03.17.2007---Roof framing continued today.  All of the trusses were set today.  I think most of the crew will show up tomorrow for a few hours to put the OSB sheathing down and cover the rest of the walls.   Not too many walls are left to be covered.  36 foot long wall,  knee walls along connecting point,  and along the gables.   The gable ends will need to be framed with their openings.  I will have to go up there to look at the space that is there and ceiling height soon.  I have yet to do that.  Something about ladders I do not like....Climbing onto the roof with the ladder in the back of the el camino is not that big of a deal.  I guess I see the el camino as a safety net of some sort.  While the roof trusses were being cut and attached,  I managed to break up and throw away the rest of the old concrete.   Now I have a few boards to traverse when entering through the front door.   I went upstairs for the first time a few minutes ago.   The theory is correct,  I could live up there without a problem.

03.16.2007---Roof framing has begun.  Garage project is visible from the street.  Neighbors just walked around the house peeking into the vastness of a kick ass garage.  I smiled.   heh.   The pictures under the framing/roofing pictures section really tell the tale.  One day not visible.  The next day,  seen from space.  Kind of cool.

03.15.2007---Some changes are to be made in the roofline of the garage due to structural loads.   24' X 46' section will have a straight run of roof on the backside with the 30' X 16' connecting at equal peak height.   There will not be a gable on the back side with a cantilevered deck.   Instead, there will be a large window at the end of the gable opposite the door on the far side.   All else appears to be in good order.   I have been researching metal/wood spiral staircases and am narrowing my search.   Looks like there is a several week delay in when they would get here though.   Roof framing may be done tomorrow.

03.14.2007---Some more wood showed up today.  Most of the wood from yesterday has disappeared into the walls and the flooring system.  Window openings and door openings were framed.  Stairs going upstairs may present a problem of sorts.  Solution may be to make a spiral staircase leading up to the second floor.  I will have to check the pricing on metal ones as well as wood ones.  Spiral stairs will solve the amount of space needed to rise up 11 feet to the second floor.  A 5 foot square area is all that is needed.  I will check some ideas before I sleep.

03.13.2007---Some wood was delivered yesterday.  The floor was marked for where walls go,  and I cut a few more branches off of the offending trees.  Today I get home and find that the wood pile from yesterday has shrunk considerably and there are walls that are forming.  The soffit has been cut and prepared for it's connection to the new house.  I was impressed with the foundation work,  but this is truly amazing/shocking how much has changed while I was at work in one day.  Amazing.

03.11.2007---Slab was poured on Friday.   Now I have a skating rink in the back yard.  It is about time that roller skating came back.   Framing work should begin on Monday.   I spent today throwing away the remains of the driveway.  Most of it was thrown away on Friday.  I will maybe work on the little walkway tomorrow depending on how sore I am.   This should do it for the Foundation/Grading pictures section...Next comes the Framing section.

03.08.2007---Tomorrow is the slab pour.  I have spent the past few days preparing my pipes to be connected to the existing house.  They are connected and ready.   The dirt work is done for under the slab and is ready.  Some additional strengthening of the back wall was put in place over the past two days to reinforce it due to the sheer amount of dirt that was brought in and the weight of the slab and the structure.  Lots of weight on that wall.   Concrete will begin before 7 a.m. I think.  Concrete pump truck will be used.   It will probably rain late Saturday or Early Sunday morning and continue for most of the upcoming week.  When the weather allows,  expect wood.   Lots of wood.   Maybe a little roller skating in the meantime.

03.05.2007---Well last Thursday it rained.  It rained lots.  Tarp filled up and came down.  Made lots of mud.   Mud is gone and the dirt has resumed filling up the empty spaces.   Well over half way full it seems.   There are several piles in the driveway waiting to be moved towards the back.   I got 20 4 foot fluorescent light fixtures from an old office building that should give me plenty of light in the garage.  I will need to move them inside the house before someone drives by and decides that they want them.  Right now they are stacked up in front of the garage door.  I will move them inside soon I guess.   I think the pipes will be put into place and the slab poured within the next week for sure.   Let's hope it does not rain again until after we have a nice flat hard surface to cover the dirt.   I have had a cold/flu for the past few days and have not felt like doing much of anything.   Not a whole lot to do right now.   Once slab is in place,  I have a feeling that the wood will rise quicker than I am capable of believing.   The wood work is not so weather dependent like the concrete/dirt work for sure.

 02.28.2007---Not much has been happening the past couple of days worthy of pictures....Lots of dirt has been brought in and is being compacted as it is spread.   I will take pictures of all the dirt once it is ready for the slab.   Tomorrow it will rain so the work area has been covered with the big blue tarp to prevent water saturation inside the foundation walls.   Been looking online at various things for the garage....garage door,  opener,  and a few other small things that would be nice to incorporate into the project.   I am thinking stairs currently.   What they should be made of and how they will look.  A nice wood staircase would be nice.  Simple and very clean.

02.26.2007---On the 24th,  two masonry guys showed up and did half of the back 36 foot long wall.   On the 26th,  4 masonry guys showed up and finished the walls. They made short work of all of that block in the driveway.  Barely put a dent in the sand pile though.  Sand pile will disappear under the slab I will guess tomorrow.   There will be lots of dirt brought into the walled in area over the next few days.   My guess is that the slab will be poured before Thursday.   Thursday night it will probably rain.  Bad bad rain.  Cannot let the dirt get saturated with rain.  That would be bad for the walls.

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