Let the Framing Begin

It's been just over a month since I wrote about the progress on our new house.  Most of that month was pretty uneventful, but when things get moving boy do they get moving!

The middle part of May was spent pouring the street, sidewalk and running utility lines to the house.  Clearly, all very important and necessary steps, but nothing much to look at when you're waiting on pins and needles for a house to appear.  This picture of our street was taken on May 23 and things looked pretty much just like that for another 12 days.

June 4 is when the real action started and our Realtor forwarded us this image from the builder with the caption, "Breaking ground on the Elser house today."

One day later the hole was dug.

One week later we had a completed basement.

Over the next 12 days the plumbing was roughed in, dirt work completed for the basement and garage floor, and then concrete poured.  Finally, on June 25 we got word that the lumber had been delivered.  That meant framing was going to start any day.  It also meant that our deadline to request (and pay for 50% of) upgrades had arrived.  We reviewed our list one more time (A/C, fireplace, stainless appliances, gas stove, garage door opener, a few ceiling fans, a few additional cable/electrical outlets), signed the amendment and wrote the biggest check of our lives.  So yeah.  This is really happening.

2 days later, on Thursday, June 27, the framing had begun.

All 3 of us happened to be in Fort Collins over the weekend so we were able to go to the job site for the first time and see some actual activity.  And what a difference a day makes!  Here is a series of pictures we took on Friday evening.

Standing in the 3 car garage

Jack is standing in our future family room.  Sliding doors will look into the backyard.

He came prepared to "do some work" - complete with tool belt, work gloves and, of course, safety goggles.

And this is how it looked on Saturday after the crew put in another half day of work.

I can't even imagine how it will look by the end of this week.

All signs are still pointing to a late July closing date, so the countdown is officially on.