Our Land

We purchased 2.77 acres in western North Carolina to begin the process of building a retirement home.  The first steps will include:

• Putting in a well **DONE

• Putting in a septic system**DONE

• Building a "barn" (actually a large garage that will eventually hold a Class "A" coach, but for now will hold a pop up). **DONE!!

• May 15, 2007 the well is in!  300 feet deep, with a flow of 20gpm.  As there is no electric yet, the pump is yet to come.

• May 19, 2007, we have signed a contract with Morton Buildings to build the barn.  The selected plan is 50 feet deep and 36 feet wide with a 15' X 26' workshop area on the side. While I could find a building less expensive, the research I did told me the quality and warrantee of Morton Buildings could not be surpassed.

• July 11, 2007, the building permit was issued this morning and luck was on my side.  The foundation contractor had a crew available so we officially broke ground today!  I'll be there tomorrow afternoon to look around, take a few photos and pull more weeds.

• July 20, 2007  The plumbing contractor has been at the site and the pre-slab plumbing is now in the ground.  It has passed inspection so the next step is pre treating the ground for termites.

• July 23, 2007  The pest control company has treated the ground - next step is the steel and pouring the slab.

• July 31, 2007 Steel work started.  The vapor barrier is down and some of the re-bar is set.  With an inspection we will be able to pour concrete.

• August 15, 2007  Well, the inspections are finally over and the concrete is down.  Just in time because the building material is being delivered.

• August 27, 2007  Construction begins on the structure.

• September 11, 2007 The shell of the barn is complete!  I must admit, working with the folks at Morton Buildings has been fantastic!  After the shell was complete the sales consultant inspected the entire building and noted things I hadn't even seen.  While not an emergency, the work crew will return and touch up some minor issues.  This is a great company to deal with.  everyone I have come into contact with has been friendly and professional and always leaves me with the feeling that I am their only customer.

• September 27, 2007 The pump, expansion tank and water lines to the building are complete.  Now all I need is a little electric and I can pump water.  Maybe I'll try it with my generator.

• October 8, 2007  I attached the well to my generator and cold clear water began to flow!  The framing and rough plumbing have passed inspection and the septic system is in progress.  As always, photos below.

• November 4, 2007  Things keep moving along.  So far I have passed framing, rough plumbing and rough electrical.  Once i get an insulation inspection I can start with the drywall. Once at that stage there is only one more inspection, the final for the certificate of occupancy.  I'm shooting for early December!

• December 10, 2007  Well, the long wait is over.  While all the work is not done, the essentials are in place.  The county building inspector did the final inspection today - we passed!  Water, electric, plumbing, A/C and all the "safety" issues have been taken care of.   We have a Certificate of Occupancy, so the electric company will now turn on the power.  Now comes the fun of hanging window shades, painting trim and things like that.  Lots of work to go, but we wil have electric, heat and a warm shower!

