Hello friends!
“Dry-in” is when the outside of your house is done. Windows and doors are in, roof is on, siding is up, caulking has happened… and more. We are almost there.
At the end of July we will be moving off of the beautiful sheep ranch that has been our home for the last year-plus, and we are determined to have our house all closed-up, and ready to withstand journeys and weather, by then.
Here is what we’ve been up to lately:
Hi there. In the last post I mentioned that there would be some videos forthcoming and here they are! They’re not so much ‘How To’ videos as I feel there are already many of those out there from people far more qualified than me. These are more for what we’re up to with a few how to’s thrown in for fun and feedback.
This first video was taken near the end of last year… we’re further along now!
Did you watch to the end for some adorableness? Watch to the end on this one… your heart just might explode.
This weekend we’re going to be tackling the roof.
Thanks for supporting us!
Lot’s of pictures coming up! (With lambs, of course!)
We backed the house into the barn and stored all the materials underneath it or in unused horse stalls in the back. 
Joseph using the barn beams to plumb the walls of the house.
A view from where the lofts are about to be put in.
4X4 Redwood beams sanded with 240 grit paper, then put into place. It’s hard to NOT pet them as we walk under
With the help of my friend Edward, the loft gets put into place! Oh how sweet it is.
A better view of the redwood beam under the tongue-and-groove cedar loft.
Edward and I enjoying the view from what will be the bedroom!
Building up the side wall by about 6”. We didn’t extend the sheathing up past our framing (like we were supposed to do), so we’re putting these nifty Simpson plates on, to attach the sheathing and to add to the structural integrity.
Simpson plates? $.49 each. Hammer and nails? $21.86. The feeling that our house can whiz down the highway without racking? Priceless.
Sometimes you just get your head stuck in a fence…
…when going for the wisteria! #ranchlife
Stuffing insulation loosely into the wall headers. It’s the air that makes insulation do what it does, and if you pack it too tightly, it transfers cold and heat too easily.
Here’s Meg helping us out! Things go SO much faster with her around. Good luck in Indiana, Meg…See you soon!
Sarah and Meg knocking it OUT!
Puttin’ on the Rit…uh…. house wrap!
Cutting out the windows and flashing them.
Our window nook taking shape!
Color test for our cedar siding. We have a winner!
Our new/old table saw… They don’t make them like this anymore. 
How we did without it before, I’ll never know.
We want this image as a stained glass window in our work loft. 4 or 6-sided. Anyone know someone who does stained glass?
All the windows are IN! Shimmed and ready for trim, which will also double as window-holder-inners.
Breaking the shims off is the fun part.
I left a LOT of space to make mistakes for the windows, thinking I’d need the extra leeway to get it right. All I can say is, it’s just not needed. 1/2” on all sides is all you need, and it’s both easier and better insulated if your rough opening is smaller. Live + learn.
To put the windows in by myself, I made these jigs for the outside of the window. I used them to clamp onto and as spacers to allow for the 1” overhang on the outside.
The last window that went in had nailing fins… = cake!
Coop-n-Annie…
That’s all for now. I hope to put up some videos next week about all these things. Also to look forward to: bed vetting, window trimming, painting and figuring out utilities (this one makes me nervous). Oh and lambs and sheep. Plenty more lambs and sheep.
Seeds with Wings 
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