The Family: June 2010

Week 8

We had 4 rain free days this week and so progress was good again. Visible progress outside if you are driving by and looking. The behind the scene electrical and plumbing work continued and rough in is pretty much done, so if you go inside the house and look around, you can see progress there as well. This week the construction crew could get to work on the garage and the porch and things soon took shape and the house got a different look.

This was the scene Wednesday morning. By 9 AM when we had to leave for a meeting, they already had most of the rafters up. The walls had been framed and put up on Tuesday.

The house as it looked on Thursday night. It is hard to see on the picture, but they made good progress on our front porch and the roof over it that had to be tied into the main roof. I think I will enjoy that porch as well. I am envisioning some white rockers, lots of flower pots and enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and a visit with friends and watching the world go by. (there would not be any mosquitos in this vision:) ).

Saturday the shinglers got to work and in spite of the heat and humidity and the constant threat of rain, they got quite a bit of the roof done.

It was an easier week for us last week. Not quite as many decisions to make, and good progress made. The kitchen got measured up for the cabinets and we will need to make the final decisions there soon. I think this next week will have more things that need deciding. It is almost time for insulation and drywall, decking and siding, not to mention deciding on paint colors, light fixtures, moldings, interior doors, vanities, etc, etc. WE WILL get these things done, and WILL continue trusting God for wisdom and strength in all of this.

Week 7

It was a BUSY week this past one. Much was happening and Kerry and I did well to keep up. It was quite tiring, but good to see. It started off on Sunday already when our friends from BC came to join us for a couple of days. We picked them up in Wpg and enjoyed the day with them, but Monday morning came too soon. Then it was work. They had come to do electrical and so together with the local electricians they got right to work. That meant Kerry and I had to decide where we wanted lights, what kind of lights, plug-in placement and all that electrical stuff. Monday morning we decided the upstairs, and Tuesday we did the basement. Lots of thinking involved, but I think we got it done okay, and haven't made any major changes since.

By the end of the week there were a lot of switches, plug-ins and lights wired in both on the main floor and in the basement. Thanks Peter and Bev for coming out and working so hard to get things done, we just wish we had had more time to "play".

This week the plumbers showed up as well and so we had to make more decisions about all of that stuff, but we did what we needed and by the end of the week there was lots of plumbing in place as well.

Then, as if Monday wasn't busy enough, the window installers came. Those decisions we had made weeks ago, and now was our chance to see what we had done. We are quite happy with the windows we chose and ordered. I especially LOVE the living room window. It makes me smile .

Cal and crew spent time during the week getting the garage floor ready to pour, but with all the rain couldn't get the concrete crew lined up until Saturday morning, so 8:00 A.M. Saturday the floor pour got underway. It was a gorgeous day for the job and the crew in charge certainly knew what they were doing and made it look easy. By the end of the day there was a nice looking garage floor . There was also more work done on the deck areas, as well as soffit and fascia work on the south side of the house. It has been a challenge working around all the rain events, and trying to keep things somewhat dry and the crews working but things are still moving along and much was done this week. Kerry and I try to stay somewhat ahead of the game, but we do have a lot of those emergency decision making sessions. We spent some time researching and shopping for appliances but so far have not purchased, even though we are narrowing things down. We do supply runs every once in a while, and have to keep up with normal duties as well. Kerry got the canola fields sprayed this week, and I managed to get the garden tilled and in shape and the grass mowed a couple of times. We look forward to Sundays and time off and a chance to sleep in AND get a nap in the afternoon. Our days are full and busy, but we are thankful for what got done, and are still counting our blessings.

Week 6

Another productive week, but mostly inside the house. It was cool and rainy and so the roof work was on hold for most of the week and so they concentrated on doing the wall framing inside.

Basement walls being framed up.

Main floor walls

we also spent lots of time researching appliances because we need to know what we want and what size they are so that we can finish up the kitchen cabinet plan. We ordered a shower for our ensuite bathroom as well as purchasing the tub for the basement and moving that into place. We made a trip to Grand Forks for more shingles and so the week went.