House Review After Three Months

The large attic stays incredibly cool thanks to the one foot thick liquid foam insulation.

We have been living in our new home for 3 months. Yesterday was the first time I mowed the lawn. As the sun was setting behind our home - I took a few pictures. 

The garage has the same proportions and materials as the house. It is 24 feet by 36 feet. There is a small attic under the roof. 

The lawn was wooded by Big Bend Landscaping. I bought a tow spreader to fertilize the sod. The roots are not deep yet - but it really greened up after the heavy rain we have been having. Thanks to the landscape engineering - water runs away from all buildings. There are swales to direct runoff away from neighbors and the street. 

After the new garage was completed - we disassembled the metal garage that was in the northwest corner. We plan to put a garden at that site. 

It is very comfortable to live in the home. The heat/AC system is very quiet. It is hard to tell if it is operating. The shutters allow one to control the natural light in the home. In the early morning - eastern light can flood into the rooms. The porches prevent midday direct rays. 

People comment mostly about the large 20 x 60 x 10 attic. They like the see thru gas fireplace - the hand made cabinetry - the 10 feet high ceilings - the 3 x 8 doors - the drive-in showers - and the 1300 pound granite island. 

We have already had 9 overnight guests. The guest suite is separated from the main part of the home by a pocket door. This keeps the guest rooms private and quiet. 

Next - we plan to plant 4 different citrus fruit trees. 

This is the back of the home showing the walkway to the garage. 

The home is about 10 feet above the street level. 

The 24 x 36 foot garage has plenty of room for our cars - scooters - golf cart - tractor.

The House Is Done

The street side or east side - facing Seminole Drive

The back side or west side - facing the back yard.

We completed the house in 100 days of work. It took 5 months when you count holidays and weekends. We plan to move in on Monday. 

Now it is time to build the garage.

House Day 100 - We Got Inspected and Got Our Certificate of Occupancy

8 pallets of sod arrived on the flat bed.

Day 100 finally arrived. The city inspector passed our home with a perfect score. The inspector loved the home - and the quality of materials. It was almost anti-climatic. We can move in now. 

The day started with the sod men working hard grading the property. Mike Runyan of Big Bend Landscaping is doing the job. Around 10 AM a full tractor trailer of centipede sod arrived. It was pretty brown - but I was assured that the sod was dormant - a great time to install it. Mike said in about 5 weeks I will be mowing it.

The crew worked very hard to contour the land. The code requires you to slant the ground away from the house on all four sides. They used a laser transit to keep an eye on the grade. In the afternoon a crew of 8 was placing the sod on the ground. 

While this was going on - Gary Wayne was installing the front and back door locks and door handles. The doors have been stained two times - but they will still get a coating of marine varnish. The locks have a digital key pad - you punch in a digital code and the lock opens. You can have the locks lock by themselves or lock at the press of a button.

Finally - we had a new washer and dryer arriving between 3 and 5. But at 8:30 - I was still waiting. They finally arrived and did the installation. I was alone in the house and my iPhone was running out of power. See - white people can sing the blues too. "I am home alone - and my cell phone's running down."

When Gary started he said the job would take about 100 days. Remember 7 of those days were for tearing down the brick house - removing the tree - and shaping the site. 

Lulu comes home from Philadelphia on Saturday - we will pack on Sunday - the moving van comes Monday. We got two men and a truck for $100 an hour - minimum two hours. That is something that I wish were over. "I got the moving day blues - even if it is only 5 doors away."

The sod was grown north of town in Havana.

8 pallets of sod arrived on the flat bed.

Mike Runyan was checking the grade. We want the land to drain away form the buildings.

The new washer and dryer are in place. It was suppose dot get her around 3 - but it arrived after 8. I miss FSU girls playing Duke - I had tickets.

At 9 PM - I pressed the little lock button and walked home.

House Day 99 - Grading the Yard - Ready For Sod Tomorrow

Grading of the yard took all day with a large crew of men and machinery.

