpg

[moombadaze]

Mike, hope it all goes smooth for ya and congrats. nothing better than getting it done for the way you want it.

[BensonWdby]

Make sure you have a lawyer. Kind of like insurance - yo hope you don't need it, but nice to have when you do.

[sandm]

congrats..
I really miss building houses. I truely love taking a bare chunk of ground and creating a house out of that vision. last place I lived in was 2240sqft and was designed/built/dreamed up by me.
some cities are harder than others, but being a general on a house is amazingly easy..
really wish the housing market here would not have tanked. I'd much rather be building than working at a desk all day :)

holla if you have any questions..


don't know about the electrical laws in portland, but here, anything coax/home audio is considered low voltage and not subject to inspection. run wires for whole house audio and a pair in the garage/back patio. even if you don't install now, just leave the wires in the ceiling. you won't be sorry later. hope you're putting in a dedicated data panel, and make sure you run dual coax to each room and 4 to the location on the house for sat. never hurts to be prepared :)

[mmandley]

congrats..
I really miss building houses. I truely love taking a bare chunk of ground and creating a house out of that vision. last place I lived in was 2240sqft and was designed/built/dreamed up by me.
some cities are harder than others, but being a general on a house is amazingly easy..
really wish the housing market here would not have tanked. I'd much rather be building than working at a desk all day :)

holla if you have any questions..


don't know about the electrical laws in portland, but here, anything coax/home audio is considered low voltage and not subject to inspection. run wires for whole house audio and a pair in the garage/back patio. even if you don't install now, just leave the wires in the ceiling. you won't be sorry later. hope you're putting in a dedicated data panel, and make sure you run dual coax to each room and 4 to the location on the house for sat. never hurts to be prepared :)

Thanks yea i snuck this in on the builder LOL. In the offer to the house we asked the Builders agent if i can run all my wires after the electrical inspection and before drywall. He said nope. So then i tossed that same wordage into the contract when making the building bid. They never rejected it so its in the contract now LOL.

I was talking with Brain at Exile about all this too. We are going to order some cables and do it on the weekend after the electrical. Its a ways down the road till we are at that point but yea i am planning all that stuff.

[jmvotto]

Mike, Congrats on the lot and new future home.

I had all the intentions of doing that 6 years ago and totally missed the time frame and the drywalll went up quick:(

[deerfield]

2 car garage 20 ft wide and 27ft deep. Fully insulated...

Hey, Mike - Given that it will be fully insulated and assuming it will be attached to the house, I see the garage as an additional 540 square feet of living space. Nice. - Deerfield

[sandm]

it will come up quick. usually 3 weeks from foundation to drywall if you have a builder scheduling right :)

[kaneboats]

Just be careful. A friend of mine did that and they ripped it all out.

[sandm]

^110 or 220 I would see. happened to me on 2 houses a few years ago, but low voltage is usually safe. not enough copper to make it worth your while.. you're crazy if you buy any expensive wiring. buy the cheapest 14 or 16gauge you can find for whole house audio. home depot sells some bulk 100 and 250ft rolls that work awesome. heck, some systems are using signals over cat6e, which is tiny. home audio, especially whole house speaker systems are generally running less than 50wpc and are only using 6.5" or 8" 2way speakers so there are not huge musical demands on the stuff.
install high quality wiring into a house and you are not only begging for it to be stolen, but wasting cash.

[viking]

LV wiring here not subject to code issues either. Wired my whole house about 5 years ago when building it. Speaking from experience, put in cat5 and cable to EVERY wall whether you think you need it or not. It's cheap and easy at the framed stage and you'll need it some day. Trust Me! I put in more than I thought I'd need and still wish I'd a run some extra to other walls now. DO IT!

OH Yeah - and wired my theatre room for 7.1 in-wall and in-ceiling speakers and will do it in every house from here on out.

[wolfeman131]

Very nice Mike. Congrats and best of luck with the build!

I'll offer a suggestion: show up in the morning with coffee & donuts or McD's and/or in the evenings with a 6 pack for the framers. Yes, all their work gets covered up, but if they don't put walls up straight the rest of the work looks like crap and there is little guys can or will do to make it right,

[zabooda]

All good stuff from experience. Couple things on the RV pad, I'm not sure if you plan to actually use it for an RV but if you do I recommend:
1. Having 20 amp service to power the AC especially if you plan to use it for guests. It is still handy for a boat (i.e. heater).
2. Having a sewer pipe stubbed out as it is much easier to dump waste when you get home from a boating trip then to sit in line at a dump station and then fork out bucks. I found my cleanout pipe last year and what a time saver.

For communications, run smurf tubing and just use a mud plate in each room. You will have enough room to run a bunch of any low voltage stuff. Who knows, everything is getting more wireless all the time.

I'm remodeling my kitchen and found out to stay away from induction cooktops unless you have the top of line ferrous cookware. My magnet didn't recognize any of my pots and pans and the cooktops heat the pans not the cooking surface. I am going to a gas cooktop because my fine, fine cookware would probably scratch a ceramic top over time.

Also, get your refrigerator opening big and deep enough to handle the bigger refrigerator. I had to go with a countertop depth model since the opening is next to the dining room entrance and would stick out and in the way.

Enjoy watching the home getting built and check often to see how things are getting built and for design issues that you may want changed which are cheaper at that time to change then to realize it later.

[sandm]

I am going to a gas cooktop because my fine, fine cookware would probably scratch a ceramic top over time.

Also, get your refrigerator opening big and deep enough to handle the bigger refrigerator. I had to go with a countertop depth model since the opening is next to the dining room entrance and would stick out and in the way.

Enjoy watching the home getting built and check often to see how things are getting built and for design issues that you may want changed which are cheaper at that time to change then to realize it later.



gas is the shiot. only way to go, but spend a grand or so on a decent gas range. cheaper ones don't cook near as well.
I've had counter depth in the last 2 houses. they are nice, but expensive. you can get a much nicer fridge for less coin in standard..

great advice to check EVERY DAY. speaking from experience, you never know what you will get if you don't. during framing, gives you a great opportunity to find places to do custom work. if you have a flat ceiling in the bedroom or office, build out a 2x4 dropped ceiling 1.5ft out around the perimeter for a tray ceiling. look for small things like that. builder might and might not charge extra, but if he's not there, amazing what pizza for the framing crew will get you ;)

[mmandley]

Great idea on all the points guys thanks. I will do the donuts thing for the workers. Im sure if nothing else it will allow me to look more closely at things LOL.

As for Gas cooking it is the shiot. We have gas in the house we are in and love it. unfortunately the town we moved to has No Natural gas at all. We have to go Electric and that sucks. I was ready to have a gas line plumbed to my back yard for the grill too LOL.

For the RV Pad its actually going to be for the boat to sit in the summer but i do have in the plans for an AC outlet out there to power the charger and anything else i need. I also have them plumbing a water spicket to the pad. I hadnt thought about the sewer drain. I wont need one now but its a nice fore thought. Ill look into that for sure.

As for the >build out a 2x4 dropped ceiling 1.5ft out around the perimeter for a tray ceiling< we have 2 of them already designed in. One in the living room and 1 in the master bedroom =) plus i had them add an electrical outlet on both so we have power for lighting or what ever.

Keep the ideas coming this is all helping.

I especially like the idea of the conduit to each room, this will make it a lot easier to fish wires for what we need to each room and not have to hassle with pre-wire at the build stage. Might be a little easier for my builder to swallow as well since that shouldn't effect anything with framing.

[rdlangston13]

maybe one day, someway somehow i can too own a house!

[zabooda]

I believe the experts are saying that now is a excellent time to buy with home prices low and interest rates low. If inflation gets going you can expect much higher prices on everything including interest rates.

[Mikey]

As a plumber/gas fitter i'd suggest you still add the gas RI's to the gas stove and or gas fireplace,maybe a garage heater, as maybe someday down the road you will get gas then you are covered. Are you running propane for heat? you can change the orifices in gas stoves to go propane if this is the case.
Also as a plumber ,yah i suggest you get all plumbing and water RI's done at the time of initial RI. Basement bath,RV sewer ,HB's waterlines to fridges .watersoftner etc is a lot easier to do at the start as opposed to doing later. Yes a little more money now but worth it in the future.
As for a water heater,our standards have to be all High efficient waterheaters which in watertanks are nothing but trouble as most are poorly designed,You maybe should look into a Demand type water heater or better yet GET a Boiler and also slab heat basement and garage for Comfort or go all out and Slab heat the entire house. Definetely the way to go but cost can be up there.

[rdlangston13]

low prices and interest rates do you no good when you dont have any money!

[mmandley]

low prices and interest rates do you no good when you dont have any money!

True true but you also have to think about most loans are No Money down or only 3.5% down if you have good credit.

You can buy a 150K home and pay less then 1K a month with insurance and taxes included. If you even think you might be able to afford a home its always worth going and talking to the bank or a finance company.

