home life

Spring has sprung...

2011-03-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

in our little corner of the world.

Coldblooded

2011-02-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

Yup. Icicles on the INSIDE of my front door.

Cool.

Bah humbug?

2010-12-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Leftover felt, free
Polyfill, $2
Craft time, 35 minutes
Getting into the holiday spirit, priceless!!

(please don't look at our cobweb collection...)

It's 5 o'clock somewhere...

2010-10-28T12:14:00.001-07:00

My recipe called for 1.5 beers...

Can't waste it!

Oh captain, my captain...

2010-10-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Oh Apple. How I love thee.

My text to my husband moments ago...

"Am STREAMING video from my laptop, to the iPad, to the tv via a $2.99 app I bought for you.
OMG"

With video...

Recent additions...

2010-10-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

We've made some improvements to our already awesome outdoor space...

A roman-inspired pergola
A fantastic flying pig
A zen fountain

Seriously, can it get ANY better?

New roomie

2010-10-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Found this guy in our sage/basil planter. Don't worry...we won't charge him TOO much rent...

Rainy days

2010-09-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

Now it rains. Now when we are up to our eyeballs in outdoor home improvements.

I guess we can check "water" off the list.

There's always something cooking!

2010-09-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Digging a hole in this clay takes some heavy artillery.

Thanks Nam for letting us borrow yours.

guard dog

2009-09-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

Our faithful office guardian.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Deja Vu

2009-08-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've seen this before....
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

It's been a while...

2009-03-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

We added this duct work last summer. It was on the original plans, just left out of the finished product. We really love it.

Picture from my blackberry, to explain the crappiness...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

catching up is hard to do

2008-05-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

ok - so on to what we have done with the house ...
this is the house as we unpacked... as we had planned it for 19 months.

half bath
master bedroom chair

downstairs
guest room

these pictures were taken on august 14th, 10 days after move in.
needless to say - many - M A N Y - things have changed.
more next time.

better late then never?

2008-05-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

ok where to start -
WE DID CLOSE!

As of August 3, 2007 this piece of Agave heaven is ours.
(or the bank's, which we make payments to, so it can someday be ours... but you know what i mean...)

We have done a lot to the house since we have moved in and I have taken pictures of all of it so look to the next month for regular updates.

I'll start with a quick one - we are currently building a baby (6 weeks to go!) and the construction has been going as planned.

OK - pictures will be in order from the oldest to current - starting with CLOSING DAY!
(you didn't think i would make you look at pictures of a house STILL under construction did you?)

Here's the thing - we went to the house at 9 am closing day as there were no front retaining walls, no front steps, no front fences and no landscaping/sod.
so, these pictures show exactly what Agave CAN do in a day - not that it will happen ever again, but it did this day - I HAVE PROOF.

yeah - we were getting kicked out of our apartment, so our pods were actually delivered BEFORE we even closed.

our fridge was moved upstairs to it's designated spot

dad and stepmom were on scene to supervise the pod delivery and be generally amazed at all the work done in 8 hours

well deserved, and much needed beer with the builders (neither of whom are with Agave anymore - which is a shame because if it wasn't for Joe and Billy - we would NEVER had gotten in the house)

That's it for now folks - sorry for the lack of closure for those of you out there who have been feeling... ahem... left out.
(ADAM)
so today a new leaf... um or blog post - whatever.

R

in the maybe world

2007-07-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

pictures from May.

hello stranger

2007-06-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

long time no see eh?

look - i'm not going to waste your time with chit chat - here's the story:

we haven't closed.
(i know - it's a shocker right?)

we do have a new and improved closing date (see the side bar) of august 7, which could totally happen considering that the house is DONE and all we are waiting on is some walls.

oh if it were really only that simple.

anyway - here's whats been happening...

in april -

we got house numbers

they started working on our driveway

they put in the rest of our doors

they fixed the grout in our master bath

we enjoyed some beautiful light

we got electricity

may update to come.

no - really.

halfway home (aka halfway camping)

2007-05-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

ok - so we're still moving (or at least the house is... WE'RE not actually moving yet...)
and i'm still too busy to post photos.
and well...
to be honest
my heart just isn't in it right now.

