The Zierdt Family

Remodelers Fall Showcase - October 10-12, 2008

2008-11-29T06:14:00.008-06:00

The Parade of Homes held their Remodeler's Fall Showcase the weekend of October 10-12, 2008 and we were one of the feature homes.

Here is a link to the article that was featured on our house:

http://www.paradeofhomes.org/featured-stories/featured-stories-read.aspx?id=132

The next link will take you to home along with a VIP 360 tour that one can take of the home:

http://www.paradeofhomes.org/remodeled-home/remodeled-home.aspx?id=644

In addition, our home won an award for Excellence in Building Green - below is the press release:
GREEN BUILDING AND REMODELING AWARDS new in 2008 Green construction is a rapidly growing segment of the home building and remodeling industry. As such, BATC has added a new award to honor excellence in Green building. Entrants submitted several photographs and a comprehensive description of their home or remodeling project. They were also asked to submit a short description of their company’s green philosophy, how they worked to raise awareness of green building techniques and materials on the job site, as well as key green features the used. Judges, including members of the BATC Green Committee and Mike Williams, Executive Director of MN GreenStar, carefully reviewed all materials and selected the best entrant in each category.

Excellence in Building Green, RemodelingShowcase Renovations, Inc., Corcoran, for their whole-house remodeling project located in Monticello

Excellence in Building Green, Single-FamilySummit Design-Build, LLC, Shoreview, for their contemporary/industrial styled home located in Minneapolis

Final Episode of Our House on Blueprint for Green

2008-09-10T22:25:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since our last post, but here is a copy of the final episode of Our House on Blueprint for Green which aired this past Saturday.

Getting Settled

2008-07-20T12:17:00.010-05:00

Well, we are gradually getting somewhat settled in the new house. We officially closed on our construction loan on July 2nd and have converted over to a home mortgage. Work was still being done right up until closing and there is still fine tuning that will be occuring over the next several months. Last weekend, Shelly and I started hanging pictures in the house and it is starting to feel like home again. It's amazing that some of the things that we've moved in have been packed away since leaving Wisconsin Rapids over 3 years ago.

Last week, Bryan Anderson, our architect had a professional photographer out at the house all afternoon and into dusk shooting pictures. We are very excited to see what the professionals can do with the photos vs. Shelly's I-phone or our Sony digital camera. This coming week, Channel 11 will be here on Wednesday for the final episode of Blueprint for Green and it will feature Bryan, Showcase Construction and me! I've already been warned by Amanda the shows producer that we only have 5 minutes for everything and everybody, so I will have to succinct whatever I say.

Here is a round robin tour on the inside of the house with photos:

Dining area and living room:

Outside screen porch area:

Office area with entry to our bedroom at the end through the pocket door:

Entry to our bedroom:

Entry to our shower:

Laundry & utility area that is just outside the bathroom and with an entry from detached garage:

Upstairs sitting area:

Aaron's Bedroom:

Abby's Bedroom:

The garage which was our home from November until the end of May is now emptied out and has room for both of our cars.

Shaping up the Place with Landscaping

2008-06-29T12:09:00.009-05:00

Well, we are in the final steps of the house project and over the past week, Bever Landscaping (http://www.beverlandscaping.com/) and designer David Sonka have been working to complete the landscaping out at the house. The weather was great and as a result they were able to complete before the storms on Friday afternoon. The rains on Friday evening was a good test of the drainage system, permeable pavers and the infiltration areas and we are happy to report that everything functioned as planned. We also have 2 rainbarrels that are full for watering the new plants - it's so cool.

Here are pictures of the finished landscaping on Sunday morning, June 29th:

This is patio area off the screen porch with a mulch walkway to the firepit.

This is looking up from the infiltration gardens towards the porch outside the master bedroom - it reminds us of a Japenese garden.

The area behind the garage will be our vegetable garden - inside the rock borders as seen in the pictures below:

WE ARE HAPPY!

We have gradually started moving things back into the house following the past 2 weeks of working on polishing the concrete floors. The floor looks 95% improved and there is still some work required on the trim and in the corners along with a massive clean-up that is planned for tomorrow. So, we are almost completed with the project and we can take the rest of the summer to enjoy and relax.

Happy Mid-Summer

2008-06-21T15:08:00.014-05:00

To all of our Swedish Relatives,

We wish all of you a happy, safe and festive mid-summer. It's hard to believe that 1 year ago we gathered here in Minnesota for the family reunion. The weather here is just as nice as it was a year ago; however, it is definitely not as hot. So much has happened in a year at our homestead and that is probably why the time has flown by. I've included some pictures from a year ago below:

As for the house, you probably noticed that there hasn't been any posts on the blog since Memorial Day. The reason is that we are not quite settled in our new home as originally expected. There were some complications that we have been working through in terms of the polished concrete floor and that has been a set back that we are dealing with for the next couple of weeks. Even though this is an inconvenience, we have to look at it as short term in order to enjoy the long term benefit knowing that our floor is going to be what we expected. (Glass 1/2 full). On a positive note, the landscaping started this week on Thursday and that is quickly taking shape and we can't wait to see the progress over the course of next week. So, here is 1 year transtion:

This is a permeable paver system that is being installed by Bever Landscaping (http://www.beverlandscaping.com/) and the pavers were donated by Borgert's (http://www.borgertproducts.com/borgert/). The permeable pavers allow water to infiltrate through the gravel and into a underground piping system that will take the water to a rain garden area and control erosion.

This will be the new vegetable garden as it gets a lot sun due to being southern exposure.

The gutters on the back side of the house - high ones will go into rain barrels.

Now an update on the polished floor work that is in progress, this is the polished floor that we expected. The company that is doing it now is Concrete Treatments Inc. out of Plymouth, MN (http://www.concretetreatmentsinc.com/). We will let all of you be in the judge in comparing the work with now and before pictures below.

The picture below shows the transition from the polished floor at 1500 grit compared to the first pass at 100 grit after the acrylic finish (plastic) that was removed.

The picture below shows transition from the office area following the first pass in removing the acrylic to the master bedroom which is the original floor.

Our bedroom and bathroom floor that is considered a polished floor - you make the comparison as you look through the final pictures depicting the floor in May prior to moving in and finally taking you back to the floor as it stands this weekend.

Here is the floor finish in mid-May and only 8 days prior to us moving in following the floor being sealed.

Following the acrylic/plastic finish on the floor.

The final picture is Friday, June 20th with the new sub-contractor:

Overall, for the most part everyone that we have worked with on the house project in the last 2 years has been outstanding. We've developed some great relationships and it is hard for everything to draw to close.

Stay tuned as we finish up over the next several weeks and prepare for the final episode with Channel 11 & Blueprint for Green. In addition, our home has been selected to be a part of the Remodeler's Showcase in mid-October.

Memorial Day Weekend 2008

2008-05-27T06:46:00.006-05:00

Everyone is probably wondering about our status on moving into our new home over the Memorial Day weekend. The weekend was rather interesting as Shelly worked every day except for Memorial Day, I on the other hand ran up north to the cabin to get the boat out of storage and help Kris/Scott put the dock in.

On Sunday, the storm that produced tornadoes in Coon Rapids and Hugo rolled through our area with damaging winds and golf ball size hail. The house made it through pretty much unscathed; except for the north side of the screen porch that stretched out the screens. However, all of our vehicles received damage with the Toyota Prius being the worse as it was sitting in the parking lot at Walmart. Abby's car has a broken windshield and Shelly's 4-runner has some markings.

On Monday, Shelly and I along with Judy went to Fort Snelling National Cemetary to visit the gravesites of Shelly's Grandpa & Grandpa Dahlquist along with her Aunt June and Joanne. After going to Fort Snelling, we went over to IKEA and had a good old Swedish lunch of meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry.

