Moving The Temporary Support

Ok, so I really don't have very many pictures to go with this story, but I can't express to y'all how ACCOMPLISHED we feel, having moved the support down another 16 feet.

Well, I guess we better start at the beginning, hm?  So first, we took a deep breath.  I explained to Hubs how big of an exercise in trust it was on my part to be standing under the house while the support was removed - it was the one and only test of the strength and integrity of the wall he had just built.  But I seriously believe Hubs could build anything, given enough time and materials (...and maybe another strong back, since mine doesn't seem to get the job done except maybe 10% of the time).  I seriously mean he could build ANYTHING.

Anyway, he slowly backed the jacks down, and the whole floor creaked and groaned, but didn't fall.  AFTER he was done, he explained to me that he had actually jacked the floor up slightly higher than it was originally, so it was just settling back to where it belonged. (And I do mean SLIGHTLY - my poorly-constructed floors within the house creak more when I walk over them than the house did when he "lowered" it.)

Then we held the 2x10s and kicked out the scrap 2x4s that were helping to keep the support from twisting, and then we moved it into the old kitchen and set it down.  I AM WOMAN, I AM STRONG, HEAR ME ROAR!  :D  (Cue Hubs rolling his eyes here...)  And then we looked at each other.  The main level's floor joists are almost a foot lower in the termite room than in the rest of the house.  Hubs measured me on my tippy toes, arms completely extended - my palms were 14" from the bottom of the joists in the old kitchen.  I couldn't stand there and hold the 2x10s to the joists!  We needed to do something else!  I'm strong enough to hold it on my shoulder all day long, but I really don't have the strength to hold them over my head for long, even when I AM tall enough.  So I suggested a bracing between the only wall that still exists WITHIN the basement, and Hubs one-upped me.  He gave me this:

Isn't it beautiful????

Hubs spent 20 mins screwing that shelf together for me!  And he left it up, he says to make taking it back DOWN easier.  My face lit up anyway, and he knew I planned to blog about it - awww he reads my mind! Anyway, Hubs got the support up on that, I held it at the other end, and he got the jacks in and snugged up!  And psst!  We  never dropped it even once!!!  Which is an awesome thing, considering it's currently above my new-since-we-bought-this-house washing machine!!!  ....Which is currently covered with a towel to protect it, tools because it's one of the few flat surfaces that isn't The Ground, and then covered with a trash bag in anticipation of birds finding the support's new location.  So far, so good - no birds!

So here's a view of what we'll be ripping out next!  There's nothing but the king and jack studs to the left of that leftmost window, and we'll rip out till halfway between the door and the next window.