Overdue House Update - Part I

This past weekend I meant to update on the reason we are actually here, the construction of a house for missionaries Dan and Liz Thompson. When I scrolled back over to see what I'd included in the last one I couldn't believe how much time I'd let go by - my apologies!!! Since there is so much to update on I'm going to divide it into 2 posts.

I didn't post anything this past weekend because it was just plain old too nice out and too relaxing to spend time sitting in here at the computer, also we celebrated another birthday, Liz's! She turned 29 for the first time=) Cousing Greg got some big time brownie points by making her cinnamon rolls for breakfast - they were pretty much the best I've ever tasted. But, now that it is Monday and the kids are once again doing schoolwork, it is the perfect opportunity to sit down and write. Saturday there was a group of young people that came from one of the area churches and they worked until lunchtime and then just spent the day enjoying the camp and some fellowship (more on that later). That night we had a bonfire and grilled hot dogs and finished off the smore's. Sunday we attended church where the Thompsons go then came home and once again ate outside, but this time we had a clam bake!!! Sooo good! After a relaxing afternoon of naps and some paddle boating we had baked potatoes and strawberry shortcake for supper. Our cooking improves with each weekend=) But I hardly took any pictures....

Now back to the house - I think the pictures will mostly explain themselves and show the incredible progress that the guys have made!

Here is the house as it stood once all the outside walls were up.

Once the outside walls were finished they began framing up the downstairs rooms, here's a look at one of the kids bedrooms.

The sheeting going down for the second story floor, originally it was going to be 2 small bedrooms, but with slant of the roof and lack of head space they decided to leave it as one big room, the master bedroom.My genius camera skills at work=)

The happy, soon-to-be homeowners standing in their 'room'.Building the trusses for an open beam ceiling in the big room downstairs which includes a living room, kitchen and dining room.We don't go too long without someone goofing off=) These trusses weighed a LOT, more than these guys are usually dealing with. Plus, since they had to be put up with just manpower, it was quite a process. Thankfully it went well and each successive one went up a little faster than the last.Once they were up they had to be secured into place.A perspective of the whole house as the sheets of plywood were starting to go up on the roof.

Zach with a power tool....=)Here is the front half, first story part of the house being sheeted. The gable ends have presented a few challenges along the way - there are two handmade ladders about 8 feet tall, so some rather interesting scaffolding has been made to compensate. Here's Matthew working on the gable end on the second story side of the house.This was how the house looked about a week and a half ago - walls were up, rooms were framed in, and the roof was sheeted.