Cypress Cove

We met with a realtor and a home builder, and signed the contract to build a new home near Priceville, Alabama. The third largest municipality in Morgan County, Priceville had an estimated population in 2006 of 2,380; geographic location is 34°31′16″N, 86°52′47″W. Just off Interstate 65, it's about 20 minutes from where we are now and about 10 minutes from downtown Decatur (where Vicki's father and step-mother live, Jerry and Dorothy). On the Greater Priceville map (below), the house will be located about 2½ miles north of Highway 67 at the corner where Bethel Road turns left (near the top of the map; "X" marks the spot, more or less). We're about a mile north of the city limits of Priceville, but will have their fire and police protection.

"Greater Priceville"

Decatur - Priceville - Huntsville

Priceville is 8.6 miles from downtown Decatur and 25.2 miles from our house on Redstone Arsenal. The city limits of Decatur are just to the east of the freeway, perhaps a mile.

The lot is in a cul-de-sac of a newly developed neighborhood called "Cypress Cove" about ½ mile south of the Tennessee River. To get to the house from town, we have to drive through wheat and corn fields, plus a town park and a ball field where we saw some little kids playing baseball last week. Terrible to have to endure all that beautiful scenery and pure Americana!

Here are four pictures of Lot 36 as it exists today, in all it's weed-infested glory.

On the first two pictures, you can make out a For Sale sign on the right side. Just behind that are two green utility containers (underground utilities). I'll try to keep them in future street-side pictures for comparison. The full price will be $152,500. The house has 1599 sq. ft (three bedrooms, two bathrooms, studio, etc.). I've got a workshop space in the double car garage. Unfortunately, we weren't able to include the basement. Floor Plan and Elevations View (PDF files; open in a new window).

Established in 1939, it is located between Decatur and Huntsville (about 20 or so miles in length) and is comprised of 35,000 acres. It is home to Alabama's largest wintering duck population and supports the southern-most and Alabama's only concentration of wintering Canada geese. Habitats include bottomland hardwoods, riparian woodlands, back water embayments of the Tennessee River, pine uplands, and croplands that provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife (they grow their own corn, etc. for the wildlife). Wading is not recommended; although seldom seen, some 40-50 American alligators live in the Refuge. Playing with the indigenous fauna is discouraged.

To get from Priceville to Decatur — the nearest major shopping — we drive through a portion of the refuge.

We purchased the lot ($26,000) and advanced first sum of money to the builder ($8,000) to begin construction. Jim Morris is very well known in the community and has an excellent reputation. I was very impressed with the quality of the work in his "spec" houses.

The outline of the foundation has been set up (cinder blocks) and the plumbing went in on Thursday, June 12 (the water pipes are all copper). Next, the gravel will be shoveled into the foundation's cinder block outline, probably Monday. Then, the slab will be poured (Monday or Tuesday). I expect that the exterior framing will be up by mid-week. Things are moving along very quickly.

View from the street.

Looking at the front door.

Six piles of gravel.
Foundation fill.

During the week there was a bit of excitement. It seems that an alligator decided to take a break in the middle of Danville Road in south Decatur on Wednesday night. Where it came from is unknown. Local officials borrowed a hoe and shovel, and gently persuaded the alligator to move into a nearby pasture that evening. An eight-foot alligator is only persuaded to move by using gentle methods. Or else!

By morning, however, the alligator had decided that a nearby pond was a more attractive venue, and decided anoint the pond as its new kingdom from which to rule the surrounding area.

The owners of the pond, Ray and Cheryl, had no objection to their new resident. Indeed, Cheryl named the 'gator "Al" and they were content to allow nature to take its course, hoping Al would "go back from whence it came," and all the while maintaining a discreet distance. One generally does not strike up a close relationship with a creature named Al, the Alabama Alligator. But, alas, this was not to be the permanent home hoped for by our restless reptile.

Unfortunately, this kind of an event is rare in these parts, and Al attracted quite a bit of media attention as well as a plethora of sight-seeing. The result was that Ray's pasture was being torn up by the tire tracks of unwelcome visitors, and the pond was becoming A Roadside Attraction. Indeed, Ray and Cheryl spent their 26^th anniversary answering queries about Al from TV stations and newspapers. Ultimately, they felt that they had no choice but to call the State and request assistance in finding Al a new pond.

