prairieman

Overall: Our drywall contractor got underway with a 2 man crew starting Thursday. We are anticipating a larger crew next week to speed things up. Winter weather came back this week with very cold temps and light snow.

Monday: Kyle installed thick foam board in the shop at the garage door header locations to try and gain some insulation along that wall. I worked on wiring that needs to be in place before drywall hanging begins.

Tuesday: Kyle used expanding foam to fill the framed corners of both buildings. I finished up the pre-drywall punch list

Wednesday: 2 truck loads of drywall arrived today. Cory and a helper moved all of it from the driveway into the shop and the house. Rain is expected overnight.

Thursday: A 2 man crew arrived today to begin hanging drywall. I forgot about thermostat wiring in the shop that needs to be extended to the mechanical room in the house where the boiler is located for the concrete slab heat for both buildings. The conduit I installed before we finished the breezeway ceiling, came in handy for fishing the thermostat wire from the house to the shop.

Friday: Completed the thermostat wiring task. Left the drywallers to do their thing

Saturday: Carole and I travelled to Indianapolis to select and purchase vinyl plank flooring for the house. It took awhile for us to finally agree on a specific product… no different from us doing the same floor selection chore in Wichita 4 years ago for that remodeling effort.

Sunday: Scanning receipts, updating reports, and created a new spreadsheet with everything that is still ahead of us and needs to be done before we can request an occupancy inspection and approval from the Brown County building department. Also using the “to-do” list to estimate whether we have enough funds remaining in the construction loan to complete everything on the list. It’s going to be close…

Overall: Lost this week due to COVID-19 infecting Carole and I. Fortunately… both buildings are on hold, waiting for drywall. Getting COVID could have happened in the middle of work/tasks that required 100% of my time, effort and attention, and that – while not devastating, would have meant a full week of important shit not getting done.

Monday: Sunny and Seventy degrees today… WOO HOO ! Carole and I sat on the front porch at our current residence enjoying happy hour outside. Weather forecaster says we will return to normal (40’s) temps for the remainder of the week. Came home not feeling the best, with very mild flu symptoms. Carole was quick to administer a COVID test. Yup – tested positive.

Tuesday: Woke up feeling mild flu symptoms, similar to yesterday. Correctly decided to stay home and rest. We will see what tomorrow brings. If me getting sick was another construction-project-test-of-commitment (like having to move our household last August), I can’t imagine better timing. Both buildings are ready for drywall, but the guy we hired is busy, and likely won’t start on our project until next week. Carole tested positive today. She spoke to our primary care physician – and he got us Paxlovid to take for the next 5 days.

Wednesday: Both Carole and I feeling sicker / worse today. Hoping the Paxlovid pills shorten our COVID experience. Our drywall guy called to confirm they are on track to begin hanging drywall next Wednesday.

Thursday: Still at home, resting. No improvement, feeling similar to Wednesday. Sore throat, raspy cough, normal temperatures, weak and achy all over.

Friday: Finally, beginning to feel better. Significantly better actually. Don’t know if the Paxlovid gets the credit, or if this is my body’s response to the virus. Staying at home today and resting.

Saturday: Feeling better this morning. Carole is still suffering. Spent a couple hours at the site with Kyle, working the pre-drywall punch list. So many little details before walls and ceiling are closed off. We really want to catch everything, so we don’t have to open up drywall for access to… something we neglected.

Sunday: Feeling better and better. Out to the site by myself for the afternoon. Nearly completed the punchlist today.

Overall: Contractors installed gutters and insulation, and we completed installation of siding, fasica and soffit for both buildings. It was a good week…

Monday: A rolloff construction material dumpster arrived this morning. I’ve been able to manage construction trash by burning (framing lumber scrap) or hauling home to go in the weekly household trask pickup. Drywallers will need a place to dump their waste. Kyle installed blocking for grab bars for each bathroom – thinking ahead when we are really old.

Tuesday: The seamless gutter installer arrived today and completed his task in short order. Kyle and I worked siding on the north wall of the shop.

