Meeting today with the framers went really well from what Miked has told me. They met for about 2 hours today with Miked and our architect. We are going to be adding the little dormer back to our roof. We were happy about that as it is a cool detail.
On a not so fun note, the framing will not be starting tomorrow, but perhaps Friday, more likely Monday. The waiting and rescheduling is hard. This is what I keep telling myself....
Patience is a virtue
Virtue is a grace
Both put together make a pretty face.
Wouldn't the nuns be proud??
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Long Overdue Update
Concrete, concrete and more concrete. The house now has a true basement! They came and poured the basement slab. It's so smooth! It is going to make the perfect roller rink/hockey rink for the kids until the basement gets finished some day a few years from now. Mom found a St. Joseph's medal for us to put in the basement slab and Miked attached it to one of the pieces of rebar right in the center of the floor.
When that was finished, Hector and the rest of his crew came back and set things up for the garage slab and the steps down to the basement. Miked's dad gave us a gold dollar coin for the garage slab. Miked gave it to Hector to put in for us. They also dug 4 huge holes by hand for the footers for the front/side porch. We have been trying to help them out by getting lunch or drinks or things like that for them because they have been doing an amazing job for us and have been really flexible and just work really hard. So the other day Miked asked Hector what they wanted for lunch the next day. Hector tried to poo poo this idea, "no man. It's not necessary." And then he said something that I loved. "I'm just happy to have a job right now and to be able to do what I do." It was a great reminder to be grateful for all that we have. And my God what a great deal that is.
So, now the basement slab is poured, the garage slab is poured, and the steps down to the basement are poured. We are maybe 3/4 of the way backfilled. I really love to go down in the basement. To look up at where the kitchen, family room, office, Matt's room, and (woo hoo) pantry will be is really overwhelming.
Next on the list is the framing. The framers are coming for a meeting tomorrow. Hopefully they will start on Wednesday with setting the steel beams and lally columns in the basement and then beginning framing the 1st floor. After the first floor is set we will have some more radiant to lay down. Miked is expecting about 6 weeks for the total framing of the house so that would put us at about Thanksgiving. Oh my...I can't think like that because that means Christmas will be here before I know it! Yikes!
I will add the pictures tomorrow to a new post.
When that was finished, Hector and the rest of his crew came back and set things up for the garage slab and the steps down to the basement. Miked's dad gave us a gold dollar coin for the garage slab. Miked gave it to Hector to put in for us. They also dug 4 huge holes by hand for the footers for the front/side porch. We have been trying to help them out by getting lunch or drinks or things like that for them because they have been doing an amazing job for us and have been really flexible and just work really hard. So the other day Miked asked Hector what they wanted for lunch the next day. Hector tried to poo poo this idea, "no man. It's not necessary." And then he said something that I loved. "I'm just happy to have a job right now and to be able to do what I do." It was a great reminder to be grateful for all that we have. And my God what a great deal that is.
So, now the basement slab is poured, the garage slab is poured, and the steps down to the basement are poured. We are maybe 3/4 of the way backfilled. I really love to go down in the basement. To look up at where the kitchen, family room, office, Matt's room, and (woo hoo) pantry will be is really overwhelming.
Next on the list is the framing. The framers are coming for a meeting tomorrow. Hopefully they will start on Wednesday with setting the steel beams and lally columns in the basement and then beginning framing the 1st floor. After the first floor is set we will have some more radiant to lay down. Miked is expecting about 6 weeks for the total framing of the house so that would put us at about Thanksgiving. Oh my...I can't think like that because that means Christmas will be here before I know it! Yikes!
I will add the pictures tomorrow to a new post.
Prayers Update
So I promised before that I would update with the prayers mom wrote/found for the blessing of the house a few weeks ago...here they are. No laughing Matt!
If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor.
(Read by mom)
Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them—
I will show you what he is like.
He is like the man who, when he built his house dug, and dug deep,
and laid the foundations on rock;
when the river was in flood, it bore down on that house,
but could not shake it, it was so well built.
(Luke 6:47)
(Read by Katherine and Miked)
The Son of God, Lord of heaven and earth, made his home among us. With thankfulness and gladness let us call upon him:
Lord Jesus Christ, by your life with Mary and Joseph you sanctified the life of the home; dwell with us in our home so that we may have you as our guest and honor you as our Head.
In you every dwelling grows into a holy temple; grant that those who live in this house may be built up together into the dwelling place of God in the Holy Spirit.
You taught your followers to build their houses upon solid rock; grant that the members of this family may hold fast to your teachings and, free of all discord, serve you with their whole hearts.
