White. Light.

 Like light from above, a layer of glaze has been applied to the ceilings.  It helps even out the sheet rock applications and gives you a feeling of what everything will finish out to be.  The crisp, light feeling is wonderful.  Oh, can I tell you how good it feels to know you won't have popcorn ceilings?  Ahhhhhhhh.....

 See that little beam of light on the floor - Mel loves that.

 You'd think the column would be obtrusive, but it blends well from the entrance and makes it feel sorta lofty from the back hallway.  Here's the view from where our guests will stay - hint, hint.

More lofty - sorta tree house feelin' going on in the upstairs loft.

Hope to start work on the front stone stoop in the next handful of days and met with the flooring guy today. The next layer begins.

Taking shape

Still amazed!!!  You think that building a house takes time, but when you watch these guys work you find out that may not be true.  The sheetrock guys started yesterday and today the rock is on the walls and all the joints are taped and mudded.  Not sure if mudded is a real word but it sounds cool!!!!!  

Sheetrock delivery

Dude this truck is cool grabbing big stacks of sheetrock and dropping if off next to the house.  I bet it was tough when they had to move it one piece at a time.

Front porch

This time next week we should have a really cool entry to the house.   The plan had a porch with a wood deck and stairs.  Not at Gifft hill, we took the plunge and we are putting a stone porch on this baby.  Wood just didn't make the statement that we felt this place deserves.  

 I am going to have to brush up on laying stone, phase two has me putting stone on the old front porch to tie the two areas together.  Until then if you ride by on the weekend or during summer break you will probably see me having breakfast or coffee on the old front porch.

Expanding out and making a statement

Check back tomorrow for more pics, the front porch is taking shape.  Jose and the guys poured the pad for the stone front porch today.  Hopefully we will have part two to our grand entrance before the end of next week.

Inspections

We didn't pass the framing and mechanical inspection but it wasn't really that bad, only a few changes to make.  They are letting us proceed with the next step and make he needed changes before the insulation inspection.  

For all you HGTV junkies out there,  Holmes on Homes will drive you crazy if you decide to build a house.  You will look for all of those things that can go wrong and lay awake at night thinking about what might go wrong.   But for me one of the good things that came from this show, I decided to upgrade our insulation to blown in cellulose.

Clark Howard would be proud, a nice investment that will pay for itself in less than 4 years.  Unlike the old house we should have cool summers and warm winters.

Nanny you won't have to wear your sweat shirt in our house this winter.

Up Into the sky

The entry foyer has had it's share of problems, the wall were to tall to stand the test of time.   Two specialist were hired, one to develop a plan and one to put it into action, the walls are now supported with steel.  Papa and Jose the framing contractor were not really sure about the plan but it all came together.

The landing at the top of the stairs was designed to float in the sky.  We didn't want to have a post in the middle of our entry foyer therefore an engineer and steel specialist had to come together to develop a plan.  Mel still walks gently across the landing, I must admit it is hard to think that it can support itself but we have stamp of approval from an engineer.

Although they have years and years of experience in the engineering field, sometimes it tough for a couple UGA grads to completely trust one of those folks from downtown, you know a Georgia Tech guy.

OK, the engineer really knows his stuff, the wall is strong, stairs are installed, landing is floating in the air and only one small post was required, we have our grand entry.