Interior Update Continued...



 

Besides the kitchen cabinets, there's been some other progress in the interior of the house.  The fireplace has been an ongoing concern because of the height both inside and outside.  All the rock guys who've looked at it said it was definitly a two man job and most of them work alone.  After finally finding a crew that was willing to do it, we lost them while waiting for the back-ordered stone.  The Cultured Stone was manufactured by Corning and was ordered through our friend Randy Miller and his company B.C. Brick.  When we first started looking at the sample boards at B.C. Brick we changed our minds every time we were in the store. 

Randy drove us by a few houses in the area that had stone work finished with what we were leaning towards but it usually left us less sure of our choice.  While in the store Randy gave us a copy of Corning's catalog that had a fireplace covered in stone and after seeing the picture we knew it was what we wanted.  It was actually a mix of two stone types, Southern Ledgestone, and Field Stone in the Bucks Country color.  The mantle came from a local fellow who is manufacturing our flooring.  We had told him we wanted somthing rustic and on one of our visits to his shop, he brought out a few hand hewn beams that had come from a 100 year old homestead barn in his area.  It was as rustic as they

Nosy Neighbor Checking Out The House

 come and we were sure it would match up with the rock and iron fireplace nicely.  Because the wood was still it's natural weathered color, coming up with the color was tricky.  It's made from Douglas Fir which usually goes a pink/orange color when stained so we had Rick (flooring guy) stain it with a brownish concoction of his own making.  After getting it home I mixed up a wax from a dark Danish Oil, varsol, and beeswax and gave the beam a good shot of elbow grease... the color came out spot on and left a nice mellow shine to the wood.  The two wires above the mantel are for some sconces we'll install later.

The bathrooms have been progressing slowly but given the nature of the tiles, it's not a big suprise.  Because the house was meant to mimic an old craftsman style home from the early 1900's we decided early on that subway tiles along with a hexagon mosaic floor would add some old world charm.  Hexagon tiles were used regularly in houses, restaurants, hotel lobbies etc... all through-out the early part of the last century and really have a nice effect on a space. After we had decided on the style of tiles we wanted, the difficult part was finding them.  Locally they were non-existant and even on the internet there were very few companies that dealt with them... probably not a popular choice with all the new styles of modern tiles available.  A number of years back I had lived in an old heritage apartment building that had them in the entrance as well as the bathrooms, the one thing that was different about those tile and the ones I was finding on the internet was that the originals had a completely flat surface whereas the ones I was finding had a rounded or "cushioned edge" that made them look not quite right to my eye.  It took me a while but I found two

1-1/4" Hexagon Tiles

comapanies manufacturing the flat version that we were after... unfortunately, at $14.00 sqft. we'd be coming up with a new idea for tiles.  While in a local tile supplier looking for new ideas, I happened to ask if they had any hexagon tiles (I wasn't quite ready to quit on the idea yet) and to my suprise the guy brought out a sample board that had the exact tile I was after.  I asked about the price and prepared myself to be disappointed, and although he quoted $11.00 sqft., it was still more than we wanted to spend.  Armed with the new manufacturer's name and tile style (Daltile 1-1/4" keystones) I hit the internet and found South Cypress Flooring had the tile for under $7.00 sqft.

Mosaic Floor

This was a bit more than we wanted to spend but we could make it work.  While searching for hexagon floors on the internet, I had found some photos of some historic houses that had borders or small, square tiles around the hexagons... Daltile happened to make 3/4" square tiles so we decided to add the borders as well.  South Cypress Flooring also sold the 3" x 6" subway tiles we liked so we were able to order all our tiles online at save about 45% off the local tile suppliers.  Everything seemed rosy until we found out we'd be waiting 7 weeks for the hexagons to be manufactured.  We knew it would delay everything on the house and drive Dan (site superintendant) crazy, but we also knew these tiles were going to look great.
The tile guy started about a week ago and things are going slower than we had hoped for,  but Arturo (tile guy) is doing an amazing job with the installation.