Back to the move, well Abby moved completely back into the house on Thursday night so she is pretty well settled in her new bedroom. Aaron's bedroom is starting to take shape as we prepare to bring him home from college on Tuesday, May 27th. As for us, we gradually starting moving over the weekend and actually slept in the house on Thursday night. However, the concrete floor finish on the main floor is under review and we will not be on the main floor for a period of 1-2 weeks starting around June 9-10th and thus the reason for not moving things other than dishes, kitchen, etc. in over this past weekend. Shelly and I are not planning on living in the garage during this period as the bed that we had set-up is now in Abby's room. So, Aaron will more than likely be in the bunk bed out in the garage and Shelly and I living upstairs with Abby for this timeframe.

Now for the positive, take a look at the pictures taken last Wednesday, May 21st:

Kitchen, Living and Dining Rooms:

Exit from Living Room to Screen Porch:

Dining Room area:

Sliding barn door from laundry room to main part of house:

Master Bedroom, Closet and Bathroom:

Heading Upstairs - this is the sitting area:

Aaron's Bedroom:

Certificate of Occupancy

2008-05-21T13:39:00.002-05:00

Happy Mothers Day & Fishing Success

2008-05-11T19:55:00.004-05:00

Well, Shelly worked on this Mothers Day, but Abby and I along with Wayne & Judy went out to breakfast at Perkins before Shelly went to work.

After breakfast I came home and lounged for a while, then I decided to go try fishing again on the river seeing it was a blue sky day.

Today, I was successful in catching a nice 17" - 1 1/2# walleye along with a small mouth bass. I spent about 2 hours fishing, but it was great to catch something and to just hang out with the dogs down by the river.

So, for a special treat, I was able to prepare a walleye dinner for Shelly after work and it was very tasty! Here is a picture of the walleye both before and after filleting:

Rainy Day - Minnesota Fishing Opener

2008-05-10T15:02:00.005-05:00

It's a rainy Saturday on the opening weekend of fishing in Minnesota or at least this afternoon when I decided to get my license and a dozen minnows to try my luck again in the Mississippi River. Anyhow, I waited for a break in the weather and then headed out, but by the time I walked down to the river it started raining again. So, I cast a couple of times until I lost my jig on a rock snag. Instead, I thought that I would update everyone where we are at in the house project.

There was a lot of activity this week as the porch area outside our bedroom was constructed, appliances arrived on Wednesday and installation occured on Friday, electricians worked most of the week on final terminations for lights, plumbers were here on Friday to install toilets, faucets, shower heads, etc. while the well gang finally got out to the house upon road restrictions being lifted on Thursday to convert the water over to the house and then backfeed to the garage. Anyhow, things were going great on Friday and Shelly was looking forward to taking a bath in her new tub finally after work. However, after everyone left, I continued to check as the plumbers asked for leaks as lines filled up and hot water came on and unfortunately I had to isolate the water to the main house due to several leaks in the mechanical room. So, to say the least Shelly wasn't a happy camper when she arrived home at 9 p.m. She will just have to wait until Monday now.

Here are some pictures from the week:

Porch area off the master bedroom:

Kitchen Area - Appliances and Lights

Screen Porch off the Living room:

This coming week, the plans are to finish up the concrete floor, interior painting touch-up, installation of the fireplace, continued electrical and the master bedroom closet will be installed by California Closets on Friday, May 16th. Then next week they plan to start cleaning the interior of the house with final preparations for us to start moving things in over the Memorial Day weekend. It's getting very, very close!!!!!

Road Trip

2008-05-04T17:48:00.003-05:00

The whole group went to Gustavus Saturday for a honors lunch and convocation. Aaron was recognized for receiving the presidential scholarship and being on the Dean's list.

Timeless, Yet Controversial Art

2008-04-29T18:21:00.007-05:00

Now I am sure you will all be as shocked as I was when Jeff called me from Kansas City to tell me that we would have to put a throw rug over this. Bryan was so much more diplomatic when he agreed that it is my property and can't, therefore, be classified as vandalism. (technically anyway) It is only 8X10, at the most, and I don't mean feet. It is in the far back corner of the porch off our bedroom. Come on Jeff, it's timeless. 100 years from now whoever lives here will love this house too, I'm sure.

This is the kitchen tile, and the hole is where the cook top will be with a stainless exhaust hood above it. This is the second time I blogged this because I locked up and lost everything and this is also the second time I almost spelled HOLE W H O L E. Oh computers, I hate doing things twice. Then again how many re-types were there in Freshman English on the old Smith Corona? Computers were invented, I just didn't know how to use it yet.

This shows the galvalume being applied behind where the wood stove will be.

Last, but not least, this is the screen porch with it's new galvalume ceiling and ceiling fan. Obviously it isn't complete, but getting there. A few screens, a door and a few finishing touches on the ceiling.

The Eagle Has Landed

2008-04-27T15:12:00.005-05:00

Today after dropping Shelly off at work, I was driving up our driveway and came upon the bald eagle sitting in our cottonwood tree. All that I could say was WOW!

Below are some pictures of the eagle:

The eagle is out on the branch to the right.

I must of finally spooked it as it took off and I was lucky enough to snap a quick picture showing some of its wing span.

As you know, last week while canoeing on the river we found the eagles nest. These birds are so beautiful and it is so hard to believe that they almost became extinct at one point in history.

Exterior Painting - Comparison of Sketch to Reality

2008-04-23T20:16:00.007-05:00

The photos above are the sketch posted on the blog back in September and 7 months later it is finally becoming reality.

It was a gorgeous night here in Minnesota and the painters had 3 good days to work on the exterior of the house. Shelly took several pictures of the house tonight and they are featured below:

The other work done this week on the house was installation of the Central Vacuum - BEAM Product provided and installed by JJ Vanderson & Sons, Inc. out of Blaine, MN (Website: www.jjvanderson.com)

I almost forget one of the big events inside the house besides the Central Vac and Water Softener installation, but the granite countertops went in on Monday:

Kitchen Area:

Master Bathroom:

Upstairs Bathroom:

A beautiful day for a ride in the canoe

2008-04-20T17:58:00.005-05:00

After our ride upstream where we saw the eagle's nest, Jeff sent me up for the camera so we could photo the house from the river. Next time we'll bring it with us.

Here is the house and barn from the river.

Here I am. I asked Jeff to make me look good, but he only had a camera not a paint brush.

Our reality program hasn't been cancelled yet. Viewership may even be up, then again it may be down.

2008-04-19T19:50:00.010-05:00

This is the tile that is in our master shower. It is made from recycled glass, which makes it "green". This tile will also appear above our cook top in the Kitchen. We hope we won't have to wear flip flops when we shower.

This is the upstairs bathroom. Good thing the "kids" are young and fit because only the fairly athletic will be able to climb into this deep tub to shower. I can't believe I'm going to have to hang a shower curtain in here.

Another sideways picture, I forgot I can't turn it after I put it in here. Just imagine it one turn counterclockwise.

Jimmie Sparks, on the left, is an Energy Rater and I would guess that he is discussing the blower test he is performing, with Steve. Our house performed very well, I understand.

The man on the left is Jeff's uncle Dan who came from Seatle to inspect the project. He was happy with what he saw and looks forward to future stays in the new place. He is especially happy that the doors won't be sawed off and he and Rosie won't have to sleep with Barney.

This is the Kitchen earlier this week. Next week we will get counter tops and probably tile.

Interior Update and Screen Porch Construction - April 12th

2008-04-12T17:26:00.004-05:00

Overview picture of the house exterior following the snowstorm that rolled through Minnesota starting on Thursday evening and continued into Saturday with flurries. The total new snowfall was about 8-10" in our area. But as you can tell by the picture, it has been melting already and the forecast for next week indicates temperatures reaching 70 degrees.

Pictures of the new porch construction in addition to those Shelly posted on Thursday.

