Over the last several years we have been working to put a house up on our property at Smith's Prairie, Idaho. Also know simply as Prairie. We started out wanting to stick build. We had plans drawn up and engineered for 120 pound snow load and 90 mph wind load as required by IRC . We put in the septic and well. The power is there but we are yet to run it to either the house or the shop. We however did run two 30 AMP services to our two RV pads along with sewer hook ups and water.
The shop was build three years ago and finaled two years ago.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9342.0
Our large orchard has been in for like five years now. We have planted over 100 fruit tree and nut trees and well as berries on the property.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=11346.msg145745#msg145745
Our mini orchard was started in 2011 as an experiment for this forum.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10850.msg158920#msg158920
Last year after we retired we sold our house near Boise or at Nampa and filled two storage units and the shop with our house hold goods, collectibles and other accumulations of 40 years of marriage. It was about this time we made a turn in our plans. We decided rather than do the stick build we would buy a modular home and put it on that property and save us a lot of headache. Modulars have the same warm fuzziness of IRC it would save us a lot of time and it would be done. So we found a comparable house to the one we designed put a small down on it to get it started. Then we hit one hick up after another until we hit an iceberg head on and sank. That occurred after being assured we could get that size of unit over the road. Turned out they could not. Not without us paying to have the road filled in around three curves. Not on our property but county roads. Or we could opt out for a three section home. The salesman assured us it would only be another $30,000 to $40,000. I do sort of feel we were set up for a bait and switch now looking back at it.
So we have a clearance dug for the modular home. We have the utilities stubbed off for that the modular minus the electrical. I wanted to know exactly where they were going to set the service panel in the modular before running the electrical. By the way the house was promised to be set by Thanksgiving of last year. Here is the clearance 03/20/2013. Just a tad over Thanksgiving. ???
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So Rick and Ellen dusted off the plans we had drawn a couple years ago and are crunching the number now.
I took our plans by a contractor I use to know fairly well. WOW we both were a lot younger then. ;) He has a good reputation. I want him to give us a bid just in case we can not put together funding for an owner builder. I did find another institution that only loans of farms and ranch properties. But there mostly for livestock, equipment, and improvements. They are interesting at looking at what we are thinking however.
Today 03/22/0213 Friday was cattle auction day at Treasure Valley Livestock I had to buy some replacement cows and calves. I bought three pair and they averaged us $1351.33 a pair. They were all young good cows that should be with us for quite a while. Last year I went another way and bought some older cows and they did not fair very well. We try and buy four pair a year as replacements.
After I got that done I made the long drive up to the ranch and got the mail. Today is mail day up there. (Mon, Wed, Fri) We had a box full. We also had a few inches of new snow. So it is now white over the mud in the photos above. ;D
Last fall I did a lot of thinning on Ponderosa Pine trees in fact all most a solid week. I ended up with three large slash piles that I was going to drive up and set on fire about now. There should be a lot of snow here yet. As you can see dismal snow year last year.
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They were a lot taller last fall before the snow smashed them down and they settled. I am thinking now about loading them on our flat bed trailer and hauling them over to a wash near the orchard. I would then throw them into the wash and then dump some dirt and decomposed granite on them and see if I might have something like Glenn is doing. There is a intermittent creek that flows there in the spring time. We could hopefully hold that moisture there for the summer growing season.......
I still have a lot more to thin as well. I will get in to some real soon that I could use for saw logs but instead will drop them for wood trees. There might be some hidden nails, wire or ??? Which make my friend the at the saw mill not happy.... :-\
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Monday we hope to get the fifthwheel up to the ranch and parked. It took a major hit coming back from Yuma and Quartzsite a month ago. A golden eagle flew up out of the barrow pit and we got it with the front of the fifthwheel. We were doing about 65 MPH down by Lund, Nevada near Ely....
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My wife and I being birders really felt bad about the incident. I stopped at the Sheriff's office in Ely after we fueled and reported it to the Sargent On Duty. He called the fish and wildlife people who were going to run out and get it. I did have a very good fix on where the bird fell. They are suppose to be collected and the Native American Indians are supposed to get the feathers off those birds for their making of headdress and they are used in their religious rights.
Hi Rick,
Sad to hear about the eagle. There was a guy here who ran into an owl and it got lodged in the grill of his truck. He stopped and found the owl was still alive so he drove to a local animal rescue place and they carefully removed parts of the grill and extracted the owl. Amazingly the owl was not hurt, a little disoriented and angry, but physically fine.
Owls were the worst on the railroads. They would just sit there on the ball of the rail at night with the deer in the headlight look. But then when doesn't a owl have a deer in the headlight look. You reach down and kill the headlights and ditch lights and and still hear and feel the thump. Strange how something as large as a locomotive you could still feel it. ???
That is always a problem with birds at the top of the food. They sort of ...... just don't get it......
Nice to see the posts Rick!
We tossed in our plans for the house we wanted to build and had engineered and drawn. I was concerned that it was just going to cost to much to complete and would strap us down to tight. So we redrew and re-engineered and came up with another house. We got it back last week and I took the plans around for bids on the stuff I / we just do not want to do.
We now are hooked up to the internet via ViaSat and their Exede system
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=13095.msg170539#msg170539
I hooked our Winegard Satellite dish up using a tall pile of dirt from our excavation and shooting over some pines and more Aspen we are now tuned to Direct TV. Life is good!
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I built a deck. It is not finished yet. It needs as you can see a railing and some trim and stain. But it is getting a good work out with people dropping in and family and grandkids staying the weekends up here. We have our old fifthwheel backed in to one of the RV spots and our 'big tin portable cabin' in the other. Makes it pretty enjoyable.
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The deck is 18 by 10 and the top is built in two sections. We can pull both sections back about two feet six inchs so we can pull the fifthwheel out without any trouble and I can back it back in as well. Then slide the deck back into place.
I made the beams here with some old 18 foot 2X6s I had been saving and bulked them out to four inches for the brackets sandwiching in some old left over OSB from the shop. The cement blocks have 4X4 sockets and worked well for this application.
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looks like a comfy temp homebase! Just a thought a lot of peole burry the slash to increase organic matter in the soils, which aids in water retention of the landscape.
Sounds like you guys have had quite the house journey. I hope it all works out for ya..
peace Jeff
Thanks for the suggestion Jeff about the slash. We do bury some now and then and boughs work very well in washes. We for some reason had a intermittent creek that for some reason started washing greatly when I was a kid on this place. We tossed a lot of such in it and and are still from time to time tossing more in to it. The boughs do a great job trapping the sand and small rocks. Where it does not flow into a live creek we are able to do such. Here in Idaho I just would not do such if in to a live stream because of fines, being arrested and going to jail. :D
We are in the middle of a weird thing here with the Pine Beetles they are quite out of control. One way we control them is cutting 'green piles' in June and first of July.. The beetles are attracted to them because they sense them being weak and lay their eggs in them. Then they are burned in the winter and destroy the eggs and larva. I am loosing about 20 to 30 nice saw logs a year on this place to pine beetles. But when the whole Boise National Forest is infected well really western US and no control is in sight you do what you can do......
I have been however thinking of burying some for garden beds and Glenn and Sassy have done. But one major thing at a time. I need to get the house nailed down. We do not want to spend a whole year 'nother year in the big tin portable cabin. Ellen did not like going south for the winter but I doubt she would have liked the -30's up here either in the fifthwheel. ;)
If I spent more then a weekend at a time at the cabin I'd get sat internet too! Have to admit it's tempting now for those evenings when you're relaxing with a snort our sourmash and you'd finished reading your last book ;)
First I'll try a digital antenna I think though.
Quote from: OlJarhead on June 03, 2013, 11:27:12 AM
If I spent more then a weekend at a time at the cabin I'd get sat internet too! Have to admit it's tempting now for those evenings when you're relaxing with a snort our sourmash and you'd finished reading your last book ;)
First I'll try a digital antenna I think though.
OJ We changed out mast head on the fifth wheel and went to a digital. Works great. That was real hard two pins and the little lock washers. We had that on our trip down south to Az. and Ca. worked real well. We were a - ways away from civilization at times. But then I / we are not a real TV addicts but when there is something we want to see.... ;)
Only reason we even had satellite - Direct carried the Mountain Network. They had the lock on all the sports TV for the Mountain West Conference. Boise State joined Mountain West and talk about an exodus from Dish to Direct here in Boise and that market. Now seems most of the games can be had on the regular networks........ Huskies and BSU play in Aug in Seattle...... Love both teams ??? It will be on Fox Sports 1. New sports network.
I bought the satellite receiver fairly recently as we were going to have to start paying as we took a withdraw from service when we sold the house. So I figured that we might as well use it if we were going to have to pay for it anyway. That tag along can mount to a mount on the ladder on the fifth wheel but just to many trees on that end of fifth wheel.
My wife and I discussed it on our walk today and agreed that we should probably get a land line and sat internet for next year :D Then I can work at the cabin whenever I want to!
Quote from: OlJarhead on June 03, 2013, 02:06:42 PM
My wife and I discussed it on our walk today and agreed that we should probably get a land line and sat internet for next year :D Then I can work at the cabin whenever I want to!
No one will see you again....... other than on the tractor - or at the saw mill, or down at the creek trying to drown a dry fly or over at the shooting range.... Life is really hectic......
Oh how I wish! lol
But I do play darts after all, so I'll be seen there once a week!
Quote from: OlJarhead on June 04, 2013, 09:00:03 AM
Oh how I wish! lol
But I do play darts after all, so I'll be seen there once a week!
[scared] OMG I forgot darts!!!
Ellen and I were out for our evening walk.
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As we were crossing this dry creek, Ellen reached down and picked up this
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Measures 5 inches by 1.5 inches. And in perfect condition.
A couple years ago I found a broken arrow head in the same general location.
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Must have been a good place to camp. It is not far from the big Camus meadows where they gathered Camus bulbs that were a diet staple
Wow! That's a museum piece! Very awesome!
Thanks OJ. We could hardly believe our eyes. It is the nicest point or knife we have ever found up here. Another neat part it was just off of a cow trail where the the cows cross back and forth there. If one of those critters would have gotten off course just a little it might not been in that good of shape. ;) That is the same creek where we get our irrigation water. We shut it off in May and dry it up from just above there on down. Another reason she found it.
Hey!!! I got started framing last week :) but not on the house! :(
Bee hive frames..... In case you have never seen inside this world.... Lot more to it than opening a little Honey Bear and squeezing it on to your toast in the morning....
First prep your sides. They are sort of like studs in you house only smaller. Seat two eyelets into your frame sides:
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When you have done a bunch.... This is enough for five eight frame supers and a few extras....
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For nailing frames you can use an old super as a jig. Rip about 3/8 of an inch from the top with a table saw. This will allow your frame tops to sit level with the top of the jig. Inside the jig rip some pieces and nail them to hold the frames steady and straight while nailing the tops and bottoms. If you are new to beekeeping and you want to make such a jig but you do not have any old supers yet stop by an apiary and see if they might have one that you can have.
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I like to use one inch 18 gauge finishing nails through a small nailer that is easy to control to prevent this. Yes it still happens but pull them out and shoot again. If you have never use those small finishing nailers there is a word of wisdom. Watch where your fingers are because some how those nails know where your fingers are and they will bite you!!
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After you get the tops and bottoms nailed, then there four more nails The most important as I have been taught. Take your frames and shoot two nails in both sides of the frame into your top frame here. This is what holds the sides to the top frame and takes the weight when they are full of honey or brood and you are carefully pulling the frames to check them. The comb when the bees blow out the foundation will also hold the frame together but just as an add safety feature to keep things nice and tight.
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All that and we still have not used the little brass eyelets yet --- but the most important part is now I can't get to my tablesaw.
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Check in tomorrow and I will try and show you how you get wired or wire the bee hive!!! ;)
It is now time to install the wiring in the frames. It do this; it is best done with a jig either made by yourself or borrowed or store bought. The one I am using is one that a friend made. I am going to pattern after his or search around the internet a little more. However that said, I do like his design, and will make the plans available if anyone is interested. But that said the reason I like his - low cost really really home made as you see and I have used it a lot and am use to it.
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If you note the blue spool. It is E string piano wire, or guitar wire. It is very stiff and great to use in this application, please do not think you can get by with tie wire, picture frame wire or bailing wire. If you do decide to get bees and do frames this is a must. Also when they ship you the wire do not take it loose from itself. Once you let loose the exposed end it will unravel and just run all over. That is why the brake over the spool and down to the wire on the bottom.
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So anyway you mount the frame in the jig, then nail two nails just off from the two brass eyelets.
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Pull from the spool about how much wire you are going to use for one frame. Put it through the first or top eyelet and go to the opposite end and through the top eyelet there as well. Then drop down to the bottom eyelet. This is where your wire will usually kink so be gentle and work with it.
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Now go to the opposite end and through the eyelet there. Come up with the end of the wire and wrap it three time around that nail and pound that nail head down. Brake off the wire tail or cats whisker or the wire end by wiggling it back and forth several times.
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Then roll the spool back until the wire is very tight and you can pick the string and get a high pitch note the bottom string will be a little lower. When you have it tight pull up on the string while holding the tension on the spool. Wrap it three times and hammer the head down. Wiggle the wire back and forth a couple times and it is loose.
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Take the frame out of the and give the wire a strum and it should be twang.....
Tomorrow I will try and show why you need the wire. I will install the foundation.......
This is a video of wiring a frame. First one we ever did! [cool] Not frame but video c*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWlr2AhsXog&feature=em-upload_owner
Thanks for the tutorials Rick. I got my parts machined (had no idea there were so many machining operations in a hive!) and a good number of frames assembled before the spring chores tied us up. I'll finish assembly when things calm down a bit. This is where I got plans;
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/10-frame-langstroth-barry-birkey/
One of our local owner builders swapped a swarm for construction advice and will come stock the hive when I'm ready.
Another friend is a novice beekeeper and had a little mishap last week, she went in too rough and hurried. By all accounts she can move pretty fast when neccessary :D
Quote from: Don_P on July 08, 2013, 07:30:39 AM
Thanks for the tutorials Rick. I got my parts machined (had no idea there were so many machining operations in a hive!) and a good number of frames assembled before the spring chores tied us up. I'll finish assembly when things calm down a bit. This is where I got plans;
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/10-frame-langstroth-barry-birkey/
One of our local owner builders swapped a swarm for construction advice and will come stock the hive when I'm ready.
Another friend is a novice beekeeper and had a little mishap last week, she went in too rough and hurried. By all accounts she can move pretty fast when neccessary :D
Thanks for the hive link Don. We buy the hive parts the assemble them. A lot less hassle and headache but it is good to have such just in case we have to do something else.
Besides gives Ellen something to do.
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You might look in to these. Every winter I think I want to make some of these and just try them. However they are not as easy to extract the honey as they do not use conventional frames but people that use them like them so I hear. They are real home made hives.
http://warre.biobees.com/warre_hive_plans_imperial.pdf
Populating hives is not cheap. A friend and I went to California and got bees this year. They were around $130 for a 3 pound box with a queen of course. The trunk was full of bee boxes and the back seat was full of broken down supers and frames and foundation and all sorts of stuff to save on shipping. The bee supplier and the hive outlet are close. So the bees plus the hive parts and the fuel and stopping to eat a couple times gets expensive. The bookkeeper (Ellen) was less than impressed. I think queens are running about $30 to $35 now.
Up here we are not so worried about spaying but there are a lot of predators from yellow jackets and wasps that will literally kill a hive. Skunks love bees and will spray a hive to get the bees to come out. Of course there is bears and even cows will bother where the hives are at and knock them around. So you look around and you take a hit here and there you are out a lot of money.
Most commercial operations like the ten frame hives. I am not a fan of them for several reasons and have went entirely eight frame hives. That said I have not used or tended very many ten frame hives. The spacing in the eight frames hives is easier to work with for me. I heard some people say they take the ten frame hives and go to nine frames. Knowing bees - this causes a lot of burr comb or comb that they build in a hive not where it is wanted. Oh the gluing power of a little wax and honey. Eight frame hives are a lot easier to lift and carry when full. If I were you try a few eight frame hives. I think you will like them.
There is a breed of bees we just really like New World Carniolan Bees that are so easy to work. Yes you can up set them but if you are gentle and do not get in a hurry and are easy going I can slip in and out of a hive and never wear a veil or gloves or a suit with very little smoke and trauma. That said I will throw on one of those little light weight mosquito head nets because there is always an old bee that can get on the fight.
Thanks! I so want to do this and hope to try a small hive next year.
Quote from: OlJarhead on July 08, 2013, 09:53:43 AM
Thanks! I so want to do this and hope to try a small hive next year.
OJ is there a place near your home in Tri - Cities that you could have a couple hives in the spring for about six weeks? Or you can start them in the back yard if allowed by your location? Your commuting will be a problem unless you can be there to feed them every day until they get started. Or some one feeding them. They will take down a quart of sugar water in a day. Plus they will be flying for nectar and pollen. Seems like with four new hives this year it was costing us about $100 in good cane sugar a week. Beet sugar is not very good for them.
Here is what you are up against with a new hive. No stores, no brood, but one - two or three pounds of bees and a queen that wants to lay eggs. So they have to convert two pounds of honey to make one pound of wax for their cells or comb. Now once they have enough of the foundation 'blown out' or built she will start laying with a vengeance. Then some where in the mix they will start laying in stores. Which is honey and pollen they need both. They also need water... They will fly easily and happily a mile. Studies have shown that they will fly three miles and just keep a hive going but it is way over worked and way over taxed.
Two ways to feed them I know of. Both use quart jars and pierced lids. Lids and feeders are very reasonable - you supply the jar. ;) In the spring you fill a quart jar half full of sugar and add hot water until full and stir. This is a thin syrup. In the fall to build up winter stores if you feel they need them you fill the jar half full of water and add sugar and stir and keep adding sugar until full. This is a thicker syrup.
After you get the hive / hives established and laying good and you have taken away their rations. Then you can load them up in your pickup and go north with them. Then we well worry how you are going to winter them.
Next spring when we go get bees we could swing by there and populate your hive or hives. Long way out of our way but for a Marine that has served our country I would do it.
I could start them at home and have about 800 sq feet of garden and lots of neighbors have gardens, flowers and fruit trees.
Might have to be more vigilant at getting ride of the wasps though! We fight them every year but I do see bees around.
My thought would be to start them here at home (and since I work from home I'm around to feed them) and then to take them to the cabin when it's warm enough for them at night -- there are LOTS of forest flowers and berry bushes around.
I wouldn't ask that you stopped by this far out of your way! but i appreciate the offer.
I found a site online that sells small starter hives that I found interesting...of course I'd also have to figure out what to do with everything once it was time to harvest! lol
Quote from: OlJarhead on July 08, 2013, 02:21:23 PM
I could start them at home and have about 800 sq feet of garden and lots of neighbors have gardens, flowers and fruit trees.
Might have to be more vigilant at getting ride of the wasps though! We fight them every year but I do see bees around.
My thought would be to start them here at home (and since I work from home I'm around to feed them) and then to take them to the cabin when it's warm enough for them at night -- there are LOTS of forest flowers and berry bushes around.
I wouldn't ask that you stopped by this far out of your way! but i appreciate the offer.
I found a site online that sells small starter hives that I found interesting...of course I'd also have to figure out what to do with everything once it was time to harvest! lol
Hey send a link either here or PM me. Let me see the starter hive before you dive in. Some of those are trash but cost as much as what I can send you the links to. And you will have a lot more luck and be happier.
The Warre Hives would be fun to try as they as they are 100% home made and with your / my wood supply You could be a bee zillionarie in no time.... ;)
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1255
Had to search my bookmarks for it
Quote from: OlJarhead on July 08, 2013, 03:16:21 PM
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1255
Had to search my bookmarks for it
OJ That is exactly where I was going to send you for just that.
You will also need a smoker
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=91_103&products_id=44
and a hive tool
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=91_29&products_id=1297
The heavy vial and bee suit is really not needed unless you get some real nasty breed of bee. Even the tame ones can get on the fight I got nailed repeatedly last year head and belly one time. I spent several hours sort of wondering 911? I was itchy and sort of just needing to set. It was a cloudy and windy and that is bad. Do not work bees on cloudy or like yesterday here windy days. After church we decided to slip new supper on to a mega hive we have going. Ellen was standing a long ways away minding her own business and a stiff breeze (wind) came up and she got hit on the forearm and she was not even close to me.
The Dadant Store at Chico, Ca. is where we pull in and load up. We get the bees out of Yuba City, Ca. Dadant is a great place to buy from... [cool]
Nice to know!
I'd probably get a suit to start out just so I didn't have to worry about getting stung -- I have tendency to kill things that bight me! lol and I'd rather NOT kill bees!
Now it is time to attach the foundation to the frames.
Foundation comes in two types real and a plastic type. Most of this type has a coating of bees wax applied and a promise that it is good as natural. Lies, lies and more lies. I have hives that have that type of foundations and bees will build on them but 100% bees wax rules. Bees just love the real thing.
If you have hives you can in fact send your waste bees wax in and they will press it in to foundation sheets. You get it back neatly papered and boxed. Or you can buy it out right from the supply houses.
So you draw from the foundation box how many you will need. Do not remove the paper it is important. You will need another jig this one is very simple that allows the frame to lay flat.
With the paper side out and the wax facing toward the wire. Carefully fit the foundation into the grove on the top or the bottom. Then carefully work into the other groove. This has to be done when the foundation is limber. If it is too limber put in the fridge for a short time. If it is to stiff gently warm.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0308_zps6db5af25.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0308_zps6db5af25.jpg.html)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0307_zps2736281a.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0307_zps2736281a.jpg.html)
Then lay into the groove with the paper side down and there is a tools that makes this embedding easy. It is like a rowel on a spur. Gently roll the rowel over the wax. Do not press to hard lest you slice the wax.
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Pull the frame off the jig remove the paper and seat the wire to the ends of the wax with a little thumb or figure pressure
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Then set it aside in a super.
This is a quick check of this hive I have pulled the top off and set it a side and removed the inner cover. I have turned the inner cover over and placed it by the hive entrance. Inner cover and the top is an interesting place. The only thing I can equate it with is a place where some bees hang out. Sort of reminds me of a place where you go you do not want anyone to know. This is a hive that looks out over our orchard and the blue berries and toward a large draw. I put a super on it several weeks ago and checked it. The bees never went up so I called my bee guru and asked what do I do? He drove up and looked it over. He pulled a couple brood frames from below and located them above. He explained he felt is was because of the wax coated plastic foundation. The empties we pulled went down in to the bottom deep super. You can see the two blown out frames center. The bees are starting to populate the top super and they are filling it now.
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This is one of those frames and the brood is hatching as you can see. You can see also that they filled around the top corners with honey. Pay no attention to the man behind the veil with the dumb look.
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This is inside the bottom super every thing looked good!! You can see the inner cover leaning in to the entrance
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This is like a hive on steroids. It has out preformed them all. Even the older hives...... But it is not without problems and the guru again blames it on plastic cell foundation. They want to glue the bottom frames to the top frames. I have had to get in there and scrape them all off several times. We put the super you have seen being made on this hive. But I had to once again tear it apart and scrape it all down again. While I was doing that Ellen was minding her own business and got stung out of the blue. One thing - a wind came up and that is not a good bee time. So that hive now has another super on it.
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My bee guru owns these hives here and a few more up here. That is Ellen with the bee suit on after she got stung. My bee guru and I worked at the railroad together for about 30 years. He has put up with my moody times and I put up with his weirdness for a heck of a long time. :D He likes to paint and trim his hives with colors. He says it is because the bees id them better coming in with a full load so he says.
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Good stuff! Just makes me more motivated :)
The last couple nights the dogs have been very up set over something. I went out this evening to put some water on the raspberries. They are on the east end of the orchard next to the fence. I think we have about of 120 feet of them growing right now. And doing very well. Well discounting the fact that there is a drought here and our spring we are watering them from is starting to dwindle. I started the pump and walked up to them and to check and see if the drip hoses were working. I was startled by a couple cow elk grunting back and forth on the other side the fence in some willows and pine trees. But very close. I did not have my camera. I grunted back and they talked back a little. Soon I seen them in the timber on the ridge above the orchard. I went back to the fifth wheel and told Ellen. She grabbed her binoculars and climbed up on the hill above the trailer that looks out that way. When I can back from my other chores she was returning and said she had a great view of them working through the trees and the brush. [cool]
After dark Ellen was out on the deck and she said she heard a sort of whistling from up that way. They get very little wolf pressure there. They are sandwiched between several cabin developments, ranches and roads.
Cool! I was expecting a bear story when I started reading!
Great news came the last couple days. :)
We are approved for a loan. We really do not need much but enough that I did not want to start the house and come up short and panic. We are now waiting for an appraiser. Sounds as if the one we ended up with is good and fair. Problem is he popular with a lot of places and very busy. He spent this last week in court as an expert witness putting him further behind.
We changed plans and are getting some rebids. With my / our new design the bid on the trusses are almost half as much as the prior bid. Heating and cooling is virtually the same. Plumbing is a little cheaper as we omitted a toilet and shower in the mud room. But opted for a stand alone off the beaten path utility. I felt good enough about the progress I pulled electric and plumbing permits yesterday. I was able to do that over the internet. $455 for the house and the shop that never got wired.
