Our Builder is Chris Cooper with C. Cooper Custom Homes
Check out his link at
Not much happening yet. Its just a lot.
They've started the dirt work!
8/27/10
The house has been staked out.
Nearly 2800 square feet!
The Shop in the back will be next!
Grandma, Mom, and Charles checking
things out on 9/06/10
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Grandma is standing in the Nursery
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Mom going to check out the trees.
The oak tree is huge!
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See my Mom? She looks like a dwarf next to
our gigantic oak tree in the backyard!
Some of the smaller trees and the ones to the right will be cut down for Randy's shop!
Mammoth Mr. Oak Tree stays of course!
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Our garage
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I think they approve
They are standing in my CRAFT room.
Woo Hoo!
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The current facilities.
I recommend you hold it.
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Our Brick
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Our Light Fixtures below
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They've started cutting down trees
and doing the plumbing!
9/8/10
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9/10/10
Most of the trees are gone now
and the plumbing is done.
Next is smoothing out the dirt again
and pouring the cement slab!
and the plumbing is done.
Next is smoothing out the dirt again
and pouring the cement slab!
Our 150+ year old oak tree.
Please stay up for at least 150 more years
and don't fall on my house Mister Oak Tree!
Now, some FUN stuff... !
Our 8' Front Door
Our front door hardware
And this lever handle above is what I picked for our interior doorknob/handles.
Our Interior doors below!
Our hardwood floors!
NO CARPET!
Our 20" Ceramic Tile
These are the bathroom faucets below.
They look like old timey pumps!Love them!
We got our Oceana glass pebble vessel sinks for the Master bathroom in today.
GORGEOUS! Will have to take a picture soon! ...............
Ta Da!
My sinks for the Master bath!
Pebbled glass vessel sinks.
These will sit on top of our granite counter tops and we'll have the tall "trough" faucets like this one
Our granite -
I can't decide between the 2 below.
Which is your favorite!?
Leave a comment at the bottom!
Here is our sink we chose for the 2 guest baths!
This will have the 4" bronze trough faucet 
~9/19/10~
They have poured the cement slab and it soon will start to look like a house!
The framing will begin tomorrow, 9/20/10, and we will have WALLS within a week!
The neighborhood.
Houses going up everywhere!
Wanna come be my neighbor!?
dirt work was done within the last few days. Construction on ANOTHER house
will begin soon!
This is the house directly across
the street from us. So pretty!
Ours is bigger and will have
a little different look,
but also similar in a lot of ways.
I can't wait!
~9/21/10~
So here it is...
One big HOT MESS! - lol
Won't be long and this jumbled
mess of wood will start to look like home!
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So there it was yesterday...
and here it is today.
9/22/10
So the entryway is supposed to be several feet higher and a transom half-moon window above the 8' door. The window to the right of the front door is supposed to be much larger also.
The framers will have to fix this before we proceed to the next step.
Grrrr... sometimes this is not fun.
9/24/10
Welp, here it is. The entry cannot be raised now because the roof was already put on. Boo! I cried and cried...
my husband doesn't get it.
And this is the guest room.
The corner fireplace in the livingroom.
The window looking out from the Office.
I think this is the Nursery window.
I'm ready for some brick and stone to go up!
They are supposed to do the wiring next week, put on the shingles,
then paint and start laying brick!
9-27-10
So I made a quick run out to the house this evening to see the progress.
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A view of the back of the house.
We will have a double french door
for the backdoor
instead of the single door that is there now.
10/5/10
Haven't posted anything in a little while.
Nothing much too exciting going on,
except we have sheetrock and shingles now!
10/15/10
Haven't been posting much lately!
Went thru a period where there wasn't much going on.
Now our walls are ready for paint
and the outside is being bricked!
This first picture is our walk-in shower in the Master.
Whistle while you work...
The front is still undone.
Hopefully they'll work their way around
to the front tomorrow.
-10/22/10-
They have finished the brick and
just about finished the stonework!
So its a little more orange than I wanted.
The shutters will tone it down some -
if not, I have a plan. =)
10/30/10
So the fun stuff has begun!
Randy and I visited my Aunt & Uncle
in Marshall this weekend and the guys
worked on our fireplace mantel.
~11-5-10~
So I thought they would have the concrete driveway poured and all the painting complete but they do not. Here is what they've done so far.
the kitchen cabinets are stained-
as well as the bathrooms.
The interior doors are also painted.
Was hoping they would have more done by now.
Patience is a virtue, I'm told.
11/16/10
Ok, so the flooring has been ordered
and should begin to go down tomorrow!
The garage door is up and the
driveway and sidewalk has been poured!
Randy is taking them the mantel for the
fireplace tomorrow and they are going
to start laying stone for that as well.
