July 4th Weekend - Final Preparations for Framing

We spent all three HOT days preparing for the framing to start in a couple weeks.

Gerry decided to remove several of the original floor joists because they were twisted.  He also added a couple new footings because a pair of the original footings were too close to the new sewer ditch.  Better to add them now then to have issues later.

Before:

After:

Gerry & Kenny demo'd the remaining walls on the house-side of the garage and the hallway.

I had to empty the linen closet and bathroom storage closet in the hallway outside the bathroom.

                                            Show pic of hallway w/o closets                    

Final placement of the main sewer which shifted as the surrounding sand was washed down the line during all the rain a few months ago.  Just make sure it slopes in the right direction!

Dining Room Window Mock-up

Which grid pattern looks better?  We constructed the dining room pop-out windows from cardboard and used masking tape to simulate the grid patterns under consideration.

4x3 (window pane) with no grids in transom:

 

4x3 with grids in transom:

Or, one less vertical grid...

3x3 with no grids in transom:

3x3 with grids in transom:

There Goes the EZ-up.......

We forgot to put down the EZ-up before the wind started.  This one was was carried about 30-feet from the driveway, where it was covering the picnic table & stuff,  to the TV wall in the soon-to-be(?) great room.

 

Copper Plumbing

Gerry's still busy with the plumbing, but now it's the copper pipes under the floor board of the old house.

 

 

Misc Pictures

Gerry's been very busy getting the plumbing, drainage, and sewer pipes installed.  I helped by filling the trenches with sand to support the pipes from underneath.

Let the sunshine in!  It's nice to pull the plastic back to let the sun dry out the ground under the existing house foundation.  The two partially visible doors go into the bedroom (left) and bathroom of the house.  Normally, there is plywood on the floor joists between the two rooms so I can use both rooms.  I enter the bedroom from a door cut into the bedroom at the side of the house.

Gerry did a mock-up of the windows in the new great room so we could evaluate size and location before we order the windows.

The yellow tape towards the top of the picture below, outlines the kitchen cabinets.  The square plywood represents the kitchen island, and the yellow tape at the bottom of the picture is the wall between the hallway and master bedroom.

Gerry Had His Knee Surgery Friday.

Gerry's arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee went well.

This is his nurse, Trish, wheeling him out to the car.

Saturday & Sunday he spent time in his shop.  His friend Bill gave him a cot so he could lay outside and still keep his knee straight and elevated.  Sure....the shop has no walls now, but it will SOMEDAY!

We pulled out/down the couch in the trailer so it was more comfortable for Gerry to lounge around.  He didn't have to stay cooped-up in the trailer bedroom while watching the NFL games. 

Another beautiful sunset as seen from the trailer patio.

Sadly, I discovered today that our little Lizzy has moved on....

More Digging for Sewer and Water Runoff

Another score from the Habitat For Humanity Restore -- lots of plumbing fittings for very cheap!

Drainage pipes installed around the shop foundation to divert the rain (especially from the school building behind our property) into the storm drain. 

Sewer trench from the shop down toward the house (currently through Gerry's work-area tent).

Sewer trench from the new master bath toward the original sewer under the house.

Uncovered the original sewer pipes under the house.  Gerry has to replace the existing clay pipes before he connects all the new pipes.  The new pipes have to be 3-inches deeper than the existing pipes in order to accommodate the slope required to connect the sewer from the shop.