It Can't be Fall Yet!

Several weeks ago, as we drove through town, I was pointing out the very early signs of fall - hints of red on the Maple trees. When I explained to our 4 1/2 year old, Elsie, that meant it was "almost fall," she covered her face and shrieked: "It can't be fall yet! In fall, the baby is coming and the house isn't done!"

Fast forward to today. Of course, she's right. Baby is due today but apparently not in a hurry. The house isn't done, but we do have lots of good progress to report, and are comfy-cozy at my parent's farm for the time being. I tell people we are lucky to have very accommodating landlords;).

The fall, for it's part, has been gorgeous with some of the most spectacular color in recent memory.

View from the lift above the house.

During this time, the Purdy family was also hit with the unexpected and heartbreaking loss of Ben's Aunt Linda. Linda was a passionate follower of our progress on the farm, and I know if she were here, she'd be harassing me about why I haven't updated the blog. So, this one's for you, Linda. 

So, the fall has been beautiful and challenging at the same time. With some gorgeous weather and beautiful color, we have also had a lot of rain, which has slowed some progress on the house. As soon as Ben rented this awesome machine, it rained for a week straight.:( 

We were also frustrated by a mistake in our roofing order. The drip edge was bent to the wrong angle and had to be re-ordered. For those who wouldn't know (like me) that meant they couldn't start on the roofing - the drip edge has to go on first. The replacement was just delivered yesterday, so the roof should be going on soon now - if the weather cooperates.

That said, it's not like there's been nothing to do. Backing up a bit, to try to catch up from the last post, there has actually been a ton of progress. For starters, the connection between the old house and the new addition was completely re-done. The photo below shows the old wall coming down. This part of the wall on the second floor had some significant water damage anyway from where the original "Vulture Shack" as we called it had attached. That "shack" we believe was the original home that Isaac Garthe built on the property before building the big house. We'll basically be doing the same thing in this new piece while we re-build the house.

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Ben's dad has spent a ton of time here (THANK YOU!!) and did an amazing job on the electrical and plumbing. Both have already been inspected and passed with flying colors.

This is just an example of the historical rat nests
of wires in the hold house.

The new wires are quite an upgrade from the one shown here,
nearly chewed through by our friendly mouse/squirrel friends.

Even laypeople like me can appreciate the organization and
precision of the new wiring here!

I'm excited that this means a bathroom coming soon!

All new pipes + insulation connect to a new high-efficiency water tank in the old house.

For those who are interested, we chose the "high efficiency power direct vent 38gal Short 6 year 36,000BTU propane water heater" from Home Depot. We've also installed a "mini-split" heat pump (visible in photo below) for our primary heating source in this new addition. The addition has been designed to be extremely energy efficient - which will be very important over the next several months!

Making use of the lift (without roofing), the guys have finished all the exterior foam - two layers of 2" foam sheets. With that, firring strips are required to attach the siding. So, this has been a laborious process, but one that will pay off!

We also purchased high-efficiency Thermo-tec windows which are the same ones used for all the new Habitat for Humanity houses locally to ensure that utility bills for those homeowners are kept as low as possible - the results have been amazing. Ben also used "Flexwrap" flashing (no seams) which is the red you can see in the photos.

Before the foam was completed, and we had so much  rain, Ben noticed that the wood behind the foam was saturated. Granted, this will likely not be a problem a) once the top row of foam was added, water wouldn't run down the house behind the bottom row and b) once the siding is on it should be protected. However, if we're going to live here forever, we certainly didn't want to risk mold issues or having the entire house start rotting away due to moisture behind the foam. So, he cut away the bottom 12" or so and added this plastic breathable "fabric" and then put the foam back over it. Of course, it added time to the project but we can rest assured this house is supremely well built!

I think that brings us up to date. Next up: roofing and drywall! Hopefully we'll be able to move our focus indoors before the weather takes a turn for the worse. I see a snowflake in the forecast already, but am keeping my fingers crossed there's still some time to wrap up the outside work!

Another view from the lift showing the roof wrap

Happy Halloween all!