Building Progress 15 and other news

Well, the past week has been rather busy at my new homestead. The plumbers and electrician have finished the rough-in and the walls are ready for insulation. Hopefully the inspector will check things out Monday and give his stamp of approval then. As long as it passes inspection, the insulation will be installed on Tuesday and the drywall will be installed on Wednesday. Then, I'll get some painting finished and start to hang the ceiling light fixtures and fans. After everything is painted I'm still hoping my brother Bob will get the floor installed for me. So, I'm still cautiously optimistic about making my December 31 move in date. I'll probably move in without a kitchen and have it installed after the first of the year.
Below are some pictures I took of the exterior today. Enjoy


Picture from on top of the hill overlooking the building (North facing view). As you can tell from the picture, they are still moving dirt around out front as well.


Close up view of the brick work on the South-West corner of my building.


East end of the building with the hangar door in place ready to be fastened/bolted on.

The other news is my new van decision. I am about 95% sure I am going to get a 2009 Honda Odyssey with all of the bells and whistles. I am leaning towards the Slate Green van with light gray leather interior. I was still deciding whether or not to buy a new van and last night I got stuck in my Sprinter again. I had to call Ryan at midnight to get me free. That was reassurance that the Sprinter has to go and a lower to the ground van is the right choice for me. I hate to lose the room and the mileage of the Sprinter but the switch seems the prudent thing to do.

Building Progress 14

It's been a while since I've been able to update you on the progress of my house/hangar project. My brother Bob has spent hours here in Sparta helping me frame in the apartment in my building. Well, he is happy o be almost finished with his part of the job. He and a friend Craig have just about completed all of the framing and the roof/ceiling joists. I think the last thing they are going to do is put the sheeting on the 2nd floor. Hopefully the plumber and electrician will get the wiring and plumbing run next week so I can have that inspected and then I can get my drywall guys in to start on the walls. I met a couple of tile guys today so that I can get an estimate on the bathroom tile work. They might be 2 weeks out before they can start the bathroom tile work.

Here are some pictures taken this week of work in progress. The brick guy has material in place getting ready to start laying brick. When he is finished I'll post a few pictures to show the outside of the building with brick in place.





The picture below shows Rachel "helping" Bob and Craig. She looks pretty stylish, huh?

New Van??

As most of you know I have a 2005 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2500 for my wheelchair accessible van. It is a great vehicle and is very efficient for a van. When I first got it I was getting around 20 MPG but over the months that is steadily increased and I now get around 25 mpg. It drives great and I love to drive it. The only downside is the power door mechanism that is at times finicky about working. And, when it doesn't work I am stuck in the van (the floor of the van is about 20 inches off the ground).

Well, I have been considering going back to a minivan and have been looking at Honda, Toyota, and Chrysler/Dodge. The new 2009 Honda is at present leading the pack and will probably be the van I settle on. I hate the thought of giving up the Sprinter since it gets better fuel mileage than even the new minivans but I don't like the feeling of getting stuck in the van and having to call or flag down help.

So, let me know which van to go for...


Chrysler Town and Country


Dodge Grand Caravan


Toyota Sienna


Honda Odyssey