Progress on S Pine Island Rd

This house is coming together quickly.  We are almost ready for drywall, and framing was only started a little over a month ago.  Here's how it looks today... The roof is on.  The windows and doors are in.  The stone and brick have arrived and are staged in the front yard.

The front door is going to let in tons of light with its side and top transoms.  This door was a bargain find at a local supply store.  They occasionally have items on clearance from the warehouse at less than half price, so I always keep an eye out for things my clients might want and snatch them up.

 There's a cathedral ceiling in the living room with a double-sided fireplace.

 

Here's the back porch with the other side of the fireplace.

 

The back porch connects to a 2-car carport and a 1-car carport.

 

 

 

Houzz

I'm sure most folks are in the loop on Houzz.com, but just in case you're not, I wanted to mention what a great website it is for home building and remodeling ideas.  It has over 2 million photos and let's you build "ideabooks" where you can save the photos you like.  Being able to show your builder what you want in a photo can go a long way in making sure you get what you want.  Here's an example of what I'm talking about....

The homeowner gave me a picture from Houzz of the master bath tile they want and I have given it to the tile guys.  They have it on display in the bathroom.  You can't get any more clear than this.

Brick at Nottoway

I'm very pleased with how the brick is looking at Nottoway.  It's a brick that's made to look "used" and its called San Luis.  This brick was supplied by Beaumont Brick and Stone.

They have a long way to go!  They can only lay so many feet high in a day to keep a uniform mortar joint.  If they go too high at once, the mortar will compress and ooze out. 

The home stretch on Amanda Lane

The house on Amanda Lane in Lumberton is entering the final stages of construction.  The painting is complete.  The light fixtures are being installed.  The flooring will start tomorrow.  Here's how it looks on the outside so far...

 

Here's a peek at the kitchen cabinets.  The granite isn't installed yet, but the style and detail are stunning.

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER (still not finished!)

You can see from this last photo that they have tons of storage space and an enormous kitchen.  With flooring and countertops, this kitchen is going to be a dream!

The cabinets were constructed and installed by HR Cabinets out of Beaumont.  They offer a large variety in custom cabinets and also premade cabinets.

 

Opportunities in River Birch Place

My last post was about a house under construction in River Birch Place, but did you know they are about to open a new section soon?  They have approximately 20 lots that will be open in a few weeks and are available through several local builders and yours truly!  I have two lots that are 80' wide by 130' deep.  I will post more info once they are ready, but here's how it looks today....

 

 

 

The lots I will have are on the first street to the right.  There is also a second street to the right that will be a cul-de-sac and a street to the left that connects to River Birch Drive

and goes back out to the main entrance.

 

River Birch Place is a nice, planned community that has a great pond and playground in the middle. 

The developer plans to eventually develop the subdivision all the way to the Walmart. 

First Home in River Birch Place

I wanted to share a little about the project I'm working on in River Birch Place in Lumberton. 

The house is for a client who knows a lot about building and wanted to be his own builder, but the problem was he hadn't lived in the area for a while and had lost contact with the best subs and suppliers.  To get the job done.....we have teamed up.  For a flat fee, I am recommending subcontractors and hooking him up with my pricing and accounts at local suppliers.  I am also offering my advice and assistance with issues as they arise.  He is supervising and scheduling the work and handling most of the day-to-day activities.   

 

The project is rolling along very smoothly and we have had very few issues.  The house is around 2500 sq. ft. and has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a study and a 3-car garage. 

Here's how the house looks today:

 He chose a light slurry to accent the front porch which I think turned out nicely.  Here's a close up of the brick and the edge of the slurry:

 

 The view from the front door looking into the family room:

 The fireplace in the family room:

This picture is looking from the family room into the kitchen and breakfast area. 

South Pine Island Road

One of the things about being a custom builder is that you do a lot of driving.  Your work is spread out to many surrounding areas based on where your clients own property and choose to build.  With South Pine Island Rd, I got lucky and its literally a couple of miles from my house.    This house is for a wonderful family with 3 young children.  They are building on a beautiful piece of property and have plenty of room for everyone with 2800 sqft.   

 

On August 13th...framing started and it looked like this:

 

Ever wonder why some framing lumber is pink?  Its because its chemically treated with boron to resist decay.  The pink color makes it easily recognizable in areas that have codes specifying this type of wood for construction.

 

 

Now, on August 27th....it looks like this:

 

 

Armando's guys don't mess around.  As I've said before, they work around the weather and make it happen.  This job has been no exception.  We need the rain, but not before we have it dried in!

 

The cedar posts are onsite and soon to be installed.  They are going to look great on the front entry and on the back porch.