Last week I handed in our plans and engineering and had a meeting with the new building inspector. (Builder Bob is no longer there.) We dropped in to see what the damages were and how many changes the inspector came up with. With no real changes we were handed the form to take over to the highway district for them to sign off on, and then the State Health Department has to sign off on sewer and septic. We have to attach a better sight plan for that as well with a more detailed layout and measurements. The Building Inspectors Clerk 'costed out' the square footage and looks like our building permit will be right at $3,000. But we get $750 back at completion. [cool]
Our friend up here that owns saw mill, the logging and road building equipment. Lately I have been doing some flagging for him when he is transporting his big excavator. He just finished up a job for a day light basement and rebuilding about a mile of road that had not been maintained.
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He was having to road everything over a mile to get to the transport truck
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This is the east side of the mountain our place looks out on. The ranch is over that ridge and in another valley.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0338_zps83d60156.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0338_zps83d60156.jpg.html)
The crawler ended up in some timbered cabins above us a couple miles away. I was at his place yesterday, me and Pastor Joseph we were planing some 1X6s Doug Fir for some flooring in our house. We got finished and I took it home and stickered it. I looked up and a fire was kicking up to the west. And I could not tell how close it was. Looked a ways away then it looked close. My friend stopped by on the way up to work on his cat. I told him, "I was going to give you call and have you put on your big disk on my big tractor and I would come over and get it." He has our 150 horse International over at his place right now. As I pointed to the smoke. He took of to work on his crawler. Came back by to get the transport as I was talking to the concrete contractor about our house.
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He showed up there at our place again in the evening with his crawler. Unloaded it and took off. He said he would rather have it there than up on the woods and have a fire brake out. Good to have friends like that. But this is that kind of place.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0351_zpsb85fd0c1.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0351_zpsb85fd0c1.jpg.html)
Yesterday we turned in a required heating and cooling engineering litany for the house. We had e-mailed the required res-check. We also had made the tour of the county and state offices from the guy that says it is okay to have our lane there. Like he says he really can not say much because it comes out on a private road then on to a forest service road. And he had - had to sign off on it for the shop and the last years modular that went bust. Then to Southwest Idaho District Health. He also had to had to sign off again for the shop and the last year modular bust as well. We handed it all in and $3000 and we pulled the building permit on the house. We are still waiting on the appraiser! We have been assured this next week. [waiting]
A couple days ago I received an e-mail from our concrete contractor. A couple years ago he bragged he could not even turn on a computer. Now I received his cut and bend list for the house via e-mail. ??? Plus a couple bids I had asked for. So this morning at fist light I went over and started pulling all the #4 rebar I can remember hording. I sat up my cutter bender and went to work. End of the day I had cut and bent 135 verticals for the walls. 48 horizontal pieces for the columns on the front and rear porches. 7 48 inch bars for joining the pony wall footings to the main footings as we are going to drop them down to allow for more crawl space. I was short that much 48 inches needed 8 of them. But we have a pile iron. ;)
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I thought I was pretty efficient this is the scrap pile.... I will take it down to my friend that owns the lumber yard and he can sell those short pieces.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0376_zps13a43d1a.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0376_zps13a43d1a.jpg.html)
The weather cooperated so well it was 98 and there is something special about 98 and the mountains. They are advertising red flag conditions tonight and tomorrow on east of here.
Doug fir boards stickered for drying. I have not put a pile top on it yet. Got to remember that d* We are going to use this fir for flooring in the house. While this build is not going to be cheap in product and build. We are using as much as we can that we have had stashed and socked away for this occasion......
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I noticed one of the bee guru's hives was not acting normal. So I opened it up and one of the foundations he put together and collapsed and folded up in the frame. So I went and got one put a new foundation on a frame and took it up to the hive.
This is the inner cover there is a top and bottom space wise. Hives and bees are very space sensitive.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0386_zps2f5ab9ed.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0386_zps2f5ab9ed.jpg.html)
Take your hive tool and brake the inner cover loose from the top of the hive. Some bees glue everything down real well. When you have it loose prop it up by the entry and the little critters will often times scurry right in. There is usually quite a few hanging on. This is is the collapsed foundation on the frame. Some times so many bees get on them they pull the foundation loose or it was not seeded to the frame wires very well.. This is 100% bees wax.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0385_zps35fb3eee.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0385_zps35fb3eee.jpg.html)
Here you can see these bees are starting to 'blow out' or make comb on this foundation.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0384_zps9dbb5d5e.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0384_zps9dbb5d5e.jpg.html)
Looking down in to the hive with a frame out....
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This hive lost its queen and mother nature took over they raised a new queen as advertised and she is laying eggs now. They are doing remarkable well for a sort of hard luck hive. Hopefully the new queen will work her magic.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0387_zpsf73e301f.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0387_zpsf73e301f.jpg.html)
Saturday we went out and picked up the rebar for the house. I finished cutting and bending today. The 5/8 ths stuff is a real man killer. I started this morning at first light. Well before it warmed up but I was not quick enough....... ;).
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I was having a discussion with the Chairman of the local historical society. I have several pieces of old horse drawn equipment he was wondering that I might donate or lend to the local museum they are trying to put together. This discussion led me to wondering about an old hay stacker that my grandfather had. It was drug to its final resting place and left to rot away. It has been there for the last 55 or 60 years I can remember and looked about the same. Though I have not taken time to go take a real hard look but from the road it never changes and then I never change that much either ...... Until I go to do something.... :D But I told the chairman I would look at restoring it one of these years. We could demo it with several of us men and a team of horses. But first I have to build a house and the hen house still is not done and the wood sheds and the list goes on. The chairman says that he would donate some poles. I will see if he can donate a couple timbers as well. Any thing will help.
Today I went over that way to see if it was still complete so we can take measurements and make a set of working drawings. WOW it was all there. No one has stolen the iron or the pulleys or the springs nor a couple castings. But time is taking a bite and I hope we can get it drawn before a fire comes along this year and destroys it.
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It is raspberry season and we have been pouring our short supply of water to them. Ellen this morning went out and picked them clean and this evening she has a lot more ripe.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0420_zps81b30ba1.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0420_zps81b30ba1.jpg.html)
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Lord help us all when these little guys and gals get to be boring and common place.....
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Ellen has been trying to get a good photo of a Rufouse Hummingbird
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous_Hummingbird
He seems to rule the roost
Cool and Cool :)
Our neighbor has some old buckboard in his yard that looks to be some kind of implement since it has rails in the center and some sort of rake on the back -- I often think about it and wonder if it could be restored.
What is a good cutoff date to quit feeding the hummingbirds so they will be sure to migrate? Is it temperature based?
We are trying to decide if it is ok to take a feeder up this next weekend and feed for a few more weeks or a month or so.
Quote from: MikeOnBike on July 29, 2013, 12:39:02 PM
What is a good cutoff date to quit feeding the hummingbirds so they will be sure to migrate? Is it temperature based?
We are trying to decide if it is ok to take a feeder up this next weekend and feed for a few more weeks or a month or so.
Just read that you really do not need to remove feeders. When it is time for them to pull up stakes - they will leave. We always pull them when we notice they are not getting any attention. But the article I read suggests leaving them out another like two weeks in case there are few stragglers. Not what I heard in the past. But I know when we lived in the valley they would just leave one day.
These two feeders we have we should sell tickets. There is like twenty or thirty here in the morning at first light.
Guess it is dry there like here? Knock on wood we have not had much lighting except one night and it rained so hard with it you could not even get a fire started with napalm.
Quote from: OlJarhead on July 29, 2013, 11:51:29 AM
Cool and Cool :)
Our neighbor has some old buckboard in his yard that looks to be some kind of implement since it has rails in the center and some sort of rake on the back -- I often think about it and wonder if it could be restored.
Send a photo - bet some one here on the forum can figure it out.....
Over the week end we took the clearance for the aforementioned modular that has just sat from last fall to now waiting and waiting [waiting]
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0431_zpsd9029af8.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/house/DSCN0431_zpsd9029af8.jpg.html)
To this clearance that lines up with the new plans we had drawn and the engineering done on.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0432_zps0372cd92.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/house/DSCN0432_zps0372cd92.jpg.html)
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Tig is still hanging in there as the 'job dog'
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A few years ago when we built the shop and she was the official job dog and supervisor
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WhooHoo! underway! c*
Quick note: We are involved and affected with both the Pony Fire complex to our south. And the Elk Complex that more or less has us in its grip. The two largest fires in America. Both now have tallied up over 260,000 acres of south west Idaho.
We finally got power back on this time after a couple days when hundreds of poles burnt Friday night. Power was restored for about eight hours then it took another run and hooked back and took down hundreds more. Ranchers are out huge counts on their livestock and farmers wheat crops have disappeared in smoke.
Both started by lighting the night we poured the footings for the house.
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Personally we have been fighting fire with hand lines and off the fourwheelers. I have been working behind a lot of both private dozers and contracted and putting out spot fires. Yesterday was the first day we worked on our own place to get it ready for what is to come if one of the two or both fires left here turn and make a run for us. The Elk fire made a huge run east but these two fires are left here it left behind refuse to go down. The Pony Complex ran west. We are safe really from the Pony now. We just have there two prongs of the Elk Fire that they can not get out that have remained here. Fixed wing retardant air craft are like non existent after the wings stated falling off a couple years ago. Do not count on them. We have had pretty good support from Sky Cranes and other rotatory aircraft. Today and tomorrow are the most critical for our missed location. Really hope to post some photos that I do not have yet. We have been going and doing to much for photo ops and the camera was not charged so I thought. [waiting]
For the want to build cabin guys and gals I would really think about an nice large RV that you can hook on and leave after seeing the remains of several cabins and houses. Please do not think it can not happen. I have seen these huge fires here twice. So far both have missed us. 1992 hit the corner of our property. 2013 all I can say it is not over.......
Hope you are able to escape both. It looks as if you have a pretty fire free area of the build. Probably be good to keep it that way for future fires.
Quote from: Redoverfarm on August 15, 2013, 07:22:47 AM
Hope you are able to escape both. It looks as if you have a pretty fire free area of the build. Probably be good to keep it that way for future fires.
Thanks John we do not take any chances so to speak. But know things can turn in seconds and they do.
As far as defense of these types of fires you do what you can. But they toss embers and burning bark for miles. Neat and tiddy are the best things you can do.
Today is / was a sort of dead day. I moved the fifthwheel back to the ranch from our escape route. Drained the black water and the gray water and galley tanks. It is not secured by the jacks just plugged in and ready to go by rolling in the slide and hooking up.
The smoke blew away from the mountain just a bit ago. There is about seven or eight Hot Shot crews brushing and hand lining a cat line that mysteriously got punched in from the bottom. :-X It is where they stopped the '92' fire from going the other way.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0465_zpsc7ddcb57.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0465_zpsc7ddcb57.jpg.html)
A well done back burn from last night but it got freaky windy but all went well
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0458_zpsbfb7997a.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0458_zpsbfb7997a.jpg.html)
This is just east of where they burnt the canyon last night. The burn was just below those low hills and the first time in a week that there is no smoke from that direction.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0472_zpsb9e6e132.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0472_zpsb9e6e132.jpg.html)
One of the heavy choppers that has been working but grounded today because of smoke viability until just a few hours ago
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0455_zps151520d2.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0455_zps151520d2.jpg.html)
The same fire that was here that made a run at Pine and Featehrville. Twenty some miles away, but started just a few miles southeast of us.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0467_zps6bfe5e42.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0467_zps6bfe5e42.jpg.html)
Proof we did get the footing poured.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0470_zps2f86bc86.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0470_zps2f86bc86.jpg.html)
Just wanted to let you know our thoughts are with you guys. I'm an U of I alumnus, though it's been many years since I've been back there, I have warm memories and feelings for that part of the country. I found this current fire map of what I'm assuming is your area.
(https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae277/reb5maccom/ScreenShot2013-08-16at90327AM_zpscef3da8f.png)
It's pretty illustrative of just how much you're between an ember and a piece of charcoal. Hoping things improve soon. Cheers, Rich.
Thanks Rich... Go Vandals... We are living the life ..... Some people retire golf and travel, some just sit. We sort of live the life we dreamed of now. So blessed with such a great place and a great bunch of people up here where we are located. Most will grow back and friendships have grown as well.
We had a sort of soft day today. The Hot Shots did not. They were able to secure a hand line and brushed out the cat line and were able to back fire with a favorable prediction of a sustained wind. Tomorrow and the next day should close this fire out here excluding the fact it is so dry it can still beak out.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0499_zps666b87d0.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0499_zps666b87d0.jpg.html)
Elk Fire and runs east for miles about 25 or 30 miles
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0483_zpsde3f30c0.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0483_zpsde3f30c0.jpg.html)
Pony Fire the other side of the canyon and those dark mountains and runs for about 20 miles to the west....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0485_zps7500f105.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0485_zps7500f105.jpg.html)
Cabin site that is to be built next year
Before
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0336_zps1f08ae2a.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0336_zps1f08ae2a.jpg.html)
After
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0476_zps0384ffbe.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0476_zps0384ffbe.jpg.html)
You've carved out a nice plot. Looks like the soil is pretty easy to work.
John if you are referring to the shown photos on the recent post. The one carved into the decomposed granite is not ours but one that my excavating friend recently carved out for a client. I posted it just because I did have a good pre and post fire photo. And its design I hope to show here as he has a very good design for a small cabin. The view from the day light side is great. And offers great northern protection.
Or if you are referring to the house we are building thanks. ;)
The fire that refuses to leave
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0511_zpsbc53baa7.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0511_zpsbc53baa7.jpg.html)
Way over a week of having this smoldering, blowing up, chasing it down, running like crazy stalled out over the ridge smudge pot going. If it comes over the ridge we are back in the mess big time. Everyone up here is getting 'burned out' with it. Life must go on. But right now it is a lung full of smoke, in the morning when we go out your eyes sting and burn. Today a new fire erupted where we fought the fire for two days with a home made pump trailer with a 300 gallon tank. Locals like me with fourwheelers and shovels and a couple uncertified dozers. This was before the BLM and and USFS were able to get to us with a couple tank trucks. Today we have lost some our heavy choppers to the Beaver Creek Fire near the celebrities homes in Sun Valley.
We are left with this one and a couple small ones
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0508_zps3b6d817a.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0508_zps3b6d817a.jpg.html)
So while watching out the corner of my eye and wondering when the phone would ring I stripped footing forms hoping to get back on the house.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0507_zps94b89154.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/house/DSCN0507_zps94b89154.jpg.html)
Our grandson's cat Eleven Cents which we are charge of went missing about five days ago over on the fire escape route. She traveled the two point five miles, a mid coyotes, foxes and hawks back to the homestead. Yesterday she showed up here at the fifthwheel, when she meowed Ellen opened the door she came in got a bite to eat and went back out the door and went off hunting like nothing ever happened. Dirty but okay....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0524_zps59475a42.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0524_zps59475a42.jpg.html)
Yesterday morning was another smoke filled smudge pot morning.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0521_zpse8d12bcc.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0521_zpse8d12bcc.jpg.html)
However by afternoon it had cleared out and they claim the fire is pretty much out here. My concrete guy his house survived over across the canyon and near Mountain Home. He was able to make it up here even though the roads are still closed for the lookers. I had the footing forms stripped and piled and the last of the rebar bent and wired when he arrived mid morning. We got some wall forms up but spent most of the time trading fire stories. Note how well the air had cleaned up [cool]
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0525_zpsaf529b37.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0525_zpsaf529b37.jpg.html)
Today we got the rest of the wall up and a couple porch piers formed.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0530_zps515d1bdc.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/house/DSCN0530_zps515d1bdc.jpg.html)
We took time out this evening to go to an ice cream and pie social at Mountain Home. A fund raiser for the historical society. We got home in time for a blessed moment after days of smoke and flames...... good to leave with more than a little confidence that it will be here when we return.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0543_zpse6e35b0f.jpg) (https://s593.photobucket.com/user/rick91351/media/DSCN0543_zpse6e35b0f.jpg.html)
Lookin' great!
Gotta be a great feeling to be seriously into it now!?
Quote from: OlJarhead on August 21, 2013, 12:21:20 PM
Lookin' great!
Gotta be a great feeling to be seriously into it now!?
OJ it has not even started to sink in yet. It is more right now a side line to the horror of the fire. So much was lost for a lot of our friends and neighbors. We don't have a clue how many cows and calves we lost. They were out on the Forest Service allotments they have not seen our bull that was out there. They are riding every day and finding more here and there as well as a few dead ones. I have seen a few of our cows and calves here and there. I and one of the neighbors took off on a wild quad ride opening gates to all over so the cattle are scattered greatly.
But we are in a place where we have our retirement and no bank notes out or loans that hinge on the cattle like so many up here. But you not only hate the $ hit but you hate to see livestock and wildlife suffer. They found about 40 head of elk dead over in a huge drainage over the hill from us. And that was just right next to the road.
The fire and loss of bear habitat prompted me to call my bee guru and he made a trip up the mountain. We loaded out bees last night and got them tied down at 01:30. He left - I went back to all three places we were experimenting with them. I wanted to make sure we did not leave any embers or sparks or smolders behind. It is so dry that a smoker could burn this down so quick. There has not been any honey flow at all as of late. He has some places he can take them.
Then to top it off last I looked we have 65% chance of more lighting and strong / high winds. Now that I vented some of my concerns. >:(
We got everything formed up yesterday and are ready to pour walls and piers this morning.
One of six porch piers.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0557_zps60f182e2.jpg)
Front of the house.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0559_zps4b5de441.jpg)
Because this house is engineered there are a lot of brackets and bolts or embeds that would not show up on a conventional house. These catch a double 2X6 bracket on windows on the side of the house.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0546_zpsdfa5b677.jpg)
These 7/8 18 inch J bolts catch 7 4X6s that are like king studs on the front of the house. They are next to doors and windows and catch one corner. A heavy duty HD bracket bolts to that and it mates to the 4X6
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0544_zpsa57c5184.jpg)
08/22/2013 we poured the foundation. 08/23/2013 we stripped the forms
It turned out very good.
Back porch
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0566_zps5a46e5b1.jpg)
Front porch
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0567_zpsac37d61b.jpg)
The whole thing
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0568_zpsb367dd37.jpg)
When Mike my concrete guy started to leave he handed me his billing and it broke down
Price as bid $14,680
Deduct labor $1440
Deduct for
lowered
concrete
price $433
Total invoice $12,807
I had to furnish all rebar and embeds and that was close to $2,000. I had 26 or 28 or so 20 foot half inch rebar horded or almost half of the half inch.
08/24/2013 The lumber yard, my old stand by but now fifty five miles away. I tossed them a set of prints to see if they might be interested in our house. They indeed were interested in handling our house package. We have been friends since like age twelve or thirteen and I am almost 62 now! He and his wife opened a lumber yard and over the years we have been very steady customers though not contractors have earned their respect that we get the same discounts and other favors as their regular high volume clients receive. We take some bumps in the road and hiccups now and then but it has been a great relationship.
Yes they were interested in handling the house package. Saturday he called and said he was taking the day off and had a little extra truck time. They said could bring up our pressure treat and part of the floor package. Their day off from the lumber yard so they haul lumber up to us. ??? We did take him and his wife over to the Y-Stop for cheese burgers. (Best burgers on the Prairie.) He even tossed in a bunch of cull 2X6 Doug Fir and said see if we can't use them in the pony walls. As with most of us any extra help is way [cool].
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0572_zps4555e438.jpg)
Today after church he made another trip up with the I joists and a unit of OSB. Should keep me happy for a day or two. :D
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0581_zpsb759e1dd.jpg)
Might make a heck of a jump
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0580_zps44c1a49e.jpg)
Looks like a good and stout foundation, and I'm sure you are glad to start framing after all this time! [cool]
Quote from: mwhutch on August 25, 2013, 08:35:49 PM
Looks like a good and stout foundation, and I'm sure you are glad to start framing after all this time! [cool]
Thanks it has been a long time coming but it is starting to take shape.....
Pony walls are in
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0593_zpsb18ba634.jpg)
I decided not to use brackets but made another set of shallow pony walls that sit on the footing and just sit away from the stem walls. Bottom plate is still pressure treat.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0590_zps76eef825.jpg)
It was a real work out carrying and cutting I Joists in the still very dry and hot 90 + degree days. I am sure glad I hired one of the experienced people from up here to give me a hand. So happens he is also our Pastor at the Prairie Bible Fellowship. He is also a cowboy, sawmill hand and works in the woods now and then..
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0597_zps45d9cc3a.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0596_zps547cd207.jpg)
By the end of the day, I was able to call the Inspector and schedule a inspection in the morning.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0600_zps65bc72a0.jpg)
My helper Pastor Joseph is going to be off for the week end. SO the focus shall turn to clean up and some other chores.
Side note -- The Forest Service has started closing off roads due to the fires. The burn areas are totally closed to people with out a permit. They are just to dangerous. I heard where the Idaho Fish and Game has totally shut down the bulk of this hunting unit. Very unusual for them to do such. Huge amounts dead animals have been reported.
I used the weekend to clean up or pick up all of the stuff that always seems to get tossed under foot. The lumber yard brought up more lumber. Mostly exterior 2X6s and LVL for beams and headers so it looks like anyway. I do know we are going to be real short on bracing lumber if it does not make the next truck. [waiting]
Ellen and I damp proofed or water proofed so the label on the bucket says. Product was made by USG. It was just given to us by the lumber yard we use. It as is not a good seller and going out of inventory.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0605_zpsbab59aa7.jpg)
Then I took time to calk the gaps in the sill or sole plate before we get started with the sub-floor.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0608_zpse72f24cc.jpg)
Rick are you going to put a moisture barrier in the crawlspace floor as well as gravel or sand? Seems like now would probably be the time to do it as crawling around underneath later could be a little tight given the heigth of your walls. ;D
Quote from: Redoverfarm on September 02, 2013, 06:28:24 AM
Rick are you going to put a moisture barrier in the crawlspace floor as well as gravel or sand? Seems like now would probably be the time to do it as crawling around underneath later could be a little tight given the heigth of your walls. ;D
Thanks John for pointing that out. All we are required is a 6 mill vapor barrier to retain the radon emissions. I am thinking IRC is 18 inches clearance ??? We are at 36 on the perimeter and more in the middle.
Because of the oddity of our clearance. This was excavated for a modular that we bought but they could not get up here. A double combo problem - because of a road problem three impassable curves and the old routing for large equipment - large loads is no longer allowed because Home Land Security and Anderson Dam. Everything had to go over it but not now.
So we had the hole in the ground and two roadways to pull in the sections and move them together. Everything was pretty well shot to grade. So two of the footings are sitting on the road ways and virgin soil. The north end is sitting on virgin soil the south end however was packed and watered and packed and watered. Our fingers are crossed, but this soil is so forgiving up here.
So our perimeter footing is way up in the air. We are at 36 inches bottom of the footings to bottom of sill plate with the soil sloping down from there to the bottom of the old clearance. The center pony wall footings are even more roomy and pony walls are higher because the inspector allowed us to drop the pony wall footings into the ground. So they are almost four foot.
Rick just thought it would be more accessible now than later. I used some sand on the ground and then used 6mil. That way it was a little softer to crawl on later and the sand prevented punctures. And yes you will probably be under their probably more so now than later running electrical, plumbing and the like.
Pastor Joseph and I putting down the sub floor.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0612_zpsc8cea13f.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0613_zps2b3377c6.jpg)
Last piece going down!!
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0619_zps1876f980.jpg)
Pastor Joseph does his famous Smiths Prairie Toe Dance Shuffle
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0620_zps6f70bcb7.jpg)
Just about all you can expect out of either of us after
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0626_zpsf16e36c1.jpg)
We were able to hold each course straight as a string literally
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0624_zps16024f79.jpg)
[cool] [cool]
My helper was off to the Air Races in Reno this last week. Ellen and I hung the ledger boards for the porch decks. I made a couple trips to civilization.... GRRRR! I hate going to town!! Ordered the trusses :) and had a funeral to attend. :( and trip to the lumber yard......... more $$$
Our little community made national news again - this time flash floods. We had some real gnarly cells come through
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0641_zpsb3d3f4f4.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0640_zps3d5e9d9c.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNAnitOo6P4&feature=em-upload_owner
They took the roads out everywhere to the south and east of us where it had burned and there was a canyon or steep drainage of good size. It was so bad it dammed up the South Fork of the Boise our prized blue ribbon trout fly fishing attraction until the river had a chance to cut through again. Three major slides went into the river. Granite Creek, Ruff Creek and the Reclamation Village. Several went into the back waters of Anderson Dam. It is so bad over that way they doubt they will reopen the road around the back waters of the dam this year. I rode down to the river on my quad yesterday and the river still looked like three day old coffee with a touch of cream.
Our friend and neighbor with the crawler came over and back filled around the house.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0647_zps78fb0d1f.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0648_zps5db26400.jpg)
Back yard landscaping is already in ;D We will let it settle and get a few rains on it and then fine grade plus there will be us driving around the foundation for a while. :o
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0649_zps30a11f78.jpg)
Looking awesome!
Quote from: OlJarhead on August 21, 2013, 12:21:20 PM
Lookin' great!
Gotta be a great feeling to be seriously into it now!?
Quote from: OlJarhead on September 16, 2013, 07:56:42 AM
Looking awesome!
Thanks OJ
Now for the first time it is really hitting home that it is our house. And that I'm not helping someone else this time around.