it's almost as if i have been planning this house for so long that it's taken over ...
it's always -
what's new with the house?
what's bad with the house?
what's good with the house?
when's the house going to close?
why's it taking so long?

you know the last one is always the most painful to answer...

our apartment is so stuffed full of crap (not REALLY crap - but boxes of stuff for the house) that we have approximatley 110 square feet of living space - that we share with a 70lb dog and a crazy pukey cat.
it's starting to wear on this newlywed i tell ya.

since i'm posting from work - here is a picture of a job i would not like to have.

deodorant tester.

ewwwe.

between here and gone

2007-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

whew - i knew it had been a while - but i didn't realize it had been over a month!
so -
how are ya?

just kidding -

lots of stuff going down at agave -
we got concrete retaining walls
we got water
we got final trim out
we got dishwasher/microwave (stove to come)

i got zillions of pictures.

now if i can just get them uploaded...

we have no idea of a new closing date. the one in the side bar is actually our last "official" closing date. it's fun to watch the time pass no?
it's not like we can actually depend on a date anymore. we are just going to go with the flow i guess. our refrigerator and washer/dryer are being delivered, closed or not, on april 26, so that should be fun.

in mergers and aquisitions...

we bought our patio furniture (yes - it's IKEA)

our coffee table has been delivered and is currently residing in a gi-normous wooden pallet-box-thing in our livingroom.

we are still deciding on dining chairs and barstools, though we think we have a final idea -

this means we are only short TWO items:
a dresser for the master bedroom (who thought this would be so difficult?)
a bbq pit for the grill-master-Z

so close people...

can i get a witness

2007-03-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

sometimes - you just can't believe something until you see it...

behold

cardboard to protect our floors

our downstairs bath, ready for tile

oh god the floors

my kitchen... nice counters eh?

nice light in the master

biminey blue!

i love my sink

and this one too

shy tile guy ... what's that in his hand? why it looks like black slate...

the new location for our stair treads

gratuitous trash shot for mom...

there will be a drive way here someday

someday...

battery operated love

2007-02-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

so - you know me - always trying to keep you, john q. public, in the KNOW.
well -
KNOW this -
we have counters, floors and are close to tile.
today at lunch, some roughneck was man-handling my stair treads.

of course, i have no proof of this as the battery on my camera was DEAD.
seems my fabulous new camera doesn't quite fit into my old camera bag.
the bag likes to turn the camera's switches...
push it's buttons (if you will)

so...

here's my interpretation of 5353 agatha today at lunch:

me in front of my kitchen, complete with cabinets, counters and floors.

me in front of my master tub - with cement board installed just itchin' for tile.

roughneck moving my stair treads from the driveway area to the garage area.

you want proof?
you can handle the proof!

walk with me

2007-02-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

picture heavy post -

well, pictures of the floors in progress, the almost finished cabinets, and a tour of the neighborhood...

buckle your seatbelts...

floors delivered....

zack likes the floors -
*ahem

favorite cabinet #1

favorite cabinet #2 (open)

closed

floors!

where all the magic happens...

quick visual aid

awning!
no more wet groceries!

tile!
biminey blue - we love you!

stair treads delivered

neighborhood walk - february 25, 2007

top of the hill - looking south

they seem to be putting these plants all the way around agave - nice!

looking north

across the street

in the cul-de-sac looking at robert's property...
see our house!

woohoo! heather is closed!

that awning sure does look nice...

this is what our house numbers will look like
(uh - times two)

full circle at the whatley's

thanks for coming on this walk with us - we can't wait for you to do it in person!

bamboozled

2007-02-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

well...

where to start?

our closing date has moved
(stop - the collective *gasp* is killing me)

it is now March 29
(notice i capitalized March - i think this could be it this time! i don't want to test the gods of capitalizing months in text to jinx me or whatever...)

also, we are getting our floors -
RIGHT AS WE SPEAK
or as you read - whatever

they are beautiful
seriously folks - i felt a tear when i saw them.

here's a pic from some bamoo place online of our EXACT floor - color, width, etcetera...

and a pic of what it will look like with furniture (not ours of course... like we could have wicker? with the crazy cat?)

