Absolute Power

Finally got all the ducks in order to get the underground power installed. I dug 4 ft down and the dirt was like dust...like dust until I cut through the water line for Clayton's house. Nothing a trip to David Millers couldn't fix. I had to trench 150 feet from the main power pole to the house lucky for me the John Deere was available otherwise I would average about 3 feet per day due to all the rocks. Blue Ridge brought the power line the next day so I should be able to cover it up tomorrow and get the ball rolling to get the lines moved off the house. I couldn't update this blog without a tribute photo of the best dogs in the world hanging out while dad is working.

2 Hot Days

The weather finally cooperated with us on our major task of roofing. It was almost to nice. Lots of sunshine and later in the days lots of heat. We have a nice new roof and some sunburn to show for the effort. Mike came and helped on Friday and Saturday as well as Mom and Wade for a couple of hours on Saturday. We could not have finished it without the help of everybody. Hopefully we are going to lay the chimney this week so the roof can be patched in around it and totally finished.

Another Wenesday

I was facing the wonderful task of sweeping out the old shop at work this morning so I decided my day would be better spent on my own tasks. It took me awhile to track down some more Zip system plywood that I have been using but as soon as that was squared away I went to ripping. I had to cut out some studs from the top plate so I could line up the bottom of the house with the new top. The new part is square and the old is not so it is creating some issues with vertical planes lining up. I will have to do some shimming to get the siding to look good but a small detail considering how far we have come. I only have to sheet two more walls and the main house will be ready for siding.

Something New

I spent a few days working on the fascia and soffit this week. Brian helped me with the majority of it..couldn't have done it without him. It is nice to see some of the house being sealed up for the outside with a new finished look. I had to finish it all so we could get the shingles on and be officially dried it. I am getting a little behind due to some traveling for work so hopefully we will see some progress now. Maranda is displaying this years green beans and an apple pie made from the tree in the back yard...not to shabby.

Catch Up

I have to play catch up because it has been awhile since my last post. I have been filling time working through small projects trying to prepare for the rush of August and September. I got the chimney tore out of the back room and the new footer poured. The mason is coming next week to price the new one so we can have some heat. It seems like no matter how far down the line we go, there is always something left to be demolished. I got the old chestnut beam I saved from our old shed installed as the support for the floor around the stair case. I love to recycle and especially when it is some old rare wood. I have been able to notice the days getting shorter so the panic is about to set in.

Day Six...Thursday

Well, another day flanked with thunderstorms but due to the amount of work already accomplished we had a fairly easy finish. we got the dormer walls framed and the sheeting put on them. We put in a few ceiling joists upstairs and set all the windows. A big thanks to Michael for all his hard work...could not have done it with out him. We are pretty much dried in now and only have to collect the trash in the yard to pack the dumpster for a wrap. It has been a long week, hope everyone has enjoyed the progress as much as we have.

Day Five...Wednesday

Big day today finishing more than expected again. We started by sheeting the other half of the main roof. We had the main house dried in by 10:00am. As soon as that was done we made the decision to tear off the side roof. The rain threatened all day and finally caught up to us with 3 sheets of plywood left...the bottom dropped out. We were able to get finished up a little wet. The house really took some shape today. We ran into some wormy chestnut today which was a good thing but not before discovering some asbestos siding. Just one more thing to deal with.