We have HEAT!

Hello, hello, hello / Is there anybody in there? / Just nod if you can hear me. / Is there anyone at home? / Come on, come on down (Pink Floyd)

Writing a blog is a funny thing, I never know if there is anybody out there listening! :)

Yesterday was a great work day. We got a new heating unit under the house and all the duct work in. We have heat! The crew work hard and stayed late to make sure we would have heat last night. It was a lovely thing. I have had a chill in my bones since the flood and now, maybe finally, I can warm up! Yay Heat!

David and our new friend Scott Chapman took down the wall between the music room and the family room and framed the opening. It looks great! We have always wanted a more open floor plan and now we have one!

David purchased a digital/laser tape measure (thanks Home Depot gift cards!) and has measured for insulation, flooring and sheet rock.

Our flooring samples have arrived and I am looking at floors and paint chips.

We were thinking to throw up the sheet rock ourselves and to pay a small crew to "Mud", finish the walls and prep for painting. Scott recommended some sheet rock guys and they came in yesterday to measure and give us an estimate for doing the entire job and to do only the Mud work. We will see.

We had a cabinet maker come in on Tuesday to look at our kitchen. Of course the top tier of cabinets are fine while the bottom cabinets are dead so... We will have to see what we can afford. Refacing? all new cabinets? The numbers are not in yet.

The next step is insulation. Then Sheet rock. Hopefully, some time next week. We are still waiting for the moisture level to decrease 1 or 2 percentage points. Our friend Blair, who has a mold remediation co has suggested we fog a sealant before we begin work. Blair came in and kindly took a look around. He only found one little spot that needs a scrub under the house. That is not too bad at all.

We are determined to take our time and do this rebuild right, every step along the way. We continue to seek advice from friends and professionals. All have been so kind and willing to share their expertise with us. This one piece alone, understanding what we are doing and what we need to do next, has been a blessing. We proceed with confidence, which is no small thing.

We have scheduled days off the rest of November to get work done. Those of you that have offered to swing a hammer, I will be contacting you soon. :) Thanks.

Our spirits are good. We are grateful for our family and friends and all the continued support. There is no doubt that we would not be as on track as we are now, if not for the help of so many people.

We are prayerful and grateful and optimistic. Please continue to send up your prayers for us and our continued work around the house. Someday, in the not too distant future(maybe not for Christmas, but early in 2010) we will have a lovely, safe and complete home again.

It takes a Village. Thanks everyone!
Love and light,
Gloria and David