Last edited 17 Oct 02

Wendy will be a teacher at Carl Junction Schools this fall after completing her degree in Special Education.  Of course a school marm can not afford to buy a house, so the two of us are building one instead.  We hired the basement concrete and excavation, but everything after that we hope to accomplish ourselves.  Well, not sheetrock because frankly that job sucks.  Our plan is to complete the upper floor so she can move in by 1 September.  Weather permitting I have been working alone since we got back from Florida, but Wendy worked on weekends.  We will be a full time team starting 15 May.

From time to time I shall add pictures documenting our progress.  Stop by for a visit.  We have extra hammers.

Concrete is done by the end of March:

Mid-April: Frame the basement and begin the floor joists.

May: Install sub-floor and frame the first floor.  

Then pour concrete pillars for the porch and roof beams.  Jaevyn helps Aunt Wendy.

June:  Install scissor trusses. Deck the roof.  Hire roofers to shingle.  Box in the exterior.  Add the porch floor joists and complete the interior partitions.

July:  Its looking like a house.  We began installing the log cabin siding, which required us to use a three tiered scaffolding.  The decision to complete the downstairs adds some extra work and the tub made it into the bathroom with only one stud removal.  

August:  Now we are really cracking, working 7 days a week.  We hire an electrician and have the insulation blown in.  Sheet rock, both hanging and finishing, is sub-contracted.  We learn first hand what a pain some hired help can be.  During the 10 days they take to hang the sheetrock we complete the siding and install soffets.  Cedar flooring was laid on the porch.  As the month closes we have permanent electricity, water, and the air conditioner is running.  Labor day weekend is a big primer party so the final texture can be put on the ceilings and walls. 

Wendy wants to move the weekend of September 21.  Will we make it?

September: September was a confusion of coordinating sheet rock finishing, painting, carpeting, appliance delivery with hard wood flooring and bath room tile laying, electrical trim-out etc.  Perhaps a one armed paper hanger with poison ivy knows more peace of mind than we had.  Still as these pictures show, its essentially done.  

Yes, I would do it again.  Not for a while.

          L to R: Master bedrm, Master bath, Kitchen

      Living room, Downstairs Den & Hall to bath & 2 bedrooms

      Finished exterior. Great porch.

The answer to that August question was "Yes", but there are still things to do.  She has no door knobs, no base boards, no suspended ceiling in the basement and lacking a part the wood flooring needs completion at the stairwell.  When those are done the bank will listen to our pleas for a loan.