Today was a GOOD day for Tiggerlane! I found out that Shauna awarded me the "Rockin' Blogger" Award! And NOT because of the loud music thumpin' in my Intrepid. I am so thrilled! A Neophyte like me doesn't get awarded much in blogger-land - so I'm honored. I will be awarding 5 more folks in the NEXT post - so be watching for that. Also, I somehow missed Vicki at Catching Light in all the Fun Monday excitement - so head on over there to check out her rigs!
I just had too much excitement for one day, because LOOK AT THIS:
Oh yeah - these men are making my dreams a reality - they are measuring and staking out our new home! Another good thing is that we only had to give up one spindly little tree. Plus, we have friends who can use the firewood, so disposal will be no problem:
Here the guys are, measuring everything, just to be sure it is all right:
The next step, after everything is measured, staked and lined out with string, is spray-painting lines so the backhoe guy can dig the footing. Seems like it takes an awful lot of guys to spray that first little bit, but hey - better safe than sorry. The head builder, Jackie Ryan, is in the green shirt in this photo. His younger brother is in the white shirt with the tool belt, and the baby brother of them all is holding the spray can. Honnus is in the straw hat - and he is the backhoe man. Dontcha just love the name "Honnus?"
Now the spray painting has begun in earnest. These lines tell Honnus where to dig.
They didn't give me a golden shovel, and the mayor didn't come to the event. But I sat with breathless anticipation, as the backhoe was just about to de-virginize my land.
And here is the first scoop! We have officially BROKEN GROUND! There is no turning back now!
I couldn't have been happier if this backhoe scoop had been full with loads of ice cream - look at that strip of ground! Our first step to having a new home.
Honnus then dug the footings while the other boys used tools to keep him lined up and on the paint. Because of the slope of the land, they had to stair-step some of the footings. As you can see here, they laid rebar in the holes, and even curved it to match the shape of the footings.
I am standing about in the corner of the kitchen - strangely, it looks so small. It made me think of a playing a huge game of "Whack-A-Mole." I was assured that it will look much bigger when it is framed up.
Roger thinks I'm obsessed. Well, uh, YEAH! I sure am! This is a shot of almost the entire house - it is 76 feet long, and our garage to the right of this photo is 28x28.
Roger's comment? "It looks like a pet cemetery."
11 comments:
Yipeee!!!! Finally, some ground breaking news (pun intended).
When you said that those guys made your dreams come true, I thought you were having sex dreams about construction workers.
Yeeeeeeee-HAW! Cool beans! [[throws confetti and flaming walnuts]]
I remember when they finally broke ground on our house (tract home tho' it may be) - I was soooooo excited. I drove over here every frickin' day for weeks to watch the progress. What can I say - I grew up in a trailer, so this was big time for me!
I know what you mean about it seeming so small. I'm loving your comments and Roger's about the holes. Too funny.
Woohoo! Very exciting!
I would have thought "Whack-A-Mole" too, LOL.
Someone's gonna twist an ankle out there.
I can't imagine the excitement. I always thought we'd build a house. It won't happen.
I'll enjoy watching you and Julie
willowtree - looking at the workers, be assured that my standards are a little higher!
desert songbird - flaming walnuts? HAHAHA! I am going to be a bad new-home-girl. I have been driving by my land every day, even though there was nothing on it!
kila - I'm hoping we get concrete in those holes - I would be the FIRST to twist an ankle!
pamela - hopefully neither of us will break down, before it's all over!
How fun and exciting!
Awesome! Yes a place looks tiny when just looking at the footprint. When it is framed it will look bigger.
And keep an eye on the men the contractor sends out. My inlaws basically had to double check every detail on a daily basis because issues crept in. Better to catch them early when they can be corrected.
The view of the land is quite beautiful!
~Robert O.
Congrats on BOTH!
Your award AND the ground breaking....
Keep us "posted". (hahhahha I kill myself!)
Congrats on breaking ground for your new home! And for the award, too! We are still in the process of moving into our new home. You must come visit me sometime.
That is so cool. Seeing your house being built before your eyes.
Congrats on the new house, and the award!
debs - yes, exciting enough to possibly require some valium!
Robert O - Good to see you here! And the property is VERY close to my office, so I can get to it in less than 2 minutes. Which, I have found, comes in handy. I'll be eagle-eyeing them, for sure!
jennieboo - look for more photos by the weekend! Not too much happened, but there WAS progress today.
memphis steve - Sounds like fun, moving into new digs - I may have to jet across the state and visit.
christine - you guys will probably get bored with it by the time I move in, but I AM thrilled. And thanks!
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