Lumber going up on the roof - progress being made!!!

Rain - torrents of heavy rain - our daily visitor!  Seems as if it has been raining either some time during the day or night for the past several days - but after the droughts we have experienced I will NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT RAIN again!  Even though it is slowing the progress on the house, I will not be negative about the moisture.  However, those industrious framers have been working and putting more lumber on the house even with not-so-optimal weather conditions.  I met with Mark, the super builder - not only good at this work, meticulous, careful - but also very polite, thorough and a great communicator, at the house this morning at 10:00 to walk through and get updated on various aspects of the construction!  This is what greeted me this morning at Holton House:

 What?  The roof is being enclosed!  Men were walking, crawling and standing all over the roof line hammering and sawing away.  What an exciting surprise to see this, even though rain is threatening AGAIN!

 A closer view - isn't it going to be beautiful?

 The peak above the dining room, entrance area.  Thanks to a great builder and artistic architect, this roof line is quite pretty, don't you think?

A view from below looking up!  We attempted to stay well out of the way of the working men - didn't want any falling pieces of lumber or flying nails to find us below!!!!!

 Since we have been deluged by heavy rains and there was an open roof and open floors for a good part of this - and of course,  no windows, the basement is very wet.  This is a view of us standing in one corner looking to the back of the house, where two generous windows with window wells are set in the walls.  Lots of air and light - a spacious basement.  The area in which I am standing will eventually be the mechanical room for furnace, sump pump, water heater, water softener, etc.  I am looking out through the timbers that will enclose that area and toward a bigger area of the basement.  You can also see the stairs coming down.

 Upstairs again!  I was standing in the arch from the family room into the kitchen when this shot was taken.  The spacious window to the right is the kitchen looking to the backyard.  Essentially, this is the space where the farm table and six English school antique chairs will be located.  The window right in the middle of this picture is the one looking out onto the porch.  The door to the porch is to the left of that window.

 This was taken looking out that window onto the screened porch area.  Isn't that a perfect spot with all those trees and wildflowers surrounding the porch?  What fun to have tea - lunch - dinner - time to read and dream on that porch!!!!  Precious time with dear friends - I can barely be patient until this is done!!!

It was so entrancing, I took another picture of the porch looking more to the side.  The prior photo was angled to the back as I gazed out the side window.  Oh, I just am so happy with this house!  God has been so good to me!

 We interrupted these men before they had a chance to clean up some of the debris from the morning's work, but I wanted you to see a view of the house from the back of the kitchen looking toward the front of the house.  You can see the dining room (window at right), also showing the front door and big window in the study (to the left of the front door.)  Lots of sunlight and another lovely view out those windows (and door) to the front of the house.  Pretty!  The sun is beginning to make a showing too!!!!

One last parting shot, this from the door we would walk out of the garage to the back yard toward the screened porch which you can see being framed (the area where the rocks are located).  These doors throughout are wide enough for wheelchair access - but hopefully that will never be necessary!

With the predicted rains coming early next week, we may not see much progress for a few days.  I will give you a glimpse tomorrow and Saturday of the cabinet finishes (samples) and some design thoughts.  Stay tuned for more!

Blessings,

Janet