Plus getting it back filled and getting rid of the mounts of dirt really helps. It has been like that for the past year and a real eyesore at least to me and Ellen. Sort of spoke of a monument of a deal gone bad. An embarrassment and a $3,000 money pit. What we were out on the house they could not produce. I need to progress getting that back. >:(
Can't wait to get my 'mounds of dirt' plowed down and holes back filled! lol
We got walls!!! :D
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0659_zps8629d2df.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0658_zpscccf7094.jpg)
Any of those with sheeting we raised with the neighbors self loader logging truck. We had to pick them up and place them over the top of some bracket anchor bolts engineered in to the concrete. Plus they engineered in 4x8 headers front and rear. Then with the amount of 4X6s and doubled up king studs and tripled even a couple quad-tripled the plans called for. Pat came to the rescue again. [cool]
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0664_zps84115613.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0665_zps2071a52d.jpg)
The others we raised by hand and will drop in the headers and the few extra studs most likely today. We left the hole in the wall because we still need a good pass through just in case we decide to place the safe now, plus two cast iron tubs. We can back right up to the hole and slide them in.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0669_zps5dd2e2be.jpg)
Looking good Rick. The knuckleboom is a god sin when it came to setting the trusses on the garage of mine. Convientional trusses you might by hand but with attic trusses there was no way to do them without it. Good you had access to it.
Last week was a killer week.
Hey we got trusses
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0700_zpsecfc6afe.jpg)
Hey we got snow up high and much needed rain down here on the prairie. I can pretty safely say our fire season is now over. :-\
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0704_zps27e76e35.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0703_zps42ccf483.jpg)
We got the porch posts up and the brackets and beams set on them. Well we are short a few LVLs will have to make the trip to Boise Monday. :-[ They engineered out as 14 inches
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0713_zps14ae9f14.jpg)
We got bearing walls up - beams and headers up..... Everything thing from small LVL to 14 inch puppies
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0696_zpsaf06730e.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0706_zps17378472.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0717_zpsbcd11a3f.jpg)
Then Saturday the handful of us swung trusses. Thanks to Pat and the log loader, Pastor Joseph who had to be the truss monkey, my wife Ellen who kept everyone supplied with nails and these cool truss brackets Joseph had me buy. Then me who hates heights but ..... If you got to you got to.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0721_zps1bc20b9d.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0724_zps32e10b57.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0725_zps17cda0a5.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0730_zps114bc3c5.jpg)
We sat the last three in the dark with the car lights of Ellen's car and Josephs pick up.
Thanks again guys.
I love the use of the log! Looks like your project is moving right along.
Quote from: pmichelsen on September 30, 2013, 09:39:55 AM
I love the use of the log! Looks like your project is moving right along.
These guys that live up here and have their whole life. It is so surprising what most of them can come up with. Most treasure their old machinery that they can modify and work with without hacking a computer or bypassing electronics. The guy on the self loader he is like a hydraulics engineer with out the diploma. He is an Einstein with a few pieces of metal and a good welder. Then give him a good green fir log and I think he could figure out how to move the earth.
As far as the house it has to move right a long. We really do not want to spend another winter in the fifthwheel even if we 'snowbird' like we did last year. We so miss not having a real house / home.
Coming along nicely!
Looking sharp, that house oughta last awhile! That is an ingenious use of the loader, neat truck setup with the pup trailer. I remember them from out west but not sure if they run that setup over this way. This is a friends with the boom at the rear, he can haul a pup on the pintle hitch... when one of us gets an A license. I was using it to set up a hollow oak for a stumpkin that we'll probably fire up this week, we should have rain tomorrow.
(http://timbertoolbox.com/sketches/logtruck.jpg)
Quote from: Don_P on October 05, 2013, 01:26:54 PM
Looking sharp, that house oughta last awhile! That is an ingenious use of the loader, neat truck setup with the pup trailer. I remember them from out west but not sure if they run that setup over this way. This is a friends with the boom at the rear, he can haul a pup on the pintle hitch... when one of us gets an A license. I was using it to set up a hollow oak for a stumpkin that we'll probably fire up this week, we should have rain tomorrow .........snip.............
Thanks a lot Don that really means a lot to me coming from you. [cool] It has been a sort of challenge some of the stuff the Engineer Bob Peters 'dumped on us'. I was not thinking a footing that large and and all the solid 4x6s and huge hold downs. Then all the 14 inch LVL we bought and still 'miss calculated' and had too make 'another trip to town'. We had the little lumber yard we use scrambling as well. As you say it oughta last a while. With a 'tin roof' - and a Hardie type cement siding and a nice sized 'green area' around it we hope to cut down on the fire danger from without. Have not thought to much on the within. ??? Hopefully our family will hold on to it. If not someone will have a nice home on down the line. ;)
After going through the tenth driest year on record. Our sub floor has gotten drenched on multi-times but as dry as it was I was ::) not up set at all. The fist of October brings a new moisture 'year' to the Boise Basin. The water catchment for all the irrigation down in the Treasure Valley and recharges the springs and creeks up here. Normally we end the year with some where around 24- 25 inches of water counting both rain and snow is pretty normal. We were ten inches shy of that. We ended the year up here 15.5 or close to it. We recorded several days just before the fires broke out at 0% humidity in Boise and up here.
Our friend on the self loader is making log recovery trailer with and grapple arm and a winch. (Smaller than what you show in your photo.) He is stumped trying to use some old European hydraulic valves he has salvaged off something. That is his main hobby - he uses stuff that he gets at scrap price or free and makes stuff out of it. He made the log grapple for his crawler from stuff he bought from the scrap yard. Looks like factory.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/P82003952.jpg)
Well we finely got enough 14" LVL up here to finish the porch piers. We were short three doubles of 95" in the front and one in the back after we set the trusses. We had to slide them in under the trusses and horse the top plates in over them jacking and pounding and hammering on them. But that is done! ;) Still can not figure out where we were all so far off in ordering them. ???
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0742_zps71d6238c.jpg)
I have used this truss company before and they always seem to just excel heads above others in the valley. From a great delivery driver, right down to the tags to make sure you understand where the bearing points are just in case one gets turned or 'stuff happens'.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0747_zps59fd53a6.jpg)
They engineered all the bearing walls inside the house with 2x6s and LVL beams and headers
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0743_zpsa25c87a4.jpg)
We got the trusses double blocked. I ordered the bases taller so we would have more insulation where it counts next to the walls.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0739_zpsd7e275e4.jpg)
I rented a man-lift to do gable end blocking and some other duties. They really speed things up and are so much safer than hanging them hang off the trusses..... ;D
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0734_zpsd24da001.jpg)
Besides that we got some sheeting on the lid
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0749_zpsb84d7d4f.jpg)
Rally moving along now! Should be able to get it dried in before the snow flies! [cool]
Quote from: OlJarhead on October 10, 2013, 04:15:05 PM
Rally moving along now! Should be able to get it dried in before the snow flies! [cool]
We were making great progress Joseph and I. Then the man lift went down so we lost a day or two waiting for a 'tech' to come up Monday. Joseph had to leave for meetings in Post Falls Monday got back Tuesday morning and was here Tuesday afternoon after the drive up from Boise. And we worked until dark we and we really made good progress. Today he showed up and he said we would have the sheeting on the roof tonight before Wednesday night church. I said no way could if be done. We sheeted some more on the house waiting for the frost to leave the roof then at about eleven he got started. We had over three quarters to do on the west side to complete....... east side is all nailed off.
In the middle of our roof sheeting marathon the building inspector dropped by [shocked] but just to chat. [waiting] He said he is amazed at the progress we are making on this with just the two of us work on it and neither real carpenters and what a good job we are doing. But then as he says building a house for yourself is one of two things -- Trying to do everything as cheap and hurried as you can or they are very well built and a lot of attention to detail. WE got an official [cool]
Joseph 5:30 PM with the last sheet nailed down. I might add no one got photos of me lugging sheets. No body told me retirement was this hard on the body. ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0753_zpsc590807a.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0756_zps98b4e7a4.jpg)
Fall colors at the homestead plus with deer season here, it is hard to keep my mind focused on getting dried in. I hate to see a perfectly good deer tag in my wallet go to waste.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0762_zpsae3e2e6f.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0752_zps808c9cec.jpg)
It's really looking good. I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but thanks for sharing everything with the orchard and homestead over the years. It helps me dream and learn for when I have the opportunity to do it myself.
I think I'm going to be a stick in the mud, but I have to say it, consider a safety harness. d*
Looking great!!!
Wow! Really coming along nicely. Great to see you have a building inspector that is an asset and not a liability.
Quote from: LuvHartwell on October 20, 2013, 08:12:15 AM
Wow! Really coming along nicely. Great to see you have a building inspector that is an asset and not a liability.
Thanks. Yes our building inspector is pretty good and always a phone call away if you need advise. Pretty level headed guy. The one he replaced had his own IRC code and interpretation for the day. We never could figure him out what he wanted today would change tomorrow. He wrote me up on a couple things a couple years ago. I went to the engineer. The inspector changed his tune with the engineer real quick. He got let go over a trespass problem. He thought he could drive any where and inspect anything even if there was no building going on nor permits pulled on the property.....
We got the first shear inspection......passed with flying colors......
Windows cut out and ready to wrap
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0766_zpse09c6b6f.jpg)
View from the kitchen....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0775_zpsb067d61e.jpg)
View from the front room
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0771_zpse6526838.jpg)
There's a similarity to what some of NM looks like...
Great views and great progress !
We put "ice and water shield" down last year because it was not hot enough to seal the shingles down
this stuff or similar
http://www.researchroofing.com/ice.html
the OSB roof came through a tough Wisconsin winter in fine shape --- probably would have been a mess with tar paper only -- and as Mike, the carpenter, said the shingles would have blown off for sure in the winter storms we had --- it was one of the best decisions we made last December before we shut down for the winter
Quote from: Windpower on October 24, 2013, 07:13:34 AM
Great views and great progress !
We put "ice and water shield" down last year because it was not hot enough to seal the shingles down
this stuff or similar
http://www.researchroofing.com/ice.html
the OSB roof came through a tough Wisconsin winter in fine shape --- probably would have been a mess with tar paper only -- and as Mike, the carpenter, said the shingles would have blown off for sure in the winter storms we had --- it was one of the best decisions we made last December before we shut down for the winter
We are now about to the end of our building season up here. We are so blessed to get the run of weather that we have gotten. We are trying our best to get it dried in and working inside before the gales of November. The windows are in and at the lumber yard. I need to go get them or have them shipped depending on how busy they are.
Weather is one of the reasons we are 'farming out' most everything from this point as far as the trades. I know I am not willing to risk plumbing and electrical against the winter weather that is coming. Especially with just two of us working on this house. If this was a smallish cabin with a bath or two - more or less stacked. One or two 'water walls' and mid summer like I wanted it to be then I would bite it off. But to be looking at the possibility of DIYS against people that do it all the time against the four foot of snow that is coming....... and my wife reminding me, she / we are not going to Az again this year.....
As far as I am concerned somethings are just best left up to people that do it all the time....... I do not think I would save all that much in time and money to tell you the truth. Not when it is eighty miles round trip and $4.00 fuel and you need a widget pin. What I have found over the years no matter how hard I plain it out - lay it out there are always weak links. Tools or parts or wrong size. You loose a half a day and spend more on fuel. So I am trying my best to cram as many people through here as I can and in the quickest most efficient manner.
So that said the plumbers started yesterday and will be out Monday or Tuesday. Heating and cooling will be in Tuesday or Wednesday for two days. Then the electrician takes over. In the mean time I have to build a fire under the roofer to get him up here and get his ice and snow on. Last I talked to him he said he would get it right on as soon as it came in. In short I am now Rick the General Contractor...... As soon as we get the trades out of here then we can be Rick and Ellen the tile and wood working guys [slap]. That is what I am looking forward to. :D
They joy of DIY is always trumped by the joy of getting it done! c*
Looking great!
One of the benefits of growing older and smarter is better decision-making about when you should spend money to let someone else do it.
I did the DYI thing for years, but now I'm willing to let someone else build my fences and work on my plumbing and electrical. Our poultry coop is going slow since I'm the one doing it, but it should get pretty much finished this weekend before the rains hit. I was happy to pay someone else to do the concrete work.
Can't hardly wait to see the finished project [cool]
I have a couple projects that have me stumped. One is I want to make arts and craft style porch posts sitting on rock piers...... ??? I have been researching and I can find them - the arts and craft style tapered posts - manufactured and I am not so sure that is the way to go. But holding them true to each other four on the front and two on the back has me a little buffaloed. Has anyone done them? I find instructions on the internet but really I was as confused after I read and studied than before......
When we designed this house we wanted in the interest of fire safety to do cement siding and fire proof the porches as well as we can within reason. This property has escaped two huge fires over the pass fifteen years. So I am wondering what to do with the ceilings of the porches. Fire safety says these type of porches trap the heat and erupt in flames if not well thought out. Of course no combustibles growing in the laps of the porches. A green area established and taken care of. Irrigated and mowed - sort of like a lawn ... :o I am thinking sheets of cement siding on the ceiling and wrapping the LVLs with the same. Hopefully this might protect the combustibles. I am going to try and touch base with the siding guy Saturday and see if he might come up and give us some advise. Anyone got any ideas please toss them out there........
sprinklers
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roof|porch overhangs with gap between
Couldn't find much online, but what about a porch roof overhang with a small gap between the roof and porch overhangs. It would allow super-heated fire air a place to go without trapping much, and wouldn't be too bad for snow in the winter. Bad graphic above hints at what I am talking about. Roof comes down from house, 1 foot gap, then porch roof starts slightly higher than where roof from house ended. Armor the underside of the roof overhang with cement siding, use tin/steel roofing for the porch roof. You could even put the cement siding so it angled up toward the edge of the roof so it would not trap hot air underneath.
Sprinklers might be a good idea as well, but the power will usually go out about the time a wildfire hits your house so that is iffy if you are on a well.
If my text-graphic above doesn't make sense let me know and I'll do a better one. Might look a bit strange, but it wouldn't trap heat next to the house nearly as much as a conventional porch overhang.
Can't quite figure out what you are talking about on the Arts and Crafts porch posts. Maybe a picture to help show your dilemma?
Quote from: MountainDon on October 24, 2013, 10:47:50 PM
sprinklers
Sprinklers is one thing I want to do. However.... This area when there is a fire the power is pretty well gone for a week or more. This years Elk Complex fire the power went out the night of the fire right after a lighting storm. We did not know at the time it was devouring power poles. We got up the next morning power was still out. I looked around and no smoke was visible. We went to town and by the time we got back up here it had almost burnt the village and we were under mandatory evacuation. Idaho Power says they had to replace 105 poles so far do to the fire. Power remained out for a five days if I remember correctly. Then went out again do to pole loss from the Pony Complex fire.
Problem number two the well is not a high producing well. Like a 1.5 GPM - we have a 900 gallon spring tank buried. It can run the house in the event of loss of power but does not have enough force to do any good under those circumstances.
Three I am trying to take care of two problems at the same time. One how do we finish off the porches and make them look real nice and two help prevent fire danger / damage I guess is the real question...... ???
Quote from: Pine Cone on October 24, 2013, 11:02:12 PM
snip.........................
Can't quite figure out what you are talking about on the Arts and Crafts porch posts. Maybe a picture to help show your dilemma?
Here is a link
http://www.houzz.com/arts-%26-crafts-porch
QuoteThis years Elk Complex fire the power went out the night of the fire right after a lighting storm. We did not know at the time it was devouring power poles.
That is why along with the sprinklers you would need a self starting generator fueled by propane from an underground tank. As well an underground tank of a few thousand gallons of water stored.
There are systems that can spray a foam just be fore fire hits.
There are also intumescent paints... paints that expand into an insulating layer when the heat gets high enough.
Cement board for the porch ceiling, make sure it is for horizontal application and fasten well, if it falls off the framing is unprotected. It isn't pretty but one of the companies also makes cement battens. Wrap the lvl's in cement fascia boards. I've wrapped porch columns in the cement soffit material and trimmed the corners with wood... the corners are the ignition point though. I'd be tempted to make your wraps out of durock and then stucco it. I haven't been keeping up real close (I tend not to keep up with folks who know what they're doing as closely ;)) but I'm assuming you're going with an unvented roof or using firebrand vents. On any exposed timber easing the edge helps with ignition a whole lot, that is the original reason for chamfering or rounding the corners of beams in timber and mill construction. And you're doing the real work, keep the fire as light and low as possible around the structure, deny it fuel.
WOW since my last post:
We moved the big tin cabin (fifthwheel) down to the Valley to get it ready for winter as we are getting ready for the final push on the house and will be anchored here pretty tight. Several issue were coming to a head. One the furnace motor was going out. Two the bottom the the bath tub which as in most this size is nothing more than a deep shower pan or a child's tub developed a crack down the middle which I crafty like mended with a combo of shipping strapping tape and gorilla tape. :D But I found that combo can only last a certain length of time. :o Plus several other issues from the eagle dent from last years snow birding trip to Nv, Ca and Az. (The one that Ellen says she will never do again. Says you desert dwellers can have it - she is staying here.) A couple lights were in need of repair or replaced. Plus the roof needed resealed and on and on..... So we transferred a bunch of stuff to our little old Alpinlite that we keep around for company and issues like this one. We were even going to move the little Alpinlite to the big fifthwheel spot so we could hook up to the phone and internet but decide we were busy enough with the house that we really did not need to be shuttling units around.
`
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0791_zpsec5658cc.jpg)
As you can see winter is starting to tease us a bit....
The windows arrived for the house and we got them in.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/229ebf52-64c3-4d59-b73a-ddd12139bc31_zps89b9decb.jpg)
I went down and rented the man lift again as it is about the quickest and safest to wrap the gable ends and get the window lights in to the attic. WOW are we getting spoiled
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0784_zpsf0f0ecda.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0788_zps1f9ebc0d.jpg)
We got our final shear inspection. The inspector has been amazed how well we are doing, for two guys - a retired locomotive engineer and a preacher. I had him check our hold downs and framing while he was here as well just in case....
The plumbers are finished with their rough in and that has been inspected. The HVAC crew is way over half finished but but one of their fathers past away and they are 'down' until he returns. The electrician should be finished up today for inspection provided I get him some 10/3 wire. [waiting] The HVAC crew have had nothing but good things to say about the plumbers and how well they did the rough in. The plumbers have had nothing but good things to say about how well the HVAC guys are tucking stuff up and strapping it down - down in the crawl space.
We installed a 400 AMP meter base and split it into two disconnects. From there it is 200 feet of under ground 3 inch conduit and sweeps to the house. The other side goes the the shop if I ever run wire to there. That is another 200 ft or so and the conduit is buried.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0783_zps112122e7.jpg)
We got the big fifthwheel back up the hill into its spot - no small feat with the current weather patterns...... and I hooked up the internet satellite tonight as this is the last night in the little fifthwheel. We will get everything put back and I will winterize it and most likely move it down to the valley for winter.
One of the small homesteads here had a large tank buried and it started giving them trouble. My buddy with the equipment was hired to dig and see what was the matter. Both ends had collapsed and cracked. They had him remove it. My place was close so he tossed it out here in case I can use it. Nothing goes to waste like that up here at Prairie so it seems.
I am sort of thinking of chain sawing the middle out and using the top and bottom for raised beds or ??? Any ideas will be entertained.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0793_zps262af4db.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0796_zps06e411b0.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0797_zpsb25dd11e.jpg)
Looks like you are almost ready to move into the place
If you got heat and plumbing everything else is luxury as one of my carpenters said ......
although getting it drywalled before moving in saves alot of mess
Weather is coming into winter here too, we are supposed to get some snow today
Idaho Power pulled their wire and sat their transformer but did not connect it because we were missing a couple lugs that I thought they installed. (Their side of the meter base) I knew I had to install the lugs on my side for the disconnects. I also discovered apparently they own the meter base once the meter goes in. ???
Right now we are waiting on the wire for the pull to the house. It is in three inch conduit but will be pretty filled up when we get done. [noidea' It is to be in Boise on Tuesday. We are short one Arc fault breaker for one bed room. I think it is to be in on Thursday. I went to an electrical wholesaler to get some what we use to call mule tape to pull the wire with. That was a no show as well, then I found out someone up here on one of the ranches has a large spool of it. We became very good friends during the fire. That was where I helped fight the fire the most was on his property and the State ground that borders it. I should not have any trouble borrowing it so his nephew says. [cool]
Quote from: Windpower on November 11, 2013, 06:44:17 AM
Looks like you are almost ready to move into the place
If you got heat and plumbing everything else is luxury as one of my carpenters said ......
although getting it drywalled before moving in saves alot of mess
Weather is coming into winter here too, we are supposed to get some snow today
WOW! Do I ever hear you on the dry wall. There are couple brothers that live between Sun Valley and here. They have done jobs up here in the past and did great. I got a bid from them. It seemed sort of high but they do good work and don't seem to be eating pills and downing energy drinks just to function. A couple contractors I know down in the valley really say they do not have any favorites anymore. They to say it is a crap shoot who they get when they arrive. I want to get them in and out so I can start my wood work this winter.
When we got our second shear inspection I asked about occupancy. I am trying to find our legal right to occupy as a owner builder. The building inspector says sure you can move in just as soon as you final. ;) Then went on to say he knows what happens especially up here where like us living in a fifthwheel and it is getting down in to the single digits and then plunging to -30. So we are pushing hard to get it done enough to make it 'live able'. The plan right now is to finish the one common bathroom and the smallest bedroom and maybe the utility room. I then hope to seal that off from the rest of the house so I can use my saw, planer, router table and be able to sand without too much mess if I have my dust collector set up. I am getting so stoked about that. Goal is to have it finaled when the snow goes off in April.
Quote from: rick91351 on November 09, 2013, 10:08:54 AM
I am sort of thinking of chain sawing the middle out and using the top and bottom for raised beds or ??? Any ideas will be entertained.
Looks like two haves would haves would make good stock tanks. I would paint it black to protect from U.V.
Yes the POCO owns the meter base although in many jurisdictions you bought it. The entrance and inboard is yours and your responsibility. The entrance between the meter base lugs and the main disconnect is a toughie. On temporaries I've had to work on that wire and refuse to work it hot so I've clipped the seal and pulled the meter to de-energize the entrance line. Back when they visually read meters I would tell the meter reader what I had done the next time he came out and he would reseal it. When they went to remote reading I've not had anyone to tell untill we switched to permanent power. I've never had a problem but this is an offense. Back in the day they would sometimes have a problem with folks jumping the meter, I've not heard of anyone that crazy in a long time.
Is that a 60's Fairlane behind the shop?
Quote from: Don_P on November 11, 2013, 10:41:34 AM
Is that a 60's Fairlane behind the shop?
Looks like a '67 by the tail lights
Quote from: Rob_O on November 11, 2013, 07:51:07 PM
Looks like a '67 by the tail lights
Right on! I bought it the day I graduated from high school in 1970. It had been rebuilt in the late 70 since is gone way down hill.....
289 ?
Can't believe I'm just now seeing this thread. Everything looks great. Really looking forward to seeing it finished.
The Fairlane is nice but I'm more interested in the bumpside (67-72 Ford truck) that I keep seeing in the background. I've owned more than seven of them over the years. What is the story with it?
Austin
Quote from: Windpower on November 12, 2013, 10:41:18 AM
289 ?
Yep but hardly stock..... It is still in good / great shape I do need to pull it and tear it down as it has not been ran for years.
Quote from: dablack on November 12, 2013, 02:46:55 PM
Can't believe I'm just now seeing this thread. Everything looks great. Really looking forward to seeing it finished.
The Fairlane is nice but I'm more interested in the bumpside (67-72 Ford truck) that I keep seeing in the background. I've owned more than seven of them over the years. What is the story with it?
Austin
That would be Pastor Joseph's rig. I know nothing of its history other than he dropped a 390 in it a while back when he blew up the 427? that was in coming back from Northern Idaho after seeing his terminally ill father. It was weak and sick when he left and came back and it died when he got back up here, in fact he almost made it to the driveway where he lives. As I write this he has the front end out if it and putting in a all most new rebuilt that he fell into. Same gears, hubs and linkage and for almost free. Free is cool up here [cool] The young man gets by on almost nothing.
A 427! Where did he get it? Those are RARE and would sell for good money. Even if he is confused and it is a 428, that is still a rare engine. I parted out a 1966 mercury Colony Park wagon a while back that had a 410 FE in it. That was a mercury only engine. It was basically a 390 block with 428 crank (IIRC). Sold it to a guy that was restoring a Marauder. The FE engines always crack me up the way the pushrods go through the intrake manifold. Just weird. At least the distributor is on the front of the engine as God intended. I've always been a 289/302 man or a 460 guy. My two daily drivers for years were a 68 cougar with a 302 and a 71 F100 short bed with a 460. Neither engine was original but they were both fun. The only other engine I ever messed with was a lincoln only motor in a 66 lincoln continental coupe. It was a 462 (not related to the 460). I loved that car. Rode like a dream. The doors were about six ft long! HA!
Sorry to hijack your build thread. I can talk classic fords all day long.
Austin
I spent a good part of a day putting in blocking for hand rails and such in the bath rooms, and the blocking for the wainscot in the house. Sorry the lighting was not the best.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0820_zps8360043f.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0819_zps56cb499c.jpg)
We got the exterior doors in as the siding guys are scheduled in
Front
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0799_zps17b54d96.jpg)
Back
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0800_zps93e3bf56.jpg)
As we are getting ready to call for an electrical inspection and we then will be covering stuff up I thought I would show one of the eight heavy hold downs call for by the engineer. Those bolt to and 18 inch j bolt poured in the foundation wall and bolt to a 4 X 6.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0806_zps0e816096.jpg)
This is one of the two lighter weight hold downs. They were a smaller size j-bolt and on the opposite end of the house than the huge ones.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0804_zps908ae414.jpg)
Engineering called for six of these on both sides of the house
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0805_zpsacc1cd41.jpg)
The siding guys got here today about noon it was getting late when they knocked off but WOW can those guys work hard. Again sorry about the bad lighting but I/we sure liked how it is coming out.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0813_zps29979254.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN0815_zpsab83af0b.jpg)
Great progress
what kind of siding ? it is looking good
those hold downs are impressive --- I did not realize Idaho was in a hurricane hazard area......
