Owner Building a Home - Day 51 & 52 - First Floor Windows, Etc.

DAY 51

For the first time in a very long while we had a cloudy, misty, almost kinda rainy day.  But that is okay!  With the heat wave we have been having a day like this is welcomed.  It would have been nice to actually get more rain (maybe not the 3.5" a nearby town got) since the fields could use it and a rain day away from the house is welcome, too.  However, work continued.  If you look at the photos of when the roof went on, you notice the sheeting on the roof is missing at the peaks.  There is also no sheeting connecting the roofs over the house and the roof over the garage.  This day saw Mr.W on the roof filling in those missing pieces.  Like I said, he is the only one with safety training for working on the roof while being anchored down with a rope so we gladly handed everything to him and let him at it.  He cut the sheeting before I got there then I handed it up to him through the trusses while standing on a ladder.  Once again I state how much easier it is to build a roof on the ground.  The bill we got for craning it up is totally worth not having to do all this up-and-down-the-ladder-must-tether-to-the-roof stuff.  After the sheeting was down, the shingles went up. Those also had to be carried up a ladder, one bundle at a time.  I don't have enough padding on my shoulders so Mr.G got to carry them while Mr.W installed them.  It is a tiring job working up on that tall roof! 

While he was shingling, he also added the roof vents on the backside of the roof.  So now the roof is watertight and can vent.  The temperature in the house has lowered dramatically to a very comfortable temperature, especially with the breeze coming through the window openings.  While Mr.W was up on the roof, we continued to finish back framing and a whole bunch of other little things that just need doing.  We needed to move back the stair header to give us more headroom and to bring it up to code.  That stair header is only about 3 feet wide and has two LVL hangers attached to it.  Each of those hangers has 40 nails in it.  Times that by 2 and you have 80 nails that I was supposed to pull out while working with my arms above my head.  Can you only imagine how tired my arms were?  And I only did 20 nails.  That was all I could do!  They were not easy to pull and required more strength than I had left.  When Jay showed up, I gladly gave him the job and he finished the remaining 60 nails in about half the time it took me to do 20.  Sometimes my lack of strength hinders me and that frustrates me.  However, my arms are WAAAAAY more tone than they were before so these past few couple of months have certainly helped in that regard.  We needed to add a nailing surface for the drywall in the vaulted ceiling and in the tray ceiling.  See, boring stuff that needs to get done but everything looks the same afterwards.  That is okay.  I enjoyed being given a list and then just going at it.  Each of these little jobs are so important.  I added the insulation and vapor barrier and OSB around the tub opening in the kids bathroom so we can install that tub already so our plumber knows where the drain is.  We also brought in our corner tub but since the stair header was in the way, we couldn't get it up the stairs.  Towards the end of the day, Jay pushed more soil up by the front door so we can get started on the front porch sometime next week, maybe.  Sometimes progress seems really slow because you cannot see what you did but it is progress none-the-less.

DAY 52

Shingling and sheeting continued today so most of the roof is now watertight. There are a couple of small sections but those will be done soon.  Once again, it was Mr.W up there and we are so glad he is!  Then, just before lunch, the guys put in the first window!  Of course, they picked the largest window in the house, the living room picture window, which then makes it the heaviest, but you have to start somewhere!  Mr.W explained how windows are installed and then they put it in.  The kids and my mom and I all watched, the guys put it in and the kids cheered!

When you are looking at windows and figuring out what you want, you are not always sure how it is going to look.  I LOVE our windows and am so glad I went with the style I did.  After lunch they put in almost all the remaining main floor windows - only one kitchen window is still out.  They look so good but I imagine with the rest of the siding and a large 6" white trim, they will look FANTASTIC!

Any ideas of what the front door will look like?!  The entry system will not be installed until much closer towards the end of building to ensure it doesn't get damaged but let me tell you, it is BE.U.T.FUL!!