i have pictures of our FABULOUS cabinets - and of our floors being installed... i'll upload them soon!

new coat of paint

2007-02-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

let's recap:

in the past week we have ...

got texture
got trimmed
got cabineted
got paint

whew - busy week!

since i am blogging from work and have no pictures to upload (although trust me - there are A LOT of pictures...) here are some other things to keep you interested.

here is a picture of the dining room table we have choosen...

yes that's right - 104" long with the leaf!

and the chairs...

for the head of the table:

and the sides:

and the barstools we are trying to decide on...

those of you who had art class in college, remember these?

and the snazzy version with a back:

for those of you that know, the bedside table lamp saga has ended. we purchased an un-matching matching pair this weekend. i'll try to post pictures of those, but you'll probably just have to wait until they are in the house!

internet news:
still none.

i will try to bring some photos to work on my jump drive and post soon!

internet overload

2007-02-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

*sigh

unfortunately, our current housing situation requires that we bootleg internet from our neighbors.

now, i know what you're saying - something like

"but robin - that's bad"
or
"but robin - isn't that illegal?"
or
"but robin - that's AWESOME!"
(ok maybe not the last one...)

anyway - we knew cancelling the dreaded DSL that we would be solely dependant on the neighbors.

were they home?
were they on?
can they feel our presence?

well - it happened. we have finally hit a wall. either my laptop is tired of playing this sneaky robbing-a-bank-but-it's-only-the-internet game, or the neighbors have packed up the routers and called it a day.

we have no access at home.

this comes as a great sadness to myself, especially since i just spent 3 days overhauling the avilafromatoz.com site.
3 days.
can i upload the changes?

hmmm that's a negative ghostrider.
the pattern is full.

can i upload any pictures of the house?
still full ghostrider.

speaking of the house...
we have trim.
we have trim.
we have trim.

Super-Billy-the-Builder says he's still pushing for February 28, but it will probably push into March by two weeks. i love this guy. he talks in weeks, not months.

so close...

oh internet - how we miss you.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE 1:57 pm

zack and i went out for our lunch break...

wait for it...

W E H A V E C A B I N E T S

yep.

cabinets.

i am just stunned right now.
it's absolutley amazing.
the guys were out there installing them and we just sat there and GAPED at them.
i'm sure they thought we live in a box somewhere.
the idea of cabinets a total abstract for us.

well... close...

texture my world

2007-01-26T08:04:00.001-08:00

woohoo! we have texture!

pictures to come...

billy get your guns

2007-01-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

by the way - spoke with Billy (our superintendant) yesterday -
he is still holding firm on the february 28 closing date...

dare i start packing?

also - the container store is having a sale on their elfa line...

so we bought.
and bought.
and bought.

well, just for our master closet - the others we'll do after we move in.

here's a picture of what we got (sort of - i don't have the exact specs...)

but we are getting the walnut and platinum like this...

and we are going to paint the closet blue like this...

see?
very nice i think!

between here and the front door

2007-01-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

let's see - we've had some success!
we have our front door!

anyway - it's been a while since i've posted pictures so...

i'll catch you up

all the cats join in

2007-01-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

hi all -

for those of you that may be new to agave, perhaps just signing contracts and what not,
there is a yahoo forum for agavites!
the forum is run by sharon - 5413 agatha circle.

here's how you join -

Hi all,

To join the Agave Neighbors Yahoo group, just send an email to Agave_Neighbors-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please ask people to include their Agave address.

Cheers,
Sharon

see you on yahoo!

almost famous

2007-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

zowie!
we're famous!

check it out...
(you'll want to scroll down a bit)

so we are in the Whatley's kitchen - groovy no?

blue notes and ballads

2006-12-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

well - not much occuring on the home life front (with the house anyway)
some notes on the walls,
framed half-wall in downstairs bathroom,
new vto (vent to outside) in the kitchen.

we figure it's going to be pretty slow going until the holidays are over.

so we wish all of you a wonderful and safe holiday!

robin and zack

adel verpflichtet!