Now for the interior update associated with the finish work on the woodwork - ProCoat started working about 10 days ago and are working again this weekend to finish up sanding, sealing and varnishing all the woodwork throughout the house. As stated, the interior finish is being completed by Steve Prozinski, Owner of ProCoat. They are located in St. Louis Park, MN and his e-mail address is prohome48@lycos.com . From the wood finish, they will be moving to start the exterior paint on the house around April 21st and will also be working on additional coats of interior paint as we are moving down the home-stretch.

Cherry cabinetry/vanity in the Master Bathroom:

Ceiling, window and drawers of the Master Bedroom - the ceiling is birch and the drawers are maple.

Front entryway - ceiling and slats are made of birch:

Finally, a picture of the study area - this view is looking back towards the Master bedroom:

This is a picture looking out of the Master bedroom along the desk, cabinets and bench towards the Living/Dining and Kitchen areas.

A view of the TV cabinet and fireplace area:

Activity in the coming weeks include: tile work, granite countertop installation, etc....., as you can imagine things are moving along and we hope to be into our house by the time Aaron returns home from college. However, the latest word is June 1st move in; but, we'll keep our fingers crossed that they can improve upon that date by maybe a week or two. (No pressure Kevin...)

A Closer Look

2008-04-10T17:18:00.003-05:00

Why does there have to be construction equipment all over the site?

Northwest suburb braces for up to 10 inches

2008-04-10T15:41:00.004-05:00

See that porch back there? I am so excited I can't take a straight picture.

The trailer has been moved out of my view from the garage and just in time for the storm. :)

The matriarch, daughters and granddaughters bond at baby shower

2008-04-06T15:40:00.010-05:00

Rachel, Kathy and Morgan

Expectant mom, Nikki and daughter, Phillipa

Wendy and Ally

Linda and Maddy

Lauren, Kris, Judy, Abby and Shelly

Kris and Lauren

The expectant grandmother, Judy

Stairway to Heaven

2008-04-03T19:29:00.007-05:00

Here are some updated pictures from today's work as Kevin was so excited for us to get the pictures on the blog of the awesome stairs.

Additional work around the fireplace/TV cabinets is in progress:

Trim work continues around the laundry area and front entry:

The front porch slab was poured on Wednesday and the lumber arrived so the crew can begin constructing the screen porch on Friday - it's supposed to be in the high 50's - 60's tomorrow! Hint Hint Kevin

The Trim Goes On (say this to the tune of the Beat goes on)

2008-04-01T14:45:00.005-05:00

It's hard right now to find obvious progress to photograph, but I still try every day. I could take pictures of every piece of trim that goes around a window, door, ceiling, floor or cabinet, but even as excited as I am that would be boring. If you like "The Beat Goes On", now try "I Got You Babe". More concrete tomorrow, I hear. That means the screen porch will go up! Now that will be obvious.

Faces of a second place bowling team as they plunge to God knows what

2008-03-31T08:07:00.005-05:00

Update on House Progress - March 28th.

2008-03-28T20:25:00.008-05:00

Well, I thought that everyone should see how the upstairs bedrooms really looks right side up and not the upside down picture that Shelly posted the other night. However, I understand that she may have been drinking a little bit too much wine when she made that post (thanks Kris). Anyhow, here is a shot of Abby's bedroom with finished closet.

The other cool pictures taken today are of the entertainment/TV cabinet. The first picture is with the barn door/sliding door open for when we want to watch TV. The second picture is when the door is closed, thus hiding the TV. As you can tell the wood burning stove will be placed next this cabinet.

Other work that was completed this week or started is the window trim along the entire north side (river facing), started to work on the laundry area cabinetry and poured the concrete slab for the screen porch.

The next photos are some outside shots from late this afternoon - I took them from different angles to show some of the depth along with different shots of the roof as that was completed last week.

Finishing Continues--It's Fabulous

2008-03-26T18:41:00.009-05:00

It appears the floor is the ceiling, but isn't it beautiful. This is in Aaron's room.

I think that there is a reflection that is interferring with this picture. It is supposed to show the finished wood edge of the dropped ceiling, but it is not clear.

This is the cabinetry that runs along the north side of the house. The bench seat is what the dining table will set up to. The hall leading up to our bedroom will act as our "office", book shelves on the left and desk on the right.

This is the sitting area at the top of our stairs. Jeff and I like how the corn crib theme is carried up here above the window.

I find myself having to bite my tongue when I walk in now. I want to run up to everyone working there and ask "is this the coolest house you've ever worked on, or what?" What can I say, I think it is fabulous.

Blueprint for Green Episode

2008-03-24T17:07:00.005-05:00

Below is the Blueprint for Green that was aired this past Saturday, March 22nd on Channel 11 in the Twin Cities. This is the second visit to our home and there will be another episode probably in late May or early June once we are moved into the house. Enjoy.

Local TV Channels - Air Time of our House

2008-03-22T12:42:00.019-05:00

Well, this is Jeff and I'm finally back updating the blog; however, Shelly has done a great job keeping everyone informed on our progress along with being comical at the same time during my absence.

I have to say that I'm so excited to share with everyone today the two features that received air time on local TV channels this past week. The first one is the second visit by Channel 11 - KARE 11 in the Twin Cities with Randy Meier hosting Blueprint For Green and it just aired today, Saturday, March 22nd at Noon. Unfortunately, Channel 11 hasn't posted the video link at this point, but we will be sure to update once Episode 27 is on their website. It was really cool as it showed the old house - what a transformation!

The second video is from Channel 12 - Serving the Northwestern Suburbs of the Twin Cities and it features interviews with Stephen Roche, our contractor from Showcase Renovations, Bryan Anderson, our architect from SALA Architects along with the Dan Johnston, Executive Director for Minnesota Greenstar. Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty downloading this video - possiby a format that doesn't allow downloading. So, if you want to see this video, follow the links below:

http://www.twelve.tv/news/newsitem.aspx?newsid=405&newsitemid=5997
and
http://www.twelve.tv/news/newsitem.aspx?newsid=670&newsitemid=6012

Finally, I took some interior pictures today with our good camera (yes, the one that Shelly mentioned in which I take on the road with me to take pictures of the plants). Anyway, here are some interior shots showing the progress of the cabinetry and the wood ceilings along with work being done today with the upstairs maple floors.

I must start with the sliding barn door which is pictured below - it is so cool.........this will allow us to close off our bedroom area, laundry area and allow containment of Barney and Lola.

Kitchen Area & Master Bedroom

Dining room with finished wood ceiling along the north side leading to the master bedroom along with a picture of the living room and the vent pipe for the fireplace. The picture below the living room is the shelves and cabinet unit behind our office area.

The pictures below is walking upstairs with the backside of the bookcase and then the front side.

The sub-contractor is here today installing the wood vents in the upstairs and doing finish work on the maple flooring upstairs.

Poor blogging tools, but exciting material

2008-03-18T19:07:00.009-05:00

The ceiling photo is shot in our bedroom but that drop ceiling runs along the whole north (river )side of the house. In the main part of the house the dining table sits underneath it which will create a more cozy atmosphere there. In our bedroom that wall has a bench seat with drawers underneath. The empty cabinet which is having birch applied to the exterior is for our refrigerator. Maybe you've noticed a theme. The exterior has a portion that is finished like this and the sliding door for the tv cabinet (previously featured) also has this look. There is also a really cool sliding door, just like the others, that can close off our laundry/private entrance. We can contain Barney and Lola in there and they also have a private entrance/exit in this area that will take them to their very own fenced in park. Next is a picture of our chimney, isn't that exciting! It is taken from the upstairs sitting area where I stepped out onto the roof to get a better picture. The last picture is of me when I landed in the back yard. Ha Ha! My sister nick named me HA larious! I am complaining about my blogging tools because you'll remember that Jeff pressured me to keep up the blogging while he is out of town, but he takes the camera with him on the road to take plant (G&K) pictures. My phone is super cool but it doesn't zoom or flash. When I talked to Jeff tonight I realized that I won't be home during daylight again until Sunday so if I wanted pictures without flash I better get on it.

