Once the concrete had a chance to cure, it was time for a good old-fashioned Raisin’. About 5 families gathered together to get us going on the build. A very large pack of kiddos ran wild doing what kiddos do, and the adults strapped on toolbelts and hauled out tools and generators and work gloves and got down to business.

In the way of such days, it got competitive. Ladies against men, who can finish their wall first? Lots of laughter and good-natured trashtalk, and a LOT of progress.

By the end of the day, a good 80% of the first floor was framed in. We discovered I had ordered 7 too few joists, so that would have to be remedied before we could move on.

From a bare concrete slab to an obvious structure in a day. Not a bad job of work!

Before this, other than your basic home renos, the only thing I had ever built was a fairly crooked chicken house four years ago. I learned SO much this day…which is good….because for the rest of it, we were on our own.