Framing Complete

Monday evening we returned from our trip to Baltimore to discover that the framing on our house is complete. The house is posted as a “CAZ,” or controlled access zone, but as nobody was around we promptly pushed open the front door and poked around. It is really neat to see the definition of the rooms. Even without the drywall it feels like a house inside. Roofing materials were stacked on top of the house. Barring any rain delay, shingles should have been installed yesterday.

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—Michael

 

Frame Job

One more week brings a ton of progress. As frustrated as we were that it took seven weeks to get the construction underway is as excited as we are now. Last Friday we arrived at the lot to see a completed slab, and almost all of the first floor exterior framing up. It’s reallystarting to look like a house. And the adjacent properties both have siding up and roofs complete.

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—Michael

Foundation Sensation

Friday brought the completion of the outer foundation walls. The sewer-line has been extended upward, and a load of rough-crushed gravel has been dumped behind the dig. The houses on both sides are completely framed. One even has the roofing laid. In just a few more weeks our house will start looking like a house.

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—Michael

Footer-Fetish

I stopped by the lot on Monday evening and was delighted to see fresh progress. The concrete footers had been poured, and were curing under the evening sun. Not that exciting, really, but I’m a geek, and wanted to chronicle each step of the construction. Or maybe I just have a footer-fetish.

Anyway, here are the new photos. Click on any picture to see a larger version, and use your browser’s “back” button to return to the gallery.

—Michael

Interior Photos

I finally got some pictures of the interior of the model house, and I didn’t even have to fight the traffic on Hilliard Rome. Turns out a co-worker of mine is buying the same house in a different community, and already had photos of the interior of the furnished model. Without further ado, I present you with a walkthrough of the new house. Let me just say that I love the sponge-painted bathroom, and I love the office furniture in the loft. It’s great to get some decorating ideas before we move in.

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—Michael

Who Closes a Sales Center on Friday?

Friday after work I braved the west-side traffic for a visit to a Dominion community off  Renner Road, just a stone’s throw from Hilliard-Rome. They have a fully furnished Richmond over there, and I wanted to snap some photos of the interior. From the time I left Route 70, a half-hour elapsed before I pulled into the parking lot. Keep in mind that the community is less than a half-mile from the exit. Probably the worst traffic nightmare I have ever witnessed. People who live over there have to deal with this mess every day, the result of a never ending road-construction project. I figured I could brave it because, you know, it was only for this one time. Right?

Wrong.

As I was turning off the car and reaching into the back seat for the camera, it occurred to me that the place looked deserted. My jaw hit the steering wheel as I read the sign outlining the hours of operation: “Friday by appointment  only.”  Sonovabitch! Who the hell closes a sales center on Friday?

Like a peeping-Tom, I crept up to the kitchen window and peered in. Looked beautiful, but there was too much glare on the glass to get a good picture of the interior. Same situation at the front of the house looking into the living room. I could see interior clearly by putting my face up against the glass, but could not snap a decent photo. So I will be braving the horrid traffic again, but only after checking the hours beforehand. Stay tuned to see the interior photos of the model house sometime in the next week.

 

—Michael