# We're on our way. Starting construction



## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Hello all. Super lurker, infrequent poster here, thought I'd share an update. I'm in here everyday reading, just don't have alot of experience to contribute yet. Hopefully this time next year we'll be settled in and full on homesteading.
We purchased land in NW Arkansas in October. So far we are really happy with our decision to move here from Iowa. The land does not have a house so we have been going thru the process of building one.
Building pad is leveled, driveway in, waterline trenched in, septic installed, and powerLine brought in with 3 poles and some terrible tree butchering. The pole barn builder was supposed to start today, but the rain says no. 
When the pole barn builder is done my world gets turned upside down. I will have until the end of January to frame and finish two homes inside the barn. So there's where we're at. It's stressful and I feel totally overwhelmed, but keep reminding myself the end result will be living our dream.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Interesting floor plan. No basement?


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

That is a pretty piece of land!


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

What size barn?
How many acres.
What are you going to do with the land?
Where from in Iowa?


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

No basement, just a slab. The floor plan was made out of necessity. Not ideally what I prefer, but a balance between our budget and county zoning regulations on multiple houses. The other home is for the wife's snowbird parents who may eventually move in full time if they need care.
Shed will be 50x100. Our house is 40x50, inlaws side 30x50 and 40x50 in the middle. All insulated w/ r3 foam, vented soffit and ridge.
We have about 170 acres.
Going to start with chickens, fruit trees, garden, and bees. When ready we will add a couple pigs and try to get a beef cattle herd started.
We always lived in different suburbs around Des Moines some more rural than others. Up until a couple years ago we had never considered leaving Iowa.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Ive been to Des Moines, Or maybe it was Dubuque? Went to the historical farms. Wish I could go again. good luck to you.
How many acres you got?


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## Ozarka (Apr 15, 2007)

where are you in nwa? Pretty land.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Thankyou for the compliments. It is very beautiful there, can't wait to wake up there every day! 
We are just east of Witter.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Have you considered a storm cellar for tornado protection?


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

Wonderful! Congrats.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

We will be bolting a pre-made shelter to the slab in the garage part. I originally wanted to dig one in to double as root cellar, but my wife reminded me we rarely went to the basement (when we had one) during tornado warnings, and questioned if I would ever go outside in a storm to sit in the root cellar.
We've been renting a house while we build, with a slab, and she was a little upset that I went back to sleep during our last tornado warning. I figured I'd rather die in my sleep, rather than lay in a tub with a mattress over top. The tornado struck 10 miles away, so a shelter was added to budget.


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

I know I'm late to the party, but congratulations! That is a very beautiful piece of property, and I love the creativity of your house plan. I hope you'll update once the building gets started. How exciting!


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Looks like your well on your way to peaceful living. Good job


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Did I understand you correctly that you are going to build 2 houses inside the pole barn?


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## Ozarka (Apr 15, 2007)

Witter is pretty country. I have friends who live on Slow Tom Road and the folks who own Eureka Plumbing & Electric Supply have a weekend place out there as well. You have two sawmills to pick from too. Just a note about Madison County culcha: If you have Black friends, don't take 'em into the Crossbow fer a piece of pie.....


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## mdstrong14 (Nov 23, 2015)

Beautiful piece of land. We are building our house right now too. No contractors. It's hard work but it's so worth it. To see what these four hands can do together. Congrats and best wishes.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Hello again. I've been having some Internet issues, and just plain busy with the new building, but wanted to drop in and update this. 
The builder started on the shell 2 going on 3 weeks ago, and are almost finished.

Well I was going to attach pics, but this upload is turning them upside down, so will try again later when I have more time.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Well I tried. I even turned the one pic upside down before I uploaded it...oh well you'll all just have to turn your screens upside down, or I'll probly take another when I'm out there in a bit.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Your land is beautiful and your housing plans altruistic and looks workable. I'm a bit concerned you aren't making a storm cellar a priority with all the tornadoes your area has.....


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Well here's the updated pic. On the storm shelter, we will be installing an above ground shelter in the middle section.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Beautiful place. Great follow through too.


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## mdstrong14 (Nov 23, 2015)

Looking good!


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## CountryMom22 (Nov 27, 2014)

Looks great! My hubby is jealous!


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Looks great Mr. Smith...


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## WolfeMomma (Oct 29, 2015)

This looks great! Very neat idea making part of the pole barn your house. I have seen many posts about those conversions on Facebook and I have always loved how they looked! Good luck!


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## COWS (Dec 23, 2012)

Fabulous. I like your storm shelter solution.

