Day Thirteen -- Coming Together

Last night, after re-heaping shingles to "steep in a heap," with Mike's help, we spread all the shingles into a single layer on three screens (yes, Mike caved in on that). Here's two of them and a close-up of one:

Unfortunately the best place for them to dry, with air on both sides, was over the laundry tub, which meant no more painting this morning. That will have to wait until we get back from visiting the ultimate recipients.

However, the next step was doable -- glueing on the roof front and back. First, clear a flat space on the table -- next time, I'm putting all the leaves in (next time? Guess I'm surely and truly hooked). Then prepare the front roof with tape:

Then glue and tape the rear roof:

I marked with a pencil to center the roof onto the house. Then glue and tape. There's a gap between the roof and the front:

No mention was made in the instructions about trying to glue this down. I was concerned that trying to do so would jiggle the roof off center, so I left the gap and will try to glue and tape it down when today's efforts set. Then, tape, tape, tape:

Next step was to glue the eaves onto the back sides, but I had already taped the bejesus out of the relevant corners, so that will also wait until today's glue sets. Here's where the tape is and where the eaves go:

That completes the work until next week, when it will be time to glue some more, paint some more, and start attaching shingles, which are actually quite dry now and don't look as if there will be any need for touch-ups.

Happily, there was a notation in the instructions that, for special edition kits, which mine is, the gable front is 'clapboard,' so it doesn't need to be shingled. So the fact that I made a mistake and painted it lilac turned out not to be a mistake after all. W00t!

Can't remember if I mentioned that I put the foundation on last night. The instructions mention that the manufacturer's expert paints the foundation with one coat of plain paint and the second with a stucco-type with grit in it. Good idea. For next time.