Thursday, December 27, 2007
Monday!
Upon returning from our Christmas trip to see my family in Abilene, we were relieved to find out that our foundation had not been poured in our absence. According to our friendly builder Stan, who we saw at the construction site today, the pour is scheduled for 7 AM Monday morning. It will take 7 concrete trucks, each containing approximately 10 cubic yards of concrete! After the concrete has cured for at least a week but less than a month, they will pull the cables - hence the term "post-tension."
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Hey, We're Famous!
Or, more accurately, our soon-to-be-neighbors (and Mueller) are in the New York Times!
Happy Holidays!
Looking over across Phase II, the old airport tower has a lighted "Noel" sign. Happy holidays!
Friday, December 21, 2007
PTSD: Post Tension Slab Deduction.
It looks like we'll be out of town for the big pour. Stupid Christmas. It's only been nine days since they started. I think there may be one more inspection right before the pour and then the framing starts. We might have walls before the new year. Woo Hoo!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Construction Progress Photos
From this past Saturday until the house is complete, Timothy and I plan to take the same two photos every day to show the progress of construction. In order to get the shot framed properly, we used another Willie further along as a model, and then discretely marked the same position for the tripod in front of our house. The marking is so discrete, in fact, you can't see anything if it's not midday.
For the time being, the photos will largely consist of the houses behind us and sky, but you'll be able to watch the transformation...
from this...
to this!
Yes, that's right, we've got plumbing! Or sewer pipes, at least. Construction is also progressing on the other houses in our block, but ours is by far the furthest along.
A few blocks away, they've started the row houses on Zach Scott, a major street with bike lanes that connects to Airport Blvd.
For the time being, the photos will largely consist of the houses behind us and sky, but you'll be able to watch the transformation...
from this...
to this!
Yes, that's right, we've got plumbing! Or sewer pipes, at least. Construction is also progressing on the other houses in our block, but ours is by far the furthest along.
A few blocks away, they've started the row houses on Zach Scott, a major street with bike lanes that connects to Airport Blvd.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Good Things Come to Those Who Whine
While Elizabeth was on vacation in Houston, I was left to attend to the beginning stage of construction, namely placement of the form work for our foundation.
The layout of our floor plan is such that the backyard is pushed into the northeast corner of the lot, so to maximize our lot size upgrade from 37'x90' to 44'x90' our foundation needs to be off-center favoring the west side, thus giving our backyard an extra 7' in width.
Last Wednesday, while I was on my way to visit my sister, I thought I'd swing by and view the empty lot one more time before the start of the construction on Friday. Much to my surprise they started early! The batter boards were already in place. And much to my dismay the foundation was centered on the lot, adding 3' to the already unusable side yard to the west of the house.
A phone call to Stan, our builder, led me to confirm a fear that the developer, Catellus, who dictates the overall look of the development, wouldn't want the house to deviate from the original plan. But Stan managed to talk them into letting him move the foundation. Much to my vindication.
The layout of our floor plan is such that the backyard is pushed into the northeast corner of the lot, so to maximize our lot size upgrade from 37'x90' to 44'x90' our foundation needs to be off-center favoring the west side, thus giving our backyard an extra 7' in width.
Last Wednesday, while I was on my way to visit my sister, I thought I'd swing by and view the empty lot one more time before the start of the construction on Friday. Much to my surprise they started early! The batter boards were already in place. And much to my dismay the foundation was centered on the lot, adding 3' to the already unusable side yard to the west of the house.
A phone call to Stan, our builder, led me to confirm a fear that the developer, Catellus, who dictates the overall look of the development, wouldn't want the house to deviate from the original plan. But Stan managed to talk them into letting him move the foundation. Much to my vindication.
An Inconvenient Move
My parents and their two little dogs came down to Austin for a visit the weekend before Thanksgiving. We had a great time, and showed them around the rapidly progressing construction at Mueller, where my talented photographer father tried out the new camera he'd just bought.
Unfortunately, almost as soon as they'd left, we started having major electrical problems. We'd been renting this adorable 1950s, asbestos-clad house from a couple of old women with little interest in maintenance. Despite its small size and deteriorating state, it had a lot of charm - an abundance of windows, hardwood floors, original cabinets and countertops. It also had the original wiring.
After a small electrical fire, two visits by an electrician, ongoing shorts and an exploding light bulb, we realized the problem was not going to be fixed, or at least not easily. We'd lost multiple electronic devices with the first big surge, and, more importantly, were worried the house would burn down if we turned the power back on. Both times the electrician came out, he gave the house a clean bill of health, and during the second visit, he checked wiring in the attic. If the problem wasn't there, it had to be in the walls, and the landladies made abundantly clear they had no interest in rewiring the house.
We had no choice but to move. We really appreciate the help of family and friends, who put us up over Thanksgiving and the week thereafter while we waited for December 1 to come around. Our new apartment is up north, with a 20-30 minute commute fighting traffic on Mo-Pac in the mornings. It's a nice place (with working electricity!) at a reasonable price, but I'm sure the quasi-suburban lifestyle will make us that much more grateful we're buying a place so close to downtown. We're certainly relieved to be buying a new house, and to know we'll never have to rent again.
Unfortunately, almost as soon as they'd left, we started having major electrical problems. We'd been renting this adorable 1950s, asbestos-clad house from a couple of old women with little interest in maintenance. Despite its small size and deteriorating state, it had a lot of charm - an abundance of windows, hardwood floors, original cabinets and countertops. It also had the original wiring.
After a small electrical fire, two visits by an electrician, ongoing shorts and an exploding light bulb, we realized the problem was not going to be fixed, or at least not easily. We'd lost multiple electronic devices with the first big surge, and, more importantly, were worried the house would burn down if we turned the power back on. Both times the electrician came out, he gave the house a clean bill of health, and during the second visit, he checked wiring in the attic. If the problem wasn't there, it had to be in the walls, and the landladies made abundantly clear they had no interest in rewiring the house.
We had no choice but to move. We really appreciate the help of family and friends, who put us up over Thanksgiving and the week thereafter while we waited for December 1 to come around. Our new apartment is up north, with a 20-30 minute commute fighting traffic on Mo-Pac in the mornings. It's a nice place (with working electricity!) at a reasonable price, but I'm sure the quasi-suburban lifestyle will make us that much more grateful we're buying a place so close to downtown. We're certainly relieved to be buying a new house, and to know we'll never have to rent again.
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