DAY 45 -- A Garage That Will Be a Garage.

Things are moving ahead. The steel beams came out this week. Once those were set, they could measure for the floor trusses.

Beam routine.

The garage roof trusses have been here a few days.

But it didn't take long to rebuild the garage and it is about done.

 

This will be the first time in my life I will get to park my car in a garage! Our garage has always been full of Bryan's tools, but now he has his shed!

On a completely different note . . .

Check out these mushrooms!! They are bigger than a baseball here in this photo that I took a few days ago. R was looking at them again today and she said they are bigger than your head!

Days 37, 38, 39 - Framing: Up and Down Again

 The framers started on the basement and the garage.



They had a good start on things . . . . .

but then a BIG storm blew through and blew down the garage.

This was no small storm. Lots of trees blew down around town. Our electricity was off for 12 hours and internet was down for about 48 days.

DAY 36 - Safe room ceiling and garage concrete

Monday was too rainy to pour concrete and Tuesday started out the same way, but by Tuesday afternoon things had dried out and the final concrete was poured.

The weather is beautiful and it is so nice out there. I can't wait to be living out there. The framer measured for the beams today and things should be moving ahead soon.

DAY 32 -- God is so Good

I must stop and take time to thank God. We have been blessed to have things thus far go really smoothly and even though we have had several of our plans fall through, the alternatives – the changes we had to make, have all worked out great and may quite possibly have been a way better choice than our original.  I ask God continually to keep his hand on us as we work and make decisions and on those who work for us. I know there will be problems and challenges ahead. I trust that God will walk with us as we deal with each and everything we encounter, the good and the not so good.  And may the light of our faith in Christ Jesus shine to everyone we encounter.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 -- DAY 32

Saturday, in spite of all the storms on Friday, we were able to pour the basement floor. The weather was beautiful. The concrete arrived shortly before 7am and by 8:15 they were done pouring. It took awhile to get it all smoothed out and now it looks great. The HVAC people stopped by to make sure that system was all still in order in spite of being buried in concrete. The plumber came out to set the drains in the garage and the flatwork people got everything ready for the garage floor to be poured on Monday. They have to get ready to pour the slab for the safe room ceiling as well and both the garage and ceiling have to be inspected by an engineer before the pour.

Moon set

Sun rise

Before

One of the guys rescued this critter from a concrete grave

After

I am my beloved's and he is mine!

A Rainy Week

Wednesday, Aug. 10, Day 29: Met the a cabinet maker. He looked over the plans and went over every room, not just the kitchen. He had some interesting ideas and was open to everything I told him I wanted. I am anxious to see what he comes up with and I just hope it is a price we can work with.

Thursday, Aug. 11, Day 30: Got the pricing on doors. They are expensive! I have to do some thinking about each door to decide what we really need to do. Also got the samples of the colors of siding. We are using James Hardie cement siding and would like to get the prepainted siding but really didn't want to choose based on a small square in a brochure. I think we have a winner!

The concrete flatwork guy is putting down rebar and the HVAC guy is putting in the tubing for the floor heat this week. We have had some rain this week and it is keeping things from getting done as quickly as possible. Hopefully we get everything done soon because the floor is scheduled to be poured tomorrow.

Insulation, rebar, tubing

Basement in moonlight

August 12, 10:30am -- storm on the horizon - I thought I would mow at the farm but it didn't happen!

August 9, Day 28

Bryan and I met with the framer this morning. We have a few holdups that will keep him from starting until next week. Mainly that the basement floors won't be poured until Saturday. We had our first big storm since starting this project last Sunday afternoon. Delayed the basement insulation a bit but not much. Just coordinating everyone and everything is difficult. This is how a General Contractor earns his pay :)

Pink Panther has visited us

We have to order our siding - we are using James Hardie cement siding. We have it on our current house and are pleased with it. We are thinking of ordering it prepainted so I have been trying to choose a color. There are several options but it is not quite like going to the paint store and having hundreds of options. The lumber yard said they would get me samples of several colors to look at so I can see actual paint on boards instead of tiny squares on a brochure.

Time Flies When You're Busy!!

I can't believe how many days behind I am now! I promise to TRY and do better.

After the forms were taken off, the plumber began working on getting the rough plumbing in. Truck loads of rock were brought in. Work began on the waterproofing, insulation and drain tile.

On August 2, day 21, I went out around 1pm to meet the inspector for the prebackfill inspection: drain tile, waterproofing, and ground rough. It was 110 degrees out! Everything passed inspection.

Temps have cooled some since then. Thursday and Friday Bryan took off work so he could do some things out there. Thursday morning we met with the truss designer. There is always several ways to do things and everyone has their preferred way. Some people backfill and then measure for trusses. The excavator says he prefers to have the trusses and the basement floor put in before he backfills; less chance of the walls moving. The truss guy doesn't want to measure until the steel beams are in because he doesn't want anything to move. So first we have the floor to pour - once we get the insulation and rebar and HVAC tubing etc. put down. Then we'll have the steel beams put in and then we measure for the floor trusses.

Looks like Stonehenge :)

I met with our lumber yard yesterday - went over the window specs one more time and ordered them. Then we started on the door schedule. Next week I have an appointment with the kitchen cabinet guy.

Rebekah and I went over to a subdivision and walked through a house that our framer just finished framing. It was fun to see it at this stage and I can't wait until our house starts really taking shape like that. Won't be long now!