February Stands for Flurries (of Activity!)

"Each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger than ourselves."

Adrienne Clarkson

GOOD GOLLY!

This is one of Bruce's frequent expressions and it sure is fitting to describe the flurry of activity on our new home in East Beach.  Plumbers, electricians, framers, trimmers are scurrying around the job -- the list goes on and on.

First, take a look at everything that is going on outside:

This is the view from the front corner of the house.
The Windsor Windows have been installed. 

Trim work has begun in the rear courtyard.
The future screened porch is starting to take shape.

Our future neighbors' home has begun.
Bruce and I can't wait to meet them!

Meanwhile, Kristi Leonard from Schneider Custom Builders has been scheduling hundreds (a slight exaggeration, but not by too much) of meetings, most recently with Lighthouse Electric for electrical and AV equipment. (Thank you so much to our East Beach friend Bob who has helped us think through our audio decisions. You're terrific!) Also, we've met with the plumbing contractor to determine location placement of things such as the Rinnai Water Heater, faucet placements and HVAC returns.  And this is only the tip of the iceberg in our decision-making tasks.

Bruce, our Lighthouse AV contractor, Jim and Kristi
discuss computer, TV, and audio options.

Kristi and her associate from Schneider Custom Builders
consult the plans.  They are standing in the dining room with the
living room to the left and the entry to the right.

The staircase begins in the dining room and follows the exterior of the house to the upstairs.
A light well at the top of the stairs with three triple windows spills light downward.
Our architect Jeremy Sommer of Sommer Design Studios knows how much importance we place on light. The placement of the duct return is important as a built-in buffet will nestle against the staircase.
Our friend and interior designer, Jacqueline Johndrow of Romancing the Home (Warwick, New York)
envisions a blue wall as you go upstairs to set a contrast to the painted stair rails and buffet.
I can't wait to see it come together!

Bruce and Jeremy worked hard to ensure I had my bathtub.
The tub is angled on both ends.  Can't wait!
A triple window will spill light into the bathroom while
Bermuda Shutters will provide privacy.  No peeking!!!!

I was thrilled to see the level of craftsmanship and detail going into the house.  Thank you to Jeremy Sommer for designing a house that is chock full of details and to Jim's crew who is lovingly carrying out the painstaking work.    

Four hand-carved beams will support the upper front porch.

 BJ has been working hard on getting the beams just right. 

This is a picture from the upstairs Billiard's Room looking up to the storage loft.
The Billard's Room features a vaulted ceiling, upper front porch,
and a small beverage station. 

Meanwhile, Jacqueline, Kristi, Bruce and I have been hard on the trail of finalizing finishes! Jacqueline is leading the way in selecting tiles, granites, cabinets, light fixtures, and on and on and on. This is fun stuff!

This is the palette for the kitchen. The Iceberg quartzite will go on the island which features a walnut base. Perimeter cabinets are a soft gray with a light glazing and topped by a honed, enhanced gray granite.  The back splash will be either the marble and shell circles or a marble diamond pattern.

What is our blog without Beau Beau?!!!  Here is Beau Beau and Bruce taking a snack break while doing house research on the computer in our Virginia Beach home.

They spend a LOT of time on the computer.  Bruce is a natural researcher and studies hard before making important decisions for the house.  THANK YOU, BRUCE AND BEAU BEAU!!
My two wonderful guys!

From Sketchbook to Reality -- Our Home Takes Shape

"The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists."
Charles Dickens 

Bruce told me earlier this week that he's afraid he'll love our new home too much. It's true, when you create a home together from scratch you put your heart and soul into it. Bruce has been the true driver behind so many of the features of this home, working mind-to-mind with Jeremy Sommer, of Sommer Design Studio, the talented (and patient) architect who designed the house.

The talented framing crew for Schneider Custom Homes

Already we love our new home.  It's been amazing to see it take shape as the framing has been in full construction mode for most of December and January. The framing is almost done now.  Just a few tweaks and the porches remain to be built. Jim Schneider's (Schneider Custom Homes) framing crew has worked on cold days, snow days, and Saturdays to keep the house on track. (Thank you, BJ, and our other framing friends!) Jim's foreman, Jeff, has been on site daily as well and has been wonderful to work with. He's agreeable to slight tweaks (can you make this alcove 1-1/2" deeper?) and it's clear he knows his stuff. The best thing is that the people who are building our home take great pride in doing quality work. We are grateful for this.