Wednesday: We completed the shop north wall, which brought this large task to an end. 100% complete with exterior siding, fascia and soffit. Very fortunate to have had mild weather for the most part since we began the task in early January.

Thursday: 70 degrees this afternoon ! Our insulation contractor was on site early this morning. They worked until after 6PM to complete the task in one day. Kyle and I worked odds and ends on a punch list of things to be done before drywall is hung.

Friday: An all day, cold, wet, rainy day. Ran errands around town visiting several vendors, making phone calls, researching the next phase of materials needed.

Saturday: Worked on the computer, scanning receipts, updating the speadsheet. More online material research.

Sunday: A beautiful sunny warm day. Spent several hours at the site, cleaning up and packing up everything. Both buildings need to be empty when the drywall task begins.

Overall: another week of mostly mild weather – in February ! we took advantage and made significant gains. Insulation installers are scheduled to begin next week, followed closely by drywall.

Monday: Completed the wood stove flue pipe installation, specifically the portion of the pipe that resides just below the great room ceiling, up through the roof truss and out of the roof.

Tuesday: I spent the day pulling electrical wire for a wide variety of functions. Plumber arrived as planned to connect the main water line in the mechanical room to all of the hot and cold PEX pipes and the water heater.

Wednesday: Kyle was here today, installing siding on the south gable of the shop. We are very close to completing exterior siding installation for both buildings. Remarkable success since we began this outdoor task in the 2nd week of January.

Thursday: Kyle completed the east gable on the house today. I continued working items on a punch list of specific tasks to be completed before insulation is on site filling the walls and ceiling with fiberglass batts. I told them we would be ready on Tuesday next week.

Friday: Kyle completed siding installation on the sides of the front porch. This leaves the shop north gable, and we will be – done – with exterior siding. Kyle and I worked on the shop 1/2 bath wall toilet rough-in before drywallers descend on the property in a couple weeks.

Saturday: Alone at the site all day. Rented a mini-backhoe all weekend to work on several dirt related tasks. Sunny and warm shirt-sleeve temperatures in the afternoon. A full day riding a backhoe digging in the dirt. good times….

Sunday: A repeat of yesterday. Sunny and warm temperatures in the afternoon. Moved dirt along the south wall of the house, close to final grade. North side of the shop in preparation of trenching water line from the meter to the eventual chicken coop. Also trenching electric power on the south side side of the house for RV shore power. Spread gravel delivered on Friday afternoon, creating a place for UPS & Amazon trucks or trucks & trailers to easily pull up the driveway and turn around. Up ’til now – trucks (and me pulling a trailer) have had to back up the driveway…

This week’s picture is a view of the project while travelling west (from Needmore) on highway 45.

Overall: Weather was friendly to us for the most part this week, allowing us to complete exterior siding on the expansive west wall of the house. We also rented a backhoe to trench and install the sewer line from the house to the septic tank and connect the main water line to the water meter.

Monday: Insulation contractors on site today, applying fire caulking and sealing the window and door frames. Kyle and I worked on house west wall exterior siding installation.

Tuesday: Rented a backhoe for the day. The ground was as dry as I could hope for this time of the year, with rain forecasted on late Wednesday and again late in the week. Spent the day digging a trench from the house to the septic tank and installing the sewer line on the south side of the house. Then moved the backhoe to the north end of the property. Last summer (week 9 to be precise), in concert with all of the drain, waste and vent plumbing installed before pouring the concrete slab; the plumber also buried the main water line from the mechanical room location in the house all the way to the county water meter. We had already installed a hydrant at the water meter to have water on site as needed during construction. The plumber had the water line emerge from the ground very close to the water meter. We carefully dug around the meter base to fully expose and remove the hydrant, then connect the water line to the water meter. Relief to have all utilities connected.

Wednesday: Another day of “warm” weather allowing us to continue siding install on the west wall of the house. HVAC crew arrived to rough-in the line set for the mini-split A/C unit to be installed in Carole’s textile production room in the shop building. Rain overnight with 3/4″ observed in the gauge Thursday morning.

