Week 2 - The Ups and Downs

Sept. 13-17

This week we made amazing progress. Things went up -The foundation blocks were all laid, gravel spread, many piles of dirt moved, the sub floor for the new dining room and entry laid and, The Downs - the interior walls and ceilings removed inside the house. The lack of rain is making it easy for us to be about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Here are photos showing the transformation.....

Foundation blocks arrive

Jim begins the process of laying the foundation

A liquid membrane foundation sealant was applied to keep moisture from penetrating the block below ground level.

Drainage system installed along the new foundation

The gravel shooting truck is a gift from god. It is able to direct and shoot gravel into amazingly difficult areas to reach. Thank god, otherwise we would all be slinging it!

We still do have to spread the gravel out evenly throughout the crawl space by hand, which Josh is demonstrating here using a tool called a 'come along'.

UGH! And, that's all I have to say! You can imagine who will need to move this pile of gravel.

Jenni (second from left) and a few of the boys while shoveling piles of dirt and gravel over and around the new foundation

These boys just won't quit! They achieved knocking out the interior plaster walls/ceilings in the living room, old dining room and kitchen by mid-week. Dust masks required. Hack, cough, sneeze........ aaaaahh choooo! This is the magical moment when we will stop the ridiculous attempt to clean the part of the house we are trying to live in (even though we have that part of the house totally sealed off from construction. Yeah, right!). Good thing we both don't mind the camping experience.

Rob being eaten by the ceiling. Just imagining the no-seeum's crawling around up in there wants to make me run out of the room!

The living room ceiling that will soon be a vaulted ceiling once the new roof is installed

It's a foggy day in September for Steve INSIDE of our house!

ACK! There is a wall gone and I can see outside! No turning back...............and of course now it will rain!!!!

Stay tuned for sub floors..............HOW EXCITING! :o)