It's Ours!

Well, almost. The loan will fund on Tuesday, January 18. We signed the papers at the title company last Wednesday, but because the underwriters requested one more comparable, we didn't find out until late Friday afternoon that the loan was approved. We didn't let that stop us from sharing some champagne with our builder after we signed the papers!

We took the bar stools from home out so we could at least have a place to sit. We're taking a U-Haul truck out on Saturday January 22 with more furniture from home so we can start making weekend stays.

Other than a few finishing touches, the house is complete. Carpet has been installed in the guest rooms and media room and all the appliances are in.

The light fixtures are hung and the steam sauna is all hooked up and working. I can't wait to try it out!

We will probably be out the next few weekends getting the place livable. We still have major appliances to get (refrigerator, TV, home theater system to name a few). Phone, cable TV, internet access and security system are getting installed at the end of January. We also made a trip to Austin last Saturday to look at the garage flooring I want to have installed. We visited the home of a very nice lady who lives up at Lakeway on Lake Travis to see a recently completed installation. It was so beautiful, Winnie wants it installed on the back patio as well! Looks like I'm going to be working for a little while longer after all.

The Grandchild Visits

We visited the house on December 22nd, more as something to do while we waited for the birth of our first grandchild, Merced Alita, who was born at 11:59 pm that day. We were out again on December 26th, again primarily to see Tim, Nina and Merced, but also took the opportunity to take Tim and Anthony to see the house.




The laminate flooring has been installed in the master bedroom, and it almost looks like real wood. The grain really shines through.

The wrought iron railing was also installed on the upper and lower patios, complete with more Lone Stars!

Hard to believe, but our next trip out may be to close on the loan in a couple of weeks. And then we get to start making payments! Happy New Year!

Looking Like Home

We made trips to the lake on December 11th and 18th. We took my Mom and Dad and Kelly out on the 11th. It was the first time my parents had seen the house. It was a good thing the driveways and sidewalk had been poured, otherwise we might have been carrying my Mom onto the premises!






The pea gravel drive looks fantastic. The outdoor fixtures are up now as well.








Another addition to our Lone Star collection has been installed. Stay tuned, there are more. Fixtures and fittings were also prominent everywhere.






Shower jets are available from every conceivable direction.










The outdoor sinks have been put in on the patio and in the garage. And we have running water!








The great room, from both directions.








Picture this
<----

With this ---->

(Did I mention more Lone Stars)





We'll be back after Christmas when the railing will be put up, with more pics for your viewing pleasure. Merry Christmas to all.

Getting Ready for the Pour

These pics are from the trip we made on Friday, December 3, 2010. The forms for the driveways, sidewalk and lower patio have been set and the pour is scheduled for Tuesday.







We decided to go with pea gravel instead of stained concrete (nice looking, more durable and cheaper, too).







The front doors have been stained and are really looking nice. They are made from"knotty alder", and really have "character".





Winnie's china hutch and the bookshelves stained and ready to dust.





Into the man-cave, with the entertainment center and wet bar. The wet bar will have the brass beer engines I brought back from London mounted on it.





I still have quite a bit of old vinyl, so we made some pull-out shelves for my turntable, LPs, and other gear.








We'll be back next weekend to see what it looks like.

Our First House Guests!

No, we haven't moved in yet. But our neighbors from Houston did want to see first hand what we keep going on and on about. So, on November 27 we and some of our neighbors made the trip out to Canyon Lake.







Cabinet work is pretty much complete, and the stain is going on.









In the garage, the workbench, pegboard and
shelving are now in.











We even took a hike down to the lake at the Pavilion. What a gorgeous day! We topped it off with lunch in Gruene at the Grist Mill before heading back to Houston.

Woodworking Gone Wild!

We traveled to the lake house on November 13 on our way to a wedding in Austin. Winnie got to spend some time with Laurie Mahoney picking out light fixtures and ceiling fans. Then it was over to the house to check on progress. Mark the trim carpenter had really been busy!










Cabinets, drawers, center island, a desk for Winnie in the kitchen, it was all coming together nicely.










Into the media room, and we have the bar and the entertainment center. Panic! The wine refrigerator opening looked way too narrow! (It wasn't)







When we eliminated the formal dining room from the house plan, Winnie lost her china cabinet. Can you believe we found another place for it? Doh.










No, those aren't floating cabinets. Visualize a stone fireplace, mantle and hearth. Yeah, now we're talking.












Did I mention the master shower /steam sauna has been tiled? Sweet!









This is one of our "little extras". The cutout will contain a steel sink (to match the steel doors and the gas grill that will be parked next to it, of course). Now that the stonework is completed, the wrought iron railing can go up.

Back in a couple of weeks!