Debbie and Joe's Travel Adventures

We decided to go sightseeing this weekend.  We started off on Friday afternoon with some shopping in Decatur, IL and then an overnight stay at our favorite ‘campground’  … Cracker Barrel.  On Saturday, we continued our trip east to visit the Litchfield, IL Route 66 History Center.  In honor of Route 66’s 100th anniversary, some local towns along the route were having festivals, so Litchfield was our first stop.  It was very interesting to learn about the history of Route 66, and how it has evolved during our country’s  history.  In Illinois, there are three sets of alignments:  1926-1930 (during Prohibition), 1930-1940 (cars top speed of 60-80mph), 1940-1977 (strategic role in WWII war effort).

Each stop along the way were giving out Route 66 merchandise:  T-shirts, trading cards, pins, pens, and cookies.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

On Sunday, we decided to continue a little further west to visit the Saint Louis Basilica based on a recommendation from Richard.  It was amazingly beautiful with over 41.5 million mosaic tiles covering the entire ceiling of this huge church.  After noon mass, they had a 1.5 hour tour of the Basilica.  Our tour guide explained many of the symbols and how they fit into telling the stories of both the Old and New Testaments.  

 

Over the weekend, the drywall contractors were able to finish the painting of the ceiling and priming of the walls … which means … painting clothes today!  When we started the day, we had 6 people starting to paint.  By 9AM, we were very grateful to have six of the homeowner’s family/friends come by to help us paint … yeah!     With that many people, we were able to get a first coat of paint on all the walls well before lunch.   

Sometime in the morning, we got the flooring delivery  … so I bet you can guess what we’ll be doing tomorrow :-).

Another successful day!  God is good.

 

 

Happy end of week four (for us) … it’s actually week six for the build.   We have another two weeks to go for painting, cabinets, doors, flooring, insulating the attic and trim.  With our team of eight people, we are praying that all goes smoothy and we can be done in the next two weeks.

This morning, we finished up all the siding …  yeah!  Terry did a great job cutting the angles with Joe, Marc and Richard doing the installation high off the ground.

The side was done by 9:45, so break time!

Richard wanted to get the scaffolding disassembled and loaded onto the trailer, along with the other ladders and items that we no longer need.   After break, Richard and Joe took a trip to Gary’s barn for unloading and storage until the next build.

That left only the top row of the front siding to be done.  This piece was tricky, because the required measurement did not land on a flat part of the siding.  We’re glad that Terry and Karen have run into this situation before on their many builds in other locations.  They used a heat gun to soften the vinyl and smooth out the ridge.   After this was done, it was cut to the appropriate length and installed.

Yeah!  The outside is done!

Inside, the contractors were busy sanding and taping up the windows and doors for knockdown and spray painting the ceiling and priming the walls.  They will be working tomorrow (Saturday), so we will be able to start the wall painting either Monday or Tuesday.

The highlight of today (and every Friday) is a gourmet lunch at Elim Springs.  Their church is still under renovation, so Dixie invited us into her beautiful home.  After lunch, she gave us a tour of her new pergola outside, which has sliding glass doors all around and an amazing water view and a putting green.

They also showed us the local newspaper … we’re famous :-).

We are truly blessed.  God is good.

 

God paints beautiful sunrises ♥   It’s wonderful to enjoy the sunrise over breakfast.

Since the scheduled pastor was not available, Jo shared one of her beautiful devotionals.  After a short prayer, we continued our work on the other gable end of the house.  There is not a lot of siding left to do, so we are trying to take it slow and easy .. which for this team doesn’t work very well .. lol.  The few rows of straight pieces went on quickly.

Soon after the first couple of sheets, it was 9AM. it’s Thursday … which means?  Donut day!

While enjoying our early break time, we realized how new the table looked.  Yesterday, while waiting for the dry wall contractors to finish, Richard changed out all of the boards on the table.  It looks great!

We then went back to siding, which now requires cuts at the angle of the roof.   Bill made a custom jig that can be modified to accommodate multiple roof angles … very cool.

 

Terry and Karen are pros, and they were able to get precise measurements and accurate cuts.  

 

While we were working on siding, Bill and Jo were working on one last custom piece to finish the porch soffit.  It was a very small, and they only had one piece of soffit left.  But (as they always do), they made it look easy.   It looks amazing.

Inside, the dry wall contractors were continuing to make good progress

and the HVAC contractors continued to work on the ducting throughout the house.

We jointly decided to work only a half day today so that we would have some work left for tomorrow morning.  For lunch, we all went to a local restaurant called Jets.  

Just another productive day working with a great team.  God is good.

This Floridian must be getting used to the cooler temperatures.  It seemed ‘warm?’ this morning, in the 50s.  Although we wore jackets to start the day, they were gone within an hour.  When we arrived the Ambucs team was already there, along with their tool trailer and materials.  We know many of the Ambucs workers from our visits to their bi-weekly delicious dinner meetings.  It was obvious from their process that they have done this a time or two before 😉   Although they have been at this for a long time, during this summer they’ve built one ramp a week for someone in need.  It is such a life changing mission.

