TIMBERRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Another long day of demolition...

 Slowly but surely it's coming down.

 READY TO GIVE IT THE FINAL HEAVE!!

Hail! The Conquering Hero!!

Demolition Begins

Well, it's the day after Christmas, there's snow on the ground, and the temperatures are LOW. What better time to start tearing down the nasty shed in the back?!

Time to Paint!

With the siding done, it's time to paint it! We chose Gazebo White for the siding and Prickly Pear for the trim. A generous friend from work let James borrow his paint sprayer for as long as he needs.  What a gift!

Masked and ready to go

The Painter

All done upstairs!

Siding is done!!

James spent the day outside working on the siding, but came in to help us finish decorating the tree.

Then he headed back out and cut the last piece of trim to finish the siding!  He has been hard at work the last couple of weeks.  Working after dark many evenings, thanks to his new headlamp (the neighbors are thrilled) :-)

THE LAST PIECE!!!

Big Junk Day

James spent the weekend moving piles and piles of junk to the curb.  He also cleaned out the barns (in preparation for tearing one down).

It always feels so good to see the trash GO AWAY!!!

Bye-Bye, Dormers

Well, after a long month away for work, James got home and was ready to get something done on the house!  He jumped up to the roof and, in one day, tore off the 3 dormers.

 This also meant he was able to get the fascia and soffit filled-in/repaired.

To the Front Lines

It's time to move on to the front!  Scaffolds have been returned, new siding is stacked up and ready to go.  James got a little help from Dad to speed up the tar paper process. Thanks, Poppy!

North End Siding

Here we go again. Same story, second side.

 Measuring for plywood...

Getting the first piece in place...

And the last...

And the cute little neighborhood boys are helping out with the trash.  Wonder what they're building???

South End Siding. Check.

Don't let the "yellow" scare you. That's the unfinished color of the siding.  It will NOT be yellow. :-)

The Day the Bricks Died

I've hated the bricks for a long time. A very long time.  When we first saw this picture (above) online, I thought, "Oh, exposed brick.  I never would have picked that, but kinda cool..."  Yeah, it was poorly done brick wallpaper. And I've lived with it for almost 3 years.  Well, the time came for it to go.  And once I started, it was quite addicting.

ahhhhhhh...

Progress

It's always nice when we can make progress, not just demolition progress.
The siding has begun, and this isn't your grandma's siding. This is Hardie Board, a concrete composite that looks like wood grain, but apparently will last longer than the rest of the house. Only the best for Bellaire. :-)

On to the Outside

Bye-Bye, more yellow siding.  This is the south end of the house, being prepped for new siding.  That has meant tearing off the old stuff, repairing the plywood and trim, and moving a pesky phone line (which resulted in our alarm siren going off several times -- but that's all I'll say about that).

James has a friend at work who generously offered his quality scaffolding.  This stuff is ridiculously expensive to rent, so WHAT A BLESSING!  James will be able to keep it as long as he needs it. Thank you, Lord!

I have to point out that James was up on these scaffolds when the temp hit 113!!!! The hottest day ever recorded in OKC.  What a man.


And the trash pile continues to grow again...

It's a Marshmallow World

Today was the big day: Spray Foam Insulation!

This was one thing that, after researching, James decided it would be cheaper to hire out.  So, the big truck arrived early in the morning, and these guys got to work. It was was pretty impressive.

Want to see how it works?

And of course, the girls were keeping an eye on things.

Breaker, Breaker

The new main breaker panel was installed today.  Eventually, all roads -- well, wires -- will lead here.

My Favorite Handyman

As we enjoy the view of our next-door neighbors' house, a word about the Man in our house...

James has done an incredible amount of work.  Much more than he's got listed on this handy-dandy 2x4.  He continues to impress us with his abilities, and we are grateful for his hard work.  At the end of his 10-hour work days, he comes home, gives kisses and hugs to all, joins us for dinner, then gets back to work on the house.  After dark, he quits, showers, eats his cookies and milk, and collapses into bed.  And he doesn't complain.  Ever. (must be the cookies)  I am grateful for my big-picture husband, who leads us with love and action.