Taking Shape

We have a roof! Well, sort of. Almost.

The below photos show the progress Tim and Co. have made framing the roof and overhangs. It is amazing how the form of the building is slowly emerging. Next up, the excavator will be back on sight to back-fill and grade the property. In the meantime, Big Valley Builders will start framing the few interior walls.

We are looking forward to getting out there for our first proper walk-through!

Framing Continues

The weather in the Valley has been great, which means that Big Valley Builder's is making excellent progress. The majority of the framing materials are on-site and there is a real push to get the roof on. Below are a few images of the recent framing work. We can't wait to get out there!

The first photo is of the master bedroom looking west towards the mountains.

This is a shot looking across the long expanse of window from the kitchen to the living room.

There is still a bit of snow on the west portion of the property.

This is a shot looking from the north.

A crane was needed to move the large trusses into place.

This truss alone is more than 18' long and spans the width of the house from the entrance to the large bank of windows on the west side of the building. You can see the framing for the future front door.



Back to Work!

After a long winter and a late snowfall, Big Valley Builders is back to work!  As you can see from the below photo of our driveway, the Valley was hit by a number of storms in late February and early March. We were in the Valley for a long weekend in late February and thought work would begin before March...apparently not. 

However, warmer temperatures have brought a ton of work. Tim and company were able to start back to work mid-March and real progress is being made. Framing is underway and the house is starting to take form.  

 

Wrapping up for the Winter

Although the pictures below don't show it, the Valley is now covered in snow. As such, we are closing down the project until the spring. Fortunately, the cement work was finished in the nick of time. The snow started just days after it was completed.

The photos show the extensive cement work, as well as insulation and footing drains. The foundation will be back-filled a few feet to keep the insulation in place and to cover the drains. The cement looks really good and everyone is excited to get back to work once the snow melts. Until then, we will be working on interior selections, daydreaming, and skiing! 

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.