Does anyone know why the light fixture in the garage entry isn't done yet?

2008-03-13T21:36:00.003-05:00

Jeff is wondering if the light for the garage entry is in this box of lights that I picked up today. YES IT IS! I just had to add this picture when he asked me. I don't know why he is always calling me a smart ass:)

It's like watching paint dry

2008-03-13T20:37:00.016-05:00

As I look at what I've posted it does seem as though there has been quite a bit of progress, but some days I feel like I am watching paint dry. No offense anyone!!

O
They have been working on the roof this week and I'm sure they appreciate the nice weather they've had to do it.

The forced air, gas furnace is operating and the radiant system appears to be getting close.

The cabinets are being installed and the trim work has begun. We think it is looking mighty fine.

The photos on the right are of our bedroom

headboard and window seat with built in drawers.

The next is of our kitchen, followed by the entry way.

This photo I like to call the tv set of Sanford and Son. This is what we came home from Mexico to. It was definitely progress, but I found it made me a bit uneasy. The next day channel 11 was due to come out to film again with our architect, Bryan and I couldn't imagine how they could get any decent pictures. That will air 3-22-08, so I guess we'll see then.

This picture is of a "super cool" sliding door that will be used in our entertainment center. It will allow us to hide our television if we wish. I believe everyone has to live on the edge a little bit in there own little way. (Sorry, not everyone will understand)

This is Bryan with the filming crew on Monday.

"What happens in Mexico never happened"

2008-03-08T19:15:00.020-06:00

Clever, huh? This seemed to be a favorite saying of the tour guides. This will be the version rated for all audiences, however. We are back from Puerto Vallarta, where we stayed at a very nice resort. Minimal families with small children and very few college aged spring breakers, just mostly card carrying AARP members. The first day Jeff got in the water right away and did water aerobics with what I thought were a dozen or so 60-80 something women. Jeff claims the average age was about our age. WHATEVER! I took pictures since we weren't able to get in our room yet and we had ipods, cameras and more money than I wanted stolen on our first day there. We spent 3 days away from the resort on tours; a city tour, cultural tour (aka tequilla tasting), and a trip to las Caletas. Las Caletas is basically a cove where we could snorkel, kayak, do yoga, pose with monkeys, owls and parrots, etc. I didn't really want to snorkel so I got the guide to let Jeff snorkel without a partner, but when it was time to kayak Jeff was feeling motion sick from snorkeling and I had to find my own partner for that. I think he was punishing me! Not really, he gets sick on a tilt a whirl, but snorkeling, now that's pathetic. We both did a lot of reading, played cards, played ping pong, got massages (well Jeff had one, I had a few) and ate very well, of course. Friday we got a little crazy and had a few to many bloody marys by the pool. At 5pm I had a massage and when I got back to the room and Jeff asked how it was, I said,"I'm sure it was good". Our dinner reservations were for 8:30. There is a photo of me after my shower, before dinner, sitting on a chair in our room telling Jeff that, "this is why I don't drink--very much--usually". Today it is back to reality, I'm glad we have a day back before we have to go back to work. Below is a video from our trip to Las Caletas when we watched a mother whale teaching her baby to breach.

A little more progress

2008-02-28T16:31:00.007-06:00

Last week was an awfully tough week. It was way too cold to work outside and everything inside was waiting on the concrete man. He did some clean up of the floor one day, but didn't start grinding on it until this week. The grinding exposes the suspended aggragate. This picture gives an idea of what it looks like after the rough grinding is done. I understand that the plan is to use progressively finer grit "sand paper" to bring it to a shine. The outside pictures show the cedar applied to the front, lower level. This wood is finished with bleaching oil and should become better looking with age. Right now I think it might look a little unfinished, but the other siding needs to be painted and the roof has to go on and I'm going to be patient.

Jeff was traveling again this week and on Monday I told Abby that I didn't know where he was. On Tuesday we talked again and she asked if we shouldn't know where he is. I said, "oh he's in Kansas City-I just forgot". Some people think that is wierd, especially my sister Kris who likes to quiz me just for fun. I, on the other hand, know when he is coming home and that is good enough for me. Yesterday, Wednesday, Kris and I went to Burnsville to have our haircut. Our Mom and Dad think that that is hysterical (or ridiculous) to go to Burnsville for a haircut. I would only be guessing, but Kris has used the same stylist for say 15 years and didn't want to change when she moved out here to the northwest boonies. I moved to town and my stylist of 15 years or so was out of the question at approximately 200 miles away. So we do this sisterly bonding thing and I go to Burnsville with her. I found the haircut noteworthy because it is "the haircut" before Jeff and I head to Mexico. I have a new swimsuit, am starting to get a little tan, and my bag is almost packed. Sunshine here we come!

Kevin claims that our cabinets should be delivered while we are gone and the hardwood floor upstairs done. Un Be Damn Lievable, I say:)

2008-02-20T06:52:00.001-06:00

Abby sleeps over

2008-02-20T06:10:00.003-06:00

Jeff is traveling all week so Abby has come to keep me company. A little shopping, out for pizza and some videos. Normally I would still be sleeping, but manning her alarm clock is quite a demanding job. Her uncle Scott is quite relieved not to have to wake her up this week. He says that normally he is calling her cell phone as he drives down the road in the morning to make sure that she is out of bed. Even Barney knew last night that the fight for blanket and space wasn't worthwhile and waited until we got up to get in the bed.

Paint hit the walls--this is exciting.

2008-02-14T18:29:00.003-06:00

Cabinet Pulls

Our Bedroom

Abby's Room

Aaron's Room

Kitchen/Dining

Well, if I do say so myself, I think Lola and I did a fine job with paint colors. And in the end cabinet pull locations were chosen and finish product for the cedar on the house. All in all a very fine day. I also read a little more from my novel which is written by a Swedish author in the early 60's. An example of some of the first crime fiction. It was well received every where except Sweden, according to Aaron, as they weren't ready to believe that there were such social problems at the time. He continues to provide me with interesting reading and I continue to tease whether he is learning anything important in school. What's wrong with physics, calculus and physical chemistry? Truth is that I probably would have flunked out, taking the classes that he is.

Snowball dance, stain choices, and cabinet pulls

2008-02-14T12:38:00.006-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

I am off today and I have done dishes, vacuumed and mended Jeff's pants (it is Valentines day, I figured). I also am looking at samples of stain for the cedar part of our house and diagrams of where I can choose to put my cabinet pulls. I really want to finish my novel, but I don't think I can concentrate now. I decided instead to post some pictures of Abby and her friends from the weekend.

Video Segment - Blueprint for Green - Channel 11

2008-02-09T13:04:00.000-06:00

Here is the video segment that was on today at Noon on Channel 11 (KSTP) here in Minneapolis with host Randy Meier. If you are unsuccessful with the clip below, you can always go the Blueprint fro Green website that is on the blog and view Episode 21 - clip #4. Enjoy.

Another One Bites The Dust

2008-02-08T21:56:00.001-06:00

I know this is not a nice title, however, they are the first words I said to Aaron when we were leaving home to pick Jeff up at the airport and I saw this scene. Not a nice way for the drywallers to end their day. While Aaron was home during Christmas break he drove my 4 runner off the driveway and it slipped all the way down to the wire fence. That was about halfway between where this truck is and the end of our driveway. Jeff teased Aaron mercilessly following with taunts like, "Aaron I tried to recreate the scene by closing my eyes, driving real fast, then slow, close to the edge and I even stopped at the garbage can to throw away my Caribou coffee cup but I couldn't go off the driveway." That was after we paid to tow the truck out and everyone's mood improved a little.

