# House Plans [UPDATE: Construction!]



## Aeolius (Feb 11, 2005)

Having purchased a few acres of land near where I currently live, I am in the process of interviewing architects and builders. One architect has presented a house plan that works, but it’s somewhat uninspiring. 

http://www.aeolius.com/house.html

   If this house was one presented in a D&D adventure, what features or elements would you incorporate? Where would you put secret doors? Have fun!   

   Some changes from the plan so far are: expanding the unfinished basement to both sides, adding a playroom on the upper floor (instead of “open to below”), and scaling the garage back to 2-3 cars.


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## Crothian (Feb 11, 2005)

I'm coming down for a visit when that is all done.  That looks pretty cool, not dungeon like but very cool house like.


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## Aeolius (Feb 11, 2005)

Some notes about the house:
   The overall feel of the home will be reminiscent of a farmhouse, with wide-plank flooring, pavers in the foyer, oversized tumbled brick on the exterior, and a timeless “lived in” look. A large basement will be included with the plan, to house numerous saltwater aquariums and the needs of several indoor cats. This space would initially be unfinished.

   Other rooms to be incorporated would be a sunroom/solarium/aviary to house tropical birds, a craft/scrapbook room, an oversized office, an upstairs laundry room with kitchenette, and communal area to be used as a playroom. The main floor kitchen would include a large walk-in pantry and old-world ambiance. The main floor will include a side entrance/mud room, possibly from the garage.

   Neither a dining room nor formal living room are required, as a larger family room, perhaps with exposed beams, is sufficient. My wife wants a kitchen with an old-world country farmhouse feel to it, while I want Baba Yaga’s kitchen.


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## Krieg (Feb 12, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> .../snip/...adding a playroom on the upper floor (instead of “open to below”),.../snip/...




You might want think about keeping at least some of that open. A living room with vaulted ceilings and a loft goes a _long_ towards making the house more spacious.

It is a nice design and you should be very happy with it, just be sure to put the kids in the bedrooms on the opposite side of the (currently) open area from the master bedroom. Your well rested body will thank you for it. 

If you serious about doing something more exotic with the house, just stick a three story tower on the corner between the masterbedroom & bath. You'll have room for an office/library/study on the second floor and a sitting area with a great view at the top. An octagonal tower will also work well with the corresponding deck/gazebo on the front of the house.


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## tonym (Feb 12, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> If this house was one presented in a D&D adventure, what features or elements would you incorporate?




The office is by the front door?  No way!  For a D&D house, I'd move the office upstairs.  The evil villain is probably in the office when the PCs attack and it shouldn't be too easy to get to him.

I'd also fill one of the upstairs bedrooms with giant spiders.

And I'd change it so that the master bedroom's walk-in closet opened into the bedroom rather than the adjoining bathroom.  And then I'd put an undead monkey in it, to guard the shoes.


Tony M


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## Mark (Feb 12, 2005)

Nice porch.


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## GlassJaw (Feb 12, 2005)

Holy crap that's a huge house!

My first impression is that it has a very Victorian/Cthulhu/Ravenloft feel.  Perhaps some wealthy but eccentic recluse lives there.  He has a lot of valuable things but everything is covered in a layer of dust because he rarely goes into most of the rooms.  For some reason, he invites the PC's to his home one evening.  The catch?  He's really a ghost.


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## Aeolius (Feb 12, 2005)

Krieg said:
			
		

> A living room with vaulted ceilings and a loft goes a _long_ towards making the house more spacious.




   While we closed the space in for safety concerns (300+ lb wheelchair vs. railing) and to gain a common room on the second floor, my wife and I are still not 100% on this one.  



			
				Krieg said:
			
		

> ...just be sure to put the kids in the bedrooms on the opposite side of the (currently) open area from the master bedroom. Your well rested body will thank you for it.




   There will be intercoms throughout the house, to help disturb any notion of a peaceful night’s rest.  My two girls will each have an upstairs room with a window seat. Notice they are the exact same size. 



			
				Krieg said:
			
		

> ...stick a three story tower on the corner between the masterbedroom & bath. You'll have room for an office/library/study on the second floor and a sitting area with a great view at the top. An octagonal tower will also work well with the corresponding deck/gazebo on the front of the house.




   We did consider adding a sitting room to the master bedroom, in the corner you mentioned. As for a tower, as much as I’d like to have one, I may have to settle for the undrawn fourth floor (there are dormers on the front elevation, in the revision). I intend to have a spiral staircase leading to that forgotten square footage. 



			
				tonym said:
			
		

> For a D&D house, I'd move the office upstairs.  The evil villain is probably in the office when the PCs attack and it shouldn't be too easy to get to him.