Theres a lot of options and what this country needs is the people who can afford to buy to buy thats the only way the houseing market will return.

[sandm]

^true story.

[brain_rinse]

Congrats on the new Mandley Estate! You're a lucky guy to be able to set up your house just the way you want it.

[SEARK]

Congrats on the new Mandley Estate! You're a lucky guy to be able to set up your house just the way you want it.

I don't know if you can ever get it the way you want it. When we built our house we thought we had done everything we wanted to do and put everything where we wanted it. After being in it a while you'll find that "I should've done this or done this a different way or put this switch here instead of where it is".

[viking]

I don't know if you can ever get it the way you want it. When we built our house we thought we had done everything we wanted to do and put everything where we wanted it. After being in it a while you'll find that "I should've done this or done this a different way or put this switch here instead of where it is".

Well said and I couldn't agree more!

[brain_rinse]

Come on, you're raining on the new homeowner's parade! :)

[sandm]

^nah. a year from now, he'll be wishing he did something different and he'll look at his pc and say "dang, those moomba folks are soooo smart" :)

[brain_rinse]

I hear you loud and clear. Some things that make perfect sense when you are building but make you think WTF was I thinking after living there awhile. Some of the things you'll be able to fix, others you just laugh and tolerate and know that no one else notices.

[mmandley]

Yea i know this will happen even now i know this will happen LOL Its also hard to think of things a year down the road and plan on them now. We are trying to place furniture in our mind and on the floor layout to see where out lets and cables need to be preran and such. I think i got 4 or 5 outlets in the garage ceiling already LOL. I was my lights up there, place to plug in a couple fans, you know all boat stuff LOL.

I just gotta be careful we have made the deal on the home the more i add the more in cash i have to pay and the more in cash i pay at closing the less i have for the summer LOL.

I do enjoy listening to all you guys who been threw this, im a newby here at building homes so this first one is going to be fun but i know in another 10 years when the youngins arnt so small we will be building another home. We dont have youngins yet but trust me its a daily conversation from half of the family every day.

[sandm]

one word for the garage lighting. flourescent and several of them. if it's a 3car, 6 at a minimum. wired the last house with 2 that came on with the switch next to the mandoor and inside door, then had the other 5 on a switch next to the workbench.

keep in mind that based on your electrical background, some of this can be added later. it adds up quickly if you keep adding switches/outlets when you can go back and add ceiling units later for 1/5 the cash.

[moombadaze]

you could always go buy about 20 roles of masking tape, find a empty parking lot and tape out the floor plan and furniture to get a better idea of where you may want stuff

[mmandley]

one word for the garage lighting. flourescent and several of them. if it's a 3car, 6 at a minimum. wired the last house with 2 that came on with the switch next to the mandoor and inside door, then had the other 5 on a switch next to the workbench.

keep in mind that based on your electrical background, some of this can be added later. it adds up quickly if you keep adding switches/outlets when you can go back and add ceiling units later for 1/5 the cash.

Yes exactly and i rewired my garage myself after we striped it out and the new one has a craw space in it i just have to make sure they leave me a couple circuit breakers in the panel LOL. I only plan on letting them add a 220 in the garage in case i ever use big boy power tools lol.

[brain_rinse]

Maybe run a gas line to the garage for future heater use? Switched outlets above and below the kitchen cabinets for over/under lighting. Ditto on the fluorescent garage lighting. You can never have too many outlets in the garage.

[sandm]

since most circ panels go on exterior walls, smurftube is a good idea.

Ive learned over the years that coax is where to go nuts as I don't see cable/sat going by the wayside for wifi for a long time, but cat6, a single run per room is plenty. most computer gear is wireless anymore. if you plan on installing sat, run 4 lines from sat location to data panel and dual runs to each room.
funny how most of this thread talks about electrical. some other must haves:
elongated toilets. never standard again for me :)
granite in kitchen.
did 2headed shower in last house with dual valves, one was a rain head. never again. didn't use it.
ask heatman about upgraded t-stat with 7day timer if you don't have one. def. worth the cash.
lots of places to go nuts on trim, like using rb4/5 on the parts of doors you see from living spaces, but using rb3 on the backsides where no one will know.
wire dual switches for any room with ceiling fan/light kit. eliminates pull chains and the stupid remotes that come with fans. if not, have electrician run 3wire for bedroom lights to allow you to add down the road.

watch when they pour the driveway. I used to do it last, otherwise contractors will park on it/drive on it and you don't get the honor of putting the first stain on it :)

[newty]

Mmandely,
I'd have a sewer water and electrical service put to your RV pad. Huge selling point.
And if you ever want to get an RV your set.
Doesn't cost all that much, trust me some day you will wish you did.

[brain_rinse]

Mmandely,
I'd have a sewer water and electrical service put to your RV pad. Huge selling point.
And if you ever want to get an RV your set.
Doesn't cost all that much, trust me some day you will wish you did.
That's a freaking fantastic idea

[kaneboats]

Yup, then your wife's brother can come visit for Christmas.

[Razzman]

Congrats Mike on your soon to be new digs!

We did this 20 years ago and from our perspective we'll never do it again, drove us crazy! We wanted pretty much the same as we had big plans so a large lot was needed. Electrical pre-wired everywhere, alarm system, blah, blah. Had to fight the builder, subs, electrician, inspector, builder again, subs more, landscaper, city, builder more. You get it. I seriously hope your experience is better than mine was!

The only real advice i can give is to watch everything the best you can and make sure everything is documented and all parties are informed! I made full videos of each stage of construction and i'm glad i did!

[wolfeman131]

I made full videos of each stage of construction and i'm glad i did!

This is awesome advice! I did the same and have found myself reviewing the tapes (yes, I said tapes. We built the house 12 yrs ago) before I do any projects where I'm cutting into walls, etc. I've saved myself from destroying plumbing & electrical.

[mmandley]

Update: got the plans approved by the city and we break ground Monday and the foundation should be done sometime next week

[mmandley]

If you want to follow this still and are interested in watching it be built threw my families eyes then you can contact me in PM, Email or on Facebook

email is

[email protected]

look me up in facebook.

Michael Mandley

peace out im done here.

[mmandley]

Interesting i cant edit my above post. After many requests to update this thread i have decided to keep it updated for those interested. Lots of changes so there going to be lots of pics all the sudden, i go out to the site 3 days a week and spend a couple hours there looking and watching. Here are the pics i have ready.

The one doing the real work Cat 312C
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture047.jpg
Breaking ground
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture048.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture049.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture050.jpg

[mmandley]

Back of property
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture044.jpg
Foundation going in
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture051.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture052.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture053.jpg

[mmandley]

Double G concrete crane truck very cool to watch
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture054.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture057.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture055.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture056.jpg

[mmandley]

More foundation and Stem wall installed.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture073.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture074.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture076.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture077.jpg

[mmandley]

The double G at work and it was impressive to watch them pour footings and the stem wall.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture079.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture078.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture080.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture081.jpg

[mmandley]

Footings for the floor then the wall.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture083.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture082.jpg

What i no longer have is a gangster roll.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture075.jpg

[mmandley]

Lumber time. Studs for the floors and mud wall material.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture066.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture065.jpg

Also the under floor plumbing and heating system are going in.
We are using a new poly style pipe for the plumbing, it flexes if it freezes and they say its cheaper material to use.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture068.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture069.jpg

[mmandley]

This is when the site manager tells me they forgot to add foundation for the Bay window we are having installed, its a week delay to get the foundation people out, and concrete poured so the floor and walls are delayed till next week. Its ok though because in the great time line this wont effect finish date.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture070.jpg

Thats all the updates till next week.

[maxpower220]

At least you got a picture of that lumber before the neighbors started "acquiring" it at night.

I like the progress of the concrete form pourer.

[sandm]

couple observations from out here.
shallow pit. must not have a real issue with a deep frost line there.
lots of pads under the foundation. out here, they would have poured 2 more footings the entire run of the house and framed a small pony wall underneath.

too late now, but putting the house up on a 12" rim would have been $500 well spent down the road when you need to crawl under it. not to mention much happier mechanical subs. and we all know that happy subs do better work :)

it is interesting that from looking at the pics, you don't have to use engineered beams for all the floor joists. looks like the majority of them are 2x8/2x10?

when they shoot the subfloor, make sure they use construction adhesive across the entire floor joist assembly before osb and use either screws or ringnails. best way to prevent squeaks.

watch the size of the house grow/shrink as you complete various phases of it. looks tiny when the foundations are poured. subfloor makes it look much bigger, then you get walls up it'll look small again until drywall goes up.


houses in the background of the lumber shots on the ground, do they have the same color front gables?

[moombadaze]

Thanks Mike.

[mmandley]

couple observations from out here.
shallow pit. must not have a real issue with a deep frost line there.
lots of pads under the foundation. out here, they would have poured 2 more footings the entire run of the house and framed a small pony wall underneath.

