Congers in Paradise

If you want to follow our lives after RV living, check out our new blog, Congers in Paradise.

We Have Moved In!

Woo Hoo! We're done building and have moved into our new home. It is so-o-o exciting. This will be the last post on RV Living, Conger Style since we are no longer in the RV. Notice that there is no sign of the trailer in this slideshow of the finished product.

Belated Update - Close To Finishing Our Home

Good grief, it has been a month and a half since we last updated our blog!

We have been working hard and are nearly at the finish line. Shelves are installed in all closets, mud room and utility room, the deck railing and benches are installed, cabinetry has been installed and finished, and painting is complete.

This week we begin tile setting and then we'll stain and finish the concrete floor. The following week the Mongolian Hordes will descend upon us to finish out the electric, plumbing, propane, HVAC, and central vacuum.

Then, woo-hoo! we have our final draw inspection and move in. We expect to be in our house before the end of April.

Here are the latest pics.

VIEWS FROM THE FRONT





DECK AND BENCHES




MASTER BATH




KITCHEN

These pictures are similar to the ones on the January 27 blog entry -- hopefully you can see the progress we've made.

What you can't see is that the insulation is installed and the sheetrock will be completed by tomorrow afternoon. Next week will be taping, bedding and texturing. Additionally we have a couple of retaining walls, a rock grilling area, and a set of steps in progress.

VERY EXCITING

Out of Juice

Last Thursday the 12-volt circuit in our RV went out; this circuit controls the small lights around the interior perimeter, the refrigerator, the switch for the water heater, and the thermostat for the air conditioner in the living room. We emptied the refrigerator into the one in the shop, made do without perimeter lights, and used fans and the bedroom A/C to try to stay cool in unseasonally warm temperatures. We were able to get the water heater switch fixed on Saturday but had to have parts ordered for the rest.

Everything got fixed yesterday so we're back to "normal" -- I'm beginning to realized that I have NO idea what "normal" means!

We've been told that RVs are not built to be lived in and we are definitely finding that to be true. . .

Only two more months. . . . .

Invisible Progress

A lot has been done on the house that doesn't show up in picitures:

1. Plumbing topout is complete;
2. Kitchen and bathroom fixtures are ordered;
3. Kitchen and bathroom faucets are purchased;
4. Touch-up paint (nail heads and seams) is completed on siding;
5. HVAC roughin is complete;
6. Ceilings and cedar trim on deck and front porch is complete;
7. Attic stairs are installed;
8. Cabinets are ordered;
9. Propane plumbing for tankless water heater and cooktop is complete;
10. Tile for kitchen countertop is bought;
11. Central vacuum system is ordered.

We believe we'll be able to move in by the end of March -- not a minute too soon!

Waiting On Metal Roofing

We are really getting excited! We now have windows and doors, and as you can see, the siding is nearly all installed. The roof is waiting on the metal to be delivered, and the plumbers were on-site today beginning their top-out. It also rained a bit today but not enough to do any damage.


Siding is up and the roof just needs some metal.














Here's the Watts Enterprise team. Linda bought T-shirts for us. So we donned them and went to dinner to celebrate.

Getting Near To Drying

Well we are approaching the point where we close in everything so we can stop worrying about weather. As you can see, the roof trusses were delivered, the crew we hired erected them and are beginning to put decking on the roof and put up soffits. Linda and Sharon installed hurricane straps on the roof trusses. Carl is inside the trailer working on the computer to try to pay for the help, and Maxie is continuing to manage the project. We are very excited about the progress.

All Boxed In

When we broke for the Christmas Holidays, we had all the walls done, the OSB attached to the external walls, and all the headers installed for the doors and windows.

From top to bottom:
1. Standing in the back door coming out of the living room;
2. Standing in the front door;
3. Peering out my kitchen window.

Since we broke, we have bought all our kitchen appliances and selected our garage door.

We're starting back to work on January 12 at which time we'll start installing the trusses. I'll be a much more efficient carpenter as Carl gave me my very own "Fat Max" tape measure for Christmas!

FRAMED!

At day's end on Friday, we completed 10 straight days of construction (WHEW!. We now have all the interior walls built and several of the headers for the windows. We start up again tomorrow and plan to complete the headers and install the Tyvek before we break for the Christmas holidays.

Before we actually started construction, I had visions of being involved in the process -- primarily in the role of "go-fer". I had no idea how much I would learn about construction , the number of power and hand tools I would learn to use, and how much constructing I would actually do.

I also had no idea how rewarding and enjoyable the work would be or how draining it would be on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. More important, I had not idea how thrilling it would be to see my dream house come true in front of my own eyes!

Day 7 of Framing

This is at the end of Day 7 of framing as well as the end of 7 straight days in a row of working my "tutu" off!

We have braved the elements (heat, cold, wind, and rain) and equipment problems and have all the OSB on the outside of the house and about 1/3 of the inside walls installed.

We are having a ball!

Day 4 of Framing

The house is now completely framed and about 1/2 of the OSB is mounted to the outside wall. It's looking more and more like a house!

