Sooo Close...

We're just SOOOO close!  Tonight we stopped because it was almost too dark to see what we were doing, but also because we got far enough that K just needs to stand on the scaffolding to do what's left in the middle and top. Tonight, I was up and down ladders on both sides, holding the siding and helping measure.  She thinks she will be able to finish the rest of the siding tomorrow.

And then we'll just have the aluminum for the soffit to finish this week.  We should be able to pass our inspection just fine.  And we'll add our address numbers to the front.    

Laboring on Labor Day

National holiday?  Nope, no day of rest for the builders working on their own home. 

Not a huge day for us today, but kept plugging away.  K and I installed the trim on the corners, around the garage door, and at the top of the wall.  We got a lot of the j-channel installed for the soffits, too.

Scaffolding is set up in the front now

I love how the light looks, coming out under the eaves!  For now...

Pictures from Yesterday

Worked on the garage again today, but not NEARLY as long as we did yesterday.  It's starting to feel like the home-stretch, and we are so thankful for that.

Here are the photos from last night, although I stopped taking pictures once it got late.  Was just way too tired to think about it...

Lights!

The first great thing that happened yesterday was that we picked up a couple of shoplights and K installed them right when we got back from the Home Depot.  They make a huge difference inside the garage.

Placing the loft door

Before I got home, K had installed all the floor in our loft area.  We're going to use the space in the trusses for storage, so she put a plywood floor down.  We'll be able to enter the upper area from inside the garage, and we'll also have a door on the front of the garage to put long items and materials through.

House wrappers

Then we put up Tyvek on the remaining space on the front of the garage.  Some fun-sounding Spanish-speaking festival was going on somewhere close by in the neighborhood, so we could hear all this upbeat Spanish music and a really excited announcer.  At about 7:00, however, the recorded music switched over to live music, and the singer was... probably not someone who should be singing anywhere other than karaoke at the NE Palace.  Not a great voice, and really off key!  Yikes!  After about an hour of that, K grabbed the radio so we could drown him out with The Current.

Finished house-wrap

The last thing we worked on was installing the spring system so that we can actually open the garage door.  K says it weighs like 500 pounds, so ever since it was installed, the door has stayed down.   K had watched a video on how to do this spring thing, and said it seemed really easy.  Yeah... sure.  It took hours.  Plus we were both really tired and couldn't really wrap our heads around anything logical.  At least, not quickly. 

However, when we were listening to the radio, they said that storms were expected to blow in around midnight, bringing high winds and possibly large hail.  So we were on a mission.  To get that door functioning well enough that we could get the truck pulled into the garage, and out again in the morning.

Starting the spring install

And that's the last photo I took.  The rain actually blew in at just after 9:00pm.  Crazy amount of rain, it seemed.  It just kept on pouring for at least a couple hours.  And by midnight, it seemed that the worst of the storm had passed (with no hail), but we kept working on the door system until 1-ish when we got it done.

And then passed out until late this morning.  Had to be done!

Garage - SO Close!

At 1 am this morning, the new Dodge Ram went to sleep in the new garage for the first time.  The big garage door is functioning, after a lot of futzing and tweaking.  This evening, the radio was reporting expected storms around midnight tonight, which would include high winds and large hail.  Since the door was already on and we had the hardware here, we shifted gears from Tyvek and siding prep, to making that garage door functional.  The idea that we could save the new truck from "large hail," by putting it in the garage tonight, was an actual possibility for the first time.

And then the storm hit at just past 9:00 pm, so who knows if we'll get anything that bad tonight.  At this point in the night, it doesn't seem so.

The next time K says, "It'll take like 10 minutes-- the video looks really easy," -- I WON'T believe her!  We were out there for hours installing those springs, and then she worked on them for close to an hour when I went inside for a break.

My shift today: 3:30 pm - 1:10 am.   K's shift: even longer-- don't know what time she started outside, but she had all of the plywood floor installed in the loft when I got home at 2:30 today.

We're exhausted and feeling optimistic again.  We're SOOOO close to being done!  Finally!

Garage Windows

The installation of all the garage windows is complete today!  K installed the four windows on the sides of the garage.  G came over to help, too, and we pre-made all the boxes for the windows, so the process went really quickly.  Then trimmed them out, and they look great and they work!  It's a good feeling getting these big steps finished.

Installing window #5

Windows and trim on the side walls

I was taking the pictures on my phone today, instead of my good camera, and when I looked at them on my computer I saw that my phone had done something really funny!  --  I took quite a few pictures of K installing that same window, because the delay on my new phone is really bad and I kept missing her.  And when I looked at my online backup, I saw that my phone had decided to turn this series of photos into an animated GIF!  Ha ha!!

K in action!  Speedy window installer!

Garage Doors

Time to post some exciting pictures!  I had very little to do with the progress today-- K and her brother installed the big garage door today, and I helped K lift the utility door in place.  And they got a bunch of siding done this week, too.

Garage door from the inside

Both sides of the garage look like this now!

At night -- it's starting to look more complete!

