Finally underway! My upstate NY 20 x 40 off-grid gets started

[AdironDoc]

I'm interested what you hear back from him on what to use for back priming. My cedar siding showed up this week and I need to start back priming and am wondering what I can get away with. Not exactly sure how I'm going to finish the face yet (just a sealer or tinted stain). I'll wait until the roof and trim are up so I can hopefully visualize it better.

Alan

By the time I had reached him, he was half through with the boards. The backs were done in the same premium stain as the front. I had thought to prime the ends and back with something cheap but he had felt the difference in price wouldn't have been all that great and he noted added time and aggravation when the primer dripped or shows up on the fronts. Well, I have no idea what the added costs will be for the stain, but it will extend the life of the visible staining and the life of the wood. Thank God I have a 20x40! 

[Alan Gage]

I realize your back priming decision has already been made but I thought I'd post this here for anyone else following along. Been doing a lot of research the past couple days and came across Water Repellent Preservatives. They seem to be highly recommended for back priming by cedar suppliers and painters in general. Some are designed to be stand alone and others to be painted/stained. Cost seems to be reasonable at under $15/gallon.

Some info from the Forest Products Lab:

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Benefit-From-Airspace-Behind-Your-Siding/151553

http://www.mchd.com/pdf/woodpr.pdf

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/fpl_pdfs/willi00c.pdf

Biggest benefit for me is that I don't know how I'm going to finish my siding yet so I can coat all sides with this and decide on the finish later.

Alan

[MountainDon]

I have not had to paint or stain very many bd. ft. of unprimed wood for siding BUT from the little I have done I have an opinion. And that is that it would drive me absolutely nuts if I was to try to apply one type of finish to the hidden backside and a different material to the surfaces that would be visible. There would bound to be some of the hidden surface finish that would seep, drip or run around to a surface where it was not wanted, IMO. I personally doubt the practicality of attempting this sort of dual surface finishing.

It's bad enough at times applying the same stain to all syrfaces of a board if the stain is drying fast because of weather conditions. It's very easy to get some stain that dribbles around an edge to the yet unstained surface. If that dries much it can show up when stain is actually applied to that side.


If selecting a first coat preservative that will later have some other finish applied make certain the second coat is compatible with the first coat. For example some Thompson products contain wax and nothing else will stick to that.

[Alan Gage]

If selecting a first coat preservative that will later have some other finish applied make certain the second coat is compatible with the first coat. For example some Thompson products contain wax and nothing else will stick to that.

A list of some (there are more) of the water repellant preservatives that can be stained/painted:

http://community.familyhandyman.com/tfh_group/b/diy_advice_blog/archive/2011/08/09/prevent-peeling-paint-with-water-repellent-preservative.aspx

I understand the difference to be what you stated with the Thompson products. The repellants that are meant to be stand alone products (last longer) have more wax than the ones that are meant to be covered with paint/stain.

Alan

[AdironDoc]

Was up this weekend with dad to work on the guest cabin. Insulated, wired and put up pine boards while dad put together a rudimentary PEX plumbing system for shower, toilet and kitchen sink. 12V batts run a ShurFlo pump with pressure tank to on-demand propane water heater. Nice to take a hot shower but it sure uses a lot of water! Just about 5 gallons per quick shower and that's with the heater on minimum flow. Dropping the heat level and running just the hot line would save a great deal as the cold wouldn't bypass the heater.

The main camp is almost complete (at least for what I paid!). Logs have been in the kiln waiting for their new life as half log rear steps. Trapezoid windows are in and bring in much more light. Soffits done now. Front porch is done except for railings. Inside stairs to loft up next. Builder says 2 weeks tops.

Future rear stairs from deck:


South facing windows in.


boards and batten


My yellow birch, ready for flooring come spring.


Changed plans for tub to a decent sized shower. This will allow the refrigerator to be boxed into wall across from the small kitchen. Something like this at $128 will do fine.



Front porch done at last.


Soffits closed.


Front porch gave it some much needed character. Battens still to be put up. Now for a fancy log style railing and Adirondack twig style corners.


Shower setup at guest cabin. This will all be shored up and put in a deck box.


Pine boards and a six pack. Instant beauty!

[Sassy]

Wow, your cabins are really moving along fast!  Love how you've integrated the logs & the porch looks great.   

[astidham]

WOW!!!
spectacular!

[AdironDoc]

Thanks for the compliments guys! At $48K, I'm pleased as punch to get a 20 x 40, log/timber/stick hybrid roughed in. Some elements came from inspiration gotten here among the threads, so thanks again!

Btw, anyone know how this stain rates? My builder has used it front and back on boards and batten.

[nysono]

Thanks for the compliments guys! At $48K, I'm pleased as punch to get a 20 x 40, log/timber/stick hybrid roughed in. Some elements came from inspiration gotten here among the threads, so thanks again!

Btw, anyone know how this stain rates? My builder has used it front and back on boards and batten.

Its good stuff from what I have heard, but no personal experience.  Very nice work all the way around.  The front porch/reverse gable has given me some food for thought.

