the not so big house

Recently, thanks to Carol, Eva and several other readers of the infamous New York Times Dream Home Diaries, I’ve discovered the work of architect Sarah Susanka. She promotes the “not so big house,” which defies the current McMansion trend of more is more and bigger is better.
Instead, she promotes a more sustainable model, in which families [...]

construction day 19

Magicians indeed!
Note from the general contractor:
We have made a new front door opening appear at Kasper, the neighbors are going to call us magicians!!
Everything is looking great; electricians will be doing their thing next week; garage doors are ordered; entry doors are on their way, all is well.

construction day 17

The concrete block is up, the windows came out today, and the framers are finishing the front porch.
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rainbow over the lake

sunrise over the backyard

This is the view from the back porch in the morning.

a column on, well, columns

Details. Details. I’ve decided to go with foam columns and exterior window trim to avoid Florida’s wood-rot/termite issues. My current house is stick construction and, well, let’s just say the exterior has had to have a good bit of work done to rehab it after six Florida rainy seasons.
I never thought I’d want concrete block but [...]

dream home diaries continued

John and Belle have an update on the New York Times Dream Home Diaries blog, which continues to drive readers batty. If you’ve not yet tuned it, it’s both fascinating and excruciating by turns. Sort of like a train wreck you can not look away from.
Yesterday the bloggers decided in mid-construction that they may want to flip [...]

construction day 12

Note from the Godsend general contractor: Things are going very well. We accomplished much of the block today, we should finish it on Saturday. My framers started today and should be finished today with the exception of a small shortage of decking board that I will take care of myself and not require them to [...]

the teeny tiny powder room

I’ll be adding a small half bath to the house and have chosen this vanity from Overstock.com. It has arrived, and it is adorable. When I purchased it, it was $499 plus 20% discount and free shipping. It’s back in stock and the price has increased but it’s still lovely at either price.

construction day 10

The rainbow yesterday foretold good news on the home renovation front.
Although you can’t see too much yet, we’ve had great progress. I tried to download pix but it isn’t working tonight for some reason. However, you’ll see links to the photos below.
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Concrete block was delivered. New piers dug around the garage, old supports moved, temporary [...]