2007_09_27 Rafters and roofs now over porches

As you probably recall, our builder had all his tools and trailer stolen over a weeks ago. They still haven't been found. His brother, Steve, who along with his crew is working on our house had to leave our job and take his crew to help Scott finish the other job.

After being off on the other job the guys returned on Wednesday this week to continue with our house. Where was my update yesterday you ask? Well, I forgot my camera yesterday (Wednesday) so today's few pictures show what they've done yesterday and today before it rained hard for about 10 minutes today and flooded everything and they had to go home since there was a fairly nice swimming pool on the first floor of our house.

Oh, yes, I'll tell you at the bottom about some people I've met up there this week, but you'll have to wait for that till you get to the bottom of today's entry. HEY! No peeking! And speaking of "peaking", I noticed today that someone has stolen our street sign - AGAIN! This is the 2nd time our sign (Scenic Peak Rd.) has been stolen. The sign on the road 2 tenths of a mile east of ours on Hwy 24 (Walker Gap Rd.) was stolen a month or so ago too! I called the St. Clair County Transportation and Engineering Department to let them know. They said they'd get it replaced, but they'll have to order one so it'll take a few weeks. They told me that when I called them about the Walker Gap sign too, but it only took a couple of days. I asked her what the heck if going on with the stolen signs and she said that this is the worst year she's known for street signs being stolen! What do people do with them anyway?

Below there is a picture from the front of the house that shows water standing on the sub floor. It's a LOT worse in the corners of the house (laundry room, master bath and closet) where it's about half an inch deep! Steve told me by phone this afternoon that they have holes drilled in the sub floor to let it drain, but they must be stopped up. He'll clean them up tomorrow so it can drain and dry out. You can see some of the water through the front door in the picture below.

Steve changed the 3 windows upstairs to align with 3 of the 4 windows and doors that are downstairs on the front side of the house. We both (Kathy and I) like it much better this way when you look at it from the front. Even if something looks weird from the inside (and we don't believe that it will anyway) we believe this is better.




There are more rafters up now and the porches (front, screened, and dining room) all have ceilings on them now. The picture below is of the screened porch outside the master bedroom. You are looking toward the door that is between the great room and the screened room. That's so that you can get onto the screened porch from the great room without having to go through the bedroom. There will be another door on the other end of the screened room to get out onto the deck.

This is the area outside the dining room. It'll have a roof, but not screened in unless we have loads of money left over at the end of this process (about as likely as me being crowned Miss America next year).

The picture below is of the front porch with the ceiling on it. Right now it stops just short of the bottom. You can't see it here, but if you were to look up at the very edge at the bottom you can see about an eight of an inch or less between the end of the ceiling boards and the beginning of the boards that run along the length of the porch. Steve said that there will eventually be another board along the length of the porch to finish it off and cover up the "gap". Later the gutters will fit up under the edge of the roof. No, I don't "see" it yet in my head very well, but that will be a while yet!

Here's a closer view of the boards on the ceiling of the porch. One day I may put a swing out here on these rafters. We'll see. We might prefer one on the screened porch. Maybe both?

OK, here's the deal with the people I met up there this week already:

First, on Wednesday afternoon a guy named Daryl Wester walked up and asked me if I needed to hire any carpenters. I told him that I was just the guy who was having to pay for this, but I wasn't the guy in charge of hiring for the crew doing the work so he'd have to talk with Steve.

He lives a few miles down the highway next to the cell phone towers. He was working for a contractor, but they finished the job he was working on and so far the contractor doesn't have another project lined up so he's looking for a job since he can't wait forever on the other guy. Steve told him that although he doesn't need him right now he may before long so he took his name and number and told him that he'd let him know. The guy said he's been a carpenter for 18 or so years. Even if he doesn't get work for Steve it'll be handy to know a carpenter nearby should we want one later for something after the house is built. I saved his phone number.

Later on Wednesday afternoon another guy drove up and asked whether he could look at the construction. I went down from the 2nd floor to meet him. He said he loved it so far. His name is Jeff Angel. It turns out that he is a contractor from Birmingham who is doing some work for his best friend, Crawford Logan Taylor III. He goes by "Logan". Logan Taylor is a stock broker for Merrill Lynch in the Birmingham area and apparently his dad practically started the Birmingham office.

The interesting thing is that Jeff says that Logan Taylor owns the house (that we may have told you about) that is known all around this area as the "underground" house. It is a house that is up here on the top of the mountain that is built sort of into the side of the mountain so that one side of the house is underground. The other side faces the valley and has a spectacular view of the valley and the mountains off in the distance. We have been curious to see the "view" side for years, but never went up the drive since we figured that someone lived there and we didn't want to intrude.

It seems that Logan (who still lives in Vestavia in the Birmingham area) has hired his friend, Jeff, to renovate the underground house for him. The house is only about 20 feet from front to back, but it's 80 something feet long. The rooms are all on a line going parallel to the ridge of the mountain so that every room has a view out the windows (or doors) of the valley below. Jeff says that they are basically going to have to gut the house due to termite damage. They're putting in granite counters in the kitchen, etc and fixing everything up so that Logan can use it as a weekend place or as an investment property. Apparently, Logan likes skeet shooting and may use that place for some of that.

Now for the other thing of significance about Logan Taylor. He is the person who owns the lot that is right next to ours at the end of the road down where the gate is! We have wondered who owned that land and now we know. I'm not sure what Jeff told me about Logan's intentions are about the land next to us (I know, that should have been the one thing that I should have remembered!), but I think he may plan to build a home there. I don't know if it's to be a full-time home or if it's just a weekend place for him.

Jeff said that Logan was happy to see us having the road graded and gravel put on it since it was horrible before. He doesn't have to tell me that! Who knows, maybe someday if our money holds out and we want to upgrade the road some more to maybe a blacktop or a tar and gravel surface we could go in with him and share the cost.

Anyway, in one day I met 2 nice guys who are contractors or carpenters and also learned who our next door neighbor may be some day! Jeff says that Logan is a really great guy and we'll like him. Although we still like him, our "investment guy" is still the man we used in Florida. Who knows, maybe he could help us manage our dwindling assets once this house is built and we see what is left to manage! Jeff never told me whether Logan is married, has kids, or anything like that so there's still a lot to learn I guess. Tomorrow's another day!