Happy Garden - Part 1

My raised-bed garden was finally discovered a couple weeks ago by the rabbits.  I'm pretty sure I know exactly who the culprit is, actually-- an adorable baby bunny that I've seen in our yard a lot lately.

One day, my radish plants were just GONE.  Like the seeds had never sprouted.  And the next day, a bunch of my carrot tops were whacked off.  And I've heard that bunnies like bell pepper plants, so while I'd been thinking that my pepper seeds never sprouted-- I bet they did sprout and the bunny just got them before I could see them!  Sassy bunnies.

So K helped me make a plywood wall around the garden, pretty late in the evening, a couple weeks ago.  It totally worked at keeping the bunnies out!  But it was also difficult for me to move around in there, and I had to climb over the wall to get in.  And for some reason, the bugs just LOVED being in there!  Maybe because the walls blocked the wind, it was just so buggy in there.  I got bit up every time I watered my garden or picked anything.

Temporary keep-out-rabbits garden fence

I wanted a trellis to run diagonally from my garden to the fence, for my cucumbers and zucchinis to climb up.  The zucchinis are so nuts now that it might be too late, but the cucumbers are just starting to reach out like crazy, so the timing is perfect.  K figured out how to make a fantastic trellis for me, and I helped.  While we were at it, we replaced the plywood walls with chicken wire over a new fence.  It was a lot of work, and we did it on a stupidly hot and humid day, so it was crazy.

Trellis frame

Trellis in place

I'll post some pictures soon of the finished fence.  We completed it pretty late, and we were both sweaty, ravenous, and bug-bitten.

Here's the latest view of the garage:

The next step is to finish the roof.  All the sheeting is up there, and most of the tar paper.  K needs to decide if she's going to have her usual roofing company do the job, or if she's going to do it herself.  Of course, it will be a lot cheaper for us to do it ourselves (and she's roofed a ton of things before, so this will be easy for her.)  But the time will be the deciding factor, I'm sure.  She's working on a big kitchen remodel right now, and finishing up a smaller one in the first couple days of this week.  And after those, she has a very elaborate addition project lined up.  So she's booked for quite a while.  Not sure when we'll be able to knock out the roof-- but once we do, there is a lot more that can be done with the roof in place.

Garage Framing - Day 6

A couple things were done on the garage today -- K was at a job for part of the day and I was at a meeting, so K's brother kept on with the process.  He added braces to the bottoms of the trusses and kept going with the sheeting on the walls.

Bracing on the trusses

Sheeting on most of the walls

I think they have another job to get to tomorrow, so it may be a couple days before they're back on the garage.  But I think there are just a few things they need to do before we'll get the inspection on the framing.  Yay, progress!!

Garage Framing - Day 4 & 5 - Sheeting and Trusses

The garage is coming along!  It's really exciting to see it taking shape.

On Monday, K and I worked on the garage, and we put up the sheeting on one side of the garage.  I helped her put it in place and then nail it to the studs.  We quit when it started raining, so I didn't get any photos-- the rain continued through the night!

Tuesday was a big day.  The trusses were delivered.  I was about to head out the door, when I heard the "BEEP BEEP"-ing outside and realized I couldn't get out of our alley with my car, because the trusses were being delivered at that moment.

The transformer truck backing in with the trusses

When I got back in the early afternoon, K and her brother had the first couple trusses in place and wanted me to help.  So I did-- I walked along the walls, on top of the sheeting that I had helped install and helped place the trusses where they needed to go.  It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, that's for sure...  But I got used to the height and moving around.  The slight problem for all of us was that it was very hot and humid, and you tend to get a little dizzy when you're overheated.  No one fell, though, so we're all good!  And we were able to finish before it started raining.  Again.  (My garden is LOVING this rain every day!)

K inside the web of bracing

Bracing boards

My monkey on the trusses!

The view from above

Monkey on the wall!

Swinging her hammer, doing her thing...!

Nearing the end!

Finished for the day

We were a sweaty, sun-burned bunch when we were done...  But we got so much done that it was definitely worth it!  I think my muscles will be sore in the morning, too....  

Garage Framing - Day 2 & 3

Progress has continued for the past two days on the construction of the garage.  Actually, it's still going on outside right at this very moment.  Ahh, the sound of nail guns... 

It's really starting to look like a building!  When I got home from class today, all the walls were up, and then K and her brother put in the header above the garage door.

Lifting up the header

Header is completely level!

Garage Framing - Day 1

K finally got to spend her first day working on the garage!  The building materials were delivered on Monday, and she got a full day in on the framing today, along with her brother.

It was amazing to come home from class and see this!

And by the time they cleaned up for the evening, they had three sections of wall installed.  It's really tall!  The walls are 10 feet high, and the windows are set right near the top, so they'll let in a lot of light. 

Happy Concrete Slab Day!

It's 7:20pm and the concrete guys have just finished up!  The poor guys were working out in the dark and cold for the last few hours.  K helped them through the day, but they did the finish work alone.

