One story done, another one to go
The first day of construction has come and gone. The first house story was done and the second was about to be. The second day was less full of anxiety but still brimming with excitement. The worst has past, the looming problems were solved, the cold didn’t interfere with the plan.
The crew had booked a little pension down the road in our village and they spent the night there. Their first day traveling from far, packed in a van, then working under the stress of putting all the big glass walls up, probably left them exhausted. Every day we shopped for all sorts of sandwich ingredients, chocolate bars and soft drinks, brought to the site with a large thermos of fresh boiled coffee and a gas heater, that they could take breaks, drink hot coffee and warm up.
In between the chaos, we tried to capture everything in camera. There was so much to see that it can’t be shown here, like the tension and energy throughout the site, the crane moving tons above our heads, the people crisscrossing each other with machines in hand, shouting commands above the noise of drills and hammers…
Up and up it goes
Literally, wall by wall, the second floor took form and the first floor was enclosed with a ceiling. The site was crawling with workers screwing the timber walls together, measuring, checking, securing and assembling the house. The red-haired, young builder overseeing and managing everything was shy, but knew exactly what should go where. He kept everyone busy and didn’t let the pace slow down.
From dusk till dawn
Every day started with the first sunlight and ended in the evening with spotlights, because it was dark too soon in the day in winter. But each day had a specific target they had to achieve it because being late meant the crew would also be late to start the next project, the trucks carrying the building parts would have to stay overnight parked somewhere and the crane would have the extra cost for another shift. It was a total No-Go.
So before the end of the second day, the main roof beams were put into place and the roof parts were lifted and started covering the house. Thank God our region was spared from snow through the whole process, but there is always a race to make the house “dry” as early as possible.
In our region, the roof and the rain gutters must be reinforced to hold the snow volume that falls every winter. When the snow starts melting and it then freezes again, it becomes a big block of sliding ice, that lands off into the gutter and the weight alone can bring it down or simply deform it beyond repair.
By the third day, when the crane finished the roof, it could back off the garage site and pick the garage walls to be put together. And that’s when we had the chance to see how the footprint of the buildings looked on the property, creating a courtyard space. Granted, the space was filled with construction trash, had dirty snow all over and the neighbor’s soil was sliding into it treacherously, but for us it was nice. I guess it is one of those things that you like just because is yours: it was an ugly space but it was our ugly space. 
Dry and closed
One of the things I wanted when we were choosing the finishes was to add a lot of wood inside and out, making it feel natural and immersed in the forest around it. Finally, seeing the roof on the house, the wood warmth felt perfect against the walls and the glass reflecting the sky.
On the last morning, before we left our apartment in the village to go to the construction site, I open the window and realized I could see our house from afar for the first time, right there in the winter landscape, framed by towering pine trees and standing proud… still a rough jewel waiting to be polished into architectural art. But it was real! Our home had found its place in the world!
… And right then and there, I found my place too.
It stands, but it's not ready
The final day of construction ended. The crew bagged the trash and filled the container, picked up their tools and left. The commotion came to an end, the busy days were behind us and Nature’s silence embraced again the frosty forest, responding with suave tranquility to the new dweller.
In the next weeks, other building crews would come to install the heating system, to board walls and ceilings, to install the ventilation and the electric structures. We also had tasks to do, things we took upon ourselves to do in order to save money. It was January and there would be months before we could live in our house. It wasn’t going to be easy but the worst and most risky step was accomplished.
The year was just starting for us but it was already overflowing with a lovely hope.
Nice website nice pictures a lot of heavy work done.
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