Time for more updates

Time seems to go so slow and so fast all at the same time.  It seems like I just updated the blog and then I look and it has been more than two weeks!  How did that happen?  Well, it means there will be lots of pictures for this post!

We passed the electrical inspection of the roof so the insulation people came and insulated.  It took them one long day but they got it all done.  Cale was working right behind them getting the OSB on top of it so it would be ready to shingle.  I am really glad I don’t do that for a living!

After that day, the roof was insulated and Cale had one side completely covered.  

Cale also managed to frame in the doorway at the bottom of the stairs. 

 

This was not in the plans but the county is making us put in a door because the basement isn’t finished.  I am not sure if we are going to leave it there or not once the basement is finished.   I kinda like the idea that we could shut the door to keep the noise down but I also like that it would be more open.  We’ll have to wait and see!

The fireplace people arrived and installed our fireplace on the main floor and ran pipe to the basement where we will put a wood stove. 

Fancy, huh!  We aren’t sure when we will put the wood stove in but it will be ready when we are. 

The next day we took some time off to celebrate Kaydra’s birthday.

I can’t believe my baby girl is 9!  She wanted to go to the fair for her birthday.  It was a beautiful day.  Leonard helped Cale get the rest of the roof on in the morning and we went to the fair in the afternoon.  I surprised the kids by buying them ride passes even though I said I wasn’t going to. 

They had a great time.  Even Miranda went on several rides.  She  was really happy.  We ate some great food and visited the animals.  After about 5 hours we’d had our fill so we went back home to let Kaydra blow out candles and open presents. 

Cale managed to work on the fireplace a little more that week and got it all framed in.  It is going to have rock on it before we are finished but he designed the shape – with our input of course. 

I think it turned out great and we really like the little hearth to the side of the fireplace.  It will be the perfect place to store the wood!

Our contractor set up a guy to come and roof our house.  He and his wife showed up and they worked all day and got the paper on so it was ready to roof.

It took him two days to get all the shingles on.  He said he was impressed with how square the house was.  Usually they have to make extra cuts as it gets to the edge because the house isn’t perfectly square.  He said he didn’t have to do that with our house.  Nice to know that everything is where it should be!

Roof all finished!!

The windows arrived.

They have all been put in so we are almost considered dried-in.  We just need the doors.  They will be here soon.  Cale hung all the windows except the four big ones in the front.  Leonard helped with that – it was pretty tough and I am truly impressed that they didn’t break any.

  After they were installed, Cale put on all the trim.  We have cedar trim around all the windows on the outside.

This was also Cale’s idea and I love how they turned out.  Very nice.

The past few days have been crazy.  Cale is almost finished with everything we contracted him to do.  He worked this week to finish up all the framing inside, framed in my bathtub deck :), and secured the framing for the deck.  He had Danny come help him one day to get the logs ready for sheet rock.  This meant getting the chain saw out again and making a cut along the edge of every framed wall.

It’s still a little scary to see that chainsaw come out!  It’s kinda hard to see but if you look close you will see the cut right along the 2x4.  Every framed wall needed one of those on both sides so the sheetrock will slide inside.  This will allow the logs to settle without putting stress on the sheet rock. 

Some friends from church, Cathy and Bob Wilson, and Cathy’s brother George came out on Friday to help us get ready to stain.  They swept, vacuumed, taped up windows, hammered in some nails for the deck, and even sanded outside!  It was a crazy house that day with lots of people – Cale also brought his three kids to play – but we got a lot done.  We also found out we passed the rough electrical inspection!!!!!!  We celebrated with a Pizza Hut lunch and then worked some more. 

After Cale left for the day, we finished up cleaning and vacuuming everything.  This morning we taped up a few more windows and covered the doorway to help prevent dust and then we clear coated the interior.  I say we, but I really mean Leonard.  I was there to catch the drips with a paint brush and offer moral support.  :) 

It looks a little different in there – a little darker than I thought it would be – but the grain of the wood is beautiful.  We rubbed the logs with a rough pad in between coats of sealant.  Then we sprayed the whole house again.  All in one day.  I have never painted a whole house in one day before.  Those spray things are really nice – as long as you don’t have any furniture, cabinets, or any flooring, of course!

It works out great because Monday is Labor Day and so we won’t have any workers until Tuesday and the coats should be very dry by then and the logs well protected. Now they will finish insulating on Tuesday and then sheet rock on Wednesday.  Then tape and texture probably through the weekend.  I thought we might be able to paint on Saturday but Justin (our contractor) doesn’t think they will be finished.  :(  We’ll just have to wait and see!  Things are starting to move pretty fast – we hope to close on the new mortgage at the end of the month!