Project Day 32 - Sheathing Walls & Installing Windows

Believe it or not, we arrived at 9:30 AM--and I had made sandwiches and we stopped at McDonald's on our way. So, we did well this morning. We even had the extra task of taking our dog, Kalli, with us today. Because we knew we had a long day ahead of us, we didn't want our lawn guy to accidentally let Kalli out of the back yard when he came. So, we brought her with us. This is the first time she has ridden this far in the car--it's usually just to the vet and back home. She did really well and kept herself busy watching all the sights that rolled on by.

When we arrived at the property today, the first change we saw was that the windows and doors had been delivered.


We set up the Observation Station and got Kalli all organized. And, here we are just taking it all in!



Dave headed up the hill to check on the progress. The obvious changes were that the screened-in porch framing was complete, more sheathing has been attached to the walls, the roof sheathing was complete, and the guys were busy with the final details of framing.



Porch Left Rear Corner



Porch Trusses



Chris and Bobby busied themselves with putting the fascia boards around the house. And, again, we marvel at their balancing skills.







When Robbie and Bobby went to the hardware store and to get lunch, John and Chris stayed inside the house to eat lunch and rest.

John at Rest in Pam's office



While they were eating & resting Kalli and I went snooping at their progress.



I was on alarm clock duty to wake John & Chris to go back to work in 30 minutes, which was just about the time Robbie & Bobby returned. I think when I yelled for them to wake up, I probably woke up half the neighborhood!

Chris and John went to work sheathing the garage...





...while Robbie & Bobby set out to install windows.







Applying Window Wrap for Insulation



During the installation of Dave's office window, Bobby got into a fire ant hill. Although it's nothing to laugh at, we all got a chuckle out of his quick exit, stage left!

As if Dave and I were not thoroughly entertained enough with the building process and fire ants antics, the critters came out to put on a show for us. I spotted a wasp that attacked and killed a katydid. The wasp tried to carry it off, but after several attempts, the wasp flew away and left its prey.



Shortly thereafter, a worm decided to descend from the overhead trees and climb down a web-type string it was making. But, I guess the ground was too far away, and after descending about 15 feet, it decided to climb back up.



Even the critters have more energy than Dave and I have in this 97% humidity today. Phew, it was HOT!

As the crew finished up little odds & ends in the remaining framing and sheathing, Robbie called Dave up to bring the doggie door frame so that Chris & John could create those for us. Creating these frames for us was such a nice thing to do. It will make the installation go quickly. In Hart County there is no Certificate of Occupancy awarded to us by the county. Therefore, we should be able to install the doggie doors ourselves during the finishing stage, which will eliminate Dave having to cut siding and drywall to install them.

Here's their doggie door handiwork.

Outside Entrance into Porch (dirt will be higher after final grade)



Porch Exit to Outside

Note: Doggie door is to the left of the future screen door.



Exit from Dining Room onto Porch



While Dave was inside the house helping with the doggie door "supervision," he tried out his office window before returning to the Observation Station.



Here's Dave carrying the doggie door frame insert back to the car for future installation.



The crew worked long hours today to make up for yesterday's rain-out--it was well after 3 PM by the time they headed out.

After they departed, I took a final tour of the progress inside the house. Here's our parting shots for today.

Note: For a quick view of the floorplan and exterior diagram of the house, click the June entry in the Blog Archive list on the left panel of this site.

Walking into Front Door



View from Front Door Toward Living Room and Dining Room (with porch in the background)



View from Living Room near Front Door Toward Porch (French Doors on Right)



View from Dining Area into Kitchen

Note: In this picture, the pantry is at end of kitchen on the left, and the washer/dryer area is at end of kitchen on the right. The yellow cooler is sitting in the threshold of the door from the kitchen into the garage.



View of Dining Area (L) and Kitchen and Bar (R)



Window Above Spa Tub in Master Bathroom



View From Dave's Office through His French Doors

Note: In this picture, the French doors are in the foreground. The area directly behind the French door threshold is the hallway. Behind the hallway is the guest bathroom area (aka, Dave's bathroom). And, finally, behind Dave's bathroom is the master bathroom (aka, Pam's bathroom) The window on the left side of this picture is the window above the spa tub.



View from Living Room Out Front Door (garage on left through wall frame)



Robbie and some of the crew will be out tomorrow to finish installing the windows, building the door for the entrance to the crawl space, applying the remaining house wrap, and finishing up a few minor details. We do not plan to go to the property tomorrow. Our task will be to purchase the spa tub and deliver it to the property on Monday morning.

Monday the plumber arrives to do the rough plumbing (tubs and showers will be installed). In addition, the electrician will be there to start wiring the house. The roofing materials will be delivered, and the roofer may begin roofing on Monday. We have also arranged for Jackson EMC to meet us there at noon to give us an estimate to install a security system. So, we will rest up this weekend, as next week will be another busy week of observing.