watchthehousegrow

tropical holiday

2011-12-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

This year's tree is the closest I could come to a palm tree. The place feels warmer already. Although it looks like it is resting on the stairs, it's actually hanging from the beam above, with a soup can nailed to the bottom of the trunk for water. Mele kalikimaka (or something like that)

snapping turtle nursery

2011-06-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Since I built the house there is a turtle who lays her eggs against the southwest wall. I'm guessing by the size of her that she's been doing this a lot longer than I've been here, so I work around her. The local indians here were the turtle clan of the Leni Lenape tribe. Snapping turtles are amazing creatures. Like dinosaurs. You can pick them up by the tail if necessary, but stay away from the business end.

steel ball sink strainer

2011-03-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

I replaced my kitchen and bathroom sink stoppers/strainers with some old chinese balls I had laying around.

weathering rough cut barn siding

2011-02-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

The siding has been on for almost 3 years now. It's not been treated and will weather naturally over the years with virtually zero maintenance. I'm guessing it will last around 50+ years? The house is beginning to disappear into it's surroundings. The Corten steel beams that support the raised porch have rusted up pretty evenly and will also be zero maintenance for the life of this structure and beyond.

passive solar thermal gain

2011-02-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

The thaw this week produced a reflecting pond in the depression where the patio will eventually be built. It threw light to the underside of the loft for most of the day. A reflecting pond in front of south facing glazing would be a good set up to add thermal gain to the underside of a poured concrete second floor loft.

storage in the minimal kitchen

2011-02-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Most of my kitchen storage consists of open shelving for pots, pans, dishes, etc. Food storage is divided between a pantry to the right of the refrigerator and a chamber above the oven. Below the oven are drawers for utensils and cutlery in a repurposed tool cabinet. Garbage and recycling are in a pull out unit under the sink.

arctic blast/nordic heat

2011-01-24T16:10:00.000-08:00

The weather has been pretty cold of late. Below zero for the past 4 nights. The masonry heater keeps the place around 60+ degrees with 2 good sized fires per day. This morning it was a 70 degree temperature difference between inside (60) and outside (-10)... and that was 12 hours after last night's fire had burned out. I'm beyond impressed.

like a hurricane

2011-01-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Did you ever stop putting stuff away? I did.

flashback 15yrs.

2011-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

I had a small co-op in the East Village of NYC back in the day. It was a 700 sq.ft. duplex with an unfortunately placed cleanout trap for the building's main drain... in my living room. I removed the wooden trap door that covered it, tiled the whole thing and filled it with water and little 10 cent feeder fish. It worked great til the whole downstairs flooded... 3 times. They fixed the flooding problem and I sold it about a decade ago.

rails and fences

2010-12-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

I put up a railing on the stairway and fence and railing along the top to match the railings on the catwalk above. I used 1-1/4 inch galvanized pipe and fittings.

monochrome finishes

2010-12-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

The bedroom and downstairs bathroom are finished off in gray with a variety of metals (aluminum baseboards, chrome shower fixtures, stainless steel wallplates, and galvanized roof panels). The walls are painted medium gray and the shower wall is stuccoed with the same shade of concrete. I used commercial grade switches and outlets which come in gray, instead of the standard white.

frost proof shallow foundation

2010-10-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

The slab that the house sits on is insulated on the outside with 2 inches of rigid foam. I finally got around to coating it to protect it from UV degradation and the occasional bump or scrape. You can see a bit of the underlying pink insulation at the bottom left of the photo. I used a premixed grey stucco and just troweled it on in 2 coats. The rough cut lumber siding is weathering nicely. It's been on a little over 2 years now. It's grayer at the bottom where it gets rain splashback, The outside finishes are all designed to be maintenance free. The copper flashing, siding, and now the stucco will all patina over the years without having to seal or paint or scrape any of it.

agricultural and institutional furnishings

2010-10-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

I put up corner shelves made out of the old barn floor boards and got a metal daybed from my friend Linda. I've been looking for something with a thin profile that casts the least possible shadow to maximize the passive solar gain to the slab in the cold months. And it's incredibly comfortable. For a pad I have a yoga mat (high density foam) with a 1 inch memory foam pad over it and fake fur over that. Actually it's insanely comfortable. It's a bit rusty and I was going to paint it but it matches the color of the firebrick so I'm waiting. That about finishes the living room. The dining table chairs can wheel around for extra seating.