The house we have now has a pony wall between the main house and the hall with the bedrooms. This house doesnt need one because of the way they are installing the load bearing walls. The load walls are across the front wall of the house and the wall that shares the garage. THeres about 2.5 ft of craw space, not big but very typical for this area.

too late now, but putting the house up on a 12" rim would have been $500 well spent down the road when you need to crawl under it. not to mention much happier mechanical subs. and we all know that happy subs do better work :) I asked about extending the wall up for more room and they said the City of Carlton wont approve it as the house will eighter sit higher then the others or we dig deeper and they want the foundation at a certain depth vs the rest of the under ground items. IDK the City has a lot of restraint on what we do but nothing i can do about that

it is interesting that from looking at the pics, you don't have to use engineered beams for all the floor joists. looks like the majority of them are 2x8/2x10? Ys sir 2x10 and yes i was surprised about the way the floor was build as well but as long as my arse doesn't fall threw it and it doesn't squeak and warp im happy.

when they shoot the sub-floor, make sure they use construction adhesive across the entire floor joist assembly before osb and use either screws or ring-nails. best way to prevent squeaks. Yup ill run that by the site manager because our house right now the living room squeaks.

watch the size of the house grow/shrink as you complete various phases of it. looks tiny when the foundations are poured. subfloor makes it look much bigger, then you get walls up it'll look small again until drywall goes up. Yea it already has done that LOL. Right now the big space actualy looks small to me and the small spaces look big. The garage i keep going and remeasuring it thinking its not 20x27 and then the bedrooms are a bit smaller on this house but they look really big where they sit now lol. My only complaint was all the bedrooms in this builders pre plan are smaller then i want. It costs a ton of money to move outside walls but i was able to move inside walls very cheaply. We got to pic most of the interior layout but the foundation was pretty set in stone unless we paid a huge upgrade fee. So we took the plan that fit the best for this stage in our lives and also looks to be the easiest to resale


houses in the background of the lumber shots on the ground, do they have the same color front gables?Couple of them do that street seesm to like that brown or rusty color for there gables. You can choose a few different gable patterns and any color you want to paint them. A lot of people i think wimped out and said i want that house's gable color instead of taking the time to pick paint colors lol. We are leaning towards a medium color scheme much like our boat actually. I want to try and incorporate the Sandrock color if i can with the dark strips or something IDK we will see how it works out. This weekend i go spend 1500 on a washer and dryer, make final selections on cabinets, doors, trim, windows, carpet, counters, fixtures, and concrete type for the drive way. We are going with standard concrete with a broom finish for the main drive but then haveing the agave or something, looks like small rocks as a boarder because this gets realy slippery when wet but looks cool so we are using it as a trim almost.

[sandm]

if you have it, spend some additional cash on carpet. speaking from experience, builder-grade carpet is crap and most will give you such a small allowance, that's all you will see. 7lb pad is the best. there's an 8lb, but any reputable shop won't recommend it. 5-6 are fha-grade and will break down easy.

don't know what you are having laid in kitchen/bathrooms(tile or lino), but if it's lino and you plan on laying tile later down the road, there's 2 ways to lay lino- cabinets first, then 3/4mdf then lino or 3/4mdf, cabinets on top then lino. ensure your builder does cabinets first, then mdf up to the cabinets. makes ripping the floor out a whole lot easier, and if you do plan on upgrading, don't glue the mdf down. makes a HUGE mess when removing..

the plumbing looked like pex. great product, been here for years. it's way easy to work with from a plumbing standpoint but not real diy friendly as the tools to install the fittings are somewhat expensive. I did have a trim guy shoot a line once tho with a finish nail. took 3 months for the leak to start. homeowners called one morning with a garage full of water. that's the only downside. copper would not have punctured..

it's looking good.. :)

[deerfield]

mmandley - Am enjoying the picture show as your house goes up. Thanks. - Deerfield

[mmandley]

Heres the latest updates to the house. Been a couple weeks as ive been busy working, working on the boat, and other things.

Heres me and pup Oso he just thinks he has to be everywhere i am
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture103.jpg

Rear of the house
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture104.jpg
Garage side
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture105.jpg
Front of home
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture106.jpg

[mmandley]

Living room/ great room side There putting up the outside garage wall with a jacking system and 2x4 pretty impressive to watch them do that. Then the garage door header goes up using the same system.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture107.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture109.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture110.jpghttp://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture111.jpg

[mmandley]

Still putting the header up.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture112.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture113.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture114.jpg
Now the garage side of the house walls are up

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture115.jpg

[mmandley]

Now we have walls and a roof.
Black Betty's first time in the driveway and she actually fits and doesn't dwarf my garage.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture130.jpg
Front of home
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture128.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture127.jpg
Living rooms side.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture129.jpg

[mmandley]

Looking down the garage side of the house, this is also where the RV pad will be, the man door is at the 21-24ft mark and then the garage has another 3 1/2 feet after is. The RV pad only goes tot he door right now as they wanted another 600 for 3 more ft and i can just do that myself for about 100 bucks and a 12pack lol.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture126.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture125.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture124.jpg

Inside the house now, man is looks small now =/ but they say drywall makes it look bigger again LOL.

Living room standing in the bay window looking threw the great room, the half wall is the bar. Step up gents colds ones a coming.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture122.jpg

[mmandley]

Bay window pic
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture121.jpg

Kitchen looking to the front of the house

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture119.jpg

Claudia and Oso in the Pantry.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture120.jpg

Looking threw the MB closet into the MB

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture118.jpg

[mmandley]

Last couple for today.
Guest bedroom
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture117.jpg
Looking from livingroom into the garage. On the right is the coat closet and the entry to the garage.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture123.jpg

This week is all the electrical and plumbing install.
Then on Sunday i go in to install all my stereo and media wiring. Planning on doing the surround and then add 2 speakers to all the rooms in the ceilings for sound to each room, wiring outlets to the back of the house for speakers outside, then prewire the garage for speakers, also thinking of adding some security camaras to the garage, RV pad and both main entry's to the house.

Got a taste of my first grumpy nosey neighbor as well. There is a another newer build area down the street and those people like to walk threw the area i am going to be in and looky loo. Im all good with that, id do the same thing. Well this lady was prolly a good 500ft away on another street looking at our house while me and Claudia, and Oso were measuring so i can get a feel for how much fence material i need to build the rest of the fence. She yells over to me " Is that your Black Lab? " Yes it is i reply < mind you hes right next to me the entire time > She hollers back " You got a leash for that dog? " <because of course hes off leash thats the way i trained him lol > Showing restraint i yell back over to her " Im on my property i dont have to have him leashed" LOL Man if shes worried about my dog already wait till i crank up the boat stereo in the summer while cleaning her up LOL

[newty]

Looks good man! Whens your move-in date?

[New Guy]

" LOL Man if shes worried about my dog already wait till i crank up the boat stereo in the summer while cleaning her up LOL

Awesome go for it. They will learn quick that even if you are the new guy you aren't going to be pushed around.

[Moseley618]

That is a nice pad man. I guess the way to get everything you want is to build it yourself.

[mmandley]

Newty - The site manager is saying 1st of June, the contract date is no later then 30th of June. I hope its the first as the season will be just starting and its still cool out. End of June tends to be the around the mid 90s all the time and thats dam fine boating weather.

New Guy - yea you can bet ill crank it and let everyone know who " That Guy " is lol.

Moseley618 - Thats the reason we opted to build, we had to sacrifice a few things we both really wanted but in the big picture it was the best option.

[bergermaister]

Congrats man - pretty exciting to see it come to life! I was following your old thread on the initial plans. I'd love to build some day.

As for Oso, cracked me up. I should have named my lab either "shadow" or "footrest"...

[moombadaze]

looking good Mike, must be lots of fun.

[wolfeman131]

Wow! Coming right along nicely Mike.

Next time yell back to the old lady that "Cujo here just ate his chain and yelling really upsets him . . ."

[deerfield]

Mike - Thanks for the update. Lookin' good. - Deerfield

[moombahighrider]

Hey mike, this looks great. Congratulations. I see that you plan on doing av wiring soon. It seems like you have already been given some good advice. And your plan for wiring seems good. My business is custom residential av, so if you need any specific info at all, pm me with any questions and I would be happy to email or even chat on the phone about what to look out for or what wire to pull specifically. It is worth doing it right now and give yourself a future proof home. Despite what most people think, wireless is not worth relying on, even internet and phone, IMHO.
Simon.

[bhowell]

Then on Sunday i go in to install all my stereo and media wiring. Planning on doing the surround and then add 2 speakers to all the rooms in the ceilings for sound to each room, wiring outlets to the back of the house for speakers outside, then prewire the garage for speakers, also thinking of adding some security camaras to the garage, RV pad and both main entry's to the house.


