Post 18- Interlude, Walls up, Roof next, and more pix....

One of the things you remember belatedly after you're 40 and doing a big construction project is that you no longer have that 18 year old back.  I spent about a week after the big build  laid up on ibuprofen and saying "ow" a lot.

I've included a couple more recent pix, and we're planning on hitting the roof 4/19 as the next "big" build date.  I've got a couple little minor things to do around the place until then, I just need to make sure we don't run out of money.  We are DEFINITELY getting cherry trees though, yum.  I also need to (finally) make a door and block in that old shed to secure it.  Grass seed needs to be laid down, etc etc.  Time to start sprucing up the landscape, because it's just about planting time.

The view is looking great from the inside (as planned) and I'm liking it more and more.  The roof is going to be a pain for the skylight/hatch directly in the center, but it can be done.

Oh, before I forget-last week Katie found her Special Purpose: guarding her land.  She's been out on the land with me constantly, and has taken a proprietal view of it from the driveway up.  That's her driveway now.  She's never really been much of a guard dog in the apartment, and we were kind of starting to wonder but now she's all over it.  We had a guy come in to turn around and she was down on him and barking up a storm in a second.  When she came back you could tell she was pumped about it, kind of a "hey, did you see what I just did?". I told her she was a good dog for it, and now she sits and makes sure cars going past the driveway keep right on going and don't dilly dally about.  It's seriously like her Special Purpose, and she finally found it.  She even barked at Heather (but only once) when she came up, it just gives her joy.  Like crack, apparently, because she's all over it.

Here's a few of the latest pix:

Note the position of the sun (below pic), it'll hit the 3 South walls perfectly for the passive solar aspect.  We'll eventually need to put up some sloped shades over the windows to account for summer/winter sun heights.

Here's a few of the view from inside.  Keep in mind, on every downstairs window, there'll be an inside planter with plants in it about 12-16" wide, but that will be the view behind them...

                       This is the view currently while sitting on the ...um...porcelain throne.  (We will enclose that off eventually, we're not THAT far in the hills).  Katie is looking out for visitors---------------->

 Pretty day, nice blue skies.

In the Appalachian Mansion (tm) passed out after a fun night of fire and frolicking, from left to right clockwise: Katie, Heather, and Pixel.   Aaaaaaaaaw.

Post 17- The Aptly Named Post of Much Progress and Many Pictures

Whew, ok!  So, it's been just a little while since I've "blogged", but the last 6 days has been a non-stop thrill ride.

Ok, first off, my concrete guy never called and never showed up, and started dodging my phone calls.   I don't mind him not doing it, but there were numerous times throughout the preceding month that I'd have had time to start forming and I relied on him to either do it or communicate to me that he couldn't.  I was  very angry that he didn't even have the common social decency to call and let me know.  Mama always said if you don't have anything nice to say about someone don't say anything at all, so I don't have anything more to say about that.

So my Dad and I did it, with a little help from my grading guy (and later, from his friend who helped during the pour and finishing).  After the slab was formed, poured, and finished (with all the required inspections in between) Kenny and his son Levi came up to help us frame.  Those guys are awesome.  I had Griff from work come out one day, and the whole family was out there another day.  Here's a ton of pictures, in time sequential order, so you can see progress as it went up.  We've currently got the slab done, the sewage/water connected (and on, with a toilet installed!), all the walls framed out with the openings for doors and windows in and sheeted.

HUGE thanks to everyone who came out to work, and especially my parents.

Next phase will be the roof framing, after which we can finish drying it in.  We had a little bit of a financial setback due to the new tax laws and some foolish choices on our part, but we should be ready to frame, sheet, and then felt the roof within about a month...once my body heals and we get some more income.

POST 16- Plumbing prep, trailblazing, and a fairly accurate layout

Ok, so my concrete guy didn't show up today (again), and it would have been a great day to start.  Weather has been a factor, but I have people coming up in 7 days to frame.  I'm getting a little bit antsy, it's crunch time: I have to have the form up and rebar/steel in it, get inspected, and then pour and finish the concrete by next Monday...if I don't at least get the form up and inspected by friday afternoon (4 business days from now!) I'm hosed.

I went ahead and did the plumbing stubouts, I've got the pvc cut and together, and just waiting for my form to go up so I can slip it in there.

Just waiting on my concrete guy....



Here's a before and after pic from when Josh and I blazed a trail the other day...

Before

                                                     After-->









And here's a (moderately) accurate actual layout of the house...

<--spray can is location of toilet stubout, cap is shower drain

More to come later, I'm waiting on a call back from my concrete guy.