This is the picture K sent me in a text at 2:15 today:

"Check it!"

It was probably about 30 degrees in the early evening when they were working.  And once the sun dropped out of the sky, the guys were working in the dark by truck headlights, work lights, and little LED headlamps.  Pretty amazing stuff.  I watched them from the patio door.

 

Now they're putting the insulated blankets on the slab, and they'll let it cure overnight.  K will cut lines into the slab tomorrow. 

K is EXHAUSTED.  She worked this morning at 7am, then left at 11:30 to come home and help with the concrete.  She's overtired, but still thrilled.  I can't wait till she's done with the cuts tomorrow, and then the relief can really set in.  Already tonight, she got excited for a moment -- "All the boring stuff is done, and now comes the fun stuff!  The framing!"  And she means it -- framing is her absolute favorite.  And this time she'll be building something that will belong to her, to us.

Finished Prepping For The Slab

Lucky for us, this weekend was gorgeous!  We were able to get so much work done for the slab, and now it's all prepped and ready for inspection and pouring the concrete.

Started out with me taking a trip to the rental place to get the plate compactor/tamper, again.  Since the one didn't work well last time, we got a credit for another use.  This time the machine worked like a champ.

We put down all the rock and soil that we had, and got it compacted really well.  K dug trenches all along the sides of the form.  She's making a reinforced slab, so it can carry the weight of the garage and hopefully won't crack too much in the future.

In this picture, you can see that we really had to build up the left side of the garage floor to keep it level.  The ground slopes quite a lot in the back yard, so we dug down the right side a bit, but still really had to add to the left side.  The floor does slope to the front just a little, and the driveway will slope down to meet the existing asphalt.

The next step was to add a layer of poly as a vapor barrier.  The garage will be heated with some kind of space heater, and the poly will be there to help keep moisture from seeping up from the ground into the concrete slab.

It was a windy day, but we got the three long sheets of poly stapled to the sides of the form and taped along all the seams.

Next was the rebar, and we did this mostly in the dark, so I only have one photo.  K put rebar posts into the ground every few feet, and then we connected two rows of rebar to those posts, horizontally.  These will give strength and structure to the thicker sides of the slab.

It was pretty chilly by the time we were working on the last of the rebar, but we got it done.  K covered up the whole thing with tarps again last night, and this morning she called the inspector to see about getting it looked at.

Really, really hoping we can get that slab poured this week or next.  It will be a big load off K's mind to have that done before the cold sets in.  And then she can work on her plans for the building and materials, and take her time.  If the cold and snow holds off, maybe she will start building this year.  And if not, she will be good and ready by the spring.

Rock & Bobcat

Yesterday we got some work done in the prep for the concrete slab, but not nearly as much as we'd hoped -- because it rained!  Wet ground is much easier for bobcat tires to sink down into.

K got everything organized right in the morning -- rented a bobcat and a plate tamper, and arranged for the delivery of a bunch of Class 5 rock.  She had gotten the 3rd side of the form built within the last couple weeks, so now we needed to level and compact the ground that will be beneath the concrete slab.  The Class 5 rock was to be put on top of the soil -- it compacts together very tightly and makes a strong, dense layer.

Delivery of the Class 5 rock

K was zooming all over in the bobcat, using the shovel to scrape down the dirt.  It was a fairly small bobcat, kinda light, so it didn't quite have enough weight to really move the dirt without a few passes.  But once the rain started, the thing really sunk into the ground and the tires made deep ruts.  So I suppose it's better that it wasn't a heavier model.

Another glitch was that the plate compactor/tamper quit on us fairly early in the day.  It was working for a bit, but then the engine was quitting and wouldn't restart.  I got quite a bit of the rock compacted, but as the rain continued and the bobcat drove over it again, a bunch of the rock got churned into the ground.

Right before the compactor quit and the rain got heavier

It was a very long, grueling day.  I have no pictures from later in the day, because we were trying so hard to just get done.  We finished in the dark, after we used all the rock, and were very frustrated with our progress.   Poor K was beYOND annoyed.

Luckily, we're getting a credit from the rental place on the tamper, so we can continue and hopefully finish up in the next couple weeks.

Concrete Form Day 2

Late start on the concrete form today, because it rained again.  Quite a bit, actually, in the early afternoon.  Eventually, we ran over to Home Depot to get some more wood for the remaining sides of the form.  As soon as we got back home we started working on the back side of the form.  One of the boards that looked pretty straight in the store was actually giving us quite a bit of trouble -- too much bowing and twisting.  We worked until it was dark, and then K brought a work light outside so we could keep going.

The lights behind the trees are a train going by  

It was actually kind of fun once I got a sweatshirt on to keep warm.  We had the radio on, lots of good tunes, and I was dancing around whenever I needed to warm up.  K was determined to get that side done tonight, and we did it!  Eventually got things all straight and square.  Should make the other two sides easier to complete.

So... one side of the form per week, so far.  Plus leveling some of the dirt and adding the gravel and rock after that...   Means we'll be ready to pour the concrete in, like, November?