Thursday: Kyle and I completed the west wall of the house today. Afternoon temperature reached 60 degrees with a winter storm predicted overnight. Wait. What ? Oh. yeah… mid-February. I cannot complain – we have been more productive the past few weeks, than I predicted & anticipated when we broke last April.

Friday: 20 degrees when I woke up this morning, and the forecast says the high temp will be in the 20’s. Spent the day visiting several businesses, picking up material and talking to sub-contractors. Scheduled to have the plumber at the site on Tuesday to connect the main water line in the mechanical room, to the various water line branches and the water heater. I was at the job site long enough to pick up the mail, and meet dad, Barbara & Carole for a planned visit/tour.

Saturday: Very cold outside to start the morning. Spent a couple hours at the site in the afternoon, with me pulling speaker wire and Kyle finishing a small area of drywall in the mechanical room. The drywall finishing effort was confined to the corner of the mechanical room where the water heater will be located. Much easier now, than trying to reach around the water heater…

Sunday: Mild temps overnight. Arrived at the site around 9:30. Spent 4 hours installing the shop compressed air manifold. Returned home in time to watch the Daytona 500. Not hosting a party this year, as we have done many times. We are eager to have a Daytona 500 party in 2024. Hoping to see car number 5 – Kyle Larson – in victory lane. .

Overall: A great week with a couple significant tasks completed. Warmer weather motivated me to work on site every day this week. The last 4 windows (ordered in early May) were finally delivered and we got them installed. The mechanical system (boiler, valves, pumps, accumulater, controller and pipe) for the hydronic slab heat was installed this week. I am expecting the insulation contractor to be on site next week to begin his contribution.

Monday: Kyle and I installed siding on the southeast & southwest shop corners. Still need to complete the north and south gables. We also got started on wood stove flue pipe installation for the portion of the flue that will extend outside the shingled roof and just inside the drywalled ceiling in the great room. Lucas (Low Gap HVAC) surprised me with a phone call, to say he had some time before starting his next project. He wanted to begin installing our heating system mechanical installation, and would be on site the next day.

Tuesday: Pella Windows truck delivered the four, fixed pane trapezoidal shaped windows we have been waiting on for months. Continued effort on great room flue pipe installation and started preparing the west wall of the great room to install the outer windows. Lucas and Steve were on site all day, initiating the effort to fabricate and install the mechanical system to heat the house and shop, using hot water flowing through a few thousand feet of PEX tubing embedded in the concrete slabs of both buildings. Check out the post for week 13 to see a picture of the installed PEX tubing before concrete was placed & finished.

Wednesday: Kyle and I installed the outer trapezoidal windows today, and continued the flue pipe installation task. Lucas and Steve were here all day, making great progress on their project. Told me they were further delayed to start the next job, allowing them to complete our project tomorrow.

Thursday: Crazy weather with wind gusts to 60mph and falling temperatures all day. Kyle and I worked other projects, opting to wait until Friday for removing plywood and installing weatherstrip tape to install the inner pair of great room windows. Lucas and Steve completed the mechanical system installation. All we need now is a propane tank placed and a trenched propane line from the tank to the house and we will have heat !

Friday: Kyle and I opened up the great room west wall, removing plywood, and checking roughed-in openings against the actual windows. For whatever reason, the roughed-in openings required additional carpentry to ensure the windows fit properly. Kyle worked that task while I pulled ethernet cable and other electrical system wiring, in anticipation of insulation installers working next week.

Saturday: Kyle and I installed the outer windows with relative ease on Wednesday, but the inner windows are larger, taller and heavier – so I insisted we employ some additional muscle. I coordinated with Joe and Kevin, who were both available Saturday morning. The four of us worked together to make the inner window install a fairly routine task, on a scaffold, up in the air… I spent the afternoon alone at the site installing conduit for audio and ethernet wire. Neighbor and close friend for nearly 50 years, stopped by to see if I needed any help. I’m never going to turn away anyone offering their time. Having extra help, decided to initiate the shop’s compressed air manifold installation. He had so much fun – told me he would return on Sunday.