They had around 8 people working on the ramp – some completing the deck outside the door and others working on building the angled ramp sections.

While that was going on, Joe and I continued our work on the front porch siding.  The piece that fit around the second window was done yesterday, but we realized that we needed to notch the end to accommodate the soffit overhang.  That led to needing to create some J channel on the corner to finish off the end.  With some guidance from the team’s siding experts, we created something that works.  

Soon after we got that piece in, it was time for our 10AM snack break.  A box of goodies filled to the brim is delivered each week from Sullivan FCCLA (Family, Career & Community Leaders of America), a local high school group.  After reading their mission below, I’m sure you agree that they should be in all high schools!

FCCLA is a national student organization that helps young men and women become better leaders in their families, careers and communities.  Students learn skills for life:  planning, goal setting, problem solving, decision making and interpersonal communication. FCCLA is the only student organization with the family as its focus.

After break, we had just one more strip to finish the front.  This is the strip that has to be cut to fit the appropriate width to the top.  Well … just our luck that this measurement was right in the fold between the upper and lower portion of each siding sheet.  It’s hard to explain, but this location is too thick at the top to fasten to the top channel.  So … back to the experts.  Terry shared with us some tricks on how to get it to work, but it’s tricky.  

Terry and Karen finished up the peak on one side of the house.  It looks great!

Bill and Jo finished up the fascia and soffit work on the other peak – so we will be able to move the scaffolding and get that going tomorrow.

Inside, the contractors were applying another coat of mud on the drywall.

Given that we don’t have much left to do on the outside (and we can’t start inside until the contractors are done), and it was getting warm this afternoon, we collectively decided to work a half day today.   Even in a half day, there was much accomplished today.  God is good.

 

Another cool morning this morning – in the 40s when we got up.  It is amazing how nicely it warms up as soon as the beautiful sun rises.   After our devotional today, we went back to siding.  We had lots of cuts to make, so progress was slow and steady.   I’d say … same as yesterday, but with ladders :-).

 

Terry and Karen finished up their side of the front porch, and then moved to the back to finish up those last few pieces.

The front is almost done!

Bill and Jo were making great progress on the soffit and fascia on both ends.  They definitely make a great team!

Once the fascia was completed on the south end, Nancy and Richard re-started that siding.

Gene installed the drip cap and some shingles on the attic cover.  It’s quite the work of art :-).

Nancy went home to get her painting clothes to paint the utility closet before the furnace is installed.  

On the inside of the house, the drywall was drying.  We had all the windows open and there was a nice breeze, so we’re hoping that they can come tomorrow for the sanding.  There was some activity inside:  the electricians installed some HVAC ducting and the plumber ran some lines in the crawlspace.

Overall, another wonderful day.  God is good.

 

 

The weather here has been great – cooler mornings, and sunny afternoons in the 70’s.   We had a busy weekend – went to a Pumpkin Festival in Arthur, a boat ride with Nancy and Marc, and the Elim Springs Pig Roast.   

We welcomed two new Care-A-Vanners to our team on Sunday.  Terry and Karen will be here for the next three weeks … yea!   

After our devotional this morning, we focused on getting the front siding started.  The goal is to have most of the siding done on the front before Ambucs installs the handicap ramp on Wednesday.   We had some tough cuts around an outlet, and around both windows, but got them first shot :-).  Marc was on our siding team, with amazing razor skills!

While we were busy working on siding around the porch, other team members were busy making progress.

Terry and Karen were installing siding on the other side of the front. 

Bill and Jo finished up the porch soffit, and then moved on to completing the soffit on the side of the house.  It was great that the scaffolding reached the peak, but they had to use ladders on either end to reach it.

 

Richard and Gary removed the big pile of drywall scraps.

Gene created another crawl space cover masterpiece.  Each year, he improves the design to make it as light as possible.

Inside, three workers from the drywall company were there taping and mudding.  They had quite the system.  One guy had a roll of tape on a stick, another guy came by behind him to smooth it over, and then the third guy on stilts gave it the finishing coat.

Overall, another productive day.  God is good!

 

Well, the weatherman was finally right last night … we did have some rain.  Since it was muddy around the house, we agreed to take the day off.  Even though we didn’t work today, Dixie and our friends at Elim Springs church made us another amazing lunch.  She had two types of chicken casserole, green beans, carrots, fruit and three types of desserts.  We are all so full that we decided that we’re going to the American Legion ‘all you can eat’ fish fry tonight … lol.  It’s for a good cause, and another excuse to get together as a team.

Even though we didn’t work today, there was great progress on the house.  The drywall team of around 6 guys came at 7:30am and started the drywall.   When we stopped by the house after lunch around 1:45, they were done!    They did a great job – close seams, windows and doors wrapped, and a great cleanup.  The next step is to have their muddng team fill the seams as the next step, but it’s an amazing step forward.   It really transforms the house.

We had a really productive week … making great progress.  God is good!   

