Trusses Are Installed

The crane arrived about 11:45AM this morning and left about 5:30PM. The crew started with the shop area trusses, then installed the house trusses. They are all installed, they just need to add the "peak" to the house trusses. The trusses were too big to ship in one piece so they had to make them two pieces for assembly on-site. Looks like a barn now, can't wait to get the peaks on so it looks like a house. We are expecting a front to come through tomorrow and some rain/ wind so they are hoping to get here tomorrow AM and get additional bracing on before any wind.

Ready for Trusses

The crew had a very nice sunny cooler day today. They were able to finish all the outside walls in the shop areas and the one remaining outside wall in the house. Short of a few smaller preparation items, they are ready to set trusses. The crane is coming at 12 noon tomorrow. Pictures starting tomorrow will look a lot different!

Almost Ready for Trusses

I did not post this week since Lorrie and Christopher were coming down this weekend and I wanted all the progress since they were here two weeks ago to be a surprise. So, I will catch everyone up with lots of pictures and I'll write captions below each one.

Where do they get these drivers? We had a second concrete truck run off the left side of the driveway and get stuck in the exact same place as the one last week. Since we had re-filled the hole back in, this one did not get buried quite as far and the second concrete truck was able to pull him out. All in all, we only lost 1/2 hour this time and did not have to call in the big tow truck.

This is a shot from above showing that most of the first floor of the house has been framed. Just a few small walls around the tubs once we bring them out, the stairs, etc to go.

Nice shot from above of pouring the concrete in the storgage area. We only have to pour the concrete for the front porch and the pad for the wood boiler and all the concrete will be done.

Just had to do it......

The trusses arrived on Wednesday, they were "very" wide, I was not sure once I saw them if they were going to make it up the driveway or not. But they did, the semi just couldn't make it up the hill so we had to offer some additional help.

It took all the dozer and truck had to get up the hill. Both started breaking loose at one point and I got worried. But they just backed up 20 feet and gave it another run and walked right up the hill.

The 2nd floor joists are all in place and this shot shows them wrapping up the sub-floor installation in the upstairs of the house.

The temporary set of steps going down from the storage area to the landing, with doors to the right into the garage, left into the automotive work area and straight outside.

The first upstairs wall. These are only 6 foot tall on the outside, then with the cathedral ceiling, the wall will rise to 14 feet in the center upstairs.

A shot from above of the first shop area wall. These walls are15 feet tall. From left to right, this is the window and garage door in the deer processing area, then the two windows in the wood working area.

And finally, a visitor yesterday morning came up the driveway, he was on the trail of 3 hens in front of him. It's almost turkey season here in Ohio.....

Not One of Our Better Weeks

As you can see from the last post on Tuesday, we started out the week very well. Then things went down hill quickly starting on Wednesday.

Wednesday was an early day, the crew arrived at 6:30AM before daylight and the first concrete truck arrived be 7:30AM. The sun came up and everything was set for a great day, then the first concrete truck driver got a call from the second driver saying that he had driven off the left side of the driveway and buried the concrete truck.

The pictures don't really do the scenario justice. The truck was leaning pretty good and since it was full of 9 yards of concrete, the biggest fear was it would roll over. It was driver error, he did not stay in the tracks of the driveway, got over way to far to the left and found the soft dirt from where we trenched the power up that side of the driveway two weeks ago. Long story short, it took about 3 hours to get him out, he had to dump the concrete into the ditch on the other side of the driveway to lessen his weight.

The owner of the concrete company came out and met with me and they are going to make it right, they are going to dig out the concrete from the ditch and haul it away and prepare and seed the side if the driveway when the weather is right for it. He also gave me one of my loads of concrete at no cost (that's about $900). We ended up getting all 27 yards poured on Wednesday but it consumed the entire day by the time it was done. Guess that is one of the challenges of having a 1400+ foot long driveway.

Then, it rained cats and dogs on Thursday and Friday started out rainy also so we lost both those days to the weather. I have never seen it rain so hard in one 30 minute period before. We had flash flooding all over the county and the pond rose by a couple of inches from just one rain shower!

Good news is a pair of Wood Ducks has found the pond, I was finally able to get some pictures. I hope they stay around and have their little one's on Farver Pond.

The First Wall is Up

We lost yesterday to rain but today and the extended forecast look great. It was 70 plus degrees today and predicted to be near 80 the next two days. Today was delivery day for a large portion of the lumber and they chalked all the first floor house walls and started framing. The far wall along the dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and master bathroom was completed and stood up. They started framing the front wall of the house which is the dining room, living room (great room) and my office, with 4 large windows that will overlook the pond.

Tomorrow the first concrete truck will be here at 7:15 AM (just first light), with a total of 27 yards of concrete coming tomorrow (3 trucks) to pour the large center section which encompasses the deer processing area, wood working area, automotive area and ATV/tractor areas. Then the plan is to pour the large storage area on the end on Thursday (2 trucks).

In between, they will continue to frame. If the weather continues to hold out, they are still hoping to be completely framed and ready for trusses by the end of next week. They ordered the metal roofing today and the trusses are made, just waiting on what date we want them delivered.

First lumber delivery, several more came today

Ever seen a chain saw powered miter saw? (Me neither)

Rough framing the first wall, this wall is 54 feet long.

First wall completed, from left to right, dining room window, door to side porch, kitchen window, two windows in master bedroom and window in master bathroom.

First Concrete Poured

A lot of time and money was spent getting the driveway back in shape after trenching in the power. We had a dozer come out and re-do portions of the drive and dress up other areas. Then had several 20 ton truck loads of gravel delivered and drop spread and the dozer groomed all of that in all the right places we knew were soft, especially on the steep hill. All in preparation for the 80,000lb concrete trucks to start coming to pour the concrete floors. Then, as Murphy would have it, it rained most of the day before we were planning to pour the garage. After losing sleep worring about it, the sun came up today and the concrete truck arrived and made it up to the house site, with no issues. The driveway held up exteremely well, the driver even remarked that it was better than the last time he was here, all good news.

So the "garage" area was poured, finished and sealed today and they prepared the "storage" area for concrete on Monday, if the weather holds out. Harley Yoder (my Amish builder) also has the first truck of lumber planned for Monday. If all goes well, they will pour the storage area on Monday, then pour the last big area which consists of the automotive areas, deer processing area, wood working shop and the tractor/ATV area on Tuesday.

In between tending the concrete they will start to prepare for framing and then dive full speed into framing, can't wait, that's when things look like they are really making progress.

Preparing to pour the garage area

Garage area after being poured

Putting "sealer" on the concrete, keeps it from absorbing oil/stains later

Good view from the hill of how the garage floor nests in nicely and at the same level as the house floor, not steps!

"Storage" area, just about fully prepared to pour next week

We Have Power

We have power! The power company completed the connections and energized our circuit on Friday. I moved the camper over and it is now plugged in! Very nice to have power after 13 years of camping here and running off of a generator. No new pictures to share yet. Pretty much with the rain we have had off and on we are waiting to let the muddy driveway dry up some to get more gravel delivered. Gravel is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, hoping with the sunny day expected tomorrow that the drive will support the trucks and we can get the gravel down, at least by Wednesday. Then we will be ready for the concrete trucks again to pour the floor in the shop areas on Thursday or Friday, weather permitting. There is a 30-40% chance of rain Thursday/Friday so we will see. The builder is ramping up to then start framing next week (week of 3/12) and has the truss's on standby for late the week of 3/19. The weather is going to have to be cooperative to support this schedule, I won't be surprised if this does not slip a bit. We will see. Would be really nice and we would be so far ahead of schedule if we had the trusses on before the end of March!