trimming out the indoor shower

2010-08-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

I trimmed out the skylight over the shower and also did some small finish work in the upstairs bath. I hope to start the front patio soon.

big snow

2010-02-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

February is going out like a crazed lunatic. About 3 feet of snow over 2 days. More where it's drifted. It was up to the doorknob of the kitchen door so I escaped out the sliding glass doors. Thankfully, I have an emergency wood pile right outside the livingroom. That's one less thing to dig out.

kitchen 18 months later

2010-02-16T10:00:00.001-08:00

I've been living in the house now for a bit over a year and a half. The kitchen counters are holding up incredibly well. They are made of antique wood from the barn floor. I oil them about once a month or less with mineral oil and keep standing water from pooling up on them. It's less of a hassle than I imagined and it has the added benefit of keeping the counters clean and free of junk. I use cutting boards for chopping and oil them when I do the counters. There is a pantry with a sliding door on the far side of the fridge and between that and the "multiuse chamber" above the oven, I have plenty of food storage space. The rest is all open storage on shelves under the counters. Garbage and recycling are in a pullout under the sink. I still need to finish the door trim.

lowest impact xmas tree

2009-12-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

All you need is a saw, a soup can and 2 nails. I picked a tree that was starting to shade out my blueberry bushes. Hung it from the ceiling beam and nailed a can onto the bottom for water. It's wired from the second floor balcony.

moon and stars

2009-12-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

I finally hooked up my grandpa's 50's Sputnik chandelier in the main room. It hangs from the walkway to the raised porch. I'm waiting on getting the star shaped bulbs that were made for it, they still make them but they're pricey. Anyone know of a cheap source?

snowflake

2009-12-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

Al and I cut some drainage channels into the shower floor to hopefully keep the shower water from making it's way down the hall. The slab is pretty much flat so I may eventually have to rent a floor grinder to pitch the whole surface toward the drain a bit. It's not been much of a problem so far even without the new channels. I put a towel across the hall side and just squeegee the water toward the drain when I'm done. I can cut more channels if I need to as well.

view from shower

2009-11-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

Here's the view from the shower tonight and on the first day of spring this year. So that twice a year the sun sets directly down the hall... like Stonehenge. I'll try and post the same view soon, but during daylight hours. I finally painted the main room sliders the same shade as the walls, which helps make them disappear.

downstairs toilet

2009-11-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm about done with the downstairs bath suite. I reused the planks from a bench to make the shelves. For the ceiling I used up the rest of the scrap corrugated roofing that I had laying around. Only thing left to install is the GFI outlet above the toilet.

indoor shower

2009-09-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

Just in time for fall, I'm finally able to take a shower indoors. I stuccoed the wall that has the fixtures on it and covered the other 2 walls in galvanized metal roofing panels. There's a 4x4 ft. skylight above it that makes it seem like an outdoor shower. I still need to cut channels into the concrete floor to help drain water but I'm able to take quick "navy showers" for now.
Above the oven I added a matching "multi-use chamber" from Viking. I couldn't say no to the 50 dollar price, it retails for $1150! It's meant to hide your cheap and ugly microwave, but since I don't own one, it's a pretty fancy bread box.

outdoor shower

2009-06-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

I had both hot and cold water run to the outside of the house and hooked up a watering wand that can be placed into a holder on the wall to make a shower. My new favorite thing is showering in the rain (but NOT during an electrical storm - that could be risky).

shower

2009-06-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Now that the outdoor shower is hooked up and running, I'm starting on the indoor shower. I've attached aluminum 2 inch angle all around the perimeter of the shower floor with silicone. That should keep the water from seeping into the walls. If there is a small leak it shouldn't create much of a problem as my sill plates are all pressure treated. All the walls get a vapor barrier and then the back and left wall will get covered in galvanized roofing, while the right wall ( which will have the shower head and faucet)will get cement backerboard covered with a skim coat of fiber reinforced stucco. The floor is not sloped toward the drain so my idea is to cut in channels that slope toward the center drain with a circular saw and masonry blade. I'll have to fabricate some kind of sloping guide for the saw but I think it may work. I may need to take "navy showers" and keep a squeegee handy in case the water wants to start creeping down the hallway. The whole shower area is covered by a skylight so it will feel like an outdoor shower (but much warmer in the winter).

