Finally pictures of our 20'x34' 2 story

[rdzone]

Everyone,

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement!  Now it is time to start finishing the rest of the interior framing ....like stairs.  They have me a little worried as I have never had to frame stairs before.  I also have to finish the top floor walls, they need to be extended to the ceiling.  Not to mention a load of little things here and there.  Hopefully I can pull wire and pex this winter.   I will keep posting pictures as I make progress.

[Preston]

Finally got the roof on!

How was the Installing the Metal Roofing?  I'm planning on doing that for ours.  How long did it take you?

Houses looks great btw!

[rdzone]

Preston,

sorry i didn't respond sooner, but i hadn't noticed your post until today.  I must say the steel roof was the hardest thing I have done on the cabin.  If I was smart and had more money I would have rented some scaffolding.  I had access to a manlift, but due to the hill we are on it we couldn't use it.  I will say predrill for all your screws, it saves a lot of time, keeps the screws in line and makes it a lot easier while on the roof.  A C-clamp is also great to temporarily hold the steel at the peak through the ridge vent opening.  My biggest problem was I was the only one on the roof and I spent a long time trying to get every thing square, but by the time I got to the far end of the roof I was about an inch or so off.  I will have to rework my gable trim this spring.  Definately invest in a roofing harness.  I wouldn't be here if I didn't have one!!  My roof is a 7/12 pitch and as you can see in the pictures quite a ways up!  If the roof is wet or if it happens to rain while you are on the roof it gets slick fast.  I took several unplanned trips down the roof, but never off of it.  good luck on your roof and be safe.

Chuck

[rdzone]

A few new pictures.

We wanted to get all the windows in and house wrap on, but time and mother nature didn't agree with us. We are now working on the inside trying to finish up all the little things we postponed until after we got the roof on.

[glenn kangiser]

Nice and tall on the basement side.

[sdextereo]

Hey Rdzone, looks real good.
Hey I am building a modified 1 1/2 story up in Caswell Lakes, north of Willow, Ak, right now.
I have not started a thread yet.
I have been working on it during the weekends, fighting the snow and ice.
Will get started on my first floor walls soon.

[rdzone]

sdextereo,

thats not to far away since I am near Big Lake.  You are braver than me.  I am only working on the inside now.  Thank god for my 35,000 btu propane heater.  It makes it fairly pleasant.  So are you building on a full foundation or post and piers.  I only work on the weekend too.  It takes a lot longer to get things done especially if you are hauling tools and supplies.  I hope to take a few weeks this spring to knock out the windows and siding.

Glenn,

Definately a long way down on that side.  I am going to have to get a porch deck built and rent some scaffolding to finish off that side of the cabin. The floor above the basement has 10' walls and the I joists are 16 inchers with 1 1/8 T&G.  it all adds up quickly.  I am not quite sure what I was thinking. 

[glenn kangiser]

Scaffold rent is fairly expensive and cumbersome.  I don't have these but have seen them used on several jobs around here.  Just nail up double 2x4's and support them top- bottom - maybe in between as you go up and you have an easy to use portable scaffold.

http://www.amazon.com/Qual-Craft-Pump-Steel-Scaffolding-2200Q/dp/B0000224MP/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1196705772&sr=1-3

[desdawg]

I used to have pump jacks in Colorado. I haven't seen any in years. 2 2X4's scabbed together at that height may get a little spooky and require some X bracing between the poles. And of course you will want to put some 2X4 handrail once you get to working height. Lots of 2X4's. Once you get the house sided you can build another building.

[sdextereo]

Hey, rdzone I built my foundation with pier and beam.
I am experimenting a bit. I hand dug through the veg and root layer, then dug through the clay mucky layer, then hit the solid gravel.
The total depth is a whopping 2+/- feet. 10" sauna tube, redi base, and talkeetna's finest 5000psi mud.
I then surround the entire foundation 4' with 2" blue board and covered with 20 yards of pit run to a depth of 4 to six inches.
I think with the snow insulation I will not have any frost heave.
How tall is your basement side?
Most of the people I know who put siding on for a living in Alaska use extension ladders and ladder jacks with a planks.
When I worked in Washington state the siders there used the pump jacks described by kangiser but they were engineered systems with aluminum tube posts instead of 2x4.
One thing I would do is incorporate your fall protection in case something happens.
And remember that if you do fall somebody must be there to help you down.
A full body harness will cut off the blood supply to your legs!
p.s. Great job! It looks like you really have your ducks in order.

