We've got a hole!

Hi, All!

Well, we've had a rainy week in East Tennessee and it is going to continue into next week, but the excavator was able to get the foundation dug and the property graded. I know...these pictures are oh so glamorous! I am looking forward to taking "house" pictures soon.

We only hit a little shale while digging...much different than Virginia where there was a ton of rock! This picture was taken from the east side of the house. The property really slopes off just behind where I am taking the picture so we will have a daylight basement.

Here is a picture that I took from the west side of the house. If the house was in the picture I would be standing in the driveway and looking at the side entry of the house.

I am far from a decent photographer so it's hard for me to convey how the property falls off to the east, but let me just say...RETAINING WALL! You are up pretty high when one is at eye level with the tree tops! Alan says we will need to plant something on the hill to keep it from washing and heard that Vinca was the answer. If anyone has any other ideas, let me know.

Who doesn't love an action shot! Alan is on his beloved tractor with it's new backhoe attachment. As you can see he is enjoying knocking off dirt from the root of this tree. My husband has simple pleasures!

Alan, Reilly and Lucy...professional basement models!

Foundation pictures next week! I know...you can't wait.

'Til then.

Day 1

Hello, All!

We broke ground today...well sort of. The excavator had about six to eight trees to take down and when he went for tree number four he and the front loader slid down the east side of the property and of course, GOT STUCK! Thank goodness he ran into a very large tree because it is a very steep drop from there. Apparently, he had to call a tow truck to get him out. Hopefully, tomorrow will go better and we will have the foundation dug out.

This is where the front loader ended up...about twenty feet from the top of the ridge! Oops!

More pictures!

Since I am new to blogging, I was having trouble posting pictures (which is the whole point as to why we are blogging...duh!). Alan has now set me straight...

This is our driveway up to the house. Some of the trees are damaged and I think we will have to get rid of quite a few of them when construction starts. The house will have a wood burning fireplace so we will be able to put them to good use then.

This is the mighty Roaring Springs Branch creek. It is down one of the walking paths, but it also backs up to the east side of our property. As you can imagine, Reilly and Lucy love to go for a walk to the creek! Also, there are fish in the water. They are only about 1-1/2" long so I don't think Alan will be taking on fishing the creek as a hobby!

We will post again when there is more to update!

Greetings from Knoxville!

Hi, everyone!

Since our family and friends are no longer just around the corner, Alan and I thought it would be fun to blog about the building of our new home to share the experience with you. We hope you enjoy it!

We recently purchased twelve acres in a development called Arlington Ridge in Powell, TN. I know twelve acres sounds like a lot to maintain, but the property is on a ridge so only about three acres is really usable. East Tennessee is very mountainous! The property only came on the market in the spring, so we haven't seen it in the fall. I am hoping the views will be spectacular! Alan has been busy clearing the property. He just purchased a bush hog to add to his collection of toys!

Powell, TN is a northern suburb of Knoxville. We are only twenty minutes from downtown which I think it just fabulous! We can enjoy the amenities of the city whenever we want and still have the peace and quiet of the country to come home to.

Arlington Ridge currently has six house built and twenty eighty lots. Our house will be on the second street in the development at the end of the culdesac. We actually just got our address last week...4590 Highland Woods Way. I think it has a nice ring to it! The development also has five miles of walking trails. One of the trails that we discovered ends at a creek called Roaring Springs Branch. Reilly and Lucy most definitely approve of our move to Arlington Ridge after playing in the creek!

As for the style of the house it is southern plantation. So, lots of porches to swing and rock the afternoon away on! I have posted some photos of the two other houses on our road. I love the fact that every house has it's own character. We should be breaking ground next week and I look forward to posting some action photos for you!

'Til then...