property – Page 2 – Primm & Property

Posted on May 24, 2020May 24, 2020 by Emily

Day 219

We were pleasantly surprised to see that, in just a few days, almost all of the block had been laid!

Here they are finishing up the back of the house and then the only section left is the front porch, where my dad and Josh are standing on the right.

John has been spreading out the Pride Dirt Pile so it’s harder for me to get up high enough and far enough away to get everything in one shot. I had to use the panoramic setting to capture this, which is a little bit distorted, but you get the idea.

Though I can barely contain myself in anticipation of framing, seeing this step has been extremely exciting!

That L-shaped thing on the left will be our screened in porch. I’ve never had one of these before. I predict that we will spend a great deal of time on that porch, safe from all of the mosquitos and critters that will eat you up out here.

Also, please note on the left, Barry (my dad) taking a picture of me standing on a pile of dirt taking a picture.

Now, when we are not on the screened in porch on the back of the house, we will most likely be on the front porch, which will be right here.

I have the rocking chairs ready to go for the minute the house is complete.

The horses next door are largely disinterested in the construction.

So, this is the second time in my life that I’ve gotten to be part of the building process on a personal level. The first time was when my parents built a house outside of Philadelphia when I was 4.

You might say, that’s where it all began, or at least where it became clear, that I would wind up in a career related to construction and design.

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Last year for my birthday, Josh put together some still shots from a home video circa 1992 of me supervising on the jobsite at my parents’ house. I was sporting pink sunglasses and an ensemble I can no longer pull off.

Josh did get me a new pair of pink sunglasses so I could recreate the inspection vibe when the time came for us to build our house.

Well, the moment has arrived.

Josh brought the ladder so I could climb down into the basement.

The view from below.

Here I am several decades later, sporting my pink sunglasses and assessing the situation.

On our way home, the same way that we had come just a few hours before, there was suddenly a tree all the way across the road. Josh maneuvered around it and then he and my dad tied it to Josh’s truck so he could pull it out of the road.

It’s always an adventure out in the country!

Speaking of adventures, we have been practically camping in our current house for the past week because our refrigerator decided to stop cooling. Thankfully, it has since been fixed and we had 7(!) days left on the warranty. Always the optimist, Bu was making the most of the temporary setup and had found himself a great spot for lounging and watching the squirrels in the front yard.

He is going to love the screened in porch.

Posted on May 15, 2020May 18, 2020 by Emily

Day 210

It is looking more and more like we may actually get this house built!

Today, they poured the basement walls. We arrived just as the pump truck was departing.

Check. It. Out.

Word is these forms will likely come off tomorrow.

This whole “forms and pouring concrete” process blows my mind.

This lovely little section is where the exterior steps to the basement will be. There will be a lot of dirt filled in around it once the forms are removed. Thank goodness.

We will probably use this access 12 times in the next 50 years, but hey, we will be glad we have it when we need it.

The view from the top of Pride Dirt Pile.

Also, many piles of split face concrete block have arrived for the non-basement parts of the house where we will have a crawl space.

While I may use the exterior basement stairs on occasion, I hope I never experience the crawl space firsthand.

John (earthwork guy) was busy moving and distributing Pride Dirt Pile because he has to dig a lengthy trench for the electrical that will run from the start of the driveway all the way to the far corner of the garage.

It sure is great to have so much space until you have to put in the infrastructure for utilities.

On the bright side, “Meadowcrest”, as we’ve named our property, is looking super meadow-y out front.

Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Emily

Day 174

Despite a beautiful week of weather, it seems there was no progress on the property. Still waiting for an explanation of this. Hoping everyone is OK.

Josh and I spent several hours on-site yesterday doing very fascinating things.

First, we flagged the driveway.

Josh was measuring and placing the flags as I called out the measurements to him from his plan. If you squint really hard, you can see the orange flags.

I’m so glad he knows how to do these things. I just told him I’d like 1) the driveway to curve around for a pretty approach to the house, 2) a place for people to park out front, and 3) a loop so it’s easy for people to get in and out without a 75 point turn (a challenge we have at our current house). He takes this information and produces a lovely plan to make all of my driveway dreams come true. I think I’ll keep him.

This is his “Why are you taking my picture?” face.

Because I’m so glad you’re my husband and a landscape architect!

It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that we are building a house, which will sit between these two piles of dirt in the near future. Hopefully, this time next year we will be living in it and we’ll be able to have people over and give them hugs without fear.

In the meantime, we’re enjoying improving the property so it is beautiful for us and our future guests to enjoy.

Our second activity was cleaning up this hot mess:

Among this tangle of vines and trees are two dogwoods, a black cherry, and a cedar tree. You wouldn’t know it except for the dogwood blooms.

Josh quickly got to work on this with his chainsaw. And before long, it looked like this:

Much better!

Josh hauling off all of the brush to the woods. His truck looking like a Chia Pet.

While Josh did the heavy lifting, I reviewed the trail camera footage.

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Not much action in the last few days except for Tom desperately searching for Jenny. I think she may have moved to a different block…

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Sorry, Tom.