We continued to work on little "renovations" here and there to adjust window openings to their exact right location, to make room for heating ducts and generally make sure all the framing is just where it needs to be.  My dad was out with our family friend ("Uncle" Junior) to continue working on the plumbing and heating.  He often had questions about where sinks would be or what kind of faucets, how high the sinks were, etc. so I had to figure out some of those answers to make sure everything gets put in the exact right spot.  AJ joined Papa (my dad) up in the trusses to put together some pipes - AJ was so thrilled to be able to help.

I misplaced my camera at this moment so this is with Jay's phone

Each day we get one step closer to drywall stage, which is what is forcing us along right now.  We are not doing the drywall ourselves but have contracted that out and we have a schedule we need to keep.  Jay and I each spent time in the evenings at the site this week in order to get a little more accomplished - every little bit helps.  Next week Mr.W has to be out of town for a couple of days so we may end up going to the states for one of those days to pick up all the items I have bought and are waiting for me plus to check out the recessed lighting.  We will need those soon as electrical rough-in is not too far away.  We are only 1 hour from the Canada-USA border so it makes sense to do some cross-border shopping when the savings are substantial.  I am also able to use an American shipping address to save myself shipping costs when buying Ebay items so I have a number of things to pick up, including faucets and sinks, door levers and cabinet knobs and some school curriculum.  It is high time we made a day trip to get our stuff.

Owner Building A Home - Day 49 & 50 - A Little of This and a Little of That

Back framing. 

Loading thousands of pounds of siding onto a trailer.
Taking thousands of pounds of siding off the trailer.

Back framing.

Moving thousands of pounds of drywall.

Back framing.

Filling in all the missing pieces of OSB on the roof.  Mr.W did this one.  He is the only one crazy enough to tether himself to the top of a very tall 8/12 roof and walk around on it.  He earned his pay today!  :)

Back framing.

And at the end of it all, everything looks almost exactly the same as it did two days ago.  But much tidier.  How can you tell a woman is on site?  Because the house has been vacuumed!

All the work in the last 2 days has been completely anticlimactic but totally necessary.  And I have enjoyed it all (but I did the easy stuff!  Jay did all the back-breaking work!).

Owner Building a Home - Day 48 - Raising the Roof

We have been working towards this day for a couple of weeks now.  It is so very rewarding to see your hard work turn out just like it should.  When Mr.W first suggested we build the roof on the ground, we were all for the idea.  After all, it is much safer and easier to build on the ground instead of many feet in the air.  Moving all the trusses is easier.  Sheeting and shingling is easier.  Soffits and fascia?  Easy!  Even putting siding on is easier.  Everything about making the roof on the ground makes complete sense, especially when the roof has an 8/12 and 12/12 pitch and you have all the room you need to make the roof on the ground.  I could see it being a challenge on a city lot but with 5 acres, we had all the room we wanted.  So making the roofs on the ground is exactly what we did.  All we had to do when it was done was crane them up and set them on the walls.  Easy peasy.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, it is actually much simpler than you would think.  First you find a really big crane, I mean a REALLY BIG crane to come and help you out.  The main roof was 11,300 pounds so the crane not only needs to be big enough to lift that weight but also has to lift it from quite a distance.  In this area that means you call Mr.Boom Truck! 

They arrived just shortly after 8am this morning, pulling in just after I arrived.  I unloaded the kids and set them up with breakfast at a safe viewing distance while the crane truck set himself up.  It is quite interesting to watch it put out its "feet" and place them on large platforms made of wood.  Then it lifts itself up onto those feet and completely off the tires of the truck.  It then adds counter-weights to ensure the truck is not going to fall over and out comes the really, really, reeeeealy long arm.  At the end of the arm is a ball and at the end of the ball is a hook. 

Straps are wrapped around the 2x10 bracing we added to the trusses of the roof and hooked onto the ball.

Then, very carefully, the roof is lifted.  And with a slight spring, it is hanging in the air, about a foot off the frame it was sitting on.  A few creaks and groans could be heard but it was in the air and it was holding together!  We were thrilled and watched with anxious excitement as it started flying in the air. 

