Rough weekend

The roughers began work Friday, and they sweated away the weekend in 90+ degree weather to finish the walkout basement and first floor. Sean, Mickey, and Sean's Uncle John were all on hand, and they helped make up a crew of 9-10 guys each day.

Here is Mike hard at work Saturday. He calls himself the Old Man, but he deftly moves across beams in a way most others can't.
A shot of the first floor going in.

The Eldon family hanging out on the newly completed floor at the end of the work day Saturday. John, Mickey's brother, is on the far right.
Grandpa Mike has the magic touch with Peter.
Checking out the first floor.
Here is what the house looked like at the end of the weekend. We'll walk you around the exterior first. The blank space to the left is where the garage will go.
Here is the front of the house; the front door is in the center, the kitchen is on the left, and the office is on the right. We're really happy to see how big the windows will be. The views are beautiful, and we're delighted to take advantage of them.

Here we walk around the right side of the house. The office is in the front and the library and screen porch are in the back.
This is the back corner of the house. The screen porch will be above the walkout where Sean and Peter are standing.
It was super hot and muggy when we visited the lot to snap pictures, so we stood by the creek to get some relief in the shade. It also affords a great view of the back of the house.
A final view of the back and side of the house. The well is sticking up behind where the garage will be.
Of course we had to putz around the first floor and get a feel for how big the spaces will be. Sean and Peter stand in the front foyer with the stairwells, library, and office behind them. Behind me is the front hall closet, half bath, and kitchen pantry.
Sean and Peter look at the creek through the opening for the dining room window; to their right is where the French doors will go in the living room.
Here the are standing in the center of the kitchen. We asked the architect for a big kitchen, and he certainly delivered! It's also easy to see the "L" shaped great room that the kitchen, dining area, and living room will make up. The wall behind Sean's back is the mudroom with a closet, full bath, and doors outside and into the garage.
Peter tried to coerce Sean into letting him help next weekend. Unfortunately Sean doesn't need anyone to inspect the materials with his mouth, so Peter will be out of work.
Checking out the basement. The steel beams and stair well going to the first floor are visible.