Week 4 at Habitat

On Tuesday we worked on installing the decking (subfloor) at the 37th Terrace house. To install the big sheets of we put glue on the floor joists and them nailed them in place. That process should help ensure quiet floors after the house is finished. I did get a little discouraged when the guys took over, but some things I physically couldn't do (lifting heavy boards) and that frustrated me. I may have to take up weight lifting to build some upper body strength.

On Wednesday we were at the 37th Terrace house again. We finished installing the decking and then unloaded the pre-built wall framing. We put up two wall sections. Raising the wall sections was exciting. We had hoped to do more, but rain moved in and prevented us from continuing. Other volunteers left, but Jim (the site manager) and I went to another house and built and installed a handrail.

I'm really starting to understand how a house it built from the ground up. The process seems simple, but I think that is because the site manager is prepared and makes sure everything is done as correctly as possible. 

More rain on Thursday, so we worked at the Women Build house. I was tasked with fixing some gaps in trim work and then was put to work on caulking the windows. The crew volunteering for the day had to leave early, which disappointed me. I wanted to to put in the full amount of time. I enjoy the work so much that I don't want to stop before quitting time. I want to squeeze out every moment of this sabbatical because I'm enjoying the chance to work outside, work with my hands, and meet new people.

Cold wind made it a blustery day on Friday, but we worked outside at the 37th Terrace house anyway. Before any work could begin, though, we had to wait for the volunteers to show up. After they arrived we began raising the framing for the outside walls. All was going well until one of the volunteers was walking backwards and fell into the basement, which was a 9-foot fall. Fortunately he wasn't seriously hurt (his glasses didn't even fall off), but a team was immediately assigned to build framing for the opening and covering it with plywood. I spent the afternoon measuring and cutting studs. A note about measuring: always make sure you check your math with the person who wants the job done. We were a one half inch too tall and had to re-cut every single stud. It didn't take us too long to fix our mistake, but we could have been helping with raising walls if we hadn't made the error.

On Saturday I was asked to lead a crew at the Women Build house. I felt honored that the site manager trusted me enough to lead a group of volunteers. We spent the day painting trim in the basement and finishing the caulking in the windows. The group was fantastic. Once I told them what needed to be done, they got right to it and didn't need any help from me. One of the women provided lunch for all of us. We sat outside as we ate and enjoyed the warm sun.