An Interior View

A view from our dining room looking in to my parent's kitchen

I won't lie, this building process has had some rough spots.  The last week has seemed especially tough on us as a family.  The boys have been bickering more than usual and although adults disagree in different ways, the attitudes of the heart can be much like the children.  I am going to speak for myself because I wouldn't like to implicate anyone else in my house, but this week has caused me to do some real soul searching.

Plainly, I have been asking myself this question: "no matter how pretty or functional this house is, if there isn't love, forgiveness, patience, kindness and longsuffering, will this be a house I want to live in?"  The answer is "no, it isn't."  I can give all kinds of reasons that we are under stress, whether it be the details of our build or the inconvenience of our current living conditions, but it really doesn't matter. Our Christian faith and principles must be lived out no matter what the circumstances of life may bring.

I have been challenged this week in the area of love.  When Jesus was asked by a scribe which commandment was the most important, He replied (Mark 12:29-31) "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."

1 Corinthians 13 has also been a passage I have addressed with the boys this week. Verse 7 has been especially valuable to me "(Love/Charity) beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things".   The beauty in this housing arrangement has always been about our relationships. My parents have played an integral part in the lives of our boys and I am so thankful for the closeness we share as a family.  The challenge is, under stress and inconvenience, to show love.  Putting my needs or wants aside for the needs of others is not a natural reaction, but it is the Lord's expectation of me.  My prayer this week is to live this out, and in doing so, showing others what Christ has done for me.  I am so thankful that we share the same God.  Because of that fact, I know the Lord is working on the hearts of all 7 of us, drawing us closer to Him and to each other.  He is so good and faithful!

A view from our entryway/living room

*A note about the house:  We are approaching the end of the "rough" electrical and HVAC work this week!

Up on the Rooftop

Roof (noun):  A roof is a part of a building envelope, both the covering on the uppermost part of a building or shelter which provides protection from animals and weather, notably rain, but also heat, wind and sunlight; and the framing or structure which supports the covering.

Roofers began Saturday morning, June 7th

Our roof is on!  It was completed just days before we started getting a little rain around here.  Our roofers were extremely hard workers and were finished in less than 2 days.  Dale had originally planned to roof the house but decided at the last to hire it done.  It was an added expense that we weren't planning but we were happy to have it completed so quickly.

As a roof provides shelter from storms, winds (which we have a lot of around here) and rain, I have been reading Psalm 46.  It is a beautiful passage about our God being our refuge and our strength. Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  As I have walked through this shell of a home, I have considered our future.  We don't know all the things that will take place here, most definitely there will be joy AND pain.  I am so thankful that we have the security of a Lord who knows all things and who promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Completed roof on Monday, June 9th

The General

Proverbs 22:1
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

As Father's Day approaches, I thought I would blog a little about our general contractor (who happens to be my dad).  We appreciate all his work on this project and the time he spends fretting about all the details.  When this house project was in the discussion stage, the fact that my dad had so many years of experience in construction made our plan just about perfect.

It is said that you can save 20% - 30% by being your own general contractor.  I don't know if we will ever know how much, if any, we have saved but we do know we are having a quality home built by my father.  His heart is really in this project and he wouldn't have it any other way.  One of the biggest benefits we have seen is the relationships he has with people.  He is well known and respected in the community.  Our subs really like working with him and I know in many cases we have gotten a little "extra" because they were doing it for Bob.  When we were kids he made a really big deal about our name and the kind of reputation we were building.  Clearly for him it has paid off to be an honest, reasonable, hardworking man that treats people right.

I can't believe it but my dad will be 76 years old in November.  He works so hard and we appreciate all that he is doing for us.  He has been a faithful Christian, husband and father for over half a century. There is no one we would trust more building our home.  If you are thinking that I think a lot of my dad, you are right, he is about 8 feet tall in my eyes!  Thanks Dad.....and Happy Father's Day, I love you!

Framing and Windows

As of June 2nd, 2014

Here we are in the beginning of June and our little house project is moving right along!  Framing is mostly completed (with a few finishing touches left), windows are in (with a few exceptions) and rough plumbing is in and waiting for the 2nd inspection.  We think it's going to be a beautiful home and our framing crew agrees.  Our framer is a bit of an artist and made some changes that, in the end, we were very happy with.  He captured a look we were hoping for.  We have been extremely blessed with sub-contractors that really pour their energy and pride into their work.  For that, we are very thankful.

HVAC will be coming in the next week and we are making final changes and decisions on things like cabinets, fixtures, trim/door packages, and etc.  So many little decisions that my brain can't take much more!  It is both exciting and exhausting at the same time!

This weekend we are updating the estimates and finding out where we are with our budget.  We have had several unplanned expenses (as construction goes) and we need to determine if we can still afford the things we were planning. Let me revise that a little bit:  Stacy is wanting to know if Stacy is going to get everything she wants but realizing that she might not! I am going to humble myself right here on this blog and admit that I can be a brat when I want my way!  I can talk about being flexible but it really is uncomfortable for me at times.  Time to go back to the beginning and trust the Lord and give thanks for this amazing gift He has given our family.  I drive by this house and pinch myself because I can't believe it.  But, the reality is, it is JUST a house and the most important things in it are not things, but the people who live there and the God they serve.