I think I can now officially say that I own something more than a hole in the ground.

First floor should be finished by Monday.

Do you know what’s better than nothing?  Something!  Framing has begun!

The first order of lumber was delivered last week, but nothing was done with it.

The storm damaged the fence allowing anyone to get into the site.

And the “basement” is flooded because the city has not opened up the sewer connection yet.

So yeah, things are going great.

A month later and there has FINALLY been some more progress on the house. The flatwork is finally done.  That means I have a basement floor. Things are supposed to move pretty quickly for here on out but we’ll see.

We finally got the city inspectors to come out and approve the sewer and water lines. The good news is that we didn’t have to dig up the sidewalk. The bad news is we had to dig up the street. The other good news is the city didn’t charge extra for digging up the street. Now we are waiting for another inspection for the drain tile before laying the concrete floor in the basement. Fun.

Work on the house has been slow. Things are getting done but they’re not very visible. The sewer and water hookup are waiting on the city, but the underground plumbing for the house is done.

The forms are gone and the foundation is complete. Next step, the framing and the sewer.

You can see where the back door will be.

The forms are in for the house and they’re ready to pour the concrete!

All of the old house has been torn down and carted away and the excavation for the foundation is underway.  You can not imagine what the combination of mud and clay and water does to shoes.  After taking these pictures, I was wearing platform shoes of mud.

After an interminably long time trying to get the permits straightened out, the property is now reduced to a staircase.  This is the result of one day’s worth of work.  Building the new house will take four months.  Never has the phrase “It’s easier to destroy than to create” held greater meaning.