The Big Move

Poppy & Matt were in charge of the truck

Matt's room full of boxes

Matt was co-pilot for the day!

We're finally here! I know everyone has been anxiously waiting to hear about the move & see pictures of the new house. Things have been pretty crazy, & I am just now getting the opportunity to sit at the computer for a little while to get you all up-to-date. The move went very smoothly, all things considered. Or as smoothly as it can when moving out of a 3rd floor apartment anyway. The move actually took place over several days. On Saturday morning, my dad picked up Matt and they went to Providence to pick up his big box truck from his office. Matt was so excited to be "co-pilot" for the day!
Meanwhile, Allen, Ashley & I continued to frantically throw things into boxes. Dad & Matt returned, Rick arrived, and the exodus began. Matt & Dad were in charge of loading the truck, while Allen & Rick made dozens of trips up & down the 44 stairs between the apartment and the street ( they could barely move by Monday!). We filled up the truck and headed over to the new house to unload. My friend Chris joined us after lunch, and we got everything unloaded. Then the unpacking started, mostly because we needed to empty the boxes so we could pack up more stuff! We took our sore & achy selves back to the apartment to sleep, and repeated the process on Sunday. Thankfully we had a lot of help on Sunday too, when we were joined by Suzie, Becky & Dan. All in all, we managed to move everything that was boxed, and a good deal of the smaller furniture pieces. I still cannot believe how much stuff we had in that apartment! Somehow when you have to box up everything you own, there is more of it than you ever thought possible. We then had a couple of days to concentrate on unpacking before the movers came on Tuesday to bring over the rest of the furniture. The kids enjoyed "camping" at the apartment, where they slept on their mattresses on the floor. We couldn't actually stay overnight at the house until Tuesday, because we were waiting for the occupancy permit. So we're here, and we love it! We're tired and still a bit sore, and we've been unpacking & shopping like crazy. I actually had to go out and buy toilet cleaning brushes in triplicate! I guess that's the price one pays for 3 bathrooms. I think that has struck me as the strangest purchase so far. But we're getting back to normal, and things are looking pretty good. I realized that I have no pictures of the house since we've moved in, so I'll do that tomorrow and try to get them up here for you to see.

Paint, paint, and more paint!

Matt, Steve & Allen in Ashley's room

Charlene & Rick in Matt's room

Cathy & Dad



Charlene in Matt's room



Chris in the Master bath

Ashley in the Master bath

Ashley's room is neon green- and it glows!

Matt's Jungle Green room

Allen & Molly's room

the Kids' bath

Rick in the office

Al in the Dining room

Roger in the dining room

It was a beautiful fall Saturday. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing gently, the smell of paint in the air...yes, folks, I said paint. Lots of paint. About 14 gallons worth so far. The painting saga actually began two weekends ago, when we made our first trip (of many) to Home Depot to buy the paint for the whole house. For months we had debated the colors, decided and second-guessed, calculated the square footage of all the rooms, and we were finally ready to take the next step. We consulted the Home Depot experts as to how much paint to buy, and we left with what we needed. Or so we thought. Turns out we actually needed DOUBLE what we bought. Hence the many trips back to buy more paint. I am now on a first-name basis with some of the cashiers, and I suspect they'll be seeing a lot more of me before all is said & done. Ashley's room was the first to get started. It was so excited to see that first swipe of neon green paint go up on the wall! Before long, we had people painting all over the upstairs. It was a bit crazy with all of us inside the house and the construction crew outside working on the deck, not to mention the tile guy on the first floor. We had family & friends stopping in all day to help, and we got a lot done! By the end of Saturday, we had all three bedrooms done, and a first coat on both of the upstairs bathrooms.  On Sunday we finished the upstairs and moved downstairs to the dining room and office. That's about as far as we can go for now, because there's still too much activity on the first floor, and there are still unfinished walls down there. We're hoping to finish it up next weekend. Of course, we never would have gotten so much accomplished if it weren't for our family & friends. So a great big thank you to everyone who helped us out! Here are some pictures of our progress. And if you find yourself free next weekend and want to come and paint, we'd love to have you!