On Friday, June 13^th, a professional was called in — Chris Keenum, a licensed alligator trapper. The 'gator was promptly captured by Chris and his two fearless assistants (his teenage sons, Westin and Gray), and was then moved to an "undisclosed, unpopulated location in Morgan County." Due to Al's size, "it was very eventful, but nobody was hurt," reported Keenum's wife, Allison. Local television stations provided coverage on the 5 pm news, with exciting video from the pond.

The exact location of Al's new home is unknown. However, by coincidence, Morgan County contains a portion of a national wildlife refuge, the 35,000 acre Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Indeed, the wildlife refuge already contains a population of some 40-50 American alligators. You may feel free to draw your own conclusions as to the location of the new home of our roadside friend, Al.

This isn't Al. In fact, it isn't even Alabama. It's just a stock photograph of an American alligator
(Alligator mississippiensis) taking a swim — maybe even in a pond — at the Everglades National Park, Florida.
http://www.fotosearch.com/PDS157/79895981/

Work has begun filling in the foundation's outline with gravel. It is first filled in using a front-loader, and a crew then smoothes the gravel flat. Black plastic will then be laid on top of the gravel, and sprayed with water.

The gravel work is completed, having been spread evenly across the form and then covered with black plastic. The gravel is to a level 4" below the top of the cinder blocks.

The foundation was poured yesterday afternoon (to a depth of 4"), and the framing crew was on the job before 8 am this morning. According to Ledon, the lead carpenter, the framing will be completed by tomorrow evening. The orange lines on the concrete show where the walls will be placed.

Ledon and his crew of men did not let the grass grow under their feet! No, indeed. When Jerry and I got to the site on this morning, I was astonished at what I saw. Not only was the exterior framing up, but so was the interior framing and the sheathing (a couple of the windows aren't cut out, yet). Next up will be the roof joists and sheathing, and then the shingles. For those with an inquiring mind: the sill plates are bolted to the foundation (if a big wind comes or the ground begins to shake, the bolts will help prevent the framing from sliding off the slab).

I did take some pictures of the interior, but visually it's a very confusing mess of 2x4s at this point. After the drywall goes up, it will be easier to "see" the rooms.

The Garage.	Father-in-law Jerry inspects the Front Porch.
East side of the house, looking south towards the street.	Same corner ... back of the house, looking west.

The address will be 24 Willow Place. I'm not sure if the "city" will be Priceville or Decatur. I think that Priceville is too small to have a post office ... or if it does, I haven't found it yet. Fortunately, there is a mailbox next to the Fire Station (pickup at 1:30 or thereabouts). When I did a search at the USPS site, the nearest post office to "Priceville, AL" was ... Hartselle (6.13 miles ... due south on I-65). The Decatur Post Office is a whopping 7.7 miles away.

There aren't any willow trees on Willow Place, but I'm not too concerned, since there aren't any cypress trees in Cypress Cove. Both deficiencies can be remedied, of course, in time. Among gardeners there is the saying: you plant flowers for yourself, shrubs for your children, and trees for your grandchildren. A nice saying that keeps things in perspective (depending on your age and expected longevity).

Well, it's been almost a week since I lasted visited the lot, and it was time to make the next advance to the builder. The break-neck pace continues, but I'm very impressed with the quality of the work being done. The exterior sheathing is finished and the roof is on, with felt. While we were there, the plumbing was being finished.

We had to select a different shingle as the color we wanted is on back-order at the factory for three months. The shingles will be on Monday, and then the house will be weather-tight (except for one door that's on order ... a little clear plastic will work for the time being). The wiring is scheduled for Tuesday. I'll be out again then.

Looking from the front room through the covered porch to the north view.

Joints in the front room. This builder uses 2x6s, not 2x4s.

View of the front of the house from the street.

Why pictures of the interior studs and ceiling joists? In the house in Tigard, a former owner had tried to add a couple of 2x4s in the garage ceiling (for the garage door opener). There was a long, neat row of holes that he drilled in the ceiling, trying to find the studs. He would have drilled all the way to the wall ... since he was drilling parallel to the studs. These pictures will help me and future owners find where the studs are ... and in which direction they are running. A revelation: the front room is slightly different than the rest of the house. That sort of thing will drive you crazy!

Garage

The Study

Through Bedroom To Study, Looking South

From Kitchen Looking To The Garage

A "TinyURL" has been created for this page: http://tinyurl.com/5a7356 (easier to copy and paste, or to re-type as needed). It is just four weeks since we signed the papers to build this house.

