Day 29 - Stairs Complete & Grade Beam Ready for Concrete

I'm tired.  It is any wonder, working long days and staying up until after midnight blogging and then reading?  I really need to get to bed earlier tonight because tomorrow - yes, I say tomorrow - we will start on those upstairs walls!  That will be hot and tiring but so fun!  It will change the shape of the house.  If everything goes as planned, those exterior walls should be done by the end of this week!  Yippee!

Today I made the second part of the stairs.  It is the shorter run that goes from the midpoint landing to the top.  Once again, Mr.W drew out the stringers for me and I did all the cutting.  I also cut the rest of the treads and risers.  This whole set went together much quicker, thanks to Mr.W's help (and the fact that it is half the length).  He knew I wanted to get it as finished as possible before I had to take Pepe to his ortho appointment so he glued each piece and held it in place while I screwed it down.  When I was gone, Mr.W finished assembling it and secured it in place on the staircase.  We now have a complete (and level) set of stairs that go up to the second floor.

The guys continued to work on the forms for the garage grade beam.  This is one job Jay did NOT enjoy.  Lots of little details and lots of work and no fun at all - but he said the end result of having a garage is worth it.  The inspector came and insisted on a couple minor changes so now that those are done, it is ready for concrete tomorrow morning.  I am proud of Jay for working so hard and diligently on something he didn't enjoy.  I never heard him complain and even saw him smile occasionally.  I know that working with the guys he does certainly helps to make the not-fun jobs more bearable!

Once again, the kids played in the pool all afternoon.  I bought special sunscreen today just for them - 60 SPF waterproof stuff since Ari looks like she is wearing a red bathing suit even when she isn't - just a little bit too much sun!  They all had trouble sleeping last night due to the sunburns.  Today they had to wear shirts in the pool to reduce the sun exposure.  Tomorrow we will ensure they are wearing sunscreen.

I will try to get more "in-process" photos but my photographer is busy swimming and doesn't want to stop for pictures!