How to Build a House in Five Days

By: Alexandra Bandon, This Old House online

Photograph by Jeremy Bales

Photograph by Alexandra Bandon

Day 1: The first wall is about to be raised onto the foundation.

Photograph by Alexandra Bandon

Day 2: With framing and sheathing completed the day before, the roof is ready for asphalt tiles.

Photograph by Alexandra Bandon

Day 3: The crew builds the front porch and railing.

Photograph by Alexandra Bandon

Day 4: Die-hard workers prepare the landscaping, while most of the crew takes cover from the rain.

Photograph by Alexandra Bandon

Day 5: In a race to the finish, the sod is flying — but the house was complete by lunchtime.

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How do you build a house in just five days? Assemble 38 dedicated volunteers, work them all day long, and bring in professional "elf crews" to work all night, every night. Here's how Jo Nell Gorman's house was built between 7:00 a.m. Monday, June 9, and 1:00 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2003.

Day 1
Framing (most walls pre-assembled with sheathing)
Roof trusses
Roof sheathing
House wrap
Porch construction
Elf crew: plumbing and electrical rough-ins

Day 2
Asphalt roofing
Vinyl siding
Drywall (pro crew)
Foundation painting
Soffits
Attic and crawl space insulation
Front door
Elf crew: drywall taping, sprayed-popcorn ceiling

Day 3
Siding
Front porch railings
Post holes for wheelchair ramp
Plywood subfloor (whole house)
Wall priming

Day 4
Gable-end siding
Fascia
Back porch railing
Front deck
Kitchen cabinets (upper)
Landscape prep
Sod
Interior painting
Water- and radon-proof tarp in crawl space
Elf crew: vinyl floor tile

Day 5
Finish sod
Baseboards
Appliances
Kitchen cabinets (lower)
Countertops
Window blinds
Wheelchair ramp and railing
Flowerbeds

Five-Day Slide Show >>
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