We have walls!

Our builder told us that on average, it takes 2 months for every 1,000 sq. feet of construction. They started April 10Th, and the house has 3,232 sq. feet...so, no, the house is not going to be done by the time we leave here. By the photo above, the slab was cured and we had exterior walls going up. By the end of the week, we will have a roof. Our realtor is out of town, and when she gets back, she's taking a new picture for us

We got a lot done this trip, considering it rained the entire time. We picked out all of our lights, except for the kitchen and eat-in/dining area. It just so happened that the very first ceiling fan/light combo that we picked out was Hannah's...so for the rest of the afternoon, she was over it. The picture above speaks volumes. We let her pick out her light fixtures for her bathroom vanity and closet as well. They're all rustic looking, oil rubbed bronze finish. It just so happened that they had a western ceiling fan/light for her room..it was perfect. It has horseshoes and stars and a punched tin appearance. It had Hannah written all over it.
Our next stop was Fox building supply where we picked out our Exterior windows and doors. I thought I was just picking out a door from a catalog, but no, I got to DESIGN my door....who gets to do that? I had no idea. Our builder told me I could have whatever door I wanted. A family operated door company in Texas is currently handcrafting my door. :) That makes me very happy. I love the doors on the houses in Louisiana. You guys do not skimp on doors. They are simply beautiful...except for ours. We have the only 6 panel metal door in the neighborhood. So, I have been coveting my neighbors across the streets doors for 4 years. So that's what I told Chris I wanted. I chose ALDER wood http://www.gedoors.net/exge-808.php because I felt like it was truer to the European style of the design than any other wood. Lots of knots and texture are a plus. I wanted what you call a "bow top" where the wood is actually arched, but time did not allow for that to be made, so I had to improvise and go with a square door, but the glass itself is arched to give the illusion of an arched door. My door will look like the sketch below, which is a combination of the two doors above.
For the glass, I picked seedy baroque, Clear glass with a random bubble (?seeded?) appearance and a softly raised baroque wash with freeform curves.&jpg=Seedy-Baroque,">http://www.simpsondoor.com/products/glass_options/glass_options_detail.asp?name=Seedy Baroque
Clear glass with a random bubble (?seeded?) appearance and a softly raised baroque wash with freeform curves.&jpg=Seedy-Baroque, which is a bubbly glass that looks blown. I picked it out only to come home and find out the next day, that it can't be tempered and therefore does not meet the county TORNADO standards. Yep, that's Oklahoma. So, to fix it, I have seedy baroque on the outside and clear tempered on the inside. It will be smooth on the inside, but from the outside you can feel the texture of the glass. I love it. I can't wait to see it.


Our windows....the saga...in double hung fold out windows, we only had two choices, taupe and white, so that was easy. We chose taupe. What the draftsman drew on the plans was a 3 over 3 pane, but because our windows were 8 ft tall in the living room, it made it look like a checkerboard with all those squares, so Chris, our fabulous window guy, suggested we go with bigger panes, and order a 4 over 4 pane window like the one below. We'll have a better view, less panes and a cleaner look. I like it already. This house has one bay window in my scrap room, and only two small transom windows, one above Hannah's doors and one above the backdoor. So the cat has no reason to climb the curtains to go up there and lay, like she does in this house. I feel sort' sad for her.

Next trip, will be a work trip. We'll be picking up the worksite, sweeping and cleaning up the lot with a backhoe or some sort of machine that will reach the big dumpster. I plan to come home sore and tired. It will be worth it though, because cleaning up your worksite can cut THOUSANDS off the final cost of your house.