You know how life with the internet can skew reality? Most of the time it happens for the worst, but every once in a while it might be a good thing — like, let’s say, when it comes to building a house? Home construction takes time (soooo muuuuuuch tiiiiiiime!), so maybe – just for the sake of storytelling – sharing a building process in a post of 25 photos is for the better. 😉 Almost eight months of long, laborious work to build our home is buttoned up in an eight minute story here. Let’s dive in!
I’m taking it all the way back to late August 2022 when our framing began! I was 38 weeks pregnant, and between having our baby boy and watching the framing go up, our whole family was about to pop with sheer excitement. We had waited a long time for this day to come!
One week later, our Duke arrived. We had waited a long time for his day to come!
A framed house is a bit of a wonderland. You can get to stand on an open second story and walk through walls and write secret messages the floor and boards…our girls will always remember this part of the process!
Framing took about two months in total taking us to November 2022, and then it was time for the next steps: plumbing and electrical placements, HVAC and insulation. It was then that I also started the “selections process” — the super creative part of building — selecting plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, flooring (etcetera, etcetera, etcetera)! Cute Duke has been along for this ride from literally the first day of his life, and my goodness has he been as cool as a cucumber for it all, just so chill and patient and sweet. I wondered if having a newborn while building a house would be killer but it’s been 100% opposite. Baby Duke’s dream is to just be with me all day, so he’s pleased as punch to be along for the ride. Of course baby stuff has still been real — can you see the spit up all over me in that pic below? I remember that Duke lost it on me riiight as I put him in the wrap before a tile meeting. But I’ll take the spitty baby in tandem with his sweet, easy-going spirit. As for me, surprisingly, having to sit down and nurse (especially for long hours in the beginning!) has given me the space to research extensively on my phone in finding our selections, and wow, I didn’t see that blessing coming. I have been so grateful to have a little baby while building a house!
Windows!
Wires!
Insulation!
HVAC! These under-belly layers of a home are intricate and awesome. We have learned so much watching this house go up. Our respect is deep for the experts who know how to literally build a home!
Starting in December 2022, the selections process got really intense. Working while nursing wasn’t enough time anymore and almost every night found me researching and designing deep into the night. I should’ve flat-lined with how little I slept between December and February, honestly. I’d get the kids down, work on the house, help a baby (or two) that woke up, go back to working, sleep for a few hours, and then start it all over again. And Ryan was right there with me (Ry has probably put in twice as many hours into this house as I have)! I believe with my whole soul in God’s ability to empower us to rise to our responsibilities in life, especially when our loads are extra heavy. I prayed every day for Him to show up in my life so that I could do what I needed to do — IE “Heavenly Father, I have to find my master shower tile today. My time is limited, so of all the trillions of tiles out there, please help me find the right one” — and my goodness, He’d guide my way! I am so grateful for the unexpected, faith-building experience it’s been for me to build this house. I’ve seen via this life avenue, too, that God is deeply invested in every aspect of our lives when we let Him in!
Chloe deserves a major shout-out, too. Unlike itty baby Duke, big-girl Chloe has been totally aware of what Mom and Dad are doing with their time, and Sis has been unbelievably patient with all our house visits and meetings. I am so grateful for my Chloe!!! I hope she’ll always know that she built this house right alongside us with the cheeriest, happiest soul.
Drywall was up next! We have had incredible craftsman and experts working on our home, and I have to give an extra shout-out to our Drywall crew. They were phenomenal — the hardest workers I have ever seen. They were in and out of our home in about 10 days, leaving behind the most beautiful, buttery smooth, non-textured walls. Then the paint crew showed up and wow, they got work done, too! I’ll never forget how fast paced these few weeks were. THE DAY AFTER we finalized our white paint color, the paint crew had painted our entire house. Finalizing our white paint was a trip, too, by the way. I had settled on a white paint color months ago, but when we got samples of our selection up on our walls, it read too yellow. We scrambled back to the drawing board and worked through four other options till we found “the one,” the very day after we gave them the paint information, the house was painted. Boom, baby (insert fireworks, because that painting speed was awesome to see)!
From there, attention shifted to the exterior. See those ladders at the ready below?! The team that applied our Hardie shingles came down from Utah County and stayed here for 9 days to do our job and they meant business!! They were incredibly hard working and talented craftsman. Their portfolio features some pretty amazing homes up North, and we just felt totally floored that they were working on our house, too. Major props to Sam the Builder and his connections (the girls call Sam Walton, our builder, “Sam, THE builder” 🙂 ). Sam’s subcontractors have been unreal! I wouldn’t want to build a house with anyone other than Walton Homes.
My feelings about this process run deep, like if you want to have a solid life experience with your spouse and your family, build a house. The girls have been loving it every step of the way (which is good – we haven’t wanted them to feel the stress of building at all!), and while I’ll forever be honest about the stress that comes with creating something on such a grand and expensive scale, Ryan and I have both said to each other over and over how rewarding it is been to create together and for our family. There is truly nothing like it! “Love is what you go through together,” and working together to literally build something for our present and our future life goals has been a thrill. A tiring thrill, but a thrill nonetheless!
What’s up next?? All of our flooring is in (wood floors and tile), cabinetry is currently being installed, along with baseboards and trim, and painting the exterior starts next week. Counter tops get installed soon, followed by plumbing and light fixtures, and finally, carpet! Which I haven’t chosen yet, ha! As my builder says, though, “We’ll get ‘er done.” 🙂 Awer House is coming right along!!!