COWS


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Such a great idea--all I would change is putting the storm shelter inside and underground. I can remember in the Joplin tornado, they said everything above ground was destroyed, underground safe. And here I sit without either. your plans are so great, that way, if your elderly parents need care, they are close--and yet still independant. since winter hurt me worse. I'd find a way to get animals enclosed--and not have to go outside to do chores!! I was born in Farragut Iowa 78+ years ago. been in south Mo. since I was 4.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. It's been a busy summer and time is Flying. I stop in and read when I can, so taking a day off I figured I should provide an update. 
I'm typing in on an iPad and will then try to add pics from my phone on an edit, so bear with me.
So where we're at, our side is framed, plumbed, and electrified. We have dry walled the ceilings and about 1/3 done on the walls. We expect to start mudding by the end of next week. 
I ended up hiring an electrician. From what I figured in my research to do it myself, we had to have 2 services as houses are all electric. Electric co. won't do 2 services because we share the garage in the middle, so we decided to do 400 amps and 2 panels. At that point I decided I was out of my league and didn't have the time to become an electric expert. So we hired someone that came highly recommended. After watching them wrestle the two main lines into the house, I'm happy I did. It was becoming more stress than I could handle.
The pros were 2 guys, who were in for two long days getting my side roughed in, and they worked fast. I imagine I would have spent at least a week to run the wire they did, probably more, and being on a tight timeline (gotta be done by 12/31) this was an added value. Also, with his experience he knew to ask me questions I wouldn't have thought of.
So all in all it cost a lot more than expected, but we are on track to get it done in time (I think)
After we framed my side, while waiting for electricians and plumbers to do their part, we got my inlaws side framed. The electrician roughed in them too (2 more long days that would have taken me much longer) and the plumber will be back for them soon. We are going to full on finish my side and then go back and do the inlaws side once we're moved in due to our tight schedule ( gotta be done by 12/31 keeps me awake at night)


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## MoBookworm1957 (Aug 24, 2015)

Looking good


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## MikeC (Mar 29, 2012)

This is awesome! Please keep us updated. A lot of us lurkers enjoy it! eep:


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## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

So, you live just off the Pig Trail! DW and I have ridden the Harley from Eureka Springs to I40 on 23 several times. Beautiful country down there. We are looking at finishing out a 30x40, maybe 30x50 pole barn building. Couldn't believe the prices on a decent size building with concrete slab floor. You would pay more for a 12x40 portable cabin building that for a 30x40 pole barn with slab.

Look forward to seeing how things progress for you. Are you going to be living off the land or do you have outside jobs?


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

Looks terrific, thank you for the updates!


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Looking Good !


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## Jollyhomestead (Sep 23, 2016)

Wow, that is impressive! I enjoyed reading your update 

Kathie
www.jollyhomesteading.com


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Keep at it.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Reminds me of when we built this house 20 years ago. Took us 2 years because we did it ourselves, but it's been a good, solid home. Just wish we could have afforded to build it bigger!


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

.Howdy all. Meant to post an update this weekend, but well.. life.
So, drywall done, almost finished taping, but my shoulder is giving me fits on the ceilings. Using a banjo tape gun really has sped things up. 
Not sure what I did to tick off the little schmuck at Lowes, (never saw him before) but he gave me the old junky cellulose insulation blower vs the new one, which he had to move out of the way to get to the junker. It took 9 hours straight to get 2000 sq ft blown in at 13 inches, and we had to pre-crumble the blocks to get them to feed. This is the 3rd time I've done blow in, and this machine was ridiculous.
For anyone in my area, I do not recommend the South Fayetteville Lowes. The one by the mall has better selection and better help. I had to go to the other store for nail gun framing nails and vent pipe fittings that were not carried at the S. Store, and both times the selection was better and employees were Much more eager to help at the other store. Ok rant off.
I had planned to put a bathroom exhaust fan over the wood burner to blow hot air thru 4" pvc to the back bedrooms. However, the electrician recommended a better air mover that blew 200cfm, vs the standard exhaust fan at around 70cfm. The only downside is I had to use 8" flex vent that had to go over a few joists instead of thru. Barring it being ridiculously loud, I think this was another benefit of hiring a pro (yes I'm just trying to justify all that extra $)
Trying to think of anything else and drawing a blank. So if you have any questions on choices we made and why, ask away and I'll answer as best I can.
Ana Bluebird: YES, it definitely comes down to want vs budget. I would have done Many things different with a bigger budget. That said, we've gone over budget and just now thru our savings, so kitchen and bathroom fixtures and flooring will be on credit, which we had hoped to avoid. 
Oldtruck, you'd have a hard time getting a bike down our road, but yes about 10 miles off the pig trail. Now that's it's fall I find myself taking the back way into Elkins more to enjoy the scenery and relax. Although full disclaimer, after my first experience with bike blues and bbq, not a fan of the way Some bikers ride these roads. My wife and father in law both have Harleys and I respect and fear for the bikers. I have extensive experience with road rash due to being a teen with a moped, so just have to stick to 4 wheels personally.
So anyway, if you have questions or want a pic of anything, I'd be happy to comply as time allows. Thanks all for your kind words and interest. This forum has been a wealth of knowledge to me and I'd like to give back when I can.

