Over two and a half years have now gone by since we began building an extension onto our house.  Though closed in before the winter of 2009, much work remained to be done.  Over the winter months, many things were accomplished indoors and the coming of the following summer took us again outdoors to finish the siding.  However, as time progressed and the large room upstairs was rendered fully functional, activity diminished and the construction all but came to a standstill.  After a long stretch of time, a few things took place: the installing of the staircase leading from the large room upstairs to the basement, and, more recently, the plastering, painting, and installing of mouldings between the old and new sections of the house, completing the upstairs part of the construction other than the area around the stairwell.

   This past week saw the beginning of another step…

… the basement! Actually, the work began during the early part of January when Evelyn took the initiative to start cleaning the place up so as to make space for construction activity. Thank you, Evelyn, for once again putting your God-given organisational skills to use for the benefit of others! And before you say, “That is cleaned up?” concerning the above picture, let me assure you that, yes, it is remarkably cleaner than previously. I’ll leave you to guess what how the place looked in December.

   The first wall to go up was the one by the stairwell. This was a little finicky because the drywalling had to be perfectly flush both with the stairwell and the not-yet-installed wall. So, though it may sound odd, the drywalling was placed before the framing for the wall.

   After that, things took place in quick succession.  The wall dividing the basement in two was built most of the way across.  For the moment, we are leaving an access through it. The reason for this will become evident later on. The hardware store delivered the wrong size of drywalling – 12′ sheets instead of 8′ ones – but we are working with that.  It can be a little tricky to lift it into place, but Nathanael knows techniques that make it easier. Thank you, Nathanael, for all the time and work you have invested here!

   Rapid progress was made Wednesday and yesterday as wires were run, strapping was nailed to the ceiling, and two dividing walls were put up.

   It is exciting to see the construction recommenced. Even as we build, we are reminded that though we may labour to build, we labour in vain unless the Lord is the One Who builds. (see Psalm 127) And there is more than simply the physical building going on in a home…

   “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:11-16