Tiling progress

Helpers everywhere! Despite excess hands on deck, progress continues....

Tiling begins

Remy leaves his assistants working on the outdoor shower while he
mixes more thinset. They carefully line up each tile on the blue chalk
line, check level, and insert spacers. The niños appear as if they
know what they're doing.

Rerouting plumbing

A slight change in plans means that plumbing need to be shifted under
the concrete of the outdoor shower. The tile installer masquerades as
a plumber, but he is given away when he uses tiling tools to cut the
PVC.

The roof beckons

He was missing the roof, so he scrambled up to install a drier vent
for the addition.

Granddad Kiker on the job

Granddad and small helper tackle the reduction of screen doors to make
them swing under the new gutters.

Remy is back!

Remy has returned to bless our home with his skill, artistry and good
cheer. Here he begins framing the outdoor shower.

Trench diggers

Getting water and electricity to the fire pit includes digging a
trench for conduit from the house out to the site, a fair stretch.
Sounds like a perfect boy project to build muscle and determination.
It was tough, but the 10 and 8-year olds persevered (with a little
help from Mom).

Breakfast theater

The 3-year old positions himself at the window to watch activity on
site. "What are they doing with that machine?" he queries.

Downspouts

We gathered around the downspouts during an afternoon rain. The new
gutters worked well, and the porch stayed dry. This morning's roof
condensation dripped into the gutter rather than on the steps.

Removing screen doors

The three-year old helps remove the screen doors. They'll have to be
cut down 1/2 inch or so to clear the gutters.

Seamless Gutters

The gutters are going on today, complete with leaf guard. The boys
were delighted watching the machine bend the gutters into shape.

Air layering

The boys learn to air layer from Mr Blankenship, our friend and plant
man extraordinaire. They're practicing on an azalea.

Electricity to the well

Digging the trench to get electricity to the well. Gunter Sr and Jr on
the job with lots of Kiker boy helpers.

Deeper

Well, the well-drillers hit limestone at 100 feet and didn't reach
water again until 140 feet, so that's where the pump resides. A tank
was fitted at the surface, and with a bit of electricity coming soon,
we're good to go.

Well drilling

In Florida, groundwater is pretty much under most areas (sometimes right below the surface). Thus, drilling a well is a fairly straightforward enterprise in this area. The drilling experts plan to go down about 110 feet, hook up pipes and a pump,
and start the water flowing.