Now, before you think the crane did all the work and we just watched, each of us had a very important job to do.  Mr.W was the signal man, telling the crane operator what he wanted with all these hand signals I have yet to figure out.  A spinning of the finger or a rubbing of the fingers or a squeezing of the hand all mean different things - either up, down, rotate, sideways, I want lunch, you look good, I'm milking a cow, etc.  It is an easy and effective way to communicate if you know the language, which I obviously don't.  Our pastor (who came to help just for this), Mr.G, Mr.E and Jay were stationed at the four corners of the roof.  It was their job to ensure the roof sat down on the wall just where it was supposed to.  Mr.W made sure this happened by running back and forth to give commands to the crane operator and then running to the corner of the roof to ensure it was coming down like it should. 

I was flying the roof, much like you fly a kite.  I, along with the assistant crane operator, were holding onto long ropes attached to the roof.  It may weigh over 11,000 pounds but it can still be controlled with a rope.  Our job was to ensure the roof stayed square to the walls.  I honestly had no clue what I was doing but was able to do what they wanted when they yelled at me.  Pastor kept calling me the rope girl.  RJ didn't think that was appropriate.  I thought it was humorous.  Whatever the case, slowly, ever so slowly, the roof was lowered down onto the walls, just where it should be. 

And Mr.W looked so surprised that it fit.  That should bother me a little but it doesn't.  Of course it fit, we built it.  I mean, Mr.W built it so of course it fit.  Roof #1 was done.

On to roof #2.  This roof was only 3000 pounds in weight so it was supposed to be easier. 

The part we weren't expected was the fact that it didn't want to hang level.  Oh, right, one side has shingles, one side doesn't.  That adds a bunch of weight.  After a bit of discussion, they decided to leave it as such and just work with it like it is.  The trick with this roof was to not just lower it into place but to also slide it up against the other roof, interlocking the plywood that was left hanging over.  It worked out perfectly.  Roof #2 done.

Before relocating the crane to another position, they quickly lifted up the small chimney chase.  It was easy to lift but doesn't fit perfectly.  Ack, you win some, you lose some.  No biggie.  It can be fixed now that it is up there.  While they were putting up the chase, I went to see the front of the house.  With a roof, it looks completely different.  And huge.  On to the last roof.

The crane moved to its final location, set itself up and hooked onto the garage roof. 

With tension on the straps, Mr.W and Pastor realized the straps needed to be longer so as to not put too much diagonal pressure on the trusses, causing them to twist.  No problem, longer straps were added and the 8,700 pound roof lifted with ease. 

Once again, the guys had their positions and I flew a kite roof. 

And this roof landed just where it needed to as well. 

We. were. done.  (In case you were wondering how I knew the weight of each roof, I simply stood on the scale and weighed myself.  Then I picked up the roof and weighed myself again.  I subtracted the first weight from the second and got the weight of the roof.  Or you could ask the crane operator who has a built-in scale.)

Then I stood back, way back and looked at the house and smiled and smiled and smiled. 

It looks so good.  SO.GOOD!  All our hard work is paying off.  We have a roof.  We have a house.  We have a roof and a house that WE built.  Unbelievable.  We have been dreaming about this house for about 10 years.  We have known about this floor plan for about 8 years.  It is kinda surreal to see your dreams unfold into reality before your eyes.  Sure, they may take a lot of work but they are so SOOOOO worth it!  Go for your dreams, people!  It is quite the ride!

Then, in the middle of raising the roofs, our windows arrived.  A big Durabuilt delivery truck pulled up and unloaded some beautiful windows and a gorgeous front door. 

Oh.my.goodness.  Those are MY windows and doors.  Once again, huge smile.  It-hurts-to-smile kind of smile.  Plan says we could install them this week!  Ack.  So exciting!  Too much excitement for one morning.  And that was just the morning!

