The Log House Project

[NancysToy]

I was alone today...until the bank appraiser came. He was encouraging, saying he felt we'd get done in the nine weeks we have left. I hope so! I'm not as confident as he and my builder. I landed late, and unloaded my new Little Giant ladder. Nancy bought it for me at a recent home show. I guess she doesn't want me to fall again. I'll second that motion...the ribs feel better, but the elbow and hip are screaming at me. The elbow seems to have some nerve damage right in the spot where you hit your "funny bone". Very painful to touch in any way. The hip hurts badly, and has a big lump or maybe the bone sticking out abnormally. They said it wasn't broken, but I'm going to seek a second opinion. I shattered the pelvis on the opposite side in a motorcycle crash years ago, and never knew it until the arthritis got real bad. It acted similarly when I was first injured. Pain and I are old friends, but I worry about possible disability, so I think I'll have my ortho surgeon have a look. I could used Doc Doru's advice right about now.

Yesterday I finished shimming the walk-in shower studs for the backer board. The board has to lap over the shower pan, so the studs need to be even and the right distance away. I also wiped excess grout from the newly grouted tile floors, even though the tile guy did so several times earlier that day. Today I gave it a last dry rub and vacuuming. Sunday I will seal the quarry tile. We used simple quarry tile in the pantry and laundry, and unglazed porcelain in the foyer.

The garage doors were installed Wednesday. I splurged on the best-built garage doors I could afford. They are heavy gauge steel, with R-18 insulation, high-lift tracks, and wall-mounted operators. I was going to build swinging doors for the utility door opening, but the rib injury changed my plans. I had to order a matching overhead for that one, too, but smaller. It is strange...the 9'x8' doors came with one center hinge per panel, while the puny 6'x7' door came with two per panel. Go figure! The door operators are pretty cool. They are gear-driven and very quiet. They actually slow down when they are near the bottom...opening and closing. The control stations have motion sensors to turn on the wireless lights when you enter the room, and the doors close automatically after 1, 5, or 10 minutes, depending on how they are programmed. I am quite sure that they are smarter than I am.

The hearth on the fireplace chase has to be cut down before the chase is covered, so the mason has room to lay his hearth stones. I'm not sure how the mason and carpenter ended up on different pages, but in the absence of a carpenter it has fallen on me to remedy. It is built like a battleship, and extends under the fireplace, so it can't be removed to cut it down. It has been a struggle! I worked on it today and got the outside cut, but I am having problems with the joists, due to close quarters. I can't get most power tools in there and none will do the entire length anyway. One of the joists is doubled 2" LVL, so it is too thick for my little saber saw, and my arm wears out too quickly with a hand saw. I have been using a combination of power and hand tools, but the laminated veneer lumber dulls saws quickly. I'll hack at it some more tomorrow.



Our red cedar ceiling wood arrived today. It will be delivered Monday. Next week the trim carpenters start on the interior doors, wood ceilings, and tongue & groove walls. If the trim wood is delivered, the painter will start to finish it, so the carpenters can move on to that next. We also expect to see the electrician, and maybe the mason. I have a bunch of work to do to get ready for them, so I'll have to spend my weekend there...and get there again early Monday morning. Hopefully I can get back to my shower walls while they whittle away at the wood. I also have to get the underlayment for the kitchen and baths laid pretty soon, before the cabinets arrive. I also have to paint the walls where cabinetry will be installed. Picking paint colors has been awful! It is hard to decide what to do.

[NancysToy]

Up at six again this morning and on the road to Allegan. The first order of business was to clean up some drainage ditches to get the water moving. That is actually good news, since the water has been all frozen until these last few days. We're back below freezing again, though, and should stay that way for a while. We don't have any bare ground except in the driveway and some drainage paths. I can see about half of the roof, though. Spring is nothing but a cruel tease this year, I hope it comes in earnest soon. We have experiences temperatures well below normal for six months, and they say there will be no change until at least June. I'd love to see some bare ground. On the bright side, the last of the ice left my driveway at home last night. It's still too muddy to get the Spyder out, but there is hope.

I managed to get my hearth cut down the rest of the way. It took a variety of hand saws and hand and power tools (mostly hand saws)...and a lot of an old man's stamina, but I got it whipped. It took several hours. I'm glad I wasn't paying a carpenter to do it. My Dremel Multi-tool is dying, so I had to hold my mouth just right to use it, although it could only do a small portion of the job. I thought it was an extravagance when I bought it a few years back, but I use it all the time. If I can't repair it I will definitely buy another.

