Caution...

wet concrete!

The rest of my porch is now poured and it looks great! In total there is about 20 yards of concrete, just for my cute porch. That is almost as much as our whole BIG driveway is going to take. It will be oh, so worth every yard of it though!

Not only did they pour my porch, but they installed all of the vents in the roof...

The hole is where a vent is going.

and they installed some of the upstairs windows!

It is so fun to see how much they can accomplish in one day...lovin' it!

The Main Floor Windows...

are in and I love them!

They finished prepping for the rest of the porch so they can pour tomorrow…the truck will be at our house at 10:00 AM. Yay! All the forms and rebar are set, the holes are dug for the footings and it is ready to go…

It was a HOT day today and the boys are BEAT!
Time for a well deserved rest...

The porch is getting great use already!

Busy Day...

Today Ryan and Gary went to Interpace Brick and ordered the color of brick that we are going to have on our house. There were a few colors that I liked, but I have only seen them on the internet, not in real life. That could be scary! Ryan and I both really like the brown tone brick, so as far as I know that is what we're leaning towards. I think that color tone will be cute on our style of house, not to mention almost every other house on our part of the street is some sort of red. When I asked him what color he chose he told me I would just have to wait and see when the masons come and do the brickwork. Really!?! I just hate not knowing, but I guess I will have to be patient. One thing is for sure though, I usually like what they pick out so I am not too concerned.

Sycamore                                             Mt. Woodson

       

My favorite is the Sycamore, but we will have to see...for all I know, maybe it's neither one of them!

The rest of the North side is now sheeted and looks much better.

Within the next few days, they will be pouring the rest of my porch. So today they had to prep for it, which is always a lot of work.

Concrete Cutting...

Concrete expands and contracts with the temperature so the day after you pour, if you haven't cut it while finishing with a trowel, you have to cut it with a saw. The purpose is to try and control where your concrete is going to crack because it always will. So, therefore, that is exactly what Ryan did after work today. 

While he did that, I organized materials and swept the floors. My mom is always telling me that she is pretty sure our house is the cleanest construction site around. What can I say? I would much rather it be clena than have to walk in saw dust, over wood pieces, etc. That drives me crazy! 

I was also able to meet one of our neighbors Andy, the "neighborhood inspector" as some call him. He is just a few years younger than us, but has a disability, that certainly doesn't slow him down. Ryan has known him for a long time because Andy is always over at Hamblin's and has been hanging out there for years. Ryan has mentioned to me that I would be meeting Andy any day now. However, Andy was probably a little nervous to meet me because Ryan told him that I was a boxer and that I was going to box his ears. No wonder I heard Andy ask if I was at home, but I didn't know about what Ryan had told him until Andy left. It was funny because Andy told me that Ryan was a good kid unless he was with Jed and then I better watch out. He also said that he loved to "razz" Ryan. This one cracked me up..."Ryan has a whole trailer full of toys. He has every toy you could ever want. He is so lucky!" Yeah, they are all tools for working not to mention not all of them are his. I am not sure Ryan would ever consider any of them toys. "Your house is so nice. One of these days I am going to build me a nice house." What a funny kid Andy is. I am sure we will be seeing him around quite often.

Front Of The Porch Poured...

Ryan left a little before six this morning so he could set the forms and finish up the rebar before the cement truck arrived. It was scheduled to be at our house at nine o'clock. Well, it arrived! Justin came and helped Ryan and that job was soon complete. In fact, by the time I made it down to the house after work, the concrete was set and the forms had bee removed. It looks great!

With the extra concrete in the truck, they just had him dump it on the North side where the rest of the porch will be.

Yep, one of the next big projects...the rest of my porch!

Prepping For A Pour...

for the front part of the porch. They filled the area in with dirt from what they took out from our addition as well as a job Justin is doing. Yay for less concrete to pour!

Thank goodness for the skid steer, it saves a lot of time. There are so many steps to take in order to get ready for a pour... fill, compact, level out, install rebar, even out lines, check, check and check again to make sure it is all level, etc. After all that, then the forms can be set, which will come first thing in the morning. I am sure tomorrow will come quick enough!

I was informed tonight that for our first meal when we move in Ryan wants prime rib and lobster. I would say that is quite the trade. He works on the house for many long hours and months and I cook for a few hours. I'll take it...what a steal of a deal!

The Wrap Around Porch...

makes our house so, so much cuter! I am just going to LOVE it! It is something I have always wanted since I was a little girl...yep, I am spoiled!

Now, I just need to be patient as I wait for it to be finished...I can't wait to pull out my treasured porch swing from storage...oh, how I have missed it!

More Accomplished...

The windows were picked up today…and one was installed, the rest should be installed in the next few days.

And look…the trusses for the rest of my porch were installed...

And the plywood sheeting for the porch roof started. Moving right along!

Things did not exactly go well today. Ryan was not too pleased with a few things, but it's a new day tomorrow!

More Roofing...

it seems like it is taking forever to get the roofing done, but gables take a lot of time, weather interferes…you can’t roof when it rains or when it’s too hot, due to the chance of damaging the shingles.

Besides more roofing, the drip edge was completed on the front North side…

and they were able to sheet most of the North side with plywood.

Everyday we are getting just a tad closer to being done! I can't wait...and neither can Ryan or those who are helping for that matter! 

Ryan is sure getting a nice tan line! Lucky him...slightly red one day and completely tan the next. I so want his olive skin!