After a lunch where Mr.W recouped from all the excitement and stress since he is really the one feeling it all, we made the rafters that join the main house to the office-over-the-garage portion.  Mr.W climbed on the roof and harnessed himself in and I set up in the office with a saw and some wood.  Mr.W called out measurements and I cut wood.  I cut straight pieces.  I cut 45 degree angles.  I cut 8/12 angles with 45 degree bevels.  I cut 45 degree angles with 35 degree bevels.  It was all kinda confusing but I did it and he built the saddle portion of the roof so if it looks all funny, it is probably my cuts.  While I was doing that, Jay was starting on the back framing.  That is all the extra blocking and framing required to ensure there is a nailing surface for the drywall to attach to in all the corners of the rooms.  Plus we need to add all the trimmers we previously left out and ensure everything is nailed down everywhere.  Basically you go into a room and go around it ensuring nothing got forgotten and everything is secure.  Super important with nothing to show for it after.  But hey, it can't all be roof-raising fun, now can it?  Mr.G helped out where needed and sweet Mr.E spent time in the sun taking apart all the framing we put up so we could make the roof on the ground.  We now have our yard back.  And that brings us to the end of our day.

It was so fun to have some of our family come to watch the excitement.  Uncle C came and took some pictures while pretending to work.  Uncle D and Aunt V and the kids came to watch and our kids jumped all over them.  Then Grandma came and sat in her truck watching so the kids went to join her.  It was a busy place but it was so fun to share the excitement with those people dear to our hearts.  And if you couldn't come, you are welcome to drop by for a visit some time when it suits you - we are there practically everyday and we would love to give you a tour.  And if you live far away and only visit occasionally, we will be sure to have you over the next time you are in town.  After all, now we actually have a roof over our heads.

Just for fun, this is the house without the roof and the house with the roof.  Quite the difference, hey?

***  Partying over here  ***

Owner Building a Home - Day 47 - The Roofs are Ready . . . Mostly!

Another hot and glorious day followed a storm last night.  Though it hardly rained, it was certainly windy and the lightning flashed.  I slept poorly, as I usually do during storms, envisioning the roofs blowing away and the house falling apart.  My imagination gets the best of me during storms!  Needless to say, I was glad to see everything just where it was supposed to be this morning.

When I arrived, the most important thing was to discuss the locations of the duct work with the HVAC dude, my dad.  He needs to run the ducts so we can have hot and cold air to each of the rooms and I need those bulkheads to look like they were supposed to be there later on.  In conjunction with Mr.W, we figured out where the ducts needed to go and how I could make it look pretty.  With that all set, they (dad brought along a family friend to help for the day) set to work running a lot of the ducts for the second floor.

While they worked in the house, Jay and Mr.G started making the rest of the fireplace chase.  The first half of the chase was made a long time ago and now the second half is ready to go as well.  Since it would be nearly impossible for us to lift the 7' wide x 10'+ tall wall up onto the first chase, we are getting it craned up on Monday as well.  Why not use the big machine instead of killing ourselves trying to lift it up by hand?

Mr.E and I are practically experts at siding by now (okay, maybe not!) so we went to work putting the siding on the gable end of the garage.  Once again, we reiterate that it is much easier to work on these areas when the roof is on the ground.  This section of roof is a 12/12 pitch which means each end of the siding is cut at a 45 degree angle - I could use my speed square to quickly mark each cut.  Plus we figured out a better way to measure more accurately so that each cut wouldn't have to be redone 3 times.  Finally, because we were only putting siding up to the window opening (which will later be cut anyway to install the trim around the windows) we weren't too concerned with how accurate the window-side cuts were.  Somewhere within 4 inches of the window opening was just fine.  Also, because the roof is a 12/12 pitch and each cut is a 45 degree angle and we know that each piece is exposed 7 inches, it was really easy to figure out the measurement for each additional piece.  Just subtract 14 inches (7 for each end) for the next piece up and away you go.  Since we had to work up on a scaffolding of sorts, I cut a number of pieces at a time and then installed them.  Today I used a particulate respirator while cutting the fiber cement and though it was less dusty, it sure was hot, sweaty and a bit stale to wear.  I gladly took it off each time we attached the siding just to get some fresh air.  We worked on the south side of the garage installing siding so it was hot, the siding was hot, the tools were hot and we were hot but we finished it mid-afternoon and it looks great!

