...and the walls are poured 10.30.07

Now we wait a week or so for curing and then the fun will begin.

Wall Forms are up 10.29.07

Yesterday when we visted the house the forms were up for pouring the walls! Wow, this is going so fast and is so exciting! After they pour the walls the next step will be to let it sit for a week or more to let it cure. Then the garage slab will go in and we get to be a part of that process by writing in the slab!


Living room/master bedroom area with the garage slab going to the right side (out of the picture).

There will be fill dirt in this area to build up to the floor of the garage slab.

Master bedroom wall

Looking over towards the kitchen and keeping room.

Back right corner (master bedroom) of the house looking up towards the cul-de-sac.

Up towards the road going into the cul-de-sac.

When looking at our house, there is a road (it will be paved) to the right of the house that goes back to the large lots in the neighborhood (2 and 5 acre lots). We drove down that road and came back up to see the back side of the construction site. The back of our house is going to be very private and quiet bordered by woods and a creek.

Footings 10.27.07

We visited the land today and the footings have been poured. Things are really moving fast and so exciting to watch. We had fun walking the house today. Caroline took several of the pictures on the blog today. She felt pretty special holding Mommy's big camera and strap around her neck while shooting away.

Jason loves the building process. When we lived in West Point and they were building the Family Life Center he loved watching each day's change. Then the schools being built is so exciting for him. Now to watch his own house being constructed is so fascinating for him to watch and figure out.

Guess who is behind the camera on this one?

Preparing the Footings 10.25.07

Very fitting to have an Iowa Hawkeye fan doing some of the work.

Moving Dirt!!! 10.21.07

Tonight we drove by the land and they are moving dirt!!

Looking down into the basement

Caroline & Doster on the big bulldozer

It was so exciting to see some definition to the lot and actually see the work beginning.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

We visited the land again tonight and let the kids play and walk around by the creek. Before leaving we prayed again and let Caroline pray this time. I just held the camera in my lap as she prayed so she wouldn't think it was on. You can see it at the bottom of this post. Such a sweet memory as she prays, in her own way, for her home.

There are a few nice hardwoods in the back.

Looking, from the back of the lot, up the slope towards the road.
I love the way the sun comes through the trees in the early evening.

It's Ours! 09.21.07

We signed a contingency contract for a lot in Grove Park on September 21st. Grading will begin this week and closing should be January 30, 2008. We are trying to remain somewhat detached because we haven't sold our house yet and there is a chance we will have to give up this opportunity. Yet, inside we are jumping up and down with excitement! :)

This journey will, undoubtably, teach us big things along the way. We are so anxious to sell our current home, and have been trying for a year and a half. Grove Park became an opportunity that we just couldn't pass up. The only downside was knowing that we might lose it in the end if we haven't sold our house yet. Risk is scary but we feel the Lord has opened door after door and we need to just walk through each door until we find a closed one. Please join us in praying for our current home to sell quickly.

This blog will chronicle the building process. Most people will probably be bored along the way...but this blog is mainly for us to be able to watch the process and journal our way through and hopefully a few of you will enjoy watching along the way.



This acre of land is in a neighborhood with 12 homes in a quiet part of our community. The back of the acre is wooded with a small creek running across the property.

Here is a copy of the house plan. The garage will not have the hitch in the front.

The kitchen wall will not be diagonal and open into the Keeping Room, it will square off and be solid so we can have more cupboard space. We won't have the bay windows in the Breakfast Room, the back of the house will be flat.

The Bonus room will be unfinished as will the basement but there will be a stubbed bath in the basement for the future.