Builder has started

Pat, our builder, has been working for three days now. It only looks like a pile of lumber and a couple braces now, but things are rolling and the place should start looking like a house soon.

Gutting

We were able to completely gut the house the weekend of October 18. Thanks to the help of several family members who arrived to help us out and those who supported the crew, we were able to save thousands of dollars over having the builder do it! The cost instead was a lot of sore muscles, a handful of Band-Aids, a dumpster, a burn permit and only a little cash.


I won't say it was an easy do-it-yourself project. It has taken me this long to finally recover and get this video put together. The work was hard on our muscles and the plaster dust hard on our sinuses, but we are thankful it was done so quickly and very thankful to everyone who helped.


Bob and I did many nights of prep work, removing everything that needed to be saved or that would get in the way of demolishing the interior. Our first friends and family members came on Friday, October 17 and got more done than we imagined possible. By the time more people arrived on Saturday, we were well underway with lathe and plaster flying every which way. It's amazing what a determined bunch of people can destroy in a couple days!


We started out Friday morning with a list of priorities and some directions I had penciled on the dining room wall. By noon those were long gone, as the plaster was already ripped from that wall. Everyone was adept at seeing what needed to be done and getting right to work doing it. Each person had her or his own method that worked well for them. Some cleaned as they went. Others pushed hard for awhile, then took breaks to shovel out the debris. Some preferred a small prybar and hammer, others a pick axe and sledge.


Bob spent most of him time shuttling loads of lathe to the burn pile on a wagon behind our lawn tractor. Maggie, Rick, Arthur, Chris, Dale, David, Glenn, Anita and I worked on interior demolition. Dick made the hog barn look so clean I couldn't believe it was the same building. (Now it will be the perfect home for the girls' future 4-H animals.) Mark worked on some projects around the farmstead. Brenda, Diane, Anita and Carol took care of Addy and Dori and meals (big thanks to Diane for feeding the crew the entire weekend). Diane and Brenda both spent time sweeping up after the crew. Addy and Anita pulled nails after all else was done.