Ok I've tried over and over to upload these pics and 3 out of 4 refuse to go right side up. I tried right side up and upside down and the results are the same. Tractor pic; one uploaded upside down,the other right side up, on different edits to boot! Why does technology hate me!?!? So very sorry, but if you want to see pics you'll have to do the adjustments. Last pic is "attic" which will be sheathed with osb. The humps are the 8" flex vent.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Fun. I didn't know the homestead was down under.


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

Love the pics and machinery...drool....
And the rolling hills...beautiful! 

Other than holding camera right side up, one can easily rotate, usually when opened in a viewer, under 'view' one can rotate, then save. 

Please keep the pics coming! Best.


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## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

Just found this thread and have so enjoyed your journey My son lives in that area and he loves it. It's very beautiful! Since you moved so far, what did you do about getting a job in your new location?


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Not sure what's going on with the pics. Something is changing during the upload, as the pics are taken on my phone, display fine, and I upload directly from my phone. The two tractor pics, one was right side up and I turned the other upside down on my phone, then uploaded them, and that is what I got:huh: oh well.
I hope I never take our view for granted. I was mowing again today and looked out and had to say a little prayer of thanks for all the blessings. This house building is wearing on me, but I just keep reminding myself this is temporary and how very lucky I am.
Miss Kay, I Have been a stay at home dad for the last 4 years, prior to becoming our home builder. I worked for BCBS of IA for 12 years prior to our daughter being born. We weren't ever sure we would have kids, but when we made the decision to have a child, we wanted them to be raised at home. My wife has 3 college degrees and wanted to keep moving up. My job was successful, but going nowhere, so the decision was made, I would be Mr. Mom. During that time I worked at a hotel overnight on the weekends.
After our home is built, I was going to go back to work full time, somewhere, to pay for all the toys I'm craving. Then my wife agreed to have another kid if I would stay home with them. So, shhh, big secret due late May 2017.
Now, come January, I'm going to see about a USDA loan to get a beef herd started. Hopefully we can get about 20 older cows/pairs reasonable. (God willing) It seems like a really good time to buy in.
Sorry cattlemen, I'm the guy that's been rooting for prices to drop for the last year. 
Concerning our real source of income. My wife is in accounting. She was also at BCBS IA. Our original plan was to get her a job somewhere in NW Ar, and then find land not too far away. What we found was the job market was so competitive in this booming area, she couldn't get an interview with an out of state address. So we found our land, and she started putting that address on her resume, and low and behold she started getting interviews. The University of Arkansas was her 5th interview, and she took a job there in the IT budgeting dept.


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## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

That's wonderful. It sounds like everything is falling into place. Raising your kids on the farm is going to be amazing. 