   See comment above about the forgotten fourth floor  



			
				tonym said:
			
		

> And I'd change it so that the master bedroom's walk-in closet opened into the bedroom rather than the adjoining bathroom.  And then I'd put an undead monkey in it, to guard the shoes.




   We put the closet entrance in the bathroom, so that we’d have some walls left in the bedroom to put furniture against. As for the monkey, it would have to be undead, to spend an extended period guarding MY shoes!   



			
				Mark said:
			
		

> Nice porch.




   My wife wanted a wraparound porch, so we worked in as much as we could. The deck on the back will also be expanded, in time, and I might even change the dormer window in the upper loft into a door, to create an upper balcony. 



			
				GlassJaw said:
			
		

> For some reason, he invites the PC's to his home one evening.  The catch?  He's really a ghost.




   In my case, the catch would be that my sharks are hungry!


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## GentleGiant (Feb 12, 2005)

Okay, so erm... when did you win the lottery?
That house looks HUGE!

But I'm with GlassJaw that it has more of a Victorian/Cthulhu/Ravenloft feel to it than a dungeon per se.


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## Zappo (Feb 12, 2005)

Whoa. That's... big. With all that space, I would make extra sure to have a gaming room - spacious table, bookshelves and all (with more technology if you make use of it).

*lives in a flat*


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## Turanil (Feb 12, 2005)

Hey! You are rich aren't you?! How many millions of dollars will this cost you? What's your job? Did you slay someone and took his stuff?


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## Templetroll (Feb 12, 2005)

Sweet.  You should have a secret room on each floor and the spiral staircase connecting them all.  Nice piece of land in that pic.  was that one thin arm of land to keep a connection to the woods/lakefront?  

Finish the basement in D&D tavern style.  Wood floors, stone walls, maybe better than torchlight but big wooden table with an erasable board you can put in the middle for mapping.


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## Aeolius (Feb 13, 2005)

Templetroll said:
			
		

> You should have a secret room on each floor and the spiral staircase connecting them all.  Nice piece of land in that pic.  was that one thin arm of land to keep a connection to the woods/lakefront? Finish the basement in D&D tavern style.  Wood floors, stone walls, maybe better than torchlight but big wooden table with an erasable board you can put in the middle for mapping.




   On the main floor there is a small closet next to a "powder room" (1/2 bath, NOT gunpowder). I redesigned an upstairs closet to line up with that one, and will do the same in the basement. I may use that space to run wires, Heat/AC ducts, or perhaps....a batpole. 

   That odd stretch of land leading to the lake is a clearing over a buried gas line (see http://www.aeolius.com/images/land5.mov ). Still, it has 2 creeks running through it and is fun to traverse in my ATV. 

   As for the basement, I’m hoping for more of an Atlantis theme


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## Tharian (Feb 13, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> In my case, the catch would be that my sharks are hungry!




Please tell me they at least would have huge frickin' lasers!


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## Turanil (Feb 13, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> As for the basement, I’m hoping for more of an Atlantis theme



What is an Atlantis theme?


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## Aeolius (Feb 13, 2005)

Tharian said:
			
		

> Please tell me they at least would have huge frickin' lasers!




   My sharks don't need lasers. One is a wobbegong ; once they bite you, they don't let go  



			
				Turanil said:
			
		

> What is an Atlantis theme?




Atlantis then select Explore> The Dig


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## der_kluge (Feb 13, 2005)

An elevator?  Dude, now you're just being excessive.


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## Aeolius (Feb 13, 2005)

die_kluge said:
			
		

> An elevator?  Dude, now you're just being excessive.




I have an elevator in my current home. My son uses a wheelchair.


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## der_kluge (Feb 13, 2005)

That makes sense, but it looks like the elevator only goes from the basement to the first floor.  What, you making the second floor inaccessible to him?  

Unless I'm reading it wrong.


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## der_kluge (Feb 13, 2005)

I've decided that whatever it is Aeolius does for a living is what I should be doing for a living.


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## GentleGiant (Feb 13, 2005)

die_kluge said:
			
		

> I've decided that whatever it is Aeolius does for a living is what I should be doing for a living.



I'll second that...


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## Aeolius (Feb 13, 2005)

die_kluge said:
			
		

> That makes sense, but it looks like the elevator only goes from the basement to the first floor.



   The elevator accesses the basement, main floor, and second floor.

