The Log House Project

[Netminder]

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.

Yes hope it is your last too! They really make a mess of a car! I have hit three in my lifetime and each made a real mess! Glad that no one was seriously hurt.(except the deer!)Cars can be fixed. Have been reading this post since the beginning, but is my first post, just wanted to say the house is looking great!

[SFC]

Have enjoyed your play by play on your house project. I feel like I have been with you. I'm glad Nancy is doing good ( did you get to keep the deer??) look forward meeting you and yours missed you at the Mi. Meet & greet. Good luck on the house.




On my way to my 1st Spyderfest.

[NancysToy]

Have enjoyed your play by play on your house project. I feel like I have been with you. I'm glad Nancy is doing good ( did you get to keep the deer??) look forward meeting you and yours missed you at the Mi. Meet & greet. Good luck on the house.




On my way to my 1st Spyderfest.

We weren't in a position to keep the deer, but it was our option. Hard to haul it to the processor in the ambulance...and our only transportation nearby was wounded. I'm hoping the state trooper put it out of its misery, but he was busy with us for quite a while.

Sorry we couldn't make the meet and greet. In reality Gizzard City is a bit risky for us food-wise, so we probably would have bowed out even on a good riding day. We won't be doing much in the way of Spyder events this year, unfortunately, so we'll have to run across you on Michigan roads...unless we host a BBQ at the new house.

[dabreitbach]

" The airbags didn't go off, and not because the key famed in recent recalls " Just fyi the sensor that sets off the air bag is on the bumper, which wasn't touched by the looks of the pics. Glad everybody is okay.

[Jeriatric]

When you say you center punched it. You weren't kidding. Looking at what's crumpled or broken tells a story. Note the punched out drivers side driving light. It's front leg(s) I presume.

Glad nothing serious or lasting happened to either of you.

Now, get back to work. You have a house to finish.

[NancysToy]

" The airbags didn't go off, and not because the key famed in recent recalls " Just fyi the sensor that sets off the air bag is on the bumper, which wasn't touched by the looks of the pics. Glad everybody is okay.

That was our theory. Thanks for confirming.

When you say you center punched it. You weren't kidding. Looking at what's crumpled or broken tells a story. Note the punched out drivers side driving light. It's front leg(s) I presume.

Glad nothing serious or lasting happened to either of you.

Now, get back to work. You have a house to finish.

I don't think the foglight was hit by the leg, although that's possible. I think it popped out forward because we slowed so suddenly from the force. We came to almost a complete stop in just a few feet.

I would have been working on the house today, I have underlayment to lay and painters to dodge. Unfortunately my truck needed brake work. The driver's side pad welded itself to the rotor Friday, so I had to play mechanic for a couple of days instead of carpenter. We are a little shy on transportation until the weather breaks.

[MarkLawson]

Wow Scotty, so grateful you and Nancy are OK. Will keep y'all in prayer.

[DynamoBT]

I really only return to Spyderlovers to follow this thread. So glad you and Nancy are OK after hitting the deer. You two are tough. No doubt about that. But enough of these little mishaps!! Hope you are enjoying the new house before too long!

[NancysToy]

No time to lick our wounds. Monday we were back to work. We did start the day by dropping by the body shop to get the paperwork in order and to fetch the rest of our belongings out of the HHR. Then it was off to Menards. While we were there the insurance lady called to get the claim information completed. The adjuster left a message later that the HHR would be repaired...but it will take 19 days. I guess we have to revisit our rental car coverage. We could survive for a week to ten days without a second car, but not necessarily twice that. They will use "alternative parts" which means used and aftermarket. Not thrilled about that, but it is an eight year old car with 75K on the clock, so we have little choice.

From there it was off to the house. The frost seems to have left the driveway, as it is finally drying out. Most of the snow piles are gone, except in the shadows and under loose dirt. The snow cover is gone in the woods for the most part, except in the ravine. I think we have finally turned the corner toward Spring. I opened a few more ditches to get rid of the water, and then I discovered I was nearly out of 15# felt for the floors, so I had to head to Home Depot. Meanwhile Nancy resumed the rockhound activities that she enjoyed so much during the excavation. The winter broke up some exposed sedimentary rocks, and she found some great fossils. Lots of brachiopods...fairly intact, plus some other goodies.

After lunch I laid felt on the kitchen floor, then we began laying the first layer of underlayment for the luxury vinyl tile. We need two layers to achieve the 5/8" we need to match the other flooring height. No 5/8" multi-ply material is available, so we will do it with a layer of 3/8" plus some 1/4" multi-ply. We got the 3/8" stuff done in the kitchen, with a break to run into town for some supper, and finished about 8 PM. From there it was an hour drive to home. I was very tentative passing the area where we took the deer strike!