I would consider running HDMI cable from my media closet to alot of the rooms. Its amazing what you can do with HDMI Splitters / Matrices and a 100 ft. of HDMI cable. The ability to use you PS3, XBox, Media PC, etc in other rooms is huge. My Bluetooth keyboard, the bluetooth PS3 remotes, and the XBox remotes all work through the walls and at a decent distance. Plus radio frequency remotes are becoming more common. Just something to consider.

[bhowell]

wireless is not worth relying on, even internet and phone, IMHO.

+1 for this. Definitely wire for internet.

[csm]

She yells over to me " Is that your Black Lab? " Yes it is i reply < mind you hes right next to me the entire time > She hollers back " You got a leash for that dog? " <because of course hes off leash thats the way i trained him lol > Showing restraint i yell back over to her " Im on my property i dont have to have him leashed" LOL Man if shes worried about my dog already wait till i crank up the boat stereo in the summer while cleaning her up LOL

There's always the one neighbor who has to be an a-hole to new people in the neighborhood. Can't stand that. I think you just found a nice yard for Oso to go poop in.

[mmandley]

First I'd like to throw a big Thank you out to Moombahighrider. < Simon > called me and we spoke a couple times on how to do all the pre wire and types of cables to use and he gave me a wealth of ideas. Thanks so much Simon your top notch man.

I will post some pics of the wiring we did after tomorrow, camera was dead and it got dark so the cell camera wasn't going to cut it. These pictures are from today when i went out to the house.

Yesterday we spent 8 hours pre-wireing the house. We installed in wall wiring for the surround sound in the living room, speakers in all the bedrooms, dinning room, kitchen, back yard, and garage. Cat5E in all the rooms, a media cabinet in the garage, separate volume controls for all the rooms, and cable in all the rooms. We also pre wired for 4 Channel satalight, and 4 camera security system that access the internet and can be checked via computer or Cell phone.

We spent about 400 bucks on cables and boxes. We still have at least another 300 in wall plates and volume controls, then the security camaers, and the sky is the limit when it comes to purchasing 5 additional pairs of speakers for all the room. 4 pairs of speakers for the garage and 1 pair for the outside. All that will come in time. Im not spending my summer gas money for the house ill wait till winter LOL.

Ok on to the updated pictures.

The back sections on the front of the garage are where we are having stone installed.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture133.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture132.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture134.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture131.jpg

[mmandley]

Got one last picture you can see Black Betty in the back ground.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture135.jpg

[jmvotto]

Nice pics mike, dang that went up fast. I know it's the shell, but wow.. Nice abode...

[rc5695]

Lookin' good! The stone will look really nice, & I like the white line above the garage door and on the side.
You're def not going to have much yard to keep up are ya!?!

[mmandley]

Well it wont be as big and the 1/4 yard i have now thats for sure. There is still a lot of yard, its hard to see it in the pics but ill get some pics. That will be another thread as i get to the landscaping and ideas for that. I also have to build the rest of the fence, not looking forward to that but at 2K for the fence people to do it. Ill spend 1K on lumber and a case of beer for my buddies lol.

This lot is .17.

Thats not the final color of the home. The siding is pre-primered and its all yellow. The white is a different type of siding as i understand.

The house colors if i recall now is a dark sand color with Black trim to pull the back roof out and we have a light sand color as the accent. It will actually match the boat more then anything. LOL.

[kaneboats]

What's with the siding on the side? Did they forget to frame in the side garage door or something? Usually that stuff goes on from the bottom up.

[sandm]

mike,
noticed the fascia trim at the peak of the garage door, and on the side of the house, but not on the second peak over the garage and over the bay window? builder forget?

noticed they haven't poured the driveway yet. if you can, get it done dead last. some sub will park on it and drip oil. never fails.
don't have them seal the concrete on the back patio if you have the option. then go get yourself some coffee concrete stain and some sealant. looks pimp. I would do stamped/colored entryway and 2 2ft bands down the driveway if you can. colored concrete mixed is expensive. if you get it plain and unsealed, you can stain it yourself for less than $200.
check ebay for inwall volumes and speakers. usually $29 for impedance matching controls and under $50 for a decent set of inwalls(i used phoenix gold in the last house. not the same as the automotive company in quality, but they work nice). if you buy the speakers now, you can bring them for the painters to colormatch, otherwise get some of the wall color loaded into a spray can.

make sure your landscaper knows the fence layout so they can plan around it. personally, i'm a curbing guy around the entire house 2-3.5ft out. keeping grass away from the actual foundation really helps with potential water in the crawlspace down the road, and much easier to mow. make sure when they pour the driveway/entry, you remember(measure and write it down) or mark where the sleeve is under the driveway and under the front walkway if you have a planter bed. you won't be sorry later. a small scratch in the side of the driveway does it when the concrete is fresh.

spray texture or hand scraped?

[kaneboats]

Those are some great tips. (If everybody gave tips like you I'd go be a waiter.)

[mmandley]

mike,
noticed the fascia trim at the peak of the garage door, and on the side of the house, but not on the second peak over the garage and over the bay window? builder forget? I noticed the same thing when looking at it after the pics were taken. I have to go out there again today to put in some nail stops by my wiring and im going to look into that.

noticed they haven't poured the driveway yet. if you can, get it done dead last. some sub will park on it and drip oil. never fails. Yes the Driveway goes in almost dead last. Then its also blocked from any vehicles.
don't have them seal the concrete on the back patio if you have the option. then go get yourself some coffee concrete stain and some sealant. looks pimp. I would do stamped/colored entryway and 2 2ft bands down the driveway if you can. colored concrete mixed is expensive. if you get it plain and unsealed, you can stain it yourself for less than $200.We have them doing the bands on the driveway, its aggregate i think its called. The rest is a broom finish so its not to slippery in all the rain we get. I will have to look into the concrete stain.
check ebay for inwall volumes and speakers. usually $29 for impedance matching controls and under $50 for a decent set of inwalls(i used phoenix gold in the last house. not the same as the automotive company in quality, but they work nice). if you buy the speakers now, you can bring them for the painters to colormatch, otherwise get some of the wall color loaded into a spray can. We get plenty of extra paint to match the interiors but i doubt i have any speakers or volume controls till after we move in. Claudia is starting to manic im spending to much on upgrades already so everything gets blank wall plates till we move in then i can spend a little more. I plan to use what would be the first mortgage payment to buy most of the stereo stuff.

make sure your landscaper knows the fence layout so they can plan around it. personally, i'm a curbing guy around the entire house 2-3.5ft out. keeping grass away from the actual foundation really helps with potential water in the crawlspace down the road, and much easier to mow. make sure when they pour the driveway/entry, you remember(measure and write it down) or mark where the sleeve is under the driveway and under the front walkway if you have a planter bed. you won't be sorry later. a small scratch in the side of the driveway does it when the concrete is fresh.I agree i like the 2 foot boarder we have them on the current house and we plan to add it to the new one. We have the front yard pre-landscaped as part of the deal but the back i didnt want to add to the house price so ill be doing that. I need to figure out where and how to buy sod.

spray texture or hand scraped? I dont follow you on this one?

Wow lot of stuff there Sandm lol.

Kane, its a Lap siding and it overlaps from the bottom so its installed top down. In those pics they hadn't finished it all but yesterday i was there and its all done. I assume they left the man door undone because the proper door wasn't installed. Now the correct door is in place and the siding is complete.

[sandm]

just wondering if the interior texture on the walls is spray(typical of a tract home) or if it's hand-textured. might ask. if it's not too much, do the common areas(not bedrooms/laundry) in hand. it looks 100% better imo and will differentiate the house at resale time.

look into the concrete stain. head to a concrete supply house when you have some time off. they will fill you in. looks amazing and is easy to put up. only prob is if your concrete guy uses a sealer over the grey concrete, the stain won't take. needs to be unsealed. stain the bands on the driveway and front walk.

my .02 on inwall's and volumes. don't go nuts on prices. ebay is your friend. most of the time, that music is simply background. don't need a real expensive one. I used phoenix gold 8" 2-way's(ebay for under $60/pr) for most of them. your plant shelves in the living room would be an excellent way to get them in and out of the way. hidden sound is golden when you have peeps over :)

[mmandley]

Ahh ok yes i follow you on the wall texture, you know i don't know if that's as option i get to use. Ill look into it and see. I agree on the hand texture walls. I know the models had spray in but they only put a few options in the models. Most of the model options were no cost upgrades, we have some of the no cost upgrades but we have spent about 30K in physical upgrades but most wouldn't see it as we have carpet, linoleum floors and Formica counters. We opted to take standard feature on this stuff so we have more time to shop and choose what we want. Plus i know enough guys who do those professionally i can have them help me for a little liquid compensation.

