With the week coming to an end, we now have only 20 days left to finish the house.  It is definitely crunch time with still many tasks to complete.  We have completed the foundation for the back porch and started putting the deck boards on.  The light fixtures have started being installed and we hope to get the power turned on early this week! We look forward to getting the siding completely finished in order to start painting the exterior as soon as possible!  The stress is definitely getting to us all, but the family bond we have developed is getting us all through!  If anybody would like to volunteer, e-mail Hannah at hlt007@latech.edu!

-Hannah Terrell

Bring on the Pressure!

While the weeks are quickly passing by, the pressure to work countless hours each and every day has been key.  With the help of the CenturyLink volunteer group this past weekend, all of the priming and painting has been completed on the interior of the house!  We have also been able to finish the front deck and start on the back deck which will allow Mrs. Peggy to enjoy the exterior space that she loves.  Yesterday, we began to wire the electrical outlets and hope to get the power turned on by the end of this week which will allow us to stay on site longer into the night in order to accomplish more each day.  Since drainage was a big issue on the site, we have completed the french drain which is tied to the ditch by the road.  The french drain was tested yesterday with the rain and is working just as we had hoped!

-Hannah Terrell

32 days and counting...

Just a quick update with what's going on at the habiTEC2013 house. Now that we finally have insulation in, we've brought in our drywall crew to start sheet-rocking our walls. With 32 days and counting, I think it's safe to say...IT'S CRUNCH TIME!!!!!! Some of us are starting to work late nights on site, spend countless hours out at the shop, and updating various details to meet our graduation deadline. But while busy at work, we've continuously been treated with our occasional meals on site. Once again, we would like to send our most sincere thanks to the parents that have bought us lunch and dinner throughout this project.

--a. skorge

Some of us working a late night on site, to get drywall done.

Although rain has made its way into Ruston, the habiTECH2013 team is still progressing forward. The other day we passed our inspection and now today, we are finally installing insulation. Hopefully the rain starts to clear so we can continue to work on the exterior (siding, doors, porch details, etc.) and stay out of the insulation crew's way. This is just one more big step for us, as we prepare for our drywall crew's arrival tomorrow. With only 36 days left, we are all getting anxious about finishing and finally graduating!!!! Like always, we extend our appreciation to all of those who have followed and supported us throughout this memorable experience.

--a. skorge

Down to the final 40...

We have 40 days left to complete the 2013 HabiTECH House. We have been working hard all weekend and have finished putting our metal roof on! We have also been finishing the last few touches on blocking, wiring, and framing, so that we can pass our inspection tomorrow morning.  We started putting trim on the windows and corners of the house and are hopeful to begin placing the MaxiPlank siding on the house this coming week.  We also are excited to have our spray insulation taking place on this Tuesday or Wednesday and drywall to come later this week!

44 Days Left!

We've all been working hard this week to finish up electrical wiring, blocking, and our gutter system.  We have also had the H VAC System team out and we now have duct work and vents in the house! The plumbers have been by and are almost done running the pipe for the kitchen and bathrooms. All of the wiring will be done by tomorrow and hopefully we will be putting the metal roof on this weekend! Next steps after that is inspection, insulation, and drywall!

We have also been busy promoting the project by presenting to the AIA Shreveport and AIA Monroe.  Both groups are extremely supportive and impressed by our work and plan to come by to volunteer a few days. A big thanks to AIA Monroe for the Lowe's gift card as well!

Check back later this week for updated pictures of the interior and exterior.

-Samantha Raburn