October Occurrences

The detached garage is nearly complete, but a mistake was made in framing the garage door; the opening is 13 feet wide, not 12 feet – which is a standard size. The company that put up the building had to special order a 13’ wide door and it won’t be ready for several weeks. Jim found a used 18’ wide door on Facebook Marketplace that we picked up and made a hodge-podge temporary covering for the opening so we can use the garage for storage.

Brick and associated supplies were delivered Tuesday, October 2.

After looking over the supplies, we realized we needed more lintels to go over the windows, so Linda went to Dickson to pick them up on Thursday. The HVAC installation also began on Thursday, and the brick started to go up on Friday.

The guys worked long hours laying brick. They played a little soccer in the front yard after lunch on a couple of days!

Chris took a week off from work to help Jim and took Fridays off as well. He is also very handy and it was great to have him help!

On Monday, the HVAC guys finished up.

By Friday the 13^th, we needed more mortar and more bricks – so both Jim and Linda made runs to Dickson for that. By the evening, the brick was completed!

Chris made another time lapse video showing the window and brick installation, here’s a link! (The windows were installed on 9/15 & 16 – brick went up 10/6-13)

Linda is the errand runner, going for parts and groceries. She saw this sign on one of her outings!

We always look for the longhorns when we pass by – the calf is growing!

And we occasionally pass by the Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery where our parents were buried. Both our fathers served during WWII; Jim’s dad in the Army, Linda’s in the Navy.

The fall colors are pretty in middle Tennessee, but not as colorful as some years.

And of course, the wild turkeys are still making their rounds!

We got a couple of loads of “waste rock” to fill in the garage and front porch in preparation for concrete. Need a load of “crush and run” and we’ll be ready for concrete.

We put a less expensive door in as a front door while construction is going on so as not to damage the nicer door that will go back on when we are ready to move in!

We have had a few companies come to give us quotes: for the garage door, drywall, insulation and central vacuum. The central vac was roughed in on the 20^th.

Our church had a Fall Festival on the 21^st which included a “Trunk or Treat”. We had never participated in one, but Eve and Linda brought Herman along, decorated the back of the Rogue and gave away candy to the children that came by. It was a fun morning!

Eve dressed as a glamorous cat!

Jim worked on wiring for electric, internet, phone and Wi-Fi for several weeks, and by Friday the 27^th, he finished and arranged for the inspection.

The inspector came on Monday and Jim passed 😊, so he called for the framing inspection (which includes the plumbing and HVAC). They responded that they would come tomorrow!

Tuesday morning, the inspector came – and was very impressed with the quality of the framing job; square and tight! So, we passed that inspection! Linda called the insulation company, and they will come tomorrow! WOW! Things are continuing to move along at a rapid pace!

After lunch on Tuesday, the garage door was installed in the detached garage. A vast improvement over the temporary door!

There was a problem with the way the concrete was done, so after that is fixed, they will finalize the installation. Hopefully that won’t take too long.

Lots of progress in October! Next, we’ll have insulation done, then drywall followed by cabinets, painting, and flooring. We may not be finished before Christmas – we’ll see – stay tuned!