In preperation

Hey Folks,

Yesterday gave me a little lesson in balance. Last week I was a bit disappointed I didn't work outside on the beautiful, sunny day we had, as I helped build part of the ductwork for our WB/Thr (Women Build/Thrivent) houses. We finished up the ductwork yesterday while it poured outside for a number of hours. I may have missed the sun one day, but was able to miss getting drenched on another. Balance I can live with. :) How smart of Kathy to have us get it done beforehand saving us about two days work during our build.

Houses 5 & 6 were all wrapped up with window installation completed, making it ready for siding when we are finished with our 12 day Blitz Build, starting on Monday.

We had two enthusiastic groups helping out yesterday. One from St Andrew's Lutheran Church as part of our Thrivent build, doing precuts for the dual house framing coming up next week. 

They also got a start on building the frames for the windows and doors as well as working on installing drywall in house 8. The wood for our walls are precut for efficiency during the framing process and they've got them neatly organized so particular lengths are easy to find. Nice job!

The spirited group from Providence Health Plan worked on caulking any gaps there may be between the studs on the outside walls that would allow cold air in. Wood used in framing is not always perfectly straight or we might have to insert a shim between two pieces to make something level or the right height, leaving a gap. As part of our efforts to build Energy Star homes, using caulk in these gaps is one part of our insulating process.

Here's a picture of part of a stairwell once the caulking has been done, insulation installed between the studs, and the seams between the insulation pieces have been taped. We use an insulation with a paper backing for the outside walls. There's also a spray insulation that expands used around the windows, doors and to fill in around and holes drilled for electrical wiring or plumbing. I've used this product on site and must confess I end up wearing as much as I get in the spaces it belongs. Unfortunately it's hard to hide as it's bright orange. :-P

The Providence group were also helping out with painting trim as well as a few other projects. 

One gal struck a comical pose with her caulk gun looking like a superhero fighting the battle against energy loss for our homeowners. :)

One of our site supervisors Cliff, looks very tall as he has a conversation with Ri Len at a second floor window. As you can see he's tall but not quite that tall. If he was, he could get a lot of siding done for us without all that pesky scaffolding. :)

I made him pose for me on the ladder next to the porch roof he trimmed and shingled. Great looking porch roof!

As I said, next week begins our 12 day Blitz Build, taking us from the subfloor decking to sheathing the roofs. I've taken the time off work to participate so you'll be seeing the photos. Not sure if I'll post each day but will try to at least get some photos up of our progress. Should be great fun!

Until next time, live your best life, however big or small it may be!

Nanette