Dirt color

We asked for the color of "dirt" and we got it.
It was very late this afternoon when I took these photos, so they are a bit dark. You can see from the screened porch side that below the deck has not yet been painted. There are only two guys doing the painting, so it will take 4-5 more days.

Inside, more water pipes and HVAC are going in. It seems very slow right now, but we have to remember that we have only been building for three months.

Ponds, Bobcat, more pics

This Bobcat skidder belongs to WinShape and I did not know we had one until this week. I used it today moving dirt to backfill on the east side of the house. I am not able to get my tractor on that side, and I had quite a time gettin the Bobcat down there. All morning the groud was wet and the first attempt proved to be a challenge. I started down the hill without a load of dirt to test the traction-- there was none. After spinning for several minutes, I wound up after 20 minutes at the bottom of the hill below the house stuck--three times. Anyhow, I worked all day and finished back filling the excavation hold on the east side.


For the first time since March, we have had some rain water in our silt pond and pasture pond. the pasture pond has maintained a steady level (2 feet low) from the spring water flowing into the pond.

Stabilizing the bank

Pop was helping unload these railroad ties when he almost lost his thumb. Allison and I worked on building a terrace with the ties to help stabilize the bank in front of the house and to help prevent eroison.

Finally, some pics

Electrical is 95%+ finished.

The two electrical panels are in the west mechanical room (remember that the two mechanical rooms are connected to each other by a long hall spanning the entire length of the one foot thick basement wall).

There is a hot water heater in each of the mechanical rooms, and additionally two air handlers are in those rooms -- one for the basement and one for the main floor. The air handler for the loft is in the east "future" bedroom off the loft.


These can lights are over the bar (front two and cooktop (against the wall).

This photo is from the "silt" pond below the house. Notice the paint. The main floor is painted, but the basement is not yet painted.

Cellulose, fiberglass or foam?

The wonderful rain this week has been a blessing -- period. Incredibily, grass seed that I planted in March is now coming up!! Of course it is in patches and not the way I sowed it. We have runoff rain in our pond for the first time in months -- glad we have a spring or it would have long ago been dry.

HVAC work going on. Bathroom vents in. Hot water tanks purchased and sitting on platforms in mechanical room in the basement. Water pipes being installed this week. Electical panels mounted on outside. Painters still have not worked on exterior since Wednesday of last week.

We are working on estimates for insulation and sheetrock. Anyone out there have some advice on insulation please let me know. Cellulose, Fiberglass or foam?

Hope to buy a camera tomorrow and post some pics this weekend.

no pics/rain

I still don't have another digital camera. Allison took several pics over the weekend, but unfortunately she lost the pics before we were able to publish any of them.

We have been receiving precious rain for the past several days, so the painters have not worked on the exterior since last Wednesday. Work is still going on inside on electricity and HVAC. Interior water lines work has started today.

I hope to get a camera soon and get more pictures on the blog.

Thanks for visiting family and friends.

No camera

Sorry I have not posted this week. I have misplaced our camera. I am afraid that someone took it from my pick up at a ball game on Monday night. My fault for not locking the truck.
Electrical work is 95% done. They are running telephone and TV lines today. Painters have finished caulking and started painting, but we had showers yesterday and last night so they have not worked since Wednesday.

We are getting bids for shutters, gutters, and sheetrock. HVAC should go full steam next week.

Hope to get a post with pics this weekend. Off to Pine Mountain for IMPACT 360 barn dance--- yes, I can dance!

Siding done; electrical full steam

The photos are of the finished siding, and the gable vents are now installed. With the exception of one broken window in a dormer, we are finally completely "dried in."

AJ reminded me that the last thing I said about an electrician was that Ron and I and his crew were going to do it, but the number 1 electrician that we wanted has decided not to take the job in Atlanta, so he has been on the job for three days and the electrical work is progressing well.

The Brazilian crew from Atlanta finished the Hardie plank siding this weekend. They are very good at what they do. I have not been able to find a single example of work that I needed them to redo. They are very efficient and work like a machine (five of them). We are getting three painting estimates Monday and Tuesday --for exterior. Also, we are working on sheetrock estimates.

Electrical work

Electrical work is going full swing, but it is hard to get photos that indicate the progress. Here's a couple: one is the electrical panels in the west mechanical room. The other is in the east side of the "jack-and-jill" baths.
Siding work was halted for today because the workers did not have the gable vents. They were delivered later today.
We are getting estimates on exterior painting, insulation and installing interior water lines.

Siding

We contracted with our building supplies company to do the siding, and they have 5 Hispanic guys working like a machine. In two days they have completed 75% of the siding-- and it is a big job with the height of the house. They are doing very good work and should be completed with the job by Friday -- provided the gable vents arrive on time.

House report

The roof is complete and with the exception of the gable vents, the house is dry.

Electrical work was scheduled to start on Wednesday, but the electrician has landed a longer term job, so he will not work on our house. We then went to electrician number 2 who is semi-retired, and he said the job was too big for him. So, Ron and I started the electrical work on Saturday and we have decided to do it ourselves. Ron will also be the HVAC sub-contractor and he will supervise some part-time helpers.

A work crew will begin the Hardie board siding on Monday.

More pics from the weekend

What's an 80 year old doing moving railroad ties?

I took the day off on Friday to spend some time with Pop. We went and bought some corral panels for getting the cows up to load on a trailer. The farm supply had some cross ties, and we are going to need a lot of them for landscaping, so we bought a bundle of them (16). We were moving the ties from the trailer two at a time on the front end loader of the tractor. Working on the last two ties, I threw the last one on top of the other one just as we had been doing, but this time Pop didn't get his thumb out of the way in time and his thumb was crushed. It was a gruesome looking injury.
The urgent care center could not help us and sent us to the emergency room. The ER doctor said that Pop would have to have a hand surgeon work on him. That surgeon wound up being my hand surgeon -- one that did two hand surgeries on me this summer. The surgeon removed the remainder of the nail in the ER, but Pop had to be prepped for surgery to put that thumb back together.
Pop was quite a hit in the ER and operating suite -- everyone wanted to talk with the 80 year old who was injured moving railroad ties! I heard one of the nurses tell another coming on duty, "He is such a sweetie!"

Roof finally finished; Mimi and Pop

Finally, the roof is finished. It has been tough for the roofers with some brisk winds and 24 feet pieces of tin on the steep roof. The electrician will begin tomorrow. The Hardie board siding will begin on Monday.

Mimi and Pop arrived this afternoon for a short visit -- that is the only kind they make! They will stay until Sunday. We took them out to see the house and feed the cows. I think Mimi was more impressed with the cows than the house...