Quote from: Windpower on November 14, 2013, 07:44:07 AM
Great progress
what kind of siding ? it is looking good
those hold downs are impressive --- I did not realize Idaho was in a hurricane hazard area......
The siding is a cement fiber siding by CertainTeed with a Colorguard by Woodtone stain. The stain goes on with several applications according to the sales people. The first coat is a lighter color and cured. Then it gets a darker stain and the machine squeegees it off and cures again. So they claim.
I think part of the reason for the tie downs as they are is because of the open porches on both ends of the house. While we do not get hurricane hazards as such winter is a world to itself, and the reason many people do not choose to live up here year around. 120 pound snow loads and 90 mph wind load planing and or engineering is now required.
It is strange what the building department did involve into and now changing again. One time in this county as in lots of counties around the nation anything went. Then they had several building failures and law suites of course. The building department was more or less fired and they hired a real building inspector. With that he and the county fathers in a knee jerk they said anything above a certain elevation engineering was required. Nothing could be built without an engineering stamp. Since we started on this project and after I spent $3000 for engineering and drafting. We now are returning to a more lax building requirement. But it will never go back to when in doubt build it stout - some peoples ideas of stout are just not there. It is now more like Don_P explains so well about requirements and engineering and not having to hire a real engineer......
siding looks great!
Really looking like a home is about to happen!
Both my wife and I really like the siding. Looks like you have a busy winter ahead of you doing finish work on the inside, but you wouldn't want to get bored by having nothing to do...
My logger neighbor and I this time of year go in and harvest the beetle killed trees on my property. I was busy this year with the house and just did not have time to help. He needed some saw logs. I told him to get what he needed and if he found a couple good wood logs and were not to much trouble I ask him to drop them off on the way by.
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Great to have neighbors you can work with like that. This was yesterday the day before the snow.
Today was our first heavy snow so I did my first heavy snow ritual. Combined some gas, diesel, and was short any used motor oil so omitted it from my recipe and went a lot heaver on the diesel. It is the day I always burn my 'green piles'. Green piles this time of the year are hardly green and are usually very brown and burn with a vengeance. We do thinning of pines and pile them in green piles when the pine beetles are searching for stressed trees. The pine beetles sense the thinned trees and limbs in the green piles are stressed and are attracted to them. They lay their eggs in them and we burn those piles in the fall or early winter.
Green pile when I piled it this spring - summer
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Now a pile of ashes
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Took a few photo from around the place with snow.
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Great Update!
I like pictures of burning crap in the snow. ;D
Quote from: MountainDon on November 16, 2013, 09:43:04 PM
I like pictures of burning crap in the snow. ;D
Yep to me there is just a couple things about it. It signals winter and two I have yet to have one to off and get away and go out of control. I hate the thought of having to call 911... for something I have done. ;) And the next snow it is all covered up again.
I was glad to see the rain here night before last. We had been in the smoke for 3 days with a wall of smoke coming over the Nat'l Forest to our north. It was dry after leaf fall and something got out of control. I haven't heard the cause or damage yet. To be honest up there fires historically went through every 5-15 years before smokey the bear. Since about '28 we have supressed them and one of the pines has become rare because of that. The neighboring mountain had a large prescriptive burn a couple of years ago, but without prep and all the duff on the ground now I wouldn't want to be the one to have a hot fire get out of control. For us fire would help control some of the thin barked weed tree species but if one of my fires got away it would endanger several neighbors... one of the reasons for Smokey the Bear. I've used the saw and one of Monsanto's more famous products to slowly work on them. 8 point Fri.
I read you loud and clear.... I have fallen back on Monsanto's claim to fame as well. We tried some Telar on Knapp Weed this year. My wife stewed and figured and refigured to not over dose. She got the dosage right. We sprayed and sprayed. >:( To bad the Knapp Weed did not know it. It did wonderful this year for Knapp Weed. Both the unsprayed and sprayed. No one knew or could tell us why... Me I think it was in the zodiac...... :-\
Here the USFS uses prescribed burns. When we lived in town you would read in the paper where they were going to light them off from time to time. Up here where papers are not.... Undoubtedly it is on the net somewhere. I have never tried to find such. Might even be on the Boise National Forest Homepage. ??? I use the Prairie browser - When I start smelling smoke of that type the best thing to do is ride the four wheeler over to The Y-Stop General Store and get a cup of coffee, a pop or a candy bar and ask as if you don't care really, 'Forest Service said anything about any burns?' One of the rangers always it seems drops one of the notices off there. Court the owner will as the Prairie Sage bring forth wisdom. 'Yep burnin' over in Smith Creek or Meadow Creek. Sure stinking stuff up, be a couple days.' Really don't know what I would do without Court some times. He has visions of retirement or selling out. He makes the best double cheese burgers with ham. And his news is better than most any bodies around.
Might sound sort of strange but fires like that smell differently than a fires out of control. Brush and the stuff they try to burn out just does not smell the same. If that is negative nothing at the Y-Stop you can take a ride and look for smoke.... There are several great rides that let you look out on great vistas and are a great break for the day.
Hey guys and gals I need some help.
Remember the pile of 1x5 or 6s that I had sawed and stickered for the floor last summer?
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Well its time is growing short. I have wanted to finish planing it and tongue and groove it but it has been a little hectic for such. With the house and all. ;)
Now Ellen has come up with an idea that has worked for others up here. She is wanting to hold it as wide as we can and not tongue and grove it but edge joint it. Then counter sink screw holes and screw it to the subfloor then plug and sand it.
A very high end home up here we have never seen inside of has such and has worked well up here with fir. Another has pine and it is great as well done much the same way. We know the people real well and know they would love to show it off to us. But I guess my question is.... ??? got any ideas pro or con. How far apart would you countersink the screw holes and what kind of screws would you use? Am I over looking something? I have done tongue and groove hardwoods and been around even more being laid but this approach is a little out of my comfort zone until i get it screwed down........
i
Personally I would not go this route. Chances are that there will develope gaps between them from just humidity changes itself. It would be more likely to cup since there is no T&G to keep the face in alignment. If I went this route I would make her sign a wavier that she is the one to keep the dirt out of the crack. ;)
Ditto, I wouldn't, but I have. If it is intended to be fairly rustic I guess it's ok and that floor turned out fine and has never had a call back. Pine or fir are going to move less than a denser species. Is the wood quite dry now? Either way I would get it as dry as possible. If there is a shop with a molder anywhere within reason I'd take it in and have it T&G'd, screwing and plugging takes longer as well.
My old house in the UK has straight side cut flooring, when I bought the house I had to replace a lot of it due to wood worm , then sanded stained and oiled it.
The floor its self looked wonderful, but the gaps were anoying - we have ventilated crawl spaces and in the winter the wind would come up through the floors, as we had no sub floor things would fall through the gaps and disapear for ever
No one could walk on it with heels either as they would punch the would or break off the edges of the planks.
When I rented the house- we layed foam down and did a laminate floor on top of it - the rooms got a lot warmer, but the look was never the same, I loved my old floor !
It depends I suppose on usage and upkeep, some other floors i saw in the UK the people had caulked the gaps with flexible sealant, but I'm not sure how user friendly it ended out
Quote from: Redoverfarm on November 18, 2013, 12:56:52 PM
Personally I would not go this route. Chances are that there will develope gaps between them from just humidity changes itself. It would be more likely to cup since there is no T&G to keep the face in alignment. If I went this route I would make her sign a wavier that she is the one to keep the dirt out of the crack. ;)
Quote from: Don_P on November 18, 2013, 01:30:06 PM
Ditto, I wouldn't, but I have. If it is intended to be fairly rustic I guess it's ok and that floor turned out fine and has never had a call back. Pine or fir are going to move less than a denser species. Is the wood quite dry now? Either way I would get it as dry as possible. If there is a shop with a molder anywhere within reason I'd take it in and have it T&G'd, screwing and plugging takes longer as well.
Rats just exactly what I would and did tell myself. But where as it has been used up here in the past and worked well. We went through a lot of weeks up here with 20% humidity-- on down to zero from a couple weeks just before the fire and after. Lots of hot dry winds. I really feel good about moisture content I do have a Wagner moisture meter but it is on a storage unit down in the valley. I have to go down and get a lot of my wood working tools out of it now that I am changing over from framer to wood worker....... ;D
After we had maple installed in our home in the valley and it was way way too moist I will not take that chance again. We were POed big time and we hear you loud and clear about the moisture content and will not attempt this if we can not get it down to a sane level....... or we will tongue and groove.....
My nephew bought a house with pine floors -- just straight edge and no T&G
he is not happy with it --- impossible to clean the cracks in between the boards (he has 4 dogs and 2 kids under 4) --- some of the cracks are now 1/8 to 1/4 inch (I presume from drying and shrinking) he plans to rip it up and put hardwood T&G
We decided to go with bamboo T&G --- drawbacks: expensive ($4/foot with the pricey premium underlayment )) and slow to put down even with the air floor nailer (maybe because I am slow ...) I bought a palm nailer too from Lumber liquidators -- it works in tight spots but bends a lot of cleats
With all the time this is taking I never want to do it again -- I have at least another 2 -3 weeks at the current rate. We have a total of 2000 sq ft -- about 1/3 done
but it should be a hard well sealed floor when done and the upstairs BR that is done is very nice we have gotten lots of compliments -- it has a good warm feel on your feet
I think putting any floor down takes a lot of time --- at least we have all winter to work inside on our floors
Quote from: Windpower on November 19, 2013, 07:59:57 AM
My nephew bought a house with pine floors -- just straight edge and no T&G
he is not happy with it --- impossible to clean the cracks in between the boards (he has 4 dogs and 2 kids under 4) --- some of the cracks are now 1/8 to 1/4 inch (I presume from drying and shrinking) he plans to rip it up and put hardwood T&G
We decided to go with bamboo T&G --- drawbacks: expensive ($4/foot with the pricey premium underlayment )) and slow to put down even with the air floor nailer (maybe because I am slow ...) I bought a palm nailer too from Lumber liquidators -- it works in tight spots but bends a lot of cleats
With all the time this is taking I never want to do it again -- I have at least another 2 -3 weeks at the current rate. We have a total of 2000 sq ft -- about 1/3 done
but it should be a hard well sealed floor when done and the upstairs BR that is done is very nice we have gotten lots of compliments -- it has a good warm feel on your feet
I think putting any floor down takes a lot of time --- at least we have all winter to work inside on our floors
Hey some of the most beautiful hard wood floors we have ever seen were in a furniture factory showroom in China. They said it was rattan then we got to quizzing them more and we are now sure it was bamboo. It was / is located in the old section of the factory and had years and years of displays set and removed and stuff shoved and pushed out of the way. Swept up and trampled upon. The owner father said they put it down when he was the owner or a young man.
We are still talking and negotiating about the best approach to our dilemma. Ellen is now leaning more to T and G. That is a lot quicker and easier to rack and nail when you are laying it.
T and G does not in itself make a good job. Like I wrote we had maple put down by a professional - a real craftsman - nothing but high marks or so we thought. The flooring was way too green and not acclimated. I said something about it. He said he knew what he was doing and he tested it and it was with in range. I had / have no complaints about his skill cutting it in around our rock fireplace and rock hearth nor the complex corners. We loved it for a couple weeks. Then it shrunk here and there then gaps all over.
Then we started looking at the real deal. We found people he had worked for that had houses in the major market home shows and they were going to sue him. But you cannot get blood out of a turnip so they said when they had found out more about him. Basically they found out he was bankrupt and kept himself that way. We hired another guy to come in and sand and refinish after a couple years. I gave them a hand. They went through two of those half gallon pails of hardwood flooring filler. It looked good to great after they put on the Glitsa. However you could still see the filler it did not sit well knowing how it could have looked.
Most likely I will T&G the flooring......or take it down the mountain and have someone run it.
WOW I am not counting my chickens before the spring time but our Snotel sight here at Prairie and the Boise Basin water year is looking very well. It starts afresh on November 1. The storms we have had are counting up and the snow is now melted here at Prairie but the rain continues. Continues to a point of being sloppy!
This morning the Snotel it published 2.6 inches of moisture so far this year at 4800 ft. Think we only had 24 inches total last year. Remember this is not down south where you all get an inch or two in an hour! Up here water adds up very slow and it needs to absorb into the soil not just get carried off to the water shed.
Trinity Mountain the highest peck around us has Snotel site at 7770 ft shows 24 inches of snow and 4.2 inches of moisture.
The siders are now finished........
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Except for two boards both sides of the porches. We hunted and hunted and could not make the board stretchers work enough. ??? Must be the cement boards. That was Thursday night and they would have to come back up Monday. As we do not have an outlet up here. ;) Fifty mile round trip... [waiting] I told them I would take care of it.... I ordered the boards Friday and will pick them up next trip to town.
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One of my favorite photos of the house - though a little redneck but what the heck - stock trailer in the yard with Ellen's broke down carb float stuck @#$@# fourwheeler - I hate ethanol fuel and the door left open.
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We / they went through all the sheet goods we could find. Clear to the last of everything and went searching in the scrap pile to finish off wrapping both of the porches. [cool] I like it when is comes out that close. No wasted $$$. Now I still have to try and tackle the tapered porch posts..... That will most likely be next spring.
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Very nice, I like the inset porches [cool]
We told one customer that we hated to use the board stretcher because they get so thin when we have to do that. After over 2 months of waiting for that last piece of cement fascia to come into the little local building supply I got to finish up a roof yesterday as the temps were dropping like a rock. I had ordered an extra stick because he has to wait until he has enough of an order to make it worth the distributor running a truck out here but my guys broke 2 and I didn't want to put a joint in such an obvious piece. Happily there was enough sunlight to dry the paint before I left, 16 this morning, I doubt paint would flow today! I did get to drive his boom truck on a couple of deliveries the other day and am finally getting the hang of downshifting those transmissions. I also delivered a table yesterday made from weathered boards from a bunkhouse in Lemhi, the center board was her "cowboy board" the ranch hands had written weather and snow comments and dated them through the 50's, pretty neat. She was telling me about her experience running a cattle operation right after she got married. They rounded up their herd and drove them to her new father in law's place. He came out and said "well, you've got one good one there" She looked out and said "Umm, thats a stray that fell in with ours". She went into alpacas to finish off their savings.
If you have heat and can move your flooring wood inside and sticker it before machining it'll help drive down that last few percent and make the dimensions tighter when they do machine.
Lookin great!
Saturday the electrician and I had made plans to pull the wire to the house. I made some calls to get some help. So before anyone got here I took a hand full of those worthless plastic grocery bags doubled up a couple more and placed the hand full inside and tied twine to the handles of the doubled up bags. I placed it sort of fluffy and pretty in the end of the conduit by the power distribution center. I took the shop vacuum to the end of the conduit up by the house sealed it off and turned it on.
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I think it made the 200 feet in one nano second. I was so impressed I want to do it again but decided that was enough fun for one day. ;D
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I made a stand for the 3 strands of 250 aluminum wire and the equipment ground to run over and give it some height and direction.
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When everyone got there. We tied the twine off to 'mule tape' and pulled it through. The electrician and I drilled holes in the aluminum wire and looped several courses of tie wire and tied off the mule tape with several half hitches and then through the tie wire and took electrical tape taped it off good and solid. Our friend with the excavator tied it off to the bucket on the excavator. We lubed the cable up and taped it off and started pulling. As the old saying goes like gas through funnel and eggs through a hen.
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The wire is pulled.
Today I got my HVAC inspection he drove off and the building inspector showed up for the framing inspection. Our inspector had most all of it already done. He needed to get the info from the electrical - plumbing and HVAC 'tags'. He did check to make sure that no one got stupid and cut any trusses or joists while they were installing.
We are now good to cover the inside. I called the insulation contractor. [cool]
I will remember that vacuum trick when I need to pull the underground lines to the barn and pole shed
sounds like you may be in and warm before long
good job !
As a telecom guy I love to see this :) We use it so often that it's just 'common knowledge' but then seeing someone who's not in the business doing it is, well, just cool! [cool]
That's how we pull cable -- but did you remember to pull another tape through with the wires? We always do this so if we ever need another wire through the conduit we have tape ready to yard it through without having to worry :)
Great stuff on the build Rick, sounds like you'll be insulated soon and ready for the winter!
Quote from: OlJarhead on November 27, 2013, 09:07:09 AM
As a telecom guy I love to see this :) We use it so often that it's just 'common knowledge' but then seeing someone who's not in the business doing it is, well, just cool! [cool]
That's how we pull cable -- but did you remember to pull another tape through with the wires? We always do this so if we ever need another wire through the conduit we have tape ready to yard it through without having to worry :)
Great stuff on the build Rick, sounds like you'll be insulated soon and ready for the winter!
Would you be referring to what we referrer to as 'mule tape' tied and wired and taped to the cable bundle?
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It comes in all widths and tensile strengths. There are a couple guys up here that have a couple spools of it. No, not sticky fingers but Idaho Power surplus auctions. At one time; (I don't know if they still do it) when it got so old or like a tenth of a spool they surplussed it and went to a surplus warehouse. A tenth of a spool of it lasts these ranchers, loggers, sort of contractor types a long long time. Another great buy was braided nylon rope they use to pull wire when it got so many hours they sold it off in 100' - 200' and 300' lengths. I need to keep my eyes open for more of those auctions. Nothing like having lots of stuff. ;)
You do bring up a good point however that is tricks of a trade. So valuable, then couple that with and common knowledge - and a little common sense a person can do most anything they put their mind to do - both good and bad.... Another reason this forum and a hundred like it are so valuable. Something learned via a chat, a read, or over heard or seen on a forum..... but retained is a real gem a nugget.
After all if you own the bulk of knowledge of the whole universe but do not share it - or worse yet retain it what good is it. Often it is over looked - but as the old saying by Francis Bacon - knowledge is power. Here in is the purpose of teaching and learning. That is the ability of empowering others.
Yup :) Glad you pulled more through :) Always a good thing :)
You'd be surprised by how many contractors forget to d*
wow Rick..looking great... [cool]
As we were sitting drinking coffee Thanksgiving morning at first light we heard a vehicle drive up to the house. By the time I got out there the insulation crew had their pick-up unloaded and were already caulking. Four hours latter they were gone. WOW is all I can say. I heard about this insulation company from a contractor friend and told me they were the real deal. They never cut corners and go way above the expected. I found the owner to be all that and more. Top that off he worked like crazy and then checked on his crew to make sure they were doing as they were to do.
They caulked even where Ellen and I had already caulked. Foamed places I would never have thought of....
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They even foamed in between 2X6s anywhere there was a chance of a air leak. Cracks were stuffed of fiber....
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The owner is Hispanic and talks a hundred miles an hour. He says they have so much work they are getting calls from all over the valley. One end to the other and even toward Sun Valley and Ketchem in the mountains and down in the valley all over but we do the best job and I make sure we do the best job he explains.
Friday the electrician and I got power to the house.
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With all the big cable we had to use we had to use some stuff a little out of the box.... Or in the box you might say.... ;D
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Roofers now have half the tin on in between snow showers and squalls.
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I am not working on the house today so much as the fifthwheel. I made some skirting out of 2X6s and OSB insulated now need to get the front end buttoned up....
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Of course we are not going to keep the heat from escaping up and out but sure make the floor and walls more comfortable.
Looking good, Rick
As my carpenter said you can never spend too much on good insulation
As I sit here with the outside temp near zero the furnace is only turning on only once every half hour or less
we have 2X6 /R21 walls like you -- hope you can make it into the house to at least 'camp out' like we are -- hook up a toilet, sink and shower ahhhhh the luxuries
at least if you have electricity and heat you can continue to work on drywall etc
Sorry for a dumb question but I am into some stuff I know very little about..... Got a question about insulation. Ellen wants to put insulation in the walls of both bathrooms. And trying my best to comply with and complete her good wishes. And where as it is mostly for sound proofing and some insulating properties I suppose. I would imagine it should be craft-faced batts. ??? Would you turn the craft facing away from the interior of the baths lest it pick up moisture? Or does it matter? Or would you craft-face and plastic sheet the other where the moisture would be trapped and never to get out and cause great problems with mold and mildew should it ever pick up moisture...... Or does it matter which side the craft-face is stapled to?
My carpenters used un-faced R21 batts on outside walls
they put plastic vapor barrier on the inside bathroom walls under the drywall
while this makes sense to me I didn't ask why or verify code -- but it did pass inspection
I would put the vapor barrier, whether kraft or plastic on the warm and moist side, the bathroom face, and let it dry to the other side. The "vapor drive" moves from hot to cold.
Rick trying to get my brain functioning this morning so I will give it my best shot. As you said the interior walls would be mostly for soundproofing. If the interior walls do not adjoin the outside walls then there is IMO very little gained by using faced insulatioin as the temperature on both sides will be basicly the same so no moisture would be gained from that thermal difference as the outside walls. I assume you will be using green/blue or non-papered drywall in those rooms to prevent any mold from occuring. In addition I would use mesh drywall tape rather than paper. Mold will feed on papertape. Exhaust fans? Mold inhibitive paint?
Avoid plastic if you use craft faced. One or the other. Both you will be creating a space between the two for moisture to be trapped.
Well just my $.02 worth.
When the wall in question is between 2 conditioned rooms I would install the faced batts from whatever side was handy and then slash the paper facing all over with a knife. Then water vapor can dry to wherever it is driven, no traps.
Quote from: MountainDon on December 06, 2013, 09:46:21 AM
When the wall in question is between 2 conditioned rooms I would install the faced batts from whatever side was handy and then slash the paper facing all over with a knife. Then water vapor can dry to wherever it is driven, no traps.
Thanks guys - I remember reading about slashing the craft-face side now somewhere. ??? I think in fact it was on here several years ago...... Also now that I think about some more. I remember you can use unfaced and use these pre-cut spring wires to hold the unfaced batts... I do know something was not adding up and feared causing a moisture trap...... Thanks guys [cool]
You have a beautiful piece of land and a very comfortable looking house. I have to ask though, why no basement?
Quote from: RIjake on December 07, 2013, 08:41:46 AM
You have a beautiful piece of land and a very comfortable looking house. I have to ask though, why no basement?
Thanks part of this land goes back to my great great grand father, part goes to my grandfather and part my father and I added about 30 years ago. It is about 640 acres - with 580 taxable. It has two public roads through it plus a Forest Service Easement . If it belonged to a developer it would be a dream come true. I don't know of another piece of property this diverse this small. One could have a sustainable life style here but it would be a hard life - but do able.
I would like to put together a social media photo album of this place and the surrounding area some time. The one room school house my great grand mother had built up here is still in use today. Though it has been moved over to the village from the ranch. Prairie even has a library which my wife Ellen is the librarian. Though it looks like a small camper. Over in the village six or seven miles from us we have a church and small store. A store and restaurant is 2.5 miles from us. You can be a social gadabout or more solitary no problem.
Back to the house it does not have a basement for a couple reasons one is cost. Concrete is not cheap up here at all. With truck time and out of zone charges and diesel surcharges plus the cost per yard added in. Two believe it or not we had a heck of time landing a septic tank here. Every hole we dug for a perk test failed by us. It looked like the attack of the huge gophers up here. We did not even have to call the inspector. Seems we have a lot of surface water here in the area sealed by the clay top soil. So what looks dry on top it is not. So we came up with three perk test holes. Marty the inspector from the State of Idaho failed them.
So I asked Marty where to try next. He told me I cannot tell you that. I looked at him and grinned and said "Marty you have told me everywhere I can not have a tank you tell me where I can." He know I was not going to go off on him if he was wrong. The guy was ready to retire. He knows more about dirt and test holes from his 30 plus years of looking at them. So we went walking and he stopped and look around and said dig here. So dig we did and did not want to press our luck. I felt there is very little chance of getting a 'basement tank' in.
Then third and most important. Every house we ever had - had a basement. Ellen gave me a couple orders when we started designing this. First on the list was no stairs. So it is all on one floor. It is sort of engineered or designed to look a lot smaller than it really is. From the perspective of the road it looks to be 1600 to 1800 or less. That was designed in to it. We were trying for a sort of a Craftsman style 1920 or 1930 bungalow cabin in the mountains. It was drawn by architect off my drawings from something we found on our snow birding trip last year. It was engineered by Bob Peters just a great guy. I feel or agree it is to large the true spirit of this forum. But I have hung out here for a few years because when we started this venture I was looking to do something a lot smaller.
We made a grave mistake when we built the skirting for the fifth wheel I used a hole saw and thought I had the drain measured out just right. [cool]
Yesterday I went out to dump the sewer and grrrr! I leave the galley and gray water tank valves open. Sewer I manually dump. The drain was froze up solid I touched it and the flex hose disintegrated. I looked it over and the hole I cut I must have measured it and figured top not bottom because it was lower than the drain.
So I spent the last two days fixin' but using that old mountain ingenuity and used what was available here and there rather doing the 100 mile RT. Robbed the old flex hose off the little fifthwheel, went to the garden shed where we keep the spare plumbing pieces parts. Found a little this and that. Opened the valve to the sewer and it was frozen with ice from the backed up gray water. Turned the little halogen lamp on it for a while. Opened the valve and the tank emptied. YAA! [cool]
This morning Ellen was doing dishes went to empty the sink. It did not go anywhere :(
So back under I went and found that the frozen drain had also backed up the galley drain..... DAHHH! [frus] But the tank did not feel froze. I really do not need a tank froze solid. So I found some more heat tape back under I went. Way way to long. GRRR! So I hung the excess out into the air and some tape should be safe.
