The Brierton's New House

Outside

2007-05-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

New Photos of Kitchen, Dining and Living Area's

2007-01-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Art work

2006-05-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

A lady at my work has done some amazing art panels that I just had to share. She does this for a hobby and has an extraordinary gift for design. I love them and will find a nice spot on my bare walls.

Other parts of the house

2006-03-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

It's Done Folks!!!!!!!!!

2006-02-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

The house is done. Well, really it will never be done. It will take years to get it to almost completely done, but it’s done for my builder’s part. It is great to see the house all come together and not suck. My wife and I designed every aspect of it. The floor plan and design was not bought in a book or taken from an existing home. We researched everything and visited countless construction sites for ideas. A friend of mine stated that since I didn't know what I was doing I could have built an abomination and would have had to live with it. I’m really glad it turned out ok.

I would like to thank my builders for putting up with the 100 calls a day and other pestering, stalking, and obsessive behaviors I exhibited while building this house. I do recommend Custom Builders of Oklahoma. They are great builders and will actually listen to you when you speak.

I will be posting random pictures for a while, so check the site often.

Thanks for visiting and if you ever decide to build a home find a builder who will do everything you want (within reason and budget) and remember YOU are paying them to build YOUR home.

Kitchen Pictures.

31. Wood Floors

2006-02-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

I am glad I sit behind a computer all day for work. I am not fit to work for 7 days straight. That’s what I did to put these wood floors down. It was not hard except for the getting up one million times off the floor to go cut a board. I put in 2200 sq ft of wood floor. I also swallowed 2200 aspirin for the pain. I now walk with a limp. The doctor says it should go away in a few years. Anyway the floors turned out great.

30. Final Plumbing

2006-02-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

The final plumbing is done and we now have water. What do you think of the copper sinks? Pretty snazzy aren’t they? Well if you decide to buy one do it on eBay. They are so much cheaper. I mean these only cost $7800 online. I can't imagine what I would have paid for them in a store.

29. Tile

2006-02-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

The backsplash tile has been installed and we are happy. Our Kitchen just keeps getting better and better. I'd like to coin the term "It's money" cause, well it cost a lot of money. Too bad we cheaped out on the utility room to do it. I really should have put sheet rock on those utility walls. Oh well...I’m sure we’ll get used to the breeze.

29. The Pillars

2006-02-03T11:29:00.001-08:00

Finally, the pillars have been installed. Looks grand doesn’t it. We hope to put a porch swing under the front porch. So this what its like to grow old. Looking forward to sitting under a porch watching the world go by.
(sings)
“What have I done today
Just sat and watched the jets fly over
A car goes by
And the sun goes down
We talk about the town”
-I Go Crazy by Flesh for Lulu-
(Stops singing and Sighs…)

28. The Sod

2006-02-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Sod. AKA grass. The sod was laid down and is ready for some water. Someday it might rain in Oklahoma again. It won’t matter though cause this grass is Bermuda. This grass is impossible to kill once sunlight hits it. It is very invasive also and will destroy a flowerbed. We lost the battle in our last house and hope to win the war in this one.

27. The Storm Shelter

2006-02-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Storm Shelter. Yes, in Oklahoma you need some protection from nature's most violent storms, which can produce a tornado. Tornados are destructive and you really need to be underground if one is coming your way. So we had a storm shelter dropped into the back yard. It is rather large as far as storm shelters go. I think I will hang pictures and put a sofa in it and just hang out in it. Or I might even put in surround sound and make it my theater room.

26. Countertops

2006-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Our man-made granite solid surface countertops are in. We decided to get the man-made granite because it has all the benefits of granite and you do not have to seal it like regular granite. Real granite is porous and you have to seal it at least one or twice a year to keep it from picking up stains. I am by nature a lazy person and I'm sure that I would stop sealing after about year one. The cost is same as granite and looks just as beautiful. The Formica is the only cost saving thing we seem to have added with this house. The upgrade to solid surface was just too much for a utility room.

