2015

March 2016

September 2016

October 2016

  

January 2017

January 2018

September 2018

We moved in !

In October 2018 we began building cabinets.

Checking for size!

December 2018

Time to prime, sand and paint the cabinets.

Time to build counter tops and try the “Marble” epoxy finish. Mix epoxy part A with part B, add white paint. Pour, trial, chop, torch, torch, torch, wait. Now I have to keep it all at above 75 degrees for the next 72 hours.

Adding 2nd (clear) coat below.

 

Finished Cabinets

January 2019 – Cabinets in, time to cut doors and drawer fronts. After sweeping (repeatedly) all of the sawdust out of the big room I decided to move my makeshift shop onto the back porch.

 

Building a 30′ Counter in the “big room”

We had a 20′ X 40′ carport built , now we have a place to park out of the weather (hail)

Time for an adventure !!

Added siding

 

    

Added ADA ramps

 

September 9, 2020- I dug some on the footer for the porch and rigged up a way for the rain water to run down the trench to loosen up the remaining soil. This dirt digs easier when wet but the clay sticks to the shovel. I am trying to get ready to form and pour a footer for the porch.  17th- . It rained hard for 30 minutes. I managed to get a 4” hose from the gutter spout to the trench I am digging at the front porch. Soft dirt digs easier but the sticky clay doesn’t come off of the shovel.

October 6, 2020- Set up laser level on the side of the house. Worked on leveling the porch forms. Hot & humid. 15th- Delivered a load of sand for $240/ 8 cubic yards. Delivered 325 bags redimix concrete from Lowes. Nice forklift driver placed it all (26,000 #) closed to the forms. He and I had a great talk about special needs kids, he and his wife lost their 12 year old in July, Scoliosis enclosing around vital organs.

16 th- Mixed 60’ of footer and end step. After smoothing Patches foot print out of it, he walked strait down it…I did not see it in time so we have a few impressions in it.

19th- I mixed 30 bags of 80# cement, poured and screed from 8:30-11:30. Yes, it was tough. ½ way through when I could not catch my breath I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew. Since I could not leave the 7’ X 10” half-finished I sucked it up and finished. After several trowel passes I took a shower and laid down for a while.

24th- Ruby, Ben & I mixed and poured 3 three 6×10 sections of the porch.

30th- Prepped the porch area with rebar and sand. Mixing & finishing the cement almost finished me.

November 1, 2020- Ruby and I poured a section of the porch. 25 bags of ready mix. Finished by mid-morning and cleaned up. Neither of us wanted to mix and pour the next section.

6th- I mixed, poured & finished another 6X10 section of the front porch. Hot tub in the afternoon.  14th- I mixed and poured a 6×10 section of the porch. 15th I mixed and poured the ramp part of the porch. 20th- I prepped the final section of the porch to be ready to pour cement tomorrow.

22nd- Ruby & I poured the final section of the front porch (7X12) “This one was not much fun”, Ruby Said. We finished around 11:30 and went for the hot tub.  24th- I cleaned up all the trash, forms, and dirt from the porch area. I hope it rains so we can burn the pile I have been collecting. I added the piranha tool bar to the tractor bucket. I can’t wait to use it.

December 2, 2020- I worked on the front porch by placing 4- 12”X 16’ “vented” panels on the outside soffit & placing a 3” screw every 12” to hold the 2×12 header together. Stiff and sore.

anuary 12, 2020- I tried to drill 3 post holes at the front gate. I could only get about 1 foot deep before I hit a large root from the Oak tree. I also tried to “drill around” another post at the front gate but it still will not come out of the ground. The auger is stuck under a root and I had to back it out with a pipe wrench.

Planned, built & installed a front gate

        

April 22, 2021- We closed in the back “screened in” porch and have made an air conditioned work area. With three 3 x 6 windows a glass door and low humidity it is a pleasant place to create. I used every scrap of ¾ plywood I could find, even used a ½ & ¼ plywood to fill out the headers. I also used every last scrap of house wrap to finish the outside. Ready to hang windows when I get some help. 2×4’s went from $2 to $6 apiece. 30th- Roughed in electrical in the sun room. 2000% humidity.

 

May 5, 2021- I put up insulation and siding in the sun room. How do you cover 8”4” with an 8’ pc of siding? 10th-Crazy hot- 3 showers and finished with the sun room! 11th- Electric connected, signal booster moved, ac duct ran through wall. Paint anyone? I found a 5 gallon bucket of paint that has been sitting way too long. It did not mix well. 21st- Finished the ceiling fan and connected AC to sun room.

June 6th- Sun room is 99.99% finished, tools moved out and put up.

10th- I prepped and sprayed the front porch brown. 18th- Worked on the front porch. The R panels ended up crooked so I removed them. 27th- It rained off and on. I placed 2 pc of metal on the underside of the porch, humid & wet, I quit.

October 16th- Finally- a nice cool morning. Put up trim on 4×6 windows and both west doors. Prepped 3 doors on the porch, ready for trim tomorrow. My legs were very sore today, I need to stretch.

 

October 6, 2021- Finishing trim on porch ceiling.