Cement Work

Our hole in the dirt is beginning to take form, and not a moment too soon because "winter is coming..." In early October we made our way out to the Valley and were able to see a lot of progress. The footings had been installed and the wall forms were being constructed. Needless to say, there is a ton of work involved to get the site ready for the concrete pour. The walls will be poured in mid-October--that's this week!  

Below are a few shots showing the construction of the footing forms, the pouring of the footings, and the construction of the wall forms. 

Broke ground!

The dirt work has officially begun.

Our heavily treed lot is now starting to look like a building site. (Good news for us, bad news for the few trees we had to take down.) Because of the slope of the property, a LOT of dirt had to be moved and moved again, but the excavator crew did a great job. Thankfully the lot has only been minimally disturbed with just the essential building areas impacted.

From the pictures below you will see the cleared building site and our driveway (still rough). Just about ready for the foundation to get started.

Ups and Downs

In mid-July we spent a week in the Valley meeting with Tim and taking in the sites. Below are a few shots from our trip. Olive had a wonderful time and we met a few horses that happened to be hanging out...no fences or owners in sight. It was hot, and when we were not at elevation, we were spending time riverside.

We met with Tim to finalize a number of material selections and discuss the excavation that was set to begin the following week. Our meetings with Tim went great, and we left the Valley excited that the project would begin the following week...

Then a curve ball arrived two days before the excavator was set to begin. It has been a crazy few weeks and we have had to be very flexible to keep the project moving in the right direction. After a number of ups and downs, we are back on track with a solid plan and approach to getting the cabin built.

 

We have a Construction Contract!

After a number of weeks spent crunching the numbers and refining the budget, we now have a construction contract!

In late June, we took our first trip to the Valley in months and had a chance to meet our contractor, Tim Smith, in person for the first time. Sitting down with Tim was really helpful and we were able to finalize the budget and the construction contract.

This is exciting news because we are now working with Darel Ansley at the People's Bank to finance the project...fingers crossed this process will go smoothly. We are targeting late July to break ground.

We didn't spend the entire trip working on the project, and had a chance to explore a few new areas.  Below are a few shots from Pipestone Canyon (great spot for birding) and Black Lake (huge fire a few years back with lots of new growth):

Refining the Budget

We have been working with Ryan and Tim to review the plans and line-item costs so that we can get the project within budget...or as close to our original budget as possible. Two of the largest line items were the cement and the windows. The windows we figured would be expensive but never would have thought of cement as a high-ticket item. Surprise!

So, unfortunately, we have had to cut a few of the cement features. One item we're a little sad to be losing is the double cement wall at the entry of the cabin. This was a super pricey item, but we think we've found an alternative that will preserve the look and feel of the entry. Olive even made it into the rendering (see below).

We also had to better define what we wanted for our cabinets so that a more accurate bid could be provided. We made a few changes to the kitchen, master bathroom, and flex room cabinets shown below:

We have switched from hydronic radiant heat to electric radiant heat and made some modifications to the window package, both of which saved a chunk of money. Hopefully, we are close to locking the budget in so we can get the contract with Tim signed and begin the financing process.

We have a Contractor!

We were lucky enough to have four contractors bid our project. We spent the last week+ reviewing the bids with our architect and trying to figure out who would be the best fit. It was not an easy decision--all four contractors do amazing work. But in the end, we had to choose...

Welcome Tim Smith and the folks at Big Valley Builders!

We are super excited to get to work with Tim; we believe he will be an excellent addition to our team. Not only will Tim be responsible for building the cabin, but he will also be our neighbor...literally. We know where you live, Tim! Only kinda kidding, because we really do know where Tim lives.

Anyhoo, Tim has his work cut out for him. We need to revisit and refine the plans so that we can get the budget lined up. Currently, we are over-budget (gasp), but with the help of Ryan and Tim, we think we can find a solution to satisfy our aesthetic needs and pocketbook limits. We were mentally prepared for this process and are still targeting a start date in June/July 2013.

Permit Approval and New Interior Renderings

We received permit approvals today from Okanogan County! Still waiting for the bids but it shouldn't be long now. Maybe another week or so.

Ryan gave us a few interior renderings to hold us over while we wait for the bids to come in...

 

Let the Waiting Begin!

It's been an exciting couple of weeks. Not only did we finish up the structural engineering stuff and receive approval from the HOA, but we submitted the plans for permitting and sent them out for bids! Let me clarify, by "we" I mean our architect. Ryan's been working hard to get this project in motion.

The plans have only been in with the potential contractors and the county for a few days, and we expect it will be a few weeks before we hear anything. Ah well. In the meantime, we have found new things to fixate on. We have been combing through the construction set and now can start making decisions--or at least ask questions--about fun things like light switch controls and electrical outlet placement…     

Latest Renderings

Things have been moving right along, and we are still on target for breaking ground this spring. Once the plans are engineered, we will present the plans to the HOA, submit the plans for permitting with the county, and obtain bids from contractors. In the meantime, we are still trying to nail down the right exterior materials and incorporate the garage into the design.

The latest perspectives (below) show the use of wood siding at the entrance. We wanted something to soften the look of the exterior, but that would still age well and complement the metal and cement. Initially, we thought wood was a bad idea, especially with the harsh weather in the Valley, but with placement on the north-facing side of the house, wood may do the trick.

Just to note, the metal is very orange in these pics. The actual color should be closer to gray/blue. Also, these are the first images of the garage, and we like how it fits in with the house on the site. Ryan exercised his creative liberty by including two snow mobiles in the second photo. Thanks Ryan!

Fun In the Valley!

With each trip we take to the Valley, we get more and more excited about having our own place out there. There is no better motivation to keep the project moving forward. Below are a few shots from our winter excursions with friends and family: