Party We Will

I had a very touching note this evening from Bob, my architect.  On the assumption that it's easier to get forgiveness than permission, I'm reproducing this moments after receipt:

Hey, John:  I had a chance to check out your last house blog.  OMG!!  You are moving in!!  Congratulations!!  You pulled this off with such grace and class.  The place looks marvelous.  I can't wait for my first visit.  Oh, did I forget to mention the invisible clause in our contract.  The Architect gets free lodging whenever he is in the area.  Let me know when you're ready to party.

Well, "grace and class" is highly debatable.  Gnawing anxiety, punctuated with a few genuine meltdowns, is closer to the truth.  However, I agree that the place looks marvelous, albeit a bit cluttered at the moment with empty boxes.  (What does one do with scores of empty boxes, all of which admonish their owner to recycle?  Garage sale!  Someone who is moving can use them again.)

Readers may recall that Bob paid a visit to the half-built house on November 21, 2010.  He had a bit of trouble finding me! — shot past East Grand Lake Rd. and was headed for Rogers City when he discovered the error of his (high)way.  That's understandable.  Presque Isle is off the beaten path.  In fact, it's off nearly all paths.  But he found the construction site as dusk was setting in and, in failing light which challenged the camera, made a detailed inspection.  The house at this point was enclosed, partly with plastic; the interior framing was largely complete; and the electrician, heating sub, and plumber had done their rough-ins.  If he had waited another day, the rest of the windows would have been installed.  Rycenga delivered the back-ordered Andersons on Nov. 22.

Nov. 21 — The second floor skeleton.

Bob checks out the masonry wall in the living room.

He also carefully inspects the roof and wall construction.

The next day, Nov. 22, Rycenga's delivery guy unwraps the
"monster" window for the master bedroom.

It must be said that Bob Tinker, of Kelly-Tinker Architects in Ann Arbor, is principally responsible for the house.  Over a period of more than four years Bob helped me make sense of a loosely-organized set of assumptions about what this structure should, and could, be.  It was Bob who strongly urged me to build a highly energy efficient home (his firm specializes in energy-efficient design).  It was Bob who showed me the inadequacies of my original concept — which was essentially a bunch of little rooms.  It was Bob who, in the final design, incorporated almost every significant wish on my list, e.g., bathrooms with a view.  It was Bob who suggested a riser-less staircase which would allow light to filter through, and which largely eliminates the need for artificial light during the daytime in every space except the walk-in closet.  And it was Bob who remained confident when I despaired of finding someone to build the place!  All this, and much more, Bob did with the patience of a saint.  I am deeply in his debt.

And so, of course, party we will! •••