I will for sure look into the stained concrete. I ran that by Claudia this morning and she gave me the deer in the headlight look until i said we can make the porch blend in with the house better and then you could see the light bulb go off LOL

[sandm]

be careful on the upgrades that you have the builder do. often times you get into a position where you have too much invested into a house that won't bring the value at selling time. things like upgraded trim, crown, kohler vs moen fixtures won't bring extra cash at resale in the market you are probably going to be in.

[ptcbtchr]

Watching your house go up brings back memories of my our first house. i too had a boat (my first major purchase out of college, even before a car) And I remember like yesterday walking our house during each phase of construction. I have enjoyed watching your photo's being added. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of opening the door on your own house after closing!!! Wishing you and your wife and puppy nothing but the best of luck. As to your nosey neighbor, we all have at least one, no matter where you live and I hope your stereo on your boat really annoys her lol.

Mark

[mmandley]

Latest updates we went to the house on Sunday and the new fire sprinkler system is installed, all electrical inspections are passed and I expect tomorrow when i go out that it will have insulation and drywall. Heres what it looks like right now.

Sprinkler system main valve and pressure control. In the garage.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture140.jpg

Couple shots of it in the ceiling in the different rooms.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture139.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture138.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture137.jpg

[mmandley]

This is the house, shes all sided and waiting for paint The greay section on the front of the garage is where the rock will be placed.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture142.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture141.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture143.jpg

[zabooda]

House is looking good. Question, is the fire sprinkler system code or was that an option?

[mmandley]

House is looking good. Question, is the fire sprinkler system code or was that an option?

Its an option, since we are rual and the only fire department is volunteer only we felt it was better to have an automatic system. It really helps the home insurance but mostly it gives us both peace of mind.

We weighed the option of insurance covers fire but it also covered damage by water from the system is there was a fire. So eighter way we are covered but with the system installed our rate is much lower, so much so they this system will pay for its self in less then three years from the insurance savgins.

[sandm]

interesting that they put up gutters prior to paint. that's usually one of the last to go up as gutters come in a mirad of colors to match. downspouts are a dying thing here. everyone has rainchains. they look amazing as they start to rust, but I'm guessing not too many of them there with the amount of precip each year?

if your cabinets have crown moulding on them and the wifey is going to put shiot up on top of them, grab some of that scrap wood to put on top of the cabinets. helps space your stuff to the level of the crown. 2x4 or 2x6 work awesome for that.

[mmandley]

Awesome idea Sandm on the cabinets. I hadn't thought ov that lol. I was surprised to see the gutters up too, i know they paint them to match the house so i assume that's why there up but i wonder if that means now i wont have pain on the trim behind them. I guess it doesn't matter as long as i cant see it. I know the siding is primered < yellow > but the trim is that grey color and im not sure if thats primmer or not.

[sandm]

find that very interesting that they paint the gutters. those come in soo many colors, and most are formed on-site that getting them made in a close match is pretty easy. I usually tried to get the exterior painted before the roof goes on as the d-metal that hangs over the edge of the fascia covers part of it as well. if your d-metal lifts at all, it will show the unpainted fascia. it's also a whole lot less the exterior painter has to tape up, saving them money. once you have a dryroof on, that's all you need for some time. and it's usually required to be on prior to electrical roughin.

[newty]

Sandm, I thought the same thing when I moved here from Az. I used to hang gutters and we used to order the material by color. When I got here you had a choice of brown or white. They get painted with the house. Pretty standard here.

Looking good Mikey!

[mmandley]

Went tot he house yesterday and they got a lot done since last trip.

We have stone on the front of the house, we have drywall in the house. There is a few mistakes so i have to contact them on that but here ya go.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture148.jpg

They forgot a couple stones here. I think they might have not had the right size or something.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture149.jpg

Garage you can see the garage door opener wires, and my ceiling speaker wires. Back wall has the 2 volume controls for the garage. Front and rear.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture150.jpg

Standing in the entry looking threw to kitchen

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture151.jpg

[mmandley]

Kitchen Pantry

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture152.jpg

Kitchen to living room view

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture153.jpg

Main hall and main bathroom, towel closet

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture154.jpg

Ledge built above the living room and dinning room. There is electrical power up there, also prewired some speakers but they forgot to pull 1 wire.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture155.jpg

[mmandley]

Closer look at the wires they forgot to pull lol.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture156.jpg

Main bathroom

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture157.jpg

Laundry room in hall

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture158.jpg

Bedroom / office. Forgot to pull wires here also, you can see the volume control box, and near the floor is the Cat5, Cable, Phone

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture159.jpg

[mmandley]

Bad picture lol. Its the second bedroom closet LOL. They also forgot to pull my speaker wires in this room.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture160.jpg

Master bedroom, they forgot 1 wire here. They pulled the left out but not the right LOL. You can see the volume control on the wall here too.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture161.jpg

Ledge in the master bedroom, it also has electrical power on it.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture162.jpg

Entry to the house Ledge from living room to dinning room carries around, we plan to have a table and a coat rack or something here. Also that wall is the coat closet and you access it from the entry where the garage door is.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture164.jpg

[mmandley]

Last pic today is the Masterbath

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture163.jpg

As you can see this is a modest home. Bedroom arnt really big, bathrooms arnt really big but we sacrificed some of those comforts to build a new home that we can call ours. What we did gain is the open living concept, they area we wanted to build in, and the garage/rv pad we desperately needed. Ok i needed LOL.

Next couple weeks is all drywall mud and sanding.

Then the driveway gets installed and that is custom also, we are having standard concrete with aggregate boarders.

They will install the over sized front porch, rear patio, Garage door, paint the house, install all the interior fixtures, and lastly the carpet and flooring.

They pushed out the finish date till mid June now grrrr but im gonna hold the hop of First week of June, right after Memorial weekend lol.

[sandm]

I see you're placing speakers up on the plant shelf. if you are just using them for background noise and not a true 5.1/7.1, drop the cables down to the bottom of the plant shelf. claudia can put bric-a-brack in front of them, you still get the sound, and you don't have to look at them. done that in several houses and it will fill that area with sound nicely and discretely :)

still find it interesting all the work they are doing to the exterior without it being painted. painter now has to tape up rock.

[mmandley]

Yes those are ambient speakers the surround sound are on the lower walls, and yea they end up taping a lot of the house when its time to paint. I hope to catch them the day they paint it to get some shots of it.

[newty]

Went tot he house yesterday and Standing in the entry looking threw to kitchen

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/Picture151.jpg

Is Claudia doing the elevator or the canoe? Maybe the escalator?:p

Looks great man! moving right along.

[moombadaze]

Is Claudia doing the elevator or the canoe? Maybe the escalator?:p

.


Only you would see that--lmao.

Mike, man if I'm ever back up there I will feel right at home stopping by for a cold one and some Moomba chatting.

Looking good

[mmandley]

Only you would see that--lmao.

Mike, man if I'm ever back up there I will feel right at home stopping by for a cold one and some Moomba chatting.

Looking good

HAHA well ill let Claudia and Ryan hash that out.

Hey anyone comming out this way are more then welcome to my home for a few beers and a free boat ride.

[sandm]

wait a minute. iirc, it's just you and claudia and a 3bedroom house?

I see that Hotel Mike is just about ready to open..
is there room service as well or just a turn-down mint at night???

[mmandley]

wait a minute. iirc, it's just you and claudia and a 3bedroom house?

I see that Hotel Mike is just about ready to open..
is there room service as well or just a turn-down mint at night???

Ahh man I'm with. Mexican woman, you get dinner at night, beer brought to you at night and in the morning Mexican breakfast with a shot of 1800 Gold for the hang over and them another couple pulls behind the boat it's an endless cycle lol

There's a reason I have extra ballast to lose every season because I'm well feed on home made Mexican food and nothing goes better with Mexican food then chilled brewski lol

[rdlangston13]

I don't always drink beer, but when I do I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends.

[sandm]

rd is the most interesting man on the forum :)

[rdlangston13]

rd is the most interesting man on the forum :)

Why thank you but I have a confesssion....I stole that quote from a popular TV commercial, you may have seen it. At the end the narrator states "He is the most interesting man in the world"

I actually prefer Shiner Bock. However Dos Equis is a great import and way tastier than corona

[sandm]

I was being sarcastic :)

I'd fit right in at mikes house. the widmer brothers brewery is just a short jaunt away :)
my taste buds love their hef, but my gut says stay far far away...

[rdlangston13]

I was being sarcastic :)

I'd fit right in at mikes house. the widmer brothers brewery is just a short jaunt away :)
my taste buds love their hef, but my gut says stay far far away...

yeah i caught your sarcasm, apparently mine was missed however lol

[sandm]

as they say..

above my head and below my knees.

missed it all..

[mmandley]

Got new pictures yay. We went out last weekend and they were sealing the house and had everything taped and locked so no updates.

This weekend we were out there and heres the updates. House is painted inside and out.

