Beginning OUR Work on the House

Week four. (Delayed while waiting for pictures)

On Sunday, we will have been here a month. It seems impossible. I think we have settled in well. It is so good to be with our Granddaughters, and see first hand how they are doing and growing. Jenna is preparing for her graduation from her first violin book. This requires her to be able to play each piece in her book well and with piano accompaniment. It's fun to hear her perfecting her pieces. I am amazed at how well she reads. When she is motivated, she can sound out words very well. It won't be long before I will not be able to spell words out when I don't want her to know what I am saying to Tonya.

And Lauren is a little love bug. She is very affectionate. Multiple times daily she will say that she loves us, (and everyone else in the house, including Daisy Dog.) She loves books, and often has a pile beside her on the floor.

I hope that John and Tonya are as happy with our sojourn here as we are. Frank has accomplished many projects for them. Me? I try to help out with meals, and laundry, and dishes, and cleaning, and the like. I don't have a nice list of things accomplished to show my gratitude. I do watch the girls while Tonya works, but that's only for a couple hours one day a week. Ahh, the life of a housewife.

The weather became nicer starting Sunday afternoon. The sun peeked out during Jenna's soccer game--only a peek. Each day was nicer than the previous one. Tuesday or Wednesday was warm with no clouds in the sky, before it started clouding up again. Today it has been raining. I am hoping that it washes my car! It badly needs it.

Wednesday was another big day. People were over at the house early setting everything up just so for the cement to come.

The machine they used to make sure the excavation was level, and again the gravel for the French drains and foundation for the walls, was again set up. The cement was brought in by a motorized wheel barrow and dumped. Three or four men began to work on it right away. Two had trowels; they began at the edge to level it with the board that was put up

around the perimeter for that purpose. Two others used rakes to get it roughly level. Next they flattened and leveled with what looked like a two by four with something gray on the top. Every now and then, they brought in a pole with something on it that interacted with the machine. They held it just at the top of the concrete, and when it was the correct height, one light would shine and the machine made a noise.

We have two drains in the basement floor. The small one someone stood on when the cement was poured near it. When the floor was fairly flat near the drain, they used a shorter two by four, going around in a circle with the drain in the middle, to make the floor slant down to the drain.

The crew used a long pole with a paddle on it to go over the cement. they tipped it forward when they pushed it away from them, and tipped the back down when they pulled it toward them. This brought wet cement to the top to cover any gravel showing and to make the floor smoother.

It took two truck loads of cement to do the job. Frank had them dump the extra cement in front of the garage door. Now we have a nice pad there that should help keep stones and the like out of the garage. They left for a while. Later someone came and ran the mechanical floater to finish it off.

In the afternoon, someone came back and did a little back-filling. The rest is to wait until the roof is on the house.

Meanwhile, the landscape people returned to work on Johnya's lawn. They ran a "lawn rake" that raked up the roots and stones. These they hauled to the tree line.

Thursday, Craig and Ben came. They used the LULL to carry our house bundles up the lane to our house site. I stayed down by the road to tell them what Frank needed next. Frank stayed at the house site to put down skids and plastic to keep the bundles dry and off the ground, and also to tell them where he wanted each bundle. Their last load was the laminated beam to support the upper floors. It was over 33 feet long. Frank had them place it up on top of the walls. Before supper we calculated the exact spot where it should be placed, cut it to fit, and set it in place. Frank was ecstatic! We had added the first thing to our house!

Craig commented that not a lot of a log house is logs.

Also on Thursday, the landscape people were back. They broadcast grass seed. Then chopped hay and blew it on the lawn.

Today Frank acquainted himself with each bundle, and what was in it. When it started raining, he worked in the garage, getting acquainted with what all was in the two skids stored there.

And here is the whole house, together at last.

Come visit and help us put it together!

Progress, Seen & Unseen

Week three is history. Things are still moving forward. On Monday the basement people returned and worked on readying the basement floor for the concrete. They said that it would be poured Wednesday or Thursday.

I continued working on my mending and started a sewing project. This I discontinued, because I decided I needed different material than I had. We still have not found my container of material that was to be "reachable" in the PODS. Monday was a nice, rather warm day, and I decided to go for a walk. In this area a walk necessitates up and down walking. I walked slowly up the field behind our building site, stopping frequently for rests. I continued on up the second field. I was afraid that my Sciatic problem would become worse. I followed the same route Tuesday, only in much less time. It seems to be what the doctor would have ordered, because I have now been off pain meds for several days!

Frank built a compost bin, leveled a spot, and set it in place. He went for more supplies, and began work on what we call the Gypsy Wagon. It is a container, built on a trailer, to house the tools while we are working on the house. Later in the week, he began building a receptacle for holding our trash down by the road.

Wednesday brought cold weather and darker clouds. Shortly before Johnyas returned home, it began to rain. It has been cold and rainy ever since. No poured basement floor this week. That doesn't mean that nothing is happening. The power company was out. Frank talked to them about temporary power while we build. He was told that since we have a structure already, save $500 and get permanent service right away! ( Isn't it grand when people help you save money??!!)

Thursday Brad came from Kuhn's Brothers Log Homes. He looked at the site, and checked out the driveway up from the road. He also took a good look at the area that is cleared down by the road. He was glad for a contingency plan in case the trucks couldn't get up the lane. We went to Lavern's for supper.