More of the plumbing has been installed, with just the bathtub on the way (today or tomorrow). The shingles were there when I got to the house this morning, and the roofing team will be there after lunch. Wiring goes in tomorrow morning.

The attic ladder has been installed ... a bit too close to where I was going to put a work bench, but I can work around that. The design of the attic and roof framing (the pre-formed "truss system") has changed a great deal over the years; we've got a ton of open space upstairs! Perfect for when cousin Larry comes to visit.

The roof is finished, plus the wiring and the ductwork for the heading & cooling. The brickwork has started, but is being delayed by a couple of windows and doors that are on order, but not yet received.

Just when we thought that the companies that manufacture doors and windows had mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth ... viola! And It Is Written: That which was on backorder has arrived and was promptly installed (oddly ... to prevent theft ... copper is not the only target of new construction thieves).

Immediately, the exterior walls were insulated, and the drywall crew arrived. Most of the interior was complete by today with just the taping of the seams to be completed. At the same time, the masons are back on the job finishing up the exterior.

I had planned to walk around a bit, but yesterday's storm dropped a lot of rain on this area, and the 'Bama Red Clay turned into ankle-deep Red Mud. I'll find the properties corners and set my ground rods another, drier day.

Vicki has had the first meeting with the cabinet maker. Paint, vinyl and carpet selections are being made. Due to the delay in getting the doors and windows, closing is now scheduled for the first of October.

Kitchen	Living Room
Guest Bedroom	Garage
Back	East Side

A robust storm blew through the area yesterday. Here's a couple of pictures of the sky just before the lightning got too close for comfort.

The storm arrived at the same time that Vicki was driving home from Decatur. It was raining so hard, that it difficult to see the road; she tucked in behind a semi and made it home just fine. The last time we were on the road together, I got off the freeway completely and took a surface street home. Too many people go just as fast in these conditions as when the road surface is dry. The survival rate in those accidents is low ... brakes don't work well in hydroplaning conditions that keep velocities very high.

The crews are continuing to make good progress now that we've got a restart. When Vicki and I were there earlier in the week, three crews were working: the masons, the carpenters, and the dry-wallers. Busy place.

I went out again on Friday -- just one guy there ... cleaning up the scaffolding used by the masons. They are finished except for the seals on a couple of the doors; he said they'd be out one evening next week (presumably after they finish working on another house). The drywall has been sanded in preparation for the painters. Vicki will meet with the cabinet-maker on Monday.

We'd had some weather on Thursday as a cold front pushed some stormy weather through the area. In Oregon, the storms come from the west as a general rule. Occasionally it will be pushing some wet weather from the central Pacific or some cold weather from the North Pacific, but in general, the weather is pretty predictable.

Out here, however, you're just as likely to see a storm come from the south, the west or the north (as was the case on Thursday). Some days, you gotta keep your head on a swivel.

After assorted delays, we're back on track and rolling right along. Vicki and I went out to the house today to take a look at how things are coming along, and boy were we (pleasantly) surprised. The painting is coming along, although one more coat is needed. However, enough of the first coat has been finished to give everyone an idea of what a few of the rooms will look like.

Front Room

Dining Room

Study

The cabinets have been installed, and we're very pleased. Jim has excellent guys on this team; their "fit and finish" is terrific. In fact, it was the quality of the cabinet work and baseboards that we saw in his "spec" houses that inclined me towards this builder. My feeling was that he was using this kind of attention to detail in two aspects of the house, it would likely be seen throughout the house, and this has been the case in every aspect of the construction. Where 2x4s would have been fine, Jim used 2x6s. While 15 amp circuits are standard, Jim uses 20 amp circuits throughout the house except in the laundry where he uses 30 amp circuits. All the plumbing is copper ... no plastic.

The counter tops are next. Vicki would like granite, but we're not sure we can fit that into the budget.

Kitchen

Master Bath

As noted, there's another coat of paint due, after a couple of minor fixes. Nephew J.R. and his buddy will be installing the shower tile in the Master Bathroom. The electrical fixtures, landscaping and flooring are also on tap (During today's visit, I noticed several buckets of adhesive for the wood flooring in the dining room and hall). Our builder Jim is telling us that closing is still set for the end of this month. It will be a busy ten days if we're able to hit that mark.