2006-12-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

not much going on - just waiting for the framers/electricians to come in and make the adjustments needed -

• frame out linen closet (yeah!)
• frame divider wall in downstairs bathroom
• re-plumb half-wall in kitchen
• re-plumb all windows (sills can be so tricky...)
• fur out the closets so the doors will fit correctly
• align light switches/outlets in kitchen and master
• install light switch in storage unit

in the meantime, we have picked new cabinets, floors and bathroom countertops.
feast your eyes...

the uppers will be frosted glass with stainless frames.

the lowers are mostly going to be drawers in the kitchen, but regular cabinets in the bathrooms.

a kitchen from IKEA - our uppers will be different, and our appliances are stainless...

this is the color we chose for the kitchen counters

and this is the bathroom counter color

and to top it all off (or to bottom it whatever) we changed the bamboo from the darker to the lighter.

we noticed that in the houses with the darker, the variations in the color were more pronounced, and you guys know we like it clean.

don't eat the birthday girl

2006-12-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

butterbirds

click for update on birthday booty...

that's right folks - my birthday. almost a year since we signed on the house - and i am still 100% thrilled about it.

have a good day y'all!

the lines you amend

2006-11-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

well - we have been saying it all along -
but you know,
to see it in writing still comes as a bit of a shock.

January 24 people...

*sigh

i so wanted to be in by the holidays...

well, there's always groundhog day right?

build this house

2006-11-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

ok so we met with our new builder on friday -
he's great!
one of those guys you know has been building houses since before we were out of caves.

he noticed some stuff (even stuff we, with our ever watchful eyes, missed) and is going to fix it.
he asked our opinion (i know - crazy!) and listened to our concerns.

we like him.

so, after we met with him for ... oh ... 3 or so hours we left our house in good hands. then we went out the next day to walk around and take it all in when BAM! it hit us.

a linen closet.

we currently don't have one - anywhere.

so... behold our NEW and IMPROVED idea for our house...

(click for larger image)

see, our downstairs guest/baby room has a massive closet. "what's a little off the top?" i said. so my crafty husband figured out how to make it so.

now we await the builders answer - "yes we can do it now" or "no way josé, you'll have to do it after you close" (in which case we will!)

there's a wall

2006-11-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

ok - pictures at last.

we meet with the new builder tomorrow -
i'll keep you posted.

without further adieu...

towards evening

2006-11-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

sorry about the lack of posts!
since the time change, it is virtually impossible to get out to the house before dark.
we will take photos with a decent camera this weekend -
I PROMISE.

now, on to updates:
we have a carved out driveway
we have insulation
we have drywall (ie. we have walls)
the drywall is cool, because now we can really judge the light in the house.
our cabinets have been delivered (this is crucial - can be the difference between
a december closing and a february one!)

so that's it for now... to tide you over, here are some craptastic photos, taken in the dark.

daily bread

2006-10-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

stuff is happening to the house, but it's been also happening to us (read: work) so sorry for the lack of updates!

let's see...

they completed our electrical, cable, etc.
insulation is in.

i have heard that the framing is correct inside and they are grading out our driveway.

i spoke with John yesterday - says shouldn't be a problem to close by the end of the year...

i so want to believe...

photos to come so stay tuned :)

cover (version)

2006-10-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

woohoo!
awnings rule!

*ours...

*theirs...

*funny - the bin is empty

*SMALL PRINT: These disgustingly horrible photos (from herein known as "photos") were taken with a crappy camera phone. The quality of these "photos" in no way affects the picture-taker's sensibilities with photography, nor her talent. Viewing these "photos" will be considered a consent to these terms, and the photographer will take no responsibility for the viewer's subsequent reactions to the "photos".

a piece of light (yek teke nour)

2006-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

we went out this evening and voila! workmen - looks like they are finishing up the painting, and adding the hardi to our column and the welding guys were there installing our front stair rails.
very nice.

ok people - let's just get to the nitty gritty.
i gots photos - a lot of 'em so i'm not going to waste any more time with all this typing and stuff so... here we go!

i have more,
i know it can't be!
but my interwebs connection was being super slow, so i'll post the rest later.

serendipity

2006-10-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

just wanted to let everyone know that last night i stashed a proper camera in my glovebox.
no more not so fabulous camera phone pictures!

of course... i forgot to stash the cord...

