We have been incommunicado for the last few days after we reached the data limit on our pitiful internet service. We have to use Verizon’s cellular service for our internet access, and the limit, at least as of last month, was 5 GB. That really is pitiful compared to what we could get if we had access to cable or even to DSL. But I doubt that’s ever going to happen up here on the mountain. We changed our data plan Sunday so we can share 12 GB of data between the computer and my iPhone. That’s an increase of only 1 GB overall, but I never used all of my data allowance on the phone, so I think it will help.

In the meantime, the crew that installs siding started work last week. They worked mainly on the soffits, but they did manage to put siding on the end of the garage.

And then Home Depot called and said that our windows and exterior doors had arrived. I was able to get the doors on my truck and trailer, but had to wait for help to unload two of the doors. We have a door with two sidelights for the front and a double door for the exit from the basement just below the porch. Those doors were too heavy for me to handle by myself. Fortunately, the crew that installs doors and windows came up on Saturday. They unloaded the two heavy doors, and I went back to get the rest of the windows. By the time they left Saturday, they had unloaded and installed all but two of the windows.

This is the house as of late Saturday.

The front, as I have mentioned, faces almost due east towards the view. That led me to call for a large window in the living room and in our bedroom. Leah wanted something a little fancier than plain windows, so we have equal-leg arches over those two windows. I think they look nice.

It’s hard to tell that the front door is installed, but there are some signs. You can see a glint from the glass in the door itself, and you can see the frame between the door and the left sidelite. The double doors in the basement looks like an empty opening because they are painted dark to match the front door, which is a dark woodgrain.

As soon as the two remaining windows are installed, I will call the inspection department for the sheathing inspection. It seems strange to me, but the inspector said the housewrap and all exterior doors and windows must be installed before they inspect the sheathing. I think that means the siding crew can work only on the soffits until I get the inspection.

We are at a sort of turning point on our house construction. Framing is essentially complete except for some last details on the front porch and stairs. The housewrap has been applied. The roofing and siding are arranged for. The windows and exterior doors have been ordered and should arrive within a week or so. The roof will go on as soon as the shingles are delivered. The siding has to wait for the windows. But once that happens, the exterior will be essentially complete, and work shifts to the interior.

Siding was delivered on Tuesday, October 20. The truck driver parked in front of our current driveway because the delivery order showed our current address.

I told him where it needed to go, but there was no way he could get that truck up our new driveway. I was pretty impressed that he got it all the way up Fouche Gap Road. Other tractor-trailer drivers have not been so skilled. He arrived at around 10 am, just as the dogs and I got back from our walk. I told him we needed to leave at around 11 so we could drive down to the framing contractor’s office about an hour and a half away to pick out shingles and balusters (or spindles or pickets, depending on who’s talking). He said there would be no problem, but there was. He used his big three-wheeled forklift to take the siding material down the street to the new house. When he finished, his truck’s battery was dead. Without a battery, he couldn’t start his truck. Without a running engine he couldn’t build up air pressure. Without air pressure, he couldn’t release his brakes and roll back to bump start and clear our driveway.

Fortunately, he was able to pick up the back of his trailer with his forklift and move it over enough for us to get out.

We picked out spindles and ordered them. When they arrive, the framer will send a crew back to the site to install the porch and stair railings. Leah wasn’t pleased with a simple, round spindle so we ended up getting some fancier spindles with what are called baskets on them. That was a good call on her part. I think the finished porch and stairs will look a lot better that way.

I got an estimate for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system on Sunday. The plumber came out and marked installation points for the rough-in on Wednesday. Plumbing can start immediately; HVAC has to wait for a roof, as does electrical.

Things we need to do quickly: pick out paint for the siding, and get our bathtub and shower enclosures so that the plumber can locate the drains.

So, the rough order of work, once the roof is on, is install windows and exterior doors, install siding, paint siding, complete rough-in of plumbing, electrical and HVAC, install bath and shower enclosures, insulate the walls, install drywall, install garage doors (so that we can secure the house), insulate the attic, paint the interior, install flooring, install interior doors, install bathroom vanities and toilets, install kitchen cabinets, install countertops, complete finished plumbing, complete finished electrical (interior and exterior light fixtures, switch plates and the like), install trim (base plates and window trim). At some point, we will probably put in a wood-burning stove; that should come somewhere after the flooring is installed.

But that’s not all we have to do. We have to pick out an exterior paint color. We were going to use vinyl siding but the framing contractor said cement board is cheaper and we prefer that anyway. We have to choose wood and tile flooring, interior paint colors, and door colors (We have stained trim and doors in our current house, which I prefer, but it’s far more work than painted trim, plus painted doors and trim are cheaper.) We have to choose bathroom vanities, vanity tops, kitchen cabinets and countertops. We have to select faucets for the bathrooms and kitchen, light fixtures and ceiling fans. I’m sure I have forgotten something.

Contractors will do some of this work. We will do some.

And, oh yes, we need to visit the bank again.