Interior Progress

The exterior of our house is almost complete with only the painting left to be finished so we have been focusing on the interior the past few weeks.  Along with the siding, windows, and doors, we decided to order our kitchen from Westside Building Supplies in Lynden, WA.  Early on we made the decision that we wanted a white country kitchen with a big ole farmhouse sink and after looking at a good number of photos on the internet we were sure we knew what we wanted.  After drawing a few kitchen plans on graph paper we started going around to a few of the local cabinet companies which was for the most part a disappointment.  We ran into everything from companies that didn't call back, didn't share our vision for the layout, or didn't know their own products.  

After visiting several companies and not really being "wowed", we came across one company in Abbotsford that told me I should plan for about two hours for the consultation.  I was quite skeptical that I'd need two hours to show my simple layout and explain what we wanted but I packed up all my photos and graph paper layout and headed out.   After wandering through the showroom for ten minutes the salesperson and I sat down, and before I could even open my photos I found myself in the midst of a 2 hour kitchen presentation.  I'd normally be thinking of an excuse to expedite my exit but the salesman brought up so many good points on kitchen design that I found myself actually listening 

to what he had to say.  While I didn't agree with all of his ideas, he did give me some good food-for-thought about how to improve the layout we had drawn.  He also pointed out something that neither Margaret or myself had realized, the cabinets we had admired all over the internet were not conventional cabinets and we could expect to pay a thirty percent premium for them.   What made them unconventional was that they had face frames around the actual cabinet doors... similar to furniture cabinets.   Later that evening when we sat down at the computer and started looking at kitchens with inset and non-inset cabinets, we realized that we really liked the inset cabinets but couldn't justify the cost.

Fireclay Farmhouse Sink

Not to be easily discouraged, I started investigating inset cabinet prices in the U.S. where they are more commonly found.  I found two companies that claimed they built inset cabinets for the same price as non-inset cabinets.  One of the companies, Canyon Creek Cabinets was only a two hour drive south of the border so after getting a quote on our kitchen plan we decided to take a little road trip and check out the quality of their work.  They had an impressive manufacturing facility and showroom and the quality seemed to be inline with what we had been looking at locally and the best part was they weren't much more than locally made non-inset cabinets...

Inset cabinet



Non-Inset Cabinet









When we originally started planning our kitchen, a feature we thought would suit the style of house we are builing was a farmhouse sink.  These are the big, porcelain sinks some of our parents may have grown up with and aren't quite as common anymore.  When we started looking at them we found there were a good number of styles but we decided on a simple white, single bowl version.  We didn't realize it at the time but we wound up designing the kitchen around the sink.   After picking the sink we found that not many modern faucets suit such a sink so we found a chrome bridge faucet with cross handles that had a nice old-timey look to it.

We had originally planned on plain, black laminate countertops which we thought would look nice with the white cabinets and save us some money over granite but because the sink is an undermount sink with the front exposed, none of the laminate companies we talked to were willing to put laminate counters around it because they felt the laminate would be exposed to water on the under side of the counters and eventually start to de-laminate.  In the end we had to either get rid of the sink or go with granite.  We didn't like the extra expense but the sink wasn't going anywhere.  

Our tile guy has started on the bathrooms and will soon be adding a subway tile backsplash in the kitchen.  After the tile is finished the wood flooring will be installed and the small details of the kitchen will be finished.



Exterior Progress...

Shingle Covered Posts

 The exterior of the house has turned out to be a bigger job than I think anyone could have predicted.  Even though the house is a modest 2000sqft. the exterior gives the impression of a larger house and has required alot of siding and trim work.   The original house that our exterior was based on was sided with shingles on the upper half of the house and planks on the lower half.  Although it had a nice look to it, in the end we decided to use shingles on the whole house. 

