Last days of summer

This week saw the last days of work by John's big crew of carpenters. They took care of odds and ends inside the house and did some additional siding. Uncle Eric and Sean continued siding and exterior trim at the end of the week and over the weekend. Eric will be continuing that work this week. The front door has been ordered, so the rest of the front siding will go up once that is installed.

Eddie the roofer has been kicking butt all week, and his 10 hour days have gotten everything but the garage finished.
The skylights on the back porch roof were installed by John Tuesday morning. They bring some extra light to the large overhangs and look great.
An exciting addition this week was the fireplace that was installed Thursday and Friday. It's a heat producing wood burning fireplace that will keep us toasty warm in the winter. It's super efficient, and Sean has already started some seasoning fires to get it ready for when we move in.
This upcoming week will see the garage and basement floors get poured. Sean had to clean up a ton of debris from around the house so the cement crew can get in to do that work later in the week. John the electrician will be working on the house this week, too. Mickey will be back from California just in time, too. We're back to school on Monday with a week full of PD, so the timing couldn't be better.

The mechanics of it all

Work on the house is taking place nearly every day of the week at this point. The carpenters have been joined by Javier the painter, Mike the heating and cooling whiz, Eddie the roofer, Bill the plumber, and John the electrician. Of course Sean has been there a lot cleaning up (a nearly constant job), moving lumber, and managing all the trades now that Mickey is in California visiting the newest addition to the Eldon clan, Baby Annabel.

Most of the siding is up and painted, and we're pleased with the color. We've been collecting photos and magazine pages for years, and it has paid off when it comes to making some decisions. This color was inspired by a beautiful home we often drive by in downtown Petoskey.
The roofing materials are up and out, and Eddie should be finished by the end of the week.
The duct work is set up, and the fireplace box, on the far right of the photo, has been framed and is ready for installation later this week.
The plumbing isn't the most exciting thing to photograph, but this shot at least captures some of what is visible inside the house. This is the wall that divides the master bath and laundry room.
This is the last week Sean and I have off before school starts up again, so we've got all of our errands mapped out. We met with Hadley at Motawi to design the tile around the fireplace. We have been trying to finalize the cabinets, lighting, and plumbing fixtures for the entire house. We're also trying to savor the last days of summer, so we're making time to take Peter on lots of walks, the zoo, swimming at a friend's house, and a picnic at the metro park.

Pretty as a picture window

The fifth weekend of roughing saw the complete installation of windows, most exterior doors, continued siding, and the sheeting of the roof on the rear porch. The dormer with the custom louver was also lifted by the carpenter crew, and Roger schooled Sean and young Luke by hossing his side up the ladder to the awaiting guys on the garage roof. In addition, the plumber and electrician worked on the house during the week, and we're happy to see those areas coming along as well.

Walking around the house, it's easy to see what a difference the work made at the end of the day Sunday.
The carpenters hanging out in the front of the house at the end of the day Sunday. Sean has been a hospitable homeowner by making sure there is always Gatorade during the day and cold Bud at the day's close. I tried bringing them Washtenaw Dairy donuts last week, but they didn't go over nearly as well as the 10 pound block of ice I also got to keep the brews frosty.
Mickey and Peter check out the office and library windows.
The back side of the house with the roof over the deck and siding up.
The rear deck with the studio ceiling that we'll leave open. The far end will be screened in.
Peter, Mickey, and Sean stand in the living room in front of the French doors. The view of the creek is pretty awesome.
The curved window on the second floor is in and looks fantastic. Everyone has an opinion about cutting down more trees on the property, but this view reminded us why we kept as many as we could.
Everyone keeps asking if they can have Peter's room because the window and view are so beautiful. Three generations of Eldon guys agree and take it all in.
This week will see the completion of the siding, continued plumbing work, electric hook-up, and heating and cooling work. We hope to have the painter out soon, too.

Meanwhile, we've been running around town and researching the Internet like crazy for plumbing fixtures and lighting. We also have to finalize a kitchen cabinet layout and get a third estimate for hardwood flooring. With work for school starting, the days are long and busy, but it's exciting to have the chance to really customize a home of our own.

Still roughing it

Work during the fourth weekend focused on the back porch, a lot of the siding, and the remaining roof sheeting.
Sheeting the roof is a massive, difficult job, not least of all because the house is built so far off the ground.
With the siding completed on the gable end to the right of the picture, the shed roof really pops.
This is what the rear deck looked like Saturday.
Below (left) one can see the rear deck from the opposite direction at the end of Saturday. The picture on the right is the same view on Sunday with all the rafters up.






The rear deck and back of the mudroom.


The same mudroom door and the back wall of the garage. John's can of Bud is peeking out the open door.

The interior of the garage. John calculated the square footage, and I'm pretty sure it's bigger than our current house. Not sure how that happened, but it's one hell of a space.
The sun came out at the end of the day Sunday as the last of the lingering carpenters packed up.

A final shot of the back of the house. It's tough to get a clear vantage point because of all the trees. That and the hornets' nest Sean found in a rotting log near the walk out basement.

Next weekend we hope to sheet the rear porch roof, set the windows, and finish the siding and trim. In addition, the painter, electrician, and plumber are all set to get started. After painting is complete the roof can be shingled.

Raising trusses and the final wall

Saturday saw mild weather in the 80s but we had a crew of only 7 framers, smaller than previous weekends. Despite the smaller crew, we were able to raise the trusses on the house, sheet a good deal of the roof, and build the roof over the front porch. Here is a view of the house at the end of the work-day Saturday.
The Sky Trak got a real workout from John this weekend. It's used to lift heavy loads, like walls and trusses, and poor Uncle John had to really navigate it around the trees that surround the house. The trees will be haunting Uncle John's dreams for quite a while.
Lots of visitors came out to the lot this weekend to see the progress, and it was fun to chat with Barb, Linda & Joe, our department chair Carey, Uncle Eric, and some interested neighbors from the other side of Wagner Road. Needless to say, Peter loved the attention.
The difference between Saturday and Sunday was huge.

The picture on the left is the view up the stairs
to the second floor Saturday with the new trusses.


This is the same view on Sunday with the roof up.



















Here is the exterior of the house on Sunday. The roof over the covered porch was almost finished, and the shed roof on the second floor is starting to show nicely.
Another view of the house from the street on Sunday.

This is the back corner of the garage. The siding is up and looks great, and it's almost ready for the exterior painter. At 14 feet tall, building this wall was no small task.
The construction of the center window has been fascinating. Sean and Mickey worked on the barrel ceiling around the window on Sunday, and it looks awesome. We couldn't be more pleased with how it's turning out.
What's next? Framing the back porch, finishing the plywood sheeting on the roof, and tying together all of the trim pieces. Paint and roofing should follow closely behind.