And today on the job we have a junior foreman. Isn't he cute?
Digging out to put down a drain pipe and foam to insulate the slab.
Placing the foam up against the slab. At least the slab won't get cold. The rest of us? Ahem, that is another story. :)
Working together.
Outside the kitchen window. It's up close and personal!
Committee meeting through the kitchen window. I poked my head in and asked, "would you like fries with that?' It's just the kind of humor I have. 
Mother was praying for good weather so it wouldn't be an absolute mess with the excavator working, and it was perfect; mild and dry! For the first two days at any rate.
Tyvecking and putting the house wrap around the windows.
The first day was spent excavating around the house to get the right grades. Partly for drainage and also for future landscaping.
Working into dusk.
You can't tell so much in the pictures, but there is now about a twelve foot level area that was built up on this side of the house. Eventually there will hopefully be a covered patio, then steps down the drop off to a landscaped area. The future. Please don't close the books on dates. Is that bookie cant? Shocking me. (Cough, for the record, I don't really know what I'm saying.)
Only, the flour didn't thicken the liquid, the onion didn't cook and the vinegar called for in the pie crust ended up being very pungent. Uh, at least it looked good?
See, that might be one reason I'm not married. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach not, "it's looks pretty." What is wrong with them I ask? What is wrong with beauty? Well, okay, I can see their point.
(Raises right hand. "On my honor, it actually didn't taste that bad, it just wasn't the amazing savoury pie I had in mind.")
Last Monday it was time to build the loft that goes over the kitchen and is is also part of the girls room. That's D.C. and C.A. working on making as much sawdust as possible. Good fiber in the cooking. Actually, I think they were trying to drill a hole for some electrical wires. That was funny and scary to watch at the same time. C.A. is holding the ladder, and he moves it just wrong and D.C. nearly goes over sideways. There was a startled exclamation of fear and then he caught himself. And then a moment later he starts going down the ladder and steps on C.A.'s hand. "Ow!"
Sitting by the wood stove, waiting for the guys to clear out so I could cook lunch, I decided to take portraits of some of the work tools. This is a nail gun.
This is a saw. Do you see the saw? Did you ever see the saw saw from Arkansas? I'll stop now.
This is the guys lifting a beam into place. A beam made up of 2x12's with a wafer board sandwich. It was very heavy. I did not help lift it. You can sometimes judge how much something weighs by how much guys grunt and groan. They didn't hardly do either so you know it weighed a lot. That's my theory at any rate.
Round of applause, they did it!
The floor in the first section. And they didn't use metal hangers but another method of construction. I still don't know how it works. I worry, "is the floor going to stay up?" It looks nice, which is usually my greatest concern, but I'm supposed to sleep up there so I have cause to be worried. They say it's fine. I think I trust them. If it crashes in and I die a horrible death they can just put on my headstone, "She trusted. She died." I do believe that would give a much needed lesson to those who read it.
Monday evening, the first section completed.
From the other direction we get a different perspective. Please don't say, "duh." Thank you.
D.C. came back Tuesday to finish the last section. Surprisingly, the loft makes the house feel bigger. I thought it would close it in, but it doesn't at all.
Mother moved her shaker cabinet into place beside the doorway shown above and arranged some baskets and a vintage (?) scale.
The upstairs. Next up is railing, insulating and finish work.
Installing the first panel.Coming soon! Pictures of the loft over the kitchen!
Hello!(Do you know how hard it is to do self portraits?)
