Insulation Information*

The insulation contractor completed the bulk of their work on Thursday and Friday. It's amazing how quiet it is in the addition now that the walls and ceilings are coated with layers of spray foam insulation. We are also happy to have the extra barrier from the cold; temperatures have dipped to the 30s overnight this week, and we are still furnace-less.

I took this photo Friday morning before leaving for work. The garage was mostly done, and scraped-off scraps nearly covered the floor. By Friday night, all was snug-as-a-bug and cleaned-up. The scraps were carted off by the contractor for recycling.

Friday, they added open cell spray foam to the upper walls in the great room. 

I am trying to understand why some parts of the house are sprayed with "closed cell" while others are sprayed with "open cell". I may have to get my engineering degree in order to properly explain it to you.

The ceiling in the casual dining area.

There are a few spots throughout the addition that will have to be touched up before the drywall can commence. 

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*This may be lame but clever headlines are difficult to write.

Insulation Inside . . . Concrete Outside

More progress made at the job site today as the installation of the insulation began. It appears that the process is about 75% done; only the high parts of the great room have yet to be reached.

At lunchtime, the insulation truck was parked in the back yard, and the crew was tacking up protective plastic.

We are using foam insulation throughout the new addition. The goo is sprayed between the studs, fluffs up, and then the excess is sliced off in big chunks. (Note the wrapped up chunks, presumably ready for recycling at left in the photo above.)

Here's a view of the northwest corner of the master bedroom.

Sadly, this is not leftover seven-minute frosting . . . it's just insulation, ready for clean-up.

While we toured the interior checking out the insulation progress, Bibbers and Leo had a meeting in the kitchen. Bibbers is a perplexed as I am about why this bathtub continues to sit in the wrong room.

Meanwhile . . . outside . . . 

A crew from T.Hurt arrived to begin the process of paving the driveway and the new south patio. They began by placing stakes and spray painting a white outline for the future driveway. Scott consulted with them about the extent of the grading, slope, etc.

The patio off the great room was graded, too, and the concrete forms are mostly in place.

The stoop stretches the full width of the patio doors and will have an additional step down to the patio. I like the subtle curve added to the front of the stoop, don't you?

One last hurrah for the locust tree.

The crew marked the stump for removal by an outside contractor with cheerful pink spray paint. He'll arrive Thursday morning to grind this stump out of the way of the west edge of the patio.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Sunday Supper

Scott and I were happy to have company for Sunday dinner! After the Huskers beat the Badgers Saturday in Lincoln, Ray & Jolene and Chris & Chelsie traveled to Omaha to spend the night so they could visit noTTafarm. My mom is recovering from knee replacement surgery so it was a real treat to have her able to visit. Adding to the fun, Tim & Teresa and Clark & Karli came for lunch, too! This was our first big gathering of Ward Family members at noTTafarm since Lumberjack Days, and the first time most of them have seen the construction.

The "old" kitchen was called into action for another big meal. We had pot roast and cornbread, and some delicious fruit salad that Tim made. Yum!

We put the new great room to the test, setting up a 12-ft. long table created by placing a pallet discarded by the siding contractor atop a pair of saw horses. We had comfortable seating for 10 with room to spare. Special appreciation to all of our family (Camps and Wards) for putting up with make-shift construction-zone eating areas for the past two years!

Chris and Chelsie have caught the remodeling bug! They have been saving money in a piggy bank to use toward an updated bathroom, and were able to make a dent in their shopping list at Home Depot. Good luck, kids!

Meanwhile:  coming up this week at noTTafarm . . . the insulation begins, the concrete continues, and we should have more progress made on HVAC.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Geothermal Progress and Other Friday Facts

The crew finally returned today (September 28) to continue the geothermal heating/cooling system installation. Each of the four pipes leading from their respective wells is now linked, and a trench was dug from the well field to the house.

The trench has been filled in but the ridge left behind makes it look like a giant mole has taken up residence.

The trench surrounding the well field is still open though protected by a ring of snow fence. I am hoping the crew returns on Monday to finish.

I hope the geothermal system comes with some sort of instruction manual. I'm sure these new valves that were installed in the basement today do something important to keep the house cool and/or warm. For now, I will just look but not touch.

The HVAC ductwork contractor has been working every day, installing all sorts of ducts, return air lines, etc. He will soon have to figure out how to connect the shiny new stuff to the ducts in the original portions of the house.

The plumber recently added a new spigot on the west side of the garage. Neato!

Our old friend Bibbers enjoyed spending time with us as we walked around the job site (or was he really hanging around, hoping to annoy our Leo?)

Leo has found the best spot to observe the noTTafarmyard goings-on. He perches himself on the scupper of the new courtyard patio. His backside usually hangs out the back so he's not "hiding" very well but he sure looks cute!

Of course, Tux is never far away if the other kitties are out and there might be food. All around, a nice evening for the noTTafarm cat family!

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Go Big Red!

Shopping: My Favorite Task!

On Thursday, I finally felt like I was contributing to the new addition project as we traveled to everyone's favorite furniture and appliance superstore to purchase a few necessities. It was easy since we (1.) went on a weeknight, (2.) we knew exactly what we wanted, and (3.) we found a great salesman that was very helpful. The delivery date has been set; let's see if we need to adjust it or we will be ready for our stove, range hood, refrigerator, washer, dryer, and new mattress by Saturday, November 3rd. (Yikes! That's about five weeks from today!)

Thanks, Nebraska Furniture Mart, for another fun shopping experience! As my mom often wonders, "wouldn't it be fun to have the money they earn in just one day?" I'm guessing it would be more than enough to pay for our little construction project.

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AV Wiring Continues

Scott has been chipping away a little bit each evening on the AV wiring of the new addition.  He is drilling holes through walls and running cables so that we can have satellite television, phones, and Internet throughout. He must complete this before the insulation contractors begin their work early next week.

Tuesday (September 25), I worked late . . . Scott took advantage of me being out of the house, went to Home Depot, and scurried home with a new 8-ft. step ladder (which I had tried to tell him he didn't need.) It has come in handy, doing the wiring tasks!

Wednesday night, Kevin came over and pitched in.  (Thanks, Kevin!)

After the hole between old and new was punched open, Scott posted this sign as a warning to the contractors. So far, no one has been injured by our orange tabby cat.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Inspection Day: Pass or Fail?

The electrical and plumbing inspectors both visited the project site today.  Both gave us a "PASS" which means they approve the work done up to this point. Yay!

Also on Monday:  the new addition was treated for termites.  (Sorry, Termites. You'll have to take up residence elsewhere.)

As I type this:  Scott is in the new addition running his AV cabling for Internet, satellite TV, and land-line phone. He needs to get it all done before next week. (Why do we still have a land-line? Mainly because it allows caller ID display on the TV.)

Tuesday Morning:  Scott has a meeting with Darin (our GC PM). They will be discussing next-steps with the wood trim contractor and the insulation contractor.

Scheduled for Thursday:  The geothermal contractor will return to dig the trench from the wells to the house . . .then hook-up all of the piping and install the equipment in the basement.

On Tap for Next Week:  In addition to turning the calendar to October (how did that happen so quickly?), our concrete crew will return to pour the driveway and the new south patio.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!