James Hardie concrete fiber shingles had originally been specified for the upper half of the house and vinyl plank siding for the lower half.  We didn't have a problem with vinyl as a material but we had decided early on that we wanted to use a brown and yellow color scheme that was reminiscent of an

Oval Window Installed

 early craftsman house, finding such a color in vinyl was impossible so we decided to check into using Hardie shingles on the whole house as they would need to be painted, allowing us to choose the color we wanted.  While at the building supply center in Lynden, Washington the fellow working there asked if we were sold on Hardie shingles or if we would consider another product.  I listened skeptically as he told me about another manufacturer called Nichiha and of the benefits of their product.  In the end he said he'd quote on both Hardie and Nichiha and I could decide later.  After returning home I immediately started researching Nichiha on the internet and couldn't believe the company wasn't better known.  It seemed the only area the James Hardie products had the edge was in marketing.  Nichiha is a Japanese company with an excellent history and reputation in Japan.  They've been manufacturing and marketing their products in the U.S. for over a decade and have earned a solid reputation for their products in that time (sounds like I should be doing their marketing).  Matt, the fellow at the building center had told me that Nichiha products were quite a bit less expensive than Hardie products, had a

Finished Siding

 better warranty, a better finished appearance, and were easier to install.  What really impressed me was the thickness and texture of their shingles... much closer to a wood shingle than the Hardie shingles.   I was also excited to learn that they would cost approximately 40% less than the Hardie shingles.  

Where my happiness ended, the installers misery began.  They had never seen Nichiha products before and were a bit skeptical at first...  Their skepticism grew into frustration when they started the installation.   The shingles come in a 9' length  board which is grooved to give the appearance of multiple width shingles.  The long length of the boards should have made the installation quicker than installing a bunch of three foot panels

 

Rear Corner Of The House

but the guys were having problems staggering the grooves that gave the impression of seperate shingles.  They'd install one panel but when they'd try and stagger the lines on the next row, they'd end up with a bunch of over-lapping lines.  A few times I'd go out to watch as two guys would hold up a board with two other guys telling them to move left or right until they were satisfied with it's placement.  My first thought was this house wouldn't be finished until next winter but after finishing a couple of rounds they figured out a pattern to allow them to speed up the whole process. 

Backside of House

 The next problem they ran into were the corners of the house.  We had noticed on old, shingled houses they used to miter or stagger the corners intstead of the typical vertical, corner trim boards you often see on newly constructed houses.  Mitering or Staggering takes considerable skill vs. using trim boards and because of the textured surface of the Nichiha panels the guys were having problems getting smooth cuts.  After discussing the problem with them, I ran into town to a company that specializes in saw blades and came back with a blade specially designed for cutting concrete fiber siding.  The guys had been using a similar blade but it wasn't sharp enough to get the smooth cuts they needed... the new blade quickly solved the problem and progress started to pickup. 

Rear Porch

 We ran into another glitch when the window trim was being installed.  The plans indicated that 1x4 trim be used around the windows and doors... half the window trim had been installed before I got outside and saw that it looked too narrow.  1x6 was more suited to the house and that meant tearing off half a days work and starting over with the wider boards.  In the end, it was worth the extra cost and effort.

The next area that needed attention were the elbow braces in the gables.  I have a nasty habit of getting a picture in my head of how something should appear and once I have that picture, nothing else will do.  The first brace that was installed on the house looked much to short and squat for the height of the house.  It took looking at a good number of pictures and laying out the braces on the ground before the braces matched the picture in my head.  In the end the guys did an amazing job with them and we got the look we wanted.

Overall, the guys doing the exterior did an excellent job and I believe they left with a different impression of the material than when they started. 




The Septic System...

Anyone who's been waiting for an update on this blog can send a thanks to my comment leaving cousin, Sheri.  The blog often gets neglected for a variety of reasons but when I see someone leaving a comment it reminds me that people actually do check the blog.