You had no place to lay your head, but in uncomplaining poverty you accepted the hospitality of your friends; grant that through our help people who are homeless may obtain decent housing.
O God, the builder of all things,
you have placed on us the obligation of toil.
Grant that the work we begin may serve to better our lives
and through your goodness contribute to the spread of the kingdom of Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Read by mom)
She really is the greatest ever, don't you think?
If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor.
(Read by mom)
Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them—
I will show you what he is like.
He is like the man who, when he built his house dug, and dug deep,
and laid the foundations on rock;
when the river was in flood, it bore down on that house,
but could not shake it, it was so well built.
(Luke 6:47)
(Read by Katherine and Miked)
The Son of God, Lord of heaven and earth, made his home among us. With thankfulness and gladness let us call upon him:
Lord Jesus Christ, by your life with Mary and Joseph you sanctified the life of the home; dwell with us in our home so that we may have you as our guest and honor you as our Head.
In you every dwelling grows into a holy temple; grant that those who live in this house may be built up together into the dwelling place of God in the Holy Spirit.
You taught your followers to build their houses upon solid rock; grant that the members of this family may hold fast to your teachings and, free of all discord, serve you with their whole hearts.
You had no place to lay your head, but in uncomplaining poverty you accepted the hospitality of your friends; grant that through our help people who are homeless may obtain decent housing.
O God, the builder of all things,
you have placed on us the obligation of toil.
Grant that the work we begin may serve to better our lives
and through your goodness contribute to the spread of the kingdom of Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Read by mom)
She really is the greatest ever, don't you think?
Saturday, October 3, 2009
A Warm and Cozy Basement
Radiant floor heat. Mmmmm....warm tootsies in the bathroom, warm tootsies in the bedroom, warm tootsies in the unfinished basement. Miked and I spent the afternoon running the radiant floor tubing in the basement. It took us about 4 hours to lay 1,500 feet of PEX tubing where the basement slab will be poured. Not too shabby for a couple of amatures I say. We had to snake it around back and forth around the basement according to a map that Miked had. We attached it to the wire overlaying the foam board with zip ties. I think my fingers will recover in a couple of days. Tomorrow we will have to go out and snip off the ends of the zip ties and add in a few more here and there. After that we will work on taping the seams of the insulation board we put up last weekend. Pictures to come tomorrow.
Blessings to you and yours
So I neglected to write about the house blessing my mom did for us in the last post. I am going with it was so perfect it needed its own post. Either that or I was going to put it in and then promptly forgot.
In any event, last Sunday mom wrote and led a house blessing for our new home before we got any further into our process. Barry was still here when we took a break from the insulation to do the blessing before Matt went swimming. Mom had some holy water from Lourdes and Katherine was holding the reading that mom had printed out. Apparently both Joe and Katherine had read the reading inside, but when asked to do so outside with all of us standing around, Katherine balked so Miked read it instead with her helping out when she wanted. Then mom read some blessings and dad poured the holy water into a bowl so that we could sprinkle it on the foundation. Everyone took turns using a pine tree branch from Dad and Mom's yard.
Lord it was special. It just felt right. I was wearing sunglasses, but I would be willing to bet that no one would have been surprised to see the waterworks going on underneath them. Matt on the other hand was yucking it up in the corner a la dinner blessings from our youth.
This house means so much to so many people and on so many different levels. I can't believe that it is underway and we have a form. We have a foundation. We have foundation on so many levels. I will add in the prayers that Mom said a at later time when I can get them from her.
In any event, last Sunday mom wrote and led a house blessing for our new home before we got any further into our process. Barry was still here when we took a break from the insulation to do the blessing before Matt went swimming. Mom had some holy water from Lourdes and Katherine was holding the reading that mom had printed out. Apparently both Joe and Katherine had read the reading inside, but when asked to do so outside with all of us standing around, Katherine balked so Miked read it instead with her helping out when she wanted. Then mom read some blessings and dad poured the holy water into a bowl so that we could sprinkle it on the foundation. Everyone took turns using a pine tree branch from Dad and Mom's yard.
Lord it was special. It just felt right. I was wearing sunglasses, but I would be willing to bet that no one would have been surprised to see the waterworks going on underneath them. Matt on the other hand was yucking it up in the corner a la dinner blessings from our youth.
This house means so much to so many people and on so many different levels. I can't believe that it is underway and we have a form. We have a foundation. We have foundation on so many levels. I will add in the prayers that Mom said a at later time when I can get them from her.
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