summary

To summarize what has happened up to this point...
The house is up. The framing and sheathing is done on the walls and the roof. Most Tyvek is up on the walls. Plumbing and electrical is done. We are considering putting in a security system before finishing out the interior walls, but that is not settled because it can also be done wirelessly after the house is done. The plumbing and electrical inspections are scheduled for Monday, after that point there will be no more subcontractors.
Everyone in the neighborhood is very interested in the process. We have Vivian on the porch across from construction most days, Frankie is there sometimes, even Ernest has been watching the house go up. There are always kids around, they really want to help. Tommy has been very helpful but we haven't seen him in a few days, Michie plays around a lot but he genuinely helps when we need it. Jermaine, Issac and Erica are also always around.
It is very rewarding to see the neighborhood interest and participation. We try to get their input on some aesthetic as well as functional elements of the house. For example what color shingles they would like on the roof, or what they think of splitting the stove into a separate cook top and a built in stove.

PHOTOS!!

We know it's not always easy for friends and family to picture all the things we've been sharing, so check out our photo albums HERE.

Framing, ladies and gentlemen, coming up next!

Yes! Framing, tomorrow morning, 7AM, Congo St., Dallas, TX. We have the piers ready to go; plumbing was supposed to be done today, but alas, it did not happen. The framing starts tomorrow so the plumber will have to crawl underneath for his rough in. Super excited about framing - all the lumber has been donated to bcWORKSHOP.
Some of us have been reworking the kitchen layout - trying to get more counter/storage space and still be able to afford some kind of a built in kitchen table.
Jevon has been working on having some cabinets donated - maple natural. Sounds great, just trying to figure out exactly what we will need.
Unfortunately, Benje, we were unable to sign our names on one of the piers because the concrete was too hard, oh well, maybe next time.

Drilling for piers

Alriiight! Tomorrow morning we will have guys coming in to install the pier foundation. Super excited - but not so much about getting up at 5:30 in the morning to make it in Dallas on time.
That's alright, we are just hoping nothing goes wrong. On Friday, some of us stayed and dug up a mystery gas pipe that made its way from front to back of the site. Crazy pipe. Hopefully it is not an issue.
*Lights out*

PS: Below are a couple shots of us cleaning out rocks and sticks from the site in preparation for foundation.

Received our permit!

Finally after weeks of drawings and meetings we got our permit on Wednesday 6.24.08! Everyone is excited and ready to start building. The plan today [Friday] is to have the foundation guys come in Monday morning to drill piers and pour concrete. The next day, Tuesday, framing starts.

Just to introduce everyone that is taking this summer's course: Steve W., Caco P., Kevin R., Jorge T., Benje F., Carlos M., Jevon A., and Varia S.

We had a meeting yesterday with Rusty, going over our schedule for the next couple of weeks; he was very helpful and gave us some crucial details. I think we were all on the same page as far as recycled materials go - we would like to reuse as much as possible. Perhaps sometime in the next couple of weeks we will head down to the wearhouse Rusty told us about to see if we can reuse any materials in a very design concious way.

Yesterday Benje invited us to take a walk around the neighborhood to check out some of the old vs. new houses around the area. We discussed siding, trim, and roof detailing. Again, everyone seems to agree on the overall look of the Holding House.

spring time flowers

SFI8

Thank you Brent, Megan, and all the sponsors who made our trip possible.

Attending these events, I feel is crucial to my evolution as a person and as a future architect.

Although, I missed the meeting like a drunken sailor, I feel it is now my responsibility to be apart of aiding in making SFI9 even better. Not just to outdo the Harvard kids, but to continue this cycle of informing and educating.

Anthony

Does anybody use this?

Last Thursday Caco, Alex, and I went to Jubilee to talk to the boys in Ty's after school program.

It was canceled, but we got to meet and interact with some of the kids anyway. I met a young boy named Anthony:

Anthony: Do you know Karate?
Me: A little bit.
Anthony: I bet I know more than you!
Me: Yeah, I bet you could beat me up. But, you wouldn't do that right? You look like a nice guy.
Anthony: [Stares away] No, I'm not nice. I get into a lot of fights...

And this disturbed me and it still does. Every time I think about it I feel all distraught inside. Here's a young boy not even 10 and he doesn't think much of himself. When he told me these things, he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He just kept staring away with a sad gaze. His eyes seemed so empty.

I keep thinking about it and I think the deeper we get into this and the more we learn about Jubilee... well, I don't mean to get "Disney" on you, but I think we become more responsible to these people. This is really bigger than all of us.

I've been thinking about it a lot and I ask, "Well what if we don't get something built in the end?" I know that's the goal and I agree and I understand. We want to have something manifested from our time here and the effort that we put into this. Even more, as Architecture students, we want nice portfolios and to go to Grad school and whatnot... I do too!

For me, I'm at a point where it's okay if that doesn't happen though. The deeper I get into this the more this bigger picture of us being able to help the community becomes clearer in my mind. That's all I have to say.

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