spirail

2009-05-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

I rebent and cut a spare spiral railing section and secured the whole spiral staircase. I chipped all the old paint off the railing and I'm protecting the bare metal with a little wd40 for now. The rest of the staircase gets painted gray. I fastened the end to the catwalk railing (fence) with a bolt.

yard scrap lounge chair

2009-05-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is the spool from my electric supply cable with some other yard scrap attached. In lounging and upright position. Sized to fit. The roll back is an adventure, a little scary at first. It's got a victorian wheelchair vibe goin.

cleaning up the building scrap from the yard

2009-05-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to use up the building scraps that are left in the yard. This first project is a privacy fence/potting stand/windbreak/outdoor shower. I had to buy a roll of tarpaper to wrap the SIP pieces and covered it with leftover batten boards and scrap lumber. There's lots more scrap to use up.

like eating off the barn floor

2009-04-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Literally. The table and bench are finished and in place under the stairs. When I have enough guests I can roll it out and fit 10 or twelve, but most of the time will use the 5 or so feet that sticks out beyond the staircase.

the catwalk floor

2009-04-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

The elevated bridge to the raised porch is closer to done. I finally gave the floor boards another coat of tung oil and fastened them down with stainless screws and washers. The boards are left over rough cut that I used to side the house, sanded and oiled and tacked down with 4 screws each. It squeaks a little but that's part of the thrill... it's 16 feet in the air. The boards can eventually be reused for another project. All the foot traffic will patina them quickly.

farm table

2009-04-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

More of the old barn floor planks, this time repurposed for dining. The square iron bases are finds from the farm's old metal dump. I think they are salvaged from a silo. I've been staring at them for 9 years trying to figure out a use for them. I hope this works.

chain link railings

2009-04-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Al dropped off some chainlink fencing, and with the help of my new bolt cutters and a few hours I cut it down to size, bent the sharp edges over ("finished" the cut edge) and installed it on the fence post railings that I had previously put up. It's a much less scary walk to the front porch now. I also installed my 50's galaxy light fixture to the bottom of the catwalk. I want to get the "star" lightbulbs that are original to the lamp and put it on a dimmer. A little bit of an electrical indulgence but it lights up both floors when in use. The bulbs are a bit pricey but should last longer if dimmed. LED chandelier bulbs don't seem to be an option yet, they're way too expensive, and I haven't seen any interesting designs... and the color of the light is still a little strange.

vernal equinox

2009-04-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

The first day of spring (as well as fall) brings the sunset light all the way down the corridor to the shower at the end. It's kinda like my own personal Stonehenge, and I'll admit that it's not totally by accident. This is the last section of the house left to be completed. I'm posting this to try and motivate myself to finish up. The future shower at the end of this hall is going to be a bit tricky. There is a drain in the floor and my plan is to grind down the concrete just enough to pitch the water into the drain, seal the edges where the walls meet the floor and forgo having a lip at the front edge. For the shower walls, I'm going to cover 2 with galvanized roof panels and the third wall will be stuccoed to match the concrete floor. I don't know if it will work but I am going to give it a shot. The whole ceiling above the shower is a 4ft. x 4ft. skylight. The idea here is to make it seem like an outdoor shower.

the outhouse

2009-02-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

The loft bathroom is finished except for some door trim. The toilet paper holder is an old animal research cage where it looks like the rat busted out thru the metal mesh door. The tub was stored in the old barn and I put it up on some timbers, as it had no legs. It's dated 1936 on the bottom and in excellent shape. I salvaged the sink from an old neighbors house which my parents bought and tore down. I had always coveted it growing up and stored it for years waiting for the right spot to use it. The toilet is the cheapest one I could find at Home Depot (about 50 or 60 bucks). It also happened to be my favorite. I didn't want an elongated bowl due to the small size of the bathroom, and I am not a fan of the newer "comfort height" higher ones. This one went the best with the other fixtures, is a low volume flush and works great. However, it could use a better looking flush lever, I've been hunting one down. With the tub and sink faucets and fittings, the whole bathroom cost under $200.00.

winter position

2009-02-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

In the winter months, I slide the bed up next to the back of the masonry heater which pops through the wall into my bedroom. It's my dutch wife. It's a bit minimalist, but the monochromatic color scheme and lack of window treatments forces the view to be the main (and only) focus. And at night, there is not even that distraction from falling fast asleep. For those who don't get up with the sun, I may one day put up those deep green pull down school blinds. I'm just not quite ready to add that splash of color yet.

