Site Clearing

It is hard to imagine exactly how a house site will look like when it is covered with trees. Unfortunately, when one is choosing a place on which to build a house, they must imagine the site with the trees gone. This is difficult to do.

 Over a year ago the site for our house was chosen and, with the exception of minor changes, has remained the chosen location. Despite the fact that we are not quite ready to build, we decided to contract with a local equipment operator to clear the lot and build the road up to the lot. Our hopes are that this will be a way to advance the process at a minimum or expenses while we wait for our house to sell. The graciousness of our parents has made this possible. So, on Monday, December 26th, the power shovel bucket felled the first trees and an open site began to emerge from the forest.

Through the Gate

As surely as the seasons change, our lives constantly experience the ebb and flow of events that define who we are and what we have accomplished in this world. The danger of holding claim to the comfort of sameness lurks behind every decision that is made, every challenge that is laid down and every risk that is taken. The inevitability of change makes it even more difficult to believe that one should be surprised when it occurs. One could call it a reaction to a "mid life crisis". Others would agree that it was a logical career change. Still, others would call it a hair-brained scheme to satisfy a swelling personal desire to find self worth. No matter what way it will ultimately be viewed, the decision to resign from a position at an excellent company and join a family business was made in late summer of 2010. The decision was not entered into lightly. Changes in the competitive landscape had made the challenge of running a business that depended solely on manufacturing industries very daunting. In consort with that was the ever-present myriad of dynamics coursing through the veins of a small family establishment. The delicate interplay between making "business" decisions and preventing hurt family feelings stood as a real challenge. Amid the diligent efforts to learn a new business and become a productive member of it, stood a looming reality that physical relocation had to happen. The years spent in this quaint Southern city we once called home would be coming quickly to a close. This brings us to present time and an introduction to the intention of this blog and why it was created. Along with the decision to take a new job came the necessity to find housing in a new location and the opportunity to build a home. The hopes are that we will be able to design and build a home that possesses certain attributes we have always wanted. Presently, I still own a house in the city we have left and the sale of that house will ultimately determine the timetable for the building of a new one. We have, however, committed to keeping the faith that the Lord will guide us and allow events to happen in due time. In the meantime, though, the time will be used in design and planning. This blog will chronicle the building of our home. As a tribute to the way homes were built many years ago, we decided to build in the spirit of the early 20th century builders a Craftsman style house. The look with clean, simple lines and natural materials appealed to us. This building process should prove to be an educational experience as most are. My inexperience with the trades needed to build a house hopefully will not overshadow my desire to be integrally involved. Regardless of the extent to which I will be lending a hand, the details will be here. Hopefully there will be others out there who will enjoy reading about the process and maybe even learning what to do and not to do. When my wife and I picked the spot for the house on a few acres in north Alabama, she told me she wanted to call the place "Through the Woods". Hence the inspiration for the title of this blog. I hope you enjoy it.