25. Lights and Ceiling Fans Series 2

2006-01-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

We bought these lights months ago. We went to every lighting store in Oklahoma City. We looked online (bad idea). You really need to see a light fixture before you buy one. We almost bought lights online and found one in the city to look at before we bought it online. One word. Horrible. We almost spent $1500 bucks on crappy lights. Lucky for us a friend told us of a place in Tulsa that has great looking lights for great prices. We took a gamble and drove all the way to Tulsa. It paid off. We came back with a carload of wonderful lights. I can just imagine myself sitting on the couch looking at my lights, smiling, thinking good thoughts, remembering my childhood running through fields of flowers (“The Hills are Alive with the Sound…”Oh sorry).

25. Lights and Ceiling Fans Series 1

2006-01-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

Lights – Camera –Action! Yes folks, we have lights. Lots of lights. It’s a festival of lights. Do you have a light? Can I light that for you? It’s like Christmas.

22. Paint Series 4

2006-01-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

Sure are alot of photos, but I just have to show off the two range mantel. It's awesome.

22. Paint Series 3

2006-01-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

The painting on the inside is complete. I am forever greatful for the painter and his crew who has done an outstanding job.

24. Concrete Porchs, Sidewalks and Driveway

2006-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

Concrete Porches, Sidewalks and Driveway are done and I couldn't be happier, unless I won the lottery. Then I would be happier.

23. Concrete Porches

2006-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am amazed and mystified by the thing called concrete. Concrete was used during the Roman times and there is some still left standing in Europe. This stuff lasts for a long time. Most of the porches where poured and they look great. The front porch is large. It is 10x38 ft. I can put a lot of furniture on that porch. I look forward to sitting on it and watching the sunset and watching the kids play.

22. Paint Series 2

2006-01-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Even more for your viewing pleasure.

22. Paint Series 1

2006-01-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

The painting has started. We are painting and glazing the kitchen cabinets. All the trim in the house will be painted divine white. The painters will put two coats of primer on the woodwork before they paint. Looking pretty good.
You’ve got to really watch those paint fumes though. As I walked through the house I started to get this funny feeling and soon I was in the Land of Oz. I saw the tiger, the tin man and wicked witch of the west. I woke up outside and noticed my shoes where gone. I think the painters dragged me out of the house and went back to work. Don't really know how long I was out but I will never forget the flying monkey people.

21. Trim and Cabinets Series 4

2005-12-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

Trim and Cabinets Series 4

21. Trim and Cabinets Series 3

2005-12-29T06:56:00.000-08:00

Trim and Cabinets Series 3

21. Trim and Cabinets Series 2

2005-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

It just keeps getting better and better and we are not even done yet. The guy that is the master trim and cabinetmaker is a genius. He is the Einstein of carpentry and may even be a direct descendant of him. Now that is a bold statement I know, but this guy has some kind of mystical carpentry mastery that it has to be divinely inspired. Gives me goose bumps every time I see him.

21. Trim and Cabinets

2005-12-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

Oh boy Oh boy, my absolute favorite part of the house. The Trim and the Cabinets! Drum roll please… Ladies and gentleman, I’m proud to announce the trim and the cabinets have started. I’m so excited that this stage of the house is progressing. The trim and the cabinets is where the house gets inside character.

I tell you now that you will be wowed and amazed when the trim and the cabinets are painted and done. I do not want you to be envious and covet it cause that will cause you to sin. Please don’t sin, as to I will have to answer to the man upstairs for building such a beautiful home that I caused you to sin by coveting. So long story even longer. DO NOT COVET my trim and cabinets. Thank you.

20. Taping and Bedding Series 2

2005-12-15T05:43:00.000-08:00

Taping and Bedding Series 2

20. Taping and Bedding Series 1

2005-12-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

The walls have been tapped and bedded. It looks awesome.

19. Sheet Rock

2005-12-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

I wanna Rock! Sheet rock that is. I was in for a shock when I went to house and saw that 80 percent of it was sheet rocked. You can see the rooms for what they are with the sheet rock up. I am happy. It might even be done today.

16. Insulation Part 2

2005-12-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

The house is insulated on the outside walls. This is neat stuff. They just blow the insulation into the webbing. It’s kind of like stuffing a big teddy bear (comforting thoughts). There is some insulation in the interior walls but that is for sound damping so people cannot hear me snoring.