   Looking over the plans today, we may go back to an “open to below” plan for the family room (losing 391 sq ft upstairs), but make that room 12’ longer (out to where the deck is now, adding 306 sq ft). To compensate for losing the loft, where I was going to keep my son's physical therepy equipment and mats, I may finish in a 20'x17' room over the garage, move the upstairs laundry/kitchenette (adjoins an in-law suite) into that room, and expand the size of Bedroom #1 (where the upstairs laundry/kitchenette is now).

   The double-doors leading out to the deck, from the kitchen and master bedroom, would be lost by expanding the family room. I had already planned on removing the ones in the kitchen anyway (to put in a fireplace) and can change the window in the master bedroom into french doors, assuming I expand the new deck in that diection.


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## Stone Angel (Feb 14, 2005)

what a great idea


The Seraph of Earth and Stone


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## JIMBOTHEBLACK (Feb 14, 2005)

[QUOTE=If this house was one presented in a D&D adventure, what features or elements would you incorporate? Where would you put secret doors? Have fun!  
                                               First of all,don't put your office in the front,no self respecting villain would make it that easy for the P.C.s to just walk right in and lynch him.Secondly,you could make a really cool torture chamber.It's easy,just have an empty room with one stereo in the corner, and on that stereo play achy breaky heart over and over and orer again,after the second or third time your victem will be begging you to hang,draw,and quarter him.


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## BOZ (Feb 14, 2005)

you're not going to turn it into an undersea lair?


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## Aeolius (Mar 3, 2005)

BOZ said:
			
		

> you're not going to turn it into an undersea lair?




   Given time and money, the basement is mine! I envision Atlantis, down there; built-in aquariums, faux stonework ruins, water features, etc...

revised house plans are now up HERE


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## Aeolius (Apr 8, 2005)

Back to square one.

Several weeks ago, we chose one builder out of three that we had interviewed. We presented him with a set of blueprints that were slightly revised from the ones he had bid on. This was not a problem, as his previous subcontractor bids were only valid for seven days anyway. So we waited.

Earlier this week, we got a call from my brother, who is my financial advisor of sorts. Apparently the builder had a few questions he needed answered. He left the information with my brother and there it sat, untouched, for over a week. Had he called me instead, he would have gotten answered within hours, not days.

Some of these questions were completely ridiculous. He wanted to know the style of window and door casings, which my wife and I admittedly needed help with. He wanted to know the brand of shingles we wanted. The list went on.

I admit that I watch too much HGTV. Ideally, I believed, if a builder wanted his client to pick a shingle, they would take them to Home Depot or similar venue, to look at shingles and discuss the pros and cons of various types.

Yes, I was upset. The builder clearly lacked communication skills, if not a rudimentary intelligence altogether. From the beginning of the project, my wife and I had explained to the builder that we wanted wide-plank hardwood flooring on the main floor of the house. In his last inquiry, the builder asked which brand of 2" planking we wanted. Yet weeks before that, we gave him printed examples of the type of flooring and specified wide plank flooring. As far as I can determine, the builder never looked at anything we gave him.

Yet I played his game. We took his list of questions, researched the answers, and wrote our reply. I called him the next morning, to let him know we were ready. I even left a copy of the information by my front door, in case he came by while we were away. I told him this, on the phone. 

The next morning, the plans were still waiting by the door and I had not heard one word from the builder. Mind you, communication is not his forte. He took three times longer to return his initial bid, than did the other two builders, and his proposal was sketchy at best.  Yet, as this builder had constructed a home for a family member in the past and was highly recommended by my brother, I let that slide. Yes, this builder had never built a house the size of the one I wanted. I let that go as well. Yes, his bid was the lowest of the three I had received. That should have been a warning in itself, but I chose to ignore it. 

Last night, I returned home to find that, not only had the builder not picked up the information I had prepared, but he had returned the blueprints and folder of specifications as well. Included with this was a letter indicating he was withdrawing his bid. 

My wife nearly cried. Her tears were tears of joy, as neither she nor I had any confidence in this builder's capabilities. Now we were free to either bid the project out again, or contact the other two builders we had spoken with. I called one of them almost immediately and left a message on his answering machine. 

In his letter of withdrawal, which clearly was not written by his hand, as the word choices and sentence structures were unlike any he had used in the past, he indicated that there was a lack of communication on our part. Ignoring the fact that I had just been brushed off by a form letter that he likely found on a website (assuming he has the skills to use a web browser, which may be pushing it), I wanted to cause immense amounts of physical pain to this incompetent idiot. 

Part of me was overjoyed that I was now freed from future dealings with this spineless miscreant. The other part of me still wanted to gut him like a fish. I knew, deep down, that this (so called) builder was incapable of building my home. I knew this uncharismatic buffoon would never deliver the HGTV experience.