Next week is fixtures.
We're about 30 days out from
completion now!
It was soooo dark in there!
Sorry the pics are not too good!
12/08/10
So we are within 2 weeks of completion now.
I haven't blogged in a long time.
Frankly, this process is exhausting and
I think I'm finally over it.
You reach a point where you don't want to
make anymore decisions, you just want the
builder to finish the job and
just make it beautiful.
Thankfully my Mommy has been
able to help me over the last few weeks
and has come to my rescue twice.
I've been caught off-guard
a couple of times and asked to
make late-night deliveries of
house stuff to be installed the next day.
(lights, hardware, doorknobs)
We still have no electricity and the house
is pitch black inside by 5:30pm.
Our late night ventures have been
kinda fun, actually -
sneaking around in the dark with
flashlights and lanterns in tow --
counting doors, doorknobs,
measuring & counting windows.
lol
Anyway, here's what I have.
All the flooring, except for the wood,
has been put down, granite is in and cut for plumbing, most of the light fixtures
are in place, and the house is...
I would say... 80% complete.
Our builder hopes to have us close the deal
and move in before the end of the year.
He told us to go ahead and put in our 30-day notice Dec. 1 at the complex we live at now,
which means technically we're supposed
to be out of here by Jan. 1.
I can just see it.
We'll be scrambling to get everything
out of the apartment 24 hours before our deadline. I'll ring in the New Year
huffing and puffing (and cussing)
and tossing boxes around.
It will be what it will be.
I know it will work out.
So pictures... here we go...
I so love my kitchen cabinets!
Annabel and Greta went with us to check the new place out.
Livingroom fan. It will have a light kit -
its just on backorder.
12/22/10
So I've lost track of the dates.
Here's few recent pics.
It looks like we'll probably be
closing and moving the first week
of January.
We have to be out of our apartment
by January 1 -
sooo... that means we will be putting
everything in a POD and going to
live with the parents until we can move in.
Annabel is mad at me because I made her stop
playing to pose for a picture.
She won't look at me! LOL
9/24/10
Welp, here it is. The entry cannot be raised now because the roof was already put on. Boo! I cried and cried...
my husband doesn't get it.
I will learn to love it anyway.
My friend, Tee, went with me to check things out.
I hope she'll come see me often!
You too!
Below is the bathtub/shower you'll be using
when you come over to visit me.
And the dining room "window" you'll
be looking out of.
And if you're lucky,
Randy will let you play in his Playhouse.
Ain't it cute!?
So we ordered our kitchen appliances today from Don's. Stainless Steel gas range, microwave, EXTRA quiet dishwasher (for my little Annabel) and a Stainless French door refrigerator.
We picked out our paint color (we think)
for the outside, and
I ordered all the door hardware
and the Loft sinks for the guest baths.
We marked off in the house where we want the TVs, phone jacks, and internet cables
with our builder, Chris, today.
Things are going quickly now, but will slow down soon when they start finishing out the inside. Much excitement on Avoyelles!
~9/26/10~
We returned to show the place to my Uncle Bill. Here's a few more pictures of the framework.
Here's my Charles and Uncle Bill chattin' it up.
That's my CRAFT ROOM above!
The biggest bedroom besides the Master!
The corner fireplace in the livingroom.
MY room! =)
And the entrance into the Master Bath.
Go left for my vanity and walk-in shower and Master closet, go right for the separate water closet. Corner soaking tub directly in front of the door, and Randy's vanity to the right of the tub.
I think this is the Nursery window.
I'm ready for some brick and stone to go up!
They are supposed to do the wiring next week, put on the shingles,
then paint and start laying brick!
9-27-10
So I made a quick run out to the house this evening to see the progress.
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So the fireplace insert is in! And the chimney is framed up on the roof!
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We have ductwork for the air conditioner!
This is the paint color we chose for the trim.
Its a little more brown that how it shows up in this picture.
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We will have a double french door
for the backdoor
instead of the single door that is there now.
10/5/10
Haven't posted anything in a little while.
Nothing much too exciting going on,
except we have sheetrock and shingles now!
10/15/10
Haven't been posting much lately!
Went thru a period where there wasn't much going on.
Now our walls are ready for paint
and the outside is being bricked!
This first picture is our walk-in shower in the Master.
Whistle while you work...
Hopefully they'll work their way around
to the front tomorrow.
-10/22/10-
They have finished the brick and
just about finished the stonework!
They have also installed the cabinets.
LOVE my kitchen cabinets.
They will be stained a dark espresso color.
-10/23/10-
The stonework is complete!
Here's the front of our house!!!
The finished product will have dark stained shutters
on the big windows and the attic vent will be stained,
as well as the front door.
So its a little more orange than I wanted.
