We have about 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground and it's snowing right now.
Myron and Mitch have worked on siding the south wall this last week, in temperatures as low as 18 degrees F. They have the last 5 feet going up to the peak left to do. After Christmas, Russell's room will be empty and they will begin taking out the wall between his space and the master bedroom. (I imagine at that point they will close the exterior access and install the window.) We hope to have most of the furniture removed and stored by the 29th so we can begin the adventure of camping out in our own house.

It got cold and snow fell last night.
That's okay because most of the plywood sheathing /seismic retrofit work is done. All of the windows are in but for the two back access points.
Plumbing is well under way. Water and outfall are installed and waiting for valves and trim.
The heat ducting is done except for the final hook-up to the furnace.
The electricians got the new conduit from the street to the meter installed and reburied. It still has to be connected by the power company via some confusing two-part process. Recessed lights have been installed in the dining area and the office.
The pocket door frames for the water and walk-in closets are installed.

The roof is on. All the skylights have been installed, and those in the new construction have been framed. 8 out of the 10 2'x2' windows have been installed. The master bath framing is well under way, with the shower, water closet and walk-in closet taking shape. A trench has been dug from the office to the street to facilitate an upgrade of the conduit and service wire connecting to the new meter and service panels.

Next week the electricians will be here.

The majority of the framing and sheathing is complete. The roof sheathing is on, as is the roofing paper. The composite shingles are stacked on the roof and should be installed by the end of the week. The new breaker and meter panels have been installed with conduit and wire running between them. New windows and skylights are in the garage, ready to be installed.

The walls of the master bedroom addition are up, the trusses are in place and connected to the existing framing and the roof sheathing is in place, as well as the cedar fascia.
All the seismic fasteners are in as well.
The scissor trusses Myron suggested for the dining room addition are laying on the roof, ready to be installed. They will create a slight vault to the new ceiling, making the room seem larger.

Various sections of the exterior walls have been opened up to allow for original framing near the new construction to be bolted to the foundation per seismic retrofit requirements. After the holes are drilled, the inspector comes to inspect them and then the bolts can be glued in using epoxy. (This all occurred during some heavy rain storms.)

The framing for the side and back walls of the master bedroom are now up and the slot in the eave where the front wall will go to be attached to the existing structure has been cut.

The floors for the master addition are in and the walls are being framed. It's been raining a lot so it's a good thing we put down bark over the excavated dirt.

The walls of the dining addition have been framed and the office walls are almost finished. The roof of the garage where the master closet and bath floors will rest has been removed, as well as the drywall inside the garage so the vertical sheathing for the seismic retrofit can be installed.

Our contractor, Myron Olsoe of M.O. Construction, began work on our house September 2nd, 2008. The start consisted of two holes being dug on either ends of the house to allow for 2 foot foundation walls. By the first of October he had finished up with a previous project and began framing the walls of the new additions.