More visitors...

While Michael was away in Cincinnati... Sara hosted a few guests at the lake... sounds like it was a nice evening of snacks, chatting, and even meeting another neighbor. The boat was still floating and it got another run on the water...

Log & Timber Homes Network

Our house plan is this week's "Sponsored Plan of the Week"... click here for the pictures and plans (basically the same material from http://malinkamontreux.blogspot.com/). The write-up is below :-)

The Grier from Estemerwalt Log Homes is a custom home that has many unique features that may be worth repeating in your home plans.

The raised ranch style allows for casual living on the lower level with the main body of the home on the second floor, perfect for a hillside property.

The first floor has a spacious two-car garage and space for a gym or hobby room. Three bedrooms with a shared bathroom rounds out the rest of the floor.

The second floor, or main level, has a fully equipped kitchen with space for a walk-in cooler, over-sized pantry and expansive serving island. The living room/dining room can be arranged to taste, but for this family, the pool table was integrated into the space for its entertainment value. The master suite is a dream come true with a built-in wood stove for cool evenings, plus a walk in closet that adjoins the laundry room.

But the cherry on top is the master bath with its walk-in shower, Finnish sauna and hot tub that accesses the deck. Perfect for the ski slopes!

Big day today - lots of milestones....

Quite an exciting day in the Malinka Montreux journey... we stopped in to select our sauna and spa... and then headed off to the lake. We have settled on lights for the deck and we are giving them a test run... and the big news is many of the doors and windows are installed!
These are the doors / windows from the bedroom to the deck...
And our first shot of the house taken by us from the water...

The lake side shot that has become standard (notice the trapezoid windows on the left)...
... and the Nittany Lion has arrived on site to watch progress (this will not be his final resting place but rather was just a convenient place to leave a large block of concrete)...
and Kevin's boat has arrived on site as well (Sara and I received our driving lessons tonight)...
... and last but not least... important to Michael at least... the rack for the data network and audio equipment is securely bolted in place...
Needless to say - this was a huge day... we are getting lots of shipments every day at the hotel now as we have lights and other accessories coming in...

A busy day for us and the start of the electrical and data data network

Electrical box is in... Windows are almost all framed out (windows are supposed to be delivered Monday July 28... that will really feel like a big step forward)...
The conduits (the grey tube running down the of stud) for the all important technology cabling is getting installed... CAT6 and Coax to everyroom (multiples in some cases) and with the conduit, ease of future upgrades...
And we dropped off the CPI rack and shelves which will make up the network rack plus the stand for the AV equipment in the media room.
And Sara and I spent our entire Saturday with a cargo van from Enterprise running around picking up things and moving them from one place to another. To help move things along, we selected and transported the equipment for the 2nd full bath... and also got the ceiling fans, and some of the recessed lighting for the house. Picked up a very nice (and large) gas grill, and some tools that we needed... so we packed the van and unloaded everything at the site.
Needless to say, since neither of us has done true physical work in several years... we woke up quite tired and sore on Sunday.

The garage floor (and the front porch) were both poured as well.

We are really, really excited... while there is still lots of work to do... things are moving along quite nicely.

Bumpers & Studs

As the title says... bumpers and studs... just putting on the safety bumpers and hopefully we will start getting the water craft on site...
You can see the rest of the stairwell being framed out. This part will be covered in stainless steel and I think will be one of the key places where we mix traditional log w/ modern industrial.
The whole stairwell, strangely enough, will be one of the most impressive features of the house... this is what the view will be like from the stairs looking out over the lake...
The corner of the bedroom....
And the interior framing is moving along very quickly... hard to tell from the picture, but this is the entry closet on the left, then the walkway to the master suite in the middle. The master bath starts on the right... the laundry area is on the left and the master closet straight ahead (w/ the window).

Concrete in lower level, interior framing, 1st dinner guests

Another visit, and more progress... concrete poured for the living area of the lower level (garage and gym still need to be finished)...
The interior walls on the upper level are getting framed (this will be the master bedroom, master bath, closet, laundry area).
An updated view of the southern side of the house...
And an updated view of the lakeside
And we even had dinner guests... from left to right - Justin, Sara, Gwen, Kevin, Aaron

Tar Paper, Interior Temp Supports removed

After a weekend in State College, we stopped by Malinka Montreux for a quick check in (and Sara took an impromptu dip in the lake since it was so hot today). See below for some updates...

Tar paper on the roof... hoping to see the roof finished next week...
View of the lakeside deck.... the screened in porch is way at the back of the picture... in the middle - this area will be filled in with part of the stairwell (and the exterior will be wrapped in stainless steel - which we think will look pretty cool)...
On the inside of the main level (the temporary support beams are gone... so you can see how open we are keeping the floorplan).
Another shot of the support system...
Looking toward the main entry door...

Roof, beams, and 1st picnic

So you can see the plywood for the roof is almost done... and you can see the start of the main entry porch as well...
Roadside view, but the other side... you can also see the framing for the mandatory trapezoidal windows on the side
This is the lake side... you can see the shed roof which will be over the screened in porch...
A peek inside the house... the beams are in and you can see where the temp support is being removed...
A full view from the lake side...
And we also took advantage of the nice weather and Sara prepared a great picnic (which was our 1st full meal together at Malinka Montreux :-)

Rafters, beams, and new outdoor furniture

We took an impromptu trip to Lancaster over the weekend to get some furniture for our decks... we picked up two folding adirondak chairs with footstools, a cafe table, and two cafe stools while we were there... we looked around the city and then decided on furniture at Peaceful Valley Amish Furniture. We are pleased, although it took some creativity to get everything in the truck :-).

View from the lake... you can see things really taking shape now...
View from the roadside... you can see the dormer coming in over the front door...
Sara inspecting the interior... she's standing in the area which will be the laundry room and closet for the master suite. You can see the rafters and beams coming in as well.
A view of the north side of the house. The window in the concrete is where the storage room (aka bedroom 3) will be... And a view of the south side of the house... there will be trapezoidal windows on this side (in the opening)...

More progress... beams are being set...

The interior beams are being set...
A view of the master bedroom (from right to left - tall window, then a double door to the bedroom, and finally a double door to the hot tub & master bath). On the lower level is my home office (or the Shickshinny GO for our P&G friends :-) )

A view of the interior beams... and my favorite feature - the very large main entry door that Sara is standing in (one of the things I loved about houses in Russia was gigantic entry doors).

A look from the lake...

... and from the street....

More logs... beginnings of a radiant floor...

Stopped by the property this evening... here's a few updates... more log courses in place...
The view from the lake is slowly taking shape...
The basis for the radiant floor on the lower lever is in place...
A view of our bedroom (the opening on the front leads to the deck facing the lake)...
And more of the deck... the opening on the right is from the bedroom to the deck, and the next opening is from the hot tub / bathroom to the deck...