Stuff I love #3 Making things

Making things, the studio.

I have always enjoyed making things with my hands. I knit, mostly socks and sweaters, I bake my own bread, I have made a few pieces of furniture, lots of handicrafts, but this time we took on a big one. K and I decided to build her studio ourselves, completely from scratch. So, armed with a few books on the subject of construction, a few tools, some borrowed, and a determination to succeed, we began.

First we decided to build it on blocks as the ground here is too hard to dig through. Island of stone and all that. We removed the sod and set the blocks then proceeded to build up the floor. That took two days of work and we were so stiff and sore, it was a struggle just to get socks on in the morning, but we did it.

The next item of business was the walls. We build the first three lying down, put on the sheathing and house wrap, then stood them up. Our neighbors came over to see how we were doing. He was a carpenter, but lost his sight. The man is amazing, he knew every measurement before I even put the measuring tape down to check. He was always right.  He helped us stand the walls up and fasten them in place. All the while his wife was helping, holding things, passing things, and cracking jokes. She and K had more than one fit of the giggles. They blamed it on the heat.

The last wall was build standing and that took a bit longer, but now there were four walls where none had stood before.

Isn't this a great picture of me?  Sexy!

Yesterday we set the beams in place for the storage attic, laid the floor on them, then covered it all with tarps as a storm was approaching.  It has been years since I have been this stiff and sore, but I am thrilled.  There is a deep sense of accomplishment when you create something lasting with your hands.  K will surely enjoy her studio, as will I, but all the more so because we because we built it with our own hands.

This post is only the first part of the whole, for I will continue to chronicle the evolution of the studio as it matures.  Stay tuned.