Today the cabnets go in, tomorrow is counter tops, and Friday is final electrical inspection.

Then fixtures and flooring, lots of cleaning as i walked around and pointed out all the paint on the window frames and such.

The house is painted a medium type of brown, trimed in black, and accent with a cream. I think the black really makes the features of the home pop out at you, such as the bay window, solid walnut front door, rock treatments. The cream i think is a nice contrast to break up the darker colors. Several home sin the area have lots of the same colors and look plain or dark to me and i really wanted the house to pop.

I think after the landscaping goes in and the drive way is laid it will tone it down and really pull it all together.

Like i said before we were looking for a garage for Fierah with a house attached, and i chose colors to really tie into the boat lol.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6177.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6178.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6179.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6180.jpg

[mmandley]

More of the outside

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6182.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6181.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6183.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6184.jpg

[mmandley]

On to the inside

Garage entrance to the house
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6185.jpg

In the house to the garage

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6191.jpg

Front entry door

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6190.jpg

These get dark as the flash and the clouds outside just made the pictures appear dark.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6189.jpg

[mmandley]

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6186.jpg

Kitchen pantry

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6192.jpg

Shelf in the master bedroom above the closet

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6193.jpg

You can almost see the shelves we have in the closet.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6194.jpg

[rc5695]

Looking VERY nice. I really like those interior doors too.

[kaneboats]

Dang, Mike, that thing is really starting to look like something. Love the exterior and that's the part I was worried about. Looks great!

[dusty2221]

Man, its really coming together. You and the Mrs. are getting close!!

[newty]

BEEEEUTIFUL!

Getting close!

[deerfield]

I really like those interior doors too.

Yup. They get my vote, too.

[mmandley]

Thanks everyone, yea Claudia was a little concerned with the colors i voted for when peicking outside colors and the site manager saw them before they were sprayed and was like whoa..

After they went up he agrees they look really good and does allow our house to stand out a bit more but yet still fit the theam of the neighborhood.

As for the doors, yes we liked those a lot over the standard six panel doors. The front door was actauly a late change we did. They didnt have that styke till very recently and we switched over to it because it has the same arch design as the others. Claudia originaly wanted the front door stained to match the kitchen cabnets but after she saw the nice walnut color of this one she opted with me to just stain it clear and let the natrual look shine threw.

[moombadaze]

turning out great there Mike.

[newty]

Mike those are really close to my house colors. Thats why I like it so much!;)
Dooooooood I'm so excited for you! I remember the feeling of a new home and a personalized parking spot for my moomba mistress (as my wife calls it).

You're going to love it! When are you planning to move, and are beers and authentic mexican food going to be provided? If so I have a big trailer and a truck for rent.:p

[mmandley]

Mike those are really close to my house colors. Thats why I like it so much!;)
Dooooooood I'm so excited for you! I remember the feeling of a new home and a personalized parking spot for my moomba mistress (as my wife calls it).

You're going to love it! When are you planning to move, and are beers and authentic mexican food going to be provided? If so I have a big trailer and a truck for rent.:p

HAHA

Your got a trailer and a big truck? What truck? You mean your ole relaible pickup you refuse to get rid of?

Of course there will be beer and real Mexican food lol. I think the plan is when everything is ready to move and we start loading Claudia is taking the dogs to the new house while we load and move it.

While there she is going to make her Discada and of course there will be beer. When have you ever came to my house and free beer wasnt offered? LOL

[sandm]

looks good..

[newty]

I said big trailer... AND a truck! Old reliable also means "paid for".

I guess if I had your money I'd have a new truck too! ;)

Insult my truck.. I didn't want to help you anyway!

[mmandley]

I said big trailer... AND a truck! Old reliable also means "paid for".

I guess if I had your money I'd have a new truck too! ;)

Insult my truck.. I didn't want to help you anyway!

Hold on there cowboy. I didnt insult your truck, one man to another you just dont do that. I called her ole reliable thats not an insult.

I have a sneaky suspension you and the misses are pretty on par for income as me and the misses, we just dont have kid payments yet lol. Trust me im trying to get my rig paid for ASAP lol. I think last i checked i owed 13K left so im working it brother LOL.

Besides i didnt say you had to help, nor did you say you would help, you said you got a trailer and truck for rent LOL. I will let you supervise and make sure the beer is fresh and cold hows that? LOL

[newty]

Sounds like a deal to me! I am well suited for that job.

I might even help. LOL

Let me know the date and I'll try to be down there.

[mmandley]

Sounds like a deal to me! I am well suited for that job.

I might even help. LOL

Let me know the date and I'll try to be down there.

Sounds good text me about this trailer you got, this way i can plan whats best using a trailer or just renting the U Haul truck.

[zabooda]

I'd recommend running the RV pad all the way to the fence as you will appreciate as much paved area as you can get. I hope that is your neighbors fence as I haven't seen treated posts used for a long time but it gives somebody something to do in 15 years especially when your rain runoff ends up there.

[mmandley]

I'd recommend running the RV pad all the way to the fence as you will appreciate as much paved area as you can get. I hope that is your neighbors fence as I haven't seen treated posts used for a long time but it gives somebody something to do in 15 years especially when your rain runoff ends up there.

The plan is widen and lengthen the RV pad. I just didnt want to pay the builder his concrete price. He wanted another 600 for 3 feet wider and i laid the concrete on the porch and it wasnt that hard and only cost my 50 bucks for a 5x5 4inch deep section. So i am pretty sure we can handle this one a lot cheaper lol.

Yes thats my neighbors fence in the pics.

Im confused, you mentioned treated lumber. I was thinking you want to use treated 4x4s to use as the posts? Is this wrong? If so whats the best type to use because i have some fence work to do and want to by the best material for the job.

[zabooda]

Galvanized posts are best as the treated posts will rot off over time near the ground surface and they hold up better in strong winds. If you want to get fancy, you can set the posts in a concrete strip to make it easier to mow along the fence line. I did use treated posts in one of my homes when I built a retaining wall and the last time I drove by it was still doing well after 18 years but I had to add gravel to the hole and crown the concrete on the surface to keep water out. Steel posts you just pour around the posts and use the level.

I understand the "do-it-yourself" approach. Contractors love modification changes.

[mmandley]

Stoped by the house yesterday and they made a lot of progress.

Kitchen cabnets are in, flooring is in minus the carpets. All the concrete work is done and curing.

THe RV pad must of went in mid last week as its pretty cured already but the rest is pretty dark and looks to only be a day or to old in the pics. The center of the drive way will lighten up like the RV pad, the porch and the 2 strips will stay a shade darker in color for contrast.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6201.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6200.jpg

In the back ground you can see my truck, that house behind it has the opposite pattern i went with, so you can see the color contrast of what my drive way will look like.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6198.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6196.jpg

[mmandley]

More pictures

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6195.jpg

Back porch

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6203.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6202.jpg

Front entry
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6205.jpg

[mmandley]

More pictures

Garage entry

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6204.jpg

Kitchen

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6206.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6207.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6209.jpg

[newty]

Man that apron to your RV parking is really narrow. You're going to hate it. I ended up paying the concrete guy to come back and make it wider 6 months later. It looks wide enough but once you try rolling the boat back there with that LWB ford you'll find yourself driving off it all the time. I'd get it widened with the exposed ag to mach the strip and porch, that would look really nice.
Looks great though! We have that same vinyl in our laundry room!

[sandm]

it would appear based on the approach from the street that there are some limitations on width and shape of rv pads?

I know my last sub would only allow 22ft of road frontage and then there were limitations on how wide it could get based on distance from the street.

[mmandley]

@ Newty, Yea ive been concerned the entire time with the width. I really wanted to go 15 ft wide but the budget was just so tite. We have a bit more in the budget now that our financing went threw and we were granted another 3K on the loan. Thats an extra 3K in my wallet so i am going to talk to them about what it would cost to add the 3ft now and see what we can do. Cant you tell man? Your my idle i picked colors like yours for my house, same floors as you have in your laundry room and even my boat is simular. I have even thought of shaving my head LOL.

@ Sandm not sure on the limitations your talking about the limitation i do know of is there has to be 20ft from the sidewalk to my house and that limits the amount of garage space i get based on it keeps pushing the house farther back on my property and closer to the nighbors house. As for the width im going to look into that now and see how it works.

My other plan is i hope to get the boat down there physically this comming weekend and back it into the space and see how it fits.

[newty]

Glad you didn't go with hickory cabinets, that would have been a little too weird!+

What kind are they? They quartersawn but its hard to tell from the picks and the knotty grain. Very cool look though!

[RobertJ]

Mike house is looking awesome. Make sure the landscape guy gets rid of the extra gravel along the edges of the concrete. Most of them will just bury it and it will create issues with your lawn. The grass will stuggle if there is a layer of rock below it that allows the moisture to go away.

[davinci]

Mike that's a sweet looking nest you've built yourself...congrats may God bless your home and family.

