Frame-up

The last few days of rain have turned our house foundation into the shallow end of a swimming pool, but with small islands of clay that need to be tamped down, clumps of stray cement, and some well-used work gloves here and there. Probably some mosquitoes as well. But it's ready, and waiting for the house. Ah, the house.

This morning, I went out to the Stratford factory to see how the construction is coming along. Pretty darn well, actually. The flooring is mostly done - facing, joists, plywood sheathing, PEX tubing for the water, drainage pipe for effluent, an opening for the crawlspace. Looks good. The first of the four modules (two up and two down) went in for wall framing today. According to the framing manager, the walls should be all framed by Wednesday or Thursday.

In the meantime, the credit cards have been working overtime, with appliances, toilets, and the remainder of our lighting on order. Next week, it will be time to order the flooring (tile and wood) and the the rest of the hardware. Still need to find the right granite for bathroom counter tops. But, it's all coming together. The modules go up on July 10, so we still have some time.

Everyday, twice a day, I walk Pepper up by the house site and try to visualize a house, but it's still difficult. The "yard" is a slowly drying field of muddy clay, and there's a Honey Bucket near the intersection of the driveway and our main walking trail. A large chunk of Mt. Dirt is still on the north side of the foundation. We get the occupancy permit in two months. Hard to believe. Here we go.