Well, if my boots are any indication, I would call that a successful trip to the property.

Posted on April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 by Emily

Day 171

Things haven’t changed much in the last few days. Apparently, the ground was still fairly wet under the surface, so earthwork dude was letting it dry out.

We had a safely distanced meeting on-site with our builder to discuss the next few steps. There is some more grading to do and then the digging of the footers and the basement. I must find my pink sunglasses Josh got me before it’s time for me to inspect these items.

I did a little practice inspecting today.

Looking good and level.

I had to check out the view from Pride Rock…er…Pride Dirt Pile.

Josh decided to have a little too much fun with photoshop after I started calling our pile of dirt “Pride Rock”. Here I am presenting our house cat, Bu, to the kingdom.

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I blame it on the quarantine.

Moving on.

We moved the trail camera back to its original location because I have recently learned about myself that, to me, watching dirt being moved is like watching paint dry.

The usual suspects showed up: Bambi, house cat, opossum, and a few curious neighbors.

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Then came one of the funniest videos yet.

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It started with a young lady turkey casually strolling by. I’ve just learned this is called a “jenny”.

Hey, Jen.

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Then a few seconds later she inexplicably picks up her pace and exits stage right…

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…because here comes Tom!

I think the quarantine is getting to them, too.

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Emily

Day 167

It’s really happening!

I got butterflies as we turned onto our easement drive and saw the big pile of dirt in the distance.

Have you ever seen such a beautiful sight?!

(*Fighting back tears*)

This is where the garage will be.

And guess what? We will actually PARK in the garage, unlike the other 99.3% of Tennesseans who have garages and never park in them. I don’t understand it.

That looks like fun!

But, I will say, after reviewing the SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN 10 second videos our trail camera captured from the first day of moving dirt, this is a very VERY monotonous process.

Though having seen many a hot mess of a construction site, I think our guy is very methodical and trying not to disturb things any more than necessary.

Please cross your fingers for clear days so we can make good progress!

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Emily

Day 166

Well, nearly 6 months into owning the property, the momentous day finally came – we broke ground! I never thought I would be so excited to see a pile of dirt.

Unfortunately we couldn’t be there in person for the big moment, but BOTH of our neighbors sent us photos and videos. Nothing is getting past them, which is a good thing so far.

One neighbor sent us this on Wednesday that the equipment had arrived.

Then, yesterday morning we got these photos from our other neighbor…who was practically standing in the pile of dirt.

Last weekend, we moved the trail camera to the tree on the right, so hopefully we’ll have more thrilling footage to share!

Try to contain yourselves.

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Emily

Day 161

I’m starting to think we actually live in Portland, Oregon, not Nashville, Tennessee, with the number of rainy days we’ve had the last few months.

This weekend, however, we’ve had two lovely, dry, and mostly sunny days. Let’s hope this trend continues into next week and for the next few months so they can grade the spot for the house, pour the basement, and frame the house without further delay (ha!). Word is that the earthwork guy is showing up rain or shine this week. We shall see…

I have many pictures that look like this. I’m looking forward to having pictures from this angle that have a house in them.

Back to the nice weather this weekend. Friends of ours that live very near our current house were taking out some landscaping that had become too much to manage. They generously offered us some boxwoods and azaleas so we went over to help dig them up and then headed out to the property.

We planted them in the two front property corners so they would be out of the way during construction. Once the house is complete, it is likely we will transplant them to the landscaping beds, but for now they are anchoring the front of the property.

The landscape architect, carefully placing the shrubs while I document from a safe distance.

Though it appears they are practicing proper social distancing, the reason for their spacing has more to do with ease of mowing than a health risk.

Aren’t they cute?!

Here’s how they look from the future front porch. Josh had to limb up the tree a little bit more so construction vehicles can maneuver.

My phone camera is not doing this justice at all, and the orange septic field fencing really isn’t helping, but this is one of many beautiful “volunteer” dogwoods along the edge of the property.

This past Christmas, we asked for contributions to our landscaping fund along with the gift giver’s favorite tree, shrub, or plant. Now that the weather has turned a corner, we are excited to start planning for more planting around the property!

Posted on March 15, 2020March 15, 2020 by Emily

Day 147

Well, we’ve owned the property nearly 5 months now and all we have to show for it is some temporary orange fencing around the septic fields.

Oh, and we also have some animal planet worthy trail camera footage.

To be fair, we have been doing a lot behind the scenes so that when things do start, they can move efficiently. I have selected and specified nearly every detail in the house down to the door hardware. We may even be ready to order the windows next week!

The things that excite you when you’re an adult…

Also exciting is the fact that the earthwork guys should be there this week to start moving dirt, especially given all that has happened here in the last couple of weeks. Since my last post, we’ve had another 47 inches of rain, a devastating tornado that came within a mile of our current house in Nashville, and coronavirus hysteria has set in.

Regarding the tornado: Many people around us have lost their homes and businesses, which certainly puts into perspective how lucky we are to be safe and to have a roof over our heads. The night of the tornado, we had just minutes to wake up and realize what was happening, grab the cat, and get into the basement as the tornado passed us. The large trees in our backyard were swaying back and forth 30 feet, but thankfully, we were spared any damage.

