• There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.

The Log House Project

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.
 
The Studs Are Gone

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!
 
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.
 

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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.
 

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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"


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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"

:roflblack: :thumbup:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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!

:roflblack: 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.
 
What We Did Today

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.
 

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Update

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.
 
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!:thumbup::thumbup:
 
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It's really FUN

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??):clap: look forward meeting you and yours missed you at the Mi. Meet & greet. Good luck on the house.
:spyder2:

:clap:

On my way to my 1st Spyderfest. :yes:
 
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??):clap: look forward meeting you and yours missed you at the Mi. Meet & greet. Good luck on the house.
:spyder2:

:clap:

On my way to my 1st Spyderfest. :yes:
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.
 
" 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.
 
Bummer

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. :joke:
 
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