[mmandley]

More pics. We are rounding that corner for the last stretch of the new home build saga.

Looks like the build will be done end of next week.

Yesterday we went out and almost everything was installed, only thing missing is the range, its in the garage, and the mirrors.

We do have a bit of a hickup. I installed all that low voltage wireing and since the builder didnt call me to tell me the finaly electrical inspection was due, i didnt add the wall plates and now they want me to get a freaking permit. WTH man? I was pretty agitated to say the least yeaterday. Today i am going out to add my wall plates, then Tuesday top of the todo list is get this stinking permit. I City of Carlton is said to be really good about these and easy going, but i guess my electrical inspector is a real ass LOL.

Yard sprinkler system is in and we got a tree lol, lots of other flowers and i expect landscaping and sod to be added this week. Other then those items all we need is for them to do the big clean on the house.

Here goes.

Ole Betty Looking fine on the RV pad lol. Had to see if the boat will fit and it will but the width is gonna be tight.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6229.jpg

You can see how close the truck is to the edge. I tried to simulate backing the boat up without is the truck is simular in legth to the boat. I am going to have to get it widened at some point but for now i might build a curb or something on the edge, way to much dagame to the boat and trailer if it falls off the pad.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6213.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6214.jpg

They stained the front door, or sealed it i guess, its clear lol. I thought i got a good pic but this is the only one with a pic of it.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6215.jpg

[mmandley]

Lots of flowers.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6216.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6218.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6217.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6219.jpg

[mmandley]

More stuff.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6220.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6221.jpg

Small white pucks on the ceiling is the fire sprinkler system.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6226.jpg

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6228.jpg

[mmandley]

Pretty sweet puch button, programmable thermostate

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6223.jpg

Master
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6224.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6225.jpg

Laundry
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6222.jpg

[sandm]

looks good. make sure a do a good walkthru with the builder for your final punchlist..

[deerfield]

mandley - My favorites are the parking pad, where I would keep my boat, and the open kitchen, cause it facilitates a sense of community inside the house and flow of food. Very nice setup. Keep the pictures coming. Looking forward to seeing the landscape. Thanks. - Deerfield

[newty]

Any idea on a move-in date yet?

[dusty2221]

Mike, congrats again. Everything is looking great. I love that butcher block island top

[mmandley]

Mike, congrats again. Everything is looking great. I love that butcher block island top

Thanks we have been toying with this..maybe someone has some insight. Its plain bare wood right now. We dont plan on putting raw food or using it as a cutting surface as we have a pull out wood cutting board right onder that one.

What do you seal this top with or put on it so it keeps that nice look and doesnt get all dirty with regualr use?

[mmandley]

Any idea on a move-in date yet?

Nope tentative is 6/18 saturday. Final inspection is supposed to be today, apprasial is today. Cant get ahold of my realator for final inspection so i might skil her and do it myself lol.

[mmandley]

This weeks update.

Saturday Claudia went to the house because i was working and Sundday was our first boating day.

I was at the house today for the final walkthrew and point out things i want fixed. House is almost done. Apprasial was today and hopefully closing is in a 9 working days.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6238.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6239.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6241.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6240.jpg

[mmandley]

Oso approves of the new carpet.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6236.jpg

[deerfield]

mandley - Great looking house! Better get in there quick or you may fund a squatter. Congratulations to you and Claudia. - Deerfield

[jmvotto]

Mike,

looks great, i have not been to this thread in a while. dang that was fast...

congrats and good luck with the move.

[mmandley]

mandley - Great looking house! Better get in there quick or you may fund a squatter. Congratulations to you and Claudia. - Deerfield

Thanks man, your welcome to come squat for a while, Aug and Sept be best have a steady flow of Mexican family comming threw, and there all about good food and beer LOL. I just gotta remind myself double the cardio workouts that month to make up for the food and beer LOL.

[deerfield]

have a steady flow of Mexican family comming threw

mandley - I spent five years in Mexico. Three in Mexico City proper. Two in a village called Tlalpan. Played soccer and marbles. Village streets were dirt. Outdoor bathrooms. Big event was Sunday evening watching movie on black and white TV, powered with pirated electricity. Journeyed remote areas (and I mean remote) armed with a snake/insect (scorpions!) bite kit and shotgun tucked away in the car to keep us safe. Rode giant turtles. Ate shrimp the size of my fist. Saw and touched sites (ruins) that have been closed to the public now for thirty years or more. As an eight year old, standing in my neighbors dirt floor kitchen, i heard that President Kennedy had been shot. He was loved there. My life was deeply enriched by Mexico. Hanging in my closet are two traditional, pleated shirts - one white, the other green with accent colors. Love the people, the food, and the country. Please say hello to your family for me. - Deerfield

[cab13367]

Looking good Mike! When's the house warming party??

[zabooda]

Looking good. Have Black Betty bring home some crushed rock with sand mix and it will pack pretty hard for the area by the fence. I got the same thermostat and you can get the installer codes and do some changes to make it more efficient. There are about 30 settings on it.

[mmandley]

Looking good Mike! When's the house warming party??

I think were planning mid July or something like that. Mom visits last week of June and then Claudia has a friend comming right after that but i want to plan the party for a Saturday so people can make the drive out and party and not have to work on Sunday lol. Also have to plan it on my normal Saturday off since ill be back on nights for those long 7 months..uhg im dreading it.

[viking]

Mike - nice place. It came together FAST. I'm sure your both chomping at the bit to get in there :)
What's ur plans for the backyard?

[mmandley]

Mike - nice place. It came together FAST. I'm sure your both chomping at the bit to get in there :)
What's ur plans for the backyard?

Planning on building a fence right by the AC unit to the neighbors yard so it can be a dog section, i plan to make a door stop on the walk threw garage door so when we are working the dogs can stay in the garage yet go outside. That way they can also guard the boat lol.

Then Claudia wants a section apx 14x14 to make a garden and they will be in the very back corner of the yard on the other side of the AC unit. The rest will be grass and landscaped with some plants and small trees.

Also have to build the RV gate and fence the street side of the home.

[mmandley]

The latest update is we were sopposed to close yesterday and move in today.

That hasnt happened because the house apprasial guy took 7 buisness days before he went out to the house. Then he goes out and waits 2 more days to call the realator and ask questions about the house.

Now we are on the closing day with no appraisal. So its been pushed another week out.

Im beyound pissed and stressed as i had to reschedule all the deliveries, install of cable, utilities, everything.

Lost several of the guys that were going to help with the move.

Worst off to me, my mom flys in next week for her vacation and i didnt want her to spend her vacation with me moving and then being in our new home while its being unpacked.

Lastly i will once again miss the yearly SC Tour in Portland of all the boats show and shine with downtown tour.

So disapointed in this all.

The last week we have been living with paper plates, plastic forks, just the main tv, and a bed with a couple suitcases of cloths, i refuse to unpack anything till we move it. 1 week to go, so this time next saturday i hope to be loading the truck.

[sandm]

sorry to hear that man, but it's pretty common in the housing industry especially on new construction.
I always figured/told plan 2 weeks past the date you were given and if it comes early, then you got a gift :)

good luck and hope moving day comes next saturday and goes well... finished product looks good..

[moombadaze]

Then Claudia wants a section apx 14x14 to make a garden .


Mike, tell Claudia to read the book " the square foot garden or square foot gardener"--something like that. Lots of great idea's

[maxpower220]

The appraisal should have been contracted on a deadline. If it was, then you can push that contract to pay for you out of pocket expenses. You may have to sue or you may have to take it from the realtor/broker.

[mmandley]

Everything is starting to fall into place finally, got the apprisal done and its apx 7K more then we paid for the house so thats always nice.

Was at the new house yesterday for final walkthrew and see how the different systems work.

The thermostate and fire sprinkler system are the ones i think are the coolest lol.

Hope to move in this weekend.

As for the house i have now and the sale, last minute hold up guess who the appraiser again lol. Hes saying the house is worth Exactly what the new buyer is offering but the chimeny needs to be fixed or the FHA loan wont go threw. So there trying to kick that back to me. I said dam man i already gave you 90K off what i got invested in this house..I cant give you any more.

[viking]

They've got you by the short and curly's as they know you have another house and NEED to get out of the one your in. Sucks but it all comes down to motivation. Hope it all works out!

[mmandley]

They've got you by the short and curly's as they know you have another house and NEED to get out of the one your in. Sucks but it all comes down to motivation. Hope it all works out!

Yea i talked to my Realtor today and she said dont give them another cent. She said she knows the game there playing and they have already went past there deadlines so even if they back out they now lose money because the only option they have is take the house or lose all there earnest money, and they put down 5% lol. First time buyers with a new Realator hardi har har.

She mentioned something about there FHA loan and the fireplace but i dont recall what it was, i kinda lost intrest in hearing more house closing talk when she changed channels and said the new house paper work should be done today if not first thing tomorrow AM lol.

