Then and Now

We were going to title this "Before and After", but we're not quite all the way to "after" yet. However, since it was pointed out to us that we have not yet included any before pictures, we decided to show the changes to date.

Front view, then

and now



South side view, then


and now



North side view, then


and now


We're gradually adjusting to the new look. We've gotten several comments from neighbors and others that they like how it is turning out. After the windows and siding are done it will look much more cohesive.

Roof's On

The roofers made their first visits on Friday and Monday. Jeff was quite glad to be finished with the tarps, and they are now relegated to our trash pile (if anyone has a use for beat up tarps let us know). We are glad we don't have to make any more evening trips to arrange various containers to catch the leaks. The roofer will come back out after all the penetrations are in place and the bay window and front entry areas are complete.

Our trash pile has also started to shrink. One of our neighbors stopped by and asked for the wood to burn in his fireplace. He spent quite a bit of time today getting lumber and hauling it back to his house. It's a great solution for both of us. He gets a free wood pile, and we don't have to pay to get it hauled off.

Things are starting to move a little faster now. The framer should be finishing up in the next week or two. The mason tore our chimney back down to be flush with the second floor, and he will build it back up with brick as soon as weather permits. The plumber was out today and the plumbing rough in should be ready for inspection on Thursday. We will post more pictures as things progress.

Up, Up, Up

We have been very fortunate that it didn't rain very much during the day for the last week or so. (It has rained quite a bit during the night, which has created more lakes in our dining room and living room. We are pretty sure it's still not doing any serious damage.) The framer was able to get a lot done without rain interfering.

Throughout last week, he put up walls. It was nice to see the pile of wood in the driveway rapidly shrink. When Ohm saw the new walls up he said "two houses". At the moment it does indeed look like someone accidentally landed a new house on top of ours. We trust that it will look more cohesive when finishing touches, like siding, are done.

The windows arrived on Wednesday, and we are keeping them in the garage until the framer is ready for them. We're looking forward to replacing all of the old metal frame windows in the existing house.

On Friday, the trusses were delivered. Ohm was mesmerized with the crane operations. He told the neighbors who stopped by to chat that the trusses were going "up, up, up to the sky."

When we stopped by on Sunday, all of the trusses were up. The tarp is now held securely in place, and we can sleep better knowing that there shouldn't be large puddles downstairs any longer.

We had fun walking around our new upstairs, looking out the "windows", and visualizing what it will look like when it's finished. It's getting easier to believe that it will indeed be finished in the forseeable future!