backtrack

2009-02-10T11:00:00.001-08:00

I've been at a standstill in construction this last month so I thought I'd post some previous shots of progress from this summer. The exterior is done and the kitchen and living space are just about there. I've left the house a few times this winter for 2 to 3 days at a time. With no wood fires and no other source of heat, the house has maintained a temperature of 55 degrees minimum. Even with the outdoor temps dipping into the single digits! One fire brings it back into the 60s when I return. It's a small miracle. OK, I'm almost done touting the virtues of the masonry heater...almost.

diamonds from heaven

2008-12-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

So this has little to do with my house except that the ice storm knocked out my power for 18 hours. The masonry heater kept me toasty and a few candles kept me from bumping into things. Pictures don't do it justice, it was spectacular.

happy heating

2008-12-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

My wood-fired masonry heater has been working like a dream. I built a fire last night before bed and the house stayed toasty all night. Outside dropped to the single digits with below zero wind chills. Inside, the temp went from 68 degrees last night down to 64 this morning. All from one armload of wood.

personal hygiene station

2008-11-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

I'm working on the downstairs half bath. The toilet is in and the bidet is next. These are some pics of the placement. It's up on a step to make it more flexible as far as usage. I'll also be installing grab bars on each side. The wainscot is cedar house siding and the baseboard is a cedar 2x8. I'm hoping to leave the wood bare or maybe just mineral oil it lightly once in a while. I'll see how it patinas.

a few very busy things

2008-11-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

The sideboard was inherited from my mom. She had "antiqued" it avocado to match our dining room set in the 70's. It's stripped back down to rosewood now and resting comfortably. The portrait is another gift from Aunt Jackie, it's one of her distant inlaws. We both like it most for the frame. And then I couldn't pass up the giant oxblood velvet, way too busy,display case. A 40 dollar bargain from Green Demolitions, our local thrift. But as less is more, I think I'm done with the gilt.

some win some lose

2008-10-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

The apples are crazy this year! The other tree... not so much. Although it's striking.

the outhouse door

2008-09-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

I scraped and stripped the door Mike gave me. I don't know the whole backstory but he's been carrying it around for years from some Upper East Side NYC renovation. I put one coat of tung oil on it and it seems like enough for now. Hot water is on and the bathroom and kitchen are functioning.

jackie's fridge

2008-09-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

My auntie wanted to buy one of the appliances for the house. So here it is, my new and shiny Summit bottom freezer. I built a pantry next to it with a sliding door so I don't have to look at all the crap, I mean food. Thanks Jackie. I'm set.

the kitchen

2008-09-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm finally close to finishing the kitchen. I still have to figure out the pantry next to the fridge, and paint some trim but she's in. I've been working on a bench for in front of the fire.

slow month

2008-09-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, I've been doing the trim work in the kitchen, working on the electric and finished the waste drains so that the water is ready to hook up. The fridge and faucet come this week and that will just about finish the kitchen.

on to the inside

2008-08-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

I sanded down the countertops and oiled them. They're made of the same old barn floorboards that I used for the stairs. The countertops get mineral oil once a month or so.

outside more or less done

2008-08-01T13:57:00.001-07:00

The tin is done on the porch and the wood siding is up and ready to weather.

porch tin

2008-07-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Al and I finished putting up the tin porch ceiling. It's a bit dangerous to work with (buy some bandaids!) It adds almost no weight to the structure and is much cheaper than wood. Also it's recyclable, and looks great. A little more trim work and the exterior is done.

porch railings

2008-06-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

I put up the porch railings yesterday. I used 1/2 inch galvanized pipe and slotted it through holes I drilled in the upright posts. The metal pipe varies greatly in price locally. For a 21 foot length it was $52.00 one place and $38.00 another. You can guess which place I got it. Anyway, it looks great without obstructing the view.

house from field, vice versa

2008-06-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

more siding done.

stop stairing

2008-06-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

I finished the majority of the stairs and painted the wall behind a bronze green. The treads each got 3 coats of tung oil finish as did the LVL stringers. Now I have to start on railings for my porch.

first step

2008-05-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

I've been working on refinishing the steps this week. I'm using a tung oil finish, probably 3 coats to start. Also, the loft floor is installed and looks great. Siding is on hold as I wait for my full crew. It really requires at least 3 people to get those 16 foot boards sawn, carried, and attached. More stair pics soon.

board n' batten day two

2008-05-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Still cold and rainy, but nothing can stop my crew. The exterior should be pretty much done by Memorial day. I'm not sure if I'm still on schedule since I don't have one.

