I finally got a chance to take some pictures that show the whole exterior of the house, now that it’s taking shape. It looks like a house! Obviously there’s lots more to be done on the exterior, but the form is all there.

We selected the roof materials and the wood siding for the tall tower. We’re almost there on the rest of the exterior finish – trying to shave the cost down a bit closer to budget!

All these are views from the street:

Hopefully the next round of pictures will show some roofing & siding!

Sorry for the long delay in posting, friends. For some reason the next post felt like a chore, not like fun. But the mood has shifted, and here I am.

Progress on the house has been ok, not terrific. We had more delay due to rain. . . Then we had several bids come in over budget, which required time-consuming redesign and “value engineering” . . . Then there were some vacations. . . But hopefully we’re back to a good pace of progress.

Here are some pics from just after the first of the year. Much more progress has been made since then, but I need to round up my pictures. But in the meantime —

Here’s a view from the upstairs bedroom looking out over the hills to the east, while the guys are getting the last of the sheathing up on the main floor:

All the roof sheathing was done! Here’s Lev proudly showing off:

Guys looking at stuff. (That’s Clark, the foreman, on the left; Lev in the center; Gar, the general contractor, on the right.) That’s what guys do:

Looking at the upstairs wing, with the balcony starting to be framed:

This will be the view towards the western hills from the big window at the top of the stairs – and also the view from the window in the front bedroom/office  (maybe someday my office?). Oh, and good news – PG&E says they will move those ugly power lines running across my yard to the neighbor’s house! 

More pics to come soon. I promise this time!