rafters, windows, and impromptu dinners

Framing is moving right along.  In fact, we are looking at the guys being finished up before Christmas.  When I say "finished up" I don't actually mean completely finished up.  There was a bit of a mix up on the windows and we are now looking at 6 weeks or so before the windows arrive.  What was scheduled to be ordered were vinyl windows in tan and what we actually wanted were bronze anodized aluminum windows.  In the end it might of all worked out for the better.  We ended up ordering Milgard thermally broken aluminum bronze anodized windows and doors.  It cost us an extra $1750 but it was worth it to get the right windows and doors.  The fact that the windows and doors are from the same manufacturer is a really good thing.  We actually thought we might have to pay more when we learned of the mistake.  We got several quotes back regarding the window/door change and one of them was over $14,000 on top of what we had budgeted! 

The house actually looks like a house!  There's walls, floors, entrances, a semblance of a roof, hallways, even a place to sit!  All the elements of a home!  The house is coming along so well that it's actually causing a bit of unforseen anxiety.  Not your run of the mill "i'm building a house" anxiety but something different.  Lately I've been looking at the house and feel a sudden panic that resembles something along the lines of "I can't afford a house of this caliber/I've overextended myself."  The catch is that I'm not feeling panic because of the number that is written on the signed contract, I'm feeling panic because in that moment I see a house I would pay a much much larger sum of money for if I had it.  I wasn't sure that this was a logical thought process until I mentioned it to Renata and she said that she was having the SAME feelings!  I'm really not trying to brag when I say these sorts of things but it's no secret that I'm incredibly pleased that we are making this happen.  It's really a testament to  all of the detailing/designing that went into this and the work that has been done thus far.

 

The other night we were doing our usual end of the day "hang out" and it was so nice we decided to pick up a quick family dinner from Bill Millers and eat on the back patio.  It was so enjoyable that a few days later I decided that things had progressed enough and we should cook at the new house.  So I picked up some fajitas, a 12 pack of Shiner Cheer, and a couple campfire grates and we had a full fleged cookout right there.  It was all very nice.

 

So this week the big 8x8 cedar posts go up for the screened porch.  They have to bring in some sort of crane because they are so heavy.  I really cannot wait to see this part!  The screened porch is a huge deal for us and this has to be one of the tallest screened porches in all of San Antonio.  If anyone knows of a screened porch over 18 and half feet let me know, I'm genuinely curious.  Size doesn't always matter but it might if you're trying to corral a breeze in the middle of a Texas summer with the temperature redlining and the humidity suffocating all that is good and decent in the world, at least, in this part of the world.