Bruce standing in the rear courtyard,
 beside the future screened porch.

Bruce and I have been able to walk through the rooms and envision how we'll be living in the house.  We know where our furniture will go, where Beau Beau will peek out from windows to make sure humans and their pets are on their best behavior, and where our grand kids will play in the sleeping loft over the billiard's room.  (They'll have a wonderful view of the Chesapeake Bay, by the way!)

Beau Beau loves to stand guard!

Luanne, Monica, and Kristi at Superior Granite.
The wavy gray and white granite right behind us
will be used for Bruce's and my desks in our new office.

During all the construction, Bruce and I have made hundreds of decisions about fixtures, furnishings, and equipment (FF&E) with the help of two very special people.  My dear friend and interior designer, Jacqueline Johndrow of Romancing the Home in Warwick, New York, and the ever cheerful options professional, Kristi Nolasco Leonard, from Schneider Custom Homes have been invaluable during this process.  They've sorted through thousands of cabinet choices, light fixtures, tiles, carpets, hardware options, doors, windows, and other materials, each of which had to be priced, compared against the budget, and vetted against design and utilitarian parameters. Kristi has met with us (no lie) at least four times on granite decisions alone! Jacqueline flew down to spend three days with us to help with selections.  This was a blessing as she and Bruce hit it off immediately.  In fact, sometimes I think their minds are more in sync with each other and she was MY friend first!  (Secretly, I think this is great.  :-)

This weekend, Bruce and I went to the site to see our new windows which just arrived on Friday from Windsor Windows.  I've used Windsor Windows on my past two homes and loved them.  I'll take pictures once they are all installed and post them on the next blog update.

The framing is almost completed.

Meanwhile, stay warm and dry.  More snow may be in the forecast!  Monica

Building the roof of the screened porch in the courtyard.

The first Windsor windows were installed on January 24, 2014.

Kristi's mom sandblasted this
champagne just for us!

How cool is this!  A wedding gift to me and Bruce
from Schneider Custom Builders.

Views of the Chesapeake Bay will be enjoyed
from the front porches and windows
of the Billiards Room and Kitchen.

  

Where We Love is Home

"Where we love is home -- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." Oliver Wendell Holmes

Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Ellsworth Johnson

Our new home is under construction, as is the neighborhood in which we will soon live, and our relationship, newly sealed in marriage. As Bruce and I took our wedding vows in our emerging home under the guidance of our dear friend, the Reverend Albert G.Butzer III, he reminded us that all relationships are under construction.

How fitting that we would be married in our future home!

For Bruce and me, being married in our home in East Beach with close friends and family was symbolic of our relationship. When I moved to East Beach four years ago I found a nurturing place to live among others who warmly welcomed me to this special and unique neighborhood.  It wasn't long before I met Bruce, we fell in love, and he, too, fell in love with East Beach and became integrated into our community. Every step of the way we were supported and encouraged by those who know and love us best -- our children, our extended families, and our closest friends.

And now we are husband and wife.

And while we already love our future home and look forward to spending many happy years here, we are mindful that our home is not truly a physical place. Home is the memories you make, your family and friends, and the love you surround yourself with. As so eloquently written by Tadd Williams, "Never make your home a place.  Make a home inside your own head.  You'll find what you need to furnish it -- memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things.  That way it will go with you wherever you journey."

Thank you for sharing our journey with us.

Happy New Year!  Monica and Bruce

P.S.  With grateful appreciation to Al Butzer, East Beach Photography, Schnieder Custom Building, and the many others who worked so hard to make our special day so perfect.

The weather was a balmy 58 degrees, perfect for our two talented violinists to play.

The Johnson kids!  Bruce's daughter Angela, cousin Zachary,
and sons Ryan and Michael.

My dear friend May Spearman, twin sister Pam Beacher, me, and my beautiful daughters
Kali Hamill, April Lynch, and Allison Dubbink.  May and Allison sang during the ceremony.

Bruce and me at the altar with the Reverend Al Butzer.  

The newly weds celebrating with great friends and family!

Little Beau Beau looked very handsom in his tuxedo.  He was so excited that he danced with mommy after the wedding!

Here Comes the Bride (and Groom)!

Only Six Days to Go Until Wedding Bells Chime

Monica and Bruce

Wow!  What a difference a week can make!  After a long haul getting an incredibly complex foundation in place for our new home at East Beach, our builder, Jim Schnieder of Schnieder Custom Builders, and his team are rocking and rolling!  The house is starting to taking shape.