18. Brick Part 2

2005-12-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

The brick is coming along and the bricking crew is fighting the cold weather. They are going to try to finish today because it is going to freeze tomorrow. They cannot lay mortar if it freezes otherwise they would have mortar pops and man they are not tasty. Kinda gritty and hard on the teeth.

18. Brick

2005-12-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Brick. The final frontier, these are the voyages of many bricklayers. To boldly go where many bricklayers have gone before. I have been waiting for this day since I dreamed up this house. The brink has started and I am exited. Yippee!!!!! Ok, I’ll pull my self together now. These guys are fast. It may be done by the weekend. Then you can see it in its full glory. Stay tuned.

17. House Wrap

2005-12-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

House wrap. If you ever wondered how they wrap candy bars at the Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory you should probably go there and find out cause they don’t wrap it like they wrapped my house. The house wrap is stapled to the house and the brick will follow. You really don’t want a candy bar that has the wrapper stapled to it do you? Might be a little hard on the teeth.

16. Insulation

2005-12-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

Now, that the inspections have passed, the insulation of the house in now commencing.
Spiderman came over and spun his web and netting. This netting will be filled with insulation. Look for more to come on insulation!

15. Inspections

2005-12-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Inspections. The Norman city inspectors are notorious for nit picking every inspection. If a dead fly is found on the framing the inspection can be rejected until removed. They are that picky. Now don’t get me wrong, the inspector is out for my benefit and are only ensuring that my builder is correctly building my house to code. But come on! This delayed my house for a week and a half. I’ll do the math for you on what that cost me on my construction loan. $330 bucks. Any more of that and my child will be going to a community college for her education.

14. Electrical

2005-11-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

This house is coming together. The electricity is done and the insulation will be put in next. Man they really mean it when they say not to touch the red wire. Yeah, I did it, and yeah I woke up an hour later drooling in my neighbors yard. Funny thing is that since this happened I always know where north is.

13. Geothermal Unit

2005-10-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

The geothermal unit and ductwork was started today. I wonder if its true in what they say about geothermal. Supposedly when this thing runs it sucks heat from the core of the earth and converts it into some strange dark energy that’s transformed in a space-time continuum capacitor and then provides cool air in the summer. I’m sure I’ll have to read the instruction manual and take a physics class to turn it on.

12. The Plumbing Rough In - Day 3

2005-10-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

The plumbing rough in is complete. The plumbers will come in later after the cabinets are created and installed and put in the faucets and sinks. Next will be the electric. My Jacuzzi tub was brought in and me wife is ecstatic. She loves those jets and takes 6 hour baths.

12. The Plumbing Rough In - Day 2

2005-10-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today they busted out more concrete and added some more PVC pipe. As you can see they run out to the roof. It’s a mystery to me as to what these pipes real function is. I could ask the builder or someone who knows but that would take away the mystery. This is October and this is a mysterious month so I’ll ask next month. Oohh.... I got goose bumps.

12. The Plumbing Rough In - Day 1

2005-10-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

The plumbing rough in is well, the plumbing rough in. This is where they go and find all the pipes and tubing that was put in before the concrete slab was poured. They then sometimes have to bust out the concrete to find those pipes. Fascinating stuff. I wonder if they have PVC pipe detector to help find them under the concrete because I forgot where they where buried. It was also a surprise today to see that two of my iron bathtubs where installed. They look great.

11. Fascias And Soffits

2005-10-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

The fascias and soffits where installed and completed.

10. Shingles Day 2

2005-10-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Shingle. James Shingle. "Shaken not stirred" (no idea where I'm going with that one).

Yes folks, the shingles are done. Those fellas sure did a good job. The roof is a lot steeper than it looks. I decided one day to climb on up and go for a walkabout. So I climbed up this rickety ladder made from left over scrap wood. As I climbed, it got harder and harder to move up. I slipped once and screamed like a little girl. After that I lied on my tummy and scooted on down and back the way I come up. That roof is steep.

