After a late spring and some seasonal road restrictions on concrete trucks, they were finally able to get in to our property and pour the final little slab in the mechanical room that was needed before the framing on the new house could begin. With the slab in place, the framers started work last Monday and were able to get all of the floor joists in. The floor joists are wooden and are the base that goes in for the wood subfloor. The new home won’t have a basement – just a main floor and upstairs. 

Our property is located on what was once a large Spokane estate and there are remnants of the orchard that existed and the occasional perennial that pops up, like some violets, iris, and rhubarb directly under our master bedroom! I’m look forward to relocating it once we’re settled.

I’ve mentioned before that the style of our home will be French inspired, leaning towards French Provincial. Our street is lined with beautiful old homes, all of varying styles and I think it will fit in nicely as a complimentary style that doesn’t look like it was just plopped down out of nowhere, more like it had been there all along. I want it to whisper, not to scream.

The framing should take about two months and we’re really looking forward to watching it come up, piece by piece. In the meantime, I’ve been tasked with selecting the front door a little sooner than I was expecting so we can get the structure closed up and secured as soon as possible. The front door will be large and I’m debating whether I want to do a double door or a large single door and I’m looking for something that will fit the French Provincial aesthetic. I’ll be sharing my hunt for the perfect door, the options, and ultimate choice here soon. Along with that, I’m looking at choices for the metal material that will go over the front door, which is an important factor that I need to make sure will tie in with the roofing and feel like they are a part of the same story. All of these choices really make a difference in the overall aesthetic.

I’m also working with my friend, Heather, and her local furniture shop, The Tin Roof, on the furniture and some design choices, which is fun to mix in a finish-line project while we’re in the midst of the early stages of construction. The Tin Roof is a 3rd generation, locally owned Spokane business which was started in 1945 by Heather’s grandfather Arch Hanley. Heather is the Creative Director and 3rd generation owner!

The weather this weekend was beautiful so Colin and I took a walk through Duncan Garden. The grass has just greened and buds are everywhere. Although we’ve been to the garden a million times before, we were both newly inspired by the archways leading into the garden and would love to incorporate something along these lines at the new house. They’re beautiful even without their foliage.

More to come!

Note: This house update is part of a long series of posts on the progress of our new home we’re building in Spokane. You can find the first post here.