Just a short story about dad's (OK, maybe not too short). My parents had babies for 20 years and I was their last. By the time I was born the oldest was having their first grandchild and the older boys were headed off to the military. Dad was a depression era kid so he was obsessed with financial independence and became a workaholic. He was successful but barely knew his kids so by the time I came along, he had a change of heart. He knew I was his last chance so he cut his hours and he and I became best buds. He had a small farm on the side and we shared so many adventures on that farm together. He taught me to ride horses, round up cattle, garden, hunt, but mostly he taught me about life and love. He was an amazing man who instilled my love of the land and my work ethic. We went everywhere together and as long as he felt I could do something, I was certainly willing to try even if I secretly had my doubts. I realize now all the things he did and said were intentional to build my self esteem and confidence. We had plenty of time for fun too like going to the back 40 to cut our own Christmas tree or tracking coyotes in the snow. I'm sad for my siblings who only knew him as the guy who paid the bills. You can never go wrong investing in your kids. They will have a treasure of memories like I do of my dad.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Hello all. Sorry so much time has passed. The months slip away like I never knew they could.
Our house is nearing completion, but we had to extend our lease for our rental 6 months, and we will end up about 20k past our savings/budget. Building a house has shown how soft I had become, my shoulders and elbows are a constant pain, not to mention my back which has hurt for the last 5 years. But enough whining, the good news is I've gone down 4-5 belt holes even at the same weight.
I completed the drywall mudding and paint, although it took a good while longer than expected to remember what I'd forgot. I borrowed a Graco airless sprayer from my father in law, but it broke down after priming all and painting about 1/4 of the house. Because of our deadline to have the walls ready for the tile setter, we purchased a duplicate and it worked perfectly. I believe the borrowed unit needs a replacement prime valve, I just didn't have time to mess with it, and now we have a new unit to finish the other house. A sprayer is a great investment if you have a lot of walls and nothing to get over sprayed. They are messy but fast. We still had someone go after me with a roller to even everything out, as the slightest pause would cause runs.
The drywall turned out well, despite some difficulty due to uneven floors, and a bit of splotchy texture. While I have helped mud and texture for my dad, this is my first solo endeavor, and there was a steep learning curve. I believe anyone with a little skill can do these things, but even with a little practice I had much to learn flying solo.
We installed a Pacific Energy Summit woodstove and are very happy with the heat it has given so far. I installed the tile on the hearth, and that was enough to know I wasn't up to tiling the larger kitchen/dining area. We were going to install roll vinyl for ease and affordability. However, after pricing out our options, I was amazed to find I could get real tile installed for the same price. Good vinyl was 3.55 sqft + 1.20 install. The tile we already liked was 1.75 sqft + 3.00 install. This turned out to be a blessing, as our concrete finish has left Much to be desired, and vinyl would have shown all the flaws. The tile guy has worked hard to keep an even floor, and he has earned his pay. We are into an extra 150lbs of thin set to even the high and low spots. So for the same price ($4.75 sqf) I have a more even surface, with the durability that will last my lifetime.
Our kitchen cabinets are due in April 8th, and interior doors April 18th, so we will probably move in before the doors are received. Our last hurdle is vanity tops. We found a vanity we liked right away, but Lowes and Home Depot have a very limited selection of tops. We are going back to Iowa this weekend, and will try to find a top at Menards. While the tile setter is working on our side we have started hanging drywall on the inlaws side. As usual progress is slow but steady.
Sorry, much of this seems boring, but it's has added quite a few grey hairs to my head. Once we're moved in it will be time for chickens, pigs, a garden, fruit trees, and all the other joys of homesteading. I just keep reminding myself there's a light at the end of this tunnel. If anyone has specific questions I'd be glad to answer. I'll add some pics on an edit from my phone.
ETA: Hmmm, it appears all my pics are too large for the server to process. I'll have play around a bit to see if I can edit them on my phone to make them work.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)




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## melli (May 7, 2016)

Always enjoy reading and looking at pics of a homesteader doing his thing. Your an inspiration to me and I suspect others. 
More pics the merrier. Definitely, a sizable place! I think my bunker will fit into your main room. 
Albeit, I hope to have a real home in the future...I just have to be patient. Haha. 
What kind of tile is that?


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## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

MrSmith said:


> View attachment 59428
> View attachment 59429
> View attachment 59430
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> View attachment 59432


I like the tile you picked. Dirt will blend right in!


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## Crivera175 (Mar 20, 2017)

MrSmith said:


> Hello all. Super lurker, infrequent poster here, thought I'd share an update. I'm in here everyday reading, just don't have alot of experience to contribute yet. Hopefully this time next year we'll be settled in and full on homesteading.
> We purchased land in NW Arkansas in October. So far we are really happy with our decision to move here from Iowa. The land does not have a house so we have been going thru the process of building one.
> Building pad is leveled, driveway in, waterline trenched in, septic installed, and powerLine brought in with 3 poles and some terrible tree butchering. The pole barn builder was supposed to start today, but the rain says no.
> When the pole barn builder is done my world gets turned upside down. I will have until the end of January to frame and finish two homes inside the barn. So there's where we're at. It's stressful and I feel totally overwhelmed, but keep reminding myself the end result will be living our dream.


Good luck


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks all. Will try to pop in with more regular updates as we get more into the fun stuff.
Melli, took a pic of tile box, as I didn't even want to try and type all that in.


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## Crivera175 (Mar 20, 2017)

Looking good


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

Did you get the new baby ?


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Forcast said:


> Did you get the new baby ?


Good catch Forcast. I've been so preoccupied I almost forgot to update. Yes, our daughter Isabella arrived Thursday May 18th.
Pictures added here on edit.

