Finishing the House Wrap - All the Way Up!

Several posts ago I mentioned how we needed to get the house wrap on the house completed up to the roof. With the sloped position of our land, some areas around the house are very high from the ground to the roof. At the beginning of these efforts, David and I were going to have to do this work alone. We couldn't seem to find any help since the builders we know were all busy themselves with other projects. So, my hubby gave it some thought and built this huge ladder for us to use. We managed to get it vertical with just the two of us, by pulling it up by a rope through the window.  This was one of those times which truly strengthens a missionary wife's prayer life. I was praying since I was pretty sure positive I didn't have the strength to help my husband move this huge ladder all the way around the house! Within a few minutes of our raising the ladder it began raining which meant that we couldn't work any longer that day (answer to prayer). It rained the next day as well (answer to prayer). By the third day, David was able to get some young men who work for a friend of ours to do the job! YES! (Prayer completely answered!) I was very happy to say the least! After several days of them working, talking about how scary it was to have to climb up the scaffolding all the way to the top and saying how they didn't have the strength to move that ladder anymore, I was really rejoicing.

THE Ladder!

Praise the Lord, every day the guys worked on the house wrap we had beautiful sunny weather. So, since they were busy doing this job, David and I were able to get some other work done inside the house and in the garden.

A smaller ladder the guys were able to put on top of the scaffolding

Now that the house wrap is on we can go forward with the insulation and drywall on the inside.

Prepping the Walls for Second Layer of Insulation

The weather is changing and fall is upon us a bit early this year. We have had lots of rain and high winds the last few days. With this change in weather, our need to get the house ready to move into is even more crucial. We are focusing on the upstairs right now. Our goal is to get the bedrooms and bathrooms liveable for our family so we can free up our current house, which will be used for ministry purposes.

We are working to seal up all possible seams in preparation for the second layer of insulation, a layer of  plastic sheeting as a moisture barrier, and drywall. 

Today we were able to: complete the foaming and sealing of the outer walls and seams,

cut and begin installing insulation in the bays,

as well as, hang the layer of plastic vapor barrier so that in a few days, the drywall 

can be hung.

After this, it was time for a late lunch and Wednesday evening services. A bit shorter of a work day but, we are grateful to be able to see things coming together!

Wrapping It Up

One of our recent projects while the weather has been dry and sunny is getting the house wrap on. David spent time carefully sealing up every seam on the exterior of the house before we stapled the house wrap in place. I have definitely learned a lot from being the closest available helper for him as he works. Sometimes that may make things more difficult for him, I'm afraid! 

He even made this handy roller stick for me to put the roll of house wrap onto; thus, making it easier for me to hold the roll as high as it needed to be held and to help keep it straight and smooth as we worked around the house.

So, after a few days, we were able to complete the first two rows of wrap all the way around. It took more time for us to move the scaffolding around and re-position than it did to actually work with the house wrap. As you can see, there is still more to be done, higher. But, that is one job he will wait for another man to help him with. I am just not too steady on scaffolding - not at all, as a matter of fact!

Front Door in Place!

Just a little note to share that we were recently able to purchase a front door for the house. The kids are excited about it since it makes them feel like we are getting closer and closer to moving in!

View from the second floor window

Welcome to our HOME!

Wiring

Rainy days are spent working on the inside of the house, specifically, wiring the upstairs at this point. Once again I am thankful for my hubby who can do most anything! He is doing a great job running all these wires from here and there and keeping them all sorted and labeled.

Just takes lots and lots of wire!

Central room lights are in already and now we are working towards completing the detailed wiring so that we can begin the drywall work upstairs!

Best thing is, the drywall has already been delivered and is "waiting" in the garage! Praise the Lord!

David and Matt Northcutt unloading the drywall.

Heating System (In ground pipes from house to stove)

A heating system for a home in Siberia has to be quite the system to keep a house warm in such extreme temperatures. We do not have central heating systems available here in Krasnoyarsk. David and I did see some sort of the thing at a building expo but it was a huge set up for larger buildings. Since we will be heating with coal, we planned on putting to use an existing building on our property to house the stove. Keeping the stove in a seperate area away from the house helps to lessen the mess as well as providing an added safety measure of being away from our living quarters. It is also a good use of a very thick walled "banya" or Russian sauna that would be more work than it would be worth to tear down!

The process began with the digging of a ditch for lines to come from the 'banya" to the new house. We also dug under the foundation of the "banya" to allow for two pipes to be run through the ditch up to the stove system housed inside the building.

We then drilled two holes through the basement wall to facilitate the lines that we would be running to the house.

We used white polypropylene pipe; inside of insulated wrap; inside rigid conduit pipe.

After adding some insulation along the sides of the pipes, Rebekah and Ryan added some sand to further insulate the lines.

Then we add more insulation and fill the rest with dirt. Glad to have this job done! Now on to the next thing!

Flashing and Roofing

Work on the house is moving along quite well. There is still much to do. We are grateful for every warm and dry day which allows us to get more of the outside work completed. To continue with the proper order of events, installing the flashing around the outside of the house was the next important step.  

We also installed the counter flashing pieces that we are using on top of the porch area which we built to connect the garage to the house.

Closed in front porch/entryway

Installing the counter flashing on the porch roof.

Roofing the porch entrance.

After the roofing was in place, David installed another layer of flashing along the edges of the house and garage walls.

Below is a picture of our old house that we currently live in. Big difference in the roofing don't you think? We are looking forward to no leaks!