Waldo's Webspace
My House
From the groundbreaking in December of 1998, through the present day, this home has been undergoing various amounts of construction. Some proceeded at a faster pace than others, and certainly the major portions of the project are now complete. But there is an Chinese saying: 'A man's home is only finished when he is dead' And seeing as how I don't plan on shuffling off that mortal coil any time soon, this place has a long way to go.
The construction, while designed and planned by yours truly, could never have been completed without the assistance and often leadership of a few very talented and brave individuals. Joe Scott, his son Joe, and their crew were responsible for helping me erect the logs, the roof framing, and basically making a pile of wood look like a house. Joe Sr.'s creativity and dedication to doing the job right made the house unique in many ways.
The following summer, Dave Cochran, Edward King, and Tom Abshire helped me complete the roof. This was a major event, and Dave and I - as Birthday Brothers - nailed the last 4 nails into the roof cap shingle together to symbolize this significant event.
But the work was just starting really. The interior finish work took the majority of the rest of the summer and fall. Including the installation of the electrical systems by myself, and the plumbing by myself, Dave and Tom - in addition to Edward's excellent and fastidious attention to detail on the interior trim, fit and finish - this work constituted a serious investment of time and money.
But by the late fall most basic systems were working, and in December I took delivery of a hot water heater. I installed it myself, along with the LP gas lines to feed it, and the first day it was operational - December 20th, 2000 - I consider to be the first day that I began to live in the house.
There are many, many things yet to be done up here, but as you will see what has been completed is beautiful. If you haven't been up to Down Yonder, I look forward to seeing you soon.