Tight rope walking

It has been eons since my last post........sorry.  I have been out of town taking care of business,  and patiently waiting windows to be made so major construction has been on hold. Now we are back to work doing death defying soffits. Not many things really scare us,  I'd say were pretty open to just about anything, will try anything once......but this chapter has taken things to a whole new level.

We have remodeled our 1930's bungalow, and have restored a 5 unit brick 1930's apartment building that before we bought it was a drug and crack house.  (will have to share that experience sometime....) So we have some experience knotches under our belt, taken on challenges that most wouldn't tackle, and that's us.  This is what we do, we have always had the philosophy that we can do anything we are smart, capable and when all else fails we research it on the Internet.  So I thought, soffits.....no big deal.....we can do it.  I can save some money for my mom for labor costs, and its going to go up easy no big deal......

Well, I didnt figure the height factor.  It is one thing to work and hammer 10 feet in the air, no problem. The ground is close enough that you wont get seriously hurt if you fall (only a little hurt) and you quickly forget the fear of heights after you start working and get into what your doing.  BUT, climbing up a ladder 28+ feet in the air and holding up a 16 foot long t & g cedar board, beating it into place is terrifying.  We started on the sloped side of the building and worked our way to the highest point.  The fear was instant, as soon as you started up the ladder it would begin to sway.  The ladders are meant to move a little but when your half way up and you feel like your on a wild bucking horse there is no comfort in feeling safe.  Plus your hands begin to sweat and you feel like you could just fly off at any moment. I had to keep singing out loud "rollercoaster" everytime I mentally began to loose it.  I love rollercoaster rides and it was the only thing that got me to smile and laugh while getting to the top. However, to add another layer of terror getting up to the top adds no comfort because from there you are actually begining the process of working.  Moving, pushing, banging, stapeling, measuring all invloves leaning out hanging on to joists.......terror!!!!!! It has been slow going, and Im glad to report we made it past the highest point of the soffits with only mild mental damage and have made our way to the large overhang on the living roof where heights are only 14 feet. 

I'm very excited about the result of the wood soffits.  I had envisioned a driftwood feel from the texture of the grain of the cedar with the stain that I applied.  Thank god that I like it, because I'm not going back up there to restain it any time soon!  Well, we have to side the building in a month or so, so till then Im comfortable just looking at it from the steady ground.