An Epic Week, part 2

By Thursday morning, the roof was half-finished. The most challenging part of the project was done, and it felt great to have it behind us. While running errands, I would drive by that side of the house just to see the finished work.  I'm the kind of gal who likes to see results, and it felt good to see one side of the house completed.  All week long, passersby would slow down or even stop on the side of the road to see what we were doing.  We  received shouts of approval, honking horns, and even a thumbs-up.  It felt like our community was cheering us along, and we were encouraged to press on. By the end of the day, the portion of the roof we were working on was stripped, sheathed, papered, and partially shingled.  We replaced the rafter tails on the front porch and a lot of the trim that was damaged.  The day ended with a quick rain shower that resulted in a double rainbow right above the house.

The excitement began to wear off by Friday. We were all tired, and it was hard to keep motivated even though the end was in sight.  However, we kept chugging along, and by the end of the day the part of the roof we started was shingled, and the columns were put back on the porch.  We had an abundance of workers and not enough to do around the house, which was a great problem to have.  Some of us started tearing down the garage, which was in terrible shape.  The roof on the building was in disrepair for years and it was caving in.  Just before supper time, the clouds crept in and it started to pour.  After dinner, we finished cleaning up and called it a day.

On Saturday, the front porch roof was rebuilt, and the side porch roof was stripped.  Some friends, my dad, and I continued working on the garage, salvaging what we could.  The more boards we took off, the more unstable the building became.  When we saw supporting beams swaying, we knew it was time.  My dad was able to use his backhoe to knock the rest of the structure down. Even though the garage wasn't officially condemned, it was definitely a safety hazard.

It turned out to be an epic week. Almost finishing the roof was a huge accomplishment, but we were also able to tackle other projects that were not on the agenda.  We are so thankful for everyone that came, whether they were able to work or just give words of encouragement.  Our community is the best.

Replacing the columns

Our yard looked like a parking lot.

Notice the rainbow over the house.