Couple hours latter and just checked the galley sink. The heat tape did its job....... c*
[cool] heat tape and being on grid go together nicely
Thanks Rick,
Being from New England, it's pretty rare to see a new house going up without a full basement. With the exception of a few contractors who built subdivisions in the 50's and 60's on slabs, everyone has basements here. But, I've often wondered why people in the tornado prone areas of this country have no basements. ???
I understand the additional costs, I had to settle for a 4' deep basement under my camp to save a few $. I'll regret that to the day I die unfortunately.
Again, beautiful looking spot for a homestead in the American Redoubt. Good luck with everything.
Good nes on the pipe. I've yet to thaw mine but have heat tape and just need time. I'm worried though as it's been a week plus now for mine...hope nothing cracked!
Quote from: OlJarhead on December 09, 2013, 05:22:59 PM
Good nes on the pipe. I've yet to thaw mine but have heat tape and just need time. I'm worried though as it's been a week plus now for mine...hope nothing cracked!
Cracking would be a major concern alright as cold and long as this is turning in to..... Should have a break here mid week. :-\
This fifthwheel has been so forgiving. It is an oldie but a goody. I found some literature it was spected out for the northwest. I so insist on babysitting it in the middle of the night when it is down in the single digits. Above that I am pretty trusting. I am up running water now and then - writing e-mails - running water even have started facebooking! WOW!!! ME ON FACEBOOK!!! [waiting] But it has never offered to freezing up. That said everything I have found has its point that it is just over the line.....
I do have a couple gallons of RV anti freeze and if I catch it starting to freeze up I will unhook from the frostfree and do the RV antifreeze. Open the low point drains and we will weather it out.
The roofers completed the roof. It was one of those deals I was so glad I did not try that myself. The roofing crew the fist day bent and ruined one panel. This caused additional delays. Plus an extra trip to town or an another 50 or 60 mile round trip. Then when they trimmed the gable end finishing up they came up short one piece of four inch gable trim. I called the boss for them he said he would get it ordered. That delayed getting the roof completed. Then believe it or not they came up short one piece of ridge vent. so again off to Boise they go.....
They got it completed.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0913_zps89d4841b.jpg)
There at the last they got the cricket eliminators installed
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(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0916_zpsfa7a0512.jpg)
I will have to report back on how well they perform. If we ever get any real snow again. [waiting]
Inside I got the soffits built for the cupboards
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0927_zpsb63e3252.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0926_zps778b26bf.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0925_zps0caf0f90.jpg)
Last time it will look like that as the drywallers are here ...
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I tried to get the furnace to run. Turned out a loose wire connector in a wiring connector to the motherboard.
We did get the wood stove hooked up. Dutch West by Vermont Castings
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0921_zps0fe854bc.jpg)
The portion about your post concerning your furnace drew a chuckle from me. When I installed my outside wood furnace I couldn't get it operate. ??? Like a lot of construction sites lighting is not the best just operating with the minimum lights in random areas. I had my uncle helping me. We checked and double checked the wiring and everything was correct. After several tries my wife walked by the thermostat and said "what is the red piece for" . Turned out it was the safety clip to protect the mercury switch from breaking during shipping. Yep pulled it out and it kicked right off. d*
Ours was not so simple. I froze that day running back in forth in single digits talking to a friend that owned the company but sold it but stayed on. Phone is up in the fifthwheel. Back and forth I went with him having me try this and that. Finely he says get your volt meter and ........ I said John I don't have a volt meter. He says well I got to get one up to you. He is like 70 miles away. I told him, 'Ya that would be a good idea but you come with it and hook up this wood stove when you come.'
So he showed up a couple days latter and we /he / I had the furnace all apart before we were done. He was sort of thinking it was the mother board then he noticed a wire connector to a sub board that did not like quite right to him. He started to take it loose and the dreaded white wire came out of the connector he gently pushed it back in to place. He pushed the test button and bingo was had heat and fans cycling and it was done. We hooked up the wood stove and built a fire! It is more like this country - It does not have the dreaded white wire nor a mother board. ;)
Looks like you need a little sheetrock backing at the ends of your soffits... I go round and round a house looking for missing backing and still they whine ;D
I also like to put blocking where the bottom rail of the upper cabinets goes... well I let in 3 rows, lowers/backsplash, bottom and top of uppers. That is a little overkill but it makes sure there's a buncha wood to hit back there.
Thanks so much Don, I spent some of yesterday with additional blocking in ceiling of one bed room and in walls in the master bath. I will take a look it the soffits tomorrow. Remember when you used to have a huge pile of scrap lumber when you were doing a house about where we are now? Now with shear blocking, truss blocking, drywall blocking you are scrambling for even toothpicks so it seems.
The dry wall contractor said with the narrow soffits really did not care if they had blocking or not. The one wide one I really should drop a couple three in them. I have a little time before they get back from holiday.
It might be too late for this
It is a good idea to take pictures of the walls before the dry wall goes up -- so you know where all the electrical boxes and stuff are
Someone told me this but I said 'no my carpenters would never cover up an outlet or switch box they are too careful'
they covered two electrical outlet boxes and a ceiling light box -- fortunately the electricians kept great notes and we found them
Thanks Windpower already occurred! Ellen was POed at the electrician when she went for a look see at the drywall. She is not all warm as fuzzy with him anyway. So who else do you blame? There is no can light in the shower in the master bedroom. >:( Now I remember I hung the can light. ::) I remembered Electric Ray wired in the can light. ::) I showed her the switch for the can light. So could it be the drywall crew forgot to cut out the can light. But it still bothered me so much I climbed up in the lid yesterday and bingo by golly there is the can light.
I need to go back up there in the next couple days and hook up the bathroom fan vents that I should have earlier. But needed a larger hole saw. Remembered the larger hole saw. Now since we cleaned out the inside of the house for drywall crew I'm missing the outside vent fixtures. :D While I am up there I will mark the missing can light. I also seen where the HVAC guys knocked a truss brace loose to run some return. I will catch that while I am up there. And send them a bill. ;) Seems they send me enough of them......
We are now sort of able to really put our hands around what we designed and built. Before it was just concepts and ideas put to paper. Concepts of a retirement house that will be easy to live in when we do get older. A house that looks like it belongs there and a type that would have been built in the twenties or thirties. Roomy but not a Mc Mansion. Though I /we have no intent of selling the old family homestead. Should we decide to the house needed to be a plus not a rock. It should be a dwelling that would not force up the value of the property out of reach or out of value for someone looking for such. Yet a dwelling built for generations to come be it our family tree or someone else.
Now those concepts are bearing fruit. Walls are getting closed in and you can really see. All in all we like what we designed and put to paper but there is a hiccup or two. One issue I see I do not care for is the common bath for the house it is a postage stamp. We knew that but I don't think we really thought it at all through all that well.
I would look to change this if I was going to redo this. I would redraw it a larger and some where else. It is also the only bath I have ever had without some natural light. There is no window because of it location and I opted out of a 'suntube' or other form of skylight because of the theory the less you poke up through the roof the better off you are. Especially when it snows heavy. Granted it has not up here in the past two years but I am not ready to write that off yet either. Then another issue I caught was there is no warm air vent in the small common bath. I called the HVAC people and they said it does not need one because of the location. So now thinking I am thinking about those under-tile heating systems. Granted they are mainly just to warm the tile and not for room warmth but being so it is a small room it sure would not hurt. Or should I call the HVAC guys back up. I am sure there are more places I /we /she will find that escaped our careful considerations.
Just some thoughts
rlr
once the drywall went up it really defined the space
there were a few surprises that weren't apparent before the DW (at least to me and I drew the plans :-[
but overall we are happy --- sounds as if you are too
we are putting under tile heating in the master bath --- (it is not done yet) but I have stayed at hotels with heated tile -- it is really nice
We built a much larger house than we need but our logic is that we are building for future buyers or family (-- like you --) I think it is a great strategy in this economic climate (George Ure at urbansuvival.com recommends it too )
We just received some billing from the power company and Dirty Little Secret was asking about a shed / shop wiring job. I started to put this there not as this but it sort of morphed so I cut and pasted ;)
We were over 300 ft total on the run to the house. We were charged for 107 ft from the drop to the meter base from the power company. $628 for a 3" pole riser and 107 feet of 4/0 service wire $353 and a $20 service connection charge. But on the work order it shows $226.00 before work begins. But then do not see any credit for this. $981.10 that we really did not know was coming this way.
We had about 500 ft of 3 inch conduit bought from years past knowing we were going to do this. I think I have 40 ft left. We ran conduit from the drop to the meter base meter base to the house and to the shop both while the excavator was here. Pole in the back ground is where the drop went.
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210 ft from the meter base to the house. We used 3 runs of 250 KCM and a I think a 100 KCM as an equipment ground.
My electrician put his meter on it when we were done hooking it up, energized the line and we had very little voltage drop. MY HVAC friend was up the other day and said the same thing. Side note using aluminum wire be sure and use a anti oxidization paste on your connectors. We are running the house on a air to air heat pump with a electric back up.
Rick,
I have really enjoyed keeping up with your build. In regards to the aluminum wire you also want to check the connections from time to time. Aluminum has a tendency to "loosen" up over time and your lugs will need to be re-tightened. If not the connection can work loose and can heat up and arc as well. Particularly on the larger conductor sizes you are using. CHUCK
Quote from: ChuckinVa on December 26, 2013, 09:41:20 AM
Rick,
I have really enjoyed keeping up with your build. In regards to the aluminum wire you also want to check the connections from time to time. Aluminum has a tendency to "loosen" up over time and your lugs will need to be re-tightened. If not the connection can work loose and can heat up and arc as well. Particularly on the larger conductor sizes you are using. CHUCK
Thanks I will have to remember to do that. Would be best to kill it once a year and makes sure everything is tight most likely going in to winter.
I think I will put this under budget breakers We have had a couple snowy cold days but for the most part it had been very nice up here a lot warmer than the valley that has been in an inversion. One of the reasons I wanted to move up here so bad. Boise valley is prone to such this time of year. But winter is coming. So we needed to face the fact the fifthwheel needs a better solution for propane. I had a 100 lbs bottle, we were not using it so I took it down and filled it up. The owner of the store said something that made a lot of sense. See if they will bring you up a large tank. We needed to get small tank set for the range in the house anyway so I did make a call. And they did and when we got it filled $850 latter. True this was cheaper than running back and forth with bottles and they are not cheap to fill either especially up here. It is money we would have spent over the course of the winter but all at one time makes you flinch.
We have a little 1999 red Escort - Actually it is sort of fun to drive up here and back and forth. Cheaper than the Charger by a long ways cheaper than the pick up. The other day we had it in town and was coming up and we heard a sort of thumping into the corners. So Thursday is Ellen's town day always. She does laundry and groceries and 'stuff'. Sometimes she even has time to stop off and have coffee with the daughter who is now working for the State of Idaho Health and Welfare deciphering the H/W portion of the Affordable Health Care Act. Hey no body on the inside wanted the job. So she being a tech writer she applied and got the job..... Only good thing I see in the AHCA is our daughter got a state job. rofl 401K a pension and medical.... Hey I guess I am still paying for her in a round about way. State Taxes.....
So I went with Ellen on Thursday. We took both the little red 99 Escort and the pick up. It was due a major service. So I made a executive decision being so I do not have any heat in the shop and no real shop tools. I took it in to our 'go to place'. Ellen did the laundry and I made it over to the plumbing / electrical store and got all new pieces parts to run the bathroom vents. We got a bite to eat and the pick up was done. $100 later I was figuring that they might want to do a transmission service because I have been hauling some pretty heavy loads in plus last years trip down south with the fifthwheel. They said it was good to go - other than the needed air filter. So the really was not a budget buster. So we dropped off the 1999 Escort. Friday we got a call the axle right front needed replaced - about to fall off. It and the service was looking at around $600. Okay get'er done. They called it was ready when they closed. I gave my VISA over the phone. So late Friday night back down the hill in to the valley. Picked up the Escort and the bill was actually $150 less than expected.... [cool] It has been one of those cars everyone drives when something breaks - down we loan it. We drive it, we never have put a lot in to it. WOW it has been a good car. But it was money right now we could funneled off to the house. ;)
Okay done venting about $$$
Back to the house The dry wall crew pulled out and went to town for a week of work down there. Friday they showed back up with only three for a half day and they still had the master bed room knocked out along with the number two bed room done with the large closet. [cool]
Yesterday I did get vents run for the bathrooms and the knocked loose truss brace nailed back on. I used about twice as much flex vent pipe as it called for. Stuff went on a lot easier than the first time I tried and had to run up the white flag. I called the insulation contractor to come back up and he can blow in the insulation in the lid.....
On the Hobby Side of thingsYesterday I also got a chance to make a ride on the fourwheeler up in to the USFS. On the road going in there was some what I felt was wolf scat. Way to large for a 'Yote. But I did not see any paw prints. It will be nice to get the house finished up to where we can enjoy the outdoors more. I still have more over in the orchard to do as well. Couple hours left and we should have all the tree guards on for the winter. We worked over there last Sunday after church....
Sunday after church I decided to take a hike. I have often said this little ranch has the most diverse characteristics for a piece of property this small. I thought I had plenty of battery in my little Nikon Coolpix. I did not..... :-[ However what a great little camera!
That is from a top of a ridge on the place..... The house and shop are over a half mile away
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0937_zpsc54e9d43.jpg)
Same shot only zoomed in....
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This is referred to as Buzzards Rock by the oldsters .... If you sneak up there some times you will spot a bob cat sunning itself, maybe a cougar, mule deer like it there so I guess the cats hang there. The neighbor girls use to play there once in a while though it is quite a climb up there from their place. My grandfather played there, as did my dad and even me and my kids have visited there. One of these days I will drag the grand kids up there as well.
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On the mountain above the rock there is an out cropping and some pine trees. There is a orange stake there. That is the boundary between us and the USFS. It also would be the highest spot on the ranch. It would be a mile and a quarter back to the house from there.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN0941_zps51025084.jpg)
It was about here the battery gave out. Oh well I now have an excuse to return......
enjoying the pics, Rick
Not much snow .....
we have about 10" and more on the way -- it is - 5 F this morning --
yesterday the windchill was - 22 all day
it is nice to have inside work to do
Quote from: Windpower on December 31, 2013, 06:05:01 AM
enjoying the pics, Rick
Not much snow .....
we have about 10" and more on the way -- it is - 5 F this morning --
yesterday the windchill was - 22 all day
it is nice to have inside work to do
It is spooky no snow show this year and the past two years as well. There are a couple computer models that show some snow possible in a couple weeks. This area usually gets a couple very heavy snow falls every year with several feet on the ground.
It has been good for us in that we are able to get subs and their materials in very easily. That is good... Today the insulation contractor will return and blow in the attic. I will then be able to pay him off and scratch his name off the list. The dry wall guy has the last to hang as he and his crew were here yesterday. Then they will start the tape and texture thing today as well.
This has been a rough pass two years for those that ranch and farm up here. This will be a real test if there is not some real moisture coming our way. But I have seen it like this up here and then get dumped on February and March....
The Idaho ski areas down south here are really starting to suffer as well as you can imagine. It has been clear and nice up here high thirties low forties and the valley is fogged in and cold not fridged but cold.
Today we got the last of the insulation done. What a remarkable man that owns that company. That is him by the way blowing in insulation. All the builders I know said I had to use him. He is not cheap. He is Hispanic has lived here for 20 years now. Talks so fast you can not understand him. And moves about that quickly as well. I knew going in - this is one place it does not pay to cut corners. I wish everyone had the chance to sit down and talk to him about business and his business model and how he treats his clients.
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The drywallers got all the rock hung today. Thought I would post a couple of those drywall dust photos....
Ellen's kitchen
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Couple hours latter and the dust cleared
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The living room / dining combo room
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Little latter as well
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Wainscot goes below the sheetrock. I will run a chair rail to cap and divide. Not that it will need defining but..... Okay [waiting] The studs I have to design a bookcase - entertainment center there on the side facing the front room the other side will be books cases.
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Nice work finding the right person on the insulation. You will appreciate his work for many many years.
Happy New Year!
Must be a satisfing feeling to progressing to this stage. Usually means that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 01, 2014, 10:37:20 AM
Must be a satisfing feeling to progressing to this stage. Usually means that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Ya and us railroaders are prone to say hope that light is not another freight train.... [waiting]
We (or maybe it is me) are excited because except for getting someone up here to pour the shower pan, and the granite guy. We are pretty much done with the subs, except for the trim outs. In another week Ellen will be painting. She is the painter, and does not mind tile work. I will be moving to woodworking mode.
I am hoping to uncork some surprises for the new year. Now I am seeing what the inside looks like and not just concepts It is all starting to gather some firmer ideas. I will start busting down my lumber piles this next week. Moving in the flooring and laying it down places and restickering it a little let it a adjust and acclimatize to its new home! :D
Great progress! Heck, you'll be moving in soon! :D That will make a Happy New Year! [cool]
With the 10 ft walls we added this 'cubby' above closet in the smallest bed room and has a smallish area for a desk ..... I would build one in but we are
very heavy in that type of furnishings. We decided to use one of those rather than built in
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The large guest bedroom has a small walk in closet. The unfinished area is a book case for that bed room. I think Ellen will use this room for her quilting and sewing....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1026_zps1aaa0f78.jpg)
Tig is still holding down the Job Dog assignment.
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Everything looks great! Gotta love the high ceilings.
Still weird to me seeing the vapor barrier on the inside! Down here, we dry to the inside so the vapor barrier goes on the outside of the house!
"The large guest bedroom has a small walk in closet. The unfinished area is a book case for that bed room. I think Ellen will use this room for her quilting and sewing...."
We are currently sleeping in what will be the sewing/quilting room -- we were able to put in built-in cabinets and a closet -- she needs lots of storage for her 'fabric stash'
things look good with the dry wall
This morning we had about three inches of snow, so I plowed snow
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Then migrated over to the orchard as some of the trees still do not have tree guards....
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I worked over there a couple hours and they all still do not have guards.....
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I have switched over to using a lot more hardware cloth. All it takes is that and some tie wire and pliers. The waterproof gloved work very nice.
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We did get some snow - I am able to keep up with it with the fourwheer and plow. We are ridiculously short on snow again this year. I have even kept the Forest Service Road 117 plowed to us and the neighbors. The county did come by early and get it yesterday. [cool]
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After a snow it should be almost to the eaves
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We got started painting the kitchen - primer / sealer. The drywaller say he and his crew should be back this week to finish. They are still waiting on parts for the compressor
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I stopped by Big Orange the other day to get some low voltage stuff I found this with last one hung all over it. Price seemed right - so I brought it home
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Comparing your snow to our snow you win by a landslide! :( It hasn't snowed since we drove up easily over the 3 miles of unmaintained FS roads after Christmas. No snow in the forecast. We plan on driving up this coming weekend again.
Scaffolds will always be handy to have. Watch your step.
Quote from: MountainDon on January 14, 2014, 10:03:23 AM
Comparing your snow to our snow you win by a landslide! :( It hasn't snowed since we drove up easily over the 3 miles of unmaintained FS roads after Christmas. No snow in the forecast. We plan on driving up this coming weekend again.
Scaffolds will always be handy to have. Watch your step.
It still can snow a bunch we need it but then all the west does.
Those painters scaffolds we got when I bought a lot of stuff from a stucco / painter contractor that went bust during the bust. Those scaffolds are without a doubt the handiest, most used things we bought in the deal. I almost told him no but he talked me into taking them. We bought three of them and have used them way way more than the other scaffolds.
We're in the same boat snow wise. I was told the Farmers Almanac predicted that.
I was also told conditions are much like those prior to the dust bowl. Who knows?
I really hope we do get some good snowfall soon though as folks will need the water come August! Heck, if we don't get a good snow pack they might not make it to August!
Actually, out here, the rains continue into mid July or later but my mid august it's usually getting pretty dry.
The last couple days Ellen painted the kitchen and I ran telephone lines and helped paint. She does not not like my painting..... :D I think I like it that she does not like my painting. ;D
I took a ride over the Loop Road on my fourwheeler.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Prairie%20Winter%20Scenery/DSC_0026_zpsda85f9c9.jpg)
I almost got stuck. When I found this beside the road and the sun was setting..... and I was wondering if I could get out of there. It sort of added to the importance of the moment. I did not want to have to walk the two or three miles to get a ride back to the homestead and getting dark and no firearm. But I did have my new camera - Nikon 5200 - I could at least take photos while being drug down by wolves and cats.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Prairie%20Winter%20Scenery/DSC_0025_zpsac9b8d9f.jpg)
We went out today to get more tile, the cabinets, groceries and Ellen had to do laundry. I got to try out my new camera on a juvenile bald eagle in the canyon.
It is most likely a female about three - four years old. Should completely change into a mature bald eagle this year.........
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/birds/DSC_0027_zpsb3166e73.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/birds/DSC_00362_zps554b7dae.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/birds/DSC_0036-0013_zps292ba6c1.jpg)
These new cameras and software is just spooky good.....
Great photos, Rick
Have you got a long lens for that Nikon or did Miss Eagle let you get that close
we are starting to see more eagles around here as the population gets concentrated around the Wisconsin and Mississippi River valleys
looks like you finally got some snow too
Good pictures Rick. BTW do you have a winch on your 4-wheeler? Very more trips like that and you might consider the investment if you don't already have one. ;D
Quote from: Windpower on January 17, 2014, 06:31:15 AM
Great photos, Rick
Have you got a long lens for that Nikon or did Miss Eagle let you get that close
we are starting to see more eagles around here as the population gets concentrated around the Wisconsin and Mississippi River valleys
looks like you finally got some snow too
Actually that was taken with a with a lower end Nikkor 300 MM lens. I never got very close to it so that it was very concerned. It being a 'juvenile' they can be very weird about boundaries however. I never made a mental note of distance but somewhere around a hundred feet. Might be a little closer or further. ??? Back when I shot film I sort of kept track of that a lot better.
So how was I able to bring that in so close? Something I fought and hated for years. Digital Photography - I loved my film cameras. So how do you do it? First off 24.1 Megapixels and good lenses they do not have to be great lenses. Entry level lenses now as you see can be spectacular. Second is good old standard nothing fancy software. The stuff that comes with just your regular photo software - freeware. Photobucket does it very well also. That is cropping. The eagle head was cropped from the other photo. I chose what I wanted to show and just cropped it and resized it. I did not use any effects or filling or anything like that. I just never felt comfortable doing that - so I never do it. I am more a 'purest' when it come to lighting and depth of field. I do reserve the right to do so just like film cameras I was never going to go digital. I got so left in the dust and I was hard headed to boot.
Me being a closet birder - I thought it was a great example of a juvenile Bald Eagle with it's plumage just starting to come in.
Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 17, 2014, 07:52:35 AM
Good pictures Rick. BTW do you have a winch on your 4-wheeler? Very more trips like that and you might consider the investment if you don't already have one. ;D
HO Ya!! That 650 does have a winch. Ellen's smaller machine does not. It never gets ridden like my does. And if we need to winch hers we have mine. I even got rid of the wire winch rope in favor of the nylon winch rope. It never kinks but we found in the fire last year was limited. Without chains we could not pull burning logs and stumps down on to the road to put them out. You do so - so they will not roll down the hill across the road and on down the hill starting fires below. We were so lucky for two to three days of that we pretty well held that fire line. Or until the hot shot firecrews got to us. One of those reasons was fourwheelers and motorcycles. I and few others rode a lot of trail and road watching for problem spots and such. Then we would race off to get help and direct them in.
On a side note, I never go anywhere alone in the woods without a side arm.
Quote from: OlJarhead on January 17, 2014, 01:38:24 PM
On a side note, I never go anywhere alone in the woods without a side arm.
Can not agree more.
I decided to try something with my new camera.
55 mm shot toward a large rock about 2.5 miles away
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0037_zpsa5487b82.jpg)
300 mm shot toward the same rock
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0038_zpsc62c989e.jpg)
A little cropping.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_00382_zpse46ea8cf.jpg)
If you notice a old dead fir snag to the left of the rock
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_00382_zps38b8dbd7.jpg)
About 5 miles away over on Rattlesnake Mt.
55 mm
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0039_zpsf0aaaafa.jpg)
300 mm
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0040_zpsd6b02bb2.jpg)
Little tree centered about five miles - weather is chilly and good visibility and lighting
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_00403_zpsfe97f384.jpg)
Awesome pics. Another neat thing I've found is scanning old photos at high pixels and then zooming in, there is a lot of detail you can't see in the print. Michelle's Aunt took a picture of the german blitz during the invasion of Holland. The old black and white just looked like a sky full of parachutes. Scanned and zoomed in you could see the men, their packs and rifles, even the flare of the helmet.
the last 3 pics look like mining? What were they after?
Quote from: Don_P on January 17, 2014, 07:40:03 PM
Awesome pics. Another neat thing I've found is scanning old photos at high pixels and then zooming in, there is a lot of detail you can't see in the print. Michelle's Aunt took a picture of the german blitz during the invasion of Holland. The old black and white just looked like a sky full of parachutes. Scanned and zoomed in you could see the men, their packs and rifles, even the flare of the helmet.
the last 3 pics look like mining? What were they after?
WOW those scanned photos sound so neat. We have done some of that. Some were almost blank and it pulled a photo out of them that seemed almost hidden.