	Running down the center of the picture to the left is a trout stream in western North Carolina.  We purchased 2.77 acres on the right side of this stream across from the houses in the picture
	The design to the left is the basic design of the RV Barn/workshop area.
	This is the end view of the "Barn".  The sliding door is 15' wide by 14' high.  An 8' X 8' overhang covers the entry door.
	Well, as you can see we have broken ground.  The forms are in and no we are just waiting for the rough plumbing to be installed and the termite control to be applied before it is time to pour some concrete
	While it may not appear to be a lot of change, the pre-slab plumbing is peaking up out of the gravel.
	Well, work continues.  Here the vapor barrier is installed and the beginnings of the steel are in the footers.  If the rain will stop I may have concrete in a few days.
	Here we have the slab poured.
	Part of the building material.
	Trusses!
	Well, construction has begun!   Here is the end of day 1.  August 27. 2007
	Day 2, it's starting to take shape. August 28, 2007
	Day 3, I see even more progress! August 29, 2007
	Day 4, You can now see the roof color.  I was hoping the walls would be up, but you can't ask for everything. August 30, 2007
	Day 5, the end of week #1.Several of the walls are up and the windows are in.  Trim is going up around the garage doors and the cupola is on the roof!   Warning, these four photos are very large! August 31, 2007
	Day 6,   Ok - it's really day 7 or 8, but Monday was a holiday and the work crew had a repair to take care of on Tuesday.  They made up for it today.  Everything but the front porch area now has siding.  Framing has started for the porch. The interior shot to the left shows how big this place really is.  The door at the back left of the interior is a 10 foot tall residential garage door (the same door as the bottom photo in this series).   September 5, 2007
	Day 7  Well, this is near the end.  Three things left to do: Install the rear roll up door, pour the concrete front porch and pour the slab outside the rear roll up door.  After that, it's up to me.  Build interior walls and get the electrician, plumber, well guy and septic company to finish their parts of the puzzle. All it takes now is time and money!   September 6, 2007
	The photo in the upper left is how the barn looks with the doors closed.  Inside work has begun.  I set the shower base and studded the walls for the shower, toilet and kitchen.  The upper right photo is taken from the living area looking through the wall into the shower/bath.  The close side of this wall will be the "kitchen" with a range, sink and refrigerator. September 9, 2007
	The structure is now complete!  They installed the small roll up door on the back side of the building.  Now all that is left is pouring the two concrete pads (front porch and outside the new roll up door) as well as finishing the inside. September 11, 2007
	Well more time spent installing studs. I know if you look at the photos close it appears that the walls are too short, but at this angle the ceiling will come down to the tops of these studs.  Two more walls done leaving a 16' wall and the ceiling to complete.  A couple more weekends (or one good weekend that I worked a little harder) and I will be ready for the framing inspection.  The plumber and septic guys stopped by and both will start their work in the next week or two.  Once I get the studs in the electrician can also start his work. September 16, 2007
	Well, not a lot has happened due to being on the road for work for the last 8 days.  The only progress to show is we have the "kitchen" design finished. September 27, 2007
	Things are beginning to move a bit more rapidly.  In the upper left photo you see the rough plumbing has been completed, as well as the upper right photo shows that the framing for the living space has been completed.  Both have been inspected and passed by the building department.  The lower left shows the septic tank in the ground and the day I left they were digging the drain field.  The lower right photo is just to show the amount of room in the barn.  Even with the Niagara set up we still have plenty of space. October 8, 2007
	The septic is complete!
	Progress continues.  The Heat and Air Conditioning was completed this week.  Inside the living space we now have a 1.5 ton A/C as well as heat pump.  Also completed this week was the underground electric wiring from the pole along side the street to the building.  I tried renting a trencher and trenching this line, but the rocks in the ground wouldn't allow it.  With the local electric company on the way, my septic installer saved the day!  He still had his track hoe on the job site and in about twenty minutes had the trench cut in. Thanks Paul!!! October 21, 2007
	Another milestone today, the Heat-A/C and the rough electric passed inspection!  Additionally the final grading was completed.  This set of photos is a little dark as is was dusk when they were taken.  We now have approval to begin closing things up by installing insulation. October 29, 2007
	Well, after hundreds of trips up and down a ladder, the insulation is up.R38 on the ceiling and R19 on all walls.  The photo to the left is the bathroom area looking through the shower into the back room.  The photo on the right is standing in the barn/garage area looking at the living space.  With an insulation inspection, I should begin top put up drywall this week. November 4, 2007
	A very big week, with a lot happening.  The electrician did a lot of work, and other than the final trim out everything is in place.  The drywall folks started work and we now have walls.  No more looking through the walls between the garage area and the living area.  I must admit, it is getting a lot smaller with the walls up. With a little luck the walls will be finished and painted this week While you really can't see it in this outside photo, we have a few blades of grass breaking the surface and outside landscaping has begun.  A mulch path from the driveway to the front door as well as a couple of planting beds have been put in. Lots of work left to go though! November 11, 2007
	Another long weekend!  With the help of a neighbor (folks are nice around here) I was able to hang the kitchen cabinets.  While not working (no power) the refrigerator, range and microwave are in place.  A lot of the painting is complete, but a lot more to go.  I guess next weekend will be trim work - baseboards and around the doors/windows. November 18, 2007
	A very busy weekend.  I spent all day Saturday tiling the shower and Sunday was the completion of the kitchen.  All that is really left is for the plumber to finish up his work and we can get a final inspection.  Well, I will have to grout the shower next weekend. December 2, 2007
	Well, no pictures - I forgot the memory stick for the camera.  Grouting the shower, painting walls and wood trim took up most of the weekend.  The inspector came Monday morning and we passed our final inspection! December 10, 2007
	This is a very early spring shot.  Just a few trees are beginning to bud out.  The beginnings of the planting beds can be seen with the pine straw bales stacked in front.
	Here is a shot from late spring 2008.  You can see the planting beds next to the living area, a new tree in the foreground, a bird bath, bird feeders and a pic nic table.  Close ups of the planting beds are below.  The grass is really not as nice as it seems, it just looks fuller at this angle.