Room above the garage - before siding

Room above the garage - with siding



Room above the garage - the office

Mr.W made sure all of us knew what we were doing, helped us when necessary and installed the soffits and fascia on the same area we were working on.  Towards the end of the day, he and Jay added the additional bracing on the roofs necessary to ensure they stay just as they should when they are lifted into place.  Tomorrow he and Jay will make the last-day checks to ensure all the bracing is correct and in place, that nothing was forgotten and double and triple check to make sure everything looks good.  Last minute checks happen Monday morning!  As it is right now, the roofs are practically complete and all of us will be happy when the roofs are up and that worry can leave our minds.  At least until we have to climb onto those roofs to finish shingling!  :)

At the end of the work day, I was tired.  My neck is sore and I should really see a chiro and I haven't been sleeping well.  So, I decided to lie down on the floor of the office and rest.  It was a wonderful rest, especially with this view out the top of the roof:

Makes me think we should finish the roof with Plexiglas so I can always watch the beautiful blue sky - you know, when it is not pouring rain or covered with snow!

On one final note, Nana sent treats along with Papa (my dad) for the kids - Ari (and the others) were rather delighted!  Thanks, mom!


Photo taken by AJ, aged 7



Owner Building a Home - Day 45 & 46 - Siding and the Bonus Room

DAY 45

I had told Jason last night to please not start on the siding before I arrived.  I really wanted to be part of that action.  And he obliged.  When the guys arrived on site in the morning, the first thing they tackled was putting those small piggy-back trusses on top of the attic trusses.  I actually have no idea how they did it since I wasn't around to watch and every time I think to ask, Jay isn't around.  But it must have worked out as planned since I haven't heard any complaints of how it went.

* Edited to add - Mr.W attached some 2x4s across the trusses then stood up there while Jason handed the small trusses us to him.  Easy peasy, as Mr.W likes to say!  *

When I arrived with Mr.E around 10ish, Mr.W set me to work installing siding!  He showed Mr.E and I how to do it, installed some with us and then let us do the rest on our own.  It is not a particularly hard job but putting siding on the gable ends requires an awful lot of cutting.  Since we are installing fiber cement siding, it required cutting with a cut-off blade meant for concrete.  And it involves a whole lot of dust.  I wish I had been wearing a mask and I will be sure to wear one on Friday when we put siding on the end of the garage wall. 

I had read some comments about fiber cement siding about how it chips easily, breaks easily, scratches easily, etc.  I found that those can all be true if you don't handle it carefully.  If you cut it slowly and carefully, chips are eliminated.  If you keep the protective foam between each piece in place until you install the siding, the scratches are eliminated.  And if you don't step on the siding while it is lying on the ground and be careful how you lift it, it won't break.  Mr.W compares installing fiber cement siding to the finishing details on the outside of the house.  It requires the same care and precision you take with the interior details like the casing of doors and windows.  With vinyl siding you can be quicker and hide a lot of mistakes - there is less room for error with fiber cement.  But once it is installed, it is oh-so-lovely! 

I also learned how to use a framing square to find my 8/12 pitch.  I tried to use a cut-off piece as a stencil to mark each end cut but somehow those angles never turned out right.  When I used the framing square, the ends were perfect!  So we spent the remainder our our morning finishing one of the gable ends and then the afternoon putting siding on the other gable end.  It was longer and required more time.  It also requires me to measure accurately so I don't have to recut pieces, which takes more time.  But eventually we found our groove - hopefully the siding on the garage goes quicker because of that groove.

