It's Freezing Outside!

As we try to reach our goal of getting the house dried in before winter break, the weather just keeps getting colder and colder. Our fingers are freezing as we fumble with screws and nails but we keep on chugging! After passing the framing inspection we are now nailing up Tyvek and putting in windows and doors. Here are a few snapshots from today!

[above] Putting up Tyvek
[below] Master Carpenter Steve Austin showing us how to put in the windows (Thanks Steve!)

[above] Our first window install

[below] Door to the carport is in!

[above] Crista staining the front door

[below] Trying to keep warm at break time in the 52 deg weather! 

Pacific Pipe Co.

What a day. Today Alyssa and I drove up to Casa Grande to pick up our four 8ft culverts from Pacific Pipe  Co. We drove through rain and sunshine and saw an amazing rainbow. Onsite they were putting in ties on the studs and top plates, putting up the last walls, putting in doors, cleaning up for the open house, and trying to keep warm!

 

Getting our culverts! 

 The guys at Pacific Pipe Co. tying down the culverts with trucker knots 

On our way we go!

   

(above) watching rainbows while the crew on site is trying to stay warm.

THEY MADE IT!

(above) Last bedroom framed out 

(above) Putting in ties

(below) a forest of studs

(below) We finally have a door from the carport to the kitchen + living room

(below) the hallway now exists that runs down all the bedrooms!

OPEN HOUSE!

COME ONE COME ALL!

A Sea of OSB

The roof is completely sheathed and the gutters are going in for our future cisterns. The house will have a total of four 9 ft. tall 24 in. diameter cisterns to catch and put to use our precious rainwater. The interior of the house is also coming along well. Master bedroom, Master bath, First bedroom, Second Bath, and plumbing wall have all been framed out! That just leave one more wall to frame which would enclose the third bedroom and complete the hallway. The plumber and mechanical also came out on Tuesday and did some roof penetrations above the bathrooms. Next week we have our open house! Come check it out!

[above] Waiting for it's cisterns

[above + below] Putting up the interior wall between the master bedroom and master bath.

[below] Putting up the wall between the second bedroom and second bath

[below] We finally have a REAL door for the storage room! No more tacking on OSB at the end of the day!

Cleaning up for our open house next week! A bon fire might make an appearance as well..

Arizona Daily Star!

The day before all of us stuffed our faces with turkey and gave thanks for all that we are grateful for (everything) the Arizona Daily Star stopped by the site! Dale Quinn and AE Araiza from the Star got to see first hand how we do it. Check out the article below!

Finally Conquered.

After many hiccups with our east wall we have finally erected the last piece of the puzzle! The slope of our roof caused some minor setbacks in figuring out our east wall but I am very happy to announce ALL of our exterior walls are UP! We are all so happy about this milestone. Thanks to help of some volunteers and workers over the weekend the joists have been hung above the master bedroom and we have started on interior walls. The first bedroom interior wall is in and the master bedroom is getting close to being framed out as well!

Stay tuned for our open house announcement!

[above]  Looking out the window on the west wall at our beautiful desert sunset 

[below]  Front entrance. 

 [below]  Everything is exciting..even having our future mechanical room framed out :) 

 [above]  south interior wall of the first bedroom is up!

 [below]  Ayman hanging joist above the master bedroom 

On to the Next One

Since finishing the rammed earth we have been working diligently to reach our goals by the end of the semester. Today we erected 2 walls! and in the last couple work days we have erected 3 walls total! We still have a lot to do before the end of the semester but we are chugging along! We have the east wall left to wrap up and get framed out and then the roof over the two other bedrooms. End of the semester is only three and a half away!!

[above]  west wall

[above]  master bedroom

[above]  west wall of the master bedroom

[above]  standing outside the master bedroom looking at the south wall

Lots o' Progress

There has been A LOT of progress since my last post! First, today we FINISHED our rammed earth walls! hurray! It has been a love/hate relationship doing rammed earth...mostly love though. We poured our last bond beam today and then we can finally retire ALL formwork. Now all hands are on deck for framing as we start the last month of the semester. The first bedroom is coming together! We have put up the north wall of the room and hung the joists and nailed in the OSB on the roof. The east wall is next to get tackled and we have begun putting it together. Everyone is putting in a lot of effort and even though the sun is setting sooner we are up till dusk and here till 6pm!

[above] the east rammed earth walls of the first bedroom and the master bedroom in the background
[below] meg and chris prepping the ledger

[below] and maybe leaving their mark too (don't worry it gets covered up!)

[above] OSB going in over the first bedroom and the east wall getting laid out
[below] checking and double checking measurements has become our JOB.

[below] up till dusk