So far what amazes me the most is how simple most of these jobs are. It is a lot of jobs, but none of them so far are rocket science!
We are debating now on whether to do earthen plaster for the inside or concrete plaster and gypsum for the texture. Both are a natural byproduct of rock, but the earthen plaster just sounds neater. The downside is that we don’t live in an area where we can just pull from the local resources. We would have to have the clay trucked in, which of course means more money and impact on the environment. Just another decision that we will need to make…
1st - Bill and Lea are back to work on the air some more. This seems to be more of a bear than expected because of the small attic space. Our roof pitch is low and the ceilings are tall, so the combination makes it difficult to put in the ductwork. We are putting in 2, 3ton units instead of 1, 6 ton. Max had suggested this since the house is spread out so far and it is supposed to be more efficient.
2nd - The next real project is the outside entry. We have to start laying out the forms and pouring the concrete this Wednesday so that it can be setting while we finish the interior work. My job for today is to figure out if we should buy or rent a cement mixer, order sand, 2x6s, Portland cement, and most importantly, find a recipe for cement. I really, really want to have this inspection by mid-August.
28th – Again we had an incredibly busy month. To recap…
We decided to set the “combo” inspection (framing, air, electric, fireplaces) for the 25th. This gave us a “has to be done by” date and pushed Curtis (who is doing most of the electrical) along also.
Mark ordered the timbers and hardware for the exterior porch/entry. Mark & I formed it and poured half of it on Wednesday and then the 4 of us finished pouring the rest Friday night. That weekend Mark & I finished the air conditioning and did some more little framing details. It is as though the little details keep multiplying. Our lives for the rest of the month seemed to be a backer here, carry a wall up there. I really didn’t think it would ever end. Finishing the entry was actually fun though, we could see progress in it. The kids and I painted all the timbers before they could be put up and then we had to paint the 2x2s that the tiles would sit on. When you are underneath, you can look up and see the underside of the tile like it used to be done. My interior bale wall that separates the entry from the dining room was finally completed and is actually very sturdy. Mark still jokes that he won’t be standing next to it during an earthquake, but it will probably be the safest place in the house. We stacked the bales on their sides 4 high in a stair step fashion and left 2 openings for display windows. This month also we put in all the windows and exterior doors. (We decided not to farm it out after all) The front door was finished literally minutes before the inspector arrived. But (and this is the most important thing for the month) we finished and PASSED! He actually complimented Mark’s work. Both inspectors that we have had were very nice and one even gave us pointers for the next inspection while he was there. The deal with the kids was that if we passed the inspection that we would take the next 4 days off. So I am typing this sitting by a pond while Mark and the kids are fishing. We didn’t go far, just to an RV resort about 45 minutes from the house. Mark’s work is only 15 minutes from here so Thursday and Friday he went to work and the kids and I did absolutely nothing. It has been so nice to not be working or ordering or scheduling these past few days. We are on the downhill slide though. We will hopefully be in by November 15th. So this is a break before Mark has us slaving away again for the next 2½ months! Then hopefully we will get a week in Mexico – I am already counting the days…