I've gotten all the doors installed, so now I've been fighting the laminate countertops. First the wedge part in the 90* corner was 2" too wide, then the replacement was 1/2" too small because my wall framing is less than perfect. I cut the too big wedge to adjust for angle, and then I realized the countertops weren't deep enough. So I added 1/2" hardi board behind the countertop backsplash to bump out the overhang, and now we're having a tile backsplash.
I had orders for doors, lights, ceiling fans, vanity tops, and trim; thru Home Depot and Lowes both, and somehow they both managed to botch the orders. After spending 2 hours at each service desk, we got things straitened out and I'm just waiting for 5 outside lights and 3 interior light fixtures from Lowes.
Random updates.
99.9% of our light fixtures are LED, so will be glad to review/answer questions on those as time goes on.
We had carpet installed. The first "crew" did terrible. 2 guys, (tweakers/ on something) were there from 11am to 11pm. They left extra seams, bad seams, uneven wall trim, razor knife cuts on walls, and their power stretcher broke a 12" wide x 6" high hole in wall, overall bad work. We complained to carpet co. And they agreed subpar and had everything ripped up and new carpet reinstalled at their expense. So overall, happy company stood behind product, despite hiring bad crew.
Side note, skilled labor; My stepdad runs a siding co. This spring they are 19 jobs behind, due to lack of installers. The product is sold, but they are unable to find qualified installers. We have run into this again and again, begging to tradesmen to take our jobs, as demand outpaces skilled labor supply. We've been very lucky to have reliable contractors referenced so far.
I'd be glad to answer any questions. There's just so much going on I'm not sure what's noteworthy, so if any questions, don't be afraid to ask.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

So not smart enough to figure how to edit posts now. So...
New bundle of joy, Isabella
















Big sister helping hang doors. These are prehung hollow core "wood" doors. They now offer to fill them with foam for noise suppression, and to feel more solid. Sounded like a good idea. I had no idea the foam was made of lead. These doors weigh at least 80lbs, if not closer to 100. I had to take them out of the jambs to move them, and it's all I can do to carry one alone. Had to be extra sure on plumb and level as they have a lot of mass pulling down on hinges.

Kitchen cabinets installed.








Still have 4 cabinets in boxes to make an island. Countertops are put together and will attach to cabinets tomorrow.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

So, where did the summer go?
As if moving out of state, builing/ finishing a new house, starting a farm, raising a newborn baby wasn't enough...might as well add a German shepherd puppy (aka sneaky land shark) to the mix.
I'll try to post some pics and throw in some updates tonight and tomorrow.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

So much has happened i wouldn't know where to start. I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Mowed section on left is future orchard. Will plant some fruit trees this fall, and get trellises set up for berries and grapes to plant in spring.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Cell phone booster gets us 4g inside. Highly recommend Weboost. We had 4g outside but steel building blocked all the signal. We have Verizon unlimited, 4 smartphones and 2 Wi-Fi jetpacks. We burn thru our 4g allowance for each device pretty quick, but then get unlimited 3g which is fine for everything including streaming netflix.

Also got over the air tv antennas up and get 63 channels!
Checked the FCC website when we bought the place, said we'd get no reception. Put antenna on stepladder out of curiosity and got 40 channels!
Put it on roof and got 63 channels. Of course 60 channels includes 4 each of CBS, ABC, NBC, etc...but still we can continue our 15 + years of free tv.
So, of course, don't trust the internet.
I had to run coaxial after the fact, and while the wire fishing went smooth, my foot slipped off a ceiling joist and I got to repair a size 13 hole in the ceiling.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Had leftover drywall and knew it would sweeten soil, so wanted to put on orchard. Tried running thru woodchipper, worked great except ended up having too many feed issues, and wind carried gypsum powder to neighbors

Gratuitous thoughtful baby photo


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Been wanting this sink for 6 years. Used to be available in stores at Home Depot, now online only, but luckily still available.
First big tub, great to fit baby bath in ( pretty sure Isabella pee's every time you get diaper off cause she likes baths)
Smaller sink insert with indepent drain, slides to either side of big tub. Strainer that also slides over big tub, or fits in sink insert, and a cutting board that fits over all.


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## MrSmith (Jun 24, 2009)

Not everything has been easy. I have stepped Ridiculously out of my comfort zone. But I am the most blessed man on earth, and I do not deserve it.


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## kalmara (Aug 21, 2011)

Really enjoyed reading about your journey, well done. Look forward to more updates


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## MoBookworm1957 (Aug 24, 2015)

Congratulations on the baby.
Double congratulations on the house.
Enjoy reading about your journey.


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

I second MoBookworm....
Amazing speed for such a large home, and you doing most of it. 
Any pics of exterior of house would be nice...
And that storm pic with grass and trees is where I want to be (looking through a window, in a stout house, of course). Beautiful pic. Something about grass and trees seem so calming....


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