The house has been taking shape nicely...the weather has calmed a bit from the heavy rains we've had all winter so we figured it was time to take care of the septic installation.  When we bought the property way back when, an attractive feature was the newly installed septic field which was approved for a four bedroom house; evidently the previous owner was planning on building and never did.

Installing Septic systems can be a huge cost when building on rural properties so this was a bonus for us.  We decided to track down the company that originally installed the septic field and hire them to upgrade the system for the new house.  They remembered the property and informed us that we'd be able to use the current field and simply bury new tanks outside the house and then pump out to the field which is closer to the front of the property.  We would also be able to use the current pump and electronics.

The system is a gravity fed variety that sees waste from the house flushed into the first of two large tanks that are in series.  The solids settle in the first tank with the liquids flowing into the second tank where it is then pumped about 300 feet out to the field where bacteria do their thing before the liquid is absorbed into the ground.

.Ryan, the septic guy, had a couple of concrete tanks delivered but as luck would have it, the rain started and lasted for about week.  This was a problem because everytime we dig a hole, it immediately begins to fill with water and even though the tanks weigh upwards of nine tons, they will float if surrounded by water.

  The following week we had three days of sun and decided it was go-time.  Ryan arrived with his excavator and started digging the first of two large holes to accomodate the tanks. 

Usually, a crane truck is brought in to lift the tanks into the holes but for unknown reasons the crane truck was delayed and Ryan decided to try and lift the tanks with his excavator.  The first tank would be the challenge as it weighed close to 20,000 pounds which was maxing out the lifting capacity of the excavator.   As Ryan began to move the tank we could see the whole machine was on the edge of tipping over.  Keeping it low, he managed to swing the tank from one side of the driveway to the other side and into the hole.  The second tank was quite a bit smaller and easier to manouver into place.  After the pipes from the house were attached to the tanks,

a trench was dug towards the back of the mobile where the existing tanks are situated and pipe was laid and backfilled. When we are ready to move into the house, Ryan will have to come back and disconnect the current tanks from the field and hook up the new pipe to the field.  At that point the pump will be removed from the current system and installed in the new tank and the electronic control panel which controls the pump will be moved from the mobile to the house.

As luck would have it, two weeks after the tanks were installed we had some heavy rains and noticed the larger of the two tanks was tilted.... water had collected around the tank and it started floating.  Ryan came back a few days later and managed to use the excavator to push it back down level, he then used the water hose to fill the tank and add weight to help it stay put.  It's been a few weeks since then and the tank hasn't moved.  We'll be back filling on top of it in the coming weeks and should be able to quit worrying about it.

   



Windows Installed

 I won't bother with excuses for the lack of updates but I will say that building a house can eat up time like nothing else.  The whole process has been relatively stress-free but it sure can get tiring.  Anyway,  In the name of continuity, I'm posting a bunch of photos to bring the blog up to speed. 

My last post from over two months ago showed the roof being finished; alot has happened since then.  In an effort to save money we decided to buy our windows, siding, kitchen, and interior doors in Washington State at a local buiding supplier.  When they arrived, we rented a moving truck and went down to pick them up.  We really weren't sure what to expect at Canadian Customs but made sure we had all our invoices ready.  To our suprise the customs officer gave us a receipt and told us to go straight to the cashier... They didn't even have a look in the back.  We happily (not sure that's completely accurate) paid our HST and were on our way.   We had a truck load of windows and

well over a ton of concrete fiber siding and weren't quite sure how we were going to unload it.  When we got back to the house, Dan and a couple of his helpers were there, along with the framing crew, so we started unloading the siding boards two at a time... all 480 of them.  It took about half an hour and two boxes of Tim Horton doughnuts, but we got it all stacked away for later.  The windows were next and within an hour of unloading them, Jordan and his crew had them installed. The only window not installed was a faux oval picture window for the front of the house.  It'll be installed when the siding goes on.




