The Saw

Ahh...that new saw smell.  Nothing like it.  Thank you Lowe's  

I bought this  Hitachi 12" dual-bevel sliding miter saw yesterday. Just stopped by Lowe's to check on it, and low and behold it was on sale.   That was good. But, they only had the display model left.  That was bad, because, the sales guy didn't want to sell it.   After insisting that he please ask his manager;  I was victorious. (a little over the top but, none the less how I felt) So, for a total of $90 off the retail price of the saw I felt like I could afford to splurge on a great rolling saw table.

My dad has had his Hitachi saw for several years and it has been good so I feel like I have made a good purchase.  I will keep you posted on it's performance.

First Photo of House

Build Site (pink flag center right)

Here is where the story begins...  almost.  The story actually began about 5 years ago when we moved to this place.  It is beautiful here but our house is really a garage that was meant to live in only temporarily while a house was being built. So here we are with a house that is  just an idea.  Partly because we did not now what we wanted or if we were even going to stay here. Partly because funding has been somewhat unpredictable.  Now we are in a position to build, without a mortgage, if we do most of the work ourselves.  So, we've decided to build a metal shell, on the site in the photo above, then finish the inside like a home.   Each little step we take makes me more and more excited.  Like ordering windows and finding somebody to erect the building the way we want it to be done.  It seems that building a metal house on pier and beam is not the norm.

Signing the Contract

Tommy and Rickey

AND HERE WE GO.....the contract is signed and a large check was written.  Our contractor, Tommy, is a very nice man and does not stand on formality (thank goodness) so, a handwritten contract outlining the work to be done is enough.  We all signed and dated it so now comes the trust part.  We trust that Tommy is going to do a good job and he trusts that we are going to keep paying him and not cause undo grief with changes and new ideas.  I will keep you posted with how all that goes.

House Plans

Line Drawing

Here is a simple picture of what our house will look like.  I chose a blue roof because it is different and I like it. I just hope it will look as good as I think it will.

Plan drawn in V-carve

Here is the floor plan that I must have drawn about 15 times.  I think this is going to be very livable for us.  I wanted the kitchen, utility room and our closet to be very close together because it seems like that is were I am always walking back and forth between.