It’s cold, but we’re thankful for a string of sunny, dry, slightly warmer work days. We’re hustling to take advantage of them before the weather shifts, but the next big tasks—like installing the layers of rigid insulation that support the first floor and getting that floor base in place, grading around the house, and installing windows—are on hold until the roof is finished. One small section of the roof was completed a few weeks ago so the solar panels could be installed, but that’s all. We’re regularly experiencing the hiccups that face general contractors—predicting the weather and keeping subcontractors on task are among them.

In the meantime, Jeff, JR and Troy are working hard at every other task they can find. Yesterday they installed the canopy that regulates sunshine and solar gain through the south windows of the workshop. I arrived at the end of the day to find them standing out in the future prairie, sizing up their finished work. The canopy is solid and practical—a feature none of us on site fully conceptualized before it was mounted—and it was fantastic to see it assembled. Today they’re fabricating more porch pieces and getting ready for the next phase, including arrival and installation of the house windows. With temps just a couple of degrees above the suggested stain application range, I applied sealant to panels that will become the ceiling of the porch over the front stoop.