Calm, Forward, Straight

Calm, Forward, Straight

Monday, February 11, 2019

Horse Before House Part 5
Shopping + Topping

At this point - about 90 days into construction - it seemed like a good time to line up what was going to go into the house - plumbing fixtures, lighting, doors, flooring. The kitchen and paint will get future posts all their own.

Although I was able to do a ton of research online, many items needed checking out in real life, so there were the prerequisite trips to Lowe's and Home Depot. They're located off island - a three hour round trip from here. I find box stores completely overwhelming at the best of times. Since an entire day would end up being sacrificed, those little jaunts required serious planning, multiple lists and all the documentation. Whatever did we do before smart phones?

Speaking of smart phones - I used mine to immediately text a recap of every meeting or phone conversation I had with my builder - hoping to avoid any he said-she said issues down the line. That proved to be a successful (although probably annoying 😇) strategy lol...




Meanwhile back at the ranch, my framers achieved the ridge beam - aka "topping out." According to google:

"The practice of "topping out" a new building can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian religious rite of placing a tree atop a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in its construction. Long an important component of timber frame building, it migrated initially to England and Northern Europe, thence to the Americas. A tree or leafy branch is placed on the topmost wood or iron beam, often with flags and streamers tied to it. A toast is usually drunk and sometimes workers are treated to a meal."
 
The afternoon my framers nailed in the ridge beam, they graciously hung this handy flag for me. You can find just about anything on Amazon.


Year of the Unicorn!!!

We celebrated with a shot or two of Patron, and I sent them home with fresh eggs.
























21 comments:

  1. Love the flag! Enjoying watching the building progress.

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    1. I'm enjoying watching the process again - from an in-the-house perspective :D

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  2. That is a really neat tradition.

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  3. Aahh, I freaking love the progress shots of your beautiful home!

    I've never heard of topping out either - but am totally going to do it with my own barn. I have SO much grief over cutting the trees that must be cut to make it and the dry lot happen so a topping out toast sounds perfect.

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    1. Removing trees comes up frequently in my landscaping business, and I hate to do it - even when it's clearly called for. We chipped the stripling pines that came from clearing the house site to put on the new road into the property. I removed the smaller branches from the twin oak to use in the chicken coop, and the trunk pieces are seasoning for a future bonfire.

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  4. WOWWWW, I am just finally beginning to imagine what the finished house will look like... so gorgeous!!!

    We've had to take out two trees that died (of natural causes). We took them down to the mill and had them turned into planks, then had them kiln-dried. When we do our addition, we'll use one of them for part of the kitchen countertops, and the other for a new fireplace mantle. The scraps have been used for fires. So we'll still get to enjoy them even though they're gone!

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    1. Similar to hunting. I'm not into killing animals for sport, but if that's what floats your boat - please honor the sacrifice of the animal's life by consuming it, or give it to someone who will.

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  5. that last picture is so pretty and so exciting!! also tho yea i can totally see how the 3hr round trip to the hardware stores required a fair amount of planning to capitalize on the time and journey... sounds like kinda a lot of pressure tbh haha

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    1. It felt like a lot of pressure lol. Like shopping had become a job ;D

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  6. I love that tradition! It sounds like fun. I cannot wait to see the finished product. I am in love with your home already.

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  7. I didn't know about the topping out tradition but I like it! I'm always interested to know about the old traditions. The unicorn flag is perfect too. It seems you found a way to reuse the trees you did have to take down. I actually get attached to trees and shrubs and hate when they have to come down or fall down. I've spent a fortune on a tree in the front yard, its an old maple that is probably 200-300 yrs. old. Just had the branch cables tightened and I do deep root feeding( don't know if it really helps or not) but I'd hate to lose it. The house is really shaping up, can't wait until we get finished with the outside and get a peek inside. I hate shopping at Lowes or Home Depot but I think my worst one is Costco. Anyway, love to see the progress.

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    1. Costco and Sam's Club totally freak me out. Intellectually - I know that many of the customers are buying for businesses (or are confirmed preppers lol)- but gigantic containers of mayonnaise are nauseating. Apparently Costco recently sold out of their 27lb shelf stable macaroni and cheese buckets. ��

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  8. Ahh so cool and I never knew about that ritual!

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  9. It looks like you are building a tree house ... a really NICE tree house :) from some of the angles. I've missed the adventures of Val. Glad to see you posting again.

    M in NC

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  10. Thought I left a message last week but maybe I sent it into the black hole of the internet... :) Love the series and so happy that you are enjoying this dream you made happen! The sky shot and the unicorn flag are amazing!!!

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  11. Wow I didn't know about that tradition -- neat!

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