*sigh

the mighty navajo

2006-10-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

ok! so they have started painting the navajo white on the stucco!
again, i took these with my not so fabulous phone camera so...

it's funny - but the navajo white looks like the same color as the unpainted hardiboard... whatever - at least it's not the same yellow as the neighbors anymore.
(not that i don't like the yellow - i do, a lot, but i want to be able to distinguish my house in some way...) and speaking of neighbors, i spoke with julie and she confirmed that the rick black house next door is using the same yellow - all the rick blacks are.
so... good for us.
here's a few photos in the shade...

i got your number

2006-10-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

pictures!

ok - now these were taken from both mine and zack's phone today at lunch... i apologize for the poor quality - but hey - better then nothing right?

zack's thinking "do i like the gray? ..."

next time i'll set the phone picture quality to "high" BEFORE i take the pictures...

notice how we have the same yellow as our neighbors? well not for much longer! especially since their soffit color is almost the same color as our original hardi, and their hardi color was our original soffit... sounds like a case of she wore stripes and polka dots and he wore polka dots and stripes.

this is really the best image of the gray color on the hardi..

more, better, pictures soon... stay tuned!

tiny bubbles

2006-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

i must have this lamp.

zack had a wonderful idea...

we are going to put it in our downstairs "media" area. (this is the area that others will call "that-area-you-walk-through-when-you-come-in-through-the-carport".
anyway, it will be perfect there.
that man of mine has some serious good taste.

and - have i told you about my favorite clock?

it's on sale right now...
but only until monday - so someone out there better get on it! i'll be needing it for my dining room...

home life

2006-10-13T07:49:00.001-07:00

i'm going out today at lunch.
of course i don't have the camera, but i promise that if the stucco has been painted, or is in the process of being painted, i will use my fancy camera phone to document the progress!

blue skys (smiling at me)

2006-10-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

so...
they painted our house the new colors!
we are so excited -
they look great!
way better with the red roof then the yellow.

pictures to come!

later... ok we took pictures... unfortunately since we packed all our "incidentals" in pods, i can't find the camera dock! i am sure it's somewhere (and not packed) and i will look for it tonight.

anyhow, they havn't painted the stucco just yet, we are hoping for that on friday. but the hardi and the soffit look fabulous!

paint a rumor

2006-10-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

so... long time no see!
well - not much has been happening,
at least, not alot to take pictures of.

we have a new closing date
december 6
we have electrical and cable.
we have all our windows.
we have FINALLY figured out paint colors.

this is our stucco

this is our hardi

this is our accent color (soffit/railings)

and here is a quick rendering of what we think it will look like...

(don't look to closely - i did it at work so it's sub-par...)

we are much happier with the grays as it seems the
previous colors we had choosen were very popular
with our neighbors.

lot's o'yella!

anyway, notice the darker color for the storage unit?
that is what we are going to do once we move in.

back in baby's arms

2006-09-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

lots of stuff has been happening...
mostly behind the scenes,
but stuff none the less!

we got our hvac installed -

zack figuring out the catwalk dilemma -

the rough coat of our missing
stucco has been applied -

our doorbell...

they've installed the storefront
door in the clone #1 house -

we like a lot.

also, ceiling fans are in
(clone #1) -

nice.

finally, sunsets happen...

and they happen well at agave.

changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes II

2006-09-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

new closing date.

*sigh

changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

2006-09-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

when i got the new date,
i forgot to change my counter
so...
it is done.

(what's your) angle? II

2006-09-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

ok photos...

lucy loves the new angle!

sweet thursday

2006-08-31T14:29:00.000-07:00

got our frame tour date...
looks like next thursday, the 7th.

oh yeah.

oh - and an updated closing date...

wait for it...

10/15/06

seems a bit weird since that's a sunday
but whatever.

i swear photos will be posted tonight.

r

(what's your) angle?

