Well Dave & Fran have made the decision to proceed with the demo and building of their new home. They have asked me to assist with some of the details of the home as I have been through this with my home. Yes I made mistakes and that's how we learn and I hope this info is some assistance.
Now Dave and Fran go to Florida for the winter and I think this year they are going down early October which is late for them. They are real busy picking fixtures, colors, kitchens, vanities and many other components of the home. They also have to pack up the house as the demolition is scheduled the first week of October. Since I am not a snow bird I created this blog (1st ever) and will update daily so they can view pictures of the construction and listen to me rant about how cold it is.
One of issues living lakeside is the dock and lift going in and out. We are all getting older and every year it gets tougher. One nice feature of our community is the neighbors who help each other with this feat. Dave had a few guys help him with the insertion of lift and docks this spring and to reward this group he had a GUY's steak dinner. Now this was not made quite clear that it was a GUY's steak dinner and some men brought their wife's. Oop's!!!! This coming weekend the same guy's will be pulling it all out. I will get some pics of this as next spring the yard will look totally different with new home. Below are some pics of the steak dinner group.
It's Getting Close...
Well a couple of busy weeks have gone by for the Dave & Fran. Busy with chosen builder to pick colors inside and out. Dave is amazed at the amount of decisions he has to make before he departs to Florida. What roof, what color of siding, window trim, soffit, flooring, tile, carpet, lights, taps and the list goes on. The final contract will probably be signed today if I wasn't busy with other things today I would probably drop over with a box of Kleenex for Dave as $$$$ are huge lol...
Yesterday I spent a couple of hours assisting Dave with packing a huge container he had dropped for storing household items. I will get a picture of the container this weekend as it's 8' x 40'. More on this container later with picture. Larry & Shirley the neighbors have been great during this adventure as they have been feeding him dinner each evening and also Larry is making sure Dave does not suffer from dehydration. I think this Sunday the docks and lift are coming out so before this I took some pictures of the property for them to compare now and then...
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| From the road and spring should show us a totally new look |
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| This is a view to lake from the new garage location. Yes those trees will be trimmed way back in January |
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| Not a lot of shrubs to be taken out lol |
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| Strictly a shot to compare new one |
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| Builder working on how he can get new garage to lean over |
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| Better example of lean :) |
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| From the neighbors on west side to compare |
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| To remove or not to be determined |
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| Dave reading the quote in front of builder and had a video taped it you would see hands shaking |
Packing Time:
The time has come to empty the cottage and store before demo. An antique dealer in town offered Dave a storage bin and storage over the winter in lieu of some of the antique furniture. Great deal and the bin was dropped off. All Dave had to do was fill it. When he first saw it he said oh god I will never fill it as it's too big. But once he started he thought maybe the stuff in cottage was breeding as he won't have room for all. In the am Dave would pack very neat and tight and by the afternoon it was "how far can I throw this to the front". Yes tiring and he can look forward to emptying it in the summer. Mind you it will be one hell of a garage sale or maybe it should be a "bin sale"? Below are a couple of shots of it.
Docks and Lift Removal:
Sunday was a beautiful day so the neighbors got together to remove docks and lifts. We started at Dave's then off to mine, then Van's then over to Farmer Chris. Deal was each homeowner supplied the beer during their removal. It got messy by the end and farmer Chris loves his new tractor but he is going online today for lessons lol..... Below are only pic from Dave's as I forgot camera at other removals which was a good thing!
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| When we first got together Chris said no drinking as he was driving. This pic was taken 10 minutes later! |
Today is the Day....
Well the day has come for start of demolition and builder decided to clean out shrubs and trees first to make room for supplies and equipment. Below are a few shots of during and almost done.
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| Arrived last night to start early |
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| View from bridge showing Larry's view now to Dave's |
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| Pruning a branch that was in the way |
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| Stump is history |
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| The last big tree road front |
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| Glad Larry and I pruned that tree this summer. Seems like it may have been a waste of time. |
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| Certainly wide open and lot looks much much larger now |
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| Mailboxes are that's left |
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| Nice to have heavy equipment as so much easier |
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| Old entrance |
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| ALL GONE and so much nicer now. |
For those who don't know you can clic on any photo and it will enlarge for better viewing!
Making room for new residence:
On a sad note the building of this new home meant the family residence had to be demolished. Many memories in this house but as Dave understands it's a new stage in his life and that of his family.
I was there for the demolition as well some neighbors. Neighbors on each side of the home had some concerns about any material falling onto their homes. Larry on the east side was there watching from his lawn and the wildlife who reside in cottage on left side had their heads sticking out of the crawl space with concerns written on their faces.
I must say Rob who operated the excavator did an amazing job and he was very detailed on how to bring it down in the best fashion. Way to go Rob and would highly recommend his services to anyone in the same situation. Now to a couple of pictures and even a few video's.
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| Nice lakeview from the road now |
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| Garage gone and now to the home |
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| Larry watching saying oh my! |
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| Chimney to fireplace is next |
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| Rob grabbed it and some stones saved for Dave |
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| View from Lake |
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| Dave we saved this for you! |
Well Well Well:
Larry (the skipper) nextdoor need to improve his well from a dug to a drilled one. Now with the house gone he timed it perfect so truck had easy access. But maybe the heading should be Tow Tow Tow I'm stuck. Yes the truck sank n the soft ground and off they went to get heavy duty tow truck. When they finally got the truck out they laid 4x8 sheets to drive on. It worked and the plywood sheets have been remove by the "A" Rob said. Well was completed and Larry has water to flush. Just a couple of shots of this stage.
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| Cable was heavy duty as 2 guys dragging it to truck |
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| Notice how far tow truck is back as he was taking no chances at getting stuck. |
Pad Time:
The day after the well completion it was time for the excavator to come in and dig out the pad. Once they removed about 4 loads by truck they bring in 7 loads of sand/gravel mix. This depth is about 14" of this mixture then clear gravel to follow on top. You may wonder why only 4 loads going out and 7 coming in? Well the inventoried dirt will be used for grading lakefront so water drains away from the house and the balance for the road front area as the septic tanks get buried. It was no bad weather when we started but then rain came with increased winds from the NW so temps dropped big time. I left Glen and Rob there as many more trucks to come in and I have a fireplace calling my name.
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| Site has been measured out and lot lines determined so you get a good idea of the house footprint |
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| First layer of gravel being deposited into pad |
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| From road front |
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| View showing elevation to road front from first floor hallway |
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| Standing where future kitchen island going viewing NW so you can see windows covered up. |
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| Dave's view out the window when he is doing dishes. |
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| From corner of music room |
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| Imagine sitting at dining room table |
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| Over by future fireplace looking back to kitchen |
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| From lake front facing showing where windows and sliding door are going |
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| Viewing SW from lake front |
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| From neighbors lot on west side |
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| From neighbors on west side showing first floor elevation to Larry |
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| Coming up the driveway |
Tuesday and light snow but gang is there and second story under way. Not real cold but light flurries and spent a few minutes with Glenn on the first floor. Did not venture up to the 3rd as guys busy up there. Took a couple of shots for you this morning Dave.
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| Zoom'd in from the bridge and caught Glenn reading the plans. |
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| From the west side |
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| Looking up getting stiff neck but view to lake will be great. |
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| Since neck was still stiff I took this looking up from front lawn (dirt) |
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