Friday work

Lots happened today. The back-filling started promptly at 6:58am. It's really neat to see the house sitting into the ground instead of floating pink in its hole.

This is just the rough grading - when they're back to pour concrete for the main level next Wednesday or Thursday and the soil has had a chance to dry out a bit he'll work it a little bit more. The house is now a LOT safer for little people to be milling around! That means we made it through weeks of a big tempting hole in the ground without anyone falling in!!!

And remember those trusses that were scheduled to be delivered in the afternoon so the grading work would be done and they could be set down nice and close to the house? Well, apparently time works differently in the construction world and 9:30am counts as "afternoon." Once again we're grateful for neighbor Larry's willingness to let us take over his yard and driveway. He has a simple stipulation - as long as he can get his truck and trailer in and out whenever he wants to, he's fine with pretty much anything else. So the trusses are waiting there in Larry's driveway behind the big pile of limestone we pulled out of Larry's retaining wall which is now filled in with lots and lots of dirt that we didn't have to pay to truck out. What incredible provision in so many ways!!!

Matt also made great progress on putting down the 1.5" rigid insulation that will go under the concrete on the main level. Leah decided to bring a book out and enjoy the new living room while Daddy worked. I'm standing on the entry landing looking up toward her and in the background you can see our existing house with the siding pulled off. That window will come out eventually and become the doorway between the old and the new.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a big day - supposedly our framer will be here to start putting up the end-wall trusses (with the walls underneath) and start the final push to get this thing weather tight!