In the afternoon I got about half of the fireplace chase covered. Sorry, no pictures, I was tired and I was running late. I hadn't seen Nancy since early Wednesday, and I wanted to get home to her. Her sister's surgery went well, BTW. The mason wanted OSB on the chase instead of the usual drywall or cement board. Easier to fasten his mesh to it, I guess. I had to use drywall around the fireplace itself, however, since that or cement board is required within 1" of the opening. The OSB was easier, even if it had to be cut with a saw.

Tomorrow I need to finish the fireplace, seal the edges of my air barrier membrane, and seal the quarry tile. No day of rest this week, I have a long work list and I have to stay ahead of the mason and trim carpenters.

[Pennyrick]

Scotty:

You've had a real battle with weather this year.

Thought you may enjoy this Canadian video spoofing weather forecasters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkDv...ature=youtu.be

[Magdave]

Little Giants are great ladders I love mine and the portability and adjustability it has. I got the standoff too. The house is looking good weather should start to get better soon and you can crack that whip on the contractors.

[NancysToy]

Little Giants are great ladders I love mine and the portability and adjustability it has. I got the standoff too. The house is looking good weather should start to get better soon and you can crack that whip on the contractors.

Yep, I got the standoff, work plank, and some other stuff. Nancy was very good to me!

[NancysToy]

We have still been moving along at a fast pace lately, after such a long lull. Yesterday three trim carpenters showed up to begin the interior walls, doors, wood ceilings, and trim. The painter showed up to go over the job. The ceiling wood was delivered and staged, and the trim wood as well. The new wood is a little wet, and will need to acclimate a few days. The carpenters started on the tongue & groove pine walls. Most of the perimeter walls are the T&G, after all, it is a log home, so it should look like one. The carpenters got all three bedrooms done.

Today four trim carpenters landed and started in the foyer. Very tricky getting things to line up room to room and over the long distances, with this open floor plan. They have done a great job so far. The interior doors showed up, and our lead carpenter began to install those, too. I worked on the corbel installation on the fireplace, that we enclosed last weekend. Nancy continued cleaning in the basement. The painter asked to stage materials and finish them down there. It had exposed cellulose insulation in the walkout wall, and lots blown onto the I-joists, so we spent much of Monday covering the walls with plastic and cleaning the joists. After that we swept. Nancy finished that today, and then vacuumed the entire thing, not an easy job for a 34'x62'x9' basement. The electrician spent the day putting in outlets and hooking up circuits. Hopefully we will have lights and a few more usable outlets soon.



We are missing a few doors, one was the wrong size, and a few were damaged. Hopefully that will all be corrected tomorrow or the next day. I doubt the carpenters will be longer than tomorrow finishing the walls, then it is on to the ceilings and the extension jambs on the windows and doors. The painter will be here Monday to begin finishing the trim and painting some plaster walls and ceilings. We should be pretty well buttoned up by the end of next week, so I can put down the underlayment in preparation for the cabinets. Things are moving right along.....and it is finally beginning to look like what we envisioned.

[cuznjohn]

looks fantastic

[Jim&Teresa]

Lots of progress! Thanks for the updates! Good job

[GloryRyders]

Before you know it you will be scheduling the "house warming" party!

[Cavman]

Look at putting a bit of oil on the steel parts of your Little Giant ladder. I had a problems with mine and corrosion from moisture. My ladder was difficult opening up because of the rust binding the parts.

[NancysToy]

Look at putting a bit of oil on the steel parts of your Little Giant ladder. I had a problems with mine and corrosion from moisture. My ladder was difficult opening up because of the rust binding the parts.

Thanks for the tip.

[NancysToy]

The finish carpenters completed the interior wood today. They got the tongue & groove installed in the greatroom. They still have to trim the corners throughout the house. They also have to install the wood ceilings for the greatroom and our bedroom, install the stair treads, install extension jambs for the windows and doors, finish the interior door installation, and trim everything after the painter pre-finishes the trim. Between covering the walls and moving some of the stacked material around we got most of our floors back, however. That is nice! It was quite a challenge to maneuver this week so far.



It is very satisfying to see all the walls covered at last. The tongue & groove pine looks great. Even though you envision how your choices in wall treatments will look, you are never quite sure until they are in place. So far we have been happy with all our decisions in designing the house and planning the interior and exterior treatments. I have only changed one thing along the way, I changed the closet doors in the bedrooms from bypass doors to bifolds. My builder is thrilled that we have not given him a moving target. The carpenter may not be as thrilled with the door change, he has some changes to make to accommodate the slightly wider door sets.

The Little Giant ladder got a workout today. With every eight foot stepladder both they and I had supporting the scaffolding along the 30 foot wall, we needed something that could reach the farthest corner. Little Giant to the rescue!

[NancysToy]

The finish carpenters cut trim to size today and routed it, for the painter to varnish next week, and they installed most of the extension jambs for the windows and doors. They also made some final door adjustments and installed the remaining interior doors except for the closet bifolds. We are waiting for a couple more of those to be delivered. The carpenters are done for a week or so. They will return to install the trim and the wood ceilings after the painter does his magic next week.

We are real pleased with the finish carpenters. They were an unknown. Our builder lost his long-time carpenter around New Years, and had to interview replacements. I think he found just the right guys. They are full of good ideas, very precise, and they are fun to work with.

Nancy and I did a little clean-up today, and I did a few other minor things, but we would have been in the way if we did much, and the electric outlets and cords were all in use, prohibiting me from doing the things on my work list that required power or air tools. We finally headed to the paint store and set up a consultation for next week. We'll be more productive tomorrow, before we head off to another home show.

[SpyderAnn01]

I'm trying to figure out what Nancy is up to in that picture.

[NancysToy]

I'm trying to figure out what Nancy is up to in that picture.

I think she was looking at the door. She had never seen the pocket door closed before. On the other hand, she could be searching for UFOs.

[NancysToy]

This week has been painting week. Sorry, but it doesn't lend itself to taking pictures or videos when guys are spraying varnish in a basement or painting in a small room. The painter had a crew of 2-3 guys clear-coating trim Monday and Tuesday. As you can imagine, there is a lot of it, so it kept them busy. Yesterday the painter primed the kitchen, one bath, the laundry, and the pantry. He took today off to have a tooth pulled (and maybe tomorrow to recover). He'll have the other bath to prime when he returns, and then he'll start adding some color. I intended to do the painting myself while they finished the trim, but I was not going to have time before the cabinets arrived. Many hands make light work...or at least a faster pace.

We seem to have been tied up a lot with administration this week. Coordinating with the builder and going over our schedule, touching base with the bank, measuring for railings, meeting with a paint consultant, and ordering a custom vanity top and custom-made stair treads & risers. I suppose my builder could have done some of this, I am not the general contractor, but he is behind on three jobs, and I know the territory and exactly what I want. My help makes the job go faster and go right. He doesn't mind, and has normally been pleased that we were a bit ahead of him.

We did manage to make up some paint sample boards over the weekend and into this week. That showed us we had to make some changes. Things look different in tiny swatches. I am doing another batch now, with more to come soon. My underlayment arrives tomorrow, so I can put that down in the kitchen and baths when I won't get in the painter's way...probably Sunday. We did some ditch maintenance and driveway repair, following the loss of our snow cover at long last. We still have piles, but have finally made great gains on the Spring thaw. This is the longest continuous snow cover ever...by about a month! Yesterday and today I put up the backer board in our walk-in shower. I have to do the other bath, then put up the solid surface surround in our bath and tile the other surround.

We did take the weekend off...first in a month. We attended a couple of home shows and saw some neat stuff. Sunday I did income taxes. I would rather have sweated at the house. The builder says he expects to finish in six weeks. That includes this week. I am skeptical, but the bank will extend the construction loan if needed. Lots of work ahead...no Spyder rides for us until it is done. Enjoy some Spring for us.

[Woody]

One time I painted our 20x20 living room with cathedral ceiling. I painted four 2'X2' pieces or drywall in diff colors for the bride to consider. It took her a week to choose one and I put two coats on. After a week, she didn't like it, and I agreed to re-paint with two more coats of a diff. Color. After a day or two, I said "Don't worry honey, if you don't like this color, you can always have your next husband paint it"


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[NancysToy]

One time I painted our 20x20 living room with cathedral ceiling. I painted four 2'X2' pieces or drywall in diff colors for the bride to consider. It took her a week to choose one and I put two coats on. After a week, she didn't like it, and I agreed to re-paint with two more coats of a diff. Color. After a day or two, I said "Don't worry honey, if you don't like this color, you can always have your next husband paint it"

[MarkLawson]

I'm truly sorry to hear you'll not be riding to SpyderFest later this month. You and Nancy are always folks I look forward to seeing.

