Very long and very productive day.
My dad and I went to the house just after breakfast and got to work. He first worked on the front door and then painted the remainder of the exterior. It looks great! I continued working on the shiplap and made good progress. We went to the supply store for a few things and had lunch out. Then we returned and he did a little framing in the bathrooms to prepare for the backer board and tile while I kept plugging away on the shiplap. At about five I took him back to the cottage so he could head home, then I returned and worked until about 8:50. I am very pleased with all that we accomplished today. Tomorrow should be another great day. This evening the sunlight was lovely as it hit the trees behind the house. The pictures below don’t come close to doing it justice. Tonight I just came home, talked a bit with Liz on the phone, ate, showered, then messed around a bit on my phone. Hopefully tonight I will sleep better than I have been.
A little sick, a long nap, Goodwill, more hiking.
I woke up with a bit of a sore throat this morning. It has marginally improved as the day progressed. I did have an extremely long nap that I hope will help ward off any incoming sickness. After napping I prepared a new recipe in the slow cooker. I made a double batch so hopefully it will be good. During Luke’s nap I took some stuff to Goodwill. Once he woke up we went to The nature park and hiked the big loop. The weather was incredible and it felt nice to be outside and moving. Here in a little bit I’ll drive up to the Mountain. I feel like it’s going to be a very productive week. My dad is already up there and he will help me for a few days. Tomorrow is supposed to be lovely before the rain comes on Tuesday.
Playing around the house, grocery shopping, hiking.
Luke woke up in a good mood this morning and we had a relaxing morning reading, playing with blocks, and watching him ride around on his little school bus. During his afternoon nap I went to the grocery store and after he woke up we went on a short hike at the nature park. It was pretty chilly but it still felt great to get out.
Inspecting, shiplapping, driving.
The inspector was due to come this morning, so I got to the site around seven, due to being unsure of when he would arrive. I spent the time tidying up a little, building sawhorses, and moving around wood. I became pretty nervous as the time moved along and he still didn’t show. He finally came around 10:15, looked around, pointed out a couple of things to do before the next inspection, then left. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I started immediately installing the shiplap, feeling grateful that I had precut so much of it. It went up pretty well. Kent came by to get some scrap lumber and we talked for a while. After that I just worked on the shiplap until well after dark. I was very pleased with the progress. I ate dinner at the cottage, got a little more food at Sonic, then hit the road. The drive was uneventful, but unfortunately rainy during the latter stages. It was good to get home.
Insulation station.
It was great to see Luke this morning but I had to get going pretty early. I hauled trash to the dump then continued up to the mountain. After stopping briefly at the cottage I arrived at the house and received an unpleasant surprise. The rafter insulation that I was expecting to be completed was only a quarter done. So I spent the next four and a half hours finishing it. Then I spent a couple of hours finishing the walls. I had to make two quick trips to the supply yard, but otherwise things went pretty well. The weather was nice and warm. The inspection is still on for tomorrow morning. I’m not sure what time he’ll come so I’ll get there pretty early. I already have all of my tools loaded so I can start putting up the shiplap as soon as he gives approval. Hopefully he will! I’m just taking it easy this evening. Might read a little. Doing laundry. Maybe will mess around putting some house floor plans into Sketchup. The possibilities are endless.
Almost insulated.
After eating breakfast and wishing my dad a happy birthday I headed to the job site. I put in more rafter vents and wall insulation. Kent and Jacob arrived about 1:30 and I got them set up to finish the rafter vents and install the batts on the vaulted ceiling. Hopefully they finished. After instructing them I went to the cottage for a shower and late lunch, and then headed home. It was a little rainy but other wise a nice drive. It was good to get home and see Luke and Liz, even if both were a bit sick. We had dinner and read some. I bathed Luke and put him to bed. Tomorrow I will leave fairly early, I hope, and finish the insulation. I will also go buy some more materials. The inspector comes on Friday morning.
Beam me up.
Today went a bit better than yesterday. I installed the two 4×10 cedar beams in the living area, a lot of the rafter vents, and got a good start on the wall insulation. I also removed the braces on the walls. This afternoon my parents came by to check on the progress. I left at dark and joined them for dinner at the cottage. After that I drove down to Lowe’s in Tullahoma for more insulation and stopped at Wal-Mart in Dechard for some food stuffs. It was a long but very productive day.
Frustrating, busy day.
I started the day by dropping off some caulk at the house and driving by a couple of lots for sale that I saw online. From there I went and picked up a Uhaul trailer and drove down to Lowe’s in McMinnville where I bought insulation. That journey took a bit longer than expected and I didn’t get back to the house until about noon. Kent was there and we unloaded everything, and he started the interior caulking while I went to the cottage for lunch. I returned and foamed all of the wall penetrations along with the windows. I had to go get a couple more cans of spray foam, but did finish. Jacob came and he did some caulking as well. Then We started putting in the rafter vents. That was pretty slow going and there are 200 of them. I was hoping to finish everything tomorrow but that doesn’t seem likely. Hopefully by the end of Wednesday. Tomorrow I will bring my scaffolding, which will hopefully speed things up. The weather was decent today and will hopefully continue to be for a while. This evening I’m just looking for lots online, reading a little, and drawing house plans.
Busy day, special celebration.
We went to church this morning and Luke did really well. He even received a blessing during communion. Afterwards we ate lunch and played, he napped, then we played some more. Later in the afternoon my parents and Lauren came down. The occasion was to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday, which is happening later this week. I picked up pizza from Red7 in downtown Columbia, and Liz made sugar cookies. Everybody enjoyed playing with Luke and he had a big time. He sure didn’t want to go to bed though. I drove up to the Mountain after talking with Liz for a bit so that I can get an early start tomorrow.
