by Alison Moore Smith | Mar 31, 2010 | Design Your Own House, for Home
The main floor walls have been stacked. We were wondering if there were enough block to finish the job, but the crew made it through the top row. It's quite fitting, I think, that the fourth (and final!) cement pour occurred in a downpour. Today we woke up to snow...
by Alison Moore Smith | Mar 28, 2010 | for Home, for Money
After Sam finished his PhD, we moved to Florida where he was set to be a professor of ocean engineering. After years of school we were excited…and flat broke. Our first place was a 3-bedroom townhouse. Not luxurious, but clearly a step-up from our college apartment...
by Alison Moore Smith | Mar 26, 2010 | Design Your Own House, for Home
In our last home all our sinks (with the exception of the laundry room) were either integrated or undermount. In the new house, there won't be any exceptions. Undermount sinks don't have nasty lips that trap gunk and debris. When you have food and liquid on the...
by Alison Moore Smith | Mar 25, 2010 | Design Your Own House, for Home
Custom building is a nightmare. We've been through that. Building a tract home that a crew has built over and over will still have mistakes and miscommunication. But building a custom home is just asking for trouble because the general contractor and subcontractors...
by Alison Moore Smith | Mar 24, 2010 | Design Your Own House, for Home
The construction has been going very smoothly. The first wall section had cut panels that exposed the areas inside at corners. Before each pour, these areas had to be covered with plywood that was wired onto the panel to hold the cement inside. Subsequent sections...