An Inside Look

Ashley's Room



Matt's room

Master Bath

Dining Room

 It's been almost 2 weeks since the house was set, and it has been so exciting to stop by each day and see the progress that has been made. The most dramatic improvement has been the siding on the outside of the house. It is now almost completely sided; only a little bit on the north side and the back below the future deck remains. The entry outside the kitchen door has been built, and the siding on that is mostly done too. On the inside, the electrician has gotten almost all the light fixtures in, the electrical panel in the basement is wired, and we have power! The kids had a great time ringing the doorbell and playing with the lights. The plumber has been busy too, and we should have running water by the end of the week. The hardwood floor in the dining room has been laid, and in the basement the windows &door have been installed and the stairs have been built. All in all, things are moving right along. The plasterer is due in by next week, and the dining room floor still has to be sanded  & sealed. The countertops, sink, dishwasher, and microwave need to be installed in the kitchen, and the half bath downstairs needs to be finished. Somewhere in the midst of all this we'll go in & paint, then the carpet can be installed. A lot of work to be sure, but it's still a lot less work and way faster than going with stick-built. There's still a lot of work to do in the yard - building the deck, making the retaining wall, grading, and the driveway. Oh, and stairs. Those will be a welcome addition as I'm not as flexable as I used to be, and hauling myself into &jumping out of the house has been taking it's toll on my joints! The plan is for the occupancy permit to be in-hand in a couple more weeks. Then we can move in. It can't come fast enough! I know you've been waiting for pictures of the inside, so here they are.

Master Bedroom



Kitchen



The Set

 Yesterday was the big day when the house arrived and was set on it's foundation! It was an incredible process to watch, and definitely the coolest thing that I have ever seen. We awoke to an overcast, chilly morning, and headed over to the site around 7:30. The kids had stayed home from school for the day so that they could see all the action. We sat outside and waited to see the first sign that the house was on it's way.
 The crew arrived with the crane around 8 am, and they got busy setting up it up and making sure it was properly supported. At about 8:30, we saw the first part of the house making it's way down the street. By this point we had been joined by my parents and most of our neighbors. It was the most exciting thing to happen in the neighborhood in a very long time, and nobody wanted to miss it. There were a few tense moments as the truck made it's way around the corner. It's a good thing we had talented drivers and that my parents (who live on the corner) didn't mind that the truck had to go up on their lawn a little bit! The house was in 4 pieces called modules, and there were 2 modules on each truck. The first trailer held the bottom & top of the back of the house. The crew got right to work removing packing material from the first module, and we got our first glimpse of the interior of the house. The very first thing I saw was the kitchen cabinets (which were already installed). It only took a few minutes from that point for them to get the house attached to the crane, and before we knew it, the first piece was in the air! Talk about holding your breath! There is nothing quite like watching a quarter of your house suspened  way up in the air by just a few cables! As soon as the module was on the foundation the guys fastened it down and set the 4 lolly colums in the basement. The whole process of setting & fastening that first module only took about 30 minutes. Just as they were finishing that first piece, Matt's classmates showed up. His school is just around the corner, so we invited his whole class down to watch the process. Talk about a great learning opportunity! We had a whole lot of family, friends, and neighbors there as well. It gave the day a nice community feel, which I really enjoyed. The second module was raised, and soon joined the first - we had a half a house! One of my favorite parts of the day was when the second module rose into the air and all the kids oohed &aahed. That was quickly followed by laughter because the module had to be turned mid-air to be placed properly, giving the kids a great view of one of the upsairs bathrooms, complete with toilet! They just thought that was the funniest thing (after all, how many times have you seen a flying toilet?). We had a lull in the action for a while while the truck left to pick up the second trailer, which was stored about a mile away. When the trailer returned with the front half of the house, the crew started removing packing material and got the third module up in no time at all. The 4th and final piece took the longest to set since they had to work around the ones that were already in place, and that one seemed to have the most wires hanging down out of it, which they had to be careful of.  Next came the roof. I hadn't really known how the roof came, if it would be in pieces or what. It turned out that the roof was actually attached already to the top modules, and it was laying flat, hinged along the line where it met the house. The crew used the crane to pull it up, and the guys jumped inside to set the support trusses in place. They then followed the process on the other side, leaving a gap of a few feet in the center of the roof. Once all the trusses were secured, they flipped up the top pieces, which had been hinged the same way the larger part of the roof was, to create the peak. The short sides of the roof  (which were shaped like triangles) had actually been shipped nailed to the outsides of the modules. I had thought those parts were just something to protect the  house during transport. I tell you, they have this whole thing down to a science, and they waste no space or materials. They raised up the short pieces with the crane, and attached them to the roof. And there is was, our new home! It was maybe 2pm at that point. I still cannot believe how quickly we went from a foundation to house...that's only 6 hours! Even before the crane packed up & drove off the house was a hive of activity. There were plumbers & electricians in the basement and in the house, and guys up on the roof finishing the shingles. By 4 pm we had a finished roof, and most of the plumbing & electrical done. Allen & I did get to go inside and walk around. What a feeling that was! Remember, we had never actually been inside a house like ours before, we had picked this style from plans, so had only seen it on paper. To have it go from paper to reality was pretty fantastic! A lot of imagination is still required at this point, but the house is about 80% done. The cabinets in the kitchen and upstairs bathrooms are installed, the tile and linoleum is down, bathroom fixtures are mostly in place, and shelving is up in the pantry closet; but there is still more to do. For instance, we have no counters in the kitchen, no vanity in the downstairs bathroom, and to get up the stairs, you have to crawl becasue the top of the staircase has not been fully cut-out yet (to give it stability during shipping) and there's maybe 2 ft of clearance. Much of the plumbing and electrical still need to be connected. The kids got to come in and see it once most of the crew was out, and they loved it. Matt especially thought crawling up the stairs was cool, and would like to keep it that way (not happening, too hard on the back!). They are so pleased with their rooms, in love with the amount of closet space, and excited about having a bathroom that they don't have to share with 3 other people (just each other).
A lot will be happening there today, and I will try to post some new pictures and details tonight.