Two large steel support beams were installed this week.

Steel support beams were installed on Tuesday.  Take a look at these monsters!  The beams were called for by the structural engineers from Sinclair Pratt Cameron, P.C. of Virginia Beach due to the open floor plan of the living and dining rooms. In addition, there are a lot of windows, dormers, and doors, so the engineering team and our builder had to make sure the house would withstand any weather events that may arise in the future. Thus, steel reinforcement was required. Once the beams were in place, the vertical construction (framing) began on the main house.

In the background is the garage and carriage house apartment. This building is farther along as the framing started earlier as no steel was required.

Garage and Carriage House Apartment

The plan is for Bruce and me to be married in the house.  We've been sweating this as we didn't know how much, if any, of the main house would be in place by the wedding date of December 28.

But it will be ready. HOORAY! Jim and his teammates, including Jeff and B.J. and others, are working 'round the clock during the week and Saturdays to get the house ready for the ceremony.  Only rain will keep them away from their mission.  By the 28th, the one-story side of the house will be completely framed and covered.  (The second story side of the house will not be framed by that time.)

Our wedding is going to take place in less than a week!

The box bay window opening (and altar) in the kitchen.

Lee Rosenberg (East Beach Photography), my former neighbor here at East Beach and our wedding photographer, met with me and Beau Beau this morning to go over photography plans. Lee is so creative! He's already scoped out where the ceremony will take place (in front of the box bay window of the kitchen overlooking the Live Oak trees of the park), where the violinists will play (in front of our future fireplace), and where the group and family shots will be taken.  His mind works in CRAZY ways -- he's thinking of staging a shot where the future furniture will be so he can later take a shot when the house is decorated -- sort of a before and after series.  What fun!

Beau Beau on his way to supervise
 the job site.

Six days and counting....  

Rain is in the forecast for Monday, but then clear weather is expected for the remainder of the week, Christmas Day, and our wedding day.

Happy Holidays to everyone and have a Happy New Year!

Monica, Bruce and Beau Beau

Going Vertical and Getting Married!

Let the Countdown Begin...

In construction, going vertical is one of the most exciting and wonderful experiences of the building process. Last Wednesday, our new home started going up!  Check out Bruce standing on the foundation with the garage going up behind him.  He is a happy man.



This moment was nervously anticipated as Bruce and I have an important date coming up. We have decided to get married in our emerging home this December 28th!  There is no house in place, no walls, no windows, no doors...as yet.  We must be CRAZY!!!! However, East Beach is very meaningful to us and our new home symbolizes starting our new life together. Our children, grand kids, siblings, and a handful of close friends will be on hand to celebrate with us (all wearing very warm coats).

Our builder, Jim Schneider of Schneider Custom Builders, is working hard to balance building the house right with our marriage date.  Construction of the foundation took longer than expected when Blue Mud had to be mitigated by digging deep and removing loads of poor soils, re-filling with gravel, building rebar waffle cages, and pouring a concrete foundation.  A quality home begins with a strong foundation and it took some time to get it right.  This house will stand for centuries.

Jim thinks we can pull off the wedding in the house, although it won't be very far along by December 28. Sunkiss Tanning and Hair Salon has offered us the use of two outdoor heaters for the ceremony and our minister, our dear friend Al Butzer, says the traditional wedding ceremony will be fairly quick.  Our former neighbor and good friend, Lee Rosenberg of East Beach Photography, will be our guest and the photographer who will have to make magic in this crazy wedding venue.  He is GOOD.  He can do this.  :-) 

So, the countdown begins.  The foundation is almost complete.  We're waiting on a bit more steel to come in, a requirement of the structural engineering review.  Our new home will have many windows, vaulted ceilings in three rooms (living room, master bedroom, and billiards room), and large dormers that flank both sides of the living room vault.  This is a lot of glass.  The Chesapeake Bay location of the East Beach neighborhood can pick up strong winds during occasional Nor'easters. These factors can take a toll on a house, so making certain the foundation and structural engineering are correct is important.


Note the flood vents in the foundation.  One of the wonderful things about East Beach is that it's not located in a flood zone, but it's always good to be prepared for anything that may come in the future.

Jim also is installing ZIP sheathing, a good choice for this coastal location.  ZIP is a structural roof and wall system with a built-in energy-efficient barrier that keeps moisture out and reduces air leakage, while still allowing panels to properly dry. This photo shows the ZIP system installation on the garage.