shingles and siding

2008-05-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

The roof is finished and the first wall is sided. I'm leaving the rough cut wood siding and the copper flashing to weather naturally. That should save me a few decades of maintenance. It was in the 40s most of the day with wind and rain. Way too cold for the end of May.

luck burns a hole in the hill

2008-05-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

the kitchen begins

2008-05-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is taking shape at last. I've repurposed some more of the old barn floor planks into countertops and Mike built the cooktop island out of them as well. The unfinished chunkiness gives it a real Flintstone vibe. Al and Jim finished the roof and I got the rough cut board and batten siding delivered this week.

rafterview from the floor

2008-05-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is the lid to the last post.

porch view east to west

2008-05-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

more springness

more porch

2008-05-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

More progress on the porch.

deck and door

2008-04-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

We got the cedar decking on and the final door in today. The new glass door really helps light up the upstairs. Tomorrow we start on the porch roof.

building the porch

2008-04-27T08:27:00.001-07:00

We've started on the porch and should have the decking on tomorrow. I'm using cedar which, even though it's at an all time high, it's still cheaper than composites like TREX or tongue and groove mahogany. Since the porch is going to be covered, it should last a very long time. The view is even more spectacular from up there. The leaves are just now starting to unfurl.

raised porch

2008-04-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

After close to 6 months of waiting, I finally got the support beams delivered and installed for my raised front porch. They're Corten steel which left unpainted will patina to a rust color over time. Installation was less than an hour and now I'm ready to start on the porch.

it's natural

2008-04-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

After I started to paint the main room today, I went for a walk in my field and realized I'm using the palette of my view in selecting colors for the interior. I'm thinking to paint the back wall green so I guess I'll wait til spring gets a little closer to pick the right shade. A special thanks to my friend Stephen for color consulting.

spring not sprung

2008-03-28T09:03:00.003-07:00

March, as usual has been the cruelest month. Snow, sleet, rain, and even some sun... we've had it all, and sometimes all at once. Still a bit of snow left on the ground but for the most part it's thawed out. Kind of beautiful though.

the chelsea gap

2008-03-28T08:42:00.007-07:00

I've designed the walls with a recessed baseboard like they use in art galleries to give the appearance of a "floating" wall. My friend Nick informs me that this is known in the trade as a Chelsea Gap. No doubt in reference to the proliferation of art galleries in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. I'm using 1-1/2" aluminum flat bar stock to finish it off. I doubled the 1/2" sheetrock on the walls to help insulate and give me a little more thermal mass to absorb heat when the sun hits them. This brings the walls out one inch from the aluminum "baseboard".
I tried to match the color of the concrete floor and came up with a medium gray that the paint store calls "anonymous". I wanted something that wouldn't compete with the view and would be calming for the bedroom. Some might say boring, but they can sleep somewhere else. The only real color in the room is the natural hue of the firebrick where the masonry stove pops through the wall to help with heating. The sliding doors and windows will be painted out with the same gray as the walls and ceiling.

plumbing

2008-03-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

The plumbing is nearing completion in the "everything" room. Blue is for cold and red is for hot (duh). The room is off my bedroom and houses the mechanicals, washing machine and clothes closet. I've been plastering walls and hope to have more to show here soon.

every barn needs a tin roof

2008-02-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

We got the galvanized roofing up on the ceiling this week. The only finish work was wiping off my fingerprints. It brings a lot of light up into the second floor.

starting/finishing

2008-02-09T08:23:00.001-08:00

The bedroom is nearly ready to paint, just the window sills and baseboards to go. Al and I picked up the galvanized roofing that I'm using on the interior as my ceiling. No plastering or taping or painting, and very little cutting required. We just need to be careful of fingerprints while putting it up. The upstairs "outhouse" is starting to take shape.

clean heat

2008-01-20T07:39:00.005-08:00

The masonry heater is working great. Here's a pic of the fire and then one of the smoke it was making. It's all steam, burns really clean. Then, let it go out, close the damper and it heats the house for 12 to 24 hours. Most of the house is sheetrocked and ready to mud.

first fire

2008-01-12T17:52:00.006-08:00

Al Blanchard got my chimney popped thru the roof and flashed. Little fires for now till it cures, then I'm set for heat.

heats coming

2008-01-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Brian Klipfel came by to finish the masonry heater today. The stainless triple wall chimney thru the roof will be the last step. I'm hoping to have the first fire next week.

