Snow in April?

Check out the shots of the kids in the hot tub. That is snow falling! It is April 18!

Patio Poured, windows in, siding on

Much has been happening, inside and out.
First and most obvious, the patio has been poured in the one week of decent weather we had this year. Note the siding on the addition, windows and door have been installed.
What you can't see is rough electrical, plumbing and insulation have been completed on the inside. Nathan nailed boxes, drilled holes, and pulled wire in the electrical portion but left the plumbing and insulation to the experts. Soffits on the porch and overhang have been finished and installed...it looks great.
Notice Judy lounging in the hot tub...we wish that would have been here long ago!
That's Jessie in the foreground playing lacrosse wall ball...lacrosse started in February and coupled with basketball, has left little time to work on the project. We keep squeezing in time but it's slow going. However, basketball and lacrosse are going great!

Patio pour

It's been a while since we've updated. In December, we decided to move ahead with a stamped patio in place of the old deck. Here you see the forms in place and a curved planter in the foreground already poured. 2 x 4 on the top is where a seating cap will go.

Waiting on windows

With a roof on, no more "river runs through it"! Now the fun begins as we decide exciting things like outlets and lighting.

Checking out the crawl space

Judy was just down checking out my work to make sure it was satisfactory. While down there, she mopped up a couple gallons of water from the previous weeks' rains. Boy, it did not smell good!

View from inside

Here's the inside of the second floor looking out.

Judy and a gun in her hands

Two months after having the french doors put in place, we finally were able to get the kinks worked out and could finish siding the back. Check out Judy up on the ladder sticking it to the siding.

The Rain diverter Model 201

Getting tired of dodging rain while siding the rear of the house, we decided to install the fine rain gutter you see right above the ladder. Notice how it drains onto the runoff ramp...that was extra. Picture coming.

A sign of the times

Check out the plastic hanging from the vent pipes. I valiantly tried to prevent water from getting into the house but this pretty much tells the story of the losing battle. Water finds its way into every nook and cranny. This is also where I "took a ride" off the roof, sliding off and onto the thankfully very soft grass below. Judy says I'm down to seven lives now.

Between this shot and the last actual building time, I should have posted 14 pictures of rain since that's what was happening...loads of rain. What happened to the Indian summers we loved????! After rain and delays, we decided to hire out the 2nd floor to be completed by a real builder. Here's the work he did in 3 days...by himself! Note the very large beam holding the roof joists. I figure that 21ft beam weighed in at about 400lbs and two guys set it in place using no magic or mirrors.

As if one hole weren't enough

Nothing better than the Sawzall and Nate and Jay hard at work putting in another window in a perfectly good wall. See if you can find this completed window in other posts.

Going Home

Wow! It has been wonderful having dad here working on the addition, Nate really could not have done it this week without him. It has also been so nice just having dad around the house. Thanks Dad, you will be missed. Mom, you must be missing your little "Pookie-Bear". He will be home soon! Thanks for letting him come and work.

Still At It

Nate and Jess have worked together for 6 days, putting in ten and eleven hour days. I think Jess might feel he would have a better deal if he was put on the prison work crew instead of working for "Warden Nate".

Nordstom?

Nate and Judy's new Nordstom. Customer service is even better here. We are on a first name basis with everyone at this store now!

Look Who's Back!!!

Jess Richardson just could not stay away, he knew Nate was having too much fun and just had to be a part of it again! Jess has always known where to find the fun. Jess and Nate have spent this past week working on the house, along with Jay again as well. The weather has not been the best, Judy came home and was surprized to see a trench dug around the addition to help drain the water away. She likes to think of it as the moat around her castle.

Coming Along

Things are starting to look like a house.

Our New Picture Window!

Nate and Jess finally cut into the house, this was a scary moment. We are crossing our fingers for sunshine!

Bird's Eye View

The joists are growing. These are the second story floor joists that Jess, Jay, and Nate installed.

Construction Zone??

Looks more like a destruction zone, and to Nate and Jess their bodies feel about the same.

Another Tough Day

Nate and Jess spent Thursday cutting into the roof of the existing house and erecting a support beam and building trusses.

Side Note:

In these new posts, for some reason any time I post a photo of Nate the blog site flips Nate's pictures. Just turn your head sideways when viewing Nate pictures.

Nathan gives Mark all the important jobs........

Mark is an accomplished carpenter, and Nathan uses Mark's skills to the fullest!

Look Out Rambo

(mark, put that power tool down)

Remember the Door?

Thanks to Jay and Nathan, we now have a new beautiful back door and the dry rot issues have been fixed! (photo coming soon)

We Have a Wall

Jared the nephew came and helped Uncle Nate raise the wall. Things are really moving now. Jared was a great help and even helped provide dinner; he brought corn! The story: Jared was to bring some of the Richardson corn in exchange for being allowed to help with the remodel. In his excitement to come and help he forgot to get the corn. Knowing he would not be allowed to help with the remodel without having the corn he, in desperation, literally chased down a Moses Lake farmer who was harvesting corn along side the freeway and pleaded his case. Jared, being the smart college grad that he is tried to pass this farmer's field corn off as Grandpa's corn. Lucky for Jared he got to help with the remodel before the ruse was discovered.

TA DA

First Day of School

Yes, life goes on during a remodel, and Jessie and Judy had to go back to school.... please note the new house color and how good it looks in pictures! Jessie is now a 7th grader, and this is the first time in 7 years that Jess and Judy do not go to the same school.

Rain Rain Go AWAY

Just after Nathan and Jay Smiley finished the flooring it rained! At 12:30 in the morning Nate and Judy had to go outside and sweep off the standing 1/2 inch of water and find tarps to cover the new floor!

More Painting Fun!

Lucky Mark, he drew the long straw and GOT to paint the gable and up under the porch. Even Nathan couldn't stand all the fun to be had and threw down his hammer to join the painting. Messy and Jack loved being up on the scaffolding, and again did an outstanding job painting. THANKS TO: Jake Smiley, Linda, Mark, Liam, Abby O'Rourke, and Messy and Jack for all the painting help!

Painting Party

Much fun was had by those who were able to attend the First Annual Lawless Painting Party! For those you who were unable to attend, there will many more opportunities for you to join in some of the Lawless remodel fun. In fact, there is an open invitation to all, just come on over!

The Deck is Fianally Finished

Yahoo! We are done with the deck! Mind you, it turned out to be a very expensive deck, but it is done!!!

Texture

This post is specifically for our friend Laurence. Our friends, Laurence and Jennifer recently returned from a photo-safari in Africa with the reknowned Andy Biggs (a famous picture taking dude). Andy had Laurence working on a up-close texture technique. Since returning from Africa, Laurence has been working with Judy on her photo skills. So, Laurence, here is my up-close texture picture, can you identify it? Here is a hint: It is not the hide of some wild African animal!

Nate's Proud Day

Nathan passed his first big test with the inspector today (with a little help from friends and family). Nathan was a bit nervous to have his first inspection, but all is well and he can move on to the next phase of the building..... walls!

Does Judy Exist? or Judy Does Exist!

It may appear as if Judy is just the behind the scenes person during this remodel, but trust me she is not; she is an active and important member of the remodel. Nathan is so hard at work that he just forgets to take the pictures of his wife who is working right along side of him. So, for those of you who have been missing Judy, here are a few photos of her hard at work.