Let's Frame!

On Wednesday the slab was poured for the garage. That ended the concrete work for a while. Now it is on to framing! On Friday afternoon I pulled in and found the following sight! How exciting! It is beginning to look like a building.

The project is getting lots of interest from the neighbors and people passing by. A couple of days ago my neighbor said she saw some people out walking their dogs stop by and use the porta potty. That inspired me to put the above note on the door. I thought it would leave some room for question and perhaps make the perpetrators think twice. My plan is to just drive the car up so they cannot open the door and get out. I admit, I have been a little nervous that I might knock it over when I back down the drive. But now I have a purpose!

On Thursday, Bill and I met with trent Wither of Withers Lumber in Woodburn/brooks and picked out our windows. This is getting exciting!

Tarred and Feathered!

There has been a lot of activity on site this week. The stem wall forms were pulled off on Monday and Chris got the job of tarring the cold joints and the retaining walls where the ground will be against the building. The drain pipe has been laid around the perimeter.

Today they poured additional footings and the slab for the entry. The gentleman who did the finish concrete work was the same person who poured the slab for the original carport 30 years ago!

The best news is that the dirt pile between the house and garage has been graded. Now Pearl can sit at the back door and watch all the activity. Zach spread gravel so the can have a dry working area during mud season!

Sunny in White Salmon!

Considering that it was snowing last monday when the crew was working, Zach and Chris are delighted to see the sun! Hard to believe that it is October! Great fall day with wonderful color and shirt sleeve weather. As usual, it is colder inside the old house than it is outside. Just another reminder as to why we are doing this project!

Today the forms are coming off of the stem wall. As they remove the forms they are cleaning them and stacking them for storage. Later in the week, Alan is going to regrade the space between the house and the new building. We will be able to see them working without looking around a wall of dirt. This will help Pearl emencly. She barks when she is tied up on the porch and can hear voices but not see any activity.

The birds are finding their new home.

Mud, Mud, Mud!

This morning Pearl and I climbed out of bed at the crack of dawn. We were up and on our way to White Salmon in time to watch the concrete being poured. By the time we arrived, the site was staged with the pump and hoses. The plumber was also here to make sure the forms were in place for the water line to enter the structure. The concrete truck was expected to roll in at any minute.

It took a little over 8 yards of concrete to fill the forms. One truck was drained and a second came with the remaining material to finish the pour. It took less than an hour to fill the forms. Once the forms were filled, Zach, Chris and Alan began tapping the concrete down into the forms and leveling off the tops.

The last item was placing the lag bolts in the concrete for the cill plates. Once they were finished, I think the team was on their way to nap!

It's Snowing!

The stem wall forms are being put into place! The back corner wall will be almost 4 feet because of the grade. We are stepping the building about 18 inches to work with the grade. However, the hill is bigger than that!

Yesterday was Matthew's last day on the site. Today he is going to work for the Lumber Company down in Bingen. He will be working on the river on the tugboats and barges. Matthew helped us tear down the carport basically get started on the project. This first picture is one of Chris (in the red) and Matthew placing some of the foundation forms.

This photo was taken this morning as Chris (in blue) and Zach place more of the forms. The gentleman standing next to them is Alan's brother Doug. Doug will be doing the insulation for the building. This truly is a family affair. Alan is the contractor. Chris is his son. Zach is his son-in-law. Matthew is his nephew. I guess we will be able to say that this is American built!

It is now snowing and the guys tell me this is better than rain! Less sloppy!

Foundation - At Last!

The foundation is now underway. Last Friday the footings were poured. As you can see, they are stepped for the grade. Today work begins on the stem walls. So far no rain to muck things up.

The Carlock building team, Zach, Chris and Matthew

, are tying the rebar and setting up the forms. I am providing homemade chocolate chip cookies to keep them inspired and motivated.

This morning the house was freezing. I realized that I am going to have to use some of my birthday money to invest in polar fleece to get

through the next 4 months.

On another note, I have noticed the other comforts of home the team brings to the project. A Honey Bucket and a stereo system. The Bosch Stereo is also disguised as a power source. What will those guys think of next for toys on the construction site?

The Pool Has Arrived!

The Pool has arrived! Bill spent the day figuring out how to unload and what to do with the three large crates for the pool. This photo was taken by Bill with his new iphone. Now he too can be a contributer to the blog!

September has be quieter than we had hoped. There were a few hold ups with the engineered drawings. However, we are expecting that to wrap up this week and things will begin to move forward.