The crane



The first module



The second module -bathroom on the right



The second half coming down the street

The third module in place

Fourth and final in the air
















All the pieces in place!



Then again, maybe not

All the kneewalls are up, and the foundation is finished.

Turns out the house is NOT happening tomorrow after all. I got a call this afternoon that the set crew had been working on another house today and the crane broke! So tomorrow they'll be finishing today's house, pushing our set to Monday. While we're all a little disappointed, we're thankful that it was not OUR house they were working on at the time. We're expecting a good turnout for Monday - Matt's class will be coming to watch the house go up, as well as some family & friends. So if you're free on Monday morning, come on by!

It's here...kind of. Announcing the long-awaited set date!

This is 2 modules of the house end to end on the truck.  

Well, the house is here. By here I mean here in the city, not here at our lot. The house came in from Pennsylvainia last week, in 2 shipments. We found out today where it's being stored and went by for a look. We really couldn't see much because the modules are wrapped up really well. I admit to jumping up & down to try to look in the windows, but they're too high off the ground! So we'll just have to wait for Thursday to get a look inside. Speaking of Thursday (9/7), that is the official "set" day when they deliver the house and put it on the foundation. We are so excited! The crew will show up around 7 am, and all 4 modules of the house should be in place by noon. So grab a lawn chair if you have some time that morning and come watch!

Unwrapped!

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View from the street

The forms are off the foundation! It's finally starting to look like a house is coming soon. The black stuff on the outside of the foundation in the picture is seal-coating to protect it from water. Speaking of water, the water and sewer lines have been run from the street to the property line, once the house is delivered and "set" they will take them the rest of the way. If you go around to the back of the property, you can see inside what will be our basement. Right now the floor is rock, but cement will be coming this week. Allen, the kids & I climbed inside and walked around, and tried to envision what will be where inside the house. 

The foundation is in!