[mmandley]

Lord help us, i think we might actualy close on the new house today.

Last i herd we are waiting on Allstate to fax my insurance over and we will sign later today.

Pick up the Uhaul mid day tomorrow, pick up Mom at the airport tomorrow evening, and then load the gear.

Did i mention i work a 13hr shift tomorrow? WTF man lol

[rdlangston13]

Lord help us, i think we might actualy close on the new house today.

Last i herd we are waiting on Allstate to fax my insurance over and we will sign later today.

Pick up the Uhaul mid day tomorrow, pick up Mom at the airport tomorrow evening, and then load the gear.

Did i mention i work a 13hr shift tomorrow? WTF man lol

why do you need a uhual? you have black betty!

[jpetty3023]

4 hours since mmandley posted. Did you close bro?

[mmandley]

4 hours since mmandley posted. Did you close bro?

@RD yes i have Betty but i want this all to be in 1 trip LOL.

YES YES YES We finally closed and saved 300 bucks LOL They said we still owed 2700 at closing and then at closing the final tally was 2400.

We are sopposed to get Keys today when we wire the money, not that i need keys because i already programmed the garage door to my code so i can walk right in bwahaha. There is spare keys in the kitchen i found bwahahaha

The plan is to move Tomorrow Morning. I will busy doing that, a couple buddies are comming over. Even Al from the forum wooo whooo.

I am sure more people would come if they were closer and i surely appriciate the offers on Facebook if you were closer LOL. We will get this done and hope to hit the lake Monday for my B Day lol.

Ill post some pics of the events soon.

[jpetty3023]

Congrats, I'm glad you and Claudia are done with the build/closeing and can now focus on making memories in your new HOME. This has been a great thread to follow!!

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Mike-Hope the move is going well for you this morning. Been following the build closely. Glad to see that your are finally at the finish line! Unfortunately moving in may be the most hectic! Actually, I take that back. The move in day is when you try to get as many folks as ya can (that are not on the lake), and bribe them with food and adult beverages to help ya move. Hope your running the show like the head ball coach from the grill and couch. :)

Congrats buddy, what a day!

[jmvotto]

Congrats and good luck with the move... it will be rough but worth it in the end;)

[jpetty3023]

How'd the move go? Y'all settled in and enjoying it yet

[sandm]

I hope that HOTEL MMANDLEY is open for business now :)

[mmandley]

Hey everyone move went great Al was awesome he helped us move and another friend of mine helped. We were cranking it got the truck loaded in 3 hours and unloaded in 1.5 lol we were all a bit tired.

Now we are unpacking, almost got a manageable house, living room is set, bedroom is set, garage 1/2 way set lol.

Monday we took the boat out had an awesome time surfing and boarding. I mostly worked on my edging I stayed pretty soft over the wake I am feeling a bit gun shy after my crash behind Als boat lol.

Today I return to work for 2 days then I'm off for another 4 days. Next week I start my 7 month stint on nights for training in my new job.

Be a couple more weeks till the hotel is open but it won't be to long lol

[jpetty3023]

Great to hear. Glad you are on your way to getting set up and comfortable. Been a great thread to follow

[kaneboats]

Yup, glad to hear you're getting settled in and can have some time to worry about boating now.

[mmandley]

Reviving an older thread, We have been enjoying the new house, we have had a couple parties and lots of frineds over. Been working on the garage and such. Since we had really unseasonable like weather i figured it was a sign from above to get the back yard done.

It timed out perfectly that the rain actualyl stoped Wednesday morning and the sun came out for 3 straight days. While it was out we had our landscaper Juan Gutierrez come in and do some work. Since we moved in last year i built the fence and saved us about 2500 over the contrators wanted. I have been struggling getting an RV gate built that will function the way i want, this is due to restriction i put in place on how it must operate. I had one in place but mother nature decided to test it with 60 mph gusts and it didnt fair to well.

Anyhow, on to the yard. We just let the yard grow weeds as we knew we couldnt go anything till spring time. We had Juan clear the yard, and our yard is a really nasty clay based dirt. Really sticky and hard to work with by hand so it was easier to hire it out. Juan cleared the yard and tilled it up, then mixed in compost mix and added fill to bring the yard up a few inches. This also allowed it to be leveled off with the patio. We also had the RV leveled off as it had a good 8inch drop off it. I was always afraid backing the boat up if i mix calculated my blind side i would drop the boat right off and damage the trailer, possibly the boat axles.

We also opted to add the rear sprinkler system and a drip system to the yard. The drip system is the flags and small pipes you see sticking up. We ahve to get the connection to add drip hoses but its on a seperate zone so thats no issue. After all that was completed we added a French drain to the RV side because all that water is going to drain and pool up or flood our neighbors.

Last we added the sod, 2200 sqft of it. We left 2ft surrounding the house and fence line so Claudia can add plants, and to make yard maintenance easier since its not up against the foundation.

Next on the list is Thursday a contractor is comming to replace a broken fence post on the shared fence, I even paid half as a good neighbor, mainly because im attaching my dog fence to that post lol. I will make a 3rd attempt at the RV gate, if it doesnt work out, well i will have to call Juan again as he does fence work LOL.

RV side, dog kennel is being removed
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0696.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0697.jpg
Back section
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0699.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0698.jpg

[mmandley]

side yard

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0700.jpg

The real muscle here. This Ditch witch is impressive, its got a 4 cylinder Diesel and several attachments. Juan was very prowd and showed me all the features. It has rubber tracks so it doesnt get stuck and doesnt tear the drive way or the yard up as much.

Juan of course was very impressed with Serenity and i showed him all around her. He asked if i wanted to swap work trucks, i laughed and said Serenity is to dam pretty to be a landscape truck LOL.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0701.jpg
Rototilling begins.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0702.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0703.jpg

[mmandley]

Switch from a tiller to a ditch digger to cut the trenches for the irrigation and french drain.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0709.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0710.jpg
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[mmandley]

The real snooperviser at work, inspecting the work.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0713.jpg

Juans truck being in the compost
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0719.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0720.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0721.jpg

[mmandley]

Leveling off the RV pad.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0723.jpg
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http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0725.jpg

[mmandley]

Compost all done and everything leveled,

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0726.jpg

Ready for instant yard.
RV side
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0730.jpg
Back yard
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0731.jpg
Side yard
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0732.jpg

[mmandley]

Front of side yard.

Ran out of compost, we asked that all the edges be filled in and Juan wasnt sure if he had enough. So we left the front last, he ran out lol. Its ok we only need to pick up like 1/2 a yard and we will pay his price and only need to fill it in for 10ft by 6ft section.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0729.jpg

Front of bay window before
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0708.jpg
After we cleared all the old plants and dead stuff out, added 6inches of compost to make a new bed for flowers for Claudia
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0727.jpg
Lastly the corner of the yard bed, were going to put the few plants that survived the winter up here, we also added 6inches of compost to this area.
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/DSC_0728.jpg

After they were done each day they cleaned up everything, only thing i need to do is pressure wash the dive way and Rv pad to get the dirt off.

In the back yard you will notice a square section in the yard and thats going to be Claudia's plant and veggie garden to play with. This was an expensive task but glad i hired it out because its back breaking work landscapping, much respect to those guys. Juan was really cool about us adding services, originally the work was costing us 2500 but then we added a bunch more stuff and drive the price to 3200. I think its money well spent and the other two estimates we got for the same work was 5K ansd 6K. We bought them lunch each day and supplied bottled water and i offered them beers at the end but they passed, the boss doesnt drink so he crew coupldnt have one. WTH man LOL.

Next on the task list other then the RV gate is buying Claudia plants..ohh lord

[wolfeman131]

Looking good, Mike!

Glad you don't have to look out your front window at that pea green house!

I love those little machines. I want a Toro Dingo for myself. Had my eye on a few, but a nice, used full setup with all the attachments run around $12-$15k and I hate spending that kinda coin on work.

[mmandley]

Yea that pea green house is awfull, its an old retired Army Col or something. He walks his little beagle mix bish around and she barks at everything and everyone and is so freaking loud..

Yea i didnt ask him the cost but Claudia wanted to know and i trew 20K out there as an expeted cost. They arnt cheap but it made short work of my yard LOL

[wolfeman131]

Yeah, it's a dream. Heck I don't have a spot to store it. You can rent an entire rig w/ all attachments on a trailer from Home Depot.

[kaneboats]

They would pay a fortune to get sod that looks like that around here. Shoot, even the dirt looks better than the clay/sand stuff we have around here. Gonna be real nice.

[dusty2221]

That is a hell of an improvement bro! I missed the time frame, but I'm guessing it was just a few days? Waking to the before pics Friday and ending Sunday night with a beer on the patio to the after pics had to feel great!!

Very nice bro.

[rc5695]

Looks Great Mike!!!

[mmandley]

Thanks, yup took about 3 days to get it all done but 6months to save the money LOL.