Never so happy to see a backhoe :)

Hey Folks,

This first photo shows the progress that was made during Tues & Weds build days. Not only was the decking completed on the second floor for both houses but they got a good start on the firewalls that separate the two homes.

I worked with a few folks on house 6 side to finish the firewall. The frame for the wall was waiting for us when we arrived, so it was a matter of covering it with fire resistant sheetrock, placing some insulation between the walls, then to set the wall in place.

Lifting even a partial wall with this heavier sheetrock takes some brute strength, so of course, we got some motivated women to do the job. :) This gals are from a Meet Up group in PDX, out for a day of volunteering. They were great to have on site & we're hoping they'll be interested in helping out on the Women Build.

We've glued the subfloor where the wall will stand to assist in securing it, then the wall is set in place, checked for level and nailed to the subfloor. We put braces in several places until these firewalls can be secured with tie plates to other interior and exterior walls.

Unfortunately, because of my sieve of a memory, I missed taking a photo of the finished product so you'll have to step aboard the imagination train. We continued our work but placing insulation between each stud then covered the open side of the framed wall with more of the fire resistant sheetrock. Basically sandwiching the framed wall. The sheetrock is placed 1/2 inch up from the bottom so it won't wick standing water on the decking from the rain and develop mold. At the end of the day, both walls are covered with heavy duty plastic, again, to prevent them from getting wet until the roof is on to protect them.

House 7 was painted with primer by the family of one of our future homeowners as part of their 500 hours of sweat equity. They really cranked it out and completed the entire home in one day. Now that's hard work and enthusiasm! :)

Meet Paul and his joyful daughter Lola who will be the recipients of house 7. I've been working with Paul since the previous build site as he works toward providing a permanent home for he and his daughter. Of course I had to go in with her to see which room was hers and how she was going to decorate it. She will paint it half daytime and half nighttime, with the nighttime part featuring the moon and stars over her bed. There is also a cubbyhole space part way up one wall that is intended for storage but will be an area for Lola and her friends to hang out in. That space will be decorated “all girly”. :)

The biggest news of the day is we had the excavation team out to dig the foundation for houses 3 & 4, one of which will be our Women Build home. Whoohoo!! We'll be working soon on the foundation, I believe, until the subfloor decking gets on the first floor. Then starting April 8th we'll have a Blitz Build for 12 days which I'm looking forward to joining in on. This build event will take us up to getting the sheathing on the roof and it'll be all hands on deck. From that point on we'll have the Women Build happening on one house and a Thrivent Lutheran build on the other. So looking forward to the experience!

This last photo is a sign that spring is indeed coming. One of my favorite flowers, the daffodil, is ready to spread some cheer during our continued overcast days.

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

Nanette