10. Shingles Day 1

2005-10-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have shingles. Yes, that's right, shingles. Can you do the shingle dance? Cause I am! Shingle to the right. Shingle to the left. Everyone now! Any who. Two guys did this much of the house in two days. They even worked on Saturday and brought out the kids. It was a complete family affair. Although I have to admit I was a little concerned with their kids playing and bungee jumping off the side of the house. Well, I'm sure they do it all the time. It should all be done by next week.

7. Framing the House - Day 11

2005-10-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

The pictures posted today are of the stairs in the garage and the bonus room above it and of our master bedroom with a pullman ceiling. I also took some photos of the back of the house. I bought a wet/dry vac today to get the water out of the house from the last rain. The weather has not been real hot so the water was not evaporating very fast so we decided to help the process along. I looked and found a vet/dry vac that allows you to hook up a water hose to it so when your vacuuming up water it can go somewhere else instead of the vac itself. I really love this vac. The water inside had no chance with the "Super Duper Sucker Upper 2000". I had so much fun that when I was done I went over to the pond next door and relocated it. I wonder if my neighbor will notice.

9. Windows

2005-10-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Windows! Today was a total surprise. I was not expecting windows for a few weeks and WHAMMO I show up and they where in. They really give the house a presence and look good. The big windows in the back of the house have not been put in yet. There is still a lot of framing to do.

7. Framing the House - Day 10

2005-10-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Once again it rained. However the amazing framing crew worked through it triumphantly and continued on and started decking the house. It just chokes me up see it progress this far. Rock on framer! Rock on!

7. Framing the House - Day 9

2005-09-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

The barn roof took form today and I am very happy. I was concerned that maybe it would look off but it looks great. My builder has done great job selecting a subcontractor to frame this house and they are doing a great job.

7. Framing the House - Day 8

2005-09-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

As you can see the framing of the roof continues. This house is still taking shape. The builder says that they may start decking this week. Decking is when they put the wood on top of the roof frame. When the decking is done then the shingles will go on.

7. Framing the House - Day 7

2005-09-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Wahoo!! The roof framing was started. The shape of the house is now taking form. We are really looking forward the way the garage will look. It’s supposed to look like a barn roof when it’s done. Stay tuned more to come.

7. Framing the House - Day 6

2005-09-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today the covered porches went up. These are massive covered porches. The front and back are 37 ft long. The front right covered porch by the garage is 15 ft long. I really look forward to lazing underneath one these porches either watching the sun go down or watching the kids play (Sigh…Nirvana).

8. Geothermal

2005-09-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today I meet Ray the geothermal well digger guy. The geothermal unit will cool our house and provide hot water for the radiant heat in the slab. Ray told me the interesting history of well digging and all the in and outs of it. Fascinating stuff. Ray was professional and helpful and I’m thankful for him taking time out of his day to describe the process of well digging. To find out more information on geothermal and how it works, click on these links.

Geothermal Education Office (click on link)
Shaw Heating and Air (click on link)

7. Framing the House - Day 5

2005-09-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Rain slowed us down last week and once again the framers have taken up the metal mantel (other wise known as a hammer) and continued on their noble quest to frame my home. The roof rafters continue to be placed in the house. Sometime this week we should see some vertical movement.

7. Framing the House - Day 4

2005-09-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the news folks. Its day 4 on framing and they have started the roof. These guys would make mountains of money in New Orleans. There are a lot of houses to build and as fast as they work they could retire in 6 months. I wonder if they are really super humans that where bred in a secret government laboratory.

7. Framing the House - Day 3

2005-09-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Day 3 and the framing is moving at warp speed. Captain Kirk would be proud. I know I am. I outside sheathing was put on today and all the inside walls are in. I noticed today that the roof wood had been droped off. I wonder if the roof will start tommorrow. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

7. Framing the House - Day 2

2005-09-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how fast this framing is going. We are on day 2 and all the outside and sidewalls are almost all up. Today was great. I loved walking in each room. I designed this house and I'm very happy with the room sizes so far.

