Seeing The Big Picture

It's a funny thing about this project. It doesn't feel like we get much done each day. We only work on the house in the evenings and on weekends so it makes sense that progress would be much slower than when it was being worked on full time. However, when I look at the pictures at the end of the week, I can still see progress. Not much changes from day to day but when we look back over the week, there is a noticeable difference. Not as much as we want but always more than we think.  It's there. We just need to see the big picture. Whatever the case, we are thankful for progress, however we perceive it.

Matt and Steve were working on the roof this weekend. I won't say that I'm not anxious about them being up there. That's all. I won't say it. I won't elaborate either. You're welcome.

They stop to pose for a picture. 

We had some pretty strong wind blowing here the other night and I'm not going to lie, we all wondered the same thing... hope the trusses are still standing in the morning!! I'm happy to report that they all stayed in place and that is thanks, in part, to all of the strapping that the boys have been doing. I wonder if that's where the phrase "strapping young men" comes from? Well, it does around here, anyway.

All that can be said here is that I, most assuredly, did not take this picture!!

Having left things in very capable hands, Phil comes back down to work on another project.

And to also pose for a picture. :-)

Ben has been working in the basement, clearing the snow out. Now that the top floors are on and the final grading to the ground outside hasn't yet been done, not much sun gets in there. I also use the term 'snow' very loosely. It's been through several freeze/thaw cycles and has compacted into a solid mass that needs to be chipped away at before it can be shoveled out. It would melt eventually but we'd like to have the basement ready for the next step so we aren't held up unnecessarily by snow again, of all things.

There is usually someone willing to help.

And usually, someone ready to play.

It will melt much faster out there.

The house plans are always being referred to. Good thing we had them laminated.

Phil is following age old advice about measuring twice so you only have to cut once. 

It's pretty tedious work.

He used to always bring these cut offs home from work for firewood and I always wondered what they were from. Wonder no more.

The beginning of the stairs.

So here's what I learned about stairs this week. They are made up of three parts. The stringer, the rise and the run, which can also be called the tread. The stringer is the long piece of wood that spans the two floors, the rise is the height in between each stair (makes sense) and the run or the tread, is the part you walk on. Maybe you knew that already but it was news to me. There is also a fair bit of math involved to calculate the measurements properly. I learned that too. Not the math. Just that it is important.

The almost finished product. They look great Phil!

The stairs to the basement will go directly below these ones.

 Work is finished for the day and it's time for the first hot dog roast of the year. 

It takes a lot of manpower to, um,  watch the fire. ;-)

It's an actual tail gate BBQ. No one wanted to run back and forth to the house.

Ben is showing us how a "real man" roasts his hot dog. Well, he showed us for a couple of seconds, anyway. 

Steve prefers a stick. How... what's the word? Smart.

It looks much better with the peak trusses on. 

The roofing material was delivered on Friday so hopefully it should be on in the next round of pictures. Should. That is a word that we use very carefully around here. Just saying.

Hope you had a great weekend and hope everything is going well with whatever project you are working on!

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord...

Colossians 3:23