[NancysToy]

I'm truly sorry to hear you'll not be riding to SpyderFest later this month. You and Nancy are always folks I look forward to seeing.

We are disappointed, too. Even more so that the Owner's Event isn't looking promising, either. The timing is bad and the money is low. We'll see what happens. Playing things a tiny bit at a time, we don't plan ahead more than a week or two lately. There are lots of folks that we'd like to see...and you're at the top of our list. We'll just have to be patient.

I framed out the other shower niche today, and started hanging backer board for the tile. We don't get many days off. Tonight our BMW club is having dinner at the Gilmore Car Museum, followed by our club meeting, then a private tour of the Museum. We have to grab our fun where we can, but this may be one of the best club meetings we ever had.

[Cavman]

It's nice to see you chose a light color for the interior walls. I have been looking at houses on Zillow and Trulia. Houses that use darker woods look doomy and gloomy inside. Hardly any light in those interiors. That would mean more lights and higher power bills.
In your case, all those windows on the side of the great room help to light it up durning the day.

I was wondering, with all the snow that y'all get for such a long period of time, will there be planting of grass in your yard? Seems it would be a very short mowing season up there?

House looks great!

[NancysToy]

It's nice to see you chose a light color for the interior walls. I have been looking at houses on Zillow and Trulia. Houses that use darker woods look doomy and gloomy inside. Hardly any light in those interiors. That would mean more lights and higher power bills.
In your case, all those windows on the side of the great room help to light it up durning the day.

I was wondering, with all the snow that y'all get for such a long period of time, will there be planting of grass in your yard? Seems it would be a very short mowing season up there?

House looks great!

To us, the mowing season seems endless...usually mid-April until mid-October. Maybe less this year, as Spring is running behind. We plan to have little or no mowed lawn, mostly meadows and native prairie and woodland plants. We do like the light in the house. Pretty strong in the winter with the reflection from the snow. It's a little less in the summer, with the shade of the trees, which prevents overheating. We think it will work out well.

[NancysToy]

Today started well.....real foggy and wet, but uneventful. We drove about 75 miles north to pick up the reclaimed barnwood vanity for our guest bathroom, and then headed for the house. It rained hard much of the morning, but the fog never lifted...weird! The painters were busy at the house, then the builder dropped off our missing doors. We headed out a little early to try to get home in time to make some pizza dough for dinner. About 5 or 6 miles down the road a deer came out of nowhere and we hit it dead center. Nancy's HHR is a mess! The airbags didn't go off, and not because the key famed in recent recalls turned off...her engine kept running. Nancy hit the seatbelt pretty hard, and went into shock. I couldn't talk her into medical care, but after the state police trooper and I pried her door open to move her to the back seat she was pretty nauseous and her chest hurt. The trooper talked her into an ambulance ride. We spent the next four hours in the ER.

We are both OK. Nancy is sore, but the drugs quelled both the pain and the nausea. Like I said, mostly shock. The car isn't so good. Neither will our bank account be after a tow from the middle of nowhere. I have to look into a better road service plan. We'll see what the body shop says Monday. We're just glad that Spring has been so slow coming, and we weren't riding the Spyders. I have lived in Michigan all my life and have ridden and driven for over 50 years. This is my first deer hit. I have come close before, and we both have hit other critters, but this is the first time for a deer.

[cuznjohn]

wow glad your both ok, metal can be replaced best of luck to the misses

[NancysToy]

Just a quick note that we are doing pretty well after our deer encounter yesterday. Nancy felt pretty good after she finally slept and worked off the remainder of the morphine this morning. Her seat belt bruises feel better. I must have taken the blow with my arms on the wheel. The damaged nerve in my arm from my fall on the ice a few weeks back magnified the muscular aches, but it didn't slow me down. Nancy vacuumed the house today and picked up fallen sticks in the yard. I worked on the brakes of my F-150, after one front locked up when it shed a pad yesterday. It was more damaged than I thought, so I will have to chase more parts tomorrow when I can borrow my son's car or take the Spyder. We are a little shy on transportation until I get the toys out.

The painters phoned. They were working at the house. It should look different the next time we land, with color on some walls. I was supposed to lay underlayment tomorrow, but the brake job has priority. I'll work nights next week if I have to. I wish there were more lights in service at the house. I may have to bring some floodlights. I hope to find out soon next week if Nancy's car is repairable. I know the deer was not.

Thanks to those who have expressed their good wishes and concerns. This is nothing but another speed bump. We're gonna be fine.