When you wake up to an alarm on Saturday morning *UGH*, roll over to shut it off, and notice out of your half-squinted eye that your phone is telling you it's TWENTY ONE DEGREES outside, you know it's going to be a long day.
Eight A.M. meeting, Ross tells us to stay busy and we'll stay warm! HA! THAT sounds optimistic! Truthfully, it wasn't bad. My fingers wouldn't stay warm, and other than that I was ok. We started framing the exterior walls of Roberts house...it's amazing that Ross can now call out a list of six names, and we can build a HOUSE together with very little supervision! The things I discovered this week are: I can BARELY lift a box of nails...those things are HEAVY. Snow can accumulate on you even when you're working and moving. And Stiletto Hammers are my new best friend.
I know...I know...you're asking what a Stiletto Hammer is. A Stiletto is 14 oz of Titanium lovliness that I could never afford. Our construction supervisor was telling us one day how he wrote to Stiletto, and he sent him four hammers when he was building his own KCCHA house. So, Ahren gave it a shot! PRESTO! Four gently used Stilettos headed our way...and MAN does it make a difference! 7 oz lighter than my previous hammer. My hand still swells and bruises, but the actual hammering is SOOOO much better! So THANK YOU Stiletto Tools...you have made us very very happy! :)
We worked mostly with Anna, Josh, Julie and Robert this week. We ate lunch with One-Gun and Josh, and while Anna was paying we noticed we were in the PAPER! (Well, THEY were in the paper!) :) It's a great article on the front page of the Kingston Community News! I can't find it online yet, but if I do, I shall link it in. Otherwise, you're gonna have to drive to Kingston and pick up March's edition for yourself!
Lastly, I've been having a panic attack about hours. We are required to build 30 hours a week. End of discussion. At an optimistic minimum, Ahren and I are personally required to do 20 of those. Ten can be volunteered. But, if they aren't volunteered, we owe them. Thankfully, some students from North Kitsap come out and help at the build site and that gives us five of those hours. Here's where it gets tricky: Ahren and I work opposite shifts, which rules out weekdays because someone is always home with the kiddos. Saturday and Sunday we have somewhere between 1 and 6 children. My parents are out of town a lot, Ahren's parents live out of town, and all of our friends have kids. ARGH!!!! It is VERY nerve wracking. My friends have been talking me down off of an anxiety ledge for days. So, I have to at the very least find 8 hours of child care every saturday so Ahren and I can BOTH work...16 down...14 to go. See the problem?! :) It's all worth it...no question. But the scheduling is crazy, and I'm not going to see my husband until June! SO, if you're handy with a hammer (or not), or feel like having a child invasion some Saturday...you let me know! :P I know it is worth it...NO QUESTION. It's just getting through. I have the summers off, so we'll be able to give our child care providers a mid June through August break, so that will be nice. The rest I guess will work itself out. We are not the only people who struggle for hours...most everyone does. The greatest rewards often require the greatest sacrifices. :)
Sadly, my camera won't sync with my computer. I have some EXCELLENT "look at us getting snowed on" pictures, and some of a wall raising. So as soon as we figure all that out, you'll see 'em here first! :)
So until next week, as always:
Your Happy Homebuilder,
Heather
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Bouncing off the WALLS!
That's right...WALLS! When I got to the site this morning, Tina's house had TWO walls! I mean, it looks like a house, even more than last week when I said it looks like a house! :)
So when I got there, wall number 3 was laying down (that's how you build walls) and they were just getting ready to nail all the sheeting in. So yes, I hammered for four hours again, but it was AWESOME! So you nail all the sheeting in, then Ross says some secret prayer and must give a sacrifice to the gods of construction, because the lot of us lift up this HUGE wall and set it upright! I mean really! It is the most AMAZING feeling...I mean I put a wall up today! (Well, actually 2! And some little interior closet walls, too). When I arrived, a chunk of people were leaving, so it was Anna "one-gun" and I representing the girl population, and a crew of the boys. Luckily we are expert hammerers (although Ross kept trying to give me a hammering lesson...I'd like to point out that his hammer weighs SEVEN OUNCES less than mine...sounds minor but it's not!). So all four main exterior walls are up and braced, all the windows and doors have been routered out, and four of the interior walls (which don't require sheeting and are SO much easier!) have been constructed to make 2 closets and a linen closet. I'm still totally excited to be out there and to be learning and doing so much! :)
The one thing I am a little stressed out about is HOURS!!! We have to do 20 this week, and next week starts 30!!! This is a huge fiasco because Ahren and I are essentially single parents from 5 am til 10:30 pm, which means neither of us can be out at the property Mon-Fri without MUCH arranging and inconvienencing of others! SO, we try to get all 20-30 hours of our work done Saturday and Sunday. It's stressful and I'm a little freaked out about it. Ahren and I constantly remind each other that this is going to be a crazy nutso year, and we'll hardly see each other, but it will be SO worth it! :)
I'm going to attach several pictures of Miss Tina's house! :) SO FUN!
