After finding someone to do our concrete, we were set to get started on our house at the end of September....until they pushed back the date 3 weeks, and then later canceled on us altogether! Things were looking a little desperate if we wanted to get our addition built before winter and before the baby arrived, but Jim found someone that came in and put the slab in with just 2 days notice- though he had to rush to the store and get all the foam, etc. But, we got it in! And we were able to get the plumbers out on short notice to put the pex tubing in the floor- so we will have radient floor heating in our addition. The contractors that put in the concrete also aid they would turn in a quote for building in a few days- and the next week Jim had them out again putting up the first part of our house! These guys showed up and got to work right away- and they moved fast! I had conferences both days, so I had to work late- but Jim would text me pictures throughout the day, as he ran back and forth to pick up supplies for them. By the first day, they had the bottom framed up and sheathed, and 2 walls to the upper story. By the end of day 2, they had the other 2 walls on the top floor and the roof up and sheathed- with metal on half of it.
The following Monday, they came back and finished up the roof, put in stairs to the upstairs, and framed in the wall between the 2 bedrooms, and put in the windows that we had available. We now just need 3 more windows and the back door before the house is dried in. Now we need to get siding and soffit on before it starts getting really cold! We decided to get 4 foot high windows (instead of the 3 foot), which will be less efficient- but I absolutely LOVE them! It really opens up the view a lot- letting you see the skyline and the tree tops. Our 2- 6 foot windows are going to be wonderful and let us get a great view of our backyard- my favorite part of our property....and I can still see my birdfeeders from my bedroom window, hanging from our giant pine tree.
Because we like to take on a lot of things at once....we are also building a "container garage". Jim ordered up 2 connex boxes- seen below. We each have one to store things in, and we are going to put a roof across the 2 to house the cars and the tractor. We have the trusses in, and some metal tubes that Jim is going to put on top of the containers to make the roof just a little bit taller. Now we just need decent weather for roof building! It has been raining for about 36 hours.....
A couple weeks ago, Jim's dad came out to North Bend and helped us build 16 feet of shelving along the inside of my container. Since then I have begun sorting through all the things in my storage shed and getting everything moved out here. Hopefully by next month I will have everything out here and I will no longer be paying for my storage shed at all. Jim also rigged up some good lights in the ceiling and a light switch, so I can see in there at night. He has begun digging to put in the electrical lines to the "castle"- his blue house. In the meantime, we can plug in an extention cord from the solar panels outlet.
I am currently sharing the couch with Arlo. He has about 3/4 of it, and is still kicking me.....what a couch hog.
