What's next???

I'm not sure. I heard discussion yesterday about putting in the windows. I can't wait to see them in place. The laying of the 2 inch tongue and groove for the upstairs flooring will be started shortly. They had laid down temporary plywood during the construction phase to save wear and tear and water damage to the upstairs floor.

We were told to go ahead and arrange delivery of the bathtub and shower (need those in place before framing bathrooms). That's no problem as they are all ordered and sitting in a warehouse waiting for a phone call to deliver.

I know our kitchen cabinet/counter people would like the kitchen framing ASAP so they can come in and take final measurements.

Mike is switching hats (yet again) and getting back to all his electric stuff. He has to work closely as they put down the tongue and groove so he can get all the kitchen overhead lighting in. And the same thing goes for all the rest of the electric on the interior walls. Lots of wiring left to be done.

Obviously we are still have a long way to go...but with the roof finished I am happy and totally in love with with the logs and the way the home looks.

Rick and I have to send out a big thanks to the crew. Richard, Mike, Eric, Lee, Ray, Pete and Shep. They have worked hard and under some adverse weather conditions at great heights and yet always had smiles and jokes. They have let Rick and Andy borrow equipment and given advice freely on the garage. They make it fun to visit...and hard to leave.

Thanks guys !!!

From the inside...

A view from the living room up to the loft. There will be a log railing there.

That speck of blue on the ridge beam is for our hanging ceiling fan/light.

I really like all the interesting ceiling lines. Sometimes it's been hard to visualize what things will ultimately look like.

2 more windows framed on the garage...

These are the 2 bays. We really wanted 2 separate doors and not just one big one.



This is the side that we see from the house. There will be 2 windows and a entry door here.

The Roof is done...

It's a Red Letter Day...

Okay...what's next???

Garage Window framing...

The first window opening is roughed in, the second one is started.

The Garage progress...

We have a second floor...

Lots of help today. Andy's son Dan and Dan's daughter Sarah came out to help. Thanks!

Still roofing...

One tiny section (left of the dormer on the ridge) and then the dormer itself...and it will be finished.

Dogs in the Gazebo...

Jessie (three years old) She comes to the construction site just about daily with Rick.









Murphy (eight years old)

Troy (12 years old)


Today Dianne sat and read while Rick mowed the meadow.

A good morning's work...

A good morning's work...and then (of course) the sky darkened, the thunder roared and once again they had to pack up...tarp up...and wait for another dry day...But look! My porch is shingled!

Friday July 25...around 4PM

I also got an elevated view of the log home while on the garage.

It has been brought to my attention...

That quite often I refer to "WE" when in fact no one has actually seen me swing a hammer, start a chain saw or even chisel a beam. Truth be told...that would be correct...LOL

I am pretty good on a ladder though...and I was the first person to stand on the new portion of the second floor of the garage.

But the truth is that Rick and Andy are the ones doing all the physical labor and I just show up to add moral support and praise.

However, without me you all wouldn't know anything about what was going on! Eh?

Our porch

This is the entry way from the porch. I find it to have a very interesting roof line.

The front porch...it was pouring rain!!!

Back to the house and the porch rafters...

Garage rafters finished...

This is great...Of course now we have to order windows and shingles...but first we need to build the second floor...and decide where to put the stairs...

Roofing continues...

It's hard to work with all the rain we've been having. And the partially done portions need to stay dry and be covered at any threat of rain.

So, we move along...the side you can't see is finished...and still rain remains in the forecast for the rest of the week.

Rafters for the second floor of the garage...

The first rafter is laid.















Looking very good!

Still more left to do, but tomorrow is another day. I'm very impressed with all they got done today.

A mock-up of the kitchen...

This should give you an idea of what the kitchen will look like...

An aerial of the island.

Another day on the garage...

On Monday they made sure all the posts and beams were squared and then began installing the braces.

Work resumes on the roof...

Some different views of garage...

This is where the cars will go into the garage. It's 2 bays with some extra room on the right for storage and stuff.











This is the view from the side steps of the house.













This is the view from the front porch.

Day 3 begins...(and ends) with pouring rain...

Another beam is placed...













This is going well...

Some minor adjustment needed...

There you have it...

Day 2 of framing the garage...

That's Dan (Andy's son) in the center of the pic. He showed up just to look at the progress and ended up working. And he offered to come back and help for a second day.

Thanks Dan...

Those are some massive beams

On the right side is the "people door" for the garage.

Lots of rain expected...

Even though that gorgeous blue sky gave no hint, the rain was coming, so they covered the roof to keep it dry.

Meanwhile...things are moving along on the roof!

I'm still not sure how they did this...

The frame for the garage has been started. I got a step by step explanation of how this was done. That's a farm crane they used to raise the beam.










The process involved a lot of leverage and balancing. And a tense moment when something didn't "fit" exactly.










The crane had it's wheels leave the ground (for a moment)...and lots of adjusting of the straps to make the beam easier to move. It was a day well spent and they both arrived home tired, but happy with the results!

The Chiseler

While I was away for a few days (back to CT... Oh what fun! ) Andy and Rick continued working on the posts and beams for the garage...