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Rob Shadoin -- We met almost 10 years ago doing maintenance work for slum lords in campus ghettos. On and off over the years, we find ourselves working together on large projects. Rob's a true pro -- see the beer bottle?
Melissa -- my wife salutes the photographer.
"Have you driven a Fooooord, late-lee?" 
From left to right, Hiedi Binkley (a rollin'-in-the-sewage kind of character), Harold Binkley (our hero and the neighbor you wish you had, too bad you don't), Brian Houston (a former dreadlock raggamuffin with a work ethic of gold), and Dan Antes (a benevolent candle burning at both ends).
Steve Dean is our state certified, septic engineer. Indiana requires all "mound" septic systems to be designed by licensed engineers, as this approach to waste water disposal has little margin for error. Steve's also involved in a recently convened Owen County "master plan guidance committee", which may emphasize a quality of living approach to zoning proposals. Steve told me Owen is one of just four Indiana counties with no zoning laws, and Owen is also the 4th poorest county in the state. He claims the correlation is self-evident. On a side note, Steve's motorcycle is also a BMW. Steve Dean Septic Design can be reached at (812) 829-9238, and he is a pleasure. 
The core group of Robert Gilliland Excavating LLC as follows: Robert Gilliland Sr., Robert Gilliland Jr. (the company founder), and Robert Jr.'s faithful sidekick and Renaissance man Jake. On Friday the 13th of this month, Robert Jr. became our personal hero of the day (see "The Outside" for reasons why). He can be reached at Hm. (812) 339-5083. 
Two more Gilliland Excavating tag-alongs are Jeffrey (center, blue shirt & yellow cap) and Matt (foreground, red shirt). The fellow on delivery truck is a character. Sitting atop the newly installed septic lift tank and bolting down the access lid he said, "State law requires me to secure this lid. Just goes to show you, any way a guy can have some fun the State'll surely find a way to ruin it." I think he cheats at cards. 
Joy Binkley inspects the dig. 
Craig Binkley, Harold's son, is the one smiling :) 
"Mark Dwyer" by Stan Lee.
"The amazing man of steel, Mark Dwyer, cuts through the excess I-beams with his trusty, duper-dyno-oxy-acetelene dragon breath torch. In any other hands, this torch would be a seductive weapon of evil power, but through truth, justice and the American way, Mark addresses the universe in terms it cannot ignore, harnessing the mighty power of... fire. Let all metal be tempered by Mark's wrath."
(NOTE: Celebrity endorsements may not reflect the views of the site sponsor nor its affiliates.) 
Chris Worthington is the owner/operator of Worthington Concrete Pumping. Along with English, Chris speaks Spanish and whatever the language is called found on Tonga, the island in Polynesia. His dog Ky is the Tongan word for "ready to eat" as in "the dog has an appetite" not as in "the dog is skewered." 
Aug. 3 -- Three of the five-man concrete slab crew are pictured here: left to right, Chris Bradley (of BradleyForms Concrete Services), Willy (Chris Worthington's sidekick) and Bobby (Chris Bradley's sidekick) unanimously agree it will only take one hour to finish the slabs.
Chris Bradley specializes in concrete forms and various surface finishing. He can be reached at (812) 825-6834 & bradleyforms2000@CS.com. 
Junior's our faithful delivery driver from Roger's Building Supplies. Here, he uses the neatest forklift there is: the spider! Junior's hobbies are restoring vintage automobiles and restoring burned-out meth labs. 
Richard Antes, Dan's dad, trowels the top of the breakfast nook walls. Richard, a semi-retired ISU professor, is a salesman for Construction Resources, Inc. Aarx wall system effort. Richard can be reached at (812) 877-9264. He and Dan also do light excavation (the blue tractor on this site), and exclusive hardwood floors (new installation and refinish). Dan's hardwood flooring craftsmanship is exceptional, period. Try Dan at (812) 988-4442. 
Jon McNabb assumes sentry post. In that capacity, he will prowl the perimeter, report any unusual activities and perform little, showtune numbers. 
Jason Overton, friend of several years, installs over 200 5" spikes through the window and door bucks. He and his wife Liz, are copious proponents of alternative building, and their knowledge of rammed earth, earth berm and straw building houses is enlightening. 
This is a poor picture of our neighbor Tim Wiford, but it's a great photo of his extreme bobcat skills. 
Because the addition design didn't frighten him, Dan Garner is the HVAC sub on the job. He's installing 2 systems for the entire house (1 in the old house, 1 in the addition). Both system have tricky bells & whistles: in-line humidifiers, ultra-efficient filtration (not electrostatic, but exspansive pleated media -- 80SF of filtering surface area) and 92+ efficiency furnaces with high SEER rated AC units. The addition system also has a heat recovery/fresh air intake unit. This is a neat machine, as it collects stale air from the house, exhausts is outside through a radiator device, as outside air is drawn-in over the radiator then into the cold air return. The radiator contraption transfers ~75% of the heat properties to the incoming, fresh air from outside. Both systems are manufactured by Janitrol, and the humidifier, filtration and fresh air exchanger systems are made by April Aire. 
Tim Jeffers Masonry (812-334-0147) is the limstone sub. Here, we see Tim using a saw most commonly seen by trustees on work release (maybe you had to grow-up in a town that hosts a federal pen to know what I mean). 
Here are Tim's sidekicks, Josh (at the saw) and Denton. Denton's on his way to becoming a full mason (he might be a journeyman now, dunno...), while Josh will attend the police academy in Indianapolis next year. As for myself, I hope to become either a cowboy or fireman. 
Dec. 18 -- From Cedar Bluff Gardens (812-876-1412), Chuck, Mike & Larry plant 40 Dark American Arborvitaes, 1 Dogwood Red Satomi & 1 Maple October Glory between the shop & the highway. Those 3 guys blend-in so well with the trees, they're hard to hunt. 
James Gruntman in a siding action shot.
Mark Harris and I worker together one year doing the door & window installation work hard and heavy. At that time, he smoked Marlboro Reds, but now he smokes Doral Lights. If he keeps up that trend, he'll be puffing down UPC Brand Ultralights through a WaterPic filter. Hypnosis, self-help books and group dependency sessions will further clog this smoker's ambition. Anyway, if you use a speed square properly, this is just some of the information it will give you.
Casey Winningham (rooster and peacock owner from across the street) trenches out the downspout lines and underground electric service.
After our loan officer at the bank turned us away from further borrowing, I've sought alternative financing: Cap Daddy's Bank On Dat! with zero-percent promotional period in the Bust-a-Move Bonaza! I think he used to be one of the Beastie Boys.
The 'Hines' of Hines Seamless Guttering monitors the gutter spewing mechanism in his van. Hines can be reached at (812) 876-0789.
March 2002 -- Jerry Wallace, of Wallace Tree Service, scales a doomed Sycamore with style. Really, I'm not out to kill every tree I see, but this one was leaning at the addition. I know how to repair a stick-framed house if a tree hits it, but how do I fix a concrete wall if it breaks?! Simple, kill the tree first. Jerry says he does cat rescues too, and can be reached at (812) 876-8384.
Thanks to Ken Norris, we've been able to avoid costly dumpster fees all summer. Ken's an area renaissance man, who will not only clean out & haul off your basement and garage debris, but he also does hardwood floor work and has added lawn maintenance to his service offerings. Call him for these services with the number on his truck (812-876-7347 in case your monitor's small). Thanks, Ken!
August 2002 -- Andy Clemins, a licensed electrician, came out for a few days to lessen my electrical work's inherent fire hazards. (812) 988-2210
Aug 2002 -- Rick Long, a dealer and installer for central vacuum systems, does the final connecting on our system. He installed 4 vac ports: 1 per floor and another one for the old house. Click the picture for a link to his vac website.
Aug 2002 -- Below, Doug Day (the tile sub, (812) 876-7900) and his helper Mike prepare the walk-in shower mud pan.
Sept 2002 -- John Stedge was out that same day to do most of the floor channel installations.
Sept 2002 -- The drywall arrives! It seems like just yesterday I and others were trapped in a muddy pit of never ending cave-ins. I remember thinking on those days we would never get to this point: a dry and secure building for drywall.
Sept 2002 -- Here's two shots of some of the drywallers: Richard above and Justin below. Look at Justin's shirt, hehe.
Oct 2002 -- Tracey Cooksey (red shirt) is the drywall finisher sub, and he's using the "bazooka" tape and mud application tool. You've probably seen it on "This Old House" or the like. His buddy Whitie trails behind him dragging off the excess mud by hand.
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