Day 2 of Framing

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love all holidays but I truly believe Thanksgiving is my favorite: Texas is beautiful in the fall, there is very little (if any) hustle and bustle associated with the holiday, and the whole purpose of the day is to reflect on one's blessings. My blessings are too numerous to list here so I will lift up my top five: my parents (though deceased I am who I am because of them), my husband, my extended family, my friends, and my health.

To celebrate the holiday, we're going to Big Bend National Park with our best friends. We're having Thanksgiving dinner at the rustically-chic Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX then we'll stay inside the park in their pop-up trailer for the next four days. We're looking forward to hiking, bird watching, playing Mexican Train dominos and just relaxing.

Here's wishing all of you a blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

My Birthday Week

My actual birthday was Tuesday, November 18 but the celebration started Monday evening when my sister and brother-in-law presented me with a beautiful gift from Brazil: a beautiful, 6" long sculpture of amethyst crystals in the shape of a clump of grapes (purple is my favorite color and grapes are my favorite decorating motif). See picture

The celebration continued on Tuesday when we went to Austin to have lunch with a friend. She took us to a quaint Italian restaurant downtown where the atmosphere was charming and the food delicious. The best gift however was when our friend told the waiter it was my birthday. Without missing a beat he quipped,"So you're turning 25 and your insurance premiums are going down!"

Carl and I agreed we would go out for our celebration on Wednesday since we were still full from our lunch. So on Wednesday he surprised me with (1) dinner at The Vineyard which is definitely a celebration-type restaurant -- see picture; and (2) a Nikon Coolpix camera. The latter blew me away as I would have NEVER suspected a camera from him. He said he thought I needed one to carry in my purse so I can take pictures of the things I see in my shopping expeditions for our house "stuff." It's a kicked-up "point & shoot" as there are custom settings but they are all on a menu -- just the perfect camera for me. Is Carl good or what?!!?!!

On Saturday, we went to our best friends' house for dinner where they presented me with a case for my new camera -- it's even the same color!

I LOVE being 60!

Update on Construction

Since the last update, the following has been accomplished:

1. tons of trash to the landfill;
2. all the rebar left by the foundation contractors moved to the back of the shop;
3. all the brush we cut down moved to a brush pile at the back of the property;
4. we purchased a used full-sized refrigerator which we put in the shop (YEA!);
5. we emptied one of our storerooms which is saving us $50/month;
6. we completed the 12' x 64' deck;
7. all the lights, plugs, and switches plus a motion-detector light were activated in the shop.

The plan is to start framing the house the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Stay tuned! :-)

Costa Rica and Panama Revisited

Pura Vida! (This is the Costa Rican version of "Aloha")

We returned on Tuesday, November 11, from our 14-day trip to Costa Rica and Panama. We spent 5 days touring Costa Rica via bus, 3 more days touring Costa Rica via small cruise ship (78 passengers), and 6 days touring Panama via the small cruise ship.

We've not had time to get our gazillion pictures in shape to post so I'll just lift up some of the amazing things we experienced (in no order of importance or interest):

1. the tropical rain forest via aerial tram, zip line, and numerous hikes;
2. relaxing in hot springs fed by an active volcano;
3. snorkeling with sharks, and Carl saw a seahorse skittering across the sand;
4. going through the Panama Canal;
5. two indigenous peoples -- the Embera's and the Kuna's;
6. breath-taking views of little islands, reefs, mountains;
7. the best fresh pineapple in the universe;
8. planting trees with 3rd graders in Costa Rica to help them with their reforestation project;
9. a Costa Rican rodeo;
10. a tour of a coffee plantation;
11. sightings in the wild of 3 varieties of monkeys, a boa constrictor, coati mundi, many exotic birds, and 2- and 3-toed sloths;
12. learning about the project to preserve butterflies of Costa Rica;
13. touring the tropical mangrove forest of Panama via zodiac boat; and (Carl and I only)
14. experiencing the expertise of the Costa Rican medical community (I slipped in the shower of one of the hotels we stayed in and had to have 5 stitches in my head).

It was an amazing trip, we met great people on the cruise, and we met wonderful folks in both countries we visited. This is a trip we would highly recommend!

JJ & Grover Meet a New Neighbor

The pups are a interested, but a little tentative about playing with this new neighbor.

Workshop Complete

Here are some pics of the workshop. Note Linda working "high steel."



Carl putting the finishing touches, adding the ridge vent.

Update on Construction

It's been almost a month since I updated the blog due to a combination of (1) my laptop being in the shop for over a week; (2) being out of town for over a week; and (3) being so tired at the end of a day of construction that I can hardly wiggle.

Here's where we are:
1. Completed foundations for house, deck, and workshop;
2. Completed driveways;
3. Built 24' x 30' metal building for workshop;
4. Built small bedroom and potty room inside workshop;
5. Completed plumbing and wiring for workshop;
6. Connected washer & dryer, as well as full-sized refrigerator, inside workshop; and, FINALLY
7. Moved RV from RV park to property!

It is wonderful to be living on this beautiful piece of property, even though we are still in the RV; I can only imagine how wonderful it will be once we get into the house. . .