Birthday present progress

Today the electrician (Ryan,) his helper (Bart) and Todd's helper (Terrence) were all here so there was dramatic progress.  Unfortunately the light was low when I went to take pictures, but here is a first look. In the top photo you can see the "envelope" of the old roof and new roof.The foreground ceiling is gone, but you can see the right triangle of the old ceiling in front of Bart. The second photo is looking back from the screen porch once all the old ceiling was removed.  It looks like a barn--open and spacious!  

Todd spent a lot of time today putting the floor on the TV room.  There will be a trapdoor to access the cistern (not yet cut out).  There's just a little triangular shape floor to fill in the far edge still to come, and he'll cut the outside edges square.

Two days ago Todd finished the roof on top of our bedroom and the back half of the house.  He insulated it like mad (on top of the sheathing) and then covered it with another layer of sheathing and this stuff called "zip roof" that doesn't require tar paper for protection for up to 4 months before the roofing is done.

I saw that I had a picture of the front foundation with the forms intact.  Terrence removed them a few days ago and this is the result.

Two days without rain make a difference!

Finally we could take the tarps down and Todd could work without a tent in the way.  This is the back wall (along the dining room, kitchen and bathroom side).  The beam you can see is a test beam so that Todd knows how to cut the rafters.  They'll go in tomorrow.

Yesterday was dry enough to pour the concrete and finally finish the footers.  Here you see the future front of the house.  The short wall facing us will be the front doorstep, reached after you walk past Miles and Sprout's room.  
This is the other part of the pour--the cistern finally has 4 walls (and does hold water already, even without waterproofing)
This is a shot of the living area south-facing windows.  The area of the windows is about double what we had previously, so we should get much better natural light.  The windows on the left will open into the dining room, the right will open over the sink in the kitchen.

 
This is not remodeling, it's just modeling.  Me at 28 weeks... that counts as 7 months, doesn't it?  It's a race: baby vs new house.  Which will come first!?

Friday May 8th

No pictures today.  I would have pictures but there is really nothing to see until I take the tarps off . . . assuming I will ever be able to take them off.  No rain today (yet) but there is rain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.  Anyway, the two exterior walls (screened porch and kitchen) wall are framed and mostly sheathed, although I need a couple of clear days in order to tie the kitchen wall into our bedroom wall; that is the one section of the house I cannot afford to get rained on.

     Anyway, we are essentially doubling the number of windows along the kitchen wall.  There will be two windows at the head of the dining room table and two windows above the sink.  The two sink windows will be 29 inches wide each) and 41 inches tall, so they will be quite an improvement over the old window.

Progress despite wetness

We have had so much rain that were all getting webbed feet and growing gills.  And Todd can't pour the last of the foundation until it gets dry enough (for him to get in and build the forms, and then pour the concrete.)  I never thought I'd say it, but ENOUGH rain already!

Not to be outdone, Todd took off the back wall along the dining room/kitchen space and is framing it.  The first picture is what it looked like (during 5 minutes of dry time) earlier today.

The next two pictures are from the first pour of concrete.  Todd was a little nervous because the supports were sorely tested on the pour, but it looks good.  First view of the cistern inside wall from the crawlspace,
second at the corner where the living room and cistern meet.  So the house is no longer supported by bolts and beams and the tie-in of the front wall and cistern looks good.

Last photo is of the center beam.  Todd has this placed all the way down the center of the house and out to the end of what will be the screened-in porch/TV room meeting place.  These beams are long and HEAVY.  I don't know how he did it by himself, but he appears not to have suffered any injury.  Right now the end of the beam looks like the prow of a ship (albeit horizontal.)  I think I should be a model for the figurehead--I'm round enough right now!