This is all I have to offer for the week, as I tend to stay out of the way while they are working. It's been since Sunday night that I was in the house. First thing tomorrow morning, Jeff (he's sleeping now-claims traveling is exhausting) will beckon me to come and look and take lots of pictures and post them. I have been watching anxiously for painting to begin. I watch Abby's window waiting to see the lovely shade of pink we compromised on. Her Daddy got to make the final decision (lest I be allowed too much power). I got to buy her green curtains and curtain rod with green polka dotted balls on the end. I haven't lost any sleep yet, but I am a tinsy bit anxious to see it all. Aaron only grunted when he was shown the color red that will be on the wall behind his bed. I'm really not sure if we were primed today or if that is yet to come. At any rate I should see paint next week.

Aaron is home for ANOTHER week

2008-02-06T22:05:00.002-06:00

The garage suddenly feels so small. How much guitar hero should I have to listen to after 12 plus hours at work????

Lola helps pick out paint colors

2008-02-06T22:01:00.000-06:00

Just sync'd my phone and found some important pictures. There really are a tremendous amount of decisions to be made. Last week Lola spent an evening with me picking out paint colors.

Tigger

2008-02-06T21:55:00.001-06:00

Tigger favors Aaron's bunk, as the dogs can't get him there. You can see he is quite comfy.

Barred Owl

2008-02-03T18:31:00.000-06:00

This is the second time this week we've seen this Barred Owl. It eats mammals, birds, fish,reptiles and amphibians and is often seen hunting during the day. Boy am I glad we never got the Yorkshire Terrier, I thought I wanted. I think Lola is a little too big!

Ground Hogs Day - February 2, 2008

2008-02-02T15:01:00.000-06:00

Today marks Ground Hogs Day which tells us how much longer winter is and this depends on whether or not he sees his shadow. If there was a ground hog at our property here in Minnesota, he would not have seen his shadow as it has been very overcast/cloudy, snowy, but warmer than earlier in the week. Not seeing his shadow means that spring is on its way! Seeing that we were formerly from Wisconsin and Jimmy lives in the Ground Hog Capital of the World, so I turned to his website to see what Jimmy predicts:

Jimmy's Time to Shine!
GROUNDHOG DAY 2008
Groundhog Day Prognostication Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
Happy Groundhog Day! Jimmy arrived by firetruck to see a HUGE crowd waiting for him. He was sporting a full tuxedo -- but soon shed it as he's not a fancy kind of fellow! The big news is the Jimmy did NOT see his shadow and we will have an early spring!!!

Anyhow, it was a great day to finally get out and take some pictures on the progress of the house project as I've neglected to update for almost 2 weeks. As you'll notice, there has been some great progress both on the exterior and on the interior. Over the course of the past 2 weeks, the majority of the exterior Hardy Plank was completed, the galvanized metal roof began installation on the barn and on the interior insulation was completed, sheetrock hung and taping started.

Other items accomplished over the past several weeks have included finalizing all the wood cabinetry, lighting fixtures, cabinetry handles, paint colors for each of the rooms. Abby even was able to pick out accessories from PB Teen for her new bedroom to match her room color. So, things are coming together and at this point I believe all the major decisions have been completed.

Lastly, our house will be featured as part of the Channel 11 - Blueprint for Green with Randy Meier next Saturday, February 9th at Noon. They did a photo shoot at the house on Tuesday, January 22nd with Marc Sloot from SALA Architects and our house will be have about a 3 minute feature (P.S. no mention of the builders, owners or architect this time around).

If you're not able to watch on TV, then check out the website after the show at http://www.blueprintforgreen.com/

Enjoy the updated pictures.

Week of January 21st saw the insulation being installed - started with the lid/ceiling in the kitchen, dining and living area along with poly/plastic upstairs and following this they did the spray foam - closed cell - insulation throughout the house. It is now very warm in the house - what a difference from the old house.

Close-up picture of the spray foam filling a wall cavity:

This past week, January 28th primarily focused on hanging the sheetrock with taping starting on Friday, February 1st. Pictures below start-off in the kitchen, living room and dining room areas and then a walk back to our bedroom, bathroom and closet.

Master Bedroom:

Let's head to the upstairs:

Sitting Area at the top of the stairs.

Open walkway from sitting area to bedrooms and bathroom:

Aaron's Bedroom:

Bathroom:

Abby's Bedroom:

Frigid Weekend in Minnesota - January 20th

2008-01-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been below zero in Minnesota for the past several days. In fact, the crew was happy on Friday to not be outside working as earlier in the week they braved the elements by working to install the James Hardie plank on the river side of the house while stoking a fire to stay warm.

We hope that this coming week, it will get back into the teens so they continue with outside work.

A successful week in terms of passing mechanical, plumbing and electrical inspections are receiving the go ahead to start insulation. So, on Friday, they started by placing insulated panels in the roof/lid of the living, dining and kitchen area and put up plastic in the upstairs of the house. The spray foamers for the "closed cell" insulation will start on either Monday or Tuesday, January 21st or 22nd. Sheetrock is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday, January 24th and they plan to start hanging the drywall on Friday, January 25th.

Rather than just pictures of the house, I thought I would include pictures of the Trumpeter Swans as they were out today on the river while I was outside taking pictures.

This picture from the living room area of the house (below):

January 13th, 2008 Update

2008-01-13T19:55:00.000-06:00

Here is an update on the house progress, a lot has been occuring in terms of the inside as the past few weeks has concentrated on installation of plumbing, HVAC ducting, electrical and low voltage. In addition, the doors and some of the final windows were installed. As for exterior work, they have been working on putting up the Tyvek wrap and firring strips along with installing cedar trim around the windows. I believe the next step internally will be insulation followed by sheetrock and as far as the exterior they will be proceeding to installing the James Hardie plank.

Enjoy the pictures.

The windows were installed this past week in the upstairs area sitting room and it is such a great view of the river, landscape and wildlife.

The two views from these windows, first looking north towards the river and the second photo is looking east towards the barn and open field.

Interior pictures of the ductwork, central vacuum piping, electrical wiring, low voltage wiring and recessed lighting:

The tub in the upstairs has been set in place.

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-01T15:57:00.000-06:00

New Years day in Minnesota is very cold; however, it was a great day for taking pictures of the house project. Blue sky and lots of sun, but too cold for cross country skiing, so following our pictures we went to the movie - Charlie Wilson's War.

The next several months will see a lot of activity on the interior of the house -ductwork was partially completed last week, the plumber starts tomorrow, the electrician comes on Monday, January 7th along with the low voltage sub-contractor. I believe dry-wall is scheduled for mid-February.

Updated pictures of both the exterior and interior of the house - window installation is progressing nicely and there is about half a dozen to go.....

Looking uphill at upstairs bedrooms and our bedroom with garage in backgound. The plywood on the1st level will go from our bedroom to concrete deck off with the hot tub.

Above is a picture from inside the house looking south out the windows. Below is a picture of the main living area. The far wall will have the fireplace and audio video cabinet and door leading out to the screen porch.

River pictures from different locations throughout the house - all taken from inside the house.

Dining room.

Corner of living room

Our bedroom.

These 3 pictures are from the upstairs bedrooms.

2007-12-30T17:31:00.000-06:00

Jeff and I took our cross country skis out today; it had been at least 3 years. What a blast that was. The two pictures that I am posting were taken just moments after Jeff denied my request to abort searching out a "hike in" cabin and take the easy trail. His exact words were, "this isn't the hardest trail". It did indeed get easier, but not until Jeff took his skis off and walked up the hill and fell down a half dozen times. I also nearly did a sommersault over my right shoulder. We finally got some momentum going and Jeff fell again going down a hill in front of me. If laughter is indeed good for you, I have been healed and will probably live forever. We think we'll go again, maybe New Years day.

