Lego Day.

Lego Building Day is always the 27th

of December. We all got Lego again

today and we love to have a day in our

pj's, with treats and Lego to build. Fun!

~ Chy

2nd Design.

On the same street is this sweet and very

vintage house that is now a new clinic.

Love the carved tree of life on the outside

of the shingled building. Very welcoming.

I'm going to check out this spot for some

of the therapies I use for my body. Might

be a great place to try out. I love the colors,

the design and the warmth it alludes ....

Day of Melting.

 

The sun is out again today, warming the snow covered Earth around us. The drip, drip, drip from the rooftops has begun and I'm sure any moment now our sump pump will drain the tank out to the woods. Unfortunately, then it freezes as night and we're left with a small skating rink on the path to our front door. We are currently working through how to fix this so we don't end up with any long lasting effects or damage. One idea I have is to expand the area where we've put an extended pipe from the sump pump drain out to the treed area beyond our driveway. It pools right now, so we may have to widen it. My other idea is to also add in a little bridge so that the path from the house and then the driveway will have a way to get over the water that sits. Here's a picture of  the bridge .... 

Wouldn't that look sweet over the water? Just thinking about it but I like the look of it. We do have our white arbor and picket fence going in this year so we'll have to measure to see if this would fit and how we feel about the black against a landscape with white fencing. Looking at other ideas as well. I wish we could have had a say about where the various systems in our house would be installed so we could all agree on what the exterior would look like with items that need to discharge or have a purpose but could be hidden. Next house for sure, now that we know! So much to learn when building new.

Are you getting Spring weather today?

If you've had snow, is it busy melting away?

Tony the Tiler.

Such a great guy. We truly 

lucked out in booking the best. 

Even though he was paid through

our building fund, we enjoyed him

so much and he added some great

ideas to our design, a tip was in order!

A thank you and a gift card to

take his lovely and patient wife

out for a lovely evening after a

job well done. He was thrilled!

Now we wait for the rest of the

trades to finish up. Can't wait.

If you've built or renovated, did you enjoy

the process or couldn't wait for the end?

Building a New House on a Budget.

 That should be the name of my blog. As we are

new to the building process, one of our worries

was the cost. Especially after talking with friends

& family, & hearing how the budget starts at

one end (comfortable) & then ends up at the

complete opposite end (over budget). We vowed

to not fall into the trap of having to pay more for

what we wanted to create our dream home. And

our builder said he's never met a couple who was

so conscious of cost but in a good way. He's been

so good to work with & helped us stay in the

budget we're all working with. The two things we

went over we knew we would but still managed to

negotiate the additional fees into our comfort zone.

So how do you build a new house on a budget?

You make very frugal choices that look good!

Case in point, our fireplace mantels. These were

listed for $1,950 plus taxes & shipping from 

the manufacturer to our home, for both mantels. 

Made of stone and sealed, we love the look & 

chose two different styles to complement two 

different rooms in our home. The total would be,

in Canadian dollars a hefty $2,160 each, with a

grand total of $4,320. A big cost but we like them!

Two different popular home renovation stores carry

these mantels online. I've been watching these mantels 

since we first found them last spring. Recently, the one 

store reduced the price. It was time to order! We were

going to order from the one we often shop at but only 

one was available immediately. The other is back 

ordered & when I pressed order today, it came up 

with a note that there was an issue & the back order

was "indefinite". So I went on to the competitor's 

website, only to discover the fee was higher but they

had them in stock. Then I noticed the disclaimer

that they will match prices. I called the listed number

& just a few minutes later, we had an order # in

hand. So here's the best part. Our price, you wonder?

A lovely $1,890. Isn't that sweet. Before you start to

do some calculations, I want to clarify that price is

for both units, with taxes & including shipping.

We saved $2,430 for the same products, same sku

numbers, same colors, nothing had changed. And 

all it took was a few minutes of being online to

check out our options. Then picking up the phone

to ask for the matching price deal, which was granted

to us, without hesitation, argument or negativity.

Easy peasy and we get exactly what we want, at a

very frugal price from what we originally budgeted.

We keep coming up with deal after deal for the items

we'd like to include & feel so good about taking

the time to investigate what our best price will be.

Time consuming but in the grand scheme of things,

so worth it! And I have fun getting my "deals"!

Have you ever built a home on a budget?

Or renovated and stayed within your funds?

This boy ....

.... loves to build!

He can spend hours putting Lego together.

Or any kind of building blocks he can find.

Always so proud of his creations.

Warms our hearts to see him so confident.

I'm off to work with a new family today.

Enjoy your frosty Saturday!!

We Now We Have A Basement!!

Hi everyone!

Our "kitchen" appointment went very well. Lots of decisions to make but it was fun to map out where things will be going. So much to think about. More later as I figure it all out. Right now, my head is spinning with many thoughts.

But I do want to share a few shots when we discovered our basement floor had been poured. Now they are busy mapping out the rooms and tomorrow, the framing begins!

The turret will hold our daughter's dining area.

And beside, to the left, is our grandson's bedroom.

Rooms mapped out on the floor.

The theatre room is in the upper right.

Our daughter's bedroom.

She's been sharing with her little guy since birth!

The bow part of the theatre room.

Screen will go here with 2 rows

of seating facing, 1 row higher.

Our builder was out there today with the cabinet maker and will be coming over this evening as well to go over our siding, trim and front door trim. Hoping that part is going to be finalized so we can move on to other decisions. Fun!

How was your day?

Tiny Builder!

Hi everyone!

 

Another warm and muggy night here on the prairies. We decided it was time for another visit out to the acreage to see the progress on our little house in the big woods.

