Anniversary to Remember
I’d like to start this post by sharing a memory refresher of what the existing house looked like following our last 3-day visit in May!
Saturday morning, June 4th, David and his oldest son Taylor left Pennsylvania and made the 10-hour haul back to Tennessee to continue the rehab and to start the new addition. Tennessee Bound!
Within their first five days on the job, our floor plans began taking shape and I was excitedly AMAZED by their progress despite all the structural damage they uncovered and had to address within the existing house.
Taylor started by removing the back porch and stripping off the old siding. There were numerous nests hiding under the awning and a lot of bees and wasps to contend with!
It may have been easier to bull-doze the place and start fresh, but we appreciate the opportunity to preserve its history.
Fun fact: Many years ago, this was a tobacco barn! Underneath the siding you can see the original boards, the open slits in between them allowed air to circulate through the barn, aiding in the tobacco curing/drying process.
Inside, Taylor removed the chimney which was set in the wall between room 1, which will become an office/guest room, and room 2, which will become the master bedroom.
The old chimney had about 4ft of ash and soot inside of it which made its removal a FILTHY job!
Room 2 last served as a kitchen area and must have had leaky pipes or appliances. There was also severe water damage, rotting floors and floor joists that needed to be removed and replaced in the adjoining room, room 4, which will become the master bathroom.
While Taylor worked on the existing structure, David kept busy finishing the foundation for the new addition. He wanted to get all of the block laid as quickly as possible, so it would have plenty of time to cure before they started building on top of it.
He called the bobcat his “Tonka Toy”, ha-ha!
There is no running water, plumbing, or electric in the house right now, so David and Taylor set up a nice camp. All of the neccesseties including a generator, chest freezer, tent, port-a-pot, grill, propane cook stove, coffee pot, tables, chairs, plenty of food, ice, water, beer, bourbon, cards, etc., and Poor Valley Creek nearby for bathing.
Week one, they were early to rise, typically had a light breakfast, worked through lunch, and ate a hearty meal at the end of the day. They only treated themselves to one meal out in town.
EJ, our good neighbor, made evening visits to check on progress and share a few beers with the guys. Then, a card game and a few “nightcaps” (David’s pain-killer) would ensue before lights out.
Day #3, David and Taylor teamed together and started to replace the floor joists and flooring in the existing house. Dave squeezed into the crawl space to install new plumbing. Then they both got busy framing out the new floor plan.
By the end of day #5, Thursday, the new addition had floor joists and flooring, and the tin roof was removed from the left side of the house.
The weekend was quickly approaching, Dakota (Taylors Fiancé) and I were eager to make the drive to Tennessee and join the men for week #2. I was so excited I didn’t sleep a wink Thursday night.
We filled our coffee mugs and pulled out of the driveway at 3AM on Friday morning.
Zeus
Zeus, my spoiled baby boy, was not happy I was leaving. My heart broke a little when I had to make him get out of the car and say goodbye.
Dakota and I arrived on-site in Tennessee around 2PM Friday afternoon. David and Taylor, now joined by Lucas (David’s youngest son) and his girlfriend, Jacinda, had already set some of the old barn beams for the kitchen area and were busy stringing the ridge beam across the span of the new addition.
Not too far behind us, Raymond (David’s best friend & fellow Marine) and Perry (Ray’s cousin & also David’s great friend) joined our crew and stayed until Wednesday afternoon.
Not only are they great company, always offering some sort of comedic relief, they both were a HUGE help!
Saturday and Sunday afforded a bit of rest for the men.
David and his two sisters, Lynore and Trish, planned a 60th Wedding Anniversary Party for their parents; it was an added blessing that some of their grandchildren and great grandchildren from Indiana and Montana were also able to join the fun.
What a WONDERFUL time of picnicking, 4-wheeling, sight-seeing, sharing memories, laughter & tears, lots of hugs, a little wine, and celebrating 60 years of life, love, and marriage!
Monday morning started early, nail guns were blazing long before the sun burned the fog off the mountains.
Week #2 was a true team effort and we endured extreme weather conditions. It was insanely hot! Record breaking highs were stuck in the upper 90’s and the heat index reached 110°; never before have I seen steady streams of sweat rolling from hat brims! Needless to say, we went through countless gallons of water.
The walls went up, then the roof, and by 5:30am Wednesday morning they were laying shingles. Tyvek was hung, windows and doors installed, and we managed to get some of the board and batten siding up by end of week.
The main goal for this trip was to have the entire house/new addition under roof and sealed up, which was accomplished.
David and I are itching to complete the siding in September, before winter rolls in (fingers crossed, Lord willing).
Until then, feeling very grateful for so many helping hands, we leave you with a little tour of the progress that was made with love and a lot of hard work!
