Walls, Closets & Windows - now

We had our framer put studs up all around the basement so we can insulate it and put walls up. He is so quick and does such a good job it made more sense for him to do it than us. You are looking at a mechanical room, and beside it is a pantry.


He got it done. This is going to be a storage room for all of our stuff while we live in the basement.

And this is one end of where we're going to live. Our framer also built us a couple of closets. The end you are looking at above will be a kitchenette area. When we move upstairs we are going to keep this area a kitchen. Then I can use it like a summer kitchen for canning. Maybe for extracting honey and processing meat too.

This end will be a bedroom, with the living room in the middle. We will be living in an efficiency. Oh well, less to clean right? When we move upstairs, we plan on this end being my craft room.

On Wednesday, the "window guy" came to our house, as we had some issues with our new windows. The sashes in the front were sagging - he replaced them. Two of the windows had weatherstripping coming off of them - he fixed it. And he also showed Dave how to fix the windows so they will open easier, which was a huge concern of mine. I have windows open whenever possible and these were so tight, I could barely open them with nothing in the way. I told Dave I will never be able to open the kitchen windows with a sink and counter in the way. So now he knows how to fix them so they'll open easier. I'm so glad.

Progress on the house is slowing down, as you've noticed. It would be fruitless to heat it right now since there are no walls up and some places are open. Besides, we don't have a furnace yet, or duct work, or registers! By the time Dave gets off of work, he only has a couple of hours before it gets dark. He's working out there, installing doors and locks and such. The house is now locked up. So, we are doing some stuff out there, or he is, but it's just slow....and cold.

Cindy

Losing it! plus Windows and Doors - now

I have to say, in all of the books we've read on building a house, we haven't seen a chapter on "how to stay sane!" I thought yesterday was going to be the breaking point for us. Not with our marriage, but with the busy-ness and stress. It started Saturday. Dave worked this weekend and I was with my friend and cousin on Saturday. We decided to go to some craft shows and open houses. While we sat down to lunch, my phone rang. "Cindy, this is Mike, (Mike is the framer - I don't know the tar paper man's name so we'll call him TPM for tar paper man) TPM can't put the synthetic tar paper up because you need plastic caps, and the instructions say you can't staple it." Oh jeez...now what should I do. Dave is at work, so I beeped him and he called me back. "Try to staple it anyway." OK " Called Mike back...have him try to staple it anyway." Riiinnngggg "Cindy, he can't staple it. He said it will leak and it's just not the way you put it up." Me, "well what if I go get the plastic caps." Mike, "TPM said it will take him a week to put the synthetic up and it will only take him about three hours to do the 30 pound." Me, "let me call Dave." I call Dave, Dave calls Mike, Mike calls me back, Dave calls me back. TPM put up the 30 pound paper and now I get to return the synthetic. Six rather large rolls of over $500 dollars worth of tar paper. That was a lunch hour that I spent on the phone the entire time. Sorry Vickie and Teresa.

Then yesterday I was trying to get my sugar patties made for my bees, I needed to go to the house site and pick up the tar paper so I could return it today, had lunch plans with family, needed to sweep the floor in the house because the leaves and sawdust are holding water, I have a harvest celebration for the Community Garden on Wednesday, that I am in charge of putting together, I have to get my bees ready for winter while it's warm out (the next three days), we needed to make a list of the lumber we are having returned, I needed to meet Dave to take some pics of small problems with the windows that we want fixed....and all I really want to do is craft! I was so inspired on Saturday. And Dave is going to try to take a couple of days off of work, or at least half days, because he needs to seal the garage floor while it's warm, and we need to get some stuff put away and ready for winter.

After lunch Sunday, my niece and I negotiated a deal. She'd help me for one dollar and five quarters (just think of the gumballs/toys in the machine at the grocery store with five quarters!) She's the least expensive help I've hired so far, and she did a good job! I gave her the job of moving the wood out of the house so I could sweep.

And you thought Tyvek was only used to wrap a house!

And, we have windows!!! and doors!!!

The kitchen windows

Downstairs is a tv/reading room, upstairs is a bedroom

family room

Walk out basement view

Inside family room looking out

Looking out the upstairs slider window in one of the bedrooms

Looking out the upstairs bedroom

When my niece saw the upstairs bedroom she said, "wow, my room has a balcony!" It's so funny, my nieces think they have a room in everyone's house. They did the same thing when my parents moved.

Gotta get busy

Cindy