Second Floor Begins...

September 2008: The Structural Insulated Panels are going up on the second floor. Before you know it, we'll see the roof!

Meeting with Bob and the Builder

September 2008: A few days ago we had our first on-site meeting with Bob, the architect and Jay, the builder. We went over everything that has been done so far and decided on a few minor changes. We decided to make the pantry a little smaller, which increases the size of the guest bedroom (Dad will like that). And an arched hallway will be added from the foyer to the guest bathroom. Jennifer, Bob's wife and office manager, suggested swapping where the master shower and one of the vanities were located which would give us the larger open-style shower we wanted and so we approved that change. We also determined that the upstairs hallway needed to have one of the ceiling beams restructured. Later we also decided that we needed to swap some of the exterior doors upstairs. All the changes were minor and will not slow construction. Here are some pictures we took after the meeting. You can see the progress continues to move right along. The framing should be done by the end of next week and then roofing, siding, and windows go in. Stay tuned...

Tyvek Time

September 2008: We've reached the stage where the Tyvek® weather-resistant barrier goes on to the exterior of the home. It helps combat water, moisture and air infiltration.

Wind-driven rain and moisture can saturate walls, creating a breeding ground for mold, mildew and wood rot. The properties of DuPont's Tyvek® help prevent this. Air infiltrating from outside can create cold or warm spots while increasing heating and cooling costs. The Tyvek® acts like a windbreaker and wrapped over the sheathing and under the exterior siding—cut out around windows and doors and taped securely at the seams—resists air infiltration and water intrusion and makes for a more comfortable, energy-efficient home or building. Which of course is what our new "Switzer Green Home" is all about!

Garage, Windows, etc...

 October 2008: The garage slab has just been poured so hopefully we will soon see the detached garage go up. The detached garage is another green feature of our home. Having a detached garage helps keep the car fumes out of the home. You can also see here that the staircase has been started so now we don't have to use a ladder to see the progress upstairs. The builder has draped a large tarp over the rooftop terrace until the materials arrive to finish it so that the rooms underneath stay dry. Our Energy Star windows from Peachtree have also arrived and are mostly installed.

What will our house look like?

October 2008: Many of you have asked "what will your house look like when it's finished?" Well, here are color renderings from our architect, Bob Bourguignon of Sustainable Architecture in Moore, SC. And as an added bonus, here is a picture of our banker, Garner Corley of First National Bank of the South in Columbia, SC, as he prepares to write another construction loan advance for our home.

Garage and Screened Porch

 October 2008: The garage continues to make progress and soon will be ready for connecting to the house via a covered breezeway. The screened porch off the master bedroom at the back of the house is also now underway.

More Garage, etc...

October 2008: The garage is mostly finished now with the roof connected to the main house via a connector roof over the breezeway.

The front porch roof is also now up. And the roof is up over the screen porch in the back.

Maggie checks out the barrel ceiling going up in the hallway connecting the foyer with the guest bath and bedroom.

Jay, the builder, says the siding and metal roof will be going up soon!