The Site is Coming Along

When we saw the property back in April we thought it was a lovely 5 acre piece at the end of a country lane- private, hidden and quiet. We realized the 5 acres had mostly hill with one flat plateau. The trick was going to be in bringing light into a wooden overgrown area and making the plateau as big as possible.

So here is what we had when we bought it.

Here is the site today with the pad ready for the foundation work. It really has changed. I think we have achieved a plateau which will make the site feel much larger.

More Pad Work

12 inches of fill in place. 6 more inches to go. Site changing every day

The First Shovel

It was Monday at 4:30pm. The beginning. Readying the earth for a concrete slab foundation.

As far as budget….. that constant pressure in building a house. We are being pressed by winter and rain approaching in 60 to 90 days. We have to get going. However we are less than 1% away from budget at this point. We reduced cost by reducing quantities and qualities- fewer windows- less outdoor concrete patios- slightly smaller pool- reduced storage shed- slightly smaller house- slightly less expensive cabinets. Bottom line is you need to have time to grind cost and overall we have done an OK job of reducing cost. Two thoughts- 1)Get your plans as far in advance as possible because time equals options prior to construction- 2) Contractors like to build so holding up the job and start date due to budget issues inspires ideas from your contractor when they can see a start date if cost come down.