Progress report --- Week 7

Progress accomplished this week:

--Framing of top story of detached garage completed
--Roof of garage put on
--Brick for addition and garage has arrived
--Telephone "grid box" (where telephone line enters house) relocated
--Tile for master bath and laundry room selected
--Estimate for new fence along back of property obtained
--Neighbor's shed relocated, neighbor's plants dug up and reburied, so we're all clear for moving our fence. Wagner and his men took a full day and a half accomplishing all that, including laying down new grass seed and straw, and adding supports to the shed underneath because the new location wasn't level. Wagner says the neighbor carefully supervised all the work and seemed happy with how it turned out. We're glad the whole thing's resolved, and once again I am convinced of my husband's brilliance in handling that situation.

Obstacles encountered this week:

--Another day of rain, which slowed outside work.
--Tree stump on property line discovered. We will either have to remove the stump, or (if we're lucky and the posts don't have to go down through it), just saw it off closer to the ground and put a section of the fence over it.
--Many paint chips collected from various stores. Massive disagreement among family members as to what color paint would (a) match the bathroom tile and (b) look good. This is complicated by the fact that paint chips lie through their teeth and don't look anything like they appear on the chip once the paint is up on the wall.

All in all, this week has seen the most dramatic visible progress. The detached garage is tall and HUGE. Maybe too huge. According to zoning requirements, garages cannot be taller than the house they accompany. Our new garage will be 8 inches shorter than our 1 1/2 story house. That's still pretty darned tall. Our neighbor, Jane (the poor woman who has had construction on all three sides of her house), remarked to our contractor that she now feels hemmed in. I guess I'm hoping that once it's built and all the construction equipment etc. is out of the way, it won't look so mammoth. I also hope that we end up using that room on the top often enough to make it worth it.