8 walls, a second story, and a video

After the long slog to do the foundations, the work pace now is more akin to a sprint. Every time I go by our job site, there's been some impressive progress. Contractor Bob Kirk's three man crew work very well together following Bob's stepwise, quality-oriented building approach. Little issues arise, and are dispatched, on a regular basis. Nothing seems to stand in the way of building toward the sky. In a way, it will be sad to no longer be able to see Hawaii's cerulean blue sky above once our roof goes up and on. But it when there is a roof over our heads, the empty shell of the frames comes one step closer to being a home.

Below you will find some pictures of the rapid progress from bare concrete foundations to two houses (main and master suite) framed in. The tank you will see is our catchment tank. Since we will be living off the grid, one aspect is catching rainwater in the 10,500 gallon tank, purifying it, and using it to drink, shower and clean. Next to it is the cement pour for our new backup generator that will kick on if the solar batteries are not able to keep their charge.

The island of Hawaii (aka "the Big Island") has so much to do and explore. I will be adding pictures from my travels around the island to future blogs. Aloha!