An Artist's Journey
November 1, 2023
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Art is an expression of the soul.
Note, at this point, you cannot purchase my artwork from my website as
everything is in storage until my new studio is complete and up and
running.
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"There is no 'I' in team."
I've been remiss by not giving credit to my main team member, Cindi.
She is an equal partner in my life.
"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him you made plans...."
Building our new house is still extremely slow and frustrating.
All in all, we are now almost five months behind where we should be.
Summer is over, it is now fall, and winter is around the corner. There
is still so much to do. Cindi & I are frustrated.
I have been remiss by not giving credit to my beautiful wife Cindi, for
all of her help and hard work. She has been there nearly every day
helping me in so many ways. Nothing would be getting done without her.
As hard as this has been on me, it has been even more difficult on her.
Our frustration level is extreme. At this point building our dream
house is more of a nightmare. I hope it gets better.
Cindi and I built the first concrete forms for the front porch. I did
not expect how much pressure wet concrete puts on the forms. The forms
exploded and concrete went everywhere. In nearly 100-degree
temperatures, we had to shovel tons of concrete out of the area. It
took nearly two hours of backbreaking work. Cindi led the way as my
strength started to give out.
Cindi and I rebuilt and set the four-foot-tall concrete forms for the
front porch and poured concrete into them. Then, with the help of my
wife and brother-in-law, we filled the porch base with gravel. Then we
poured the concrete porch. It took Cindi and me three weeks of very
hard work and ten cubic yards of concrete to build the porch.
Once the concrete was dry, I set the three 6" x 6" x 10' posts that
support the roof over the front porch and then wrapped them with Hardy
board siding. We painted them to give the area a finished look. Next,
we built the railings and installed them.
While waiting for exterior siding materials, Cindi and I worked every
day on small details. Details make a difference.
Last Sunday in the cold and rain Cindi and I moved nearly one-hundred
and sixty 20-foot lengths of rebar away from the house so the siding
guys would have access to the north wall. It was very hard work and
took nearly 4 hours. I'm convinced that Cindi is stronger than me and
just as tough or tougher.
Siding, facia, and soffit materials are here. The installation is
scheduled to start on Thursday, November 2. (A month late) I hope they
show up.
The electrician is supposed to come back and run the main electric line
inside the house and fix a few things that I've noticed.
The plumber is scheduled to run the gas line inside the house for the
furnace but still, after a month has not shown up.
After the siding is on, hopefully, we'll get the electricity, water,
and propane lines run to the house. The septic tanks should be dug and
installed along with the drain field. It might take a few weeks for
that.
Next Jacob should backfill around the house using the mountains of dirt
and rock piled up from the excavation in March.
Drywall, interior painting, furnaces and AC, plumbing and electrical
fixtures, cabinets, flooring, interior trim, and interior doors are
just a few things that need to be done inside. Outside we'll need
sidewalks, steps, and the driveway. Landscaping will have to hold off
until spring.
There still is a lot to do. I have no valid idea when we'll be ready to
move in. It seems like a long way off.
Working with Jacob (my third contractor) is still very frustrating. I
ask for updates and a schedule every week. Most times all I get are
some vague answers. I never know what exactly is next or how much
things will cost. Things are not getting better.
As soon as I can, I'll take over finding sub-contractors to help me,
and Cindi and I will do more of the work ourselves.
To this point, I'm convinced I did a much better job as my own general
contractor on my last home in Woodland Park. It was certainly less
stressful. I'll probably take over managing the final phases of
construction when I feel I can handle it.
Just a note on my health; I'm slowly getting better. I'm still not
strong. My knees and legs get weak quickly. I'm still having issues
lifting. My right hand still trembles when I'm stressed or overly tired.
I'm improving.
I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Just a few new pictures this week. Cindi has been taking the pictures.
I need to include her in the pictures as she has been there working too.
Cindi took the
picyures.
Cindi took the pictures.
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Shanika Studio
www.ShanikaFineArts.com
2111 Bagnell Dam Blvd
Box 1211
Lake Ozark, MO. 65049
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