While Mr.E and I were working on the siding, Jay and Mr.W and another wonderful worker, Mr.G, were working on the bonus room, installing the sheeting and shingling the roof.  That is a 12/12 pitch, which means it is a 90 degree angle at the top.  It is steep and tall and is still sitting on the ground.  Once again, we are so thankful to be working on the ground.  Those guys continue to do an excellent job at shingling and the roof is looking so lovely!  I did take some photos of Jay working on this roof but they disappeared from the camera.  Grr. 

Today the kids spent the whole day with us.  It wasn't quite as hot as it has been so they played at the site.  I found some toys for them and we brought their bikes along.  They amused themselves nicely for the day but are looking forward to grandma's tomorrow.

After everyone went home for supper, I stayed at the site to finish up my work and clean up.  I get tired of seeing all the mess so I made a good dent in cleaning it up.  I know that we will have the site looking much cleaner real soon.

DAY 46

I cannot resist starting this post with a joke.

Q:  How many guys does it take to find a framing nailer?
A:  At least 3 and even then one will call his wife to ask where it is and she will tell him it is in the toolbox where all 3 guys had already looked and determined it wasn't there.  :)

We are getting closer to the 8am Monday deadline and still there are many things to do.  But, each day we work hard and accomplish much and know that we will make it.

Today I got a lesson on the mechanics of a home - mostly the heating/cooling and air handling aspect.  We are still working through what kind of a heating/cooling system we want and it is important that I understand how different systems work so I can fully support Jay in the system he thinks is best for us and this house.  It is not traditional and requires some creative thinking but it is what will give us the end result we are looking for which is warmth and comfort on each level without a whole bunch of bulkheads.  We will talk it over with the mechanical guy tomorrow to see if we can figure it all out.  It leaves me a little stressed and I am losing sleep over it since it is such an important part of the comfort of the house but I know it will all work out.

Once I put that out of my mind, I set to work helping Mr.W create the little roof/overhang on the garage wall.  After lunch, we were trying to continue work when the power went out.  We thought we tripped a breaker so Jay and Mr.W went to check it out.  We had no power at all.  While Jay went to find a generator, I called the hydro company to discover a neighbour, just a short drive away, pulled a power line down on himself while he was in a combine.  They had just received the call and had dispatched help when I called.  So, we used the generator for the rest of the afternoon and finished up that little roof, including the shingles.  We also installed the house wrap for that end so that we are ready to go with the siding tomorrow. 

While we were working on that, Jay was building the final wall for the house!  It is hard to call it a wall since it has so many openings but it is the front of the garage where the two garage doors and one man door are.  He got that put together and we stood it up.  Then he had to do some other renovation work on my china cabinet build out to accommodate the trusses that will sit upon it.

Earlier today, before I arrived, the guys framed out the front wall on the office and sheeted the floor of the office.  I forgot my camera at home today so I have no photos but I will be sure to take some tomorrow.  We are getting so close to being ready!

*Edited to add the garage photo*

Owner Building a Home - Day 44 - Soffits, Fascia and More Shingles

I am surprised that after however many days of shingling, Jason continues to work diligently at it without any complaining.  If I was doing it that long, I may have reached the "I'm-so-ready-for-something-else-stage" at this point but then again, you never know!  Sometimes it is so nice to see immediate progress and shingling is just that!

While Jay continued to shingle today, Mr.W and I worked on the gable ends of the roof where we had to shingle just a little and then install the soffits and fascia.  If you want a step-by-step process, you won't get it here.   It involves some drip edge and shingles and house wrap and flashing and J-channel and soffits and fascia.  And then you do it all over again on the other side. Mr.W walked me through each step on one end of the house and then let me do the other end of the house mostly by myself, assisting as necessary.  When I was working on that end, the funniest moment of the day occurred.  I was done with the shingles and announced to Mr.W, "It is now time for the flashing!".  He looked at me, tried not to smile, and said, "No, it is now time to install the flashing."  Oh, I laughed and laughed.  Jay, however, told me I can tell him that anytime I want!

Anyway, with Jay's hard work, all the shingles that we are installing at this point on the main roof are complete! 

