Gumby Got a Rest

Friday, May 21, 2021

Gumby got a rest this week. We didn’t have to be very flexible because we worked on the trailer all week as expected. The master bedroom is coming together. We all worked at doing different things at different times and helping each other wherever we were needed at the time. The rotten subfloor was removed, and all the floor framing was reinforced as needed and the subfloor replaced. The new exterior wall was built with new studs, new top and bottom plates and new sheathing installed, the windows were reinstalled and the vinyl siding was reinstalled. We began removing the roofing and decking and reinstalling the decking and got the area of the largest hole in the roof repaired. There is still a lot of roof work to be done. The kitchen cabinets were scrubbed, sanitized and the interior painted. The other two bedrooms walls were cleaned. The walls in both baths were washed down, and the hall bathtub and surround were scrubbed and sanitized. There were also hundreds of staples and tack strips removed from the flooring.

We very carefully removed the shingles over the bedroom and found that very little was holding them up.

Trusses reinforced and one sheet of new decking in over the bedroom

At the end of Thursday we had the wall rebuilt and one sheet of decking on the roof. Even though no rain is predicted we put the tarps back on for the weekend. After all, it is still spring in the South.

Wednesday morning we were able to go to the location were the agency will be moving the trailer and see the condition of the home that was destroyed by the storm. We also got to meet our homeowner. He is such a sweet man, in his seventies. His home was in the direct path of the tornado that destroyed so many homes in the Soso community. The home was built by his grandparents and he has wonderful memories there. He is currently removing the last of his belongings which will be placed in storage. The agency plans to have the fire department burn the house (very sad for him) and then after the pad is prepared, the trailer we are repairing will be moved in. The trailer will look very nice in its new setting.

Magnolia that survived the tornado – a little misshaped but still blooming. There’s probably a lesson in that somewhere.

We are working very hard to prepare a nice home for him. We know we will not be able to complete everything or see the trailer moved to its new site but we will do all we can. The team this week was so amazing. Everyone worked so well together. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Nell and Randy Friday morning as they left for Atlanta to check on Nell’s family. It was a very productive and fun week.

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