After watching all the tornadoes flying thru the area over the last several weeks we decided it would be worth the extra expense to make the guest bath into a safe room. Three layers of plywood were bolted together for the walls and ceiling and hurricane clips were added to the framing and the framing bolted to the slab. Our builder said this room should withstand a Category 2 tornado and for sure protect us from flying debris if not directly hit. If directly hit by anything larger, we are all goners, but the likelihood of a direct hit is probably pretty low. It is worth the piece of mind!
Last week we were able to talk to a pool installer/landscaping company about an eco-friendly pool. It seems UV and ozone are all the eco-rage! UV light and ozone are used to purify the water so you don't have to use as many chemicals. We would only have to toss in some chlorine when the pool gets really dirty from rain or after a really smokin' party with lots of bodies in the pool (and spilled beverages I'm guessing). Sounds pretty cool! Our hope is to be able to hook the pool up to the water capture to keep it full and to use solar to run the whole shebang! We also discussed xeroscaping so there will be little to no maintenance and little reason to water (except for that pesky period when the plants first go in and have to establish themselves). We haven't received an estimate for the pool project yet, but I'm guessing we will have to do it in stages. As long as I can get the pool in, a little grass for "poopland" for Doppler and some fencing we can wait to put in the plants and the large patio area with a fire pit. We've got a lifetime to put all the finishing touches in!
I have to give the Super Hubs props where they are due! Yesterday we went out ceiling fan and light shopping. He was a real trooper and very patient as always. I have to say, ceiling fan and reasonably priced are mutually exclusive terms! Who knew it was going to eat up 1/2 our lighting budget to get 5 ceiling fans??? We were lucky enough to find one that was a display model and got a great price on that one, but the rest were not. Problem was, we got to the store on the very last day of the display model sale. We had been out a few weekends ago and were not impressed with the store we went to (as suggested by the builder), so we asked the builder for another option and he sent us to Light Fantastic in Dallas (waaaaayyyy on the other side of Dallas). The people were very helpful and knowledgeable, so that made it relatively painless (until we had to PAY FOR IT!) Anyway, another box has been checked off the list and Chuck and I agreed on all the choices we made. I find it easiest to narrow it down to 2 or 3 I like and then present those to Chuck so he's not overwhelmed. (I found this out intimately at the tile store when I got so frustrated I just started showing him practically every tile I found remotely interesting and he appeared to go into a glazed over haze!) I had surfed the net until my eyes were bloodshot to get an idea of what he might be open to and it really helped with the process. The same can be said for the other lighting. We found some really cool sconces (marine lighting style) for outside - mainly outside all the doors and on the back porch. We still have to order some of the other inside lighting and the front porch light. We are awaiting finish samples for the vintage barn lighting I found on the internet. It's better to get it done than to wait until the builder says "we can put in your lighting next week" and you find out it's on back order for a month. I found a really cool woven bamboo (renewable material, yay!) chandelier for the dining area that has already arrived and is safely ensconced in our "staging area" otherwise know as Alex's old room.
On tap for next week....final brick and stone choices made and a "sample board" made with our choices to make sure we like it - who knew mortar color made such a difference? Insulation should also be blown. Audio visual stuff installed. Possible sheet rock starting to go up! Seems every time we go out to the house 2 - 4 sub contractors with 10 - 12 workers are there! It's been so interesting to watch things progress and learn in the process!!! We have never built a home before and let me tell you, the devil is in the details and there are a multitude of details to address every week!
I hope the pictures give you an idea of what is happening here. If you would like to see the 944 pictures Chuck has already taken of the house (his philosophy is "it's digital, so it's free" has caused him to take 80 - 100 pictures every time he goes to the house, whereas I on the other hand took only 25 the one time I was there alone with the camera!) let us know and we should be able to hook you up to our web album. Suffice it to say some of the pictures will cause you to go "HMMMM, wonder what that is"? I do believe Chuck is a closet artsy fartsy photographer!! I have to give him credit for discovering things that needed fine tuning while taking all these photos!!!
On a personal note.....you can ignore this if you don't want to participate in our "I'm so proud of my kid I could bust" moment. Our brilliant, talented and handsome son, Alex won an award at UNT for "Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Communications"!! I'm not sure what I'm more proud of, the fact he won the award or that he was so humble as to say "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to and happened to win an award for it." Honestly, this kid is gonna change the world!!!! I'm so lucky to be his mom!!
My love to all and happy recycling!
Lori
photo album: click here for the photo album
