modern day barn raising

according to wikipedia, a barn raising describes a collective action of a community, in which a barn for one of the members is built or rebuilt collectively by members of the community.  luke and i have had the joy of experiencing that over the last month, except for it was a part of a house that was being rebuilt, not a barn.  :)

we became homeowners in mid-july after an eight month search and from the moment we got the keys, the work began.  there was a lot of rot in the bathroom/laundry room, so literally the day we got the keys, walls started coming out.  we took out the bathtub, sink and shower, along with all the walls, and replaced the beam that runs under the house and holds it ups.  we had two weeks off in july, which we were lucky to be able to spend doing lots of work on the house to get in ready to live in.  we moved all of our things in august 1, and have been living there ever since.

last friday, we had a house warming party where we got to celebrate with friends and family our new home! for me, it was really a chance to celebrate all the friends and family who have helped us to the point where we currently are.

i could write for hours about what a steep learning curve this whole process has been (and the fact that i didn't even know what hardie backer was a month ago or that PT stood for pressure treated), but for now, i will focus on all the folks who have helped us create a space that we hope will be used for many to rest and feel at home.  more stories to come about our el salvadorian neighbors who have set a strong example of hospitality or our neighbor boys kicking our chickens, but for now, the real stars of the show:

 our young neighbor ezra helping set up rusty for success

 lots of much needed terere breaks with rusty and mary lou

 victoria who helped paint our room

 milo who was just adorable and his mama katy who helped weed the front yard

 both brandons, hard at work helping with the beam and subfloor

 dinner provided by victoria, picnic style in the living room

brandon working hard after a long day of work

jessica helping me install the locks

 ellen got to it with the grout and making the floor shine!

 my dad even pitched in and got the internet set up! Also my mom expertly guided us and helped us prune our out of control rose bushes!

Craig, who had the stinky job of taking out the bathroom floor!

my brother Christian came by to lend his skills and willingness to the cause.

moving day!  lots of friends and family out to help.  we couldn't have done it without everyone who showed up!

Laurel impressed us with her drill skills

the boys, evan, luke and dave did something really important, i'm sure

 

 it was really fun to see luke working with his dad in the whole process.

 we even had help from chicago when brian was in town!

 mamalou was an invaluable help...

 especially during the mid night tile crisis where her and rusty saved the day!