Steve

[John_M]

I have used Sikkens for my cedar siding.  It's pricey, but just about the best you can get!!

[AdironDoc]

Well, the weekend turned out nice despite the ever-present threat of showers. The builder finished the rough-in with the exception of the basement windows which should come in this week. That should be it for a while. Time to move some things in and use the camp. When budget allows, will do the septic, well, knotty pine walls and birch flooring.



Out with the proposed vanity area, in with the new toilet alcove.


Added trapezoids for more light and better view of the forest. More "cabiny" now.


L-shaped kitchen ended up a bit small. Solution: move refrigerator across and box it into the bathroom wall on the right. That meant giving up a 5ft tub and opting for a 48" shower stall.



Temporary staircase until birch is seasoned. Will need 20+ ft of nice railing for the loft. To match elements of whatever porch railing I choose or not. That is a question.


Future queen and two singles go here. I may partition this back area into a bedroom and leave the stairs and forward area of the loft for bookshelf, card table, easy chair, reading lamp, etc.


I'm pleased as punch with the board and batten. Now to choose a railing.



Builder John threw in a set of half log stairs as a gift. Thanks, John!

[Sassy]

Just showed Glenn your new stairs & told him I really liked them...   hint, hint   

[AdironDoc]

I'm knocking different railing designs around. Here's the front and rear, and the design I'm thinking of. Any thoughts?






Or..

[AdironDoc]

Just showed Glenn your new stairs & told him I really liked them...   hint, hint   

Maybe a set will show up in your x-mas stocking? 

[Rob_O]

I'm pleased as punch with the board and batten. Now to choose a railing.



Builder John threw in a set of half log stairs as a gift. Thanks, John!

The porch and siding look awesome, it's giving me some great ideas. Thanks for sharing!

[AdironDoc]

The porch and siding look awesome, it's giving me some great ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Rob! I got some great ideas and inspiration here. Hope your dreams will come together and that you build what you dream. Then photograph, post, and pass it on!

[nysono]

Looks fantastic!!  Im also dried in and about done for the year.  I am kicking around the railing question too so I will keep watch of your posts for more ideas.  Congratulations!!

[rich2Vermont]

How were the half logs attached to the risers? I tried something like that and failed miserably. I'd like to do something like that on a trail I'm improving in our woods.

[AdironDoc]

How were the half logs attached to the risers? I tried something like that and failed miserably. I'd like to do something like that on a trail I'm improving in our woods.

Some super-long lag bolts, 4 per tread. I would have preferred to see them notched in, but a gift is a gift. Builder noted that even after drying, the logs were too heavy to move comfortably and necessitated using a fork-lift attached to his log skidder to bring them in. I can't guess at the weight of it all. There seem to be 2 missing that I'll need to place myself.

[metolent]

Wow, awesome build! 

I've had great luck with the Sikkens Cetol.  I used the marine versions for years to finish the exterior teak on all of my various sailboats - in the Puget Sound, the Chesapeake, and the inner banks of eastern NC (e.g. New Bern area)....

[AdironDoc]

Wow, awesome build! 

I've had great luck with the Sikkens Cetol.  I used the marine versions for years to finish the exterior teak on all of my various sailboats - in the Puget Sound, the Chesapeake, and the inner banks of eastern NC (e.g. New Bern area)....

Thanks! Then what you're saying is that after 4 coats of Sikken's I've essentially built a boat? With all this rain, we'll all need to set sail. I'm glad it's good stuff. 

Doc

[AdironDoc]

My main camp is 2 miles into the woods, through tight winding trails, countless forks in the trails, steep hills and rocky ravines. So who shows up while we're there? The tax assessors! How they found us is beyond me..   Anyway, no real work done at the main camp, only moving furniture in. Guest camp got all the knotty pine boards up, and flooring down. Even finished most of the floor joists that will turn the cathedral ceiling into a second floor. Non-stop rains prevented any hunting. Maybe that's why it was such a productive weekend!


Will use double wall pipe 22 feet up and through. Wall will be faux river rock up to the log running across.


The front porch overhang is begging for a carved wood sign. One sign ordered.  


The creek behind the camp always draws me away from my work. Time to fish for brookies.


Furniture, out of my garage finally, makes itself at home in the main camp.


No, I wasn't scaring off the tax men!   I was target shooting along a deer trail.


Laid the floor in the guest camp.


I dropped the sink in and finished up in the kitchen area of the guest camp.



All the pine is up, finally!


Built a thin facade to hide shower plumbing. Pine is up. Used the extra to fashion some shelves.


Time to relax, have a beer, and watch the sun burn the fog off the ground.

[Squirl]

Re: tax assessors

The neighbors always know.  No matter how remote you think you are.  And they talk.  It's not like there are a dozen things going on.  It is also in their best interest to let the assessor know.  They pay their fair share for infrastructure and they want an out of towner (who has the money to build in a recession) to pay up too.


Looks great.  The weather must be changing there now.

[CjAl]

That toilet is awfull close to the wall isnt it? No way my big butt could use it. Lol

[MountainDon]

Re: tax assessors

Sometimes the building permit will trigger the assessor visit. Just a part of life.