7. Framing the House - Day 1

2005-09-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Finally the framing has begun after a long four weeks. We had rain and then had to wait for the electricity to be hooked up. Today I had a great time walking around the house and looking at room sizes and locations. I'm really looking forward for the rest of it going up. The builder says that it might be three weeks until the framing is completed. I will post more photos as the framing process continues.

6. The Foundation

2005-08-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! The foundation has been poured and the radiant heat tubing is safely nestling under the concrete. We have been looking forward to this day since we started this endeavor. When the foundation is poured the framing is ready to start. We look forward to seeing the house put up and taking shape so we can walk through rooms and imagine ourselves living in it. The builder says that when the framing starts we can look to 4 to 5 months until the completion of the house.

5. Radiant Heat

2005-08-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

When we were designing our house, we wanted to make it allergy-friendly, so we decided we were not going to have any carpet in the house. Our only concern with having no carpet was cold floors in the winter. After doing a lot of research, we decided on a radiant heat system, which provides heat from the floor instead of from a forced air duct system. Plastic tubing is snaked in the floor before the foundation is poured. Hot water is then circulated in the tubing, and this warms up the concrete foundation. We are really looking forward to warm toasty toes in the winter!

Here is a link that will give you more information on how its benefits and how it works.

4. The Plumbing Rough In

2005-08-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

The plumbing rough in is where they put the main plumbing lines coming in and out of the house. The stem wall was dug under for passage of the PVC pipes. There is a trench that houses a large water line that all the extra water and waste drains into from the rest of the house. You can tell now where the sinks, baths and toilets are going to be. Today we discovered that we put the drain and the water lines for the master Jacuzzi tube in the wrong place. Just comes to show that when you think you thought of everything something sneaks up on you. Fortunately, our gracious builder has asked the plumbers to put it in the right place. Once again Yay! builders!

3. The Stem Wall

2005-07-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

The stem wall is a concrete outer wall that forms the boundary of the outside foundation. This will be filled with plumbing, air vents, and radiant tubing and finally concrete. All this will form the foundation. The wood frame and subsequent house will sit on top of the foundation. It was really fun to walk in the middle of the stem wall and imagine where all the rooms are and the views from those rooms. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside to see progress on the house. Yay! builder!

2. The Footing

2005-07-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

The footing is what the stem wall sits on. The footing is the under the foundation. The footing was going to be done last week but the footing guy's ditch digger machine hit an underground granite mountain last week and broke down. I was later told that this particular ditch digger machine cost $70,000 dollars new. Wow! That cost more than our first house. Anyway, they got it fixed and today dug the footing and filled it with concrete. Really exiting stuff to finally see some concrete down.

1. The Site Pad

2005-07-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

The trees have been pulled down from our 2.3 acres, and the pad has been cut. I met the guy who cut the pad. If you ever heard the phrase, "he was the 'salt of the earth'," this guy was it. I saw him actually grab dirt to rub it in his hands to get a better grip on the steering wheel of his tractor. Watching him move the dirt with his tractor was captivating. I think it is a guy thing to love watching big machines manipulate the environment - whether destroying or creating.

Click on photo's for larger view

The Builders

2005-07-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

After six months of trying to find a builder who would build our home, we finally found one who took a challenge and worked with us. They are Custom Builders of Oklahoma (405-664-7881). http://www.custombuildersofok.com
Custom builders are owned by Eric Williams and Rhonda Trower, and they are wonderful people. My wife and I are very hands-on and picky with this house, and Eric and Rhonda have been very patient and have answered every question we've had - even when I call them four times in one day. We prayed for a builder and the good Lord provided us with someone who He thinks can handle us.

The Floor Plan

2005-07-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

I designed the floor plan to take advantage of our beautiful acreage. After spending 4 months learning and designing I came up with the current floor plan. After that I sent it to the designer to make sure that it could be built and the walls wouldn’t come crashing down. A friend led us to Kelli Smith of Design’s Unlimited (405-285-6305). She took my floor plan and redrew it to work. She is very professional and did a fantastic job.

Click the text to download the PDF floor plan.
The Main Floor Plan
The Elevation
The Site Plan

The House

2005-07-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is the inspiration for our elevation and is similar to what the new house should look like when its done.