At the beginning of the week, the forecast was for heavy downpours on Thursday and Friday.   Surprise, surprise … they were wrong.   Today was partly sunny and warmer than yesterday, climbing to about 90 in the afternoon   It looks like the storm is passing to the north of us.  But, wow … it was windy!  The long pieces of siding and soffit became wind sails!  It seems as though we will get some rain tonight, so we’ll have to see how that will impact the workday tomorrow.

Our first task was to clean up the job site.  In preparation for the drywallers, we picked up the scraps of wood, moved all the tools and extra material out of the house, and swept/vacuumed the floors. 

Since it IS Donut Thursday …. we were all eager to take our 10:00 break.  A local donut shop donates a dozen donuts every week.  Delicious!   As we were sitting under our break tent, it seemed as though the wind would take the whole tent and send it sailing.  Richard did a great job putting long stakes on the corners, so it was hanging in there.

Once the inside cleaning was done, we started back on siding.  We started with having to measure and cut around the water spigot.

The rest of the siding were straight cuts, so they went up fast.  That is, until we got to the piece that had to have a cutout for the outside light and the back door opening.  With a couple of minor modifications during installation, it fit perfectly.

The rest of the team was busy on other projects.  Gene installed a drip cap over the back door.

Tom installed some floor covers for the vent cutouts.

Jo and Bill were doing the detailed work on the porch:  continuing to install the porch soffit, the porch lights and the corner post.  

… and the plumber completed his pressure test, so we got the OK for the drywall company to start tomorrow. 

If donuts this morning, a pulled pork and amazing sides at a local church for lunch aren’t enough food … tonight our team has been invited to the Ambucs dinner meeting.  They have a huge grill, and serve up a great meal.  I think I heard that it’s going to be bacon wrapped pork loin and their famous cowboy beans.  Yeah, there’s a reason the Sullivan build has the nickname of the ’10 pound build’ … lol.   God is good!  

 

 

 

Last night after Taco Tuesday dinner, we stopped by the house so that Richard could lock it up.  We were really happy to hear that the drywall company sent some workers over late yesterday to load all the drywall into the house. 

This morning, it was nice to wake up to temperatures in the 60’s .. so we weren’t freezing.   When we got to the job site, we were informed that the pastor was not available for our devotion today.   Jo offered to lead us in prayer, and shared an amazing poem.  It really does say it all ♥

From the time we arrived this morning, the job site was buzzing with activity.  There were more trucks in the parking area than I’ve ever seen.  We all joked that we needed valet parking to find a spot.   Electricians, concrete and plumbing contractors were all on site, which was great to see.  

Our job was to continue making progress on the siding on the back of the house.  There were some tricky cuts around the window, but we had three people doing siding so it went very quickly.

We got as far up as we could go on the right side of the door.  We couldn’t complete the left side of the door because the concrete contractors were ready to pour the patio area.  

Those concrete contractors were amazing to watch.  They did both the front and back patios, which look great.  It was a bit challenging getting into the house, but by tomorrow we will be able to walk on it.

 

Inside, there were 4 electricians working on wiring the main panel and pulling the main feeder cable into the meter box.  The plumber was also there getting closer to finishing up roughing in water lines.

Gene made some modifications to the attic plug so that it can easily be pushed up into the attic. 

Tom installed the door apron which is a white finishing board below the door threshold.

Bill and Jo continued on putting up the soffit, fascia and corner boards on the porch.  They are certainly the experts, and do a great job.

One person from the drywall company came by today to install metal brackets that will cap the drywall edge where it meets the ceiling.  It certainly seems that this company is ready to go once the plumber and electricians are done with rough-in.

Overall, it was a very busy and successful day with multiple projects going on.  God is good!

 

 

 

 

Maybe we’re getting used to the cold, but mid-50’s this morning felt warmer than yesterday (I guess it is all relative, huh?).  By the time we got to the job site, it was warming up nicely and turned out to be a beautiful day.

Our first task was to finish up the bathroom vents.  They only needed some taping and strapping. Easy job, but it felt good to get it checked off the list.

Our next task was siding the back of the house.  The first piece was quite the challenge.  We had to carefully measure two cutouts – one was for the dryer vent and the other was for the outside water spicket.   Perrrrrfect cut (as Bob the Builder would say).

 

While we were working on siding, there were many other projects underway.

Tom added blocking for the towel racks in the bathroom as well as behind the handicap toilet.  He showed off some skills using the table saw … impressive.

Marc worked on the attic plug, which is the insulated square that fits into the attic opening.  It was quite the work of art – three levels of thick foam board insulation, OSB with sheet rock on top.   Since it needs to be able to be pushed into the attic to gain access, it needs to be lightweight and square.   It still needs some work, but it’s getting close.

Jo and Bill were back at the soffit and fascia around the porch.  There’s a ton of fascia to do, and they are certainly the experts.

There was a lot of activity from the contractors as well.  The electricians were working on the panel.

The front and back patios were being prepped for cement pour tomorrow.

The plumber was there continuing to make progress.  We also got the delivery of sheet rock.

Another productive day.  Since today is Taco Tuesday, we’re joining some of our team to visit a local restaurant for dinner.  God is good!