That's all for this week! Ahren's going back tomorrow to half-mudsill the Ben-Judah home! YAY! :) It's so much fun to see everyone every week and really be making progress! Until next week!
Heather
So when I got there, wall number 3 was laying down (that's how you build walls) and they were just getting ready to nail all the sheeting in. So yes, I hammered for four hours again, but it was AWESOME! So you nail all the sheeting in, then Ross says some secret prayer and must give a sacrifice to the gods of construction, because the lot of us lift up this HUGE wall and set it upright! I mean really! It is the most AMAZING feeling...I mean I put a wall up today! (Well, actually 2! And some little interior closet walls, too). When I arrived, a chunk of people were leaving, so it was Anna "one-gun" and I representing the girl population, and a crew of the boys. Luckily we are expert hammerers (although Ross kept trying to give me a hammering lesson...I'd like to point out that his hammer weighs SEVEN OUNCES less than mine...sounds minor but it's not!). So all four main exterior walls are up and braced, all the windows and doors have been routered out, and four of the interior walls (which don't require sheeting and are SO much easier!) have been constructed to make 2 closets and a linen closet. I'm still totally excited to be out there and to be learning and doing so much! :)
The one thing I am a little stressed out about is HOURS!!! We have to do 20 this week, and next week starts 30!!! This is a huge fiasco because Ahren and I are essentially single parents from 5 am til 10:30 pm, which means neither of us can be out at the property Mon-Fri without MUCH arranging and inconvienencing of others! SO, we try to get all 20-30 hours of our work done Saturday and Sunday. It's stressful and I'm a little freaked out about it. Ahren and I constantly remind each other that this is going to be a crazy nutso year, and we'll hardly see each other, but it will be SO worth it! :)
I'm going to attach several pictures of Miss Tina's house! :) SO FUN!
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| Tina's EXCELLENT view of the Ben-Judah's "house" |
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| That's me! Looking out Tina's front window openings! |
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| House from the front! SO COOL! :) |
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Upstairs, shower and and walls (and floor!)  |
Heather
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Just Sheet It!
Today started out a little rough. I was cleaning out my car before my mom and step-dad got here, and had put a pair of slip on tennies on. Well, halfway to the build site I noticed they were still on my feet! WHOOPS! So my stepdad went to the build site and I had to come back home for my workboots!
When I got there and asked Ross where he wanted me, I was SURE he was going to tell me to help with the slab insulation. BUT NO!!! :) Much to my delight, I was assigned to help with sheeting. Ahren and my step-dad were framing the house next to the one I was working on, so I didn't even have to be bossed around by them all day! :) Sheeting means nailing boards to your frame. Every six inches (which is about the width of the head of your hammer) you lay a nail down. Well, I worked with Anna and Josh and Daniel. Anna and I were just excited not to be doing slab insulation or mudsilling! We joked, and laughed at each other, and laughed at the boys, and had a great time. It's amazing to build relationships with the same people you're building your neighborhood with!! I told Anna I was going to call her "one-gun", because she's going to have one BULGING bicep after all this hammering! After the sheeting was finished, we moved up to the second story and started laying FLOOR on the second floor! SO EXCITING! It LOOKS like a house...well, here...I'll show you:
That's not even a good picture. I was clearly so excited by my new job assignment I didn't get a proper picture! The house next to the one I was working on was finishing out framing, and when I left they were putting up all the floor joists for the second story! :)
Hammering for five hours does make for a tired arm/sore hand. I will be purchasing a pair of better padded gloves, and suddenly the 50 dollars more for a hammer that weighs half of what mine does doesn't seem like a bad idea! "one-gun" looked over at me at one point and said "This is house 1...OF 12!" :) It's totally true. No one said it was going to be easy...but SO worth it! :)
So Tina's house is looking very house-like, all the sheeting is up on the bottom floor, and when I left half of the second floor subflooring was down. (I'm assuming the plywood you glue and nail to the joists is sub flooring, but I could be wrong.) Zahn's house was getting all it's joists for the second story put in, and the house next to Zahns was being framed. A few more houses had slab, and someone even had their garage poured! Our house is the only house that isn't mud silled or slab insulated...we are waiting for them to run plumbing. I'm not so anxious anymore for it to be "our" house, because I know there is PLENTY to be done, and in the end, we all get there at the same time!
