I have mentioned before that my father and I are building an addition. Yes, we are two years in and almost finished. I did my best to chronicle the entire experience. There was never a dull moment with our foolish mistakes and our lack of progress. People continue to marvel at our work, especially those who walk by. “Everything looks good, man.” Thanks, Coach Rantz.
We entertained the idea for several seasons. My parents now live in Southern California. Both are retired. Jim and Gail lend a hand in raising my two beautiful nephews. Once they get older, my rents will bounce back and forth. They will be set in CA, but they need a place to stay when they come back to PA. I suggested a rustic cabin. No. Let’s build a granny flat and a two-car garage. And forget about hiring someone. Let’s do this all by ourselves.
In the previous installments, I shared a few tales of our major mishaps. It has been quite an adventure. Who frames a wall with a door upside down? You should’ve put the one-unit bathtub in first. You seriously can’t make it up. I am now on a first-name basis with the folks who work at the customer service desk. “What are you returning today, Mr. Spencer?”
I make several trips to Lowe’s each week. Others laugh when I strap 2x4x10s to my canoe rack. My son Jensen and I were asked to leave once. The poor kid struggled and slipped when we loaded some R19 insulation. The cart went one way, and the large rolls felt on his head. Jensen was fine, and I captured it on my iPhone. His video is still trending. We thought it was hilarious. Some guy in a red vest named Chuck did think it was funny.
YouTube Certified.
This all started last fall. Big Spence and I were in a major bind. Snow was on its way, and our tarps were failing. The trusses were in the yard, but we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. I made a phone call.
Long story short. My bearded brethren saved XMAS. And what they did in four hours would’ve taken 17 weekends. We worked side by side, and we asked many questions. My father took an instant liking to one in particular. Big Jake Stoltzfus. The man. The myth. The Amish legend. They hit it off immediately and enjoyed many exchanges. Jake would explain why he did things a certain way. He then coined the greatest line ever. YOU CAN’T FIND THAT ON YOUTUBE, MR. SPENCER.
Jake’s coworker Toby took it one step further. His bride does some screen printing. She made my father and me matching YOUTUBE CERTIFIED CONTRACTOR tee shirts. It’s my father’s favorite. He wears it everywhere and will take a photo in front of a historic landmark. He was in South Dakota a few weeks back. I then share them with my bearded friends.
My father is the man. Cheers.
