tragusa3, nothing wrong with modest. I guess I have what one would call a modest house also. To me it's a mini planation. See, I'll never live to have the real thing and this is as close as I'll get. LOL!! You have a beautiful house. Can't wait to see the inside.

Here's ours. Broke ground beginning of April of this year.

{{gwi:1517965}}

photobucket doesn't seem to keep pics very long... otherwise some good history on this thread

Oh, how wonderful to see these lovely homes. We just began ours--link below since I seem to be picture-post challenged. The page shows pics from day 1 of our build to the present, or almost present, I haven't updated in a week because my husband took the camera with him on his trip to India. You'll have to scroll to see the actual house. Sorry.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our house as it's being built

My in-progress house is pictured above, so I might as well update with the finished product

Here is mine missing stain, paint, and a deck.

We have a lot to go...broke ground Sept 07. Hoping to be in by June. It'll have a white wrap around porch soon I hope.

Custom Build, August 2007 completion

Personal home, Completion 2006

Frank Betz's Kirklnad plan
Broke ground Oct 1, 2007
Hoping to close March 21, 2008
{{gwi:1517968}}
The front door will be painted a shade of barn red once we are moved in. Black shutters will be on the upper level windows only.

We're in our ninth month, and I bet it'll be two more months before we're in; the front still looks (pretty much) like this, though!

What an impressive collection of custom, sometimes idiosyncratic, homes! And only a few of us, I see, live on less than a dozen acres overlooking a lake or with a mountain vista. I guess that eliminates the need for a cottage getaway. (Probably not.)

"Everything old is new again" is theme of this 19th C. custom home completed in 2007 in the Toronto neighbourhood of York Mills. I look forward to working with this designer.

Too bad about the broken links.

HappyKate,
Please tell me the color names & brand of paint you have used ...we have built a small modern farmhouse in the PNW & are also wanting to paint it red!

Thanks!!

happykate: i just happened upon your house. it is fantastic. we will be building in the columbia river gorge and have come up with some ideas of houses similar to yours. i searched your posts and only saw the pic with the front of your house. do you have any other pics for us to admire?

breezytoo: i also see that you built a modern farmhouse-do you have any pics?

this has been a long process for us but i always lurk. can't wait to start really posting and get lots of advice.

thanks in advance.
kelly

Thanks, Kelly & breezy! I posted re: the colors on the newer thread, breezy. Where are you?

Kelly, I'll get some new pictures tomorrow; if I can get Photobucket to accept them (definitely not a given) I'll post them tomorrow night. It's a pretty simply laid out house but our own plans, and I think it will work very well for us.

Kate.

Worthy, the home completed in 2006 is beautiful, but that little tree smack dab in the middle of the photo, blocking the front door, is driving me nuts. Is it blocking the door like that in person?

Kelly, DH had the camera today (unsuccessfully) fishing for salmon on the Straits. I'll try to get some tomorrow, but here's one he took from the boat today:

That's us, perched too near the edge for my peace of mind!

happykate- I have always loved your house, but that view is equally lovely...albeit a little frightening! I hope that you don't have anyone in your family (or any guests) who ever does some sleepwalking!! How high up is that cliff?

Kate,
What an awesome view. We have a south facing view to Mt. Hood that will be the front (or back depending on how people view it) of our house. Too bad about no fish today. Thanks again,
Kelly

brutuses said: driving me nuts

I just noticed that too!

But it's only a matter of perspective.

And season.

I once had a home atop the Scarborough Bluffs, 220' above Lake Ontario, just east of Toronto. After 20 feet of my rear yard sheered off in one shot, I decided it was time to sell! Happy Kate's home looks more solidly situated.

Ah, thanks Worthy, that's better. Thanks!!

Kate, that view is making me weak just looking at it. Me and my fear of heights, you know. It is beautiful though I must say.

