Project Day 37 - Installing Roofing and HVAC

I woke Dave this morning at 7:15 AM as I wanted to get to the property around 9 AM. The roofing crew did not come yesterday as was planned. Therefore, I was hoping that if we arrived early, we might catch the activity. In addition to the roofing crew, the HVAC vents and ducts are scheduled to be installed later today.

After our usual stop for our Mickey-D-lightful breakfast, we were crusin' to Lavonia by 8:10 AM.

We arrived to see the roofers crawling around like ants on a picnic basket. There were so many guys on this job, that I was unable to get a headcount. But, I'd guess there were 8 of them moving full-steam ahead.

Here's a few pictures of their process. Again, with the balancing acts. It made us nervous as there were paper wrappers on the roof, and we were sure someone would lose their footing. I should have known these guys were professionals and slipping is not an option.

Status When We Arrived



As the Roofing Progressed



Carrying Roofing Materials Up the Ladder



Roofing the Garage



Before the roofing was complete, Dave and I went up to the house to check out the plumbing that was done yesterday. Most of the pictures I took (of framing and plumbing locations) will not be interesting to you, but here's a few shots of the installed tub and showers.





Motor of Spa Tub with Access Area from Master Bedroom



Dave's Shower (5-ft wide with one seat)



Pam's Shower (48-in. wide with no seat)



I'm sure I will love my shower as the one I am using now is only 3-ft. square!

The roofing crew was packed up and gone around 11:30 AM. I couldn't believe how quickly they completed roofing the entire house. Doesn't it look great?





Notice our Sole Remaining Oak Tree



While the roofers were still hard at work, Brad and Dave swept and cleaned-up the inside of the house. Stacy, the plumber, had left a little mess inside the house, which had to be picked up. And, as you know, we had quite a bit of rain. So, the floors were still a little wet and a lot of mud had been tracked in. As Dave always says, "The sweeper will get it." So, sweepers Brad & Dave set to work. Once again, I was unable to assist with this manual labor as I had to snap pictures for your enjoyment.



Dave in a Tight Squeeze!



After they swept and picked up, they loaded everything into the box leftover from the spa tub and hauled it out to the dumpster. What teamwork--and I was standing there at the ready to capture it all!





As Brad was walking around the house earlier today, he made a great suggestion. The depth of the wall between the washer/dryer and the kitchen is only 30-inches deep. He suggested that we extend that wall a few more inches into the kitchen walkway to be sure that the washer and dryer do not protrude beyond that wall after all the drains and ductwork are installed behind the appliances. Love it! So, he set to hammering a couple of 2x4s to the end of the wall. Thanks, Brad, for seeing areas where the plan can be improved without any added expense; Brad had gathered scraps of lumber for this project when he and Dave were dumpster-diving.



The HVAC crew, under the direction of Brett, arrived in the early afternoon. He precariously maneuvered past the dumpster and parked on the crawlspace side of the house.



As they were inside surveying the project, I snooped around to the crawlspace to take a few pictures.



Crawlspace (or is this the basement?)

Peeking in Door and Looking Straight Ahead



Peeking in Door and Looking a Little to the Right



Peeking in Door and Looking More to the Right



I mossied up to the house and checked out the HVAC progress. One of the extras we added to this house was to move the HVAC vents from the floor to the walls. In other houses I have had, floor vents seemed to thrive on accumulating pet hairs and sand. So wall vents were a "must have."

Here's Brett and Brad scoping out the first vent to be installed in the dining area.



Soon, the event drew a crowd.



Whallah! The dining area vent is installed (sans a 2x4 to secure the cut stud).



Dave and I decided it was time to head out for our lunch break and let the professionals finish up their duct work. Our first stop was the post office to retrieve our mail. Next, we indulged in a couple of cool, refreshing salads at Dad's. I am not a big fan of the sandwiches that I make, and I've had enough of them for a while. So, I didn't pack a lunch today. Maybe next week I'll get out the lunchmeat and mayonnaise again.

When we returned from lunch, we moved our Observation Station to our porch.



All I can say is WOW. This porch is the best part of the house. We don't even have a floor yet, and it's a slice of heaven. The view is all trees (I hope it stays that way for a VERY long time), and the breeze was delightful. Imagine how cool it will be when the ceiling fan is installed!

After Dave and I were all cozy on the porch, Brad brought us news about a little snag in our wall vents. It seems there is no wall available in the living room on which they could install a vent. All of the available walls in the living room rest squarely on double support beams under the floor. Because we cannot cut those beams, we had to settle for a floor vent under the window in the living room. Bah Humbug!

As Dave and I were observing from our new station, the heavens opened up. And, now that we have a roof and a covered porch, we are able to sit and enjoy the rain falling around us. No dashing for the car or scrambling to get out of the rain.

Here's another picture of a vent installation.



This vent is a floor vent that will be directed out from under the bathroom cabinet and through the kickplate.



This hole in the master closet is the entrance to the crawlspace below. This is for our future Panic Room.



OK. OK. I'm messin' with you. This is in the master closet, but it is where the airflow return for the HVAC system will be installed.

It was a long day today with a lot of little things done such as the clean-up, Brad enlarging the wall, he and I measuring for the hanging light fixture, and Brad putting all the little plugs into the frame of the French doors. I, on the other hand, was able to get a lot of reading done today.

Brad and Dave & I pulled out nearly at the same time--4 PM. Are these the faces of men who are aghast that we could leave them there to do all the work?



A not-so-perfect end of the day was that as soon as we all got on the freeway and drove about 2 miles, we came to a screeching halt. There were two accidents within 5 miles that had the freeway completely shut down. So, our typical 45-minute drive was 1.5 hours long. And, boy were we tired when we got home. I quickly made dinner as I knew if I sat down, I'd never get up. We were asleep at 9:30 PM!

We will not go to the lot tomorrow as not too much activity scheduled. Brett and his HVAC crew will finish up. We will be back on site Friday when the electrician is going to get us "wired."