Sunday: Out to the site mid-morning. Mike and I picked up where we left off on Saturday, working to install the shop compressed air manifold. I elected to try a new product for this task. Semi-flexible 3/4″ and 1/2″ diameter PEX & aluminum tubing. The kit included a number of different style fittings to get everything connected. Really pleased with how easy it was to layout and install.

Overall: not much accomplished with actual construction this week due to cold weather. This project is truly fun every day; until I have to wear lots of layers to stay warm. If this construction project was necessary to pay the bills and feed my family – I would “layer up” and get to work. I’m retired, and this project is how I am beginning this chapter of life, so… not working if it’s extra cold outside. I predicted February would be a slow month for exactly this reason.

Monday: Travel home from the weekend at Daytona, arrived at the Indianapolis airport at 12:30AM. Back home in bed at 1:30AM. Slept in and ran some errands for construction materials. Brief visit to the site to pick up mail, and see that everything was still in place.

Tuesday: Very cold day with a high temp of 20. Worked from home continued effort for kitchen cabinet plan, deck railing sources, and a variety of other tasks.

Wednesday: Terrific… the weather today is colder than Monday or Tuesday. Out to the site to pick up the mail and to measure/check a few things I’ve been working on at home.

Thursday: Groundhog day. A little warmer, allowing me to spend the afternoon at the site, pulling ethernet cable and audio speaker wires.

Friday: A return of bitterly cold weather to end the week. The seven day forecast looks terrific – with unseasonably warm temperatures all next week.

Saturday: The anticipated warm up has yet to manifest locally. Was at the site briefly, then retreated home.

Sunday: Overnight temp was 35 and we got up to 48 degrees ! Kyle and I completed framing the 6 pocket doors in anticipation of calling for drywallers in the near term. Also began work to install the flue pipe for the stand alone wood stove.

Overall: The weather this week was more interesting than progress on the build. I am taking a planned weekend trip to Florida.

Monday: Worked by myself for a few hours, pulling ethernet and speaker wire. Ralph showed up for electrical work, but didn’t bring correct clothing for the cold temperatures, so left shortly thereafter.

Tuesday: The sun came out with temps in the 40’s. Kyle and I got siding on the north wall of the shop. The gable end is around 23 feet at the peak and the vertical siding is 10 feet long, so will need to rent a manlift for the next round of siding. We are promised a significant winter storm overnight, with a caveat from the weatherman, that the predictions are calculated guesses, so actual results will vary.

Wednesday: Woke up to find three inches of heavy wet snow on the ground, with snow continuing all morning. Visited the site to clear the mailbox and the thought of working in the house, but was not feeling inspired. Drove back to town instead to shovel snow from dad’s driveway and walkways.

Thursday: A cold start to the day, so spent the morning making phone calls to contractors and scanning receipts. Afternoon was spent picking away at the pre-insulation punch list.

Friday: Departed Bloomington at 4AM for the drive to the Indianapolis airport. Should be a very fun weekend in Florida. Will be attending the 61st Daytona 24 hour endurance race with Travis & Alex. The three of us have watched this event many times on televsion but none of us have ever witnessed the race.

Saturday: At the track all day. We have a close friend who is the team manager for one of the race entries. Walt is responsible for GTD Mercedes Benz Team Korthoff car number 32. They qualified 28th overall and 3rd in class. Alex and I are also excited to see the new BMW prototype (GTP) entries. This will be the first time since 1999 that BMW has participated in GTP.

Sunday: Attending the Daytona 24 hour endurance race. Scheduled to be back in Indiana very late tonite.

Overall: Siding install is progressing well. I estimate we are 80-85% complete for both buildings combined. Crappy weather hampered us, along with a four (4) day week, because I used Friday to conduct some monkey business…

Monday: A dreary rainy day, so we stayed under roof cover to install the metal trim around the three (3) overhead garage doors on the east wall of the shop.

