Welcome Back and New Direction

Well, it's been a while. We have moved on from modern building to modern parenting. In our quest to find a jogger for our babe, we foudn a review of the Joovy Zoom ATS. Looks like a perfect jogger for fitness-minded folks and cheaper than the mainstays. Check out this review and a giveaway from TheDirtyShirt or The Joovy site for more details.

Updated layouts

Here are some updated layouts zoomed in form more detail. We are almost there!

Full site:



Main Building:



Guests/Rec Wing:



Garage/Fitness:

GMAC

I found another local mortgage person in Dallas via Paul our builder. I never knew GMAC did construction loans, but all looks good so far...looks like they are the ones we are going to use. I hated the phone relationship with IndyMac bank. They never call back and their customer service was less than stellar. But, I guess that is what happens with you deal with Californians! ;)

Amended Plat

Well, Tuesday is the day. We are submitting an amended plat to the Town Council removing the 50 ft. easement on the Southern part of the property. We have instead granted a private drive/emergency access easement. I am told this will go through. If so, we can be building by October!

This is a drawing of the proposed layout looking East. 

Money!

We are finding that construction and lot loans are a pain in the ass! We are still working through our options, but thought I would provide you with a list of lenders that we have found:

1. IndyMac Bank
   
2. Wells Fargo
3. Bank of America

We have our lot loan through IndyMac and may just go that route for the construction loan. It is frustrating that the options seem to be so limited, though....

Our Building Material: AAC

AAC? I am sure you are wondering what it is:

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is an ultra-light concrete. It is formed by thousands of homogeneous and totally independent air cells that provide AAC its superior properties such as thermal insulation and fire resistance, which can only be achieved in traditional systems through the combination of different materials.

Contec AAC
AACPA

3D Pics

These are just some fun 3D pics. There won't really be this much glass, but there will be a lot and this will help you get the idea. Some of the architectual details aren't quite right either. Again, it is just an idea.

These are views from behind the breezeway looking into the courtyard, from above and looking into the great room.

It's Been a While...

Between traveling and waiting for the build "pre-req's," things have been a little slow. But, they are about to pick up. Here is where we are:

1. We got a soils report: It looks like we have more clay at the surface than we thought. We were hoping for more rock. It looks like we will be drilling to either 17' and placing bell piers or going 25'+ for standard ones.
2. Septic design: We are targeting the eastern ravine for the septic system. The thought of an aerated system made us sick! But, it looks like it may actually be better except that we have to pay for ongoing maintenance. It may be our only choice given the clay though.
3. Amended plat: Finally! Now that we have the soils report and the septic placement determined, we can now amend the plat to eliminate an ingress/egress easement along the Southern edge of the property, convert it to an emergency access easement and give back the road rights to the city. ETA next week.
4. Finalize design: We are close. Cunningham has done a great job thus far. The Master bath has been the toughest. We are not nit-picking anything. We trust the experts and are letting them do their jobs. Will post newer plans when we get them.

So, basically we are about ready to submit the amended plat and drawings to the city. Once approved, it's off to financing and getting things kicked off.

References:

Septic
Gumbo soil
Foundation Information

Initial draft of the layout. We are looking at a compound-type layout with three separate buildings surrounding a courtyard. The end of the courtyard will have a short wall to enclose the area. 

Drive To Property

Nice canopy drive to the property (down and to the right)

Driveway-to-Be

The lot in Fairview is very unique. Basically, it is heavily wooded 1.25 acres surrounding by a creek and two dried-up ravines (I joke that there is a moat around the site!). The kicker is that the 1.25 acres encompasses an old country road and part of the creek. So, usable land is less than the full lot size. Nonetheless, it is an incredible site within the DFW metroplex. My wife and I were truly shocked to find something so unique.

Here is a pic of the Southern edge of the lot.

Welcome!

Hi all!

Welcome to my blog on building a modern home in Big D. I will endeavor to document our family's entire building process...challenges, excitment, and all. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Over the coming days, I will play catch-up and walk you through what has happened the last few months.

Best,
FairviewModern