Daniel at the peak. The weather was beautiful...as was the view, I'm sure.
Ray out back working on the third floor bath bump-out:
Continuing on the overhang supports:
Perhaps Daniel had too much roof work for now...they've traded places:
Sheathing begins on the front side of the third floor...Ray and Daniel combine strength and agility 3 stories high...not for the faint of heart!
Hubby took this week off to get started on a few of our projects. First up...constructing the box that will support the outdoor furnace. We used some of the treated lumber that was on site...hope they don't miss it!
My dad was on hand this week as well...to help out where needed and to evaluate the plumbing situation. He thinks we have a few challenges ahead...has that ever stopped us before?
Once the box was constructed, we prepared the location and set it in place. We prepared the box to accommodate corrugated conduit, which will carry the PEX tubing that carries the heated water into the house. But we realized our measurements were a bit off, so the conduit was removed and will hook into the furnace from outside the box. Here hubby is bringing in a load of 2B stone:
The box is filled, and we're placing deck blocks in the corners to support the furnace legs. Leveling the blocks is crucial...we don't want the furnace tumbling down the hill.
Ahhhh...a thing of beauty. You don't think so? Well, if you'd worked as hard as we did putting this thing in place...you WOULD think so, I'm sure.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009...Rained a lot this morning. No work at the homesite.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009...Of all the days to forget the camera...this was NOT the one. Perhaps the most excitement so far took place today...and we didn't capture it. Moving the furnace into place proved to be a huge challenge. Ray thought he could lift it into place with the Skytrak...but the combination of incline and soggy ground from the day before prevented us from completing the job. He got stuck...Hubby had to pull him out with the Magnatrac...he nearly tipped his machine over...and ended up setting the furnace down rather rapidly (though skillfully) so this is where it ended up...it's propped up and tied to a tree for now...waiting for our excavator to try his machinery next week:
Thursday, July 2, 2009...After that excitement...we were ready to attempt something a little less stressful...backfilling inside the footers. Hubby purchased this steel ramp at university salvage a year or so ago, and it really came in handy for this job.
Hubby was cautious entering and exiting the garage...there were only a few inches to spare:
The ramp allowed Hubby to bring the stones right into the basement and dump them where needed...A LOT faster than using the wheelbarrow!
As always, J-Bird jumps right in to lend a hand. He is learning to find satisfaction in hard work, and for that, we are thankful.
Hubby on his way in with another load:
Hubby maneuvered around the many obstacles with ease:
Looking from the ground floor bathroom towards the garage area...you can see the clearances are pretty tight:
J-Bird working at breaking up several chunks of excess concrete, poured out onto the ground (and basically wasted) after the footers were completed. We should've thought ahead to build some forms to capture any extra material...we paid for it...now it'll just become expensive fill.
I-Bird perched in his future bedroom window...watching his brother?
Meanwhile, the building crew is installing rafters in the great room. The rafters are cut from 2" x 12" x 22' boards...they extend from the peak of the roof out over the porch. They cut one rafter to use as a pattern and used that pattern to mark all the others. The pattern piece was the last one to be nailed in place.
Another view of the great room rafters...looks like a giant ribcage:
This is looking from the far end of the great room towards the center hall. You can see the roof line (with the black felt paper adhered) extending down into the great room. We think there will be a section of vertical wall built and installed here (so the angled roof section will be hidden).
The peak of the roof overhang on the deck. Someone...some time...will have to get up there and stain that treated roof support beam. Any volunteers?
This is the view roughly westward out of my future kitchen door. There will be a small landing here and steps down to the yard on this side of the house. The garden will be on the other side of the rock piles in the foreground.
We decided not to spend money on a dumpster. We've been sorting and stacking the scrap wood...there's quite a lot leftover so far. The boys will have lots of project fodder! We're bagging the unusable trash and will dispose of it at the local dump.
Panoramic view. The felt paper is adhered to the third floor roof, and bathroom bump-out is sheathed and ready for finishing.
We finished installing rigid foam to the back wall, but still have the sides to do. We removed 2 bracing boards to use for leveling the wood furnace, and those foam panels came loose. We're not sure what happened, but the rest of the foam seems to be sufficiently adhered.
Looking up towards great room...front porch posts and roof supports are in place...it is HIGH up there!
One day soon there will be a different vehicle parked in the garage...and we'll be able to call this place HOME. We can't wait!
