We’d only had the keys for the house for 2 weeks when the first load of construction materials arrived. Our FIRST priority with the new place – making the roof accessible, and having a comfortable place to hang out and watch the sun go down over the water. That is going to involve a lot of demolition and construction. This is going to be fun, right? 😉
Concrete, sand, forms 
A LOT of sand (and an equal amt of gravel)
Watching construction has always fascinated me. The calculus of what happens when, how to make the best of whatever situation the job gives you, timing, etc. The fact that this is happening in my house makes it all the more interesting. Our contractor is GREAT. His guys are super focused (and one of them loves to sing!) and make it look easy.
They BUILT the davit to haul up materials 
Hand hauling materials to the roof 
Hand fashioned rebar for columns
Within the first week of work the house was sprayed for bugs (it had been empty for several months, and bugs are a THING here), 10 columns were set on the roof, plinths built, A/C units relocated on the rooftop, power conduits run and… so much more.
Week 1 progress:
Fumigation
Preparation for fumigation 
Cleaning after the fumigation 
Clean-up post-fumigation
The post-fumigation clean-up was a FULL DAY of scrubbing cabinets, washing every dish, glass, etc. in the house, sweeping everything and wiping down every surface. The nice part of all of it – no more bugs!
Changes to the roof
Monday – Rebar and plinths 
Wednesday – Column forms begin 
Friday – 10 columns set
Each day there are more changes. Plinths and rebar, columns and conduit. I’m AMAZED at how fast things are changing up there.
Staircase construction
Original BBQ area (ladder to roof) 
Begin prep for stairs and new water heater 
Water heater in, stairs sketched 
Counter gone, plywood for stair forms
The stairs will run up the big wall to the roof of the kitchen, and then up to the roof. We (unexpectedly) had to replace our water heater and decided on a small secondary one for the kitchens (indoor/outdoor). The cabinets and some of the counter were demolished to run plumbing for the small water heater. The stairs were sketched on the wall to ensure proper clearance for the small water heater.
Every day feels like a week. So much going on. New decisions every day. I *know* this is what we want. I *know* we will be happy to have the house of our dreams. Right now I’m just happy that our builder doesn’t work on the weekends. Two days without 4 to 10 workers in, on, and around the house sounds good right about now.