Rings

Choice

A common question we get, naturally, is "When do you hope to move in?"

Well folks I have, what feels like, breaking news!

Nothing has changed...except me- I have.

I am officially taking my horse called Timing out of the house-building race. I'm thinking of entering my other horse, named Patience.

In other words, I have made a choice to continue renting at our current location for another full year. Who knows...it could end up being 2 years more, but before next fall, I don't plan on thinking about the possibility.

The truth is, we're building this house around the edges of life and work and on spare energy, which isn't much! We have at least a year's work to do. Add to that, the design and techniques are unique and thus new for every worker. There remains design work to complete the house. Holes are drilled through steel frames, not wood, increasing the effort needed for the task and the tools. And truly, with a resourceful engineer in the family, we need a shop/garage/barn for tools and machinery.

So instead of racing my horse, I plan to revel in the luxury of knowing where I will live, raise children, host people, and garden for the next year.
(Had I stable housing in the past 4-7 years, I might not even realize what a luxury it is!)

I hope to plan a trip.
I will definitely grow things...in the same plot!
I will make and teach and listen to music.
I might even relax from time to time.
I will let contentment bloom.
I will invite joy.
I will fight resentment.
I will build marriage.
I will make a plan for spirit and mental healthfulness through the dark winter.
I will create home in this borrowed house.
I will give myself to parenting.
I will try to find time to write down poetry.
I will resist over-committing for me and my family.
I will surrender to the Grace of God rather than the moments of desperation.
I will get light into this poorly oriented house by hook or by crook, even if it's just within my soul.
And I will chase the light outside and haul my daughters with me!

And I will move into our new house...when it's ready.

Family walk at evening, down our borrowed farm lane.

April to April, taking stock

One year ago, we received our permit to build.

We are currently moving at a snail's pace, but much has happened in a year. In many respects, I am glad that our house isn't being constructed with an illusion of ease, because truly it's hard and messy and expensive and complicated and lurches along in response to real-life constraints.

One of our mainstay contractors, also our "construction counselor", tells me over and over, that he's never worked on any project or with any person like this. M is very unique and uniquely gifted to build like this.

G is a Class A contractor who has seen the guts, grime, and family dynamics of construction for 30 years, so it's a tried and true compliment... it also means that much of this process can be hard to explain. G also sees who M is, and truly affirms the process we're in and the goals we're working towards.

All the same, it is a challenge to understand and patiently walk alongside the cyclical constraints of time, energy, money, design, and relationships, as we slowly spiral forward in this project.

I am reminded by James, the brother and disciple of Jesus:

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.'
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil." (4:13-16)

How true that is.

Elegant Puzzlery

There are reasons that people don't try to put all the plumbing, drains, vents, and electric breakers in one wall and one room of the house. But that's what you see here.

Additionally, this all meets the challenging constraints of code.

The wiring and conduit for the exterior shut-off circuts (below), in simplicity, equally represents elegant wizardry...but I will not attempt to explain further! (ask M. if intrigued).

New Steps

I was kindly reminded yesterday by our contractor friend, who has cheerfully stuck with this project for 1.5 years, "This current stage is always the lowest trench of the project. - it seems like nothing is moving forward...but it is!"

So to prove to myself and readers that steps are being made,

Allow me to unveil a rich work of art and design that we're putting up in the center of the house. Original design, home-hewn, lovingly crafted, hand-adjusted...

The Spiral Staircase...in progress

M's parents worked together to plane, piece and join these stair treds from oaks grown on their land

Sittin' on the stair

When you get these two engineers together...

...things like this still happen. This is a pot and steaming bag for forming the railings.

Hooray for progress!

Year in Review

I find that a look back and a look forward can enhance life in the present. To that end, I share a brief review of our house project in 2016, with hopes for the coming year.

Footer framing, May

The Pour- critical precision work which will afffect the rest of the life of this house!

Building up to floor level with 40 tons of gravel...

...and then foam. Add the floor drains...

And the radiant floor heating before the cement slab forms first floor

Keeping it in perspective

Insulated concrete forms (ICF) start going up and window/door frames

Are we having fun yet?

Hang in there!

Curing the concrete slab...with a kiddie pool!

Harvesting ancient oaks from the woods where M grew up

Exhausted after moving tons of lumber for inspection

Walls going up, braced to be filled with concrete

Weekend blitz: the truss went in

...and gable walls went up

Ready for the first roof panels

Upper floor joists hung green!

Third floor loft. The 1-center-truss design provides the whole house as livable space

M and his fearless friend finished the roof panels and gable 'ladders'

Metal siding goes on- not as easy as it may look!

2nd floor boards in, and bedroom framing. Big M shows little M the doorway to her room.

3rd floor loft, north side

The deck beams and joists go up with all kinds of stunts and much help!

Porch rock

Mandatory break in blistering heat, at nearby river

Playing house while the building goes on

But sometimes it goes too long! She fell asleep riding with Papa in the loll.

The stainless roof is on!

The spiral staircase framework takes shape inside by M and his Dad

December: grading, back-filling, and the driveway by local company

Year's end: Our first snow dusting

A new gravel driveway. The new loop connects beyond the rock pile and tiny pine tree.

A distorted-camera-phone selfie by 'whale rock' in the National Forest just up the trail from our house.

We're still in this together and who knows how long the building project will take...We'll live there some day, maybe next winter? Meanwhile, we live gratefully, seeking more Grace and Love and Power in our lives...Here's to 2017!

Progess Photos

So we have a house on a hill with very much the doors and windows and roof in place, but it needs its guts- wiring, plumbing, everything.


The house from its best angle: the South

So since we left off the story, the roof has gone on:

Beautiful work by local company. Stainless steel from sheets (M's idea and affordable!)

And M put in North (pictured here) and South porches...from locally found materials...

Shale and dirt will fill in around here (South side), hopefully more of a patio will be formed eventually


Sweet girl fell asleep riding with Papa in the big Loll

Today, the driveway excavation and house back-fill began with a bang...a shallow power cord was struck! So jobs which don't require electricity will continue until the driveway work and then electric repair can be done. We are also coming down to the wire (pardon the pun) on our state DOT driveway entrance permit, so we are hoping for no more obstacles!

Stay tuned for photos of the spiral staircase underway...

Give Thanks

Well, dear readers, tis time for another grateful list.

This seems to be our best method of maintaining traction. Otherwise, the project may seem to be moving at a snail's pace,

or as my Dad liked to say 'As fast as molasses going uphill in January'

We give thanks (sometimes out of pure grit) for:

A majorly stressful housing transition...it makes having any place to live a blessing
A rental that needs repair (to put it politely)...it makes constructing a building with thoughtful quality seem like a good contribution to the world
Undesired critters and bugs...(UUGgh!) they give us commonality with many people and inconveniences
Work spaces without natural light or view of the outdoors...they make me loooooong for light, and coax me outdoors, and make me notice sunrises and sunsets. Its makes me look forward (to put it lightly) to a south-facing home with windows.
Juxtaposed joys and pains in life...they make us ache and live with courage and in Hope, like watchmen waiting for morning
Unpleasant situations outside of our choice...they help us focus on lasting things, not our present circumstances. The best is yet to come!
Unsettledness...it helps my heart be ready for a settled home of our own, now longing for rest instead of restlessness
Obstacles and being waylaid...they might facilitate a better path in the end
Help...it's humbling and gives pride no status
Growth...it means we're alive!
Beauty...in precious people young and grown, in the woods, the mountains, the sky, November roses, all inexpressible gifts!