Siding and Stairs

R.J. injured his neck while running his dozer at my house site on Wednesday.  As he drove over a pile of sand the dozer hit hard and then bucked.  Unlike cars, dozers don't have shock absorbers, so the machine's movements aren't moderated.  The impact and whiplash were extreme, yet R.J. continued working through the day to complete my septic hook-up.  It's a reminder of how dangerous a construction site can be.

Hap and Doug returned yesterday to finish installing the garage door openers and start the siding.  They only sided one part of one wall of the garage, but it was enough for me to see how the light brown siding and white trim will look.  I like it.

Hap (left) and Doug get to work on siding.

The siding — light brown with white trim — will look
good in a wooded setting.

Chosen Electric was back for a second day, installing panels outside and in, and running wire upstairs and down.  They have also wired the house for TV and computer.  It's amazing how much wiring a house requires!

The service panels have been mounted outside...

...and down in the basement.  How does anyone keep
all those wires straight?

Larry runs wire across the ceiling of the
living room and kitchen...

...while his assistant wires an outlet in the master bedroom.

Yesterday Kyle started work on the stairs down to the basement.  This is one of the most complex tasks for a carpenter.  Kyle says his father taught him well, and he enjoys this combination of math and art.  At the same time Dave was upstairs roughing in the walls for the office and guest bedroom.

Kyle starts work on the basement stairs.

Dave roughs in the office wall along the stairwell.

Among the changes this week was installation of the doors to the service and screened porches — which have yet to be built.  That's a nasty first step!

Porch doors without porches... yet!

I've opted for levers instead of doorknobs.

Those who have built a house know how many decisions the owner has to make.  This week, with considerable reluctance, I decided to modify my approach to the staircase.  Instead of purchasing a ready-made kit, we will do our own stairway crafted from wood.  This will preserve at least part of the library-on-the-stairs idea, but should be a lot less expensive.  The challenge will be to develop an "open" stair — so that light from the stairwell windows will shine through — which can also handle the loads a stairway must bear. •••