2006-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

good news!
they have framed in our angled wall!
very cool.

photos to come, until then,
take a gander at the couch we've picked out for upstairs -

it's muy beutiful
this is the actual color we've (kind of) choosen

and this coffee table?
*sigh*

it's so lovely.

check back for house photos...

r

window shopper

2006-08-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

we got our windows!

this is the tree just off our property line that we want terribly!

sorry for the crappy pics... i took them with my phone (which is crappy too btw)

heart string

2006-08-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

so we are getting our stairs!
or some parts of them anyway...

take a look at the new design for the interior/exterior railings...
nice!

the house as of yesterday...

all the cats join in

2006-08-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let any agave-ites know that there is
a yahoo forum for those of us who have bought agave,
and to join you can email
Agave_Neighbors-at-yahoogroups.com

cheers!

fiddle patch

2006-08-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

so we went out last night -
they have patched our front window and it looks FABULOUS!

we are very pleased.

nothing else to report,
as we are waiting on windows
so they can stucco,
and then they can paint,
and then drywall,
and then we move in!

so close.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the options we have been thinking of for our windows.

We want to put UV film on all the windows, and we think this guy can help us.
"VistaÃ‚Â® window film is a high-performance line of window film products widely recommended by the design community. Their appearance and high level of optical clarity make them popular for use in residential and commercial buildings. Vista has the highest level of ultraviolet rejection (both UVA and UVB) available with 99.9%.. In addition, Vista cuts glare and reduces excessive heat gain. Professionally installed, Vista films come with a lifetime warranty for residential and a ten year warranty for commercial applications."
Apparently, it's virtually transparent, with not a lot of tint to it, so it should be nice.

We also want to do interior shades as well, since that evening sun can be a knife in the eye...

One of our neighbors found this place and we think it's got what we need. We don't want motorized, because really - we just don't need it. But the shades are professional quality, and if we get the white, will blend nicely with the walls when down.

broken household appliance national forest

2006-08-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

a while ago i posted about our fabulous appliances that are included with our house.
as you can see, it is only the stove, hood, microwave and dishwasher...

well - we have decided on the fridge and the washer/dryer.
seriously, i never knew that it would be so difficult to decide
but oh so fun!

after months of deliberation,
and with the help of Jim from Home Depot on I35,
we decided on the Maytag® Neptune® Front-Load (front controls) for the washer and dryer,

and the Maytag® 25 cu. ft. Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator.

you know, i must say that i am really excited about the neptune thing. my aunt carol has the neptune front loaders (top controls) and she constantly raves on them. that's good enough for me - as trust me, my family has a thing for laundry, and they know.
and, since they (the machines) are the new frontloaders with clear doors,
i'll get to watch my laundry - oh the bliss!

what's really great though, is that austin energy gives a $100 rebate to the purchaser of HE front-loading washers,
AND maytag is offering a $100 rebate (until Sept. 18) on their HE front-loading washers...
hmmm $200 off?
we'll take it!

as for the fridge - we just really like the simplicity of a simple top/bottom. the french doors are nice - but i know i would never be able to train zack to open more than just the right hand door! :)

oh - and it's official - family thanksgiving is to be held at our house.
guess i should start cooking!

paint me on velvet

2006-08-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

sorry for the delay in getting pictures up -
work has been taking all my waking hours as of late.
let's see...
we got our roof -

ok i have been trying to upload pictures for 30 minutes...
blogger hates the honeypumpkin today. will try again later

later

ok let's try this again!

so we got our roof-

and they finished stucco -

and we got painted!

very exciting.
our neighbor Heather has already scheduled a time on her closing date...
since we are three days after her i imagine we will soon be scheduling ours!

stay tuned...

stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues again

2006-07-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

so we went out last night -
we have stucco.

pictures to come.

brooklyn from the roof

2006-07-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

so we were wondering what was next on the house...

ask and you shall receive

it's written on the face of the moon

2006-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

so today we signed an amendment to our sales agreement -
fixing our closing date to September 18, 2006.

so i guess that's as close to written in stone as we are going to get!

i also added a little somthing to the blog...
upper right corner...
a countdown clock.

so everyone can feel my anxiety.
really - i just want to share the love.

fool for the city

2006-07-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

FOOLS

that is what my brain keeps shouting everytime i think of our closing date...

yup.

as you probably already guessed, they have moved it out.
by almost a month!

it went from august 31 to september 29.

le sigh

UPDATE

looks like julie got us in touch with Ana Osio - who will be coordinating our close i guess.

