Away we go!!

The pace has quickened and the house is taking shape! In addition to the framing going up, we're also putting in the septic system which will have to pass inspection. Of course, the weather can't leave well enough alone and has presented new challenges.

The gray water tank was put in first and it was filled up to about 3/4 full with water. This was another learning experience for me! The tank has to be filled mostly with water when it's buried to prevent it from "floating" or rising up out of the ground when the ground is saturated and/or there's a heavy rain.

Sure enough, after the tank was in place and mostly full, Mother Nature deemed it necessary to dump 1.68 inches of rain on us in the space of a few hours. Next morning the construction crew arrived to a floating tank. Fortunately, it wasn't buried yet and it has since been fixed and buried. Never underestimate the power of Mother Nature!

As of today, the majority of the walls of the main floor are done!!! Our window order goes in today and this is another one of those things where you have about a million options that need to be decided on. It was vital to us that we have a lot of windows in the house. And a great room with a wall of windows was one of Scott's non-negotiables when selecting the plan. As a result we ended up with 26 windows and 8 exterior doors! A lot of folks have asked about our floor plan, so here it is:

Our crew hard at work!! The room on the right is the sunroom, on the left is the master bath.

Sunroom. This is located right off the master bedroom and faces northeast. From here you can see our Bald Cypress swamp!

This is the great room, photo is taken from the front door. There will be a cathedral ceiling and another row of windows up above the large ones seen here. Those windows and the door will open onto a back deck.

Kitchen!! The sawhorse marks where the left wall will be, the windows will be over the kitchen sink. Makes doing dishes just a little more tolerable! And yes, it's a big kitchen! There will be an eating bar and an island.

Guest Bedroom, the door will lead directly out to the deck.

Today's moment of zen :-) This is what 1.68 inches of rain will do for a waterfall that's usually a trickle in the month of July. This waterfall is located practically in our back yard and we'll be able to hear it from the deck.