Tuesday: The sun came out, allowing us to install siding on the west wall of the shop. Completed the west wall by the end of the day.

Wednesday: Happy 67th birthday to me. Returned to the shop east wall to install siding around all the garage doors. Lots of small pieces to trim and fit.

Thursday: Completed the shop east wall and started the shop south wall east and west corners, which are outside of east and west ends of the breezeway. Ralph arrived and put in a couple hours working the pre-insulation electrical punch list.

Friday: Shutdown the construction site so I could conduct a day trip to western Tennessee; inspecting a possible pickup truck purchase. Yes… I am keenly aware that I already have a pair of work trucks – one that needs repair, and the other truck that is being used every day. I have found a reputable mechanic, and will be trailering the broken truck to his shop for repair in the near term. The plan: once we have completed construction and have moved into our project residence, will sell both work trucks which are rusted and beat up (perfect construction vehicles). I know exactly what I want for a long term purchase and have been conducting a slow, methodical internet search. Finding an inexpensive, 25 year old, rust free truck, in good condition – is a tall order which is why I have started searching now. Stay tuned, more to follow…

Saturday: Spent the morning updating various files and a trip to Staples, printing new detailed drawings of the kitchen as we begin the kitchen detailed design process. Kevin produced a scaled drawing on the largest paper (24″ by 36″) Staples has available. The drawing will be used with paper cutouts of the various widths of cabinet offerings. I have also made cardboard templates of actual drawer lengths &, widths as measured in the Menards showroom. The cabinets can be configured with various combinations of 5, 10 or 15″ drawer depths, so I also measured the actual depths of each drawer offering. Carole and I will use the templates to determine what goes in which cabinet and where in the kitchen it will be installed, with specific drawer callouts. We’re old and prefer an analog process, rather than moving virtual cabinets on a computer monitor. This should be tons and tons ‘o fun.

Sunday: Another day spent at home continuing the efforts described yesterday. Ordered a fairly new material for the shop compressed air manifold. Old school material has always been 1/2″ black pipe and is still popular today. The pipe I ordered is semi-flexible and made of aluminum & PEX. Should install much quicker and easier than conventional steel pipe. Lower cost is a plus. The manifold will be installed in the walls similar to electrical and plumbing with pipe termination and air hose quick disconnects located as appropriate around the shop perimeter.

Overall: Continuing effort to install exterior siding. The weather this week was mostly favorable for January. House siding is nearly complete and shop siding is approximately 40% complete.

Monday: Working on the south side of the house today. It was nice to have the sun on our backs.

Tuesday: Completed the south wall today, which means we only need siding for the east gable above the front porch and the narrow spaces between the (eventual) wall of glass on the west side. Began siding installation on the west side of the shop.

Wednesday: Met with a cabinet specialist at Menards to begin the plan for kitchen cabinets. Talked to the Fireplace Center to see what what we should complete for the wood stove flue pipe, up in the roof trusses ahead of drywall installation. Spoke to a drywall contractor, who will visit the site next week and will prepare a quote for us.

Thursday: Drove to Odon Indiana to retrieve custom ordered metal trim for the three (3) garage doors. Took the rest of the day off to rest from the effects of a shingles vaccine I received on Wednesday. It was the strongest reaction ever to a vaccine shot.

Friday: A rainy day (with occasional, sleet & snow), so we worked in the breezeway under cover to complete siding install on the shop side of the breezeway.

Saturday: Spent a cold and dreary winter day at home. Working on a wide variety of activities all dedicated to this construction project.

Sunday: A repeat of Saturday, another full day of things to consider and plan for as we move toward finishing the interior of both buildings. Spoke to Mike, the pro builder I’ve known since high school. He is coming out to the site next week for a walk through. I want an experienced contractor to let me know if I’ve forgotten something, or have done something I will regret. He also referred me to the guy who hangs and finishes drywall on his builds.