I was supposed to lay the underlayment yesterday, but had to finish a brake job on my F-150, after a pad lost its friction material and became welded to the rotor. Luckily for us the painters didn't show Monday as planned, so we got somewhat caught up. I still have the 3/8" in the two bathrooms, and the 1/4" in all three rooms to get done before the cabinets arrive next week. There may be some more late nights...very difficult with minimal lighting.

Today it is business around here...grocery shopping, haircut, changing the oil on the F-150, Nancy's doctor's appointment. We are spoiled by having two cars, so we will have to plan out days more carefully for a while. I can't haul lumber on the Spyder.

[MarkLawson]

Scotty, I look at this project and marvel at all the things you write about & know that there are far more things that you don't write about, and think to myself, "Man, that Scotty has to be one of the smartest men I know." Then I begin wondering how long it would be for me to learn what you already know & realize I don't have enough time left in my life.

I'm reminded of a story about one of my favorite old-time Bible teachers on the radio, J. Vernon McGee. The story goes that one day a man ask him how long before he can learn the Bible as well as McGee knows it. McGee asked him how old he was & was told that he was in his 30's or 40's (I don't recall). J. Vernon McGee told him that he will never know it as well as he because he has started as a young boy and studied daily & had been teaching daily on the radio for decades. The man didn't have enough time left in his life.

I guess all this is to say several things. One is that I admire you and what you've done and what you do. Two is that while I'll never do what you've done & are doing, as I simply don't have enough time left in my life, I can still learn new things and to do them well. Thanks for the inspiration!

[NancysToy]

The HHR is going to take a month to repair. The body shop is real busy...including a lot of other deer damage. As a result we took advantage of the rental car coverage in the insurance policy, and got Nancy a rental yesterday. That should allow us a little more flexibility in this busy time.

We started the day at the house without a painter. That worked OK for me, I need to get that underlayment done and we are competing for the same space. I did place a call to my builder to see what the painter's schedule was. Just before lunch the painter showed, I expect as a result of my builder's call. The painter had a tooth pulled last week, and it became infected. Despite hurting he and his helper did some varnishing today, but he couldn't even drive to the job on his meds. He mostly showed up to coordinate things and let us know what's happening. I thought that was nice...I appreciate extra effort. The color on the walls looks real nice. We have decided to wait until the cabinets are installed before putting a second coat on the exposed areas. That will save touching up the walls after the cabinet installation beats them up. I'll probably paint the remaining walls myself...once I get time and we pick some colors.

The electrician must have come yesterday, when we were gone. He wired the garage outlets, exterior lights in the front, and most of the garage lights. We now have garage door openers, a place to plug in my saw, and some lights for those late nights. I'm sure it will be helpful. I'm not sure why the electrician is trickling this stuff along. Most of the electric is ready for completion. It matters not, as long as we have what we need, and can get finished on time.

Nancy and I spent the day laying underlayment. We got the master bathroom 3/8" layer down. Lots of cutting and trimming. Tomorrow we expect to switch to the top layer in the kitchen and master bath. That will take some time because I have to hand nail instead of staple. Nailing is a pain when you wear bifocals or progressive lenses, BTW. Anyway, those rooms need the underlayment completed by Tuesday for cabinet installation, so we have to concentrate there and finish the main bathroom later. I also have to build a little stud wall for the island before Tuesday.

The work lists are long, both mine and the builder's. His target completion is only 4 1/2 weeks away. I don't see any way that can happen, but I am willing to be surprised. We haven't had a spare moment to do things like look for area rugs and furniture. There are some things we will need that we don't have now or that we have but don't suit a log home. So much work, so little time!

[Cavman]

Y'all were lucky the deer didn't decide to join you inside the car! That's never good. I'm glad y'all are doing well after your close encounter with Bambi.

I have learned a lot reading about your house build. Things I didn't know about houses. Like the laying down of felt under the floors.
A lot of people fly on the airlines but don't realize that there is really only about .080" of aluminum separating them from the outside atmosphere.

Thanks for the education!

[NancysToy]

Y'all were lucky the deer didn't decide to join you inside the car! That's never good. I'm glad y'all are doing well after your close encounter with Bambi.

I have learned a lot reading about your house build. Things I didn't know about houses. Like the laying down of felt under the floors.
A lot of people fly on the airlines but don't realize that there is really only about .080" of aluminum separating them from the outside atmosphere.

Thanks for the education!

Hardwood floors were traditionally underlain with felt or rosin paper to prevent squeaks. In our case the felt was optional, but it provides a measure of water protection in case of leaks or drips that get through the flooring, and we needed it to shim up the underlayment to try to match the heights of different flooring materials throughout the house. I have seen builders use 30 pound felt to raise the floor more, or even multiple layers of 15# or 30#. We are trying to keep things barrier free, so we want the floor transitions pretty level.

