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Another Texas build

rrrr

rrrr

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Music to my Ears said:
Another framing update. Eventually we’ll skin those trees up front high enough so that they’re not blocking the front view of the house too much. If that doesn’t work, we will have to take them out. I’m hoping we can save them though. View attachment 1109697 View attachment 1109698 View attachment 1109699
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As I'm sure you are aware, those are cedar trees. They have been allowed to grow for years without any trimming, and IMO won't look much better after trimming, because of their basic shape. Most people around North Texas (I'm in Plano) don't care for their aesthetics. I have removed several of them on my property in Farmersville. Plant a couple of Sheffield or other oaks ( but not live oaks!) in the front yard away from the home. A 6" diameter trunk transplant will grow quickly and look nice.

The landscaping in your rendering looks really nice. Your intuition the cedar trees will detract from the overall presence of the new home is spot on. If I were you (and I don't mean to be presumptuous) they would be removed right now and the stumps removed below the planned finish grade.

You should consult your architect, builder, and landscaping firm about removing a few inches of the existing clay soil surrounding the home by grading the lot, and replacing it with a good topsoil before installing the landscaping.

This will serve two purposes. The first, and most important, will allow the finish grade to be contoured so there is positive drainage away from the home. Secondly, it will result in much healthier landscaping and make your home look nicer.

One more thing. Consult with the architect, builder, and landscaping firm about installing a subsoil perimeter foundation watering system. This is extremely important, because the expansive clay soils in North Texas can cause significant foundation movement as the soil moisture content varies. That can result in interior and exterior wall damage, slab cracking, and displacement of underslab waste and water plumbing.

Judging from the renderings and floor plan you have posted, it looks certain the new home will be a wonderful place to spend your retirement years, especially with family nearby. Enjoy it!
 
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Music to my Ears

Music to my Ears

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rrrr said:
As I'm sure you are aware, those are cedar trees. They have been allowed to grow for years without any trimming, and IMO won't look much better after trimming, because of their basic shape. Most people around North Texas (I'm in Plano) don't care for their aesthetics. I have removed several of them on my property in Farmersville. Plant a couple of Sheffield or other oaks ( but not live oaks!) in the front yard away from the home. A 6" diameter trunk transplant will grow quickly and look nice.

The landscaping in your rendering looks really nice. Your intuition the cedar trees will detract from the overall presence of the new home is spot on. If I were you (and I don't mean to be presumptuous) they would be removed right now and the stumps removed below the planned finish grade.

You should consult your architect, builder, and landscaping firm about removing a few inches of the existing clay soil surrounding the home by grading the lot, and replacing it with a good topsoil before installing the landscaping.

This will serve two purposes. The first, and most important, will allow the finish grade to be contoured so there is positive drainage away from the home. Secondly, it will result in much healthier landscaping and make your home look nicer.

One more thing. Consult with the architect, builder, and landscaping firm about installing a subsoil perimeter foundation watering system. This is extremely important, because the expansive clay soils in North Texas can cause significant foundation movement as the soil moisture content varies. That can result in interior and exterior wall damage, slab cracking, and displacement of underslab waste and water plumbing.

Judging from the renderings and floor plan you have posted, it looks certain the new home will be a wonderful place to spend your retirement years, especially with family nearby. Enjoy it!
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Thank you for your constructive input, I appreciate it! I will check in with the builder and landscaping firm here fairly soon. While the cedar trees aren’t my favorite looking tree, I have seen some in the area that have been skinned and look halfway decent imo. I’ll check into planting an oak tree or two in the front yard, certainly a better looking tree. Thanks for the advice on grading, topsoil, and subsoil. We’ll definitely dig into that more (pun intended)!
 
Music to my Ears

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Here’s a couple of recent photos. There will be stone all around the entrance as well as metal awnings over the windows. And this is not the paint color, it will be more of a gray color.
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Xtrmwakeboarder

Xtrmwakeboarder

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Word of advice, start treating for bugs now, then they should be dead or out of there by the time you move in. I just had our guy leave for the 3rd time in 3 weeks. It’s a battle on new builds.
 
Music to my Ears

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Xtrmwakeboarder said:
Word of advice, start treating for bugs now, then they should be dead or out of there by the time you move in. I just had our guy leave for the 3rd time in 3 weeks. It’s a battle on new builds.
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Thanks, I read that suggestion from you recently and thought it was a great idea! Supposedly the builder is already spraying and will do so for a year. We'll see! I should probably reach out to another company as well and set up service.
 
Xtrmwakeboarder

Xtrmwakeboarder

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Music to my Ears said:
Thanks, I read that suggestion from you recently and thought it was a great idea! Supposedly the builder is already spraying and will do so for a year. We'll see! I should probably reach out to another company as well and set up service.
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Awesome! That’s a huge win. Glad to hear they are doing that for yah.
 
Music to my Ears

Music to my Ears

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I haven’t updated this thread in some time and we’re getting close to being finished. Hopefully 3 more weeks! They poured the driveway and sidewalk yesterday, the mason starts inside on Monday, and flooring will go in at the end of the week.
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S

Slink

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Music to my Ears said:
I haven’t updated this thread in some time and we’re getting close to being finished. Hopefully 3 more weeks! They poured the driveway and sidewalk yesterday, the mason starts inside on Monday, and flooring will go in at the end of the week.
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Looking great.....right behind Ya in Tennessee.....about 2 weeks out.
 
v6toy4x

v6toy4x

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I wonder what the over under will be on missed packages?

Amazon driver-"I couldn't find the address"

Turned out beautiful, now go give some support to Xtrm
 
Music to my Ears

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So true, we had deliveries before the house was finished. I’m sure Amazon thought we were nuts. And yes, sounds like I need to take a couple drinks up to Xtrm here soon!
 
Music to my Ears

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We finished the pool so I thought I’d post up a few photos to wrap up this thread. Not baller status for sure but it fits us perfectly.
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v6toy4x

v6toy4x

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very nice, congrats!!

when looking out at your pool which direction r u facing N S W E?
 
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