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Winter Build 2006
Not a Rocket!
1 Acre on top of a mountain
17,000 Bricks, 75 Yards of concrete
5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths
Granite, marble, ceramic tile, carpet
1 HUGE dining room
1 State of the art kitchen
3 Decks - 1 Fantastic Gatlinburg style view
In November of 2006 Verna finished her winter build in time to move into it on Thanksgiving Day. Yep, I said
move in. Usually we fly our winter build but this year she decided we'd live in it. After searching for 3 years we finally
found the right place and Verna went to work. In less than 5 months she found the right site, sold our old home, got
the new one built and moved in. The land was cleared July 15th and we closed November 15th.
We have so much to be thankful for, so it was fitting that we spent our first night in the new home Thanksgiving
evening. While we have planned, worked and saved, there is no way we could have done this alone. There is
no doubt in our minds that it is by God's grace and His hand that we have received such a blessing - a home built on the
Rock and to him we give the glory!
As you go through Winter Build 1 & 2 what you will see is a reflection of
Verna's style and attention to detail. This is absolutely her house and it is very Verna. It started out
as a spec home but because of the relationship that developed with our contractor, it became as custom as it could be.
Her attention to the smallest of details and her ability to bring it all together from windows, to bricks, to mortar, to lighting
and plumbing fixtures, to knobs, to floor coverings, to moldings, paint, too many things to list, the finished product is
Verna. Since we first met at age 11 I've never seen her work harder or put more of herself into anything.
The 3rd and last page is called Verna's Pedestal. It's my way of showing
her how special she is to me and for a few moments she indulged me in doing it. While she really prefers not to be put on
a pedestal, I thought it might be nice for her to have one just for special occasions. ; ) The view from there
is pretty nice.
Every home needs a good foundation. A good realtor, a good builder and lots of love, make things go so much easier.
Getting started July 15, 2006.
Walking the foundation, surveying and claiming the land.
Just 43 yards of concrete. They only had to go 5 feet down to find rock. Another house nearby
with almost the same foot print required 140 yards.
Above you can see the poured walls and storm shelter.
It's covered, we can move in!
Our contractor is Ralph Checkley, owner of M&A Home Builders. We could not have found a better man for the
job or a nicer one to work with. If you're going to build a home anywhere around Central Alabama, Ralph is the man you want.
See the smile on Verna's face? She is pleased. That alone makes it all worth the effort and expense.
Are we having fun yet? Ok, you guessed it, at this point, I just want it to be finished. If you've never built
a home you have no idea, it's not for the faint of heart. Even with a great builder, perfect weather and very few glitches,
it is still a major undertaking for most people. I did however know what to do to make it as easy as possible for
me. All I had to do was make sure Ralph knew the one he really had to please was Verna... and he did.
That made everyone happy.
This is a happy lady having fun.
Don't look now but she's got her check list...
Follow the link below. Part 2 Coming Up!
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