We've been... (drum roll, please) ...building our house!
Can you believe it?? I hardly can. I want to share our progress with you. But, first... I should point out that we are actually building this house - with our own hands. It's not just our house, either. We're helping build ten houses, total.
We qualified for a housing program set up by the USDA & Rural Housing Development Corporation. Basically, we put in our own sweat equity for over half the work that needs to be done. Each family in the group (ours is made up of ten) puts in a required number of work hours each week. We normally work on Saturdays and evenings during the week.
We're all trained on several different tasks and work together to complete each phase of the building process. Our supervisor is on site almost every day. There are a few tasks we need subcontractors for, like all the concrete work, plumbing, electrical, duct work, and some finish work inside.
It's been so much fun! We all definitely put in a ton of hard work. But, it's safe to say I'll all pay off.
So, let's start from the beginning... August.
We decided on a house and a lot to build on. Woohoo!
In late August/early September, they broke ground! It was so exciting to drive by and see the progress they'd made.
In early September, we got our footings & foundation poured. It was fun to let Doug run around in the big hole in the ground! He needed to sniff around and check the place out, after all.
Paige, my older sister, has been so awesome to take pictures of us in front of the house periodically. I don't know exactly what I'll do with all of them, but it will be cool to look back and see how far we've come!
By the middle/end of October, we had our driveway in! We hoped it would be in by the time winter came. Luckily, snow wasn't a problem at all!
By the time we made it back, the concrete had dried. We thought it would be fun to add our names to the driveway or pack patio - or even Doug's paw print! But, we'll just have to remember that next time we pour concrete. Ha!
Once the walls went up, it really started feeling real! I've been planning where furniture will go and how we'll set up our decorations. Of course, though, I've changed my mind a million times.
What you haven't seen yet from all the pictures so far is the actual work we've put in. Honestly, I'd barely used a hammer before we started this program! Now, I've used several power tools, taken far too many measurements to ever count, and Austin and I have invested in more thermal clothing than I thought we would ever need.
I was put on a team of ladies assigned to build stairs. As of today, Amy, Jenna, Brianna, and I have worked together to build the stairs in all but one of the houses! In this picture, I'm sitting on the first set of stairs we completed.
I never thought I would be in any sort of picture like this... but, it's become such a normal occurrence for me to carry lumber while wearing a tool belt. This was in early December! Up until Christmas Day, we were fortunate to have such mild weather!
I'll be honest, when I have the option, I usually ask Austin to carry big boards for me. How else would I have a chance to stop and take pictures?
Like I mentioned, we work from late afternoon until 9:00 or 10:00pm during the week. I should get some more current candids. Lately, no one has been showing up with just a t-shirt on. Now, it's layers upon layers to work in the dark in the snow!
I've never had a fear of heights at all, but this work has definitely tested my confidence a handful of times - especially with keeping my balance!
Some of us have joked that this program would make a great reality TV show - testing the strength of marriages and friendships. We really have been so blessed with great (future) neighbors! Austin has been so patient with me while I'm learning.
In mid-December, we started getting rain. It wasn't quite cold enough for snow yet. But, because not many of us had our roofs up yet, everything got wet. I mean EVERYTHING. We had to clean up every piece of wood we saw to keep our yards and basements from becoming a swamp of sawdust and scraps. It's also important to keep power tools out of puddles. It's harder than you'd think to control all the cords - but, definitely worth it to keep from potential electrocution!
I can't get over how cool this pictureis. This cute lady has a sweet husband and 3 kids at home. She's a marathon runner and works part-time, too! I've had so much fun working with her. She's motivating to all of us. I couldn't think of a better picture to portray how incredible she really is.
I'll have to follow-up soon with updates on the house. This was taken just before Christmas break. We were so excited to get our roof trusses up!
I can't tell you how excited I am to have a home, share it with this man, and raise a family within the walls of the house we built together.
When we're out working, I just think about the future we'll have inside. We're so excited to have the chance to grow our family. We have so many dreams for our family. Austin and I make new plans every time we walk through the house. We couldn't be more excited.
