A House in a Day?

It's 7:30 am on a beautiful summer morning in Brunswick, Maine. It's also August 27th, my son-in-law, John Kosinski's, 33rd birthday . . . and by a happy coincidence, it's not my house's birthday as well. A good portent.

Cups of coffee are being savored and there's a tingle of excitement in the air. Today is the day. Before the huge crane is even backing down the driveway, the crew is in place, and suddenly they are starting with the lower, smaller end of the building and raising the first panel.


It's time to build a house. After all the weeks and months of planning and working in SketchUp, my flat 2-dimensional vision is going to take shape. It's an amazing experience.


To the right, Josh's dad, Tom Wojcik, (center) supervises, as Ross Cram (left), and Curt Reynolds (right) set up the first panel. This is the code required egress window in my bedroom. As you can just make out, the window opening has been framed out with 2x4's to support the window opening.

Ross and Brian position the second panel.

From here on in it's all about being level and square. More panels followed in rapid succession, each one having OSB wood splines and expanding foam in the joints. I feel warmer all ready.