Framing the Upstairs

The past 2 weeks the boys have been working on framing the upstairs. (Where the kids bedrooms, bathrooms, and schoolroom will be.)

Here’s a diagram I drew of the upstairs. The black walls are walls that were on the house when we got it. The red walls are walls that the boys have framed. (Please note that the drawing is not to scale. Also, the proportions are a little off.)

The 2 bedrooms are on either side of the upper story. The boys’ is on the far left and the girls’ is on the far right. The schoolroom is in the front of the middle space and the two bathrooms are in the back of that same space. (The red wall in the back of each bedroom is the front wall of the closet. Also, the red box in the boys’ room is the 2 foot box around the chimney pipe of our wood stove. Oh, and the red wall just to the left of the girls’ bedroom wall is the wall beside the stairs.)

Abigail investigating the blueprint. (Laid out in the floor of the girls’ room.)

Josh, Daniel, and I checking the girls’ closet wall for level.

Josh and Daniel nailing in the last studs for the girls’ room wall

Josh hammering on the girls’ wall a little to make it level while I held a board up to prevent the sledgehammer from marring the studs.

Daniel cutting a notch out of a rafter to help the bedroom wall fit better,

Samuel stacking up scraps.

Daniel measuring studs for the end wall of the boys’ closet

Josh and Daniel assembling the last of the boys’ room wall.

Josh and Daniel raising the boys’ bedroom wall.

Josh, Daniel, and I measuring the boys’ room wall to estimate drywall and installation.

~ Amy

House Set Part 2

Setting the second module.

Raising the roof on the second module. (In case you’re wondering, some of the shingles were put on in the factory. The big hole is for a shed dormer.)

See?

God’s beautiful sunset!

Here’s that same sunset reflected on the back of our house. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t wait to do dishes in this house. (The kitchen sink is under the two windows that are right next to each other.)

The crew working in the dark.

The next day. . . (Note, that most of the shingles are on and all the walls are up. The garage will come off of the mudroom extension in the left of the picture and the porch will wrap from the front corner in the right of the picture, around the corner, and to the door off the mudroom

The hole for the steps down into the basement. (It’s currently covered over with plastic.)

By the way, here is a picture of our second module almost in the creek.

~ Amy

House Delivery Part 2 & House Set Part 1

We officially have a house! Yay!!

The third truck came about 1415. By the time they unloaded the second module, 5 out the 12 wheels on the trailer had gone flat or blown out, 2 on the way up from the factory, 2 getting into the driveway, and 1 coming up the driveway. On top of that, when the truck crossed our creek it slid slightly off the driveway, putting a big whopping dent in one of our 2 culverts. They eventually did get across the creek but it took them upwards of 45 minutes.

The third truck coming up the road!

Getting ready to cross the creek.

While waiting for the second module to arrive, the work crew was far from idle!

They unwrapped the dormers, put moisture barrier paper on them and put the windows in.

Lowering the first module into place.

Making sure it was exactly square with the basement.

Raising the roof and putting the side walls in.

The first dormer is set!

Lowering in the second dormer.

The men and I watching as they secured the dormer. (left to right: Daniel, Josh, Me, and Daddy)

Putting on the next segment of roof.

Past the point of no return! Pulling the trailer out from under the second module.

Setting the second module.

I’ll post more pictures later!

~ Amy

House Delivery Part 1

We found out Friday morning that we were only going to get two of our three trailers that day. Why? Well. . . apparently, when the workers went to put the countertop on the cabinets they did not have a man supporting the weak spot where the sink space was cut out so the countertop cracked. They were not able to fix it in time so they told us that the last (and biggest) trailer will be delivered Monday morning. (The same day as the house set.)

Also, the house company ended up parking the dormer trailer at the gas-station down the street from us Thursday evening so they could detach the truck and bring it back with the first house trailer Friday morning.

The dormer trailer parked beside the gas-station.(In case you’re wondering the dormers are laying on their backs with the windows towards the sky.)

Mr. Horne brought his bulldozer in case one of the trucks got stuck coming up the hill.

Our first view of the front of the house coming in from the road!!

Josh and Daniel taking pictures.

Crossing the creek! The man in the blue shirt beside Josh is our builder. (He was watching the wheels. They got really close to going over the edge of the driveway.)

The front door!

The back of the pod. (The white is shrink-wrap.)

The dormers crossing the creek.

As of today, (Saturday), the plan is still to set the house this Monday!

~ Amy

A Little Bit of Irony

Yesterday we got a call from the house building company saying that our house would need to come on three trucks as opposed to the original two, because they had underestimated the space that the 4 dormers would need on the trailer. That truck was scheduled to be delivered today around noon. The other two trucks with the rest of our house units are scheduled for delivery Friday, and the house setting is supposed to take place on Monday, October 1st.

This morning, we were notified that due to the severe fog and rain in our neck of the woods today the first delivery truck would be delayed untill tomorrow.

Also this morning, Josh got a call from a very bewildered FedEx delivery man. He informed Josh that he was at our address, (that is, our new address), with the flooring supplies. The good news the man said, the supplies are two weeks early, the bad news, there’s no house to drop them off at.

The irony of this situation? Well the house, which was originally scheduled for delivery 3 weeks ago has not arrived, while the flooring supplies which were not supposed to arrive for another 2 weeks arrived this morning. At our property. Where there is no house. Where it is raining.

All this to say, I am very thankful that God has written the story and already knows what the ending will be!! While I often do not understand God’s timing, or His way of doing things I am grateful that He is in control!

Now because I don’t like to post without pictures here are a couple of random ones from the past several weeks that have not really fit in with any of my previous posts.

Josh and Daniel talking about how to bush-hog around the trees.

Samuel driving the bulldozer with Mr. Horne (The owner of the excavation company we used for the driveway and the basement.)

As Samuel later said, “Making big, dirty, dust clouds!’ Just like a boy (smile)

~ Amy

House Factory Tour

As you may know, we chose to build a modular house as opposed to building a normal ‘stick built’ house. What is the differance? Well, the first and main difference is that a ‘stick built’ house is constructed on site whereas a modular house is built in a factory. Secondly, a modular house is built stonger because it has to stand the riggers of transportation from the factory to the house site and the strain of being craned into place. Thirdly, modular houses are generally built faster as they are built in a more concentrated enviornment.

In our case, the house will be built in the form of two rectangular boxes or pods and transported by two semi trucks to our house site; with the main floor approx. 80% complete. The roof will then be lifted up and the house will be made water tight within 48 hours. From there we will finish the upstairs and the basement as well as installing the hardwood floor on the main level.

We had the opportunity last week to tour the factory where our house is being built.  We were able to see our house on the production line.

Below we are going to look at the first half of our house. (Ours is the pod in the middle.)

the master bedroom to be

One of our walls being framed.

Examining a place on the plans with the owner of the factory.

Drywall for the second pod

The floor of the second pod (It’s 70 feet long)

An up-close of the plans

~ Amy