What looks to be a mine over there is not. But it was a real mess. That mountain burned so hot in 1992 - it was the largest fire in the USA. It was so hot it destroyed the top soil and lifted the decomposed granite on a huge scale. We then that year had a bumper crop of snow and it chinooked off and caused the whole mountain to sluff. It was not even recognizable. It took out roads and creeks were changed. It filled up the canyon with sediment. Then suddenly that disappeared. ???
Today still nothing is growing to speak of up there. The brush does not even have much to grow in....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/648b3f9a-70a1-4f52-ab7e-6fa67c7ccfcc_zps68d3e015.jpg)
That was quite a sluff :o. Was 93 that really wet year? Seems like that was when Pactola Reservoir in the Black Hills went from almost empty to overflowing.
The pic reminded me of an iron mine just over the ridge. It's been about 90 years since they worked it and it's still more obvious than the arial shows.
(http://timbertoolbox.com/sketches/Akercutnow.jpg)
I think this old pic was working that cut
The arch topped machine in the lower left is an old steam shovel, you can just make out the boom and shovel about 2:00 off the front of the machine. Another steam shovel is working up top facing right.
(http://timbertoolbox.com/sketches/Akercutopt.jpg)
Don_P the old mining photo is so cool. They also used those steam derricks to load logs here. We had hundreds of miles of old logging railroads here in southern Idaho they run here and there and then were pulled up and redone some where else. Whole camps were moved with them also.
Well after two dry walls compressors - one rebuild. Down for ten days -- they were back up with the rebuild Monday!! Ya!! Boo!! Rebuilt compressor did not work properly after it got warmed up.... They borrowed my DeWalt double tank. Ran the mud pump with it and tried to use the other one to blow in the texture. Worked for a very short time. Loaded up and left. Our home has become a nightmare for them. They vowed to be back today and if they had to use the old fashioned hopper..... over night they made a tee to hook both compressors together. They came back this morning hooked everything up and fired it all up and we have texture..... orange peel on the wall.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0059_zpsfb428a09.jpg)
and knockdown on the ceiling.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0058_zps5d8da80c.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0066_zpseebe9151.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0067_zps7646b5a9.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0069_zpsd4936565.jpg)
Seems like a month with sheetrock and drywall stuff parked in the front room
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0070_zpse36e8007.jpg)
So in the last week we have appliances and upholstered furniture and a couple loads of tile.... Ellen says her kitchen is not pink it is the lighting - weird color it really changes.......
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0055_zps344838fb.jpg)
I have the cabinets and more tile in my buddy's enclosed trailer.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0073_zps90ddba48.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0076_zps3c24f888.jpg)
That is how our dry wall is finished -- textured
I wasn't too happy with it at first but it is nice -- we noticed that it is quieter and less echo(y) than smooth finish
are you going to do the paint ? the textured DW really sucks up the paint we found out -- the cans said 300 to 400 sq feet per gallon (IIRC) we used about 200 to 250 sq f to cover -- especially the primer
a high pressure sprayer is worth the investment -- we found a new one on Craigs for $200
like this one
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Graco-X7-Airless-Paint-Sprayer-262805/100634350
it worked very well and is very fast compared to roller or brush -- we went through 5 gallons of paint in about an hour -- the 5 gallon buckets hang from the sprayer and you just wheel them around
Wife and I had the whole place painted-- primer and finish -- in about 5 days
clean up is a bit tedious but not so bad if you have access to a water hose
we saved a lot of money compared to professionals and it looks good
eta
you will want to wear a good mask and goggles
Thanks Windpower we are doing the painting. Actually we are finished with the litany of subs. Other than the electrician returning to trim out and pay him off. Plumber has to return for trim out and we are going to do something with the water. Swap over from well to spring water. Secret covert operation. :D Finish paying him off. The HVAC they have to return and trim out. They still have to hook up the heat pump. We are running right now on the electric furnace. They are paid off. Know the outfit well so not worried if they will return or not. But got stiffed there once before by an ' oldfriend, old buddy, old pal." Well I have one more...... I am hiring the curb and floor pan poured in the master shower. OPPS forgot the granite guy. Two others to get up here and out.
We are doing the painting and Ellen is actually allowing me to paint. Well primer sealer..... ;) Yesterday we got the master bedroom, and bath minus a walk closet. The small guest bath and the utility room. So tomorrow as we have 'town duties' today - Ellen will start in with the real painting and I will continue the primer. When I am finished in a couple days I will start laying down the wonder board. I might even get the cabinets set in the kitchen before she is finished painting. Then we will be ready to start tiling.
[scared] We received our first power bill for the house and just running off the electric furnace [scared]
Had to run it so the dry wall guys could work - and get the lid hung. We were single digits at night and twentys during the day. Luck would have it it was our coldest days. Then it was about another week before we got the lid insulated. That month for the house alone not the other service for the fifthwheel and well was 441.34! But about half that time it was trying to heat all outdoors up to 60 up here.
Yesterday when we were working in there painting the furnace hardly came on at all. Makes a good testimonial for a great insulation job.
Today at about 9:00 AM we had a power failure. I went and got the Honda Generators and hooked them up in series and plugged in the fifthwheel. The ambient temperature was 14 on our thermometer. It got to a high today of 33 degrees here. The power was out until about 7:00 PM. The house thermostat was set at 55 when it lost power. It set there in freezing ambient temperatures all day. Certainly not bone chilling frigid like much of the nation but cold nor was the wind howling in fact it was quite calm except for a breeze now and then. Ellen and I were debating whether to unmask the wood stove and start a fire as it was expected to be single digits tonight. When I checked the house the last time before power was restored I think was at 5:00. It had sat there all day and only lost five degrees. At that rate I think five cord of wood would go a long way.
That sounds very good for up there. Good insulation and draft control mean a whole lot. I went up to our new neighbor's the other day, it's an old, probably '20's house, quite small maybe half the size of ours. Our friend that used to live there burned a little wood but really heated with a monitor. I was glad we did, she was almost out of dry wood. I'd stockpiled several cords for next year that aren't ready but we got a truckload of standing dead rounded up, need to go do it again. It's gone through almost twice as much as ours and we're almost twice the size. We're usually around 3 cords. I've known a few folks with big old drafty farm houses that run through 10 cords. I can't imagine when it was axes and buck saws.
Sounds as if your insulation contractor did a great job. I doubt that you will burn that much in a season. As for me I have already went through 1-1/2 to 2 cords since mid October but I am not dependent on the stove and only use it to supplement my primary.
Yes Don those old farm houses can gobble up the wood. Majority of them in this neck of the woods use outside boiler furnaces. Some have gone back and insulated them although that in itself usually never the cure. New insulated windows helped more so along with attic insulation. The outside furnaces actually put more heat into the house than would be required for a modern home but in lieu of modern insulation and windows it balances it out.
Life back when we were living in a real house and not the fifthwheel. If we were around the stove or really it was a fireplace insert was going and usually the soul source of heat. And boy could we go through the cord wood. But it was all pine maybe a little fir. Some times I would even go down to the apple orchards and buy wood. Sort of stupid when you had it rotting up here at the ranch. But then there was location, location and location. That was a early sixties ranch style and the insulation was never up dated or upgraded.
I so well remember the old farm house we lived in when I was a kid in the winter time. There was hardly any escaping the draft. If the wind blew you could feel it blowing out of every light switch and plug in. The windows all single pane and the Jack Frost painted on them in the mornings often to my delight not so much the folks. They seemed to have seen it all a couple times before. Sort of like a rerun to them I guess. Our heat was from a old cast iron / sheet metal potbelly stove some one gave dad. The sawmill / planer mill supplied the trim ends and rounds to be split we burned. Latter on the folks got fancy and had those aluminium storm windows installed. There went Rick's morning wonderment no more Jack Frost. Then the folks started doing a lot better financially they got a Monogram Oil Space Heater. Neighbors were even dropping in to see that puppy. Mom and Dad however could not seem to break the wood thing. They installed a porcelain 'trash burner' in the already small kitchen 'just to take the chill off in the morning'.
Nothing like a wood fire to me though. Hot enough to toast your buns on one of those frosty winter mornings. [ouch]
The place looks good, Rick. Nice job.
Great pix too. I have gotten so lazy with the cell phone and Google auto upload... too lazy to pull a card out of a camera and download the pix... shame... [waiting]
As the temp fall it is a good time to remember those who came before. Not so much the trappers and the mountain men but those that came to homestead. It is hard to fathom those old cabins and dug outs and lean-tos people used as dwellings. Many or most smaller than John's Country Plans 20 x 30 maybe a few a little larger. With no insulation other than very primitive means. No double and triple pane windows. Very few were the Cartwright's Ponderosa of Bonanza. Yet they some how stuck it out with little to eat, rationing wood and what they had to live with. Chopping ice and toting water through the snow and ice. They stuck it out not the day or the weekend nor the week but for years before they scrimped and saved enough to build something bigger. They raise children and lost a few, both them and the kids grew old before their time. Living in the then suburbia was not much better. There no running off to cruise for a week and leaving it all behind. There was no well I will get warmed up when I get in the vehicle and go to work. It was what it was - was.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/sc00418356.jpg)
My grand great grand family cropped from above.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/94f5e6d3-3f22-491c-9a0b-b9014ae540fd_zpsb4caa930.jpg)
Knelling is William Anthony Russell my great grandfather who migrated to this country as a child from Knoxville, Ill. He became a state senator and died from an unknown illness though he had been treated by a doctor in Portland. He collapsed and died in the blacksmith shop over on his homestead about a mile away from our place.
The little one standing there propped up against his leg is my grand aunt Bess.
The lady standing is Josephine (McNew) Russell. She was from Ormsley, Kentucky. She is my great grandmother. She had the the first school house built up here. It is still in use today but moved to another location. It is over in the village.
The tall guy there is my uncle Ira Lindsey - little is known about him. We think he did the California gold field with the men folk then returned to Ill with them. Then came out here to Oregon territory with the Russell's. He is off any census Ellen can find from 1850s to 1900. Speculation he went to Austria with his brother William that remained there an led a very prosperous life. Ira must have come back to the States. He sort of was a family fixture and lots of speculation.
The young man stand man standing there is my grandfather George William Russell my grandfather. Nicknamed Rawhide - He homesteaded up here and I own his homestead. He lived from 1887 to 1965. He came up here with his buddy Jess Basal a little older. (Few weeks) They came up on a cradle boards on a pack saddle.
Today it snowed and snowed and snowed
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1073_zpsc59dc20c.jpg)
and we accumulated perhaps another inch. [waiting] After all day.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1075_zps6da17547.jpg)
Painting is finished and we laid out the walls of the master shower today. We are letting the tile warm up and stabilize. Wow it had trapped a lot of moisture sitting in the trailer.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1066_zps4adb890e.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1069_zps8ba0ca58.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1070_zps27c22687.jpg)
I bought a new tile saw nothing real fancy and I would guess this is the last tile job we will ever do. We did a mountain of tile in the house we sold with just an el-cheep-o $90 saw. It ran and ran and run but we decided to up grade a better saw because of all the porcelain tile.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1068_zps5ed9e756.jpg)
We also unloaded the trailer that we had the cabinets stored in. I don't know how they got all of them in that trailer. We put them all in a bedroom and broke the seal tape and opened them sort of up to slowly let them adjust. We are having very high humidity the last week with this storm coming in and as cold as it was the last couple nights we thought we better get them in to the warm.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1072_zps058295dd.jpg)
Great pics!
I watched a video of a guy and his wife that live in trappers cabins in Canada and trap all winter. They are just logs (no insulation) but they manage to keep the heat in pretty well I guess. I often wonder what the R value of a log is? That guy and his wife claimed their woodstove kept the place very warm in the winter but it also had a low ceiling...who knows?
I can tell you this: without insulation I'd be lucky to be above freezing right now! And that's with the stove going full tilt!
Quote from: OlJarhead on February 06, 2014, 11:59:06 AM
Great pics!
I watched a video of a guy and his wife that live in trappers cabins in Canada and trap all winter. They are just logs (no insulation) but they manage to keep the heat in pretty well I guess. I often wonder what the R value of a log is? That guy and his wife claimed their woodstove kept the place very warm in the winter but it also had a low ceiling...who knows?
I can tell you this: without insulation I'd be lucky to be above freezing right now! And that's with the stove going full tilt!
Eric I have been told that logs render 1R value per inch. So a 6" log is going to have R6 :(. I tried to beat those odds by adding 1" insulation board mid center of the log. Then left an air space on either side to increase it's value. Did it help ???. But hey it is a log cabin and probably a far stretch better than it was original with horsehair, rocks, clay and sticks.
depending on species it varies 1 to 1.5 per inch. When the walls are thick enough thermal mass comes into play as well.
Some links here about wood R-value.
http://www.awc.org/helpoutreach/faq/faqFiles/Resistivity.php
Both the USA Rescheck program and the Canadian equivalent rules contain formulae that take mass into account along with R-value (RSI in Canada) to determine energy efficiency of a complete structure.
Don't mean to get off track here Rick, but my son just moved to Knoxville, Il a few months ago... he is nearly freezing to death.... :)
Quote from: glenn kangiser on February 06, 2014, 10:39:47 PM
Don't mean to get off track here Rick, but my son just moved to Knoxville, Il a few months ago... he is nearly freezing to death.... :)
It is on my /our bucket list to go there someday and look around. But not right now. n* Might do that in the fall. That part of the country is said to be cold enough to freeze a dog and hot enough to scald a frog.
I went there about 10 years ago when my daughter got married..... Winter time and I don.t think I ever saw the ground under the ice and snow... Galesburg was next door and I loved the crepes at the Landmark cafe there. :)
Quote from: glenn kangiser on February 06, 2014, 10:39:47 PM
Don't mean to get off track here Rick, but my son just moved to Knoxville, Il a few months ago... he is nearly freezing to death.... :)
Don't worry about off track or threat stealin'.
Yesterday a 'substantial' snow happened and it is still coming down. There is about a foot of snow on a table that was cleared off. It is still snowing pretty good and settling in the on foot range on the table so it looks. I up at 2:00 AM shoveling snow away from the fifthwheel door so we can get out. (Swings to the outside of course) And we have the deck next to the fifthwheel.
Yesterday I plowed snow the first part of the day. That is the handiest little plow, I was concerned it would be sort of useless up here in the snow but I have kept our part of a forest service road open. Yesterday plowed out our neighbors drive plus everything around here. Last few days have actually put down some fairly good snows!
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN1076_zps0a27c679.jpg)
Ellen and I got started on the tile in the master shower yesterday as well. We are so glad this has evolved back in to a stage that we can work on pretty competently now. Some is coming back pretty quickly from our other tile and grouting marathons. Some with the large heavy tile is a new experience. We were hoping the 6 inch would blend better it is a sort of pain. Just hoping the grout lines will not look to funky.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1082_zpsd00ba8b3.jpg)
Quote from: OlJarhead on February 06, 2014, 11:59:06 AM
Great pics!
I watched a video of a guy and his wife that live in trappers cabins in Canada and trap all winter. They are just logs (no insulation) but they manage to keep the heat in pretty well I guess. I often wonder what the R value of a log is? That guy and his wife claimed their woodstove kept the place very warm in the winter but it also had a low ceiling...who knows?
I can tell you this: without insulation I'd be lucky to be above freezing right now! And that's with the stove going full tilt!
According to my dad and some of those old guys around here when I was growing up - there were a lot of those small cabins, dugouts and lean to dwellings up here. Seems they all had very low ceilings. Two in particular he said you could not stand completely up. I know that when I am up in the ladder with those ten foot ceiling in the house - it is noticeably warmer up there than down. Should be cooler in the summer however. ???
Tile looks good from here. ;) Yes those 4-wheel/plows are handy if you can keep ahead of it and not let too much accumulate. This should help some with your dry spell.
I restored one old cabin thet had low ceilings and a low doorway out to the back. We attached a shed to the back and used that door into the shed roofed part where we put a kitchen and bathroom in. The owner wouldn't let us raise the door and it just about knocked me out at one point. I swore never to ask again, just apologize later for raising it if I'm ever in that situation again d*. when you go down the mountain into the heat the ceilings in older homes are usually tall with a central upstairs hallway that allowed a good crossflow breeze that all the rooms attached to, getting rid of the heat was the bigger concern.
We built in IL a number of times, Michelle got to calling it ill and annoyed, we were usually trying to shade the camper under a cornstalk or freezing in the wind sweeping across a square mile of open field. But what soil, 3' of beautiful dark topsoil on several jobs.
Well we finely got hit with a fair amount of snow. So the fourwheeler got a huge work out. Plus we tiled in the house.
First day we got about 12 inches of powder - following day we got about 12 inches of wet snow. The powder settled with the weight of the wet snow.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0118_zpsbef141dd.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0116_zpsbd6a1bd3.jpg)
I even plowed the forest service road as the county was running late.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0107_zps42f8c86e.jpg)
The Forest Service road past here no winter maintenance
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0104_zpsbb6a0f5c.jpg)
I even plowed out the neighbor as she was due up here that day
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0105_zpsf15e587f.jpg)
We are supposed to get snow tonight and I'll be out plowing in the morning if we do!
Glad you got so much! and good to see you plowing the neighbors :) I do the same and I know they'd do it for me (and have)
Rick,
I haven't peeked in for quite awhile. Your place looks great! I really like your siding.
Finally, we get some snow. I think you're a bit ahead of us though. The Owyhees were looking pretty grim until this last couple of weeks. We are still looking at drought conditions but not quite so severe. Hoping for more tomorrow and through the weekend.
I have a paint sprayer but it looks like you are already finished with that chore. I wouldn't mind it if Pamm didn't like me painting either.
Quote from: MikeOnBike on February 11, 2014, 03:16:39 PM
Rick,
I haven't peeked in for quite awhile. Your place looks great! I really like your siding.
Finally, we get some snow. I think you're a bit ahead of us though. The Owyhees were looking pretty grim until this last couple of weeks. We are still looking at drought conditions but not quite so severe. Hoping for more tomorrow and through the weekend.
I have a paint sprayer but it looks like you are already finished with that chore. I wouldn't mind it if Pamm didn't like me painting either.
Thanks! It has been a journey.....
I have been thinkin' of ya' guys. We have friends that had been driving in and out of Silver City.
Problem is here as I would imagine there is. The ground is so frozen little of this snow and storm will affect the ground all that much. Little to none will be absorbed for the recharging the aquifers and springs.
We never fine graded around the house last fall wanting the soil to settle with the winter moisture. [waiting] Waited and waited for moisture - got it. We are having to pump every couple hours.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN1084_zps5d8fcb83.jpg)
Rick manning the hose
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Ellen took a turn at the hose. ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN1089_zps5b178a31.jpg)
Creek that comes out of the neighbors on to our property to much for the culvert
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN1097_zpsd18f1a88.jpg)
Today after the bulk of the rain storm...
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN1098_zpsab747bd1.jpg)
Lava Creek it drains a lot of ground - it got worse after this photo. It crosses the road here then on to a neighbors place then back to us.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSCN1100_zps35d36387.jpg)
The snotel site says on Feb 8 at 00:00 we were at 6.5 inches of moisture for the year it stated clear back in November. We now have 10.1 at 23:00 02/14. Remember this is high desert and just on the edge of the pine forest. We do not get huge amounts of rain. We do usually get a few feet of snow. Twelve inches of mountain powder some times is only an inch of moisture in reality.
We have received snow then it turned into rain. The ground is so frozen it is not taking any moisture at all. Making for huge run off.
They put a sand levee around the school. Because of the fires last summer that has sure not helped matters as well.
We just about have the master shower finished.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1092_zpsd898fb8b.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1094_zps38d89035.jpg)
Ellen the title setter - she does a pretty fair job.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1093_zps00efa2b8.jpg)
Amendment to the above post - the walls are done - not the floor nor the passage way.
Amendment number two it is 01:00 I went down and pumped again. Rain - snow mix. Starting to freeze and the melt is slowing greatly. Most likely will catch a few ZZZs should hold until morning. :D
Amendment number three: Received word that the road to Boise is now closed do to high water and slides and rocks and trees and ..............
Not all things have been going well with the house besides the porches. Which have turned into a sump to pump during this rain and Chinook. The upper kitchen cabinets are the wrong size. Too short by a foot. This might not been so bad had I not built soffits. No where in the ladies not did she write - note - nor define the ten foot ceilings. Even though I called and talked to her about the ten foot ceilings and the soffits. Ellen came back from a sales meeting and they discussed that with the ten ceiling the the longer cabinets. The lady explained the upper portion of shelves are sort of just for storage because you can not reach them.
So Ellen in tears (the house is really starting to wear on her I am afraid) went to the phone and made the phone call. Her and the lady came up with a agreement on new uppers. These are custom factory built. So there is no restocking or anything like that. The lumber yard takes them and will try and sell them to recover part of their 'hit' on this. The lady will take a hit as we will. But the other cabinets would have cost more as well so we should have to pay more. So that is sort of done. The short cabinets are loaded on the trailer to go back but until it freezes or drys out....... It has dried up here the last couple days. We still have some snow left to melt but nothing falling from the skies until tomorrow. Looks like we will receive more snow and freezing weather nothing like what is going on back east. That is great news as we still need more snow and the ground to thaw out a bunch so some of this water can soak in.
We decided that we would make a run Sunday to town to get some underlayment for floor tile and some other tile we are short. Got back up here dark thirty and there was frost on the planks over mud under the porch. We were about finished carrying in what had to go into the house. I had two boxes of bull nose tile and lost footing and slipped. By the grace of God and not my grace landed uninjured and never even broke a single tile. ::)
Good that you got a solution. Just a minor set back in the world of construction as they say. Looks as if you may get a break in the weather the next couple days. As for us more of the same. I am starting to feel like a gerbil. Paths here to this and there to that. ;D
Rick
hang in there, we had a few cabinet issues too
the drawer edges were made just square like a board cut-off -- so they will have to take them all off and router the edges and refinish them and of course we can't put any pulls on yet because of that -- we are grabbing the edges d*
a drawer in the bathroom vanity won't open because it hits the trim
as we said last week "we are getting tired of being patient"
this weather has been kicking all our butts it seems -- glad you and the tile are OK
today the wind is 30 mph with gusts and 8 inches of snow coming
I wrote earlier that the road to Boise was closed: I have not had time to go and see but one of the neighbors posted on FB some photos. A trip to Boise from here now must go through Mountain Home. It tacks on another 100 miles round trip you sort of figure depending where in the 'valley' you need to go. Well one way to look at it is it is a lot more freeway way that way. :D
Photos by Bill and Linda Zimstien
First set of photos Willow Creek is exactly 30 minutes from here if the road is good. Willow Creek seems to be a bad spot the last couple years. Couple years ago it shot the culvert on down the creek a hundred feet or so.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/1901234_668229019886687_751731635_n_zpsf8a01cf0.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/1002656_668228563220066_513938034_n_zps839a1b12.jpg)
Second set of photos is the river grade to the South Fork of the Boise. 15 minutes from here if the road is good.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/1920630_668229159886673_111025844_n_zpsf8a01cf0.jpg)
Bridge across the South Fork of the Boise
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It is still unseasonably warm here. The frost in the frozen ground is leaving at a good rate right now. Some places up here the 'bottom' is going out of some of the roads. [shocked] I went to the dumpsters last evening and wondered if me and pick up were going to make it home together.
Looks as if the engineer underestimated the flow in that stream by setting that small of a culvert. Maybe it should have been a bridge or at least wingwalls of rip-rap to keep that initial errosion from starting. Looks to be a summer thought project rather than a spring high flow assessment. d*
Quote from: Redoverfarm on February 18, 2014, 08:22:41 AM
Looks as if the engineer underestimated the flow in that stream by setting that small of a culvert. Maybe it should have been a bridge or at least wingwalls of rip-rap to keep that initial errosion from starting. Looks to be a summer thought project rather than a spring high flow assessment. d*
There is a lot reasons for what goes on at Willow Creek. Money being paramount. If the county had very deep pockets and if. Our county is one of those Idaho Counties like the one Mike on Bike is from. Very large country with a very small population. However some of our counties are big enough to be a New England State. Yet to have a crowd we have to go hire one. Income was once centered around Ag, livestock, the Mountain Home Air Force Base, mining, and timber. Both mining and timber were hot bed environmental issues both lost. Both were high tax revenue items. The Air Force Base hangs on by a thread. With the largest land owner Uncle Sam the Feds help out a little. So that said, that route is not even in the plan to be open in the winter. The transportation plan for this area in the winter has always been they way we are going out currently. Our highway district partners with another to keep that road open in the winter. It is the mail route and they need to keep the road to Anderson Dam open. The road also crosses the dam and on to US Highway 20. There the State of Idaho takes over the plowing and sanding. It has one major grade down and one up. Very logical to do it this way. However people and their needs and comforts change.
Back when this was all set up sixty to eighty years ago most everyone did their business in Mt Home. Back then the road to Boise got a few hand fulls of cars and pickups on the weekend and a hand full during the week. First major snow and they closed the road from Boise. Then things sort of shifted. Now there is a lot more need to go to Boise for business, doctors and hospitals plus just a pretty nice place to go to civilization from traveling Broadway Shows to concerts, great restaurants and stores. In short the majority of those that live up here now are not of the mind set of just live by going to Mt. Home and return. So they agreed to keep it open if safe because of a minor revolt. However there is only one ranch that has full time owners on that road and little other reason in reality to year around it past their ranch .
So this has left two guys to patrol and care for 30 miles out to Ada County. 25 miles over to the dam and all the roads up here. They have fought a valiant effort to keep it open for the logging trucks this winter. They had been running 40 truck loads of logs out of here per day due to the fires. Then it went to 60 trucks and just before the wash out 80. Half of them pulling double duty. They were decking down in the valley and then returning for another load of logs and going to the mills with that load.