This is called "hurricaine strapping". It's a piece of metal embedded in the foundation that gets bolted to the house.

pouring the front of the foundation

It has been truly amazing to see everything that has gone into the foundation for this house! On Monday (Aug. 30), the crew began pouring the foundation. Inside the forms was the most complicated web of rebar I have ever seen. It runs vertically up from the ledge, through the fittings, and all the way up through the foundation, which is about 9 feet tall (of course, that's if you get in the hole, it will not be that high above ground!). This is repeated every few feet. Then there's more rebar that connects those peices horizontally in some places. I'm pretty sure that it's the best-built foundation in the city!

The footings are in!

The last four days of torrential rain have taken their toll on my sanity...I actually cheered when I saw the cement truck this morning! The foundation crew was back to work today and poured the concrete for the footings, which is what the foundation will rest on. They'll be back tomorrow to set up the forms for the foundation itself. Progress! Unfortunately, due to the rain delay, the set is no longer scheduled for this weekend; we are hoping now for next Friday or Saturday. The house is coming up from Pennsylvania this week (it will be stored until the set crew is ready for it). So if you see a house on the highway, it might be ours!

It's us vs. the ledge

The forms sitting on the ledge

The good news:  the land is clear, and there is a huge hole where the house will be. The bad news: the excavation crew hit the ledge that runs beneath the lot. Back on the good news side, they were able to dig to the necessary depth, so no blasting will be required. It turns out that it is not a terrible thing for the house to be situated on the ledge, it just complicates things (and increases the cost!). The crew spent the morning uncovering the ledge with shovels and brooms so that the foundation guys would be able to start their work. As of this afternoon, we have some of the forms for the footings in the ground, but as you can see from the pictures, there isn't a level surface beneath them. The foundation crew will have to spend some time custom-making extensions for the forms before they can pour in the cement. Hopefully by Tuesday the footings will be done. The house is due to be set and delivered on Saturday, August 28, which is only a week from tomorrow! But there is so much still to be done that we're not quite convinced that they'll be able to keep that date. We have some video of the clearing process, and if we can ever figure out how to get it off the memory card and into the computer, we'll post some of it so you can see for yourself. Plans for the weekend: packing!

Clearing the land

The first tree coming down

This weekend was very exciting - the excavator and crew showed up on Saturday morning to begin clearing the land. We watched all day as trees, shrubs, vines, and old appliances were hauled out. We've found some interesting stuff - old bottles, tires, and even an old washing machine! It's been there so long it has actually fallen apart. It took us a while to even figure out what it was. As exciting as it was, I admit to being a little sad that the place my sisters & I used to play was no more; I am also feeling a degree of "environmental guilt" over cutting down all those trees. Once the house is up we'll plant some new ones to replace those that we had to get rid of. By now the crew is almost done clearing, and they are supposed to start digging for the foundation today. I am very nervous about this part. There is a granite ledge that runs beneath the property, and there's no way to know how far down it is until they start digging down. If they hit ledge where the foundation needs to be that is not a good thing. So keep your fingers crossed for us please! The kids & I are headed out in a little while to watch the crew work...Hopefully the next post will be about the foundation.

view from what will be the backyard out to the street

Taking out logs

We've got the Permit!

Finally, the building permit has been issued! It has been several frustrating weeks of waiting, and we are now about 3 weeks behind schedule. The good new is the clearing of the land is due to begin tomorrow. We'll post some pictures of that soon. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the view we'll haveof Mt. Hope Bay.

The Penney Project begins

Well, I am going to borrow a page out of my sister-in-law Christy's book, and try one of these blog things to keep everyone informed about our house building project. By now you all know that we're planning to build our first house. We've picked out the style (colonial), the floor plan, and all the details. Now here we are in July, and we're waiting to start the actual construction phase of the project. We had hoped to have the building permit this week, but the city inspector remebered Molly's parents' lot (which is right next door) had issues with errosion a few years back, so he wants testing done before he will issue the permit. No permit, no work. So we're waiting. Hopefully we'll be able to get an engineer out to the lot next week. Here are a few pictures of what we're starting with. The top one is the view from the street, and the second is from Molly's parents' yard.