Paige Homestead: October 2014

A lot more photos

House on the hill taking shape, beam in place.

Dysthe watching the moon rise to the left of Mt. Hood

They started framing for the roof as soon as the beam was up and wrapped. The wrapping is just protection from moisture or dirt during construction.

Looking West toward the sunset through a hall window.

Construction zone at night, with creepy forklift photobomb.

We're almost ready to welcome you all!

I'd like to introduce our Builder, Brett Fogelstrom!
We've known Brett for years as a friend and have always admired his work. We never dreamed he would be interested in building our house -he's one of the most talented designer/builders we know.
Doesn't he look like a nice guy? He actually is!
He's teaching us lingo - builder terminology. In the beginning he would use words that were specific to the engineering and structure of the home and I nodded and smiled. I figured, if I really needed to know what that word meant that he'd make sure I did. As time went on he got to know that look on my face and the nodding and he would stop and say, "do you know what that is?" I would say "no, is it important that I know?"
We have a rhythm and our meetings are now managing "real time" things like installations and decisions.

It's great having a friend as your builder or having your builder be your friend as well.

Dave is the one that has the photo touch so far. When we go up to the building site there's so much to see.
This is exciting! Every time we share with someone that we are building a house they have a nugget of wisdom to share. Sometimes it's about marriage and how you have to be careful people get divorced. Sometimes it's about where to put the hose spigots and electrical outlets, or what type of faucets and sinks to install. Not to worry, we are far from divorced, Dave is a Saint and I am reminding myself more often that it's ok to not know the answer to my 1,000 questions We will have hose spigots, I can't tell you how many but they will be there. We will also have electricity and I will make sure I can reach all of the outlets. As for the sinks and faucets, we'll choose what we like and what fits in the budget.

Getting to this point has been a journey unto itself. We sold our house in Sherwood in June 2011 and rented a house in Lake Oswego while we looked for a piece of property that would be suitable for a vineyard with a home. We came across this piece of land in February of 2013 and jumped at the chance. We are located in Sherwood, which is an honest 30 minute drive to Portland. You can get there sooner if you don't start counting how long you have been in the car until after the first 10 minutes. We have a view of Mt. Hood, and out here that means A LOT! It's like an ocean view - but not.
We started planning and designing the house last Summer.
We have a great design / builder, Brett Fogelstrom. We were excited to have him take on the project. Brett built the recent addition to the Ponzi Winery and has a keen eye for design. He is also familiar with vineyard sites and orienting a building or house amongst the vineyard while still positioning the house to be in the best spot for livability. I am learning a lot from Brett. He doesn't realize how much he knows and sometimes I have to nag him to tell me more - I think he's getting used to me.

Lots of change out here and we are loving it. It's a reminder of just how little you have control over and you MUST remember to stop and ask - "Am I missing out on a moment to enjoy this?"