It has been a long time since our last post! We are actually already living in the house….I’m sitting on the couch in the living room writing this post. We got busy moving in and enjoying the house but it is still our goal to blog the entire process of building a custom home. This post will be short but it is an important element of a house and should not be overlooked. Gutters and downspouts can be an eye sore but they do help protect your home from water damage by collecting and directing rain water away from the structure and foundation of the house. Thanks to rain chains and a wide variety of colors and attractive styles, gutters can actually add to your home’s appearance. Continue reading Gutters and Downspouts
Category Archives: Our Homestead
Exterior Prime and Paint
The house is painted! We were so excited last Sunday night when we drove up and saw that the painters had put the exterior prime and paint on the house. Bethany really struggled picking out the color for the exterior but finally settled on Sherwin Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) in satin. For those of you that watch HGTV’s Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines, this is the same color they used on the exterior of their farmhouse. Bethany picked out the color before she knew that, but that was the final validation she needed. Continue reading Exterior Prime and Paint
Hardwood Floors Installed and Stained
The hardwood floors were installed a few weeks ago but we held off uploading pictures until the stain was applied. One of the main things Bethany and I both agreed about as a design requirement for the new house was that we would have absolutely zero carpet. We have a lot of kids so carpet always ends up stained, dirty, and gross. We also just love the way hardwood floors look and feel. This post has some pictures of the newly installed wood floors. The final coat of polyurethane has not been applied yet but they shouldn’t look a lot different in the end than they do now. Continue reading Hardwood Floors Installed and Stained
Tile Installed
Its been a few weeks since the tile was installed but I’m finally getting around to uploading some pictures. Like much of the house, Bethany opted for simple colors and styles, mostly different shades of white. She did decide to do a checkered pattern in the utility room and requested to have it installed in a diagonal configuration. Continue reading Tile Installed
Porches and Decks
It has been a while since our last update but a lot of exciting steps have been completed, including the installation of the porches and decks. The plans for the house include a pretty large deck in the back as well as a porch off of the master bedroom and a front porch. The railings are not up yet but here are some Continue reading Porches and Decks
SketchUp Tutorial for Woodworking Projects
Last year I completed one of my first “real” woodworking projects, the Ana White 4×4 Truss Beam Table. I was impressed with the quality of the directions Ana provided, especially the images she created using SketchUp. We are currently in the middle of building our dream home and my wife has many woodworking projects in mind for me. For example, she would like me to Continue reading SketchUp Tutorial for Woodworking Projects
Homemade Powder Room Vanity with Vessel Sink
For those that have been following Wholesteading.com for a while, you probably remember my first real woodworking project…the Ana White 4×4 Farmhouse Truss Beam Table. That project was a huge success and has given me the confidence to take on many other woodworking projects. My most recent project was a special request from Bethany for a homemade powder room vanity with vessel sink for use in the new house we are building. Continue reading Homemade Powder Room Vanity with Vessel Sink
Drywall Rough, Tape, and Finish
The drywall is installed! We met with the project manager on a Friday to discuss some things and he mentioned that they were going to start the drywall rough later that day. We left that meeting and took Mannah, our oldest daughter, to visit Lee University, the college she plans to attend in the Fall. We arrived back in Atlanta the following night and decided to swing by the new house quick to see if they had started hanging drywall….and THEY WERE DONE! The installers we able to hang all the drywall in the house, garage, the apartment above the garage…everywhere in less than 24 hours. That’s such a tremendous amount of work and it looked so great when they were done! Continue reading Drywall Rough, Tape, and Finish
Septic System Installed
The septic system was installed last week. This is one of the last big risky items that was left. I say risky because you never know what you are going to find when you start digging. They had to lay over 600 feet of drain field so there was definitely a risk that we would incur some unexpected expenses. Good news though, everything went as planned. Continue reading Septic System Installed
Fiber Cement Siding and Bricks Installed
This was an exciting couple weeks at the build site! If you have been following along with our blog then you know the framing is done, the roof shingles are on, and some of the interior tasks are complete (like installing HVAC, plumbing, and electric). Even after all that, the house still looked very rough. This is the first week it really started to look like the home we envisioned! The fiber cement siding and bricks really make a big difference! Continue reading Fiber Cement Siding and Bricks Installed