GARAGE STEP 4 - A BUILDING

The construction sounds of nail guns, hammers, skillsaws, air compressors, and the ever present boom box radio, blasting music that lets just say, isn't on my Ipod, was not present yesterday.  It was back to normal, as the framing crew finished the garage shell about 36 hours ago, and the peace and quiet of the rural desert had returned.

The garage shell is up, and what remains to be done, is a little bit of trim, doors & window installation, roof shingles, and paint.  The roofing crew will be here today, and the two large garage doors are due to be delivered next Tuesday.  A final inspection is tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday, and when we sit down for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, the garage project should be finished.  Notice that I used the word "should".  I shouldn't be quite so skeptical, because this project has moved along at a rapid pace.  When you consider that only 8 days ago, there wasn't even any concrete on the ground.

Now that the building is up, it's much easier for me to visualize where everything is going to go, and this smaller version of the garage/shop that I originally wanted to build, is going to be more than adequate for our needs.  It's just not big enough to house the motor home. 

While I was picking up some of the scrap wood yesterday, Ray, one of my new neighbors came by, and we were talking about how fast this project had progressed, once it got started.  During our conversation, he asked me if I had contracted with an electrician to do the electrical  yet.  When I said no, I was planning on getting several bids before committing, he let me know that he was retired from a 30 year career as an electrician.  When he offered to do the job, at a fraction of what I was expecting to pay, I quickly accepted, and in a few weeks, I'll add apprentice electrician to my resume.  He estimated that materials, minus lighting would be under $500, and the total cost wouldn't be much more than that figure.  Wow, what a surprise, especially when I was budgeting around 2-3 thousand for the job.  Maybe I'll be able to return the favor, with some tractor/backhoe work on his property. 

This morning, the noise returns, but by the end of the day, there should be a new roof on this latest addition to the Chance Ranch.