New House Project in Montville, ME

Plenty of activity here today with the carpenters and the electricians working hard.

Last week the carpenters put in the skylights and started on the windows and roofing.

Installation of the metal roofing is continuing today.

We picked up my 1924 Glenwood gas cook stove from the Bryant Stove Works where it had been undergoing renovation.

And this weekend we retrieved the cat porch from the old house, a temporary treat for the cats.

David Gray and his son Kevin are working on the wiring.

Not all lumber deliveries went smoothly! Due to lack of turning space, trucks need to back in the 600′ driveway. Most of them make it, Gerald Fowler doing about 40 mph! Some are not so lucky.

Despite mishaps all the interior framing is now in place ready for the plumber and the electrician.

At last, a start on installing the windows. And what a difference it makes! At my request, Gary and Mike started on the south side of the house.

Finally the end of the black hole is in sight! Once all the insulation was installed, the house lost much of its charm, the beautiful frame hidden and the interior quite dark. Yesterday the windows were delivered by Matthews Brothers of Belfast. Most of the windows and doors came from their bargain basement. One door, the slider and the skylights did not. A substantial amount of money was saved by careful shopping in the basement.

It has been a busy few days with no free time to write posts.

The insulation arrived for the walls of the house.

There have been a few cold nights and autumn is definitely in the air, although it is hot and sunny today.

My passion flower vine is loving it here.

At night the loons and barred owls can be heard. In the evening the pileated woodpeckers make a terrific noise. It is wonderful to see them right by the house.

The masons have finished with the chimney, just the inside needs to be finished off. They gave me some lessons and I was able to build the brick pad for the wood stove to stand on.

Work has been progressing on the trim.

And the porch

Insulation is being installed on the south side of the house.

And the overhang on the south side is being finished off.

Yesterday the overhang was framed in and plywood installed to hold the metal roofing.

And the frame for the screen porch was started.

John Billings and his assistant Elmo started work on the chimney.

We are still hoping that the Trues Pond dam will be repaired this fall. In the meantime the canada geese are gathering.

The rigid insulation was delivered on Thursday. Rain on Friday stopped progress and then on Saturday Gary and his brothers braved the heat and humidity to install the roof panels.

This week V-match pine has been installed for the ceiling and inner walls.

These are contractors used in the project who I would highly recommend.

• DRIVEWAY
  Lucas Construction
  Steve Lucas
  PO Box 159
  Searsmont, ME 04973
  207-342-5235
• CONCRETE SLAB
  Joey Thornley, Jr
  622 South Mountain Valley Highway
  Montville, ME 04941
  207-589-4195
• TIMBER FRAME
  Timber Frame Solutions
  Gerald Fowler
  PO Box 125
  Unity, ME 04988
  207-568-3450
• CHIMNEY
  John T. Billings
  1756 North Mountain Valley Highway,
  Montville, Maine 04941
  207-382-6145 cell 323-8426
• WELL DRILLING
  E. A Cross and Sons
  Morrill, Maine
  207-342-5454
• ELECTRICAL WORK
  Kenney and Gray, Inc.
  David Gray
  411 Cross Road
  Swanville, ME 04915
  207-338-4241 cell 322-9164
• SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM
  SolarTech Inc
  Bob Hussey
  50 Eustis Pkwy
  Waterville, ME 04901
  207-872-4531 Cell 207-649-0229

Yesterday afternoon the crane turned up to lift the trusses and in 1 hour and 20 minutes they were all in place. The crane was supplied by Northeast Equipment and Supply Company (722-3221) who were available at a reasonable cost.