July 2009

The ranch is nearing completion and we see more done every time we go there. The final grading is being done now in the front and the back yard grading will be done in levels with retaining walls since there is a good bit of fall to the land in the back. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks things will wrap up and we can begin to move some things in and start to make this ranch come alive!

The forms have been constructed for the concrete drive and front walk. The mammoth cattle guard off to the right is upside down and just crazy BIG! Once we get it in the ground and the fence up around the house I'm sure it will look fine but good goo, really!


All the hardware has been installed on the cabinets and the door knobs put on and they look really good.

The plumber has put in all the faucets, toilets and shower heads. All we lack in the bathrooms are the glass doors for the showers.

You probably can't tell in the picture, but the screens have been installed on the porch and all we have left is the screen door for this room.

This in the cooktop waiting to be installed. It's has 6 burners and a griddle on it so we can make plenty of pancakes(or panytakes as Russell called them when he was a toddler) for everyone. That boy does like his breakfast!!

Double ovens and a microwave on top finish out the cooking portion of the kitchen. We can't wait to have our first big meal together. Who's cooking?

And finally, the stone above the cooktop was finished and we love the look. It's a great balance to the stone fireplace at the other end of the great room.

The last items that need to be done are the shower doors installed, the cooktop and refrigerator put in, the wood floors and carpet and this baby is done! Of course, there are always some little things to finish at the end but we are really close. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and we can get the concrete poured and the retaining walls built in the back and then finish with the landscape. The weather has delayed us at times but not much and things have gone so smoothly that it's a little scary that we're still right on time with everything. Maybe the next pictures will be of a completed Lost Creek Ranch??

July 2009

WOW! Brian and I were away from the ranch for 11 days and things got CRAZY!! The builder said it would go fast from here until the finish and he wasn't kidding. It's so exciting to see it all come together and think about all the fun times that will be shared here by family and friends.

This in the beam work in the family room complete with the lighting fixtures and ceiling fan. There are 4 lighting fixtures(2 on each end) of the family room and 4 beams that span across the room. The walls are painted a khaki color and the trim is a cream color.

This is the view out the screened porch. The staining of the cedar turned out perfect and Kolby will enjoy reading away the hours with great views.

Master bath with the vanity and lighting. All the lighting fixtures are oil rubbed bronze and the cabinets are painted the cream trim color.

This in the shower in Russell's room without the glass doors. All 3 of the kids rooms have showers only and the master has both a shower and tub(because we're special!)

Here's the bunk beds in Brad and Remy's room. There will be a full mattress on the bottom and a twin on the top along with a queen bed in each of the kid's rooms. The master has no bunks(we did that on purpose!).

The ceiling on the screened porch turned out great. It's a type of board that takes stain and then it looks like cedar planks - awesome! I have a feeling there will be a lot of time spent in this room.

Here's the massive fireplace with the stained cabinets on either side. You have to envision a big mantle and Brian's massive flat screen above it and maybe it won't look so tall. It turned out great. We were so worried about the stone because again, you only get to see a small sample and we knew that we would be having quite a large amount of the stone inside.

A bit closer look at the stone around the bar and the granite countertop. The bar will seat 8 and you have to imagine hardwood floors meeting the stone to bring it all together.

This is the view of the bar from the kitchen side. Pretty massive but very functional and we'll be glad to have the room when everyone is there.

We only lack stone above the cooktop and the cabinets are stained and finished. We have stainless steel appliances coming and a gas cooktop along with a Sonic ice machine(whoo hoo!).

Who knew all this could get done in such a short amount of time. Over the next two weeks the tile will be laid, stone finished inside, plumbing fixtures installed, hardware put on the cabinets, the butane tank installed, the screens installed on the porch and appliances installed. The outside painting is complete and septic system is installed so we are getting close. I'll try to do a better job of keeping everyone in the loop but I can't promise anything because I'm getting pretty excited about the house being completed and being able to move in. Brian is trying very hard to keep his calendar clear for the month of August so we can move in and do some work around the place. Nothing like working outside in August when it's cool!

The ponds will be the next project and we're waiting for the Soil Conservation Service to get the funding for the cost sharing project that they will be helping us with. We think there will be 2 tanks that share a common dam and then we will build a third pond separately just below the house. It's all very exciting and we're looking forward to getting everyone to come and visit. We hope you enjoy the blog and are glad you want to share the experience!

June 2009

Okay, so I've been a bit negligent in keeping up with the blog and the progress of the ranch but things have been busy and I'm not sure if I'm coming or going these days. This happens when you are pushing 50 and you don't know how to keep up with all this new technology - like blogging! So here's the update for those who care to know.

June brought slow but steady progress as the stone on the exterior was put on, the front door was delivered as well as the interior doors and all the cedar accents were put in place.

The stone looks great and we are pleased with how it turned out. It was nerve racking picking out the stone because you only get to see a small sample and your not sure how it will look after all is said and done but we love it!

The other thing that happened in June was the trim work was put in. These are the high windows in the master bath. We have a ton of windows in this place so this was quite the job to trim everything, hang the doors, put the cedar beams on the ceilings and trim out the bunk beds in the bedrooms.

The other thing that went on during the month was all the cabinets throughout the house were put in. These are the cabinets in the master bath. All the cabinets in the baths are the same, just different lengths.

These are the cabinets in the kitchen that are made of knotty alder and will be roughed up and stained along with the cabinets that are on either side of the fireplace. This is the big circular bar that looks into the family room.

All in all it has been a busy month and painters moved in right after all this was completed and prepped the kitchen and family room cabinets for staining and did all the other prep work for the interior painting. Decisions, decisions, decisions were made very carefully(flipping a coin usually) for the carpeting, tile, paint color, interior stone and fixtures. It's all coming together just like we had envisioned it and we are looking forward to the completed project.