The shutters will tone it down some -
if not, I have a plan. =)
10/30/10
So the fun stuff has begun!
Randy and I visited my Aunt & Uncle
in Marshall this weekend and the guys
worked on our fireplace mantel.
11/01/10
So the crown molding and interior doors are hung, and
they have begun to caulk and prepare for
painting the walls & doors this week!
They'll also be staining the cabinets. Can't wait!
Things are really starting to happen now!
I made the final flooring choices today and also picked
the granite. Its going to be so nice - I can hardly believe its true!
~11-5-10~
So I thought they would have the concrete driveway poured and all the painting complete but they do not. Here is what they've done so far.
The molding and the ceilings are
painted for the most part.
as well as the bathrooms.
The interior doors are also painted.
Was hoping they would have more done by now.
Patience is a virtue, I'm told.
11/16/10
Ok, so the flooring has been ordered
and should begin to go down tomorrow!
The garage door is up and the
driveway and sidewalk has been poured!
Randy is taking them the mantel for the
fireplace tomorrow and they are going
to start laying stone for that as well.
Next week is fixtures.
We're about 30 days out from
completion now!
It was soooo dark in there!
Sorry the pics are not too good!
11/19/10
We have sod for the yard, a mailbox,
and flowerbeds outside, and they are laying the tile inside!
11/21/10
Annabel, Randy, me, & Greta
Nana and Greta
Stone for the fireplace
12/08/10
So we are within 2 weeks of completion now.
I haven't blogged in a long time.
Frankly, this process is exhausting and
I think I'm finally over it.
You reach a point where you don't want to
make anymore decisions, you just want the
builder to finish the job and
just make it beautiful.
Thankfully my Mommy has been
able to help me over the last few weeks
and has come to my rescue twice.
I've been caught off-guard
a couple of times and asked to
make late-night deliveries of
house stuff to be installed the next day.
(lights, hardware, doorknobs)
We still have no electricity and the house
is pitch black inside by 5:30pm.
Our late night ventures have been
kinda fun, actually -
sneaking around in the dark with
flashlights and lanterns in tow --
counting doors, doorknobs,
measuring & counting windows.
lol
Anyway, here's what I have.
All the flooring, except for the wood,
has been put down, granite is in and cut for plumbing, most of the light fixtures
are in place, and the house is...
I would say... 80% complete.
Our builder hopes to have us close the deal
and move in before the end of the year.
He told us to go ahead and put in our 30-day notice Dec. 1 at the complex we live at now,
which means technically we're supposed
to be out of here by Jan. 1.
I can just see it.
We'll be scrambling to get everything
out of the apartment 24 hours before our deadline. I'll ring in the New Year
huffing and puffing (and cussing)
and tossing boxes around.
It will be what it will be.
I know it will work out.
So pictures... here we go...
I so love my kitchen cabinets!
Stone stacked up for the fireplace
the mantel Randy has been working on.
The stone for the fireplace was supposed to go up today.
Will have to go check it out tomorrow.
Love my granite.
Tropical Brown was the winner.
Livingroom fan. It will have a light kit -
its just on backorder.
Master bedroom fan
My vanity in the Master bath.
I'm a little disappointed with the
paint color on the walls.
It really looked darker than this on the paint swatch.
Guess I'll be doing a little painting myself soon.
Randy's vanity.
So I'm really not happy with the bathroom
cabinets either. They are not what I had envisioned.
I'm sure it's my fault, but there was a mix up and instead
of getting stain-grade wood cabinets
for the bathrooms (like in the kitchen)
we ended up with cheaper paint-grade wood cabinets.
I chose to paint them brown since I had really
wanted them stained dark to match the kitchen -
which evidently no other custom owner
has done before (that my builder & wife have
worked with) And well, it looks like crap.
I should've chosen a darker paint that
would compliment the granite better.
I'm gonna have to take on the project
myself as well after we move in.
Soaking tub
Shower
fan in the office and my Craft room
Garage wall sconces
Breakfast bar pendant light
......
Stay tuned for more!
12/9/10
The stone fireplace is finally being done.
Love it!
The doorknobs (levers) are in
as well as the backsplash in the kitchen.
So I've lost track of the dates.
Here's few recent pics.
It looks like we'll probably be
closing and moving the first week
of January.
We have to be out of our apartment
by January 1 -
sooo... that means we will be putting
everything in a POD and going to
live with the parents until we can move in.
Annabel is mad at me because I made her stop
playing to pose for a picture.
She won't look at me! LOL
Where'd my Daddy go!?
Greta did NOT want to go home.
This is her home now.
My little chicken girl,
Mallory Breanne.
12/22/10
She's with her Dad & Stepmom
for Christmas break this year.
So happy to have her home.
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