Help from the Amish

Monday (November 3) at noon

More news from Burt:

I finished installing the last piece of subfloor on Sunday. At noon on Monday the Amish arrived from Missouri and we worked until 4. This morning (November 4th) they arrived out of the steamy morning dew at 7:45. They are staying right next door to the east at our neighbor Burt Loupee's house.

Tuesday at noon

By 4 o'clock this afternoon we had all the first floor interior and exterior walls in and sheathed most of the exterior walls. We also installed all of the flush beams to get the second story floor in tomorrow. Things are moving very quickly. They only stay until Friday. The roof trusses won't arrive until December 12.

Beam and Floor Joists

Another update from Burt - October 26th:

I managed to get the big beam placed in the crawl space this week and after today all the floor joists.

Marshal called on Monday morning and he had gotten a big machine job for 10 days. So I just figured a way to do all this myself this week. Anna and our friend Paul on Tuesday helped with the 3 - 40' foot beam pieces which get glued and nailed after they arrive in the crawl space . I will keep working on the floor structure and the Amish group of framers is going to be arriving a week from tomorrow to begin helping us frame.

Inspections Passed and Backfill

An update from Burt:

On Tuesday, October 18th, we had the county inspect the underground utilities, electric and propane pressure test. We passed ! This then allows us to backfill up against the footing. We had 7 truckloads of donated fill dirt (70 cubic yards) brought in. I don't think I've hand moved as many rocks since I cleared orchards with Gramps when I was younger. My back is really feeling it this morning. Friday the first floor framing package arrived so we will probably get started on that Monday morning. The weather is cooperating with daytime highs in the mid seventies.

view from barn (side of house)

Construction Begins - the Stem Wall

Progress - on October 7, 2014 the stemwall was poured.

The new house will be elevated about four feet above ground level.

These two tubes are the footings for the new front porch.

Where There Once was a House...

These photo were taken on September 23, 2014 - just a little over a year after the flood. 

The house is completely demolished and some site work is being done to prepare for the new building.

The earth needs to be compacted to prepare for the installation of the new footings and stem wall.

The "sugar shack" looks so tiny without a house beside it.   Some of the gardens are still surviving in the middle of the construction work.

August 27-28, 2014 - Demolition of the House

Nearly a year after the flood, Burt and Anna's house was demolished on August 27th and 28th.  They salvaged everything that could be salvaged and now it is time to start rebuilding.

The sounds of the house crunching as it was demolished in these videos is eerie.

Digging out a Snowboard

The trees in the backyard next to the creek caught all kinds of items that washed down the stream with the flood.  This snowboard was just visible where it was caught around a tree with some sections of carpet and other debris.

Burt spent some time digging to see if the snowboard was intact.  Little by little he uncovered it from the sandy flood mud.

When he was finished he found that the snowboard was dirty but not damaged.  It's amazing how the flood moved items around.  This snowboard belongs to a Jamestown neighbor.

House Demolition - Getting Ready To Rebuild

These photos were taken on July 9th.  The house is being taken down with as many parts as possible saved for future use. 

This photo was taken from the front of the house, looking toward the kitchen and back door.

The new house will not have a door facing toward the path of the creek and will be raised to a higher level.  Some of the flowers in Anna's gardens are still blooming despite all of the construction work.

Patio behind the house - Progress

This is the patio in May, 2014.

The view from above in May, 2014.

 

The view from above in November, 2013

The trees had to be dug out and debris removed.  There was at least four feet of dirt and rocks covering the trunks of the trees along the creek.

 

The view from above in July, 2013.

November, 2013 -  most of the patio is still covered with dirt and rocks.

September, 2013 - just after the flood - the only way to enter the house.

Back entry area in September, 2013, just after the flood - mud, stones and debris everywhere.

Back entry in July, 2013.

Patio in July, 2013.

After a lot of digging, patio in May, 2014.

The Flood - September 12-13

The quiet creek beside the patio rose over the banks and Burt and Anna's entire yard was filled with water.

The water brought sand and rocks that filled the yard and most of the first story of the house.

This is the clothes dryer - nearly covered by the sand and mud.

The grass, gardens and poppies were all buried by rocks and debris.

The waters rushed through the yard and broke the fence as they headed down Main Street.

In Jamestown, huge sections of the road were simply washed away.

The creek came all of the way to the road and many houses were washed away and destroyed.

The patio and back entry were piled high with rocks, sand and debris.

The town park - after...

By Saturday, it was clear that everyone would have to evacuate.  As they left, nobody could be sure when they would be able to come back to town.

This is the main street in front of the house shortly after the rain stopped.

The force of the water scoured the foundation and the house was shifted.

The back patio was filled with tons of rock, sand and debris.  The door couldn't be opened but the ladder gave access to the second story.

Here is the inside view of the back door. the entire back hallway was filled with sand and mud going half way up the stairs.