The forecast for Friday improved somewhat from 100% rain in the morning to rain beginning at 4 P.M. Johnya's contracter's brother, Ryan, came to run the LULL, a four-wheel drive, heavy duty fork lift. It was misty and moisty, but not really raining.


The trucks arrived. They tried to make the turn into the lane, but decided they couldn't make it. We off-loaded at the road. It did drizzle while we were working. That bottom area became muddy and slippery. However, we were able to off-load without incident. We brought the last load up the lane and set it up at the building site. The two skids of hardware we stashed in Johnya's garage. The rest we left down by the road until dryer weather. We invited Brad and Ryan in for hot soup and mulled cider at lunchtime. After the cold and wet, that hit the spot with all of us!


















It's kind of daunting to think of needing to handle every single piece in every single bundle!



So here is our house.

Week Two

Week two is now history, and I have progress to show you.

My main accomplishments for the week have been to become more involved with the meals, cleaning, laundry, and watering plants. My cold and Sciatic problem are improving. I applied for and received a library card and a Giant Eagle card. After all, one must be equipped for life. I have repacked and listed all the food and cleaning supplies I brought along. Now we can check the list before buying more. Frank and I have made a dent in the contents of the PODS unit, trying to find things we need or want. I tried doing some mending, and realized that I had packed my CD player cord as my sewing machine cord. I thought about trying to find the correct cord, and thought it could easily be a time consuming and hopeless project. Back out to the PODS. And EUREKA!! It was the second box I checked! Therefore I have mended and painted--just a little.

Meanwhile, Frank has accomplished several projects. He has built a loft in the garage for storage, and helped move things up. He has added lighting to the loft and the garage itself. He has laid a cork floor in the mud room, and fitted it with base trim. (Hence my painting.) He has made several runs to various towns for supplies. He leveled a place for our house package when it arrives next week. He has nearly completed compost bins for us to use. His newest project is getting tools ready to use on the house--new sturdy sawhorse and a new stand for his saw.

Monday Mike returned to work on our driveway. At least three loads of stone were brought in.

Thursday, however, we both did little but watch. Superior Walls came and installed our basement walls! We thought it was exciting to see a hole for the house, but now, to see the beginnings of our dream house take shape--words fail me!! They brought the whole thing on one truck, which necessitated it being pushed up the long driveway. Luckily there was very little damage to the drive.








Then a tall crane began setting each section. These were secured to the previous section.







Joe, the foreman, decided the new guy was taking too long to hook each section to the crane. He decided to take a little nap on top of the wall while waiting.





And now, the shape of our dream house is apparent.






There followed more work on our driveway.

Meanwhile Johnya's have gone on vacation to John's college class reunion and to visit his sister in her new home.

What will next week hold? Hopefully, Superior Walls will return to pour the basement floor, but we have not heard from them yet. But on Friday, two semis are scheduled to bring everything we need to start the building itself!

In the Beginning

Friday, September 25Th, was a very long day. We began by emptying out the Berks County house, and stuffing all the remaining things in the cars. The new owners, their renters, two relatives of the renters--working as their interpreters because they are deaf, and our neighbors came for a walk through. It was punctuated with much visiting and laughter. By the time that was finished, it was time to leave for closing. We came back to the house to pick up Daisy, our little poo-dachs dog, the trailer and the other car. We drove away from the Berks County house and our home of nearly 13 years. We stopped for lunch, then went to visit Frank's Mom and Dad in Lancaster County. After our good-byes to them, we started our journey across PA to our new life in Greene County. We took our time, stopping for frequent breaks because of my Sciatica problem, and therefore arrived here after dark. We unloaded only our hanging clothes and refrigerated/frozen food before tumbling, exhausted, into bed.

Saturday and Sunday we unpacked the rest of our belongings and began finding places for them in our bedroom and other places in our daughter's house, along with beginning the process of becoming a three generational, blended family.

On Monday Frank and Tonya went into town and secured our building permit and tax abatement. With those two items successfully completed, it was time to talk to the people who would be doing the excavation for our house. Frank worked on resetting our mail box and placing gravel in front, to make it easier for the mail carriers.

During the week he worked on building a loft in the top of the garage for storage, and adding lighting to the area and the garage itself. He leveled an area for the pod, and cleaned up around our building site. I tried to help with meals, laundry, cleaning, and the endless housewifely things that need doing every day. Frank also worked hours on the computer, as it decided not to work here. He had to reinstall every thing--every program--and reconfigure everything to get it up and running. During this time I decided to go on the blink, coming down with a cold/bronchitis type of thing that, along with medication for the sciatica, left me tired and half asleep. I even took a nap with Lauren one day while Tonya went to work!



Friday morning early the excavation company came with their big crawler backhoe and began work on excavating for our house. They worked on it Saturday and Sunday, and it is now finished and waiting for the walls to come on the 13Th. Saturday our POD arrived.




Sunday Frank and I went down to Morgantown to visit a Friend's Meeting we had been to before. They have moved to a much nicer place, and this will be an option for our worship and fellowship needs. In the afternoon we watched Jenna's soccer game. I croaked as loudly as I could for her and her team! We ate out, and later watched a movie.




This morning the building inspector has already inspected and okayed our basement foundation. I seem much on the mend. J is finishing her school work for the day. A load of clothes are drying on the line, and the plants have been watered. Everything has come together so well the first week plus of our time here. I will be eager to see what this week brings.