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Groovy Ranch is moving along. Here’s the latest news.

Lighting

Terry’s electrician, Skeet, is almost done with the rough-in work. Here’s a picture of the recessed lights in the living area.

So You Want to Be Your Own GC (General Contractor)?

Check out this photo of these sliding glass doors. Do you see anything wrong with them? Me either. But upon inspection, Terry found a crack in them. He also found that the doors were assembled incorrectly. He ordered another set and these are going back to the distributor.

In doing my research on “how to build a home,” I often came across articles claiming that a lot of money could be saved by being your own GC. I guess that would work for some. Our friends over at Farmhouse Finance, for instance, have general contractors and trades people in their family to assist them. Mrs. Groovy and I, however, aren’t so fortunate. We have no one to save us from our ignorance. And that ignorance would have been on full display regarding the sliding glass doors. There’s no way we would have known they were damaged.

Roof Update

The roofing on the main part of the house is done. We went with asphalt shingles rather than standing seam metal. Standing seam metal is roughly three times more costly than asphalt shingles. In other words, it was too damn expensive for our wallet. We are going with standing seam metal on the porch roof, though.

Fire Place Is In!

The fire place has been installed. We won’t have a picture of it until the next update, though. That’s because it’s currently behind the damaged sliders (see picture of the sliders above).

Garage Is Going Up

The walls are up on the garage. We’re going with trusses for the roof to save a little money, and they should be delivered by next week. [Mrs. Groovy here. Terry’s covering the garage roof with metal, which will tie-in nicely with the porch roof.]

Final Thoughts

Things have been moving very quickly with Groovy Ranch. But once the exterior work is completed, things will start to slow down. The interior work takes time and is accompanied by many construction-delaying inspections. We don’t know exactly when the septic system and well will go in, but they’re on Terry’s radar. Terry, in fact, recently heard that our neighbors had an easy time finding water. Since their well is at the back of their property, near the property line between us, Terry suggested we put ours close to theirs. Sounds good to me.

Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. Hope you enjoyed the update. Peace.

 

24 thoughts on “Building Groovy Ranch: Update 28

    1. Thanks, BB. Our goal was to be in by Christmas. Now I think we have a good shot of being in by Thanksgiving.

    1. Thanks, Mrs. FF. Agreed. There are so many moving parts when it comes to building a house, you really need someone with expertise to manage it. Hey, when’s your next building update? I loved the foundation. Now I’m dying to see the framing.

    1. You got a keen and perceptive eye, Gwen. 1,528 square feet. More than enough for two people. Yet tiny compared to today’s McMansions.

      P.S. I don’t know what you guys are drinking, but you and J are killing it on your podcast. Really great stuff lately. Loved the French digital nomad today.

  1. Good move with the roof. Going with the standard is the easiest option. You can find people to work on it when needed. I think being your own GC is okay for smaller projects. I wouldn’t trust myself when it comes to a big project like this.
    The house looks good so far. It’s cute.

    1. So true, my friend. Nothing really going on at Groovy Ranch this week. The trusses for the garage have been delivered. So maybe the garage framing will get done over the next couple of days.

  2. Looking good. While being your own GC could save a lot of money, you could end up with a terrible home that could cost you a lot of money and time. So forget that noise. Stick with the experts. A home is too costly to build it without the appropriate knowledge.

    1. “A home is too costly to build it without the appropriate knowledge.”

      That says it all, DDD. The one thing Mrs. G and I have going for us is that we’re well aware of our limitations. Peace, my friend.

  3. Lookin’ fantastic! You’re right – things will slow way down once the interior systems and finishing work begins.

    How about a pic next time that shows us where the garage is in relation to the house?

    In my experience working with GCs on two home builds they earn their money.

    1. Hey, Freddy. I’m excited too. At first I thought 24×28 was going to be too small. But now that I see the garage with the walls up, I’m pumped.

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