The Weather Thwarts Us

I feel like this entire year has been either one long cold snap or one long rainstorm. I cannot believe how regularly our planned building gets delayed by inclement weather!

Monday was great. It was our 13th anniversary (a day I had once hoped would be the "finished" date), and Phil and Jadon plowed ahead with the flooring. They put in the rest of the full-sized sheets. They made sure to leave an opening for easy access to get to the crawl space (which will, of course, have a cover soon).

They dismantled the stairs, and lifted out the rest of the stuff to put in the final eighth.

All was moving along and then, about 6:30pm, the rain began. Phil covered the tools with the scaffolding and plastic, and moved the chair underneath. When it was time for dinner, I couldn't find Jadon. He was down there, under the plastic, reading in the drizzle.

Then it began to pour. We had a river running down the driveway. With such a deluge, Phil opted to be done with the flooring until we have a roof on. Otherwise, we'll be left with standing water and no easy access for evaporation.

But the amount of moisture prevented the next step on the building. We need to put up waterproofing, but to do that, the block needs to be dry (or at least not drenched). So Tuesday, with the block still soaked, Phil ran some errands and dealt with indoor stuff until late in the day. In the fading daylight, he tried to put up a wooden lintel over a window (wood instead of concrete for strength), but the task required too much fiddling to finish.

Tuesday wasn't quite a wasted day, though it felt like it a bit.

Today Phil headed out to start waterproofing. First the block conditioner goes on, which requires an hour to dry to tackiness. This is a caustic fluid, requiring respirator and gloves. And, like a fresco, the worker should only paint on as much as he'll use in a day. And if it gets rained on—it needs to be reapplied.

Then the bituthene goes on. To get the corners really thoroughly, first a small sheet goes on the corner, then a second layer goes on again.

Phil, working alone, did a great job getting the bituthene smooth.

While he waited for the conditioner to dry, he finished the lintel over the window. Looks good!

The rain from Monday had not quite evaporated when I went out in late afternoon.

Within minutes of my visit, another deluge began, where a trip the 30' from RV to trailer wet the clothes through. Phil had rigged up a more sturdy work camp under canvas, including radio and fan (and, I believe, book), so he was a dry and happy camper. (That is, until lightning took out our electricity for some hours. He was still dry, but no longer supplied with electronic pleasantries.)

But, again, progress halted four hours before nightfall. So much for taking advantage of longer days! And with that much rain, we probably won't be getting an early start tomorrow.

The last two years, we've watched in disbelief as storm after storm skirted us to the north, so that Charlottesville had rain several times a week, while we were dry for almost a month. Hmm. The year I have no garden at all, the year a bit less rain would suit me well, the rain comes.