 

 

Bug spray before heading to the site. We've been very lucky to not have a lot of mosquitoes this year but we still take precautions as there are so many trees and flowers.

 

 

Wow! It's really looking like a house now! We look so tiny next to the house. And this is before the roof!

 

 

Our builder really wanted to get our little guy to have fun with the build. He approved the house design, signed the official documents and then tonight he was encouraged to give a hand with the actual building. B has his arms crossed, declaring himself "too little!"

 

 

But then decides to give it a try! Big builder teaching the tiny builder. Such patience. Can you tell he has kids?

 

Nailing the wall where the bookcases and fireplace will go in our master bedroom. Can't wait for our first blizzard. Just imagining turning on the fireplace and watching the snow fall outside our window. Then snuggling down to enjoy the warmth of the house and the pretty fireplace. Winter might not be so bad now!

 

And at the end of the building session, boys will be boys by throwing rocks into the new basement. Thanks big builder for teaching our tiny builder!

Our Little House in the Big Woods Progress

Hi everyone!

So excited to come out to our land this week and see the new road. A bit of a gentle curve in the scenic path as we drive up to get into the garage. This part faces south, so we'll have nice daytime sun.

The view towards the back of our property. We had hoped to put the house there but it was too low and too wet to chance the spot. There is a natural creek that runs along the back before the trees and we were all concerned, after seeing the water in the spring, that we'd have a sump pump running 24 hours a day to keep the water out. Not worth the lack of sleep. Now we're higher up and away from the creek.

Scrub and brush but so beautiful to us! This will be our view to the west, out the big turret windows.

Construction truck, hidden in amongst the trees to the east of the house. The old road is there for now.

And finally, what will be our view off our front veranda, facing west and getting the last of the sun each day. Just enough trees to give us privacy but some open space to let the light shine through.

Some tiny flowers to end this very late night post!

Wild Alberta Rose, growing in the scrub. These grow everywhere, almost like a weed, except they are so pretty and hardy. I love their vibrant pink shade.

Tiny bluebells? I'm going to have to find a book or a site that will help me identify the multitude of wild flowers that grace our property. Too many to figure out for now!

That's the latest update. On Monday, we go and pick out flooring and colors. On Tuesday, the surveyers come to determine if where we've flagged the house is correct and sound. On Wednesday, we come out for the final placement. And if all goes well, the big dig will happen on Thursday. 

Outside of stomping around the land with our builder and our daughters, we also did some yard work today, laundry, shopping, dinner, packing and writing. I took a bit of time and lounged on the deck tonight, tucked in with a warm blanket, some fluffy pillows, a new Sage scented candle burning in a mason jar and a good book to read. My reward for all the work accomplished. Busy day all around but productive and energy sucking. I know that once my head hits the pillow tonight, I'll sleep well and hopefully long!

And, it's done!!

All the planning, drawing, erasing, rewriting, negotiating, dreaming, worrying and intense number crunching has ended. The house plan is complete, with no more changes anticipated. The deal has been finalized, with a successful $75,000 drop in the original price, without taking out any features. We've signed, initialed and cross-referenced. And to celebrate this major accomplishment in our long journey, our builder invited the youngest member of our house to sign off on the final drawings. 

B was happy to oblige.

And even added in a few extra "notes"!

Out came the chai tea ....

.... with homemade lemon loaf to celebrate.

Now, the fun part begins. Our building adventure is finally a reality. The next 6 to 8 months are going to be very stressful and incredibly exciting, all at the same time. But we're ready and on our way!

House Plan!!

After years of dreaming and months of interviewing, then selecting a builder, we finally have a house plan!! Now the fear sets in ....

We're so excited but at the same time, nervous about all the changes. Right now, I could drive home with my eyes closed to this house, as we're so settled here. I know all the creaks and groans of our house, and where the nicks are in the walls. I know which tree will bloom first and where my perennials are buried for the winter. We know our neighbors and know we all watch out for each other. But it's time to move forward, it's time to have a new view, it's time to have our lives run more smoothly, with a bit more space. We're ready and will likely look back and wonder why we were so very worried. 

I must admit, I can see how people get carried away when building a house. We need more space but don't want a large house. We want new and character and ironically, a look that screams "vintage" but is energy efficient and solid. Thankfully, our builder works within our budget, not his, and pulls back clients when they start to sway from the original plan. He understands how easy it is and has made it part of his job to keep us in line. Love him already! He's so good, we build again. 

I won't reveal plans here but will share our journey and pictures as we get closer, until the reveal. Truly excited now!! Let the journey and the fun begin.

Getting closer.

We bought our acreage 12 years ago & have finally begun to make real concrete plans to build a house there. The land is heavily treed, except for where the house will go, with 2 full acres for us to play with. Our plans so far are a decent-sized but not monster-sized house, with the upstairs mostly for the three of us - dh, me & youngest dd. The lower level will be fully developed so that oldest dd & our grandson will have a living area, kitchen, bathroom & two bedrooms. Private but still close to gramma & grampa! Hoping for either an over sized garage so dh has room for a workshop so he can refinish furniture & I can have extra space for all my gardening equipment. Or a three car garage. Or a separate workshop space with storage. Still figuring that one out. We'll have a yard around the house but most of the 2 acres will remain natural. A play area, complete with this set from Costco for the grandbabies:

We've found 2 builders & are in the final stretch of choosing one. We hope to do this starting this year, with the idea we'd move in next spring. Or we might wait until the new year, depending on how quickly we can get the house plan approved. Busy, scary, exciting, stressful time I'm sure. But looking forward to finally being "home!"

Have you ever built a new house? 

Have you ever lived in the country? 

I'd love to hear about your 

unique & personal experiences!