Peg and I got married on June 5, 2004. On June 9, the day after we got home from our honeymoon, the excavators arrived and we started building our addition to create room for all of us. We worked all summer, had the roof on by August 1, and could move into the new space January 2005.
John Ness and crew pouring the foundation. Bricks have been removed from the existing house; note downspout diversion. The dirt pile in the background is the topsoil.
John Ness is in the center. Cherry trees are in blossom. The well is just right of John, behind him. The white temporary water pipe rises up from the trench and exits right.
Inside the basement; note the temporary water pipe entering the old foundation. The old foundation has been cut below the window, to make a passageway.
Now the cut piece of old foundation has been pushed out, and most of the floor joists are in.
Rim board and some of the early joists. Also speakers. One day it rained, and the kids immediately saved the speakers. Alas, the nails (in the cardboard boxes) were soaked, and we dried them with fans in the garage for three days to keep them from rusting.
Qoca, Nando, and Peter working on the first-floor joists.
Nando (arms outstretched) and Qoca (on ladder).
Qoca.
Qoca and Peter.
Margaret and Peter; the red basket has 8d nails and the sled has bridging.
Margaret securing the subfloor.
Good view of the finished 1st floor joists and subfloor; Matt is on the plank crossing the moat.
Peter reaching across the moat, not yet backfilled.
Peter working at night.
Matt.
First (east) wall going up! We should have put the sheathing on first. Nailing it later, especially upstairs, was difficult. Once you nail the sheathing, though, you can't adjust the squareness.
The east wall again.
Our lumber pile, and the subsoil for backfilling.
Walls are coming along! And the house studs in the back are now exposed.
Three walls, almost.
I've now cut the brick where the new wall will meet the old house.
Work on another wall segment.
At this point we worked really hard, and did not take any pictures for a while. The subsequent pictures were taken after the framing was completed.
Peter's brother-in-law Paul Poerschke, Matt, Peter, Qoca (seated), Nando, Andrew Poerschke(on ladder), Margaret, Rachel, David Poerschke, and Elise Poerschke. Taken by Kristin Dordal Poerschke. The Poerschkes came for lunch, and then the shingle truck came, and Paul organized a shingle brigade up to the roof. After lunch, they all decided to do some roofing.
Andrew Poerschke, Matt, and Qoca, nailing a piece of roof sheathing.
Rachel and Margaret "working" on the old roof.
View from the east of the sheathing. Note the shingle bundles stacked on the roof.
View from the north of the sheathing, the north balcony joists, and the connection with the old roof.
Starting the siding.
Getting further on the siding; the east porch is done except for stairs. They came three years later.
Qoca moving a plank we used to stand on to get the insulation stapled up.
Nando carrying a roll of fiberglass.
Matt stapling.
Peter and his tool belt; note the temporary stair treads. Nando is behind the red handtruck.
first-floor interior, with ducts (I failed to line up studs properly; note the zigzag). Also note the 23-foot wood "I-beam" joists forming the ceiling here that span from the north wall to the south.
Drywall delivery truck. We gave Nando a window more than four feet tall, specifically so we'd be able to get the drywall in upstairs without having to carry it.
Mike Nelson's drywall crew. We subcontracted that; we were tired, and it was almost December.
In all, we subcontracted:
More drywall.
Finished painted walls and gorgeous oak floor. The windows took another year to trim out.
Outside view with the scaffold in place; we have not yet put the gutters on.