BEAMS!!!

Mark busy working on 2 beams out of his Great Grandpa's barn. The barn stood 2 doors down from our current house and was built in 1865.  Since that property was sold (out of family hands) in around 1983, it had fallen into disrepair and was  torn down 4 years ago in 2009 by it's current owner.  Our newest neighbor has plans and township zoning approval for constructing a huge new barn near the existing footprint of the old Snyder barn. There was also a windmill next to the old barn that was dismantled in the late 1980's .... 3 neighbors ago....  The larger of the beams  will be our fireplace mantle in the great room, not sure where the smaller one will be used, but definitely somewhere!  Of course the one we are using here will have to stay, but.....these 2 pieces of Snyder Family history will go to Willard!

Studying the plans

Lots of questions coming in from 2 of our 3 perspective builders😀!  As exciting and fun as this journey is...it is still kind of hard making some of the decisions "on paper" just for the sake of making the bids more accurate.  Ultimately, of course, the goal is to make the bid as accurate as possible and then to stick to these rather tough choices that were made "on paper" so we stay within the budget!  Hmmmmm.... yes that is the goal!!  So we decide, for example, where we want wood, tile and carpeted floors by looking at a set of plans....what kind (and grade) of windows and doors by looking at pictures on the Internet or line drawings on a bid sheet sent via email,  designing a kitchen.....but iif we choose a different builder...not getting that exact design etc etc.

Our architect took a lot of decisions out of our hands .....by listening to our ideas and putting them on paper and placing things ...even light switches... where he thought they would work best...  I am a very visual person, hopefully deciding things on paper before we actually set foot in the framed house......doesn't prove that we made a wrong choice... Well not necessarily wrong, but one that will adversely affect THE BUDGET!!

Maybe we'll just let Crush and Noel pick things out👍

 They seem to like the set of prints whenever we have them out!!

Waiting Game......

 6-12-13 Mark has heard from and talked with all 3 builders that are bidding on our Big Bass House.  There  are some questions, of course, but the biggest issue (and one that we were well aware of) is where our architect, Steve, placed the driveway.   After receiving approval from Huron County on the aeration system design and placement, Steve for aesthetic reasons chose to run our driveway right up thru the middle of said placement.  When we questioned him on this, he simply said ..."we'll just move the aeration system."  Mark and I were not convinced that this would be a viable option.  The aeration system designer we had hired to do the study and design, had been out to the site.  He designed the system meeting the topographical restrictions on our site, and placed the system where he did for a reason.    So this issue needs to be addressed.  As of now I'm thinking our driveway will be moved to the very edge of our lots and wind around in front of our house, thus restoring the main area of our "front yard" for the aeration system and it's necessary components.  

Of course another issue is the BUDGET we have provided for the whole build.  We did put a lot into this house, mind you - nothing extravagant or over the top, but it is a good sized house with a big walk out basement, patio and deck.  We want good structure;  i.e.  foundation, walls, siding, windows, doors, roof, wiring, aeration system, plumbing, tiling, etc.....the MAIN elements that are the basic house.   The cosmetic design of cupboards, appliances, counters, woodwork, paint, floors, landscaping etc. can be done over time if need be to accommodate our finances and the commitment to owning and maintaining 2 houses for a number of years.  So with that in mind, the challenge is to see how creative each of the builders are .... in coming as close to our number with their numbers!   

So we wait....anxiously:) 

Kitchen design meeting

Tomorrow, I am meeting with one of our perspective builder's kitchen design team!  They have put together a basic kitchen layout for us, using our architect's specs.  I am going in to pick out the cabinets, and to tweak their design in order for them to be able to provide a more precise bid.  I would just like to move my current kitchen (that we totally redid in 2006) to Willard....I love it that much.  So with that being said, it shouldn't be too hard to mimic the design and morph it into the new space.....right...??????.... I'll let you know!

The check....

So, after not having a mortgage payment since 2000, we start again....and the word budget has become part of my daily vocabulary!!

Remortgaging our current house along with some savings is the way we are financing the build of our Big Bass house.  It was an interesting process to go thru:  contracting the architect in January, surveying of our current property in February (to locate pins and have EXACT property lines verified), surveying and setting pins on our Big Bass property in March, applying for a re-finance mortgage loan in April, having a bank appraisal on the house, outbuildings and land plus a bank survey in May, and receiving THE CHECK in June.  Phew..... 

Now to see how close we are with the builders' bids as opposed to what we have to spend.  YIKES!!  Now more waiting...........

View of our lots in early spring

These were taken very early this spring....after we had Tom Simon go up and set pins, determine the exact boundary lines, and do a topographical study of the lots, that the architect would need when drawing our plans.