Frank P house pix

[gtalum]

I have to say, I'm impressed. You have a beautiful new house already! I can't imagine how nice it will look once it's all trimmed out!

[Frank P]

Thanks Dionne

FYI, I had to totally rebuild those front stairs because a contractor screwed them up when he built them.......
and I wish you would have built them too!!

[Frank P]

I have to say, I'm impressed. You have a beautiful new house already! I can't imagine how nice it will look once it's all trimmed out!

Thanks gtalum... its become a labor of love/hate...

[cag1953]

Hey Frank. It looks really nice. We were over there last month and drove by,but there were no cars around or any signs of life (heck,I didn't even see the dogs out front),so hubby wouldn't stop! I promise one of these days I'm going to stop and introduce myself.The first thing I noticed was that you had stairs out front now. I didn't realize how far up you were until the stairs were up! No wonder you talked about an elevator! The inside looks great too. That's cool about the weather channel.(Am I showing my age by using "cool"? HaHa). Even if they don't come back,it was nice that they came and talked to you. Yep, I think its time you took a well deserved break. You have worked hard and it really looks nice. Take care you guys and enjoy your new home.

[Frank P]

thanks cag, and stop by anytime...

[ccsuzy]

Frank I just want to say that I am thrilled for you finally getting into your home. I don't post much but I read here a LOT and think of all of you down there often. Blessings for your new lovely home.

[Frank P]

many thanks suzy

[MSRobi911]

I noticed before but didn't post, I have to say I am guilty of not having been down to Hwy. 90 in Biloxi/Gulfport since the storm, too depressing. Anyway I am glad that you retained some of the "Old Colonial" style with the pillars et al. Unfortunately here in Pascagoula on Beach Blvd. a couple of people have built what look like plain on "camps" that you would see on the river.....makes me ill to think of the old old homes that were there with their beautiful architecture. Oh well....times they are a changing....had to I reckon?

Mary

[beachbum_al]

House looks very nice. Glad to hear that you and your wife are back in the house.

[Frank P]

couple of recent pixs of the house.

from highway 90, FEMA trailer GONE



from the front yard



great room



dog condo under house south entrance doggie door



front porch with Jim Cantore back in June



still have lots of little things to do, porch painting, trim out the pilings etc..going to plant some palm trees and have not done any yard work but that will go on for the next year of so...... bottom line is that we are really enjoying it and makes all the grief building it worth the effort..

[dizzyfish]

Wow Frank the house looks great! You really have done a wonderful job. Kudos to you!

Gotta love the doggie condo. Winnie will be jealous if I show her this!

Oh yeah, the Cantore shot is a nice touch too.

[Frank P]

Wow Frank the house looks great! You really have done a wonderful job. Kudos to you!

Gotta love the doggie condo. Winnie will be jealous if I show her this!

Oh yeah, the Cantore shot is a nice touch too.

thanks dizzy, just showing off... hehe

I kinda like the doggie condo myself, gotta finish the trim and stucco it but its functional... the doggie condo's got a little beach bistro a going on on the south side facing the GOM with the table, chairs and my former blue storm shutters as decking ... gonna get me an old lazy boy chair, a LCD TV and me and the hound dawgs are just gonna chill and watch some football... my wife really likes the idea... if ya got to be in a dog house... be in a nice one...

[cag1953]

Hey,we had Cantore and Bettis a couple days ago. I joked about the storm not coming here because they were here- then I remembered Jim broke that streak a while back.haha! Shoot,Cantore was broadcasting live from Gulf Breeze Hospital when Dennis was coming ashore.How could I forget that!? Anyways your house looks great.It makes a big difference with real furniture it,doesn't it? The doggie condo is great(they're not spoiled are they). Just kidding,we have a 95 pound spoiled baby. Well I hope you guys are enjoying your new place.I still plan to stop by some time and say HI! I just don"t know when we'll be over. Take care and enjoy.

[O Town]

Bye bye FEMA trailer!!!!!!!! Yippy!
Inside is looking sweet. The shot from the highway your house looks gorgeous centered up in between those oaks. Pat yourself on the back.
Gotta say the last shot with Cantore is my fav.

[CajunMama]

There's no place like home sweet home. You've got such a nice home, Frank.

[Dionne]

So Frank.....now that your closing in on completion......I have several questions.

Are there any building materials that disappointed you?

Were you satisfied with all your sub-contractors?

Is your foundation doing any settling?

What was your final cost per square foot? (Excluding the value of the land)

[Frank P]

So Frank.....now that your closing in on completion......I have several questions.

Are there any building materials that disappointed you?
None that I can think of... to date I have had no problems.. really love the closed cell foam... stucco and metal roof I like... everything else on the outside is treated or hardyboard... aluminum railing system it nice to.. no maintenance.... also really love the armor glass which is throughout the house and the roll down storm shutters..

Were you satisfied with all your sub-contractors?
I had some pretty good ones,,, Sheet rock, electrical, plumbing, roofing, stucco, foaming.... all first class... framing crew were OK but I went back and beefed it all up in the truss system, and also had to rework some porch slope issues... The guy who framed my stairs was pretty bad.. I had to personally redo both the front and the back framing on the stairs.. and I finished them. I would not use the Concrete finishers again either as they were to expensive... but at the time it was so hard to even get them to come.. got pretty good reviews from all the city inspectors who looked hard at everything...

Is your foundation doing any settling?
Nothing yet so far and its been over a year... got to realize I poured 1.5 yards of concrete per piling, then tied it all 28 together with 50 more yards oc concrete and steel.... not even a surface crack yet.. knock on wood...

What was your final cost per square foot? (Excluding the value of the land)

If you figure based on heating and cooling areas of 1800 sq feet its about 125.00 per sq
If you figure total living areas including front and rear porches... which were a whole lot more expensive than any bedroom per se...[b] 90.00 per sq

This is a pretty custom house I might add... I went well above the International building codes building this house...
The porches are one of the best features of the house... not to mention the 2400 sq feet under the house we call the pavillion... [/b]

atm I would say I'm pretty pleased with the effort and even more so that all the really hard work is done... now I can take my time and work on the pavillion, and just enjoy the wonderful view...

later dude

[DanKellFla]

"Franks guide to building your Post-Katrina Home"
by Frank P

I bet you can make money on a book like that just selling to municipalities. I wish I had your confidence. I never have the nerve to re-do something a "professional" has done even when my suspicions of a lousy job turn out to be correct.

[Frank P]

thanks DanKellFla

Hopefully this is the last time I ever have to do it .....

[Frank P]

Thought I'd post a couple of pixs of my dogs living the good life on the beach, they really like their air conditioned condo on the ground floor... life is good for all


Female 12.5 years old




Male 14 years young