Framed Bases and Posts

 After the windows were installed we had to decide how we wanted to frame all the exterior support posts.  Everyone had their own ideas on this including covering them all in rock or shingles to match the siding but in the end we decided to have bases built on the lower half of some of the posts which would then be covered in shingles.  The front entry posts have bases that will be covered in a cultured stone and the posts supporting the deck will be a combination of cultured stone below the deck and shingles above the deck.





Since we have an unlimited wood supply, we decided we wanted a wood burning fireplace.  Our first thoughts had been and open masonry chimney finished with rock from the property.  Our builder told us about "Zero Clearance" fireplaces and how efficient they were at heating a house compared to a traditional fireplace so after researching them we found a cast iron, Canadian made unit called the Napoleon NZ3000 which was rated to heat a 2800 sqft. house and had good looks to boot...  The only problem was the price!  We've all heard the complaints about price gouging in Canada compared to the U.S.  and this unit was a prime example.  By ordering the insert online from a company in New York, we were able save about $1400.00 over the best local price we could find and this included delivery across the continent.  I'd prefer to buy local but I really love a deal!  We managed to time the delivery so that we could pick it up in Sumas Washington when we picked up our windows and siding.

Check Out The Weight on the Crate!

In the ensuite, we decided we wanted a freestanding tub but weren't sure a claw foot style would suit the bathroom.  After looking around on the internet we saw some pedestal tubs that appealed to us.  We have a tub manufacturer just down the road from us so we went down to check them out.  They make just about every style of tub imaginable including pedestal tubs in both acrylic and cast iron.  Our builder had warned us these tubs weren't cheap... turns out he was correct.  While we liked the cast iron version, the acrylic version had a price we could live with.  A few hours after looking at them, I was on the trusty computer looking at them online and that's when I found Vintage Tub & Bath and their unbelievable prices.  They had a cast iron pedestal tub in the size and style we liked for $600.00 less than an acrylic version being made down the road from us... and this included delivery to our front door.  Once the tub arrived, all 500lbs of it, we had to decide what to do with it until the bathroom floor was finished.  We decided to store it under the deck until we could figure which of our lucky friends would be available to help move it into the house.  A couple weeks later, a truck delivering lumber managed to move the tub onto the deck with it's crane... no we just have to get it through the doors.

Oval Window For Front of House

We Have A Roof... And Deck!

The last week and a half have been busy around here and as always, the weather has been on our minds.  After the framing was finished, we anxiously watched the days go by with pooled water sitting on the subfloor from all the rain we had.  The forecast had a snow warning in effect and we anticipated a good 8"s for our neck of the woods... the worst part being that because we are in the mountains, the snow usually sticks around once it's fallen.  This would mean the roofers could be delayed for some time and our framing and subfloors would stay wet until the roofers were able to work.  The roofers were originally scheduled to arrive on friday the 6th but the plan changed and they decided to come that sunday instead. On saturday evening (jan.7th), we were hanging out in Abbotsford with our pint-sized friend Claire when the snow began to fall.  By 11:00 that night, there was almost five inches on the ground.  We imagined about a foot of snow at our place but as we drove home, we were both suprised and relieved to find barely a dusting had fallen on the house.  It was too late in the evening to call our site superintendant so I sent an email explaining our good fortune and decided to call him early in the morning so that he could let the roofers know that the roof was clear.  In the end, the roofers didn't come, probably figuring we had as much snow as they did in town. 

Later sunday afternoon, someone from the roofing company came out to inspect the house, presumeably to make sure the roof was clear;  We were a bit doubtful that they would be coming monday because the temperature had dropped below zero and the roof had become a sheet of ice.  Monday morning we woke to Trouble's alert bark and found a crew of seven roofers in the driveway unloading their gear.  This was a huge relief because there was another snow warning in effect and we figured this was going to be the big one that would bring the project to a screeching halt.  It can be extremely distracting watching the guys work on the house and knowing snow was coming made it very hard to focus on anything other than the progress they were making.  There had been some hope that the roof could be finished in a single day with such a large crew but because our roof has alot of surface area with the surrounding porch overhang, the day ended with about seventy percent of the roof finished.  As luck would have it, and we've had a good share of it, we only received about two centimeters of snow overnight, which the roofers were able to sweep clean in the morning thanks to spiked work boots.  By 1:00 the workers had finished the roof and were packing up their gear;  We excitedly went to inspect their work just as the snow began to fall in earnst.

