We were excited for our first day on the build. It’s always interesting to get going on a new morning routine and be ready to go by 7:40AM. The one good thing for us is that Sullivan is on Central time. so it’s actually 8:40AM Florida time. Even so, we do look half asleep in the photo :-).
The first task of the day was to assemble a covered tent, so we’d have a place to take a break in the shade. The forecast was for HOT with afternoon thunderstorms, so having a shady spot for a cool drink was really needed.
So, you might be wondering – what is a mud sill? In a nutshell, it’s where the framing meets the foundation. It’s the wood component that attaches to the concrete foundation. Yeah, it’s pretty important to get this step right.
Bob ‘the builder’, the nickname we give to the overall lead for the build, gave us a refresher education on mudsill construction. From the foundation, we placed an aluminum barrier that is positioned 1/2 inch over the edge (as a termite barrier because they can’t crawl past it), a layer of insulating foam, and then a 2×10 board. We then bolted the boards to tie down rods that stick up from the foundation.
While two teams were installing mudsills, there was another team in the ‘pit’, installing the main floor joist support beam.
It was really hot this morning! I think I drank at least 5 bottles of water, and some Gatorade. The temperature was in the mid-80’s, but the heat index was in the upper 90’s. With no shade in site, we needed to continually remind each other to stay hydrated.
At around 11:45, we departed for a local church for another amazing lunch. They served ‘make your own’ Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches, with a crazy number of side salads. Of course, then came the overflowing table of desserts :-). While we were enjoying lunch (and the refreshing air conditioning!), we started to hear rumbles of thunder. By the time we got back to the job site, the lightning and thunder continued, so we had to pack it up early for today.
We did get a lot done this morning, so I’m sure we can make up for the lost time tomorrow. Yeah … I think we’re both going to sleep well tonight!!
Hi Joe & Debbie
This is a great thing you are doing! We are enjoying watching this build.
Debbie -Curt says you look good in a hard hat !
We look forward to see how much you will get done tomorrow . Thanks for including us in this adventure 😊
See comments above
Hi Joe & Debbie,
This is a great thing you are doing! We are enjoying watching the build.
Debbie -Curt says you look good in a hard hat!
We look forward to see how much you will do tomorrow.
Thanks for including us in this adventure 😊
We learn something from your stories. Hard hats suit you. Today at the tavern we purchased 13 beers for the celebratory table in remberance of our 13 heroes. Several other regulars started this tribute two days ago. Hopefully others will carry on this tribute which is being repeated all across the country I will send you a picture by message
Sounds very productive!!! Nice stuff 😊
You both are great builders
Happy h are on the job once again! Loving reading your blog!
Thanks for the update!
Gee were the hard hats for show and I see the shoes are not “Safety” also.
Bob the Builder needs to work on that –oh sorry just had a flashback to a previous life. Oops
This is great Thanks for sharing!
Looks like fun. The nice white helmets look great with the spotless coach. I’ll be interested to see how the helmets and and the coach look in 6 weeks. Sleep well!