Rain is in the forecast for the next few days...pray for sunny skies!

  

Let the Building Begin!  Are we in Fort Knox?

During the week of October 11, two major milestones took place.  I hit a certain birthday (ends with a zero) and construction began on the new house that Jeremy Sommer (Sommer Design Studios) designed for me and Bruce in East Beach in Norfolk, Virginia!


Bruce and I selected Jim Schneider of Schneider Custom Builders to build our home.  We took our time in interviewing three members of the East Beach Builders Guild (everyone of which are exceptional builders), and settled on Jim.  We like Jim's professional processes in regard to communication and accounting, his quality team of subcontractors, and especially the positive reviews by his peers and happy customers.  Most importantly, we like that Jim takes great pride in his work and reputation.  We are confident that Jim will do an excellent job for us. 


Once we had Jim on board as the builder, we hired David Ferko with GET Solutions (getsolutionsinc.com) to do the geotechnical engineering.  The soils are East Beach can be
tricky as Blue Mud, dredging material from the Chesapeake Bay, is frequently found on the site.  It's not really a problem, but you do need to plan accordingly.  In our case, GET advised us that pilings would not be necessary, but they wanted to keep an eye on the soils during excavation.

The work began in October for the footings with engineer David Ferko on site to analyze the soils and make sure our home would be stable for us and future generations.  David is one fussy fellow when it comes to details -- a personality trait that serves his clients well.  Not unexpectedly, Blue Mud and poor soils were found during excavation.  The poor soil had to be dug out and gravel installed to provide a solid base for the footings. This photograph shows the extent of the excavation.


Next, rebar waffle cages were installed and concrete footings poured.  You can see the work in this photo.


No lie, we have a foundation worthy of Fort Knox!!

For me and Bruce, this was a hiccup in the building process, spending more time and money than we had hoped. More importantly, we are confident we have a very solid foundation that will serve us well in the future.  We are thankful that our builder and engineer took the time to do things right.

Next up -- the fun part!  Bruce and I go selections shopping with +Jacqueline Johndrow of Romancing the Home and Kristi Leonard with Schneider Custom Builders.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Puzzle of Designing a Custom Home: He Wants, She Wants, We Want -- What's An Architect to Do?????

I've discovered that architect Jeremy
Sommer is good at challenges.  With the discipline of his classic architecture training and experience, his vision and creativity to take advantage of natural amenities with a complex design on a tight homesite, and the patience of a saint with an easy-going personality, Jeremy (Sommer Design Studio) was the perfect choice to design a custom home for me and Bruce at East Beach.


The CHALLENGES
Our homesite is located on 24th Bay Street in East Beach, about three lots back on the block.  With the right design, we hoped to capture some views of the Chesapeake Bay from the first- and second-floor front porches  -- even if just a sliver.

Across the street from our homesite is a beautiful stand of Live Oak trees on a linear park  (thank you +Mike Watkins for your masterful land plan).  The trees are illuminated at night.  As someone who works from home, I hoped that Jeremy could figure out a way that I could enjoy the view of the trees from my office. Bruce and I also wanted Jeremy to maintain the view of the trees from our kitchen and living room, too.  That's not too much to ask, right???

Add to the SHE WANTS list were a vaulted ceiling with exposed trusses, tons of light with multiple dormers, and a back screened porch and garden courtyard that would expand the open living area for entertaining and relaxation.

On the HE WANTS list, Bruce needed a spot for his office work where he wouldn't have to worry about Monica's neat streak.  Most importantly, he wanted a family and friend gathering space that would accommodate their combined family of six kids and five (almost six) grandkids. AND, Bruce wasn't ready to give up the pool table from his soon-to-be-over bachelor days, so the house would need to have a room big enough for a pool table and lounge area. (Smells like a man cave to me!)

The WE WANT list included having privacy, a rental apartment that could be used for income upon retirement (or earlier!), and bedrooms for family and guests.  Also, having room for a third car and for our little dog Beau Beau to run were important, too.

Jeremy worked tirelessly on the plan and Bruce and I couldn't be more excited!  Bruce and I LOVE the design and feel that Jeremy hit a home run in addressing the SHE WANTS, HE WANTS, and WE WANTS.  Jeremy's thoughtful design resulted in a home that will be comfortable, welcoming, and very livable for our active lifestyle.  THANK YOU JEREMY!!!    Take a look and see what you think.