And so here I am, months have passed; time wasted that I cannot reclaim. Here I sit, having been insulted by a man whose intellect rivals that of a deceased hermit crab. And I am happy. 

Here we go again.


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## alsih2o (Apr 8, 2005)

A house that nice needs cutom made tile. 

 And pots everywhere!

 Have you seen the guy who throws pottery aquariums? I don't do it, but he is the uber-coolness. http://www.robertcomptonpottery.com/sales_Aquarium-1.htm


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## Aeolius (Apr 8, 2005)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> A house that nice needs cutom made tile... And pots everywhere!




I have seen your work and am open to proposals


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## Aeolius (Jul 17, 2005)

They started digging the basement, this week. With luck, they'll be done by Tuesday and may even pour the footings later in the week.


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## Nellisir (Jul 17, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> They started digging the basement, this week. With luck, they'll be done by Tuesday and may even pour the footings later in the week.




So you must have settled on a contractor.  What are you doing for roofing & insulation?  And what was the decision on interior trim (I'd go with a flat stain grade for the "traditional" look, but that's me.)?  Are you doing a plaster or drywall finish in the great room?

I work for my father, who has built custom homes in New Hampshire for over 30 years, including million+ (back when that meant something) homes, and Aeo, I tell you that is one SWEET house.

I'm not so wild about the brick facade, but my tastes are traditional New England -- brick isn't really common up here.  I'm also not a big fan of vaulted ceilings, but leaving that open was clearly the right choice.  The french doors in the office & Josh's suite are really nice.

That is an incredible house.

I'm gonna keep checking this thread.  I'm sure you've got plenty of people offering advice, but if you need anymore, feel free to email me.  That looks like a dream house to build.

Nell.


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## Aeolius (Aug 30, 2005)

Some recent photos HERE  . We have basement walls, some brick, and a definite shape to the house. This week they'll finish the basement plumbing and pour the floor. Then it's on to framing!


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## Crothian (Aug 30, 2005)

So, how long until yopu expect it to be done?


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## Aeolius (Aug 30, 2005)

With luck, it'll be sometime next summer. The builder said 12 months from start to finish.


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## Angel Tarragon (Aug 31, 2005)

Dang, taht is a long time to wait! Houses in our area go up in 6 months or less!


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## Aeolius (Aug 31, 2005)

I guess the fact that it's a larger house, coupled with the fact that the builder only works on a handful of houses each year, makes for a longer build time. Now, if I could only teach those deer to pick up a hammer...


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## Angel Tarragon (Aug 31, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> Now, if I could only teach those deer to pick up a hammer...



ROFL!!!!!    

Never a Valco around when you need one!


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## ssampier (Aug 31, 2005)

I'd put some large crawl spaces all around the house in case adventurers keep trying to kill you and take your stuff.

I wish I could afford a house like that someday, but I'm afraid my future abode would be more:

http://www.montecook.com/images/orc_map.jpg*

*pretend the orc is a washer/dryer combo and the pie is a bed

BTW, where's your gaming space?


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## Nellisir (Aug 31, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> I guess the fact that it's a larger house, coupled with the fact that the builder only works on a handful of houses each year, makes for a longer build time. Now, if I could only teach those deer to pick up a hammer...




12 months sounds about right to me.  You can slam them out in 4 - 6 months if you really get into it, but that's cheap work.  Looking at the size of the house, I wouldn't be suprised if sheetrocking alone was (at least) 3 weeks.  Maybe 2 weeks for paint....  It all adds up.

Cheers
Nell.


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## Angel Tarragon (Aug 31, 2005)

ssampier said:
			
		

> BTW, where's your gaming space?



In my home it is approximately 30' x 30'.


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## Aeolius (Aug 31, 2005)

ssampier said:
			
		

> I'd put some large crawl spaces all around the house in case adventurers keep trying to kill you and take your stuff. BTW, where's your gaming space?




I do have a large "wire chase" that runs from the crawlspace all the way up to the attic  

As for the game room, I'll have a 1,001 sq ft basement, next to 1,300 sq ft of "future aquarium room". So long as my future gamers are non-smokers and are not allergic to animals, we'll game in the company of fish.


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## Angel Tarragon (Aug 31, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> So long as my future gamers are non-smokers and are not allergic to animals, we'll game in the company of fish.



That is cool indeed. I have to settle for animatronic fish. Yeesh.