I don't have any pictures of me, as Ahren and Alan were looking too busy for picture taking, so I'll leave you with one of "one-gun" Anna nailing down some sub-floor. I think I better go ice my arm now while I can still move it!
Your Happy Housebuilder,
Heather
When I got there and asked Ross where he wanted me, I was SURE he was going to tell me to help with the slab insulation. BUT NO!!! :) Much to my delight, I was assigned to help with sheeting. Ahren and my step-dad were framing the house next to the one I was working on, so I didn't even have to be bossed around by them all day! :) Sheeting means nailing boards to your frame. Every six inches (which is about the width of the head of your hammer) you lay a nail down. Well, I worked with Anna and Josh and Daniel. Anna and I were just excited not to be doing slab insulation or mudsilling! We joked, and laughed at each other, and laughed at the boys, and had a great time. It's amazing to build relationships with the same people you're building your neighborhood with!! I told Anna I was going to call her "one-gun", because she's going to have one BULGING bicep after all this hammering! After the sheeting was finished, we moved up to the second story and started laying FLOOR on the second floor! SO EXCITING! It LOOKS like a house...well, here...I'll show you:
Hammering for five hours does make for a tired arm/sore hand. I will be purchasing a pair of better padded gloves, and suddenly the 50 dollars more for a hammer that weighs half of what mine does doesn't seem like a bad idea! "one-gun" looked over at me at one point and said "This is house 1...OF 12!" :) It's totally true. No one said it was going to be easy...but SO worth it! :)
So Tina's house is looking very house-like, all the sheeting is up on the bottom floor, and when I left half of the second floor subflooring was down. (I'm assuming the plywood you glue and nail to the joists is sub flooring, but I could be wrong.) Zahn's house was getting all it's joists for the second story put in, and the house next to Zahns was being framed. A few more houses had slab, and someone even had their garage poured! Our house is the only house that isn't mud silled or slab insulated...we are waiting for them to run plumbing. I'm not so anxious anymore for it to be "our" house, because I know there is PLENTY to be done, and in the end, we all get there at the same time!
I don't have any pictures of me, as Ahren and Alan were looking too busy for picture taking, so I'll leave you with one of "one-gun" Anna nailing down some sub-floor. I think I better go ice my arm now while I can still move it!
Heather
Monday, February 7, 2011
This is the house that love built...
We started this journey more than a year ago, when we received a call from Dianna at the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority telling us we were qualified for their Mutual Self Help building program! HOW AMAZING!!! It was a long wait, but in September of 2010, we started meeting with our build group, a group of 12 other families, singles, couples, who are also building homes at the same time we are.
We didn't start "construction" until December. I say "construction" because it was a mess of moving stuff from one place to another, ripping down these boards that must be lined with lead, and kind of getting a feel for what would be happening. (I not-so-secretly think Ross just likes to see us move stuff from one end of the loop to another...it's like KCCHA's version of "The Biggest Loser"). But now, the last three weeks have been productive and amazing. I feel such a sense of pride in what I can do, what my family will have, what this community we are building together is.
First off, I think I get the dirtiest of everyone everytime I'm out there. I always find the ten foot mud hole. I don't know how it happens. Once a week we drive our children up there to see what's changing, and explain to them what's happening. As of Saturday, we have footings poured on all the houses, all but one house mudsilled (and I am an expert mudsiller!) slab foundation on some, slabs poured on some, and even WALLS on two of the houses. It is AMAZING! I'm always sore and exhausted (and covered in mud and sand), but it is such an amazing experience, and such a blessing for our little family of eight, that I can't help but grin while my husband and I lay on the couch trying not to breathe too deeply because it hurts! :)
So I'm going to use this as a place where I can track progress. Most importantly, I can use a drill (with a REALLY scary looking bit!), a table saw, a circular saw, and a router and no one runs the other way! I can't say these were things I was especially yearning to know, but at the end of this is experience, I will walk through the front door of OUR home...a home that friendship, perseverance, hard work and community built up together. I can not think of a lesson better for Ahren and I to experience, and a lesson better to pass onto our children.
Welcome to the house that love is building, and I appreciate you sharing this journey with us.
A&H
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