Windows Going In - December 27th

2007-12-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

The concrete slab was able to cure over the entire Christmas weekend - 4 full days and then on Wednesday they continued to frame the 1st floor. In addition, B&D Plumbing started working on the heating, cooling and ventilation ducts.

Today, the windows arrived and installation started. Here are some pictures following today's activities:

I just read Jeff's Dec 9 post and for the record, Jeff.....

2007-12-21T21:49:00.000-06:00

I can if I want to. I just didn't want to mess with your stuff, but anymore wise comments like that and you'll be surprised what you'll find on here. Love, Shelly

December 21st Update & MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-21T18:42:00.001-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

By now, everyone is hopefully settling into being with family and friends over the Christmas Holidays.

I apologize for no posts over the past few weeks, but I've essentially been out of pocket traveling for work. However, there's been daily progress, but not all that noticeable. Today, was an exciting day as they poured the slab on grade following a week of laying down the utilities (water, sewer and heating coils) throughout the main floor of the house. Hitting this milestone, will allow Kevin and the crew to finish framing up the main floor on Wednesday and it's expected that they'll start installing windows possibly next Thursday or Friday.

Below are picture updates from the past couple of weeks:

On Sunday, December 9th (12 days ago), they installed polypropylene inside the house to retain the heat in order to melt snow and unthaw the ground with a propane heater and the furnace from our old house. The goal was to accomplish everything in order to make today's milestone of pouring the floor.

Roughing in the water and sewer lines at the beginning of this week:

Radiant floor tubes were laid down on Thursday, December 20th:

The first cement truck arrived this morning at 8 a.m.

Update on Sunday, December 9th

2007-12-09T16:44:00.000-06:00

This is an update on the house project as of Sunday, December 9th. As you can see, they completed closing up the roof on Friday and hooked up the old furnace to start heating up the interior this coming week. They put up plastic sheeting over the openings on Sunday and will start warming things up Monday. Enjoy the pictures taken today - one can tell that we have about 12" of snow on the ground and the weather outside over the weekend has been very cold - close to zero!! Boy, I'm glad that I'll be heading to Tampa, FL this week for 4 days - back home on Thursday and will plan to update the website over the weekend unless Shelly can figure out how to do it.

Framing & Roofing Progress - December 6th

2007-12-06T15:42:00.000-06:00

Well, it snowed again this morning, but here are several photos over the course of the past couple of days as they worked to get the roof on. The plan calls to finish up the roof on Friday along with moving the furnace in and they plan to polywrap the inside on Saturday with the plan to get power and heat going on Monday next week.

These are Bryan's favorites that he took while being out at the job site on Wednesday:

Here is one of the kid's bedrooms with the views:

Here's the other bedroom upstairs and the views:

View of the sitting room/area on the 2nd floor:

Roofing progress over the living area of the house:

Framing Progress - December 5th Update

2007-12-05T18:58:00.000-06:00

The crew is moving along pretty good considering the 12" of snow that have fallen since last Saturday, December 1st. Attached are pictures of the progress since the last posting following the framing on the 1st level just a week ago. Even with the snow, they've framed the 2nd floor and have the majority of the roof trusses completed. The plans are to lay plywood for the roof on Thursday with intentions of getting the furnace fired up in the house early next week to start warming things to continue. We'll just sit back and watch the gas bill - not a typical December, but of course this is how Minnesota winters used to be 20+ years ago. Enjoy the pictures...we even have some candid photos of the crew along with Stephen getting his truck and new trailer stuck on Tuesday.

This first set of pictures is following the first snow of the season on Saturday. In addition a couple pictures of the garage/guest house following the metal roof installation and glass door installation earlier in the week.

Pictures taken on Tuesday, December 4th - as you can the 2nd floor is coming along. This is the south side of the house below.

Back side of the house - river side (north)

Below is the 2nd floor looking to the east or the west side of the house.

Our bedroom area, bathroom, mechanical room area and entry from garage.

The crew of Todd, Kevin and Stephen.

Pictures of Stephen getting stuck on Tuesday and finally getting pulled out:

Roof trusses started on Wednesday, December 5th:

Looking out to the east and south of the main living area of the house.

Framing Started on House - November 29th

2007-11-29T18:03:00.001-06:00

The framing on the house has started, pictures from today:

Thanksgiving Weekend - 2007

2007-11-24T15:34:00.000-06:00

Today is Saturday, November 24th and everyone is working today except for me! However, I did spend about 2 hours outside cutting down some trees on the river side prior to the house framing starting. This way, I don't have to worry about which direction they fall and a few of them fell in the direction of the new house location. Spending a couple of hours on the chainsaw isn't like it used to be back many years ago when we cleared the lot for our house in Wisconsin Rapids....this is definitely hard work. I believe that for the most part, all the trees that Shelly would like down have been done. Now, I just have to cut them up into fireplace size logs for future use in the new house.

We've enjoyed having Aaron home over the holidays and I will take him back to Gustavus tomorrow afternoon. Here are some pictures of Aaron at home.

As you can see our animals are getting situated and comfortable with their new living quarters in the guest house/garage.

Here are a few pictures from this afternoon showing the completed foundation of the new house.

Foundation on west end - our bedroom area.

Foundation looking east along the southern side of the house.

Porch area and entry to the new house.

Foundation for the fireplace.

Foundation on the east side of house - screen porch location.

This will be the view from our living and dining area.

This will be the view from the kitchen area.

This will be the view from our bedroom area.

Frost Footings and Foundation Begins

2007-11-22T07:38:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week and I apologize for not posting sooner. First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Enjoy this time of the year with family and friends.

Here is what has taken place starting with last Friday - pictures of the frost footings prior to us going over to Wisconsin Rapids for the weekend to visit our friends the Pearls. We also have pictures of our time visiting with them as we enjoyed the weekend back in Wisconsin - it's hard to believe that we hadn't been back since July of 2006.

Looking east towards the barn.

Looking back towards the west over the site.

These foundations are at grade level and will be where the stairs go to the 2nd floor.

Looking back over the site to the south.

Weekend in Wisconsin Rapids with Jeff, AJ and Gretchen.

The pictures below are ones that Shelly took on Tuesday, November 20th upon arriving home with Aaron from Gustavus.

I will take some pictures over the course of the next few days and post later as they've completed the foundations, insulation, waterproofing, electrical, water and gas runs. The plan is to backfill on Monday or Tuesday, then start framing and it looks like next week will hold out with good weather in the 40's. So, by the end of next week, the basic framed structure of the house should be in place.

Excavation for New House - November 15th

2007-11-15T21:22:00.000-06:00

The clean-up of the old house was completed and the excavators worked on laying out the new house area as can be seen by the photos. Plans are to test the compacted soil on Friday and if it passes, then they will pour concrete for the footings. Kevin provided a tentative "game plan" to me this evening as follows:

Next Week (11/19- 11/23):

Plumbing, electrical, low voltage, water piping to be layed down.

Masons to work on the foundation.

Install the metal roof on the guest house/garage.

Install the overhead door on the guest house/garage.

Finish trimming out the windows in the guest house/garage.

Following week (11/26-11/30):

Expects to backfill on either Tuesday or Wednesday

Begin framing the new house by Wednesday, 11/28 - at this point the project is about 1 week ahead of schedule.

Pray for good weather in the upcoming weeks so they can get the house framed before winter really decides to come on.

Start of New House - November 14th

2007-11-14T18:20:00.000-06:00

The excavators completed removing the concrete from the old house earlier in the day and have now started to fill in the old basement area with fresh fill along with compacting.

The pictures below show stake locations for the western side of the house.

This will be the view from the center of the house - kitchen, dining and living room areas.

This view is from the northwest corner of the house, i.e. the master/couple bedroom.

Demolition Day - November 12th

2007-11-13T18:51:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures from D-Day (Demolition) on Monday, November 12th and some further clean-up from today of the site. If time permits, I'm hoping to figure out how to load video clips into You Tube as Shelly video taped almost 40 minutes worth throughout the day.