Now that the interior of the house was protected and could start drying out, the plumber (Riley) was the next tradesman to arrive.  The plan was to rough in the whole house and then pour concrete for the basement slab and porch and decks.  Once again, the weather became a factor...  First off, the basement gravel was still frozen from the cold weather we were having so it made the job of digging trenches that much more difficult. When Riley and his crew finally broke through the frozen crust and had their trenches dug, they immediately began to fill with water from all the rain we had.   On top of that, the pipes that exited through the bottom of the house weren't quite deep enough and didn't provide enough grade for the length of run and wouldn't pass inspection the way they were. 



Pumper Truck Pouring Concrete

Neil was quickly called back into action the following day and dug out around the exit port in the foundation so that the pipes could be buried a little deeper.  This drained the water from the trenches and allowed Riley to get the right grade for the drainage pipes.  The foundation was again backfilled and Riley and his crew finished off the day by roughing in the main-floor plumbing.  The next morning Riley was knocking at the door to use the telephone as we don't get cell reception where we are... I overheard him telling his boss that they were again having problems with water in the trenches since the foundation had been backfilled again.  Essentially, after he laid the pipes, they began to float in the water which changed their grade...

Exposed Aggregate

they had become too horizontal and wouldn't drain properly when he tested them.   After discussing the problem with him, we decided Neil would have to come back and reopen the area he had backfilled the day before.  Fortunately, Neil was available and twenty minutes later he was onsite digging a trench from the foundation to where our drain pipes are.  The trench once again resolved the issue and by the end of friday, the plumbing was ready for a monday morning inspection before being buried.  Monday morning the inspector arrived and the whole system was approved.





When planning the house, we decided that we wanted a deck surface that would be low maintenance and have a clean appearance.  Exposed aggregate concrete was an easy decision as our previous house's deck had been finished that way and it was a look we liked.  The area below the deck is meant to be used as a carport and we wanted to make sure the area was sealed from the rain that would hit the deck above... this meant sealing the deck before the concrete was poured.  Monday morning Jordan and his crew were back to finish laying the plywood on the framed deck.  After the plywood was secured a frame was built off the end of the deck and then covered with heavy plastic to protect the plywood from the rain.  The following day a crew arrived to seal the deck. 

A heavy vinyl was applied to the whole deck and up the walls and support posts and then all seams were heat sealed so the entire deck and walk around porch was completely sealed.  A little later Dan showed up to nail boards around the perimeter of the porch and deck to contain the concrete when it was poured.  The concrete guys were busy the following day so plan was to do the pour on thursday.  This morning, a six man concrete crew arrived along with a pumper truck and the first of three concrete trucks.  After setting up their equipment they started by pouring the concrete on the back side of the house and then moved to the deck and then front porch.  Two concrete trucks were emptied and about an hour later the guys had out their floats and were smoothing out the surface of the concrete. 

I wasn't familiar with how exposed aggregate decks were created so I got on Google last night and did a bit of reading.  I wasn't really sure how the small exposed stones were placed... were they already in the concrete or were they sprinkled on afterwards?  It turns out the stones are premixed in the concrete which allows you the choice of various exposed surfaces... we had decided on the typical small, smooth stones.  Since the stones are premixed in the concrete, the question becomes, how are they later exposed?  A surface retardant is used that slows the surface of the concrete from setting while the rest of the concrete sets in about four hours. 

