Category Archives: The Farmhouse

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

Rough Electric

The rough electric is being installed this week.  They are about halfway done now and working hard to try and finish this coming week. Way back at the beginning of the build process, before we closed on the construction loan, we provided the builder some “electric plans” so that a quote could be put together.  The quote was used to determine the budget for the project that we provided to the bank. Continue reading Rough Electric

Rough Plumbing Complete

Things have slowed down a little the last couple weeks due to extremely cold weather and icy conditions.  In spite of the cold, there was still progress made.  One of the key things completed last week was the rough plumbing.  Rough plumbing complete basically means the plumbing that has to be done before the dry-wall is applied to the interior walls and before flooring materials and wall tiles are installed.  Rough plumbing includes installing tubs, drains, and pipes.  Continue reading Rough Plumbing Complete