So major safety changes on the road to Boise are needed but $$$ and more people as well. There needs to be a several places where bridges need to be built with deep drops to allow ice to pile up underneath them. These are in places that never gets any sun in the winter time and it never thaws till spring. The culverts freeze solid and the springs just keep on pumping. Then comes the run off it has little other than the road to hand it. That is what occurs there at the South Fork Bridge the water has no place to go.
1993 through 1995 it looked like the sports fishermen and the tree huggers had that road closed for good. A huge slide of materials came off one of those points and blocked the road and went to the river. We are talking hundreds of thousands of yards of materials. They were going rebuild the road and the plans were shove materials over the edge to the water below. The tree huggers went in to a feeding frenzy. They were demanding that the materials be hauled away and piled as to where there could be no erosion into any watershed. Demands and you will do it this way or elses piled up. Our country said fine we cant afford it anyway and they let it sit for a couple years. Then funny the same organizations that were making all the demands soon were demanding they open the road to give them access. Then the US Government got involved. They had engineering data to follow and it was done as the US government dictated. By the way it was shoved over the side. Not the slide but where they cut the new road The highway district came in to a windfall if a piece or two new equipment off the deal. And some dollars.
So the long and the short of it - It is very doubtful anything or many improvements will be done to that road other than maintain it for spring, summer and fall use as it has been for years and years.
It has been fun working with Ellen on the wall tile. We have been yelling a little at each other over a few issues but all in all [cool]. We got the master shower tiled. I am hiring the pan poured and he wanted the tile on the walls set. I / we have always poured the pan and then done the walls so it is sort of not what I am use to. The reason I am hiring it done is the size. The last one I did was about a quarter or third its size and I was not warm and fuzzy the way it turned out. So I decided to call the A Team......
So Ellen and I moved to the small bath.
Ever have one of those days where you should just stayed in bed. That was yesterday This wall kicked my tail so bad but persistence paid off. However it only took twice as long and and about twice as many tiles as it should have. My tile setter was even loosing patience.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1106_zpsc4069059.jpg)
We finished trimming out the tub shower today
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(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1111_zpsc2a7966a.jpg)
Ellen says it helps when your working with a quilter. She laid out this corner!
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1117_zpsf0de85a4.jpg)
Looking good Rick. [cool]
looking good !
Spent a wonderful day of getting stuck. Chained up - got soaked - even got melting sandy snow right down the ear canal. [cool] Ya really.
Yesterday rented a floor sander for a few days to get the sub floor back in to shape to lay down underlayment for tile and to do some wood floors. What a wonderful way to top off a day..... Tell you what I would do........ ::) You pay me a hundred $$$ and I will let you run the floor sander for like an hour! Will not charge you extra if it body slams you into a wall or shoves you into a corner and will not let you out. Yep it is all fun.... [waiting]
WOW it's been a couple weeks since I posted anything. Me and the floor sander finely got everything worked out.
We got the guest bath ready for grout and floor tile.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0142_zps1015849f.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0144_zps4d5f9672.jpg)
Moved back into the master bath and been putting in time upon time there.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0140_zps7ec5beda.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0139_zpscb6e4859.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0136_zps7de0acef.jpg)
Today we worked on the shower doorway... Five whole pieces went up with out being cut. [waiting] Everything else measured. marked and cut.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0149_zps3cbce969.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0148_zpsf33dc3ee.jpg)
Tomorrow we plan on finishing up with the header.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0150_zpsfcad7994.jpg)
BTW I found the [cool] est Nitrile gloves They cost a little more than most - and not as many in a box but they just go and go and go. What ever you are doing from mixing thin set or setting tile they are the best I have ever seen.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0145_zpsdea04460.jpg)
Looks good Rick. Ellen is doing a fantastic job. ;D
Quote from: Redoverfarm on March 08, 2014, 07:22:08 AM
Looks good Rick. Ellen is doing a fantastic job. ;D
X2 ;D ;D
Great looking tile jobs
Rick - I see a lot of boxes on that trailer. Did you decide to use an RTA type of cabinet(s)?
I'm trying to decide between using one of the RTA vendors or building boxes and just buying the doors. Depending on what vendor it seems I don't realize much savings by building and sure would save some time in just assembling them.
That said - not sure which vendors are the ones to use. Reviews can be all over the place.
Any feedback is appreciated on this topic - maybe I should start a thread on it so I don't hijack this one??
Quote from: UperJoe on March 10, 2014, 08:55:50 PM
Rick - I see a lot of boxes on that trailer. Did you decide to use an RTA type of cabinet(s)?
I'm trying to decide between using one of the RTA vendors or building boxes and just buying the doors. Depending on what vendor it seems I don't realize much savings by building and sure would save some time in just assembling them.
That said - not sure which vendors are the ones to use. Reviews can be all over the place.
Any feedback is appreciated on this topic - maybe I should start a thread on it so I don't hijack this one??
First off I really don't mind hijacking at all. Especially when our heart and lives the last couple years really have been poured into this property. It is fairly large for a 'homestead' but pretty small for what would be considered a ranch. So at any rate and a lot of stuff goes on here -- right now mostly home building. :D
Several reasons we chose factory built cabinets.
One was cost - we got a huge discount because we know someone. They are not bottom of the line types at all. Could I have made them better? Certainly. Yet they appear to be built well enough to out last us.
Two - I am a woodworker - a hobby guy . Lots on here are a lot better than I. But I love working with wood. I bit off a huge thing doing what I am planing on doing inside the house. I really did want to tackle the cabinets. But reality is starting to set in. I just have to much other stuff to take care of. Built ins and wainscot and making it all out of stuff we have saw milled off this place. The nook area gets a barn lumber treatment from a barn my dad built here in the thirties. We tore it down and have had it saved for like twenty years. Knowing I was going to get a chance in using it some where in this house.
Three - We are living in a fifth wheel camper ever since we sold our house in 'town'. We so want to move into a / the house. Ellen and I are putting in a lot of hours right now working out there.
Four - The kitchen cabinets Ellen bought bought are painted white. A kitchen scheme she has wanted for years and years. You know I just don't know if I could have pull that off. ;D
We pretty much lost today. We have had several inches of rain the last couple days. Ellen was heading down to the house and I was making some phone calls. Today was the day we were going to start grouting the wall tile. Ellen came back up in a hurry and told me to hang up and get my rubber boots on and get down to the house we have a major issue.
When we poured the foundation walls I put in a couple two inch pieces of pipe in the foundation walls to run like the satellite internet and satellite TV and phone into the house and might run a power line out that way as well. Well some time last night the path of least resistance turn to one of those two inch entries. I grabbed a shovel and reroute the water. Opened up the crawl space hatch and it was no where as bad as I thought it might be. We definitely had water in the crawl space. Lots on top the plastic sheeting. But it appeared to just be on the east third of the house. Because of the pony wall footings were holding it over to that side. Pumping was pretty much out because no provision for a sump.
Last fall Ellen picked up a new wet dry shop vac. It was on clearance at like one of the big box stores. I thought it might be a little large to go down in the crawl space hole. Then I remembered my old one down in the shop. I walked down and got it brought it up. Took the filters out of both of them. Put my older one down in the crawl space. New one up on top. So I would vacuum up about the advertised 16 gallon. Crawl back over to the crawl space hatch with the mini looking R2D2 in tow. Take the other ones vacuum hose and put it in the one down in the crawl space. Suck the water out if it and Ellen would wheel it off to dispose of the water while I vacuumed up an other 16 gallon. This went on for a few hours. We started at about eleven and was four when I called it good. I think we did 11 sixteen gallon loads before we called it a day. I got out of the crawl space and went to the trailer and got out of my wet clothes and fixed something to eat. Dang that was cold water.
Sounds as if you will be looking for a couple caps to put on the pipes today. ;)
We seem to share a lot of the same thoughts ;D
I've accumulated a fortune in tools, become a collector more than serious user (hobby mostly I guess) and look at the shop and see a Uni and a Sawstop and a 15" Grizz planer next to a benchtop/lunch bucket sized 12" Delta, 10" old iron jointer and the list goes on - more than 500 s/f of shop full up with tools and have to say what the !@&* was I thinking when I bought all this :-[
It will be store bought after sleeping on it or RTA maybe but me doing is out.
BTW - have really enjoyed your journey and your place is looking really sharp. Love it
Ol Jarhead touched home the other day. The high cost of propane this winter. Only mine is diesel [waiting] which is out of sight as well. I bought 250 gallons stored in my bulk tank for a hard winter and snow plowing with. Which I used zero. Kept everything plowed with the fourwheeler In a moment of weakness I did not buy off road or tractor fuel but undyed LSD (low sulfur diesel) which is taxed at 50 cents a gallon in Idaho - so I can burn it in my pick up. If you burn it in your tractors you can apply to the state for a rebate on the road tax to the 50 cent a gallon tax. Off road fuel here is dyed red.
What I paid for it would only make sense to burn it in my pick up. But there is more. I am hoping to put about 40 to 80 acres back in to grass this spring that the sagebrush is taking over. So I already have my fuel bought for that and just apply to the state for the road tax rebate. Anybody have a crystal ball what diesel is going to drop to when the heating oil comes back on the market as diesel? ???
Diesel price drop [rofl2]
I hear you on the propane as we paid 3.88 last time for Jan
we have been burning a lot of wood
Quote from: Windpower on March 17, 2014, 02:35:55 PM
Diesel price drop [rofl2]
I hear you on the propane as we paid 3.88 last time for Jan
we have been burning a lot of wood
Is [rofl2] that - that funny - or the crystal ball [waiting] HUMM Hate to ask.............
Sarcasm, rick
I bought a Ford diesel truck a couple years ago so I could 'save money' on fuel
even when gas dropped to $3.15 or so diesel just kept going up -- and has stayed up
btw -- tip of the day: do not buy a Ford diesel pick up
The joke is on me, after $5000 in repairs of design flaws and a big increase in fuel prices --I guess it wasn't the smartest thing I have done
Quote from: Windpower on March 18, 2014, 06:03:18 AM
Sarcasm, rick
I bought a Ford diesel truck a couple years ago so I could 'save money' on fuel
even when gas dropped to $3.15 or so diesel just kept going up -- and has stayed up
btw -- tip of the day: do not buy a Ford diesel pick up
The joke is on me, after $5000 in repairs of design flaws and a big increase in fuel prices --I guess it wasn't the smartest thing I have done
Ford is just like other vehicles made now days. Recalls, flaws and the like. Every truck manufacturer is experiencing problems. The push for cleaner burning deisel trucks is likely the blame. No long term testing before manufacturing. Just crank them out to meet the demands. "Oh don't worry about that we will fix it later". I too bought a newer Ford deisel and am satisfied with it so far. The previous one was the same type and got good performance. But I will have to admit that the days of working on your own truck is basicly over. We are going to be at their mercy on repairs I am afraid.
Here is a good site/forum on Powerstrokes. If it is out there you can bet one of these people have run across most problems with them.
http://www.powerstroke.org/
BTW deisel here in the Mountain State is average $3.99 to $4.09.
Sorry Rick that I took your thread in the other direction. We now return you to your regular programming. d*
Just to make you feel better- we are now living in Aberdeen UK
our diesel cost is.....5.30gbp / gal---oooppssss forgot thats GBP.....$8.69 :(
Here too the governement switched on that we were swapping to diesel for economy reasons and using less petrol, so they highered the tax on the diesel to keep the coffers full
Note that diesel is a base fuel comes out near the bottom of the fractionating tower and has no where near the same production costs as petrol.
My oh three power stroke has just been a remarkable truck. But it is a 7.3. The salesman was steering me that direction. He was an old friend of the family and between the 'all' of us bought a lot of cars from him. But he had a bad feeling about the 6.0. 03 mid year was the last the 7.3's were available. He sort of headed me to this one. 2 million 7.3 s were produced. They could not make them fit the EPA requirements so Ford and Navstar came up with the 6.0. I was just lucky to find it when I did. No body I know was to pleased with their 6. series motors.
Some ways it get treated very well - some ways not. It does not get washed and cleaned up like it should. However it usually does not miss a service by much. It is an automatic and I keep my eye parked on the transmission temp gauge pulling hills with a load. I have had it creeping into the yellow never caught it in the red. As soon as the fluid becomes the least bit discolored it gets a service. It never gets shut down right after a hard pull - I let it idle to cool the transmission and engine back down.
It is having glow plug or a relay problem right now. And it had the 7.3 Cam Sensor failure that was recalled. Lucky it was not in a field of mud when that occurred but in a nice parking lot. It blew the power steering line that was on recall. Having owned it since 03. All in all I would give that 03 four gold stars - or wheels or tires ;)
Rick I had a 99-7.3L as well. Had nearly 200K when I sold. I would have kept it if the rust worms had decided to make it their permanent living quarters. That's what I get for buying a vehicle from northern Ohio where they eat salt for breakfast.
I now have a 2012 -6.7L which just turned over 22K and runs strong. I thought the 7.3 was a power house but now I tend to differ. Only thing that scares me is that it has twin turbo's. One is bad enough but two. Keeping my fingers crossed. The newer one is an automatic whereas the other was standard w/OD. Let me know if you need doors or tailgate as I have a complete set for Ext Cab. My intentions was to repair the 99 but with bedrails rusted bad so I felt it was time. Was a good truck. Only major problem was the sensor same as you but it was covered.
UK I would say you are buying the Imperial gallon which might be giving you more bang for your buck.
UK4X4 is more than likely converting liters to US gallons as a convenience for us. Maybe.
http://www.petrolprices.com/search.html?search=aberdeen
1 US gallon = 3.78 liters
today 1 GBP = 1.66 USA$
so @ 1.4 GBP per liter, 1.4 x 3.78 x 1.66 = $8.78
We have a bargain here in the USA
Don is correct we went metric and buy in price per ltr
the gallon price is too scary !.
My RRsport even in diesel takes 160usd to fill up :(
Hey UK is that Range Rover or Rolls Royce ;)
It is pushing $100 USD here on the pick up......
Diesel is definitely the refiners cash cow now. Does not cost as much to refine and most of us love our diesels so we drive them. Gas rigs require more fuel to run on average if loaded pound for pound.
Range Rover Sport TDV6
nope I'm not gentry ! we have two weimeraners and finding a UK car big enough for them and some luggage was a pain in the rear.
I refuse to buy a minivan and most of our cars are mini sized compared to the US, even 1 dog won't fit in some of the boots
Weimaraners are great gun dogs and can be excellent communions as well. When my daughter was pregnant with her first child, they had one. He for some reason became very protective of her. He would not even let her husband stand next to her without getting between the two. Then when our grandson was born he was so protective of both of them then it was crazy. Her husband came home one night. Let himself in only to be greeted by the dog coming at him as if he were a complete stranger. Our daughter had to call him off.
Sunday was a wonderful day here. 59 degrees and we had the windows open in the trailer airing it out and doing some needed spring cleaning. Then the next day, WOW Cold and 45 MPH winds and the canyons and draws had huge strong gusts of wind blowing over trees and back to winter.
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About a week ago the furnace quit in the fifthwheel no big deal it is in the high twenties and thirties at night. It will not freeze the water in the trailer. But we need heat so we just went to our back up plan. Those Quartz Infrared Portable types work real well. And we run one a lot in here really the furnace is really lacking in this fifthwheel. With the threat of high winds and temperatures that night falling like a rock in to the low teens. I decided we need the spare as well so I went down to the shop and got the spare electric heater. I was becoming come concerned it might freeze the water because the furnace ducting is used help keep the pipes from freezing. But we made it through.
That day we finished up grouting all the wall tile. As you can see we still have so scrubbing and rubbing left to.
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The road to Boise is back open so yesterday I decided enough was enough I was going to get the furnace looked out so I pulled it and ran off to town. Our friend that owns the RV repair business had one of his guys look at it. It was the board. He had just used his last one. So he told his tech put in the test board and button it up. I went to pay him when the job was done. He told me its on the house. But that is a used board and it comes with the used board warranty - I am warranting it that it might last ten years or ten minutes. And grinned.
On the way back up to the Prairie we seen ELK!! A nice bunch with lots of last years calves! This is rare here now with the wolf problem.
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This is the back waters of Arrowrock dam and the South Fork of the Boise near the old ferry landing.
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After the finely seen me they moved on up the hill.
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Awesome to see!
Hope the heater works a little longer! But won't you be in the house soon?
Quote from: OlJarhead on March 25, 2014, 11:16:30 AM
Awesome to see!
Hope the heater works a little longer! But won't you be in the house soon?
All bets are off when we will be able to make the move. We still have a couple days of tile and grouting. Then we will set kitchen, utility and bath cabinets. Then I would guess a easy couple months of wood work so I would guess that would be closer to four mouths.
We can check off the pan in the master shower. After pouring a couple of them I was not warm and fuzzy with their performance. They did not drain like I wanted. One puddled badly. The other seemed sort of weird around edges. So I decided to hire it done because of that and size. So I called in an ace from our past. I was so wanting to see him do it. :o But as luck would have it I had a grazing meeting with the US Forest Service today. [waiting] He is so busy you just do not pick up a phone and make a call. He did tell Ellen however after looking at her tile jobs. She and I are hired if we want to move back to town and keep us busy..... Me thinks NOT....
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Kitchen floor going down...
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Burnt the mid night oil
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Down and sealed
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Flooring for two bed rooms and hall way in and acclimatizing
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Same with this this old barn lumber... About a week with a belt sander and Popeye arms, numerous dust masks and we will have it whipped into shape. Learned the method from a real high end artisan from the area that crafted high end furniture from old woods.
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I have to rewire these two lights. There were lights from the Boise Carnige Library. We are planing on using them out on the porch.
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"Weimaraners are great gun dogs and can be excellent communions as well. When my daughter was pregnant with her first child, they had one. He for some reason became very protective of her. He would not even let her husband stand next to her without getting between the two. Then when our grandson was born he was so protective of both of them then it was crazy"
thats part of their hard wiring, try touching my family and you'd have an arm full of teeth marks
no agression, no growling - just teeth !
Diesel the older one has done it, nothing bad, he sort of grabs the offending arm, pressures and then releases and steps back, with a look that says try that again and I'll make holes !
In germany in order to get permisson to breed, the young dogs have to pass the schutzhund test, part of that is demonstrating their "protective mode "
Hunting ......yep awsome, and again hardwired into them, mine tracks, air scents points and retrieves...with zero training other than us working areas with rabbits and hares etc, my sister had one too and he brought down two deer , no guns required !
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c* Yep UK and to that dog's final day here on earth -- Death to all cats. Was not cool when we were dog sitting him. He and the house cat a huge tabby got into it. He shoved a door open to my wife's home office knowing Spud the cat was in there. So was my wife. Spud jumped on to my wife. She grabbed him and tried to hold him away as he was biting and scratching every thing in reach including her. Gage the dog was like a greyhound chasing the bunny. Ellen was spinning around, and around, and around trying to get out the door. Made it to the door flung the cat, slammed the door leaving Gage in the office. She got the cat away from there and in to an other part of the house. Opened the door to her office and off course it looked like tornado had come through there. Papers, a floor lamp, stuff off the shelves in the book cases.
I was 182 miles away in Oregon when I got the phone call. I might as well been in China or Australia. Oh all the stuff she said about the dog. I think that was the last time we dog sat Gage. He went to the kennel when they had to leave for a few days after that.
Gage lasted through the divorce. Became our daughters dog and contracted cancer. Had to be put down. Me thinks the cat put a curse on him. Spud the cat lasted a lot longer - like twenty when he went to where ever cats go. Remained a house cat to the end. Would go out side maybe twice a year walk around the house and return to the door and want in. Find a sunny spot - take a nap. Never killed a mouse, never played much.........
Tile looks good Rick. My hat's off to Ellen. ;) Like the lights. Sort of vintage looking. On the barn wood I would be tempted to set a planer to just knock off the rough stuff and then finish with the sander. It would probably cut your sanding time in half. I sort of get an idea what you are trying to end up with but you can get the same effect by eliminating some of that rough sanding with a slight/light planning.
I can relate to the cat/dog incident. Had a couple Norweigen Elkhounds. Deadly on cats and chickens. Had to get it unstuck from a tree forks once when he tried to get to the neighbors cat that went up a tree to escape. The cat was up there lauging at the dog the whole time it was screaming until we got it unlodged. Then of course it would grab the chickens head as they poked through the fence of the their pen. Sort of cut down on the egg production.
I can't allow my wife to see those lights -- they are exactly what she has been describing that she is looking for
want t sell them ? I am sure not
Tile is awesome !
Quote from: Redoverfarm on March 26, 2014, 07:17:52 AM
Tile looks good Rick. My hat's off to Ellen. ;) Like the lights. Sort of vintage looking. On the barn wood I would be tempted to set a planer to just knock off the rough stuff and then finish with the sander. It would probably cut your sanding time in half. I sort of get an idea what you are trying to end up with but you can get the same effect by eliminating some of that rough sanding with a slight/light planning.
The guy that makes the furniture. He and I have had the same discussion. He says if you want to plane take the lumber down to a car wash. Talk to the owner and tell him what your are wanting to do. Because he has been kicked out of a couple. He does that anyway - wash the wood. Then stickers it. Then he and his helper go over it looking for old broken nails and rocks and such. Then still ruins planer knives so he just opts out. Most the time time wise he says it is sure not worth it. So he just goes right to sanding. He also says sanding only is a lot easier on the knots and defects you want to keep that give the wood the real character. What I would love to find is a drum sander. Set the board in a belt and just feed them through. We use one of those in the Boise Woodcraft Store. WOW that works so nice. But $$$
What he ends up with is a smooth board that looks naturally weathered and sun toasted. He then seals and finishes with a clear coat of something. I never went that far with him. Need to get a hold of him. ???
Quote from: Windpower on March 26, 2014, 08:03:23 AM
I can't allow my wife to see those lights -- they are exactly what she has been describing that she is looking for
want t sell them ? I am sure not
Tile is awesome !
Thanks
The lights are the real MacCoy. A conductor who's son was contracting a remodel of the old Boise Carnige Library ended up with them. Found out I was interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement and Deco Art. WOW do I ever have a deal for you. I went over and looked at them and could not get my wallet out fast enough. I hate to almost say this but a little more than yard sale price..... A part of the Carnige history and Boise history which my fore fathers help found.
Looking good [cool]
I've sure shined up alot of nails in the planer, finally got one of the wands which helps but there's always a missed nail somewhere. I've preserved the sawmarks or hewing on logs but cleaned up the wood using an osborne brush in a big angle drill, it's about a 4" cup wheel with abrasive nylon bristles rather than wire. Another effect but definitely Popeye work.
We got hit with a very pretty - very wet snow. Yep even though we are looking at spring, winter was not really a Prairie winter. Still think it looks pretty. We almost got .8 of an inch from that storm in rain and snow. So the water in the reservoirs are looking a lot better. It is showing us at 14.1 inches of moisture since the start of the new water year which is Nov 1, 2013.
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We got rid of a bunch of boxes. Freed up a bunch of much needed floor space for more lumber to come in. The original 'drawings' showed a upper set of cabinets over the peninsula. Ellen opted out of that for a more open kitchen to the nook and keep the view to the great out doors...... I would be happy to 'kill' or omit the whole peninsula ;D
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The oven cabinet next to the fridge is not misplaced nor mis-ordered Ellen is trying an idea we have never seen before. A low mounted wall oven with counter above. ???
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With the large pantry and ample cabinet storage space we can hunker down very well for the normal winter up here. (If they ever return.) Normal would be still a good foot or so of icy snow up here yet.
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Utility room still needs grouted so we just hung uppers. Again we are just trying to get rid of 'stuff' to gain floor spaced.
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Will have to agree with Ellen on the cabinets over the peninsula. But the peninsula is a must to rolling out your biscuits for breakfast. ;D
Quote from: Redoverfarm on March 29, 2014, 12:44:47 PM
Will have to agree with Ellen on the cabinets over the peninsula. But the peninsula is a must to rolling out your biscuits for breakfast. ;D
SO true in fact we even will have two ovens....... I am so looking forward to being able to really cook again. Another of my hobbies...... Believe me Ellen does not mind in the least bit. I am sure not one of those Gordon Ramsey reality show type cooks either. Especially me standing there with a perfectly good sharp Ginsu or Hinkel knife in my hand and someone screaming obscenities. ;) It just aint gona' happen.....It just aint gona' happen......
Couple things we so miss living in the fifth wheel that we are so looking forward to.
One: Fixin' large family and friends meals where you can invite everyone and have plenty of room for everyone.
Two: Long lasting showers and baths: Last year during the fires up here and we were without power and water for over a week and living down on the escape route. Even when we moved back to the RV pads no real showers or baths. We were drawing water from our spring and transporting it to the trailer. Over a week witout a shower or a bath other than just washing up. Top that off with fighting fire then coming in and dropping in to bed grabbing a few hours sleep and jumping up and doing it all again For me long showers as long as you like. For Ellen that is long soaking baths. They are just dreams about to come true..... ;D
Last year or year before I had the guy that owns the mill slab some pine that we harvested from here. They run in thickness 5/4 to 8/4 plus. I had selected this one to make 'window sills' or 'stools' for the nook. The nook is going to be 'sort of rustic'. Ellen says I can sort of stretch the envelope there. I think she means I have to came back to earth on the rest of the house and trim. ???
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When we were looking for doors we ran into this one in a bunch of old, old seconds at the lumber yard. Got a 'deal' on it.
