I'm getting old.

So lately there has been a great deal of complaining about people not showing up on time or even at all. All I ask is that people show up when they say they will and stay for a decent amount of time (this means actually getting something done). I understand that sometimes things come up and you just can't get out of them...I know...I have to take stupid quizzes on the computer in GTM and I have to make a reservation outside classtime in order to take it...STUPID! Just call someone who's supposed to be there and let them know.

Taping and floating took a bit longer than I had hoped. I think I went through the house like 4 times with different people and a light to check for spots that were missed. After the 4th go-round, I was pretty confident that the mudding was done. Well, some people disagreed. Let's just say that I think more mud was put on the walls than was necessary, but oh well. Now, we have primed the entire private side of the house, and I'm pleased to say that priming went fast. We also did 2 coats of stain on the concrete. It looks psychadelic at the moment.

The retaining wall was also started. This was pretty exciting. Tonight, we are to buy some more concrete blocks to complete the wall. I hope it looks good in the end.

...I want to pass out now...

Which do you choose?

So sheetrock has started on the house. I got to float yesterday. It's messing, yet peaceful. I do not like hanging sheetrock though...all the cutting and holding and screwing...i hate it. Another thing that I hate is colors. Why can't we all the pick 1 color and love it? That would be too easy. And with colors that are supposedly voted out, how do they keep coming back? There's gotta be some undermining here. And what does it mean when the teachers don't like the colors that you are choosing from? Do we listen to them? Does it matter what teachers who don't even have anything to do with this class think?

Even though progress is fairly steady, decisions are getting harder and harder to make. For me, I'm noticing that some people don't really listen to things I have to say. I try to complete things with the least amount of error; try to do things the easy and efficient way. But sometimes, I guess, the harder way is just the way to do it. I don't know.

...I think we will finish.

1 month ago we had a floor...

WOW, it has been a while!

This month has been great. So many things have happened. The shingled roof is done, all the flashing was installed, windows were installed, house wrap is done... One month ago, we had a floor. Now, we have practically a complete house (just not able to lock it yet).

Personalities in the group have been very good this month. Just about no fights; some arguements, but that's normal. Decisions are becoming less vague and more specific as we try to pick colors, fixtures, and materials.

Let's cross our fingers that we keep up the good work and make April another fantastic month. May is just around the corner.

habiTECH takes their first steps toward a built house

A few things have happened over the past week...
1. I left for Tyler, TX on February 26 and had an interview the next morning with an architecture firm. The interview went great and I was offered a job!
2. I visited Dad and Micheal back home for what looks to be the last break away from school before graduation. Mom and Courtney were in Ithaca, NY for Courtney's audition...hope it went well.

This last break was spent going on interviews and spending some short time with family for everyone in the class. It was a nice rest before the SIPs came in.


NOW...this brings us to the SIPs...

They arrived last Friday. On Saturday, we were fortunate to have the wonderful help of some athletes. They were amazing! They practically built half of our house. They just took control of their jobs, and proved to be some of the best volunteers. I hope they come back some day...hopefully we didn't wear them out too much. Today, we had some of Martin's frat brothers. They too were great volunteers, but their was only 3 of them.

We finished putting up all the walls and got our first roof panel on. This is not going to be easy. The roof panels are extremely heavy and we have to raise them 14 feet in the air.

In the end, I think that this weekend was the best weekend for the class so far. We got so much accomplished and we all worked really hard. I have to give credit to everyone. Here's my shout to Morgan for her organizing the weekend. I know that it was difficult for her having everyone asking her questions every 5 minutes and having to keep composure. She did a great job...but she's not done yet.

Let's keep up the good work guys!


...hmm...time to read for history class tomorrow...

Bitter brawl lends to promising future.

I'm starting to get lazy with my blog posts...this isn't good.

Friction hit the classroom hard at 7 pm last night. Voices were raised, tension filled the room, and the 3rd years got a bit of a show. When the hostility was brought upstairs, things were different. It was as if we never had a fight. Issues were discussed calmly. Resolutions were proposed. Things got done!

I DO NOT want another one of these incidents to happen again. It was embarrassing. I know that we are never all going to agree on things every time, but we can't just hold in our problems until the day that we can't hold it in anymore and we lash out onto everyone else. Maybe this fight was necessary. We have seen how bad things can get between us, and now we must work hard to make sure that it never gets that bad again.

On a happy note...we finished the sub floor of the house on the piers side. There, like always, was a bit of confusion, and we had to redo some parts of it. But we fnished it this morning... Actually, as I'm typing this, about 4 students are out at the site working to finish it. We have found that 4-5 is the perfect number to have working on a job. It's enough to get the job done and there's no one standing around and no one getting in the way.

Porches are next...and that's me! Wish me luck!

Why can't we make up our minds?...Stubborn kids!

This week has been one slow week. There's really nothing going on on the site because we are waiting for the SIPs to come in, which will take about 3 weeks. We are spending the time designing more. This is good because once we get what the two porches will look like, then we can start constructing them. I've been working on the front porch and the roof that covers it. I pretty much got the roof down, we just need to make a decision between notching into the SIPs panels or fabricating brackets for the beam to nailed to or buying hangers of some sort. The porch part is a bit more complicated. The choices are clear...level the ground in front and put in pavers, or dig out the ground in front and put in a deck. The first choice would require a retaining wall, which can be as simple as railroad ties that can be found almost anywhere. The pavers would be cheap to buy. We would also design some sort of built-in seating because we would be taking away the comfort of a deck. The second choice would look more polished, but it would cost more and perhaps take more effort with digging out the yard. I really think that the class as a whole needs to make a decision fast, and then more investigation could be given to the details. Both options are possible. I feel like I'm just sitting here repeating myself. There's not much more I can show without designing the thing myself, and I hesitate to do that because I don't want the class to feel limited with design. I know that's hard to explain, but it makes sense in my head.

The bottom line is...the class needs to start making some decisions, and fast. This next weekend, we are installing the sub-floor for the pier system. I'm not sure how long that will take. Knowing us, it may take a week because we'll probably do something wrong and have to redo the whole thing. Now I pray that doesn't happen, and we are getting better at construction. It's all a learning experience. At least this time, we have some students with experience in building sub-floors.

Another issue going on is the budget for the project. Janina and I are working to keep the budget organized. Habitat for Humanity seems to think that we don't get donations from anyone, that we're not "pulling our weight." But this is not true. We have gotten SOOO much money from donations. We've also gotten a lot of materials and labor donated. Fundraisers will most likely be happening soon though. We are in the process of designing T-shirts, and we hope that they will be a hit and maybe we can sell them to whomever wants one...like they did last year. Maybe we should revert back to what we were researching in the Fall Quarter about fundraiser ideas?

We'll see how things turn out. Let's hope for the best!

...hmm? I wonder where everyone went...

The Little Bumps and Bruises Along the Way

It's been about a week since I last posted. The Mardi Gras break was last weekend and at the last minute, I left for 2 days. The vacation was not all that great. I got to see my family for a day, but I ended up being left there and spent a whole lot more time than I wanted to. I had some fun, but I would much rather have stayed in Ruston and worked on the site. The guys that were here did a great job on the piers and starting the rebar. Those of us who left jumped right in on putting rebar into the grades that we dug the week before. I have spent too much time on my stomach leaning into the grades to tie the rebar that my stomach really hurts now. My eyes are starting to hurt from constant glare and sunlight. I only wish that I could be getting a tan, but unfortunately it's still too cold for me to where short sleeves. Today, I got myself scratched by a nail poking out of a board.

Accidents have been happening on site a lot this past week. Poor Ashley broke her ribs after slipping and falling part way into a grade before the break. Shannon has a toe problem...(I don't know.) Morgan slipped just today. But all these bumps and bruises will not keep us from working on the house. Ashley is back with us (grabbing at her torso every now and then) but she had a smile on her face today. My face was covered in mud from working in the dirt. I dug a hole that was 3/4 the size of me. The inspectors joked that I was digging Dale Nugent's grave. I love Dale! He's amazing, and he's gonna get a great big dinner from all of us for all of the hard work he's put into this house...and all the times he's saved our butts!

...My eyes hurt...I'm done for the day.

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

So we are again at a stand-still. The elevation certificate is holding us up because we can't get a building permit without it. Hopefully that all gets taken care of on Monday, but in the meantime, we have to do something. Design work is really starting to come in from more people. We started a new thing at our group meetings (that are not during class time). We pass around a "speaking stick", which is usually some toy that's lying around in studio, and the person holding the stick has the floor. They can talk about whatever is on their mind...from good praises to problems with other members of the group or problems with the project in general. It's been a good tool so far, and we have really avoided some bad arguments.

So Mardi Gras break is this weekend thru Wednesday. Since I did not attend the Austin trip, it's only fair that I get to home away for Mardi Gras, right? Well, we'll see... Saturday is a big day. If things go well, and we get all the things done, then maybe I'll get a chance to sneak away for a couple of days.

Now I must take a nap.

...insomnia has been my life for the past week...

Hey Mom! I was on TV!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT SEAMAN!

Oh my goodness! We have done a phenomenal job on the site this week. After 6 truckloads of red clay, we have filled in the front of the site and the complete slab form. With a little help from modern-day machines, we finished the brunt of the dirt work on Monday. Fox News 14 came out and interviewed some students and filmed us in action. I had my own little corner of the house that I dedicated all my work to. Janina made fun of me claiming that it was my space and I wasn't to be disturbed.

Things are really coming along. This is great, since we have had our fair share of disappointments and setbacks...and we will have some more before we're finished. At least I feel more confident in saying that we will have solid form in a week. There is still so much more work to do, but I feel so elated right now with the work that we've already done.

You, reader, should have seen me on the wacker packer. Ha! That was a funny sight. I was doing a pretty good job until I dug myself into a hole. But the little bugger machine vibrated so much that it had me just shaking along with it. It was great.

If you missed the news cap, don't worry...I taped it!

...Just 3 months until my birthday...So what if I start the countdown now...

right? WRONG!

Everytime we think we are moving in a forward direction, something pushes us back. After working so hard on the foundation formwork, we get hit with a "You were not supposed to do this until you had a permit! Here's a $250 fine!" We also got hit with a "Your house is too close to the nextdoor neighbor." Now we researched and researched that and the house should, according to what we found out, be in the right spot. But the inspector disagreed. Well, that's that! So now we wait to see if we really do have to move the formwork that we've done, and we wait to see if we have a permit to even touch the formwork.

My head is spinning with all the new information I receive each day.

At least we can still design. That's what a group of us have been doing...designing the siding that will go on the exterior of the house. We've come up with some really cool stuff, and now we just need to find the materials to make them work.

I'm surprized that I haven't gotten a stress anxiety attack yet. (Knock on wood.) I'm un-naturally calm in all the chaos. I guess I have to be. What's the point in stressing over things? It won't make them happen faster or necessarily how I want.


...I wonder if it snowed this morning...

Over this past weekend, I have learned a lot about work, determination, trust, and the extent of one’s physical ability. With more than half of the class in Austin, TX, the remaining 5 of us had a lot of work on our hands, such as managing large shipments of materials, ordering piers and footers for the house, and taking on an entire formwork for the foundation. Faith in out completion of these tasks was low. I’ll admit I even had doubt. But we were determined to do this.

Problems revealed themselves almost immediately, which slowed us down. We had to rework a lot of things that we thought were right. Electricity is a major problem. We need a power pole. I think I just overheard Ashley on the phone with Dale Nugent about one. Another problem is people who don't show up on the job site at the appointed time. We put trust in everyone showing up, so for those of you who don't, I beg you to fix this.

I think I prefer small groups as to large groups. Things are less chaotic and there's no one just standing there with nothing to do. Everyone gets a chance to take part in the project hands on. I realized this weekend that I cannot hammer and nail to save my life, but I will continue trying. It's kind of a funny thing to watch. (Sorry Matt for causing you to hurt your hand...)

I wonder if there is anyone at the site as I'm sitting here typing this...

It's Called a "Gabion Cage"

Happy 21st Birthday Micheal Kattengell!!

Update on site:

On Sunday, we the team, located the corners of the house on the site. We placed batter boards at the corners to get a straight and level line across for accurate measuring. People, this was a task! First, the board were kinda short, so they wouldn't go into the ground very much. Problem! Second, and maybe this is just me, but I am not very strong. I lack arm muscle. Hammering nails into these boards was hard. (I am in for a great time.) No, I will muscle up throughout the year, don't you worry. We had a great time on the site this weekend though. We got a lot more cleaning done as well.

The formwork will be done by Friday so the dirt can be put in over this weekend. Half of the class will be in Austin, TX so it will be interesting. Who will be jobsite captain?


Drawing update:

We submitted the drawings to the building inspector for permit approval. I think that we did a good job, especially since we really didn't have much to change from the first drawing set we turned in. One thing I noticed was that we didn't have the cross-bracing drawn in between the piers. I just hope that Mark Joiner doesn't refuse us a permit for that. That can easily be fixed.

We are now starting on other drawings for the architectural set. I think that the rest of the drawings should be done by 2 (at the most!) people. There was a bit of confusion with the last set and not all the drawings matching. I think it was neccessary for several people taking charge of certain pages because it helped the drawing get done on time, but now that we have those drawings, 1 or 2 people can go through and make the neccessary changes (hopefully not too much) and finish the other drawings. Melody is doing an amazing job making sure the drawing sets look nice and organized. I know that she spends many a late night in studio on deadline days making sure everything if perfect. Kudos to Melody!

SIPs!

We got 'em! Habitat said "Go ahead with SIPs." The cost for them is around $15,000. However, SIPs will make things easier and faster. Energy cost throught the house's life will also be cheaper. I'm real excited to be working with SIPs. This will be a good thing to put on my resume.

So wire mesh sheets with rocks or gravel inbetween is called a gabion cage. I knew that, but thank you Mike for reminding me. I'll say the correct term from now on.

...it's way too cold in here...I'm shaking...

All Alone in Hale

It's Friday night and I'm stuck in Hale all by myself...well, Jose went to the computer lab but is coming back. This is actually a regular thing for me. Most of my work is done late at night because during the day I have other classes or group meetings. Tonight I heard about a girl getting mugged last night as she was walking to her car. Maybe I'll drag Jose with me to my car??

Design is coming along. This week was all about FOUNDATION. About half of the class was working on design and all the details of the foundation. I've been going through several sketches with Melody and Janina just deciding what worked best and looked best. We also built several study models. I think what we have now is great and I can't wait to get out onto the site and start digging and pouring. The grade on the site has been kicking us in the butts, but we finally designed a nice solution. In the end, there will be several interesting features involved in the site. I LIKE IT!

Donations are starting to come in. YAY for money! SIPs is looking more and more like it's not going to happen. The price is just too much. This sticks because SIPs would be amazing to use. Maybe we can push some money around in the budget, but even the budget is tight.

Tomorrow the class is meeting at the site at 8am, and Habitat for Humanity will be there too. We will be flagging the boundary of the house and layout of foundation. In a few days hopefully, we will begin foundation digging and pouring. This really needs to start moving along, because I'm tired of sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen for 5-6 hours at a time. I want to get out on the site and work in the sun with power tools that I will handle properly (of course). We watched to first couple of safety videos today. That was some of the worst acting but funniest stuff I've seen. It seems so common sense, but I'm sure accidents happen all the time, and I don't want to talk too soon.

...time for bed...

Poison Ivy/Sumac Outbreak

The holiday break for me was spent in New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The trip was amazing. Forum went well; we hung out with the ULL students a lot, but we did meet lots of other architecture students from all over the country.

When I got to Milwaukee, I was surprized to see the Ashley and Mike both had poison ivy and they got it from the site. I was curious as to why I hadn't gotten it. Maybe I'm immune..? They were quarantined in the room. None of us wanted to go anywhere near them really.

As I'm spending my last day in Chicago, what do you guess I see appearing on my arm but poison ivy. GREAT! I only have a little small patch, but I really hope it doesn't spread. I saw Shannon's rash today and heard how his started as a tiny patch and grew. That scares me.

To make matters worse, Amy started a stomach virus bug going around among us architecture students. I felt the effects of it Saturday night. This really hasn't been the best weekend for me. And now I get to go back to work.... Joy.