Worst storm ever

I was working at the cottage Wednesday night and about 8:00 p.m. a major thunder and lightning storm came through.  So strong I was afraid to be on the ladder inside because the lightning was so close.  I waited for it to let up so I could pack up and head home but it didn't seem to want to let up.  By 9:00 p.m. I figured I better make a break for it.  I have never been in a storm that rained so hard for such a long period.

I was worried about the sump pump not being able to keep up when I left.  I had to drive about 15 mph on the road back to Galena and several times went through areas where the water was running across the road.  I was very uncomfortable.  In Galena the manhole covers were off and water spouting out like a geyser.  When I finally got to Dubuque an hour later it still had not let up so I held up in a 24 hour McDonalds and watched the storm pass through on the radar on my laptop.

The next morning it was reported our area got 14 inches of rain!  Easily the most ever on record for one day. The lake is closed, the golf course is closed, the trails are closed, the marina and security offices are under water.  The lake raised so much it lifted all the docks off their mounting posts so all the boats and docks are have floated away out into the lake.  Some of pictures below from the local papers.

Not much to see

The garage door has now been installed but other than that the noticeable progress will be slow for quite a while.  I'm working on internal plumbing and hope to start running electrical wire next week.  Need to get both of those completed before I can hire someone to insulate and hang drywall.

First meal

Saturday while I was cleaning up and working at the site all day our friends Teresa and Bryan Glancy brought lunch over.  Since I had kind of forgotten to eat it was very much appreciated!  It was the first meal served at the cottage!

Exactly one week ago today

It was a week ago today that I was loading up my vehicle with tools for the trip.  Hard to believe.  Out of all the materials ordered and delivered the only thing that was missed was we were short one piece of siding.  Not bad.  I spent all day Saturday cleaning up and it was so much fun!  The days during construction were VERY busy and hectic.  A day with no one around where I could sweep and not have to worry about it getting all messy again a day later was nice.  It also gave me some time to start thinking about materials and next steps for the inside work.

Got home at 10:00 p.m. last night.  Time for a little break so there won't be any daily blog updates for a while.  Final interior pictures below.

Rack with scraps to be used for campfires!

Extra pieces of siding, shingles, and trim in case repairs needed.

Firewall between the living area and the garage.

Temporary step for front door.

View of loft from main level.

Front door.  That is the unsided wall you see through the window.

Upper bathroom with pocket door.

Potential future room in the basement.

Steps coming down to basement room.

2nd full bathroom in basement.

Furnace room in basement.

Loft side walls.

Loft

View from loft.

View from loft railing.

Hearth framework and mock up of mantel location.

Packed up and gone

The Amish crew finished up today by 3:30 p.m. and headed home.  It was a great week.  The weather cooperated perfectly and there were no major problems.  Technically we are about 95% finished outside.  They were short one corner piece for the vinyl siding so they could not finish.  They cut all the siding pieces and I will finish it up when the lumber company gets the missing piece in.

I'll take final interior pictures tomorrow after I get everything cleaned up.  It will be REALLY nice to have a day on site by myself cleaning up and getting organized for round two which is finishing the inside.

Sorry to see them go.

Tomorrow will be the last day with my Amish crew.  (5) days!  Extreme Home Makeover has nothing on these guys!  They arrived this morning about 8:30 a.m. (2 hour drive) and since it was a nice cool morning the entire crew shingled.  They had the entire house and garage shingled by lunch.  Every day I am amazed a little more.  Pictures from Day 4 below.

Our friend Teresa Glancy brought treats for the crew.

I'm not sure if the guy in the back is enjoying the treats more or Teresa!

Me and "the boss" Ruben

The "boss" telling me what to do!

Day 3 Construction

Ruben realized today he won't be able to finish until Friday and was disappointed!  He thought he would complete things by Thursday but the rear wall with 20 foot ceilings, 35 degree foundation and triangular transom windows took them almost a full day to frame.  I still don't know how they do it.  Most of the boards required compound miter cuts and when they make them they fit like a glove!