"We have your house estimated to be finished in mid September. We should be able to close on the week of the 18th. I am sending out a contract extension amendment to you.

Our apologies for these delays and thank you for your patience."

so it looks like september 18 - not so bad i guess...

in the garden

2006-07-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

so check it out - this is what our house should look like at completion.
(zack's modification of Jeff's psd.)

well - what do you think? is it coming along or what?

and they fixed our window!

get happy

2006-07-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

so we met up with other agavites out at hotel san jose last night - very cool!
we got to finally meet the Garths
as well as Michael and James
very nice people!
We also met the Tournillons, Carrie and Jason, who will be in the Casa Bella next door!
We are going to have such a great community!

let's see... i also have been on the horn with Julie all morning, and it looks like we are going to get the hardy board/stucco configuration we originally wanted!

i keep trying to upload the images but...
le sigh
blogger is not my friend today.

more in a bit!

a room with a view

2006-07-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

they fixed our window!

and are working on our hardyboard!

and finished our roof!

and framed our column!

stay tuned - looks like they are moving on our house again!

you know that (is nothing new)

2006-07-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

so nothing has been happening...
the crews were out all weekend though -
• working on heather's swisher
• forming the slab for the big FAB behind sharon's swisher
• putting the roof on gina and brocks FAB
• framing the 2nd floor of the SM at 5304 Agatha

lots of work.
just not on our house.

:)

relief sketch

2006-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

hmmm...
how is it that even though we don't have a roof yet, zack is already figuring out what to do to the house once we've closed?

notice the back/side/bottom door?
new
notice the little back/side/bottom patio this will create?
new

view from above - see our trees?

i like.

in other news, we got an updated closing date of August 31, (06?)
i think that's great - julie says it is realistic, but we'll wait and see...

see everyone at happy hour tonight!

picture this

2006-07-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

so the fabulous Joel and Kathryn Williams put this link up on their blog - it has all the renderings that are being sold, or have already been sold in agave.

check it out - it's pretty awesome!

Agave Renderings To Date

two eyed view

2006-07-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

windows are (mostly) in!

column is looking good...

notice the hardiboard...

view from the living room

they have been putting the osb up for the roof

wham bam thank you ma'am

2006-06-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

quick update:

OUR WALL HAS BEEN FIXED.

however, our additional window is in the wrong place...

that's all for now...

from your window

2006-06-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

our windows have been delivered!

colors of the wind

2006-06-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

so thanks to Jeff's wonderful PSD file, i was able to make a rendition of what our house will look like!

looks nice!

You've got your problems (I've got mine)

2006-06-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

so we went out this weekend -
looks like they are almost through with the sheathing!
52 days from today (fingers crossed) we will be closing...
as long as they fix these issues:

we noticed they had framed and were about to install the illusive SOUTH WINDOW on Jeff's house, but we also noticed that the framing is actually below the bottom of the front windows, so the windows are not along the same "line" if you will.
not sure yet if this is the final stage for this window, but we asked just in case.

we also asked for an extra window down by the front door, which they did not frame out. actually, they already sheathed over the spot.
and they have yet to figure out the angled wall on the back of the carport - this detail is really important to us.

we still havn't seen them fix the closet/laundry room issue in our downstairs, but to be sure it is understood what we want, i took pictures of 5313 SH just in case...

see how nice that soffit looks?
love it.

all in all a good weekend to go out.
the wind was blowing, and all though it was super hot, in the shade we didn't mind!
Heather's house is really moving too - she actually is getting the plastic wrap treatment, and they have delivered her windows. she also has her front stairs up too.
Jeff's house too is looking good - they finally took out that wall downstairs to make the larger living room, and like i said earlier, they were installing windows on sunday.

can't wait friends and neighbors!

help pour out the rain

2006-06-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

today's forcast -

tomorrow's forcast -

i feel the august 17 closing date eroding with my lot.

the roof is on fire!

2006-06-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

it's so beautiful -

we're movin' on up!

2006-06-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

ladies and gentlemen...
meet our second floor -

hello walls

2006-06-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

framing has begun.

decisions, decisions

2006-06-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

so these are the refrigerators that match our appliances.

julie gave me the contact info of the company that is selling the appliances to agave, and apparently if we buy our fridge (one of these) from them we will get the builder's price... sounds good to us!

formwork!

