Raise the roof!

Zanna and I have been busy over at the house in the last few days. Our big project has been to raise the collar ties that span the second level ceiling. The rafters were supporting the existing second level ceiling but were not doing a whole lot but making the space feel very boxy. The existing ceiling height was approximately eight feet high. We spoke with our structural engineer and he told use we could raise the collar ties eighteen inches if we reconnected the existing collar ties with structural screws. This has been very exciting because it has made such a difference for the space. Zanna and I are also very happy to finally be doing carpentry rather than demo! Check out the pics of our master bed room. We are also very excited that the plumbers have almost completed the ruff-in of the master bathroom and hope to come tomorrow to finish the ruff plumbing in the entire house. Check out Zanna sporting her tool belt up on a ladder! Also going on in the last few days; we built raised beds for a vegetable garden and got a soil delivery. We found a cool nursery called Boskey Dell Natives which only sell plants that are native and indigenous to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. This is important because native plants require less maintenance and water as well as being geographically unique and beautiful. We picked up a few things and planted our first plants around the property. We got a flowering currant, two huckleberries, a trillium and a few ferns. Zanna is really excited to plan the garden and transform our backyard mud pit.