Welcome to Part 2 of our DIY Home Build Timeline. If you missed Part 1, you can read it HERE. I’m glad you’re here to follow the realistic progress we’ve made building out forever home while working other full time jobs. This post will document what we accomplished month by month.
June 2025
Some exciting things happened in June. On June 7th, our first exterior wall went up! This was the first of many times, that I teared up seeing the progress. The walls were constructed on the ground, then raised in one piece, with lots of help from friends and family. For our exterior walls, we used Zip System. By the end of the day on the 8th, most of the exterior walls were in place. On June 13th we had the fun idea to incorporate a few arched openings into our home. My husband is a skilled carpenter so these were no trouble for him. June 15th the interior walls started going up. Our roof trusses were delivered on the 17th. Not build related, but joy related; my best friend came for the first Charcuterie Night at our new home. On June 23rd I headed to Lowe’s to start planning our cabinet build out. On June 25th, we hired a crane operator to help set our roof trusses. On the 27th, the roofing process started. We used Zip System for roofing as well.
July
We decided we wanted to include a stone fireplace or cooktop vent hood. I found a stone distributor in the Asheville area and went to the showroom on July 16th. I took some samples home, and fell in love with the Eldorado Rough Cut Cultured Stone in Vineyard Trails. It was fully of warm, earthy tones that will fit the overall feel of our home. On the 25th I started to panic about the size of our living room. I thought there was no way we would be able to fit a couch and chairs in the space. So I drug two chairs to the house and staged them in the living room area. I measured out space for a couch. Turns out, I was just overreacting. On the 26th, my husband did a mock up of the rafter tail options, then he got to work building those. On the 28th, I began my love affair with stone slabs. We had briefly talked about pouring concrete countertop, but after going and looking at stone slabs, there was no turning back.
August
On August 1st, I continued my search for the perfect countertop slab. I found the dreamiest marble slab, but assumed it would be too expensive. I had a quote written for another slab, but continued to think about the marble. Meanwhile, my husband was hard at work on the rafter tails and overhangs. He also installed our second arch. On August 8th, the switch plate cover and hardware samples arrived. It was fun seeing how the colors would eventually all tie together. On August 17th, we started wishing we had a fireplace; somewhere to hang stocking at Christmas, and somewhere to cozy up when it’s cold. The beauty of a DIY build, is that you can pivot at any point. On the 23rd, my husband constructed the front entry area. We also knew that down the road we would love to have an outdoor seating/kitchen area, so my husband prepped that area to avoid having to tear part of the roof off if we wanted to add that area later on. This was something that wasn’t part of our original plan, but we were able to make it happen.
September
On September 1st, the cabinet hardware arrived and it was perfection. On the 2nd, the HVAC rough in began. We have lived all of our married life in a home without central heat and air. We have a wood stove and a monitor heater. It’s chilly in the winter, and sweltering in the summer. I am beyond excited to have central heat and air! On September 6th, our electrical rough ins began. On the 6th, my husband moved his operation down to the basement to start framing out the divide from our garage and the living space. On the 7th, we nailed down our primary bathroom configure. This was something that we struggled to plan, but in the end, we are happy with the layout. On the 12th, our door and window package was delivered! The next day, we constructed the framing for our fireplace. We will eventually apply cultured stone to it. On the 20th, we started prepping the entry area for a concrete slab. We poured gravel, my husband built the frame, then he reinforced it with rebar. On the 28th, I took my husband to look at stone slabs. We walked around and found a few we liked; then I showed him the one I had been daydreaming about. No joke, it had a tag that said “Sold to Darby Warren”. I have email receipts that show I only inquired about the price. My husband told me not to take it as a sign. But if you know me, then you know that that meant game on. That beauty would be mine. I’m happy to report, that after some price negotiations, she is mine … I mean, ours. Later that day, my husband applied plywood to our fireplace frame.
October
On October 4th, my husband started the fun project of installing cedar shakes in the front gable. On the 16th, I stumbled upon the most beautiful leather sofa at West Elm; and it was on major sale! It just needs legs. I’ve been picking things up and storing them for quite some time now. I can’t wait to unpack all of my treasures when we move in!
I hope you continue to follow our progress as we document the build and progress of our forever home! Part 3 coming soon.