[NancysToy]

The painters put a second coat of color on the walls, varnished doors and casings, and stained the front door today. I worked around them, jumping from room to room, laying the second layer of underlayment for the luxury vinyl tile. Crawling around on my hands and knees pretty much killed me by mid-afternoon. The bionic knee is screaming the loudest, but the other one (which has had surgery, too) isn't real happy. I am thankful I can get down there and back up again, however. The work did kill my kneepads...I'll need to replace them tomorrow. The first layer of underlayment was stapled with a pneumatic stapler. That was easier. This layer has to be nailed with underlayment nails...by hand every few inches. It is a thankless task. I have to get done by Tuesday when the cabinets arrive, however, so I am going to work all weekend if necessary. I suppose the builder could have had the tile guy do this, but I'm trying to save some money.....at the expense of my poor knees.

[DynamoBT]

There hasn't been an update to this thread in a while. Hope all is OK with you and Nancy.

[Bob Denman]

[bruiser]

Yep. I miss his updates and input.

[Cavman]

Is it still snowing? I've been looking forward for an update too.

[MarkLawson]

I spoke with Scotty during SpyderFest & found that he and Nancy are well. They've been working huge hours each day getting the house completed & have had time for little else. Scotty has decided to take a break from SpyderLovers. We all hope to see him back sometime soon.

[Bob Denman]

Thanks, Mark!
Here's to wishing them both; progress and success!

[SPYD1]

He is a valued resource and friend!!!

[Phil]

It's a deserved break. He and Nancy really need to focus on this project and get it done. BECAUSE, I want to ryde up there and see my room before next winter sets in...


Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad 7.5 using Tapatalk HD

[DynamoBT]

Glad to hear they are simply focusing on the house and nothing amiss.

[Trickie Dick]

I thought I would pass this along as many of you are interested in Scotty and his log home. I've been keeping up with him for quite awhile and plan on seeing him this weekend if time permits. We are going up to Michigan to stay with the triplets while their parents go camping. Our daughter lives about 30 miles from Scotty and Nancy's new home

Hi all,

Once again forgive the blanket email. I am totally exhausted, both mentally and physically, and have nothing left at 10 PM to write everyone of you dear friends individually. This will have to suffice.

We are almost ready for inspection, at long last. The last couple of weeks have been intense, and this week promises more of the same. Everyone is trying to finish up...carpenters, plumbers, mechanical contractor, flooring contractors, the excavator, and of course yours truly. We have some key elements to finish, but should be ready for the final inspection by the end of this week or early next. There will be some leftovers, of course, but none that would delay the certificate of occupancy.



The geothermal was finished and put on line late Friday. The domestic hot water loop remains to be plumbed, awaiting parts. The water and sewer systems were put on line today, although it is supposed to be a deep dark secret to the workers who are still using the porta-potty. We have not hung any toilet paper, hopefully as a hint. The lights and other electric are almost done, although we are awaiting a few light fixtures so we have some simple basement fixtures installed for now. The generator is installed but remains to be wired. The temporary propane furnace was removed and the gas piping run, but we have to move one valve, and convert the fireplace and stove for propane. The propane tank will be moved and the permanent line run Thursday. The doors are hung but one needs some hardware replaced. The cabinet knobs are on the cabinets and the lock sets mortised into the doors. Some trim remains and the stair treads and risers need to be installed. All appliances but the stove are installed. I don't know if the ERV was wired today, but I hope so. The sump and sewage pumps in the basement are in service. Final grading and topsoil spreading has begun. The driveway remains to be finished and topped with asphalt millings or crushed stone, and the necessary culverts installed. The interior stairway railing needs to have the wrought iron railings built, but we need the stairs (and newel post) first. We will have snow fence railing for the inspection, while we wait for the railings to be fabricated. The deck stair handrails need to be replaced.

My work list is lagging behind. Landings have to be built at all the exterior doors. Most will probably be temped for the inspection. It is hard work! The screened porch remains to be framed. That will get temporary railings and snow fence, too, until I can get the carpentry done and some railings installed. The main bath shower remains to be tiled...I am awaiting tile delivery (and time in my schedule). The logs remain to be caulked (every joint and upward facing crack) and the logs stained. I want to replace the chimney chase cap, too. Lots of landscaping, planting grass and other plants, and building some retaining walls are on my agenda. Then there is building a pole barn for my toys. In addition, this place has to be fixed up to sell. I guess my summer is planned.

Thanks for all your interest and support during this lengthy project. Believe it or not you helped. Sharing the joys and tribulations along the way has been my therapy. It has kept me going. I hope you have enjoyed it, too. Hopefully soon I can share the final video "tour".

Scotty

[Bob Denman]

Please Thank him for the update... from all of us!