Second floor on!

Today we got the plywood on the second floor! As usual, it went very smoothly. First we made sure all the prep work was done. Then We started gluing and nailing each piece of plywood in place. It's tongue and groove, so each piece gets securely hammered into its neighbour before I went to work with the nail gun. There are about 50 nails to each 4' x 8'plywood.

Here are the views from above and below where the spiral staircase will be.

This is what the big cedar slab table looked like after I planed it. Today I went over it with my (new) belt sander. (Note to guys... building a house is a great excuse to buy tools!) Actually I bought the belt sander for finishing the beautiful fir beams that we bought from a local sawmill.

May's Pole

This weekend Danielle visited and did some great work in the garden. We also cleaned up the work site and removed the big pile of scrap lumber that was blocking the access for the next big event... erecting the centre pole.

For this, we got Steve and his crane truck to help out.  Steve lifted the pole and neatly dropped it into place between the beams. While Mike took care of securing the pole in place above, my job was guiding the bottom pin into the hole he had drilled in the floor to receive it. Everything went smoothly and in minutes the operation was completed.

With the pole in place we are now set to begin installing the floor for the second story. David, our architect friend came over after lunch for a consultation on construction details, so Mike and I now have a green light for the next phase... the second floor.

Robin eviction!

Too bad but the robins nest had to go. I gently removed it from the living room wall and set it on a log round nearby. However Mike assured me there is zero chance of the parents claiming it again. The good news is that robins have several clutches of eggs each year, so hopefully this couple may choose a better spot to nest next time.




Today we raised four more beams into place. These are the ones that frame the opening for the spiral staircase. So the next big job is to get the centre post into place...

  ...so we cut it to length with the chain saw and are hoping that a local crane truck operator will help us lift it into place.

May 18th

Today was a bit of a landmark day in that we got the last of the exterior walls in place and also framed and raised most of the interior walls.

This included raising one very heavy beam you can see in this photo. All the walls are framed on the ground and stacked to the side until we were ready to raise them. Once we got into raising walls it went incredibly fast, just like snapping bits of leggo together!



The bottom photo shows some robins' nests in the peak of the living room wall. Unfortunately they're gonna have to move. Hopefully there are no eggs yet, because tomorrow is moving day.

May 17th

Yesterday, Mike could not work so I busied myself with various projects including making this simple rack for a few of my favourite flutes.



Today we got back to work an made great progress. We raised the big dining room window wall (mostly window, not much wall) then we put up the first of the big beams in the kitchen. This was a necessary preliminary to stacking the roof trusses on top of the beam and walls so we can begin building the interior walls.

As you can see, Mike has layed out the bottom/top plates more or less where they will be.  I cut 60 studs to 92 3/4" and tomorrow we will start framing the walls for the ground floor rooms.

May 14th

The house viewed from the southeast, across the meadow. The cedar grove is on the  north side protecting us from the worst of the winter winds. To the right is the fence line of the garden and the walnut trees which are just coming into leaf. The pathway across the meadow is my morning walk to work.

These are the fir beams that form part of the structure of the house. Because they will be visible, they need to be planed and sanded to a nice smooth finish.  I use an electric plane, making multiple passes to remove the rough sawn finish and then I use a belt sander to smooth out the remaining rough spots. It takes about two hours per beam.

And here is the wood shed in progress. Today I got a couple of sheets of metal roofing on but did not have enough to finish it. I'll have to order more for the next delivery from Quadra Builders.

May 10th progress...

Yesterday, we raised the big back wall and framed the kitchen wall. We also built 9 roof trusses you can see stacked on the deck.





Today we added the corner wall of the kitchen and...

...we built a roof over the utility room. (the round top door is Mike's whimsy. It may or may not stay.) The roof is required before Isaac, the electrician can install the electrical breaker panel. He came by today to  check things out and says he will have it installed by the end of the week. This is good news because we are having to be careful not to overload the breakers using the long extension cord we are currently on --  i.e. we take it in turns to run a skilsaw...

Weekend Fun

This is the stage we left the framing on Friday after a week of off and on again progress due to weather and other things. There is one more big wall ready to be raised on Monday morning. It's exciting to see the shape of the house emerge. . .

Yesterday, (Saturday) I had plans to go sailing but when I woke up my conscience got the better of me and I decided to at least make a start on building my wood shed. I used the lumber that was earmarked for the tent platform. (Sorry campers, the woodshed too priority. Anyway, the ground is nice and soft;)

I got the frame up and several rafters in place when I decided to leave it at that and go sailing after all! So by 2:30 I was on board Gwyneth with a nice southeast wind to take me to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island. I had a plan you see... I had noticed an ad in the local paper for a Taurus Party at the "HBI" (Heriot Bay Inn) plus a open mike session. It sounded right up my alley. So I had a nice sail there with some brisk wind to begin with and then it died off a bit so I "hoisted the iron topsail". I pulled into the marina in front of the HBI at 6:30pm. After tidying up the boat I wandered up to check things out (i.e. have a beer) and in the bar I met Mo the open mike host. He said he'd be glad to get me up for a few songs.  So after the hockey game finished (the Canucks lost), the house band started playing and after a few songs invited me up to join them.  I sang four songs and on each the guitar player did some burning hot solos. Major Fun!

Because I am a Taurus I got to wear a lei round my neck and I got two free drinks! Better than a kick in the pants. Anyway, after a while I remembered why I don't like bars and I headed back to Gwyneth for a quiet nights sleep. This morning the wind had shifted around to the northwest (just as I had planned;) and I had a nice broad reach home.

When I got back to May's Garden I saw that Dave, a local logger, had been by and felled the two big fir trees behind the house. The roots of  one of them had been damaged during the excavation and the only safe way to take that one out was for both to go.

Ah well, now I have lots of firewood to fill my new wood shed!

Framing the situation...

Just over a week's work and significant progress... except for Tuesday when it rained all day, we've been framing walls and raising them into place. The lumber we are working with, locally milled fir, is very dense and heavy. It's challenge not only for our muscles but for the saw blades too.


But as you can see, we've got almost half the exterior framing done.

Mike is an inspiration; totally focused, competent and easy to work with. Today, he once again said to me, "Have I told you how much fun this is?" 

I have to agree! This project feels like a lark, a game, a privilege, a bonus! We are both completely committed to building a sweet little house. And we both know that having fun is an important ingredient in the mix towards achieving this goal.

Life Loves Life

My morning alarmer... this little guy starts his day much earlier than I would like. This morning I could have sworn he was attacking the wood posts of my front porch. He also seems a bit confused. Yesterday I saw him pecking at the wire instead of the post.  Mike says he may have brain damage...

 My raised beds are now irrigated with soaker hoses. I hope the plants appreciate it!

 Campbell River has always been a little motor city and still is. I saw this beauty on my recent visit.  Click on it to appreciate the detail...



And... here's a video of how Mike raises a heavy wall, like the ones we've been working on for the past few days...

May 2nd

This is the cedar log we found for the centre post of the house around which the spiral staircase will be built. It was just down the road from us on a new house site that is being cleared. The guy doing the excavation there dragged it over to our place and wiggled it around the house to where it sits in the field. Today I stripped off the bark to reveal the lovely smooth inner skin. You can see the big strips of bark lying on the ground.


















On Friday, Mike and I got one wall up and framed two more ready to go. The walls are framed on the flat floor of the house and then moved into position and lifted up using ladder jacks.

Today it was pouring down in the morning so we both found indoor projects to work on.