Erbie Swimming Hole Too Cool

Excited About Septic System

The Septic Man is in the house!, should be complete early next week. If I finish the plumbing that my plumber won't do, I can have running water next week. I guess I'm gonna have to hire someone else to complete the job for him. This really pisses me off, I  have been very patient with him, and he just won't  come out and complete the few items left. No reference for him. I also  have had to pick up after my electrician, we don't have power run for our septic pump, so we have to run more power lines. This is the point when you start discovering earlier mistakes by the trades, because it messes up everything in the finish process. But things are coming along nicely, most electrical  is done, and we started milling the interior door  jambs and trim today. Cabinets will  be ordered next week, and I will start the remaining trim details next week. Everyone is getting excited because it is obvious that we are getting close, what seemed impossible, now seems inevitable. I think I am going to finish the whole inside of the house and then move in. I can finish up outside while we live there. So it's come down to a race to finish the interior, which is possible in 3-4 weeks. I'm just gonna keep my head down and get after it, I want to live there now, and we can while finishing the outside. I picked up more cherry at the mill yesterday, and this load doesn't look as good as the last ones. Still good stuff, just more waste, but we have enough material now to finish all  the int. door jambs and trim, and finish the window trims. The only thing left after that is base moulding. I made the cut list for all the doors, and there are 100 accent blocks to craft!, good thing we got 4 of us. Oh yea, I always forget the cherry paneling in the awesome room, theres still a lot of work there too. The countdown begins, soon after we get back from the coast, we will move in. I hope that all enjoy this day of beautiful freedom, and I hope that all understand where this gift came from. SYOTRSomeday, The Hollohead

Getting Closer

Finished Floor and Erbie

Ok, so the first coat of poly is on the floor, went on real good and we should get second coat on today. Don't know if we'll need third coat until second coat dries, so either we're done, or close. It simply looks awesome and is definitely one of the best features of the house. It's getting to the point that no matter where you are looking there is a feature that stands out. We have had several visitors in the past few days, and the comments of these folks has confirmed what is becoming apparent. The whole house is basically eye candy and one of a kind. I love this, I hate following the crowd, and my whole goal was to throw convention out the window. We are getting so close to finishing that my mind is wandering to the next projects and buildings. The house is just the beginning of what's planned for the Gorge. Late last night I had a brain storm and I believe I have come up with the answer to what is next for me. I need to find the perfect place to make this idea come alive, but it fits perfectly with our karma and it would be totally unique. After the floors are done, our next project is the interior doors and jambs. This is a lot of labor, and I estimate that it will take a week or more of all of us getting after it. I still have the built-ins in the master bath, the island, the massive valance in the kitchen, and the entertainment center, to build from the walnut plywood that is going in today. The big outside project left is the front entry porch, about a week of hard labor there. I also have got to find a way to get the plumber, the rock masons, and the septic guy, to show up and do the remaining work. It's all coming together for a mid september move-in. Matt and I went down to Erbie yesterday to check things out. Man did we have a good time, you forget what's down there and we toured the old Parker-Hickman farm site. Matt was so curious about the old buildings, he really loves history. Then we went to the Erbie campground just around the corner and WOW, what a swimming hole!! Had the place all to ourselves, which is probably the case most of the time. The road to Erbie has just been repaired after years of neglect and is in fine shape now. This would really add to our adventures, theres hiking trails all over the place down there, and a swimming hole for summer! Hope everyone has an awesome weekend, and come see us anytime. Gone, gone, gone, The Hollohead

It's off to the Races

Thank you so much Community First Bank!!!!!!! We know how upside down and insane everything is right now, so we appreciate you having confidence in us. With everyones help and vote, we can put this train back on the right track and  get back to the new normal. It's time to get everything ordered and done, so let's get back to work. Thanks again Community first!!!!!!

Sweet Relief

The drought is not over, but we have been blessed with life saving rains the past couple of days.  Maybe a little over an inch altogether, but enough to give the trees a much needed drink in our area. The showers have been sporadic, so not everyone has got as much, or any at all. I am hoping it rains at least 10 days in July and give the forest a break. This whole week is supposed to be real nice, 80s during day, and in the 60s at night, yoohoo. Well, we completed all the hardwood flooring and it's time to sand and finish the whole house. This is a big deal and it means that we can begin work on the remaining carpentry; int. doors, cherry paneling, base boards,  and many other details. It is  also a big deal because it looks so awesome, I mean wow, I can't wait to see it with the clear coat. I also began work on the front porch today by digging down to the footings and installing the french drain. This is hard work, but at least it was a wonderful cool day to do it. This project will occupy me for awhile, I have to build some concrete retaining walls after completing the french drain, and then pour a concrete slab, which I will either stamp and stain, or lay a flagstone patio on top. After that I will be able to backfill  and grade to the foundation, and then I can finish the exterior rock work. The septic guy and the plumber need to get busy, I'm getting frustrated. I want to be as far along as possible when we go on vacation in early August, that way I  can finish by mid September. If I can finish this front porch quickly, it will really put me ahead of the game, so that's what I'm concentrating on. Keep on praying for rain! Later RJ