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We almost went with a pantry door like that
but instead went for cost saving and getting it done verses waiting for special order
it looks really good
we are enjoying the heck out of our kitchen -- we were only 'kitchenless' for 7 months
we did 'jury rig' a kitchen sink -- it was invaluable for 2 or 3 months
??? I think I received and Hazardous Weather Notification from NOAA stating that there is no hazardous weather ???
Or am I missing something......... [waiting]
Hazardous Weather Outlook
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
213 PM MDT MON APR 14 2014
IDZ011>013-028-029-033-ORZ061>064-152015-
WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-LOWER TREASURE VALLEY ID-BOISE MOUNTAINS-
CAMAS PRAIRIE-OWYHEE MOUNTAINS-UPPER WEISER RIVER-HARNEY COUNTY-
BAKER COUNTY-MALHEUR COUNTY-LOWER TREASURE VALLEY OR-
213 PM MDT MON APR 14 2014
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
IDAHO...WEST CENTRAL IDAHO...NORTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHEAST
OREGON.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECETD AT THIS TIME.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
$$
We managed to get out of the house yesterday and most likely today as well. This week is a wash really. One of those wasted weeks. Going and comings and commitments and such. Waiting for the granite guys to make the trip up the hill and do their templating. Then I have to move a couple misguided electrical outlets but need to talk to the electrician and we are playing phone tag. Need to get that done before before I set a wall oven cabinet. Then the power we figured for the dishwasher will not work. I don't want to head off into starting working on the wood floor because I really need to have my mind focused on that project not ten others while attempting to mill the fir floor. So we took a break not from work but turned to the homestead.........
Our latest buy from the cold weather nursery arrived..... Five more trees of the cold weather verity. He also offers supper cold verities. Their trees are are grafted to Antonovka root stock. According to them it is the most tried-and-true rootstock known, having been used for 500 years in Russia. Northern grown and well pruned apple trees on Antonovka rootstock are equivalent to "semi-dwarf" trees in size, yet still retain the necessary vigor to flower, fruit and become dormant within the time constraints of a short growing season. Then we also were able to get 12 black raspberry plants of the cold weather verity. We have been trying there for three or four years. Got them from the same nursery. As well as four verities of grapes five each. We tried the grapes before we were not set up very well for them but they okay. With us being here full time now we should do well with them.
To lighten up heavy clay soil a good product is gypsum. You can send all your pieces from the sheet rock zoo to the land fill. Or toss it where you want lightened up and let it over winter in the weather. Pull off the paper and rototill in ..... Or you can do like lots of people do haul it to the land fill then stop by the garden center on the way home and buy gypsum. ??? I will add here I don't know if they put additives in the gypsum for dry wall. I do know one lady up here that is a great gardener and did it for their lawn and garden and says in her research finds nothing stating it being bad.
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Over in the orchard Ellen has started to prune the trees and last year was very hard on some. This due to the 17 Year Idaho Cicadas
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and the hot 100 degree temps and short on water. The fires called us away and we missed watering the the orchard for about fourteen to eighteen days do to the power outage and not set up the best for such. We have hopefully gotten that sort of straightened up. However the pie cherries and the young cherries all were hit very hard and we lost several - several. Well almost all of them.
We lost or we thought we lost one of the young trees to the Cicadas - the young tree was shriveling and changing colors.
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It knew it was in trouble so it did start sending up a couple shoots above the graft union and did root sucker as well. So Ellen pruned it off and we well give it some TLC. As vigorous as these trees are it very well might make it.
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The trees started to heal well after the Cicadas
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This was the last of the original Honey Crisp apples we ordered in our first try at orcharding. Since then we have learned a lot and much more to learn. Turned out the nursery we got them from sent us 25 dwarf trees. I asked for Honey Crisps I got them..... They said I did not specify non dwarf. First and last order from them. Dwarf trees are basically dwarf because of a non vigorous root stock. They work well in some places. But in the great white north at this altitude they are basically a ten year tree if that. They do not like cold at all. This one our last one did not make it.
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All in all things wintered pretty well however.
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Orchard looks great! On Dec 28th, we put in 10 different variaties of southern apples and two types of pears. They were all just one or two year whips on M111 rootstock. Almost all bloomed this year (about a month ago for us) and now three of the apples have little apples growing on them. I will snip all but one off of each tree. I want the tree focusing on roots, not fruit! This fall we will put in more pears and some peaches. I already have the ground mulched where the trees will go. We went with 20' between trees and 25' between rows (IIRC).
I had to revise this over a confusion of ELMA 7 and ELMA 111's. Out to lunch wink.....
EMLA 7's work real well here in our clay soil and are very cold hardy as well. EMLA 111's they do not seem to work very well here 50 / 50 mortality rate.... Jarhead turned me on to the nursery we are currently using. I do like the Russian root stock for up here in the short growing seasons. They are whips as well. But true to 'Mother Russia' they do there best to grow and maker the best out of what ever. Our pears are doing well as well. We do have two verities of peaches we have found that have not winter killed. Canadian Harmony and Reliance. The best thing I we find here we are not having to spay. The wild apples never have parasites nor the domestics. I have my bees down in the valley right now. Talked to my friend last night as these trees are starting to bud. We did have two hives that failed last winter so he is doing his bee magic and hopefully we will have a couple to bring up or one huge one. We might split and queen it after we get it up here and sat.
Anxious to see your trees and orchard.
I will try to get a picture soon. It really isn't much of an orchard. Not yet at least. We don't even have it fenced off. Two months before we planted their were big pines that i brought down to have milled up into lumber for my rebuild. All the stumps are still there. Some of the debris burn piles are still there too. Not the best looking place right now but it is getting there!
Very interesting the two extremes! East TX clay, 650' elevation, zone 8a vs where you are!
Quote from: dablack on April 23, 2014, 07:27:02 AM
I will try to get a picture soon. It really isn't much of an orchard. Not yet at least. We don't even have it fenced off. Two months before we planted their were big pines that i brought down to have milled up into lumber for my rebuild. All the stumps are still there. Some of the debris burn piles are still there too. Not the best looking place right now but it is getting there!
Very interesting the two extremes! East TX clay, 650' elevation, zone 8a vs where you are!
The orchard is sort of like fun and therapeutic. Even if you have just one or two trees they are special to you. To us they are certainly not a hope for a real business. The orchard is not like our cows that are more $$$ based. Our cows we expect them to produce calves. If the cows do not produce calves or do not 'preg test' then off to the sale they go. At the end of the year we pull the calves off and are weaned. They most times depending on the market go on feed then go to a 'feeder sale'. Or if prices are high enough virus feeding they may go right to the sale The orchard one the other hand some day may be a source of income. More than likely if still in the family - our kids and grand kids may see some income from it.
Looking good! Can't wait to see that flooring go in? Is it going to be T&G?
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 12, 2014, 07:33:36 AM
Looking good! Can't wait to see that flooring go in? Is it going to be T&G?
We are not making much progress - we are making progress. Sort of like it is the best of times it is the worst of times. We have been on task so well, then suddenly life hit. A couple weeks have been real busts. Seemed like more time in the valley doing life than doing it up here. We even grabbed a hotel room down there one night. Nothing tragic just have had to buy some replacement cows. Chase after some materials - just a lot of stuff to get out of the way. Medical check up and labs and dental. We did take time to attend the traveling Broadway Show - Wicked at the Morrison Center. So the visible changes and delights in the house sort of slowed to a crawl.
The cabinets are set - templates are made for the granite. Is looking like Wednesday for that. Had plumbers up Saturday to start their trim out. They don't do Saturdays but had to because they are over booked.
However out best laid plans of the electrical in all the proper places seems to went to Boise with us. Had to redo the electrical on the low mounted wall oven. Needed big electrical wire for that. ??? Then remembered some that was on a roll end at a suppliers that they specialed out. I had bought it...... Someone is always wanting to wire a welder or something in. Turned out it was me... ;D
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The dishwasher of this make needed the electrical put somewhere else than behind. So I rerouted some wire and 'Electric Ray' the electrician can look it over and hook it up. The plumber however looked it all over and said as many dishwashers of this make he has put in none of the #$%#$@#$% were like that. Even the $#%#$#$% water and %$^$#@! drain are #%^%$$##. I really don't think he was impressed with the changes in design.
The @#$$^##$$%%^ dishwasher....... ::)
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As far as the floor some will be drilled - screwed and plugged. Don't know how much other than some will go in that way.
Making plugs
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Master vanity
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We got the OSB on the walls in the nook for the wall treatment there.
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Then turned on the Stones and Paint It Black. And I did
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Don't freak it will change.
I have a fear of moving into this house without it being finished. Then out of spite and burn out never finish it. For there is a certain love hate relationship that I occur when things take more than a day and a half to finish. Yes I am prone to scream at the microwave to hurry up as well as the Bunn Coffee Maker.
So I have identified a couple areas that I am suspect of not finishing besides the regular door frame - window frame type stuff.
One: The pantry. Tiny room off the kitchen..... it is even titled as being a pantry on its door. I can just see it turning into a tiny room of card board boxes and plastic shelving that I have horded.
Two: The Mud Room located as a vestibule - in between the back door and a second door. Planing a locker room bench type seating with a coat rack. In short a small room and a place to hang coats and change foot ware. A place to corral the dogs and their wet dirty feet.
Three: There is a large linen closet in the master bath That would be a good place to omit as well. To me it will be both a linen and a pantry for sundry items. We have to stock particularly in the winter just in case.... The extra tube of toothpaste and dental floss and plenty paper products and ointments and lotions and stuff to get us through the winter if it is bad. The non food items.
Those are the main areas I see as problems - So I have done something about that. I before anything else got started I started on the pantry. As I have posted before our logging projects from this homestead it is really paying off now. We are in luck to be a little heavy on real four quarter pine boards. They are my shelf bottoms - they planed out real well. The other boards planed down to 3/4 well and even took some down to half inch for drawer stock and this and that. I love that 13 inch Dewalt Planer so long as the knives are sharp.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0394_zps0d677bf7.jpg)
Then yesterday was the day the granite came. We are very happy with it. The largest piece of granite penciled out to 600 lbs worth. Two guys lugged it in to the house and I helped steady it. We were most concerned with damaging those fingers where the sink will go. Also the 13 inch Dewalt planer and a pile of shavings where the trailer is parked. You can see we have planed the heck out of things.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/c287c7fb-af24-4124-b9f9-52da8d9a076b_zps5c63d53e.jpg)
That big piece will cover all that and mate to that piece on the counter. They walked through what they were going to do several times actually acting as if they had the piece. They figured out where they were going to rest it and got blocks laid out where they might need them. Walked through where and how they were going to pivot the piece. When we finely moved it in it went so smooth. Again that was 600 pounds two guys and a very top heavy piece of rock.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0370_zpsc5a2d1ec.jpg)
Pivoted and set in it final resting spot.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0378_zps6d812ee6.jpg)
Seaming it together they were well please with Ellen's and mine cabinet setting. Things mated up very well.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0380_zps009d5b05.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0382_zps75e35715.jpg)
Drilling for the faucets
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0390_zpsf60bd8ea.jpg)
Granite set around the stove and the pain in the hind end low wall oven cabinet
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0371_zpsa928c33c.jpg)
Master vanity
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0376_zpsc90dcb05.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0385_zps699efd25.jpg)
Utility room cabinet and laundry folding area.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0372_zpsdfad16e5.jpg)
Guest bath
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0374_zps90ec5889.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0388_zps2efec324.jpg)
All in all well pleased with the counter tops -
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0395_zpsf02f3e0e.jpg)
We are getting closer to completing. Still a long way to go but closer than a years ago and this was an error of a clearance dug.
Lookin' good! [cool]
Looking good Rick. Good choice on the counter tops. For the mud room have you considered just buying stock upper cabinets and using them as a base for a bench. I have seen that done and it really is a simple fix. Some have even added uppers above and then used verticle T&G to connect the two and placed coat hooks at the top portion. If you really want to get fancy add a wide mirror below the hooks. The bench can either be something that you have planed down or even inexpensive countertops.
If it makes you feel better I have a similar location that I haven't done anything with since 2004. Yep boots & shoes stacked in the corner. ;D
Looks good !
The faucet/vanity looks identical to ours --- Kohler Fairfax in Biscuit (IIRC)
it is going to be so nice to get into that kitchen -- it was a life changer for us
Quote from: Windpower on May 16, 2014, 09:50:14 AM
Looks good !
The faucet/vanity looks identical to ours --- Kohler Fairfax in Biscuit (IIRC)
it is going to be so nice to get into that kitchen -- it was a life changer for us
I do think I did see Kohler on the box....Plumber said that these are the first chrome fixtures he has installed in some time with all the other finishes there are.
I worked on the pantry shelves again yesterday. I got then all up now I am going to do the face frames in place. That is because of height and room to maneuver.
I ended up with six shelves plus the floor. The long wall was 56.5 X 17.5 = 988.75 sq inches. The short run was 45 X 17.5 = 787.5 total of 1776.25 sq inches per level.
Because of several unknown issues of weight and size of what is going in there I just gave it my best shot. ;) I can not find any flex or give anywhere.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0416_zps70b3e565.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0415_zps1c4a9138.jpg)
Only weak spot I really see is the corner where they meet up. But using the sold walls on the bed room side and the kitchen side and outside wall and the living room side both 2 X 6 walls there. There is no flex there. There can be no torque because the way the shelves meet up so I think I am okay there.
The selves as I wrote before are 4/4 except for the top shelve and it is 3/4. It measures 8 ft from the floor I don't see me climbing up there to store the anvil nor cannon balls. Most likely would be Christmas ornaments & lights. So with all that said - Ya' see anything I'm missin'?
That's some nice looking storage, you can never have too many shelves.
Well I started and finished the face frames in the pantry today. Well not finished finished they still need the nail holes filled and a little sanding. Most likely the face frame will get a rubbing of like a medium Watco Oil. I love working with pine; to me it is so much more expressive than other woods. Not to mention cheaper. $$$ :D I mean ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0420_zpsc2893aaa.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0426_zps2f3d8202.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0424_zps67bae0cc.jpg)
We had a visitor show up a few weeks ago. A male calliope hummingbird. He kept buzzing the spot where the feeder was set up last summer. Ellen set up the feeder and and a few days latter the whole tribe showed up. We have a whole bunch of calliopes - a couple black chinned and even a few rufous have been feeding here.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/birds/DSC_0407_zpsa351abf6.jpg)
One even got into the house bad thing in that they do not seem to know anything but go up. So I herded it to a can light held a broom up there and it roosted on the broom until I got it outside.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/birds/DSC_0414_zpsb94a3821.jpg)
I really like the pantry shelving you built, I am going to try something simular when I finish our pantry... very nice!
Quote from: astidham on May 19, 2014, 04:12:30 PM
I really like the pantry shelving you built, I am going to try something simular when I finish our pantry... very nice!
Thanks I was trying to keep track how many board feet of lumber that was taking.
A couple things I would throw out there for anyone looking at a full time residence or a 'cabin' that would be used a lot in the winter time and chances of being snowed in. We not being so much preppers but wanting really to escape the need to drive out of here in the winter times and early spring. The drive in and out purposefully just for groceries and other sundry items if we could avoid that we would. Not to mention if the storms move in you do not just drive in and out of here for a pound of hamburger and a can of pork and beans. You pretty much do not drive out. In the wintertime most trips to town start in the dark and end up there as well. All that to say we planed our food storage pretty carefully not so much as a matter of convenience but of necessity. This compounded with the fact as we get older the more we will not want to drive out.
Second was where we put it. Ellen gave up counter space really the whole south west corner of her kitchen. We thought about going to the utility room with it. We felt this area would save some steps. Thankfully we did because we really did not have the utility laid out very well so we found out. With a change in the water system we will pretty well will have that puppy filled up.
Third if there is a chance of the roads closing for washouts and slides or other natural disasters you really should look at keeping a month or two of food on hand. This means more than a month or two it is more like three months worth. This is because you do not get to choose when your disaster will occur. Here at this location there are three roads to Boise. One you never use winter time it is closed. You never use it anyway because it is long and slow. In the winter time it would take huge resources to get it open if you even could. The direct road to Boise is open when it is 'safe to do so' but it washed out during the run off. I have seen it closed for a couple years do to a slide. The other road it washed out after the fires last fall major washouts. Huge truck sized boulders were littering the road. In other words if it all occurred at once.... So I guess in one sense of the word we are preppers :D
I'm late to the party here but that granite looks great! What you have in the kitchen is the same as what I had in the master bath in the last house. Love that stuff. I put in my own granite but I don't do below mount sinks and I don't do corners! I design the kitchen where the cabinets do NOT turn a corner. Makes the install much easier on me.
Austin
Austin you are never late for the party around here. Really is a on going adventure. ;)
That granite she picked out for there is called 'Sapphire Brown or Blue' most likely has a bunch of names. It is a multi-directional granite so they could have run it together if they had to. The under sink mount was pretty easy. They had drilled and epoxied in screw holes. He says after the silicone sets the mounting brackets are almost useless but they do need to stay. ;)
I never have checked into it. But now that I know this guy I bet I could order pieces cut or make my own templates and take them to him. We are going to do a remodel on our church bathroom. (Small building) Just a common bath. That might be an idea..... ???
It isn't so much the mounting of the below mount sink but the polishing of the hole! The granite pieces I order are 24" by 84" and are finished on all 4 edges. That is usually long enough for bathroom counters. Cut off the extra length (84") on the edge that isn't exposed. Cut off the extra on the depth (24") and use it as a backsplash. I usually had parts left over that I can build a shelf in the shower or similar. For the sink, I cut the hole and drop in the sink. Easy. It doesn't look as nice as a below mount sink but it isn't bad either. You can get the drop in sinks cheap online. Just an idea. I love granite but I HATE paying for it.
Austin
Anything blooming yet? My Crimson Beauty has about 16 buds on it this year.
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 20, 2014, 11:57:13 AM
Anything blooming yet? My Crimson Beauty has about 16 buds on it this year.
We here are about at a third bloom in the apples. Peaches, plums and pears are in bloom. A guy brought up a lot hives and they are about a half mile away and we are getting some of his pollinators. My hives are still down in the valley and my bee guru says they are ready to come up if he gets a chance. It got so hot and dry up here that by the end of summer we had to winter them down in the valley and still lost a hive or two. Most likely will not be able to winter them up here in the future.
That's right, you started before me :) Glad to hear they are doing well. What is your altitude?
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 20, 2014, 11:51:29 PM
That's right, you started before me :) Glad to hear they are doing well. What is your altitude?
We are right at 5000 here.
We scored some of those black raspberries and several new grapes from Saint Lawrence. We were going to stick out neck out with a real garden this year. Ya right.... no time no time. Glad we had a sane thought there. In fact Ellen is handling all the orchard plus cookin' and cleanin' and such this year. Me I be home buildin'. We are having a lot more moisture this spring than in the past two years combined I think. Stuff is coming right along.
A couple years ago we put in an underground cellar. Pressure tank is down there and that is about it. Well this year it flooded we had the pressure tank floating when I found it. We thought it was a broken water line. Now we think it was a high water So now thinking french drain around the cellar.
Thought you were up there, that puts you more than 1500 feet higher than me. Our trees are at just about 3200 feet. We get a late start to spring and only one tree is blooming so far (Crimson Beauty as mentioned before) but I'm hopeful others do also.
I think what I need is an orchardist to come along and help me get my trees better cared for ;)
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 21, 2014, 07:27:42 AM
Thought you were up there, that puts you more than 1500 feet higher than me. Our trees are at just about 3200 feet. We get a late start to spring and only one tree is blooming so far (Crimson Beauty as mentioned before) but I'm hopeful others do also.
I think what I need is an orchardist to come along and help me get my trees better cared for ;)
Couple things to remember-
First - Rome was not built in a day.......
Second - Fruit trees are not grown in a day as well...
To early of a bloom is a real problem. Our orchard last year had bloomed and pollinated very nicely. Then was the night of about 25 degrees up here. What was left in bloom aborted and the all the fruit sloughed. Last year was a year of vast troubles.
As Rick and I have disscussed before, I put in 10 apples and a couple of pears around Christmas. This is what they looked like March 25th. I'm very pleased. These are all southern heritage apples on M111 root stock. I think this one is "Bevan's Favorite".
(https://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm206/dablack2000/applebloom_zpsfb73f1b9.jpg) (https://s297.photobucket.com/user/dablack2000/media/applebloom_zpsfb73f1b9.jpg.html)
(https://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm206/dablack2000/applebloom2_zps47f54922.jpg) (https://s297.photobucket.com/user/dablack2000/media/applebloom2_zps47f54922.jpg.html)
Here is what I can remember of what I ordered. I have the list at home.
Bevan's Favorite
Horse
Mary Reid
Summer Banana
Dixie Red Delight
Kinnaird's Choice
Enterprise
Goldrush
Yates
They all bloomed this year and three of them have little apples on them. I'm hoping to add four or more pear this winter and a couple more things that I haven't decided on.
Austin
That's tough, but you've gotten some apples from them? Or not?
We mostly just go through and pick blossoms really thinning them to totally removing them from young trees.
So yes we have had apples (Snow sweets) but will allow more to mature this year.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/008-1.jpg)
Spent an hour with one of my employees who's had an orchard in the past and is building a new one now. He put in 1800 trees this week.
Learned a TON from him in that hour! Man I might have to buy him something wet and go spend some more time there!
Quote from: rick91351 on December 25, 2013, 12:09:05 PM
210 ft from the meter base to the house. We used 3 runs of 250 KCM and a I think a 100 KCM as an equipment ground.
My electrician put his meter on it when we were done hooking it up, energized the line and we had very little voltage drop. MY HVAC friend was up the other day and said the same thing. Side note using aluminum wire be sure and use a anti oxidization paste on your connectors. We are running the house on a air to air heat pump with a electric back up.
I realize we're well past this point, but wanted to jump in and clarify, just for other future builders. Voltage drop is caused by the resistance of the wire (inherent in the type of metal and how much of it there is, so increases with distance),
and the load running through those wires. Standard ohm's law stuff (V=IR). Which is to say if you hook up a meter to a system that isn't currently powering any loads, you will read whatever your source voltage is, regardless of how far away you are. In other words, you will not see any voltage drop if you don't have any current flowing. And the voltage drop will be worse at high currents than at lower levels.
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Great build -- really enjoying the read. I went to college in Montana, and I love the part of the (wild) west.
Quote from: rick91351 on May 17, 2014, 08:51:32 AM
I do think I did see Kohler on the box....Plumber said that these are the first chrome fixtures he has installed in some time with all the other finishes there are.
I worked on the pantry shelves again yesterday. I got then all up now I am going to do the face frames in place. That is because of height and room to maneuver.
I ended up with six shelves plus the floor. The long wall was 56.5 X 17.5 = 988.75 sq inches. The short run was 45 X 17.5 = 787.5 total of 1776.25 sq inches per level.
Because of several unknown issues of weight and size of what is going in there I just gave it my best shot. ;) I can not find any flex or give anywhere.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0416_zps70b3e565.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0415_zps1c4a9138.jpg)
Only weak spot I really see is the corner where they meet up. But using the sold walls on the bed room side and the kitchen side and outside wall and the living room side both 2 X 6 walls there. There is no flex there. There can be no torque because the way the shelves meet up so I think I am okay there.
The selves as I wrote before are 4/4 except for the top shelve and it is 3/4. It measures 8 ft from the floor I don't see me climbing up there to store the anvil nor cannon balls. Most likely would be Christmas ornaments & lights. So with all that said - Ya' see anything I'm missin'?
This looks great Rick are the Pantry doors the ones from Menards? How do you like them? Thinking of using something similar.
Quote from: _JT on May 31, 2014, 11:45:39 PM
I realize we're well past this point, but wanted to jump in and clarify, just for other future builders. Voltage drop is caused by the resistance of the wire (inherent in the type of metal and how much of it there is, so increases with distance), and the load running through those wires. Standard ohm's law stuff (V=IR). Which is to say if you hook up a meter to a system that isn't currently powering any loads, you will read whatever your source voltage is, regardless of how far away you are. In other words, you will not see any voltage drop if you don't have any current flowing. And the voltage drop will be worse at high currents than at lower levels.
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Great build -- really enjoying the read. I went to college in Montana, and I love the part of the (wild) west.
Oh we had plenty 'juice' flowing back then. Start of winter - the electric back up on the furnace and no insulation in the lid rather no lid hung and had to get some heat going for the dry wall crew. Normal winter would have been impossible to build up here. We were still going walk about in January looking for snow. ;) Cold but pleasant walking. We only got like two feet and did not last very long. Then the rains began and we end up at about normal per the NOAA site up here.
I still have to run the power to the shop yet. I have electrical down there sort of. ;D I don't think I am going to need that big of wire going down there as I just don't see it being that busy. Conduit is in and all but funny Ellen said she sort of figures the house trumps the shop.
Love the great state of Montana - sort a second home state. We had kin folk scattered all over there at one time. :( Most have passed on now. Where in Montana did you attend collage?
Quote from: GSPDOG on June 01, 2014, 08:24:38 AM
This looks great Rick are the Pantry doors the ones from Menards? How do you like them? Thinking of using something similar.
You know I think our closest Menards is in Casper Wy. 700 miles away. I do want to visit one some day. I don't understand why they do not open a few stores in Idaho - Boise - Twin Falls and Idaho Falls.
I found the pantry door at may favorite lumber yard. In the reject and seconds 'section' (out in an old barn). We were going to drop the corner pantry - got talked out of it. So put the door in on the door package. I got such a deal on the doors in this house from that lumber