For family and friends. We have had many questions regarding our future house and building plans so we thought we'd put it out on our web site to keep everyone updated. It's been a fun project and we look forward to moving in and hosting friends and family in the future. A little history though. While we had been traveling over the past 4 years, we kept evaluating possible locations to retire to. Did we want two places - one for summer, one for winter, a place close to kids, a place not too close to kids, remain in Austin, move to the Hill Country, move to a garden home??? .... the list was endless. We finally decided we wanted to stay around Austin, but not live in Austin. Through some friends, we found out about a lot on the south shore of Lake Travis outside a little town named Spicewood and just before July 4th, 2007, we purchased the lot and then left town on our summer/fall trip.
House Progress Home Page
May
Here is our first picture of the lot we're going to be building on. We know there is some water back there, but it's pretty hard to get a feel for what the view is going to be like. This is going to be a bit of blind faith!
In May, we began to clear the lot. By this time we had already settled on a design and had the working drawings ready to go. We had also selected a local builder familiar with the community guidelines and restrictions. We are on our way!
Halfway through the job of clearing the lot. Finally, a view of the lake, there really is some water back there.
The lot is cleared and this is going to be the view. We were so pleased that it turned out to exceed our expectations. Residents who walk by all the time were amazed that this was behind all those cedar trees.
June
Finally ..... mid June and we are breaking ground. The slab guys square the house up on the lot, lay out all the lines. Then they start pounding in the stakes and forms. There is solid limestone rock that's 6 inches under this excuse for dirt .. talk about some hard work!
It took about a week to get the forms laid out, then we had to have the survey guy come back and double check the form positioning to insure we were not over easements or property lines. Then they started bringing in the fill.
Rock saws to get through the limestone. This would have gone a lot faster without all the rock.
More fill with the trucks coming in fast. They are moving some dirt. This is really a granite gravel mix and really packs hard.
Almost to the end of the fill and moving it around. Just in time to take a break over July 4th.
Footings are being poured to insure stability and strength of slab.
Standing on where the back porch will be. I think we can get used to this!
Startup
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