About 130' from ground to water. What you can't see from this picture is the 'bench', about 40' down from the deck. It's reached by a pretty steep path, but the deer can do it (and so can I!); it's about the size of several football fields, and I feel (and so do the geologists and bluff stability pros we had to hire) that, along with the fact that we're bedrock all the way down, the bench and all it's vegetation buys us a couple of dozen decades of safety.

(Me, I'd have built abut 2000' further away. The Big One could come along at any time . . . but DH is an on-the-edge kind of guy. I guess it takes one earth scientist to trust another.)

Such beautiful homes!

Here is ours, minus the wrap around deck w/ natural branch railing that goes across the entire front. This home is our own design and we are doing all the construction ourselves.......

We also built a 3 car detached garage that sits to the left of the house. It's actually attached by an underground "tunnel".....

We are on a hill and have lovely, 360 degree views....

Before the front door was put in. This is a Timber Frame home and we are GC/DIY. There will be a set of 3 windows on that front peak over the porch.

Front door

Back of house so you can see the siding:

{{gwi:1517993}}

We bought enough land for future expansion...

whitneymac, that is so much FUN! (Is it . . . real? or are you a Photoshop talent?)

happykate WOW! That is impressive. I've seen the front but not the back of your house before. It takes my breath away.

flowechild I think we have the same front door! Is it mahogany? Unfortunately, we only have the sidelights in so far with a bang door, but if memory serves me correctly, they are close, if not identical. Is the manufacturer International Door?

whitney, that is so funny. Where did you find that photo?

As far as I know, the picture is for real! I have no information on it, unfortunately. My brother sent it to me.

Our front door!

Here's the lake side of our house, what we call the front. Still not done yet, but we're getting closer! Maybe by fall 2008.

I'm still not totally finished with our affordable in-city small house. It's a purpose-built maintenance-free house which is ideal as an RV base(sunbelt central, with RV hookups in the backyard, front and side driveways).
One unique feature is that NOTHING exterior is made of wood, except for the mahogany front door.

Willie, I'm so glad to see your house! I followed your build, and I think this is the first photo I've seen of it finished. It looks SUPER! way to go!

happy, you need to go over to the small house forum and see the inside of Willie's house. It is absolutely beautiful. He down plays his house because it's not a sprawling mansion, but it is truly beautiful. His wife has exceptional taste in decorating.

Willie,
I love your house. This is the exact same design that I am building. Can I ask what the dimensions are ? Roof pitch?
I also want to go with maintenance FREE.

Bump (hopeful for more updates :)

Here's ours in DeLand FL (home of Stetson University)prior to landscaping.

Gary

garymunson-2008 - gorgeous! Just love that green!

New recent photos anyone?

I thought I had posted previously, but evidently not. I have enjoyed seeing everyone else's photos. What lovely homes.

Here's ours, summer and now:

rhome, that second one is a postcard/greeting card front. Thanks for posting.

I'm sad to say our house still looks the same. We've finished the door, but esentially we're not finished so there is still no landscaping or brick steps, drive, etc. Sorry.

Brutuses, the snow covers our lack of landscaping! ;-) Our driveway was already in when we moved in...We just add more gravel every once in a while... I was hoping we'd at least level and plant some grass seed this fall, but it didn't happen.

At least you have snow! The little we had, was melted the moment it hit the ground. LOL

I'm not even concerned about landscaping. If I can just get the cement poured and the brick steps and front complete, that will add so much to the house. Heck, I'm not above putting in some fakes temporarily. LOL

I love threads like this that show the diversity of the homes and parts of the country that we're building in. Each and every one of them is beautiful!

Here's ours...

I would love to tour each and every one of these beautiful homes. Thanks for sharing.

These are BBBeautiful homes!!!!!!!!!

Here is ours. Due to be finished in June.

I love seeing these...!! Those are some amazing homes...! Mine is very humble compared to many of them, but it's mine and I *heart* it...we're in Coastal SC...

still in budgeting phase, but here is rendering
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NFlS9LIFB3k/SZzmEZdPHOI/AAAAAAAAADU/QgQsLUcsC5c/s1600-h/dom8.jpg