I have had so much fun with the Spring build season which sadly ends on Sunday. We started with building wall panels for the houses waiting for the streets to be laid and inspected so the pipes could be laid.
Once roads and pipes were done, contractors made the foundations – 4 to start with and then we starting erecting the wall panels and building houses. We are currently working on “final” caulking and painting and cabinet installation so the flooring can be laid. People are due to move in to the first homes in August. There are now an additional 10 or so houses in various stages and foundations continue to be poured.
When we started on the first 4, I got various experiences with erecting wall panels, putting up the sheathing (OSM), taping the sheathing, putting up blue board over the sheathing, taping the blue board, insulation, seal/seal, baffles and finish caulking and painting. As I do not have enough experience with the actual construction of the wall, trestles, dead wood etc, I am charged with supervision of the less fun tasks. Insulation, painting/caulking etc. I don’t really mind but often the volunteers who get assigned to these jobs are less excited.
The contractors are doing the drywall, roofing, much of the siding and the external painting as well as the plumbing and electricity. It is pretty amazing watching all of these people working side by side – at times in each others way to get these homes built as quickly as possible.
I have gotten much better at managing my fluid and electrolyte intake so I can be functional in the evening after I get home. The first year, it would take a full day to recover on the really hot days. The heat in the spring season is harder because we are not used it yet. By the end of August we we starte up again, the 90’s will be nothing – although there will be a lot of wet towels around the neck being used.
Here are two picture from today. The top on is the first 5 houses. The first 4 are painted blue or gray. The tan one is the siding.
The picture is across the street – houses in various stages of construction along a cul de sac. Roofed and wrapped; a new foundation, frames and roofed and there are two behind the truck and trailer that are being framed.
Over the next two months there will likely be days where volunteers will be solicited for very specific tasks which I hope happens once a week. There will not be any sponsored volunteer groups until the end of August. I will miss the exercise and people.
Tamara Unleashed 