Attention Men who can Sympathize: Aching Shoulders, Knees, and Butt

This post is for men, since they will understand the mechanics of the job done better than I would. Today, Brad spent 4 hours under the house! You know how, when you walk across the living room floor, it shakes? I remember when I was a child and we had the dachschund named Hansi, when little Hansi trotted across the living room floor, it would shake. (I also remember when she delivered her two puppies on a chaise covered with flowered fabric, in the living room. And another memory of Hansi is when Mama accidentally ran over her, with the wheel marks showing on her back, and she survived with little seeming effect ---- but I digress). Today Brad did some major work to address the problem of the shaking, or bouncing, floor. Here's a view of the approach from the kitchen end of the house, with the chimney on the right, coated with concrete. Six "porcelain" light fixtures have been installed under the house, where no light ever went before! Now you can see the progress!

Brad reinforced the floor with a long bracing beam that runs from the fireplace all the way to the opposite exterior wall. The measurement of the living room is 32 feet, but his starting point was in front of the fireplace, so his beam wasn't quite that long. He screwed together (two 12-foot lengths of 2 x 8, and one 6-foot length ---- to make a long beam) times two, to make a super strong beam.

So basically he constructed one really long, thick post 4 x 8, and all by himself he managed to position four jacks that hold this long support beam in place.

I was there part of the time (to call 911 in case something went wrong!!!) but I can't wait to go back and try to shake the living room floor! It is definitely sturdier now, and he did it all by himself!

The last shot is from a totally different angle. I still can't quite figure it out, no matter how many times Brad tries to explain it.

Tonight he is one sore puppy --- shoulders, back, butt, arms. I gave him two Ibuprofen and he has conked out. He'll be stiff tomorrow.

One more job Brad did today was take down a small area of fenceline and cut down a few small saplings to prepare the way for the electric line to be run underground from the existing pole in the pasture up to the house. The electric service should be installed in the next week or two. Water service should come soon too. It's all amazing.