The first picture is taken from the edge of the road. The roof pitch is 9/12 on the sides and 8/12 front and back. You can't tell the sides and front/back are different pitches by looking at them, only if you are actually on it. 9/12 is really risky to be up on. I designed it that way to match the front and back gables up with the angle of the front and back roof behind them (the gables are 9/12 as well). It's crazy how the look of the roof pitches changes when you stand at different distances. In that first picture close up and looking up at it from the ground below, it looks like the gables and roof are completely different pitches. Then walking WAY back to the end of the cul-de-sac to take this next shot, the pitches are lined right up.
Some of the final framing details on the inside are being framed like the fireplace wall and the archway posts dividing the kitchen from the living room. Those two things should be finished today, as well as the stairs. The stairs were originally built while we were on vacation in California. I'm SUPER particular about how steep/not steep I like my stairs. I like the run to be about 11 inches and the rise to be between 7.25 and 7.5 inches. They were built fine as far as code goes but were built much sooner than I expected them to be built (again, these guys are FAST) so I hadn't communicated my particulars yet to the framers. When we got back from California, the stairs were in and I didn't like them that steep. Kinda stinks.
I felt bad asking the workers to rip them out and make the rise shorter since, by building standards, they were fine. But I don't have L-shaped stairs or U-shaped stairs or anything to break up a fall if someone did fall down them. So the last thing I want is a "fairly steep" straight flight tempting a fall. They added a step, making the last one rather long from left to right (that will make more sense when I post a picture of it.) It makes them much more "grand" than I had intended- to have the opening so wide at the base. But they look good. And the rise is 7.37 inches, which I'm super happy about. It sounds like such a tiny change in size, but over 16 steps, it makes a HUGE difference in how they feel, and look. I'm very glad we had them change them.
The house is big. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has said that to me. Or maybe that many hairs on my head- I've always had thin hair... but anyway. I've been hesitant to post a picture of the full house on my blog because... I don't always get the best reactions. Most people are happy for us. But not everyone. I wish I could fit the things we wanted in our dream home into something smaller. I didn't design it to show off size or make any sort of statement. I just designed it how we liked it. I wish it wasn't such a struggle for me to be OK with the fact that some people will have opinions about us building this home.
I'm too much of a people pleaser. And I hate to be judged. We're very young to be building our dream home. I know that, and I know not everyone approves of that scenario. There's a certain stereotype of our generation- young people wanting it all now and achieving it foolishly. Even if I wanted to do it foollishly, the banks don't let you anymore. And I don't want it all. But we are at a point in our lives where we can build this home. And feel good about ourselves doing it. I'm grateful for that. But I hope it doesn't label me the "lady with the big house" or whatever. It's a home with lots of fun to be had and a space for everything. A place we hope to share with lots of friends and family. But it's still just a house. It's a blessing, but it's a thing. God giveth and He taketh away. We're excited about this house, but it's not everyting to us.
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