some walls are up / chicken bowling

Been triple digits over 30 days so far and not to August yet. Decked the floor framing with 3/4" T&G and quickly put down a coat of white primer to seal it up. Have started standing up 2x6 walls and are committed to generic rough openings for window and door sizes since we haven't bought the actual units yet. Will just count on having to modify a few openings depending on what we end up if it comes to that. Going as planned so far and sticking to the plans as drawn, take-offs have been mostly accurate and under budget so far; what a switch that is. As usual the bigger / smaller phenomenon has already occurred. I've noticed through the years on all construction sites that a project goes through a confusing modulating perceived sense of scale: A staked out building "feels" big. A poured slab feels small. A framed building feels big again. As drywall goes up rooms feel small but once they are floated and textured they seem big again. Finishes hopefully bring the perceived scale to the imagined design but of course any empty room with no furnishings seems big. The goal is to weather through the emotional roller coaster of questioning your sense of scale and once it is ready to move into it will feel just right. The foundation piers seemed like a bigger house was being built, the floor framing looked small but the decking painted white felt like I was building an aircraft carrier. Now that walls are going up and a vertical scale is established it is feeling cozy again, I think once the roof framing goes on it will seem big once again. It has a nice scale and presence among the trees right now though and the focused views out of window openings are nice to see.  

Joey has invented the new sport of chicken bowling. She favors the higher view that the floor deck provides her and her leaping agility gets her a running start at the chickens. When they gather into a tight feeding circle with their backs turned she goes for it full tilt, flying off the deck across the driveway to see just how hard and far she can scatter the 10 chicken pins squawking into the air. A strike every time.  

floor framing, a visitor

all blocked out and ready for decking

The house floor framing is ready to receive decking. Hot yet again; 100 in the shade. Had some friends from Houston stop by to view the place plus had an uninvited visitor early this morning.  Nearly stepped right on the well camoed fellow and had to nearly stick the dog's nose into it before she ever saw him. The pretty little hognose snake was quite the thespian: he coiled up, hissed, spit, flared his neck out like a cobra and when all hope was lost of running us off he flipped over on his back and writhed around in faux agony. I swear he even had one eye open to see if we were still around. After a performance like that we just let him be.