Tomorrow we tackle the siding on the gable ends and then move onto the bonus room above the garage.  That requires quite a bit of work yet before it is done but since tomorrow is only Wednesday, we should be in good shape for Monday's 8am deadline.

Owner Building a Home - Day 43 - Yet Again . . .

It never ceases to amaze me what a good Sunday afternoon nap can do for my mind and my body!  It is so incredibly refreshing and allows me to work hard and long during the week, knowing Sunday is coming!  With yesterday's wonderful nap, I was totally ready to face the day today.

In regards to the bracing in the roof trusses, the engineer requires certain braces and the fact that we will be craning up the roof requires certain braces.  We had previously installed some of the bracing and finished most of the rest of it today.  The inside of those trusses looks like a really bad maze with pieces of wood going every which way.  The hardest part was installing the 16' 2x10's at the very top of the inside of the trusses.  Those are heavy pieces of wood and you need to hold them over your head while someone nails them on all the while balancing on some truss.  It wasn't easy but together with the taller guys we were able to do it.  Those 2x10 braces are what the crane will hook on to when lifting the roof so it was important to install them and then nail them over and over and over again.  I am the shortest person on the site so it is so helpful to have 2 young guys who are both close to 6' tall.  There are many times I need their extra few inches to accomplish what we need to do. 

When we weren't installing the bracing, we were continuing to sheet the roof.  Now all the sheeting for the main roof is finished as far as we can go.  The whole room over the garage needs to be sheeted next so that will happen sometime later this week.  Jay continued to shingle the roof and I continue to love looking at those shingles.  It was so much cooler today, by about 10 degrees, and it makes it so much more comfortable to work, especially with black shingles.  There were moments of frustration on Jay's part as he forgot some steps in the shingling process and had to undo some things but that is all part of the "fun".  Maybe tomorrow they will let me shingle!

In one week, we have the crane booked to come and lift the roof.  4-5 work days left to accomplish all that needs to be done to be ready for 8am Monday morning.  It is certainly in the back of our minds each day.  Maybe there will be some evenings of work ahead of us this week.

* No photos today as I forgot the battery for the camera on the charger at home.  Oh well, there is always tomorrow. *

Owner Building a Home - Day 42 - {More} Sheeting & Shingling

Though the day started out fine for me, it quickly went downhill.  There was a very simple task I was supposed to accomplish and it just. wasn't. happening.  I think I had to redo attaching that one piece of wood about 4 times.  For some reason it felt a zillion times hotter today and I couldn't think and all I wanted to do was go home.  I kept telling myself to just buck up and do it but pep talking didn't work.  I eventually left it all where it lay and went to weed.  Weeding is my therapy.  It works to calm me down and allow me to see reason yet again.  I have been transplanting perennials from my flower beds here at home and moving them to the country for the past couple of years.  They grow superbly well at the country thanks to the talented gardener that inhabited the yard previously (well, he at least knew how to make really good dirt!).  However, with all the work on the house, I have not been weeding the plants.  Except for the flowers sticking out here and there, you wouldn't know there was anything of value to see.  So, I had at it and weeded most of the plants and then set up a sprinkler.  Once the weeding was done and I had downed a can of Pepsi I was ready to get back to work. 

However, I still moved sluggishly and was easily distracted.  I was trying to sheet a 12/12 pitch roof and only slid off it once (unintentionally) so I am mighty glad it is on the ground.  I didn't accomplish much today and I didn't really care.  I am sure Monday will be much better!

Once again, the kids were at grandma/pa's house.  It is not safe for them to be outside so long in such heat and humidity so they usually spend the morning with us and then lunch and the afternoon at grandma's.  And since grandma has 5 of these:

there is no competition for where they want to be, as it evident on this animal-lover's face.

Proof of their activity around the site still exists and they have discovered that sawdust works just as well as sand!

Through it all, Jay was steady, unwavering and determined to continue shingling.  And he is doing a fantastic job!  Even though it looks like he missed a spot or two, remember, that is where the two sections of roof will be separated in order to be lifted.  The shingles will be filled in later.