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## ssampier (Aug 31, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> I do have a large "wire chase" that runs from the crawlspace all the way up to the attic
> 
> As for the game room, I'll have a 1,001 sq ft basement, next to 1,300 sq ft of "future aquarium room". So long as my future gamers are non-smokers and are not allergic to animals, we'll game in the company of fish.




wow, your players will definately game in style. I think 2,301 sq ft is twice is large my apartment. 

Can I move in?


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## Angel Tarragon (Aug 31, 2005)

ssampier said:
			
		

> I think 2,301 sq ft is twice is large my apartment.



It is bigger than my parents first house.


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## Aeolius (Aug 31, 2005)

Frukathka said:
			
		

> It is bigger than my parents first house.




   Mine too, for that matter. We've been in 4 homes in the past 12 years, but this is the first one we've had built for us. I intend to stay in this one for the long haul. They can bury me down in the woods.


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## reveal (Aug 31, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> Mine too, for that matter. We've been in 4 homes in the past 12 years, but this is the first one we've had built for us. I intend to stay in this one for the long haul. They can bury me down in the woods.




When they do, can I have your house?


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## Aeolius (Oct 10, 2005)

I collected all the info and put some updated photos HERE Tomorrow, they begin framing the house, after a week-long delay due to some much-needed rain.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 11, 2005)

Dang, that is pretty sweet! What are those buildings to the left of the house (satellite photo). Will the space inside the dotted area be part of your property?


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## Aeolius (Oct 11, 2005)

Within the black dotted line (my property) are three buildings. The largest, an old metal-sided tobacco barn, has been removed, as that's where we're building the house. The smallest was an old double-wide trailer, which was demolished and removed before I bought the property. The third building (upper left, on the property line), used for storage, remains. That picture is an image map. You can click on it for a closer view.


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## Nellisir (Oct 11, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> I collected all the info and put some updated photos HERE Tomorrow, they begin framing the house, after a week-long delay due to some much-needed rain.





What's the purpose of the brick caps on the piers in the crawlspace?   Why not a solid pier?  Or is that not the crawlspace?

Cheers
Nell.


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## Aeolius (Oct 13, 2005)

Nellisir said:
			
		

> What's the purpose of the brick caps on the piers in the crawlspace?   Why not a solid pier?




   My builder assures me that they are required by code to use at least 3 courses of brick on each pier, for added strength.


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## Crothian (Oct 13, 2005)

So, big gaming party when this is done??


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## Aeolius (Oct 13, 2005)

Crothian said:
			
		

> So, big gaming party when this is done??




Guess I'll need to throw some secret doors in the basement, like I'd want to do on the MAIN FLOOR , just to set the mood?


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## der_kluge (Oct 13, 2005)

So when is this mansion supposed to be completed anyway?  Seems like it might take a good year to build a house that size.


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## Aeolius (Oct 13, 2005)

der_kluge said:
			
		

> Seems like it might take a good year to build a house that size.



   It'll probably be early/mid Summer of 2006. We're in the process of adopting internationally, with the hopes of traveling to China in January, so hopefully time will pass quickly.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 13, 2005)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> Guess I'll need to throw some secret doors in the basement, like I'd want to do on the MAIN FLOOR , just to set the mood?



Hehe. Too funny.


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## Aeolius (Nov 19, 2005)

The obligatory UPDATE with a November gallery of photos


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## Crothian (Nov 19, 2005)

Looking good!!


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## Angel Tarragon (Nov 19, 2005)

Cool pics, great video, awesome music!


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## Angel Tarragon (Nov 19, 2005)

Are you going to give us a video tour of the house when construction is complete?


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## Old One (Nov 20, 2005)

Nice!

I vote for a future NC Game Day swimming with Aeolius's fishes !

~ OO


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## Aeolius (Aug 27, 2006)

I thought I'd add an update:

August: Week 1
August: Week 2
August: Week 3

and, just for fun, August of '05

   In theory, the house should be finished as early as next week, though 2-3 more weeks would be a safer bet.


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## MavrickWeirdo (Aug 27, 2006)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> I thought I'd add an update:
> 
> August: Week 1
> August: Week 2
> ...




So when is the Gameday?


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## Wild Gazebo (Aug 28, 2006)

My jealousy is bordering on intense.   


Congrats, hope you enjoy it.


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## R-man (Sep 17, 2006)

Friends of ours just had a second story added to their house in Fort Langley BC. They are serious book nerds so made extra room for their second floor library, they got a turret (three story tower added to the corner of the house) and they added secret half height doors between the backs of the two kids closets and between the main bathroom and the closet in the bathroom.

Mostly just for the coolness factor of it.


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