I know this is one of the most awaited updates from me here on Hive. After everything we have experienced, I can finally share some good news. At last, we were able to build our second floor!

For those who have been following my previous stories, you already know how difficult our situation was. Flooding has always been one of our biggest problems. There were times when we had no choice but to leave our home and evacuate. It was exhausting and emotionally difficult, especially when we had to think about our children and our belongings.

That is why having a second floor means so much to us. We no longer have to leave our house every time the floodwater rises. We finally have a place upstairs where our family can stay. After all the struggles, this improvement feels like a little light after a very dark experience.

As you can see in the pictures, the house was still messy during construction. There was still water on the ground floor, but the work had to continue. My brother-in-law suggested using tubular steel for the structure instead of building everything with concrete. Using cement, sand, and gravel would have been more difficult because of the water situation. So they worked with steel and welding instead.

I really felt sorry for my brother-in-law because welding was not easy. His eyes would become red after working for hours. Another difficult part was bringing the roofing materials upstairs. We even had to borrow another boat just to transport the long sheets of roofing materials.

All the construction materials had to be unloaded near the highway first, then brought to our house by boat. Carrying the roofing sheets was especially challenging because they could not be bent or damaged. My husband, brother-in-law, and son carefully carried them upstairs, wearing gloves to protect their hands from the sharp edges

It may look like a short story in these pictures, but the construction took several months. There were many challenges, tiring days, and sacrifices behind this project.

Now, we are finally living in the house we worked so hard to build. It is not perfect, but it gives our family more security and hope.

Sometimes, the greatest blessing is not having a perfect home, but finally having a place where we can feel safer and start again.

Thank you for reading my post
@usagigallardo015