At 5 PM today - the sun was setting on a graded lot. It is ready for sod tomorrow. It was pretty cold - it started out 30 and only got to 50. The sun was out - and that helped. We expect no rain for several days. 

Kevin put the shelves in all the cabinets today - the cleaning crew made everything sparkle. 

Lulu is in Philadelphia in that blizzard. She will see the house Saturday. Monday we plan to move in.

We have applied for a building permit for the garage. That is a second project.

Day 98 - The Kitchen Is Complete - The Cleaning Crew Arrived

The kitchen is complete - made completely of cherry wood from scratch by Kevin Rodgers of Woodville.

For the next 10 days we are supposed to have 0% chance of rain. It will let the ground dry out for grading and sodding.

Inside - Kevin completed the kitchen. He installed some cabinet doors and drawers. The wood corbels completed the motif. Gary also installed the towel racks - toilet paper holders - and towel hooks.

The island is surrounded by cabinets and drawers. Notice the wood corbels which match the fireplace mantles. The granite slab weighs 1300 pounds. The fireplace mantles will be installed tomorrow.

A heated towel rack seems frivolous until you try one. Lulu bought one about 7 years ago - and it is great. It only uses 50 watts - but it keeps your towels warm and dry. In Florida with the humidity - it seems your towels are always wet. This ends that. It can also be used to hang wet bathing suits.

All the hardware matches the faucets - not only brushed nickel color but the specific design motif.

A home is not official until toilet paper is hanging there.

The laundry has cabinets and a clothes folding table. There is a hanging rod under the table.

A regular brushed nickel towel rack.

Day 97 - Kitchen Drawers Installed - Cabinet and Drawer Knobs Placed - LED Lights in Kitchen and Bathroom - Painting - Grading Outside

The guest bathroom got cabinet drawers - cabinet knobs - and LED lights above the mirror. The shower tile was sealed. 

Temperatures dropped down into the 20s last night but the house had heat and was toasty this morning. The day was spent tying up a lot of loose ends. 

Tomorrow - the rest of the kitchen cabinet doors will be installed - the shelves will be put in place - and a little trim will spice it up. 

The mantles for the fireplace will be installed. they will be made of cherry wood and match the kitchen cabinets.

The master bath got faucets. Everybody loves Lulu's bathrooms and kitchen. 

The master bath vanity got a wall mirror - drawers - cabinet knobs.

Lulu's bathroom looks like a tea cup. It is acrylic. 

The kitchen still has a few details to finish - but it got the drawers installed - the cabinet knobs installed - some cabinet doors - and LED lights in the cabinets. the four top cabinets will have glass doors.

Miller Glass was in and out in about 20 minutes. They glued in 2 charge mirrors above the vanities. 

Robert Norton started grading the land outside. He will complete that tomorrow and be ready for the sod on Monday.

Here Robert is leveling a spot for the 3 car garage. 

Today We Hooked Up the City Gas - We installed the Heat Pump - Fireplace Logs Burning

Day 96 was really busy. We had painters - gas men - cabinet men - all working around each other. Reality is setting in - we are probably going to finish in 100 work days just like Gary predicted.

Gary's pretty wife - Cindy - came by for the tour today for the first time. She and Gary are planning a cabin - and they might use our plans. 

Technically - now that we have hot and cold water - heat/AC - electricity - stove - refrigerator - lights - we could move in. First the city must come to make the final inspection. 

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Lulu's fireplace is the first thing you see when you come in the front or back door.

City gas fuels the fireplace - the tankless water heater - and the kitchen range

Back in 1950 - we had a gas stove at our farm burning propane - it had a pilot light -  now a spark lights the burners

Lulu's center piece is the gas fireplace between the living room and dining room.

The inside unit has been in for months - but the outside unit was installed today. 

The gas meter is set and hooked up. We buy our gas and electricity from the city

The north side of the house was busy today. They installed the Rennai tankless water heater in the brown box in the wall. the Trane HVAC unit was mounted and fired up. 

Tomorrow we are going to grade the yard and get ready for the sod.