[glenn kangiser]

They have some more expensive aluminum systems from Qualcraft too.

Aluminum Scaffold

[sdextereo]

Hey, kangiser those are the ones the siders used in Puyallup, Wa.
I'm sure that rental on those babies are expensive.
I bet in Alaska you might find them at United Rentals. They would probably ship them from Seattle.
Everything up here cost $$$$$
T-111 siding is very popular here, install with wall and done.

[glenn kangiser]

Even those are not unreasonable if you are a contractor or have some other use for them, but I assumed that for owner builders the 2x4 jacks would be more reasonable cost wise.

I need to buy some myself, but I have so many toys I don't usually need them.  Still there are the plasces that the toys can't get to.

[rdzone]

Well Really old pictures that I finally got off my old computer.  The humble beginings of our cabin.  The first picture is where the cabin now sits.

[rdzone]

Well the weather has been cooperating and the snow has finally melted.  We have been busy doing little things here and there on the inside of the cabin until yesterday.  We finally got back to installing windows.  We intalled 3 more (two in the front and one on the side) and of course I forgot my camera.  I will post pictures once I take some.  The worse part has been installing the house wrap.  Lots of up and down the ladder, but we are getting there.  The t 111 siding gets delivered next weekend.  I can't wait to get the outside wrapped up.   

[glenn kangiser]

Are you going to put any kind of screen wall drainage space between the T111 and the house wrap, Chuck?

House wrap doesn't have the greatest reputation where water may get against it - get into a hole in it then not get out of the wall causing mold problems.  A vertical batten spacer every 2 feet to put the T111 on could eliminate nearly all of the problem without going to felt to be safer.

Just a thought as it's pretty easy now.

[rdzone]

Glenn,

I hadn't planned on it as it is not a common practice here in Alaska.  I was counting on the t111 and the current osb to give me basically two layers of sheathing to add rigidity for earthquakes.

[Sassy]

See you still have the whole family - had missed the pix you'd posted of earlier work - when I'm at work, I can't see the pictures so takes a lot of the fun out of reading stuff...  then when I get back to the cabin I miss some of the older postings. 

You're doing great work - the area is so beautiful!

[rdzone]

Thanks.  The new windows we installed yesteday give us a great view of the pond/wetland, on the down hill side of the cabin.  A much better view than I anticipated.  The pond was full of waterfowl and cranes.  The bigger lake behind our cabin is still frozen over.  My wife can't wait to get the windows in upstairs so she can check out the lake view. 

[glenn kangiser]

You may not have as much water problem there as things are likely froze a lot of the time anyway I would guess. 

If your house wrap has been exposed all winter check it to make sure it's chemicals are still effective.  Some are not rated for much exposure and I have heard of having to re-wrap it after long exposure.

[rdzone]

I promised some new pictures of our progress.  I will be halibut and salmon fishing this weekend, so no updates until next weekend.


walls finished to ceiling.



interior shot of some of the 1st floor windows.



exterior shots.

[glenn kangiser]

Looks good.   That last step's a doozy.

[rdzone]

It sure is!   We are planning on a small deck, which will be off the master bedroom.  It will over look the lake.  My wife can't wait.

[rdzone]

Well some more progress photos.  More house wrap and retaining walls.  We also did more interior work (blocking, floor span connectors, ect)  I must say I did a lot of up and down the ladder to install the wrap. Nothing like pushing the limits of a 32' ladder.  Boy is my back killing me ...those rocks are heavy! 

[glenn kangiser]

Very nice job, Chuck.  I also am doing the dry stack rock retaining wall in various areas.  As I do more of them I am not as intimidated by them and the big ones get much easier to move.

Looks like you knew what you were doing on the walls and for those who don't there is a book linked in the free stuff area about building them.