Though I was ready to nix the basement in the new house for budgetary reasons, now I am really glad Josh insisted we have one. The homes near us that were destroyed were almost identical to our current house. All of them had basements and everyone in those houses survived because of that. Pretty much everything above grade was flattened. I still get chills thinking about it and I know that compared to what these people are going through, being delayed in building my new home while I have a perfectly intact home is really not a big deal. So, we are prepared to be patient and to help however we can.

Next topic: coronavirus. We are self-quarantining as best we can. I will be working from home and avoiding as many meetings as possible. I have requested that Josh work from home for the foreseeable future, too. His company did a trial run Friday and as far as I’m concerned, it went extremely well. It seemed to me he got a lot done and was able to eat a proper lunch. Let’s keep it up!

Thankfully, the population density around our new property is so low that the chance of running into another human being while onsite, or within 5 miles, is next to nothing. With these statistics in mind, we ventured out earlier today to check up on things.

Earlier this week, during his meeting with the contractor and the earthwork guy, Josh determined that the tree directly in front of where the house will sit is actually a pecan tree. Now, I was pretty sure that we had decided to eliminate this tree (and plant many others in its honor) due to the fact that it would be smack dab in the middle of the parking pad and be far too close to the house for comfort. Well, evidently my landscape architect of a husband has had a change of heart and as of now we are trying our darnedest to save this tree.

He limbed up the tree with his chain saw. Here he is surveying his work.

While he was doing this and dragging the large cut limbs away, I was reviewing the trail camera footage in the comfort of the truck.

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Pardon the glare, but these people are well past the highly visible “no trespassing” signs on the trees to their right and left.

One of these folks was also observed on camera several days prior, scoping things out. It’s going to be awkward if these people are our neighbors…

Screen Shot 2020-03-15 at 3.43.15 PM Not sure who this was past our Fort Knox gate, but if he/she wants to leave his/her truck for us to use, that would be super in exchange for trespassing. Thanks.

Then there was a rogue group of turkeys fanning their tail feathers…

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So, I know I’m partial, but I think this is the cutest shot, with my husband, Josh (middle), the earthwork guy (left), and our builder (right), all walking along as dudes discussing moving dirt like it’s no big deal.

I’d like you to know that Josh is extremely proud that “earthwork guy” is now a part of my vocabulary.

Posted on March 1, 2020March 1, 2020 by Emily

DAY 133

Well, a lot has happened in the last 3 weeks:

We got our building permit! After the “plan review fee”, the “privilege tax”, the “educational impact fee”, and a handful of other absurd fees, I’m pretty sure we’ve paid for a county employee’s annual salary in order to obtain our permit.
It has rained approximately 67″ this February, which has put everyone in construction behind and has delayed us breaking ground until the earthwork guys catch up. Patiently waiting…..
I had surgery and Josh has been buried in his Finance class so we hadn’t been able to go for a site visit until yesterday.
Our neighbor’s barn is nearly finished. Our construction envy is growing by the minute.
The critters have come out in full force! We had a record 60 videos on the trail camera this time, which is about 5X as many as we’ve had before.

Neighbor’s barn. Maybe one day there will be a structure on our property, too. Not jealous or anything.

Focusing on our wildlife for now.

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I think this is an owl on the ground to the right of the trees. Josh agreed with my assessment for once.

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Up close and personal with Bambi.

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Practicing for her real ID picture.

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Turkey invasion!

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House cat makes an appearance.

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Turkeys are back for the first recorded snow since we’ve had the camera!

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Our resident black squirrel with white-tipped tail dashing by on a sunny day. I can’t wait for Bu (our indoor house cat) to lay his eyes on this guy. He’s going to lose his mind.

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Evidently our neighbors believe in free-range horses. Exhibit A.

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Exhibit B.

Remind me to look into a property fence…

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Pretty blue bird on the ground below the trees. Looked very busy.

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Cute little bunny! Another creature for Bu to go nuts over from his indoor perch.

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And finally, more snow! It didn’t snow at all at our current house on the other side of town. I can’t wait to be in the new house and watch it snow this time next year.

Patiently waiting…..

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Emily

Day 112

We put up a “gate” this weekend at the property. And by we, I mean my dad and Joshua. I was busy reviewing trail camera footage. More on that in a minute.

This is a temporary setup to try to deter unauthorized visitors. But, between the medium-duty chain, the plastic sign, and the fact that there’s no lock, it’s basically Fort Knox.

Hopefully people will get the message.

Back to the trail camera.

The house cat made another appearance, as did the shaky branch. We had a deer family and a squirrel. I was about to report to the guys that there wasn’t anything exciting, when I came across this fella:

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I wish I could share the video so you could see this creature in action. He has a most unusual gait and what appears to be a large head.

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I was pretty sure it was a wild boar, as our neighbor did mention she’s seen a few.

When the guys got back in the truck for lunch, I handed over my laptop for them to take a look.

About .283 seconds later, Josh said, “Um, that is an opossum.”

Just call me Bindi Irwin.