After we finished the Bay 2 ceiling with the help of son Justin, we went back to work on the remaining details in the Master bath,
and then started on the Study areas in Bay 3.

After the near record snow (2nd all time) last year, 07-08, we expected a more normal winter this year. Not so lucky. The winter of 08-09 exceeded the previous all time snow record and set cold temperature records too. We were glad to have insulated the remaining roof last fall. Here is a photo showing some snow. Brad spent most of December shoveling snow 8 hours a day to keep the driveway passable. Gotta get a dozer. No work got done on the house while snow was being shoveled all day.

One day in early January it warmed up to just above freezing and the many tons of snow on our roof started to slide slowly down. It moved like a glacier, an inch every several minutes. I took this photo before the slowly moving overhang had fallen. It would get about 2 or 3 feet out and then several tons of snow would come slamming down. The slam at the bottom stove in the siding in some places and broke 3 windows. Even at that we were glad that our roof held it all. Many large and small buildings in this area collapsed. We were glad to get the many tons of snow off the roof when it slid down.

When the snow and ice "splashed" it came right through this window and made a mess on our floor. We shoveled it out and nailed up a piece of OSB on the inside to cover the hole. The other two broken windows only broke the outside pane of double pane glass so no snow got inside. I got the new glass this spring for about $80 each. There are about 10 of the siding panels with bent creases in them. I haven’t priced out replacements yet.

Last year the snow berm on the north side of our house covered almost all the window, but you could see where the top of the berm was from the inside. This year, its just snow way above the top of the windows. It blocks most of the light.

This shows the north side of the house in mid winter. Notice you cannot see any windows. Also notice that there isn't much snow left on the roof.

Here is the pine tree on a day when the sun is finally breaking through. We didn't get much snow from about the 2nd week in January until March. It was bitter cold and dry. Snow in December broke the 1 month snow record for Spokane. Snow from mid December until mid January broke the record for snow in 30 consecutive days. It snowed more in March after a cold and dry month. Our total snow for the whole season so far was 97.6 inches, which broke the all time season record set back in 1950. We still could get more. Last year it snowed until June.

After the ceiling was finished in the fall of 08, I got back to tile in the bath. We got this Jacuzzi tub surplus, cleaned off well and it works fine. Its sitting up so that you can watch out the window while bathing.

Another view of the completed bath. Its nice having a couch in the bathroom.

I also finished the doors and drawers for the vanity cabinet. Here it is all done. We don't have enough stuff for all the cupboards and drawers, but maybe it will accumulate over time.

After finishing the bathroom details, I turned my attention to Bay 3, the study areas. The south of Bay 3 is Logan's library and study. The north of Bay 3 is Brad's study and work space. Here are some new walls going up.

This picture is looking through the walls from Bay 2 into toward Bay 3.

This is another view of the wall between Bay 2 and Bay 3. The archways are being constructed with OSB instead of sheet rock.

When we had the big snow in December it flexed the steel columns. In the bedroom where the wall is screwed to the column, the flexing of the column pulled screws out of wood. So this time I installed the wall with springs so that flexing of the steel column can take place without any damage. The movement will compress the springs until snow slides off the roof, and then go back to normal.

After hanging sheetrock on the south outside wall of Bay 3, our HughesNet Internet system died. By the time the technicians came out and replaced our modem and dish hardware, they ran new cables through a window. That isn't a good solution. I had to remove several sheets of wallboard to replace the existing cable in the wall. This time I put some conduit so that the Internet cable can always be replaced later without tearing up the wall.

By March 09, I was getting well along with wallboard in Bay 3. This bay has 46 sheets of wallboard plus 4 sheets of OSB, 1,600 square feet total wall area. For reference, each bay has 1,500 square feet of floor area. .

Here is another look at the wallboard. Its about ready for texture and painting. Compare this photo with picture 3 above. The snow and ice berms outside the window is mostly gone and the broken window has been replaced.

This is the east side, Bay 2 side, of the new wall. I've just about got the masking done ready for texture and then paint.

The taping is done and we are ready to paint.

This is Brad's study area ready to paint.

Logan's study is yellow. Brad's study is Country White on 3 walls with red on the north outside wall. Some flooring is visible.

Here we are putting floor tiles in Logan's study.

Here is the other side of Logan's study showing paint and some flooring tile.