This weekend, in spite of the misty, moisty weather, we got some work done on the house. There was some blocking that needed to be installed between some ceiling joists to help stabilize and support the upstairs, and we got that finished.

We also reinforced the soffits. Chris had just tacked the soffit overhang to the last rafter, and I was pretty certain they would eventually sag. We came up with a few ideas on how to stabilize them, but John P., the county codes guy, gave us the best idea. (He's helped us out a lot. Never be afraid to ask questions... It's easier and cheaper in the long run.) So we notched out the rafter that sat on the gable wall to accept a flat 2x8 that would tie the soffit into the first two rafters on the house and prevent a sag. I am feeling much better about them now.

Next up, we need to build out a form around the front porch so that we can pour our slab. We want to get that done before we frame out the porch roof. We've seen the pros frame out a porch roof temporarily supported by 2x4's before they pour the slab, but we just aren't brave enough to try that.