Monday, June 23, 2008

On schedule!

This weekend my son Wes and I continued working on the house, preparing to give the camper back to it's owner. We ran some more wire, installed some more electrical boxes, completed some more plumbing and completed the bedroom closet and entrance door framing. We knocked off early on Saturday because Wes was invited to the 16th birthday party of a young lady that goes to my church. Wes is coming back this weekend and staying for a week. We be will working steadily all week! On the 3rd and 4th of July I'll be renting a backhoe and we will be digging the trench for the main power cable and the main septic connection. I've also got a few stumps to remove and I figure it's as good a time as any to teach Wes how to run a backhoe! Stay tuned for pics! It's all coming together and I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for all of his blessings! Here's a few pictures of the inside. Since I don't have lights yet, most are somewhat grainy.


Here's a shot of the breaker box. No circuits are installed yet.

Here's a shot of the bedroom closet framing. That's the entrance door trim sitting in a safe place inside the closet.

A shot of the almost complete living room window framing.

Washer and utility sink plumbing almost complete.

Standing in front of the utility sink you see the stairs to the "Upper Room".

The beginnings of my shower. It should be completely installed by the end of this Saturday (6/28).

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Deadline Imposed!

As you may or may not know, a very generous friend of mine from church has let me borrow and live in his 26' camping trailer since November, allowing me to be comfortable while I'm working on my house. He surprised me last week by telling me he needed it back by July 20th. I've been steadily working all spring trying to get to the point where I can have a climate controlled area to sleep in and a working bathroom and shower.

It will be pretty close, but God willing, I'll make it, but I may have to put a previously scheduled trip to one of my favorite events on hold. The annual fly-in at Mark Smith's Posey Patch ultralight flight park in Mount Vernon, Indiana is a great place to be the last weekend in June! I've been to the fly-in twice in past four years and it's a great time. I may not be able to make it this year. It's a good thing that I've scheduled this time off from work because without it I don't think I would be ready to move in by the time the camper disappears!

Of course the pop-up that belongs to my buddy Al is still there and I can always fall back on that for a few days (or weeks) until the house is ready, but like I said, God willing, I'll be ready!

The status of the house so far...11 out of 14 electrical circuits roughed-in including the bedroom and bathroom, which I'll be needing as soon as I move in. The water supply plumbing is 98% complete, with just the utility sink final connections, and the hot connection to the water heater and the final hookup to the system remaining. The waste plumbing system is 90% complete inside the house. I've got a backhoe scheduled for July 3rd and 4th to dig the trenches for the underground power from the pole and the septic final line. My plan is to have the shower installed by the end of next week, when I was supposed to leave for the Posey Patch! If I'm on schedule, I may consider going for the weekend, but we will see.

As soon as the supply and waste plumbing is complete and connected and the power connected, I just lack installing insulation in the bedroom, and I'll be able to move in!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

House construction is going much slower than I expected, but it is progressing. These pictures were taken on May 2nd. Physically, the house doesn't look much different now on the outside. All the OSB sheeting and housewrap are up and I've done some work on the eaves and gable ridges. Notice that here are no gable overhangs. This was done for expediency's sake. It's a rural country home with a barn-like feel so it's not a big deal. The pic below shows the front door opening as seen as you drive in. There's actually a door there now!



The pic below shows the stairwell on the south side of the house, opposite the entrance door.


The pic below shows the west side of the house. The portion of the house that juts out is the kitchen toward the south and the living room toward the north.

On the inside, the water supply plumbing is 90% in place and the waste water plumbing is about 75% complete. I've started to erect the partition walls on the inside which is basically just the divider between the bathroom and the bedroom closet.

After wiring is complete on the half of the house that I'll move into initially, I'll install the wall and ceiling insulation, then I can move in! It sure will be nice having a space wider than about 6 feet to move about it!

Remember, this project is still aviation related since I bought the property so that I can put a runway on it and fly from it. I'm closer to that goal than I was a year ago, eh?!