When the concrete has set enough that it can be walked on, a brush and a pressure washer is used to wash away the very thin surface of the concrete that had the retardant on it, and expose the aggregate contained within.   Later, after the concrete is fully set, a sealant will be applied that will give the aggregate a wet, shiny look to it and help protect the concrete from the elements. 

The basement slab was also poured today and while it wasn't overly exciting to watch, it's nice seeing the finished slab.  Next week the plumber will come and finish installing and testing the water lines and later in the week the electrician will begin wiring the house... that means more decisions to be made on where we want outlets and if we want to prewire walls for sconces, etc...  



Happy New Year!

First Floor Framing

With the Christmas and New Year season being so busy, it's been a while since I've updated the blog ... progress slowed a bit over the past three weeks as the trades people took time off to spend with their families but the guys have been back at it and our house is starting to take shape. 

My last post ended with the framing just being started... it's suprising how fast the framing goes up.  After the basement ceiling (main level subfloor) and the basement walls were finished the surrounding porch and deck went up next.  The porch is about six feet wide and the deck is 18' wide so there was a bit of work involved with all the studs and cross braces, the deck will eventually be covered in concrete with a small stone aggregate surface. 

Rear of House With Fireplace Framed

The framing for the main and upper level went up very quickly and we were finally able to get a feel for the floorplan.  At this stage the rooms felt smaller than we expected but we were happy with the layout of the house and how the rooms transitioned into each other. 

The trusses arrived a few days before Christmas and the guys were able to get most of them positioned before they left for the holidays.  We knew the house was going to have a vertical appearance but when we stood in the driveway we were suprised at just how tall it actually was and this was before the 8' cap trusses had been installed.  Regardless, of our first impression we were happy with the overall appearance and satisfied that it was shaping up how we had hoped for. 

Looking Into Kitchen From Living Room

The week after Christmas,  Jordan and his crew were back at work, finishing-up the positioning of the trusses and framing the roof overhangs.  The deck had originally appeared massive and I took some ribbing because I had actually wanted to make it deeper, but after the trusses for the roof overhang had been installed and covered in sheathing, it brought the depth of the deck into proportion.  Margaret and I were both delighted with the roof-overhang and the amount of covered space it provided and it should provide a good lookout for Trouble to keep an eye out for marauding deer and bears.  After the walls and roof had all been sheathed, the rooms started feeling a bit larger than our first impression and we were able to get a feel for a few framing changes we wanted to make. 

Living Room, Woodburning Fireplace Wall

The weather here has been all over the map, we've had snow and rain and warm and freezing temperatures all within a week.  While alot of the snow was washed away, the clouds cleared and the temperature dropped to about -6 degrees which froze all the water on the floors inside the house.  Shortly after, we had a couple more small snowfalls which we knew was going to prevent the roofers from getting started. 

For the past couple of days we've had heavy rain which has cleared the snow from the roof but filled the house with water again.  A large crew of roofers are scheduled to arrive sunday and should be able to finish the roof in a single day... we are keeping our fingers crossed because the weather man is calling for possible snow tomorrow.  We'd really like to get the roof on and get the interior of the house dried out. 

Master Bedroom, (future french doors)

We were a bit concerned about what the pooling water's affect will be on the sub-floor but Dan explained when the roof is on and the interior is dried out, they'll use an industrial floor sander to sand everything smooth and then screw the floor down to reinforce the nails currently holding it.  Winter really isn't a great time to be building but it's comforting to know our builder has a plan to deal with any potential problems that may occur because of the elements.

The trusses are pre-built, loaded on a crane truck and delivered to the site.  The crane raises bundles of trusses into place where they are temporarily braced and later spread into place.  The whole process of unloading the trusses and positioning them took about six hours.  The only problem encountered was trying to position the trusses for the master-bedroom... the crane didn't have a long enough reach to get them clear across the house to the left side.  While the trusses were suspended 30' in the air, skids made from 16' 2 x4 s were positioned so that the trusses could be slid down the left side of the house.