Insulating, Backfilling, and Sill Plates

Once the block work was done, Chris applied a coat of tar to the walls.  Then he glued sheets of foam board to the tar.  2 layers thick at the top.  Then he shoveled, by hand, hundreds of loads of clear stone gravel along the base of the walls.  He then laid drainage pipe (Big "O") and covered it with many more loads of gravel.  All this in his "spare time"!  This man works a full time job, comes home to eat dinner then goes out to work on the house.  After helping put the kids to bed he goes back out and works after dark using spot lights.

Big "O" covered by clear stone gravel all around the base of the foundation and down from the window wells.

Big "O" and foam board along the West facing wall

Planks over muck puddles

I don't know how many hundreds of wheel barrow loads Chris walked from the pile of gravel at the front of the house to cover all the Big "O" around the house.  Note his use of construction sandals

He had some help.  Appropriate work clothes optional here too

Clogs, red velvet dress, and hoodie for shoveling gravel?  Why not?

Finnlee makes a great counter weight while Phoenix cuts the foam board with the hand saw

The South facing wall needed a second coat of tar.  The first coat cracked in the extreme heat and direct sun in the days following its application

Chris was excited to use the Kubota on loan from his boss Lynn to do the backfilling and move some of the rock.  Without this machine, Chris would have done it by hand and it would have taken ages!

Attaching the sill plate in the dark

Zander helped with the pressure treated plywood that covers the foam

Cedar strips that the mill up the hill sells cheap as waste wood cover the seams in the plywood

Just this week the foundation was approved by the building inspector, so now we have a green light to go ahead with the framing!  We're planning a work party!  Want to come party with us?

Pest control

We have a little mouse problem.  Not in the house, but out in the mudroom/storage shed that Chris built along the side of the house.  We put out traps and catch some, but there are always more.  We found a solution though...a cute one at that!

Meet Simon and Oliver

Milk brothers.  Simon, the orange tabby, is about 8 weeks old.  His mother disappeared from the farm before he was weaned.  Oliver's mother adopted the litter and nursed them along with her own, 9 in total!  Oliver, the gray tabby is 6 weeks old.  They believe they are brothers

Simon is more shy than Oliver, but he's coming around. 

He proved his worth by catching his first mouse on his second night here!

Oliver is a snuggler

I think he will be a good hunter too

The chickens didn't know what to make of the kittens.  At first they came running over making food noises.  Then when the kittens started moving around the chickens ran away calling out in alarm!  By the way, these are our older chicks.  Junior, a rooster, Dorothy, another rooster, Tiny, yet another rooster, Amelia, rooster, Buffy, still yet to be determined, and our girls, Flower and Breech.
Did you know a rooster learning to crow sounds like a kazoo?

Solstice is in love

And its a very good thing kittens are tolerant!

Its been a long time since I had a kitten.  I still miss Zeppelin and Sebastian, 
but its nice to have cats around again