Journal & Photos - Friday October 20th

During The Day

OK, we’re just a day and half away from (drum roll please) … “Move that bus!”

Autumn in Cache Valley can be unpredictable and last night, workers battled through a pretty significant rainstorm that persisted occasionally into this afternoon. But, apparently, everything is still going as scheduled in this carefully choreographed ballet of How to Build a Dream Home in Just One Week. Hey, at least, it wasn’t snow! (Yes, we have had white Halloweens.)

Remember when just three days ago, the Pauni home was demolished. Well, today, we can give you a brief perspective on what has happened since our unforgettable “Braveheart” moment Tuesday. And, most importantly, keep in mind that speed is nowhere near as critical as the attention to quality, which Kartchner Homes has insisted on maintaining in this project. How they have managed to orchestrate these continuously rotating crews of skilled trades and crafts workers is almost beyond comprehension. And, to make it even more impressive, that they have managed to accomplish this with the most rigorous safety standards possible.

Let’s start with the foundation. Usually the foundation is poured and the framing usually starts no earlier than five days afterward. For this project, they waited just four hours. The cement they pour is an eight-bag mix, which basically means the substance is thicker and more condensed. By the way, calcium is added into the mix to quicken the cure time. Pretty ingenious and in just about 3½ percent of the time!

Next, came the framework. On a house of this size (hint: tune into the episode to find out just how large it really is), framing would normally take three weeks. So, how long did it take to frame the new Pauni family home? Only 19 hours! (Today’s homework: Calculate the percentage of time saved.)

Then, the home’s exterior became the focus. Spectators have been cooing about the beautiful masonry and copper touches (more about those later). The masonry for this size of a home would typically take two to three weeks but this EXTREME crew did it in … you guessed it, 12 hours. How is that possible!? “We had 50 people working on the rock work at the same time and those guys flew through it,” Craig Saunders, Kartchner Homes’ construction project manager, said.

With every feature, there is beauty and function. The copper roofing, for example, is perfect for Utah homes because the roof allows snow to slip and melt off slowly and avoids possible roof leaks or cave-ins resulting from large piles of snow sitting on the surfaces.

Sheet rocking a house of these dimensions also is no small task. This process may require two-and-a-half weeks as it must be hung, mudded, textured, sanded, dried and painted. For this EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION project, builders completed this assignment in just eight hours!

Today, spectators saw a lot of the crew working to shingle the home. The shingles took 14 hours, again a job that generally takes two to three days.

Painting also was scheduled to be finished today but below-normal temperatures
and the rain-chilled air hampered the ideal drying time for paint. The good news is that sunshine is expected to return tomorrow to Logan, and, particularly, for the big reveal on Sunday. Oh … To paint a home of this size it would normally take about three weeks. These dedicated and well-coordinated crews, however, accomplished the job within eight hours.

The finishing work on a new home is normally quite tedious because it usually takes a month to complete. This phase includes the wood trimming of baseboards and doors as
well as the doorframes, molding and all of the cabinetry. The wood was pre-stained and cabinetry pre-made, so this task took the construction crew about three and a half hours.

All of the plumbing, electrical and heating regularly would be finished in one week's time. For this EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION project, it was about 10 hours! The wood floors in this home took only six and a half hours.

Keep in mind, however, that these amazing statistics of speed are only possible because Kartchner Homes has worked tirelessly with the Cache Valley construction industry to assemble countless scores of skilled workers who know in their hearts and minds why working together for a good community cause can happen in projects like these.

Like these hardy construction crews, don't let a rainy day get you down and we hope that you can still join us in contributing to this spectacular community project.