What is in your cup?

[ProfCrash]

Milk Oolong while watching the inauguration. Lucas had lunch, corn and butternut squash and then some formula.

[CRussel]

Good morning, all! The sun has come out! After days of promising sun, but delivering only fog, this morning we actually have blue skies. Cold, of course -- right at 0 C. But at this time of the year, I'll happily trade cold for sun.

To celebrate, fresh squeezed orange juice (a mix of California Navel and Moro Blood oranges), and a mug of Anniversary Breakfast Blend.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

<snip>We'll move to my parents' new condo in a week. Can't wait! I'm really tired of living in rent places...

Yay! Do you have everything all packed and ready?

Originally Posted by Iridal

<snip>Sorry, I spend so much time doing my hair and make-up (about 2 hours ) that I had no time left to make a picture. But there were plenty of people with camera's there, I'll post one when one turns up. Or I'll make one when I have some time.

Thanks. I hope someone was able to get a nice photo.

Originally Posted by Iridal

I can even do better than describe it! We have made a couple of plans ourselves (boyfriend is interior designer so has very clear ideas and the tools to make nice plans ). For the ground floor we really want open plan. As little walls and doors as possible. Here we have kitchen, dining area, sitting area and a storage room. We want a 'closet-wall' as you can see on our plan. We can get those for very little money at my boyfriend's work. Stairway in the living area because we think that's the most logical (when you wake up, the first thing you need is the kitchen, not the hallway!).

We can also build a full first floor (so it's not 'under the roof', we'll have an attic under the roof). Here we want 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and a shower room (preferably 'en-suite' with the master bedroom). No dressing, we don't need that. We'll make a folding staircase to the attic in our room. In the future we'll probably turn the attic into the master bedroom and build a full staircase.

Oh yeah, the left part of the piece of land on the picture is ours
<snip>

How exciting! How long do you think it will take before you can move in?

English Toffee Coffee in my cup.

[kindlekitten]

people's republic daily green

[Stitchawl]

I'll sing you this October song.
Oh, there is no song before it.
The words and tune are none of my own
for my joys and sorrows bore it.

Beside the sea,
The brambly briars in the still of evening.
Birds fly out behind the sun
and with them I'll be leavng.

The fallen leaves that jewel the ground
They know the art of dying.
And leave with joy their glad gold hearts
In the scarlet shadows lying.

9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2pqWAfPOY )

Such wonderful music...

Good morning, all! Chilly and damp, but a good morning to get things done! I have some Keemun tea and bacon and eggs to start the day, and I really want to thank the person who came up with this combination!

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Spider Silk!

Where is Peter Parker when you need him?


Stitchawl

[maianhvk]

A beautiful day! It's dark chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a tall glass

[Billi]

I see, you've started celebrating. Happy birthday, Anh!

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Looks great. Let me suggest some railings on the staircase. For potential kiddos.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I'm guessing that this picture is really just a concept thing rather than a finished idea. I don't know of any material that would strong enough to support body weight at that angle at that thickness.

What Stitchawl said Of course we'll have a railing. The stairs in the picture is just one of the standard ones in the drawing program. We didn't really pay much attention to materials and colours (except for the red on the walls ), it's just to show where we want everything.

Originally Posted by dreams

How exciting! How long do you think it will take before you can move in?

English Toffee Coffee in my cup.

Right now we're thinking between 2 and 3 years ... It'll probably be 6 months before we have our definite plans and our building license. And that's when the municipality has no problems with our plans. If they do, then we probably have another 6 months of work with the plans. Then we have to find builders. And then we think it's about a year of hard work before the house is finished enough to move in. After that, probably another year before everything is finished.

Originally Posted by maianhvk

A beautiful day! It's dark chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a tall glass

Happy birthday !!!!


In my cup: cappuccino. Still recovering from a fun but tiring weekend.

[maianhvk]

@ dreams: of course not I have such a severe problem of procrastination

Thanks Iri

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

A beautiful day! It's dark chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a tall glass

A good start to a birthday. Happy Birthday! Now you're 21 are you planning to celebrate more birthdays, or just stay 21 for a few years?

Nothing in my cup. I must fix that.

[moments later]

Iced water in my cup. Cheers!

[Stitchawl]

Keemun tea and no dinner...

Originally Posted by maianhvk

A beautiful day! It's dark chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a tall glass

Happy Birthday, Anh! May you have many, many more!

Originally Posted by Iridal

And then we think it's about a year of hard work before the house is finished enough to move in. After that, probably another year before everything is finished.

If you're going to move in once the house is weather-tight, having professional builders do the shell and the roof, they could finish their part in just a couple of weeks. The outer walls and roof are that fastest part of a house to put up. It's the inside work that takes so long; outting up wall studs, plumbing and wiring, interior wall covering, etc.

What are you doing for a foundation? I have a feeling that basements aren't so common in your area. Will you use a cement slab or just pylons?


Stitchawl

[dreams]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

A beautiful day! It's dark chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a tall glass

Happy Birthday! I wish you an incredible day full of fun. Do you have any special plans?



All I have in my cup is the last of my decaf coffee as it is so close to bedtime.

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

If you're going to move in once the house is weather-tight, having professional builders do the shell and the roof, they could finish their part in just a couple of weeks. The outer walls and roof are that fastest part of a house to put up. It's the inside work that takes so long; outting up wall studs, plumbing and wiring, interior wall covering, etc.

What are you doing for a foundation? I have a feeling that basements aren't so common in your area. Will you use a cement slab or just pylons?


Stitchawl

We're probably going to build with a timber frame, so the outer shell should indeed be ready in a couple of weeks. If you build with bricks, it can take a couple of months. At least in Belgium.
We're not going to move in right after that. We're probably going to move to a cheap apartment very close by, so we have at least some comfort (like running water and electricity ) but we can still work in our house in the evenings.
My father who build their current home himself (even the shell) told us it will take at least a year after the shell has been put up before the house is habitable. Because we can only work in the weekends and sometimes in the evening. We're not going to take time off from work to build, other than our annual vacation. But we'll see. Maybe we can move in faster. We knew it would be a long journey when we decided to buy the land, so it's okay.

I think basements are pretty standard in Belgium, but we're not going to build one. It's ridiculously expensive, and because the groundwater in our area is pretty close to the surface we'd have to have a special kind of basement. We're just using the standard strip foundation.

[maianhvk]

Bogawantalawa ceylon let's have fancy drinks today

Thanks, Paul, Stitchawl and dreams No special plan today, there's an essay which dues in a couple of days...

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Iridal

We're not going to move in right after that. We're probably going to move to a cheap apartment very close by, so we have at least some comfort (like running water and electricity ) but we can still work in our house in the evenings.

There is no doubt that living in the shell isn't luxurious. After I put up the walls and roof, I immediately put in the kitchen sink and bathroom features so we would have that, and had the electric company run a main line from the pole into the house. I added a couple of 'quick' lines around the house so that there would be places to plug in the power tools without running long extension cords, but then we moved in. It was messy!

My father who build their current home himself (even the shell) told us it will take at least a year after the shell has been put up before the house is habitable.

It was at least that long, if not longer before we were actually finished. But we use wood tongue-and-groove (knotty cedar) for the living room walls and ceiling, and a few other walls around the house, and they took time to put up and oil. Each plank had to be put up separately. Sheetrock would have been a lot faster!

It's ridiculously expensive, and because the groundwater in our area is pretty close to the surface we'd have to have a special kind of basement. We're just using the standard strip foundation.

That was my concern. I thought it was somewhat lower land in Belgium, but then I realized I was thinking of Holland instead.


Stitchawl