2006-06-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

we went out to take pictures of the re-bar, but low and behold, they had put up formwork for our concrete walls.

notice no door - the back door in our version of the swisher is below grade... that's why we get a catwalk from our front door to the back yard.

and they have already started framing the casa bella that is going up next door... if anyone knows who our neighbor is ... pass them along!

i guess the next step is to meet everyone at opals on the 13th!
see you there!

we're back!

2006-05-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

of course the first thing we did as we left the airport carpark was swing by Agatha Circle...

and i am sure everyone is delighted to hear - we have re-bar!

it looks like they got the poured concrete walls correct because they have begun inserting re-bar into our slab...

very exciting.

also - got a closing date from Julie - August 17
- that's right -
just 79 days from now!

better start packing!

polished

2006-05-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

so we went out last night... you know, just to see...
anyway, the polisher is up on the slab, and they have taken the formwork off!
that's huge people - in a day or two, we will be able to look at our floors as we will live on them, and chase the dog on them and listen to little feet on them.
pretty cool.
glad they got the slab poured before the wedding - i just couldn't handle any more stress that's for sure!
i have tons of more photos that i took this past weekend - I just can't believe how much our community is growing!
i will post them soon - hopefully before the wedding.
if not, then when we return from the H-moon.
be well all of you Agave-ites, and please, keep watch over our precious concrete for us!

finally!

2006-05-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

We have slab!

Anyone need a couch?

rain rain go away

2006-05-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

i swear - with the weather we have been having we are NEVER going to get a slab pored!
we had 90mph (that's right - 90) winds last night at the apartment,
one of our scooters blew over.
i can't wait until we can batten down the hatches in our house!

fixtures!

2006-05-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well, with all the excitement of the appliances specs, I just had to ask Julie if she knew what our plumbing fixtures were going to look like - she sent me the maker, and the style name - I Googled and Voila!
Shower

Bathroom sinks

Kitchen sink

appliances!

2006-05-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Wow!
Julie just sent specs on our new appliances -
I am so stunned.
Everytime we turn around better and better things are happening.
This has got to be the best house-building experience anyone could ever have.

almost ready to pour!

2006-04-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Agave's First Block Party!

2006-04-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

moving right along...

2006-04-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

yeah baby!

2006-04-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Our House is back up for sale...
(click on House and check out the link)

what is so exciting about this?

check out the price!

so, that makes $45,000 in equity.
um... we don't even have a slab yet.

life is good.

r

decisions...

2006-04-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

so we have finally decided on the exterior colors!

what do you think?

pallettes are us

2006-04-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

oh my god!
there are so many choices!
i will post them tomorrow
i promise!

tonight we are going to play...

oh, and we drove by the lot, looks like they are building the framing for the slab!

it's just all so exciting!

r

we have lift off!

2006-03-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

of dirt...
they broke ground
finally

it's only a matter of time now!

100_1414.jpg
Originally uploaded by honeypumpkin.

2006-03-25T19:36:00.001-08:00

100_1401.jpg
Originally uploaded by honeypumpkin.

2006-03-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

100_1398.jpg
Originally uploaded by honeypumpkin.

2006-03-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

100_1397.jpg
Originally uploaded by honeypumpkin.

Flickr

2006-03-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

it's about time!

2006-03-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

we signed a piece of paper on wednesday night,
telling Vicinia development to go ahead and
build us a house.
it was very exciting.
we also got a palette of roof colors,
and counter-tops.

our services coordinator, julie, said we will be meeting in a couple of weeks again to pick out our roof color, house colors, and cabinets.

oh my god.

cabinets.

r

fine print

2006-03-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

welcome!
this is a blog about the building of our first home, in austin TX.
we are very excited, as it is in a new community, commited to green building, as well as affordable archetectually designed homes.
our home is designed by Earl Swisher, of the Lawrence Group

an early rendering of the home

our community is AGAVE, and it is being represented by Green Mango Real Estate, here in austin.

please check back often for updates, as ground-breaking is scheduled for the last week in march!

r