Above is Aaron's old bedroom.

Abby's room is below the pile of rubble.

This was at the end of the day on Monday. The next few pictures are from Tuesday as they worked on removal of the concrete.

Activities from the week of November 5th

2007-11-10T17:53:00.000-06:00

This has been a very busy week as we moved into the new guest house on Wednesday evening. Over the course of the past several days we have been attempting to get settled in for the next several months while our new house is being constructed.

Plans are to demo the existing house on Monday and hopefully we'll be able to have a You Tube link if we can figure out how to download a video from our camcorder. If not, it will just be pictures.

Bones found while trenching the line for water to the guest house.

In preparation for the demo, the Reuse Center was at our house on Friday stripping everything that they felt would be useful. They took all the copper piping from the house (oops-$$$$$), toilets, lights, ceiling fans, cupboards, knotty pine woodwork, etc...... This gives us points as part of the Greenstar program as it's better to do this vs. placing in a landfill.

Over the weekend, we are making the final pass through by cleaning up things and keeping other items prior to the demolition. Today, the remainder of the dog fence was removed from the backside of the garage and house. In addition, there was some cabinets, counters, wood that we are hauling and storing in the barn for future use.

Here are some pictures from the week....on top of all of this, Jeff started a new job with G&K Services as the Regional Director of Operations for the Upper Midwest and has been going out with the route sales representatives all week to learn the business. Shelly, Kris and Wayne went up north to see Grandpa Orv play piano.

Here are some pictures of our lovely home on Saturday evening - there are still a few things that need to be completed before we are completely settled in.

Moving Weekend & Week Ahead

2007-11-05T19:28:00.000-06:00

Sorry, for not updating sooner, but we've been a bit busy moving everything from our existing house into the barn along with our existing garage for movement later this week into the guest house. We are all very achy, sore and tired as we moved over 6 trucks - 16' footers between Friday night and Sunday noon. See pictures of the barn now with all the stuff along with the moving crew.

This is the area designated as "barn sale" .

On Sunday, November 4th, the interior of the guest house/garage was painted and today they worked on electrical terminations, water hook-ups and started tearing cabinets down in the house. Tomorrow will be a busy day with a lot of activity - Plumbing, Heating, Electrical, Natural Gas and Water being worked on in the guest house. In addition, they will continue to remove cabinets from the house and reinstall in the guest house, along with the refrigerator, washer and dryer.

This will be our last update until probably Thursday or Friday, November 8th or 9th as I'm shutting it down to pack up tonight and it will not be hooked back-up until we are in the guest house.

At this point, they plan to excavate the house next week on Monday, November 12th!!!!!!

October 30th - Exterior of Guest House Painted

2007-10-30T17:47:00.000-05:00

Below are pictures following the exterior of the guest house being painted - the walls and battens are complete and the fascia & soffit are only primed at this point.

3 sides are now complete on the barn in terms of the steel siding - they are now working on the back side and the small out building along with the fascia and soffits.

New Week - October 29th

2007-10-29T17:55:00.000-05:00

The weather is gorgeous here in Minnesota as it approached the mid 60's today and another good day of progress on the project. Today, they started painting the exterior of the guest house/garage - finished primarily the fascia and soffits today and the pictures don't really represent the color, but it is Sherwin Williams SW 7048 Urbane Bronze and tomorrow they will be painting the siding and battens with Williams SW 7047 Porpoise.

In addition to the painting, they started taping and mudding the sheet rock in the guest house and they continue to work on installing the metal siding on the barn.

Plans call for us to move the majority of our belongings into the barn this coming weekend and the final cut-over to the guest house will occur next week between Monday-Wednesday. So, we will be living at Shelly's parents house for a few days along with storing the stuff that will be going into the guest house within our existing garage. They will also start decommissioning the existing house next week. So, we are probably 2 weeks away from leveling the place....WOW!

October 25th Progress

2007-10-25T18:23:00.001-05:00

Good progress has been made this week - they sheet rocked the ceiling in the guest house/garage today, installed the dog door, made progress on installing the battens on the exterior, rubber membrane installed on roof of barn, finished siding one side of the barn and Wright Hennepin installed the electrical and phone cable line to the guest house/garage. See updated pictures taken tonight:

Here are the pictures from the barn along with a great view of the Mississippi River out of the window we added last week on the 2nd floor.

October 24th Update

2007-10-24T19:17:00.000-05:00

A few pictures from today as they insulated the inside of the guest house, so they'll start sheet rocking tomorrow. In addition, they finished installing the James Hardie board on the exterior of the guest house and have now starting installing the battens.

October 23rd - Later at Night

2007-10-23T21:10:00.001-05:00

Here are some other photos taken late tonight on the progress made today on the garage/guest house. Hopefully, Shelly will be able to get some better pictures tomorrow during the day.

Missing window from inside the house....lost our view of the river for now.

New home for the windows from the house.

Drive coming into our property with new window installed and James Hardie siding going up.

The low voltage wiring was completed this evening by STARDOT Inc. for the garage. This is phase one of the home automation to provide structured wiring throughout the house, audio distribuion and home security. Check out Mike Lockett and his website at http://www.smartcustomhome.com/

October 23rd Update

2007-10-23T18:45:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a week since we last updated everyone on the progress of the project. Overall, the past few days has seen a lot of progress with the nice weather. The plan is still to be moving into the garage/guest house over the weekend of November 3-4th. Plans are to install insulation on Wednesday followed by sheet rocking on Thursday as today they wrapped up the electrical, water and low voltage runs. Here are some updated photos of the guest house - pictures of the Tyvek along with the new gas meter and electrical box. Today, they started installing the James Hardie plank on the garage and the (2) windows from the house were moved and installed in their new locations.

Barn progress is continuing, yesterday they started installing the new siding - barn red and today they stripped off the shingles and the roof. In addition, we added a 5th window on the 2nd floor of the barn rather than boarding over this old door location in order to provide us an excellent view of the Mississippi.

Plans are to have the barn sealed up in order to start moving things in over this coming weekend. Pray for nice weather the remainder of the week.

October 16th - Progress Report

2007-10-16T21:24:00.000-05:00

This is an update of the progress around the guest house/garage and the barn. The pictures depict the rubber membrane on the roof, roughed-in sewer and water piping, foundation completed, framing started - mechanical room, bathroom and laundry area for the guest house.

Shelly is standing in the bathroom - pretty small for a sink, toilet and shower.

The work being done on the barn include reinforcing the roof trusses to support the new metal roof to be installed and installation of the overhead door for the barn.

The weather has been miserable the past 2 days, but hopefully things will clear up so they can work on the outside of the barn with removal of the old siding and start installing new siding.

Other activity include the new well being drilled, electric and gas service relocations being coordinated for later in the week and a walk through with the electrical contractor on Thursday a.m. Plans for next week include sheet rocking in the garage, insulation, etc. and we'll be getting close to making the move in hopefully the first weekend in November.

Guest House/Garage Framing Completed - October 11th

2007-10-11T19:47:00.001-05:00

New pictures of the guest house/garage following completion of the framing and roofing.

October 10th - Guest House Framing Started

2007-10-10T19:54:00.000-05:00

We're finally back with an update on our project....not a lot of progress until today due to poor weather that we had on both Friday & Monday. However, significant progress was made today on the guest house/garage....I was amazed to see that they framed it up in a single day and started laying down the plywood for the roof. See the pictures below.

The only surprise for me is how small the inside of the guest house really is.....it should be an interesting 6 months of being nice cozy.

Work continues on the barn as the windows arrived and we are actually starting to wish that we would have designed the barn to possibly live in as it's 100% improved.

