Building The House - nadamore.life

When we began to plan the construction of our house on Cheney Road, we knew we wanted to work with local contractors and builders. Peter Fisher, our realtor, helped us by providing an initial list of contractors he thought we should talk to. Since many of them were not available in 2018, they provided names of other contractors who we then contacted. It took a while, but we eventually assembled a wonderful group of construction professionals.

We began the process of securing the necessary building permits in the fall of 2017. The various county and township governmental units needed applications, documents and, of course, permit fees. While the process was more complicated and took more time than anticipated, we learned a lot along the way and met some great people. The Leelanau County Building Inspection department finally issued a permit to begin construction in March 2018. Construction, however, was delayed for several months due to a late April snow storm. The County Road Commission finally lifted its gravel road ban for heavy equipment due to ground frost in May. Welcome to Northern Michigan!

The Cheney house construction began in late May 2018 when the site was cleared and the basement was excavated. In June, footings were set, foundation blocks were laid, underground utilities were installed, and the basement floor was poured. The house was framed and enclosed by the end of the summer, with electrical and plumbing rough-ins completed. The installation of the metal roof and windows took place in September, and exterior siding began in October. Due to product delays and an early winter, the exterior finishes were not finished until the following spring. In the meantime, interior work such as heating and ventilation, drywalling, painting, cabinetry, doors, trim, and flooring continued throughout the winter and spring. All electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work was finished by May, and landscaping and the installation of concrete sidewalks began in July. The work was officially finished when an Occupancy permit was issued by Leelanau County on August 28, 2019.

We enjoyed watching the construction of the house by making frequent visits from Des Moines to check on its progress. During the summer we camped on the property for approximately one week each month. Kind neighbors, Mike and Carol Walker, offered us use of their shower during this time, which was great. When the weather got colder, we stayed overnight at the M22 Inn in Glen Arbor a few times or camped in the house itself even though it still wasn’t finished.

As the son of a carpenter, I’ve always dreamed of building a house. Due to the scope of this project though, we’re so glad we listened to Tim Hielkema, our friend and architect, when he said, “Lloyd, you’re gonna need some help on this one. Make sure you hire a great crew!” And that we did.

While I served as the general contractor, this would not have happened without the following people: