Operation Overland | Phases Five & Six

Believe it or not, but I've had this post in the drafts all weekend long. It's true! Honest.

Obviously, I am still behind in my photos, but this will help tremendously to catch you up. Why? Because there's another TWO phases here for you! And yes, to those of you skimming this beautifully lengthy post (I don't blame you), it's LONG. :]

Phase Five

WALLS!

Below, the walls have begun to appear. For those of you unaccustomed to house-building and all that it consists of. . . You begin by laying out the studs flat on the floor, nailing them into their proper places via a nail-gun (a blessed invention!), and THEN you stand them up. GENIUS!! Right??

The Master Builder refers to his plans. Never afraid to double-check something. Might save time later!

Father and son. (My dad and brother.)

Father and son. (Evan and his dad.)

The back wall.

Even my sister, Jenny, has helped us out some!

Once all the studs are in place, plywood is applied.

AND IT'S ALIVE!!!! Oh, wait. xD That was soooo corny. . .

To the observant observer, because the rear and front walls are built in two pieces, we must leave off the plywood at the center and "tie" them together once they are up. This ensures they won't go anywhere and adds extra security to the seams.

Bracing the corners.

Woohoo! Both the front and back walls!

And now for the sides of our little box.

One evening, Evan's mother and cousin, Tanner, came out to help. The saying, "Many hands make light work," is so true.

*squeel*

Manpower!

And now one to. . .

Phase Six

Roof Roof!

Organizing the trusses. These are pre-made and installed using a crane. That in itself made life this day so much easier. Well, except perhaps for the Summer heat. . .

What a lovely liddle box. ^_^

Jamin on the scaffolding, marking where each truss on this side will sit.

Evan doing the same on his side.

Discussing placement on the center wall.

My dad and his dad. :]

The crane. Another blessed invention.

Evan and Jamin were in the middle of it all, and Tyler and Evan's dad were on each side. My dad was cutting braces, and my grandfather guided the trusses with a rope outside. They worked like a well-oiled machine. And it was HOT.

Whoa. Pretty neat, huh?

On another day, we returned to finish the hip roof on each side. This included lots of measuring and cutting and nailing and climbing. Makes me nervous to see them all up so high.

Then, it's plywood time again!

Mighty Dad handing up the heavy sheets to the guys topside.

A good friend of the family showed up one morn to help us out. We are so thankful for everyone who has pitched in!

Hahaha! The next few photos are some paparazzi fun. :D

I like Jamin's face in this one.

LOOK OUT!!

Right back atcha!

(Gosh, I'm horrible at these caption things. . . So cheesy! Yes, yes, go on say it's so!)

Another piece.

And another. . .

In this one, I had climbed up a ladder and peeked through a teensy whole to snap a couple shots. That's about as high as I wanted to go. Granted, and I have witnesses, I did make it up there TWICE. Shaky knees, maybe

Plywood complete! (with exception of some little corners)

Evan adding nails where they were missed.

And there ya have it. ~ ~ ~ Currently, we are ready to paint the drywall. . .
O_O WHAT?? Yes, t'is true. I told you I'm behind in my photos. The next couple phases will consist of tar paper and shingles for the roof and building the interior walls. And then on from there! However, there's only 16 MORE DAYS LEFT till I become a married woman!!! (15 days, by the time you read this. . .) Good gravy! When you put it like that, I can hardly believe it. This year has just flown. All that to say, these next couple weeks are most likely to be CRAZY. Meaning, there may or may not be another phase or two up until late October. But all's well! I will get to it, I promise you. :] We can still use your prayers, dear friends. You are such a blessing to us! xxx, Sarah

Comments

Jameson C. SmithSeptember 21, 2016 at 10:33 PM
I love seeing the updates for Operation Overland! It's so much fun watching it come together. (And it looks like y'all are having fun building, in spite of the heat, haha. Seriously, Tennessee has had a rough summer, no?)

15 days! I'm so excited for you!!!
UnknownSeptember 21, 2016 at 11:31 PM
Oh how exciting, Sarah! I've really enjoyed reading these posts and getting to feel like I've tagged along on this journey with you! Praying for you and Evan <3
Christine SmithSeptember 23, 2016 at 10:24 PM
OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS. You're getting married in TWO WEEKS??? AAAAAHHHHH, SARAH!!!! :D Will you ever do a wedding post? Because that would be awesome!

*flails* I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!
BlueSeptember 24, 2016 at 12:02 AM
Your house has a hat, now!
Wow, 13 more days to go...That really is incredible!
Mylan YoungOctober 7, 2016 at 2:22 AM
WAHHHH!! Everything looks amazing! I've never seen a house built before and it's so cool seeing it being made by... well, normal people, ha! You sure have some handy men in your life. Will you post about your wedding as well? I would love to see it :)
AnonymousOctober 18, 2016 at 8:41 PM
Wow these photos are so fun! Looking great! :D

Sophia xx
A Lantern In Her Hand
The Inkpot Girl