October 3rd - Block Foundation for Guest House Completed

2007-10-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

Another day of progress....the block foundation for the guest house/garage was completed, the 2nd floor of the barn along with new steps were also completed. Over the next few days there won't be a lot of things to see via changes in terms of pictures as they are going to work on some carpentry around the barn windows to be prepared for new windows next week on Tuesday, run water lines to the garage, waterproof the block foundation, lay the drain tile around the guest house/garage foundation and then plan to backfill on Monday.

So, the plan is framing of the guest house/garage will start on Tuesday, October 9th.

Stay tuned to the blog as we'll update pictures next week. Everyone have a great weekend!

Garage Concrete Wall Started & 1/2 Floor Installed in Barn - October 2nd, 2007

2007-10-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

Significant progress was made today - masons started installing the foundation block for the garage/guest house and 1/2 of the new floor was installed in the barn. See pictures from today.

Ground floor of the barn looking up at the new floor joists.

Pictures of the new floor from the 2nd floor of the barn.

Monday, October 1st - Barn Floor Poured

2007-10-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, September 27th they poured the footings for the garage/guest house. See pictures below:

Today, they poured the floor. See pictures below:

Tomorrow, Tuesday, they plan to start working on the garage/guest house walls along with carpentry work in the barn.

Schedule calls for them to be backfilling the garage/guest house by week end and framing to start next Monday, October 8th. As you can see the roof trusses have already arrived.

Stay tuned as the week progresses.

Architectural Rendition of House

2007-09-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Here is the architectural rendition of the house along with the colors assuming they come through in the picture. This is the southern view - the view that will be seen as you drive up to the house.

Construction Has Begun - September 26, 2007

2007-09-26T18:21:00.000-05:00

The big day finally arrived and this is what I arrived home to this evening.

Good progress made today as you can see by the pictures for both the guest house/garage and barn . The pictures are not the best as it's raining this evening. Hopefully, tomorrow will be nice so that they can have a good week with lots of progress. They plan on pouring footings for the garage tomorrow and if all goes well the floor in the barn.

Abby's Confirmation September 23, 2007

2007-09-25T15:33:00.000-05:00

Abby was confirmed from Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC) in Monticello on Sunday, September 23rd, 2007. The total class was made up of 24 confirmands

Sighting in New Garage/Guest House - September 25, 2007

2007-09-25T13:04:00.000-05:00

The day is finally here - we received permits last week on Thursday and we were released by Rels Title to move forward on the project yesterday, Monday, September 24th. The team met this morning to sight the new guest house/garage as excavation will begin on Wednesday morning. Plans are to have us moving into the guest house/garage by November 1st.

Holding our permit for the barn. They plan to start the barn renovation on Wednesday along with the guest house/garage.

Here is Shelly and Bryan (Architect) reviewing the blueprints.

Steve (Contractor) meeting with John (Sub-Contractor) to discuss the metal roofs for the buildings.

Steve and Bryan discussing measurements on the drawing to sight the garage. They actually applied mathematical principles today by using the pythagorean theorem.

Shelly holding the tape measure at the house as a benchmark to establish the length between the existing house and corner of new guest house.

Shelly, Bryan and Steve getting measurements for the guest house/garage. Finally, Shelly standing in the center of the new guest house/garage location.....looks pretty small and we are going to live there for 5 1/2 - 6 months..........

Let the fun begin......stay tuned as we'll post updates of the progress on a daily basis.

Family Pictures - Tigger and Roo

2007-09-03T13:57:00.001-05:00

Tigger and Roo are technically Abby's cats. They are brothers which we got from friends while living in Wisconsin Rapids, WI.

Here are some pictures of Tigger.

Unfortunately, at the time of the post, I'm unable to find pictures of Roo.

Family Pictures - Barney and Lola

2007-09-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

This blog post features the family dogs, Barney and Lola.

Barney received a playmate in November of last year from Kalligher Bulldogs in Shakopee, MN. If you get a chance, you'll have to go and visit their website and see their dogs and puppies (http://www.kalligherbulldogs.com/).

Lola has been a great addition to the family and she has quite the personality. Barney and her play together for the most part very well. Barney turned 4 years old this year and Lola just had her 1st birthday on September 1st.

She's definitely grown from the day we got her (left) and her 1st birthday on September 1st (right)

We often joke that these are our kids and we are getting ready to eventually being empty nesters.

Enjoy the pictures....the next blog will feature the cats, Roo and Tigger, hopefully we can find some pictures of them in the past as they haven't been as friendly now that there are 2 dogs ruling the house.

Family Pictures - Abby

2007-09-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

Abby mentioned last night why do all the pictures include Aaron. So, today I'm including pictures of Abby who turned 16 in August and will be a Sophmore at Monticello High School. The highlight or milestone for Abby this past year was receiving her drivers license.

Abby working on a sewing project -backpack with our English Bulldog, Lola, who turned 1 year old on September 1st.

Abby and Jessica Hayda at the Snow Dance in February 2007.

Additional pictures of Our Property

2007-09-02T17:14:00.001-05:00

Below are some additional pictures of our property:

This is the new garden created during the time that our Swedish relatives were here in June. Shelly and I worked throughout the rest of summer transplanting from the garden by the current house to various locations around our property.

This landscaping area is still under construction - the shrubs (spireas, etc.) have been transplanted. But the hard work remains as we now need to remove the grass and install edging along with bark. I think I'll wait until there is some cooler weather.......

The picture below is another area along the driveway in which we moved trees (maple, spruce and lilac trees) along with shrubs.

Home

2007-09-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

Attached are pictures of our home in Monticello, MN as it was in the summer of 2006 and is currently in September 2007. We originally purchased this property in 2004 with intentions of building our dream home/retirement home. However, as most people know we took the leap of faith and moved back home to Minnesota in June 2005. Our home is located on 3.5 acres about 5 miles west of Monticello along the Mississippi River.

After almost 3 years, we will begin to realize our dream staring in mid -September fter a long strategic process of working with an architect since January 2007 (Bryan Anderson of SALA Architects; http://www.salaarc.com/). The start of the project will begin with the building of the garage - which we are titling a guest house in order to have some of the features required as we will live in this during the demolition and construction of our new home. At the same time as the garage, our contractor (Showcase Renovations, Inc.; http://www.showcaserenovation.com/) will be working on renovation of the barn. Our intentions are to be out of the house in mid-to-late October.

These are pictures in 2006.

Here are current pictures of our property as it is pre-construction in September 2007.

This picture depicts all the transplanting and moving of plants, rock, etc. in preparation for the tear down.

This is two of the transplant locations. Picture below of the garden was a joint effort with our relatives from Sweden during the family reunion in June.

This is the location for the garage.

This is a picture of the raven between our house and barn that was discovered by our relatives from Sweden in June as they worked daily to clear this area and provide a beautiful pathway from the house to the field where our fire pit is.

Stay tuned to our blog site as we post progress of the project.

Aaron Off to College

2007-09-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Aaron starts college at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, MN. Here is Aaron and Shelly in front of Aaron's dormitory.

A major milestone has been achieved as Aaron headed off to college on Friday, August 31st. Aaron is attending Gustavus Adolophus College (GAC) in St. Peter, MN and intends on majoring in International Business Management; http://www.gustavus.edu/

Here are some pictures of Aaron's dorm room on movin day.

Aaron's High School Graduation: June 2007

2007-09-02T13:02:00.000-05:00

Aaron graduated from Monticello High School on June 8, 2007.

There is something to have the last name in the alphabet as Aaron had the honor to introduce the Class of 2007.

2007-01-20T14:47:00.000-06:00

Trumpeter swans swimming on the Mississippi River in front of our house. These almost extinct birds several years ago have made a significant return and now up to 1,000 of these large birds spend their winter in Monticello. They usually come the end of November and leave in early March. Part of the reason they come here is due to the river being open from the warm water outfall from both the Excel Nuclear Plant and Power Plant up river. However, the winter of 2006-07 has many parts of the river frozen due to low levels and the Nuclear Plant has been down for the past week.