the perfect incline

2008-01-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

The old barn floor turned into stair treads today thru the magic that is Mike Osterhout. 3 inches thick and 13plus inches deep. It's fine furniture.

stairway

2008-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Mike and Al have been busy building the stair landing/closet and today the LVL stringers. The old barn floor becomes stair treads tomorrow.

snow shower

2008-01-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

The sunset on New Year's Eve. It's getting frigid (3 degrees) tonight.

mass(ive)

2008-01-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

My mason, Brian Knipfel, was camped out all weekend getting the masonry mass added to my heater core. The original idea was to then stucco the whole thing but it turned out so well that I'm going to hold off on the stucco. It's one day of work away from being ready to pop the pipe thru the roof. Then heat. I think the brick and block look great with the floor.

glass

2007-12-09T14:12:00.001-08:00

The doors and windows are mostly in and the piers are set for the steel girders supporting the second floor porch. I want to use all roughcut timber for the 8 x 16 foot raised front porch, the stair stringers and the board and batten siding. Some electric and plumbing planned this week so hopefully I can be running hot water into the floor to start heating it up by the weekend.

buttoning up

2007-11-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

The house got closed in yesterday and the masonry heater core was installed today. The electrical service inspection was also today so now we wait for NYSEG to run us some wire and finally get some juice.

looks like a house

2007-11-19T04:17:00.000-08:00

We finally got the heavy machinery (thanks Al) to get the upper walls on and the roof sheathing. Al and I worked thru the weekend to get it sealed up.(thanks again Al). And sure enough it's Monday and it's snowing. At least I don't have to shovel out the loft again! Now we put in the doors and windows, put ice and water shield on the roof, get the electricity hooked up, house wrap with tyvek, and get the masonry woodstove in, hopefully by the end of the year. Then we can work on the inside in relative comfort.

setting the LVLs

2007-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

first snow

2007-11-11T15:02:00.001-08:00

thursday november 8th

2007-11-08T14:58:00.001-08:00

Here's the progress as of hunting time today.

walls up

2007-11-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

The SIPs went up relatively easy with 3 of us. A 4X16 foot section weighs about 255lbs. The roof rafters are a little lighter but more involved (cutting,placement,etc.) Finally has the profile of a house/barn.

the walls are here

2007-11-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

The SIPs came this morning. Unloading was relatively easy and took about an hour. Mike and Al should be ready to start work later today or next week. I think with the three of us it should go pretty fast. The heaviest panels are 255 lbs. We may need the crane to put up the second story panels... or lots of Wheaties!

winter says hello

2007-10-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

The yard's been finish graded and I have a gravel driveway down. The shed roof wall is sheathed and ready for the electric panel and meter to be installed. The ridge beam is up and ready to accept the rafters. We're down to the wire as it is going to go well below freezing tonight for the first time this fall.

the stick built wall

2007-10-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

We decided to frame this wall traditionally so we can put up the roof joists and get moving with the roof. I've abandoned plans for a metal roof after seeing the great job that Mike and Al did with architrctural shingles on the main house. The rest of the walls will be SIP panels which will hopefully be here within 2 weeks.

floored

2007-10-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Floor joists and subfloor installed yesterday, now we work on the roof and the end wall. It's starting to feel like a structure. New utility pole goes in today so electric hookup is getting closer.

erecting the beams

2007-10-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

The beams went up in about 4 hours with the help of Dan from Delta Crane Service and my worker bees, Mike and Al. Here are some shots of the progress

while we wait...

2007-10-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

The electric cable gets buried and the old posts and beams get erected in a week or so. After that we put on new roof rafters and enclose the place with SIP panels, Hopefully by November. Until then, the view to ponder...

moving the barn

2007-09-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

After taking the shed roof down last winter, we stripped the barn down to the beams. Then Mike, Al and Dan dismantled the bents and hoisted them to the ground for cleaning, de-bugging, and transport across the street to the building site.

the pour

2007-08-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 18 '07. The Concrete was loading in before 7:00 AM. The finishers were done by about 2:00PM. Kept it wet the rest of the day. So far So good. The next work on the slab will be polishing the concrete.

The view

2007-08-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Here's the view due south from my house site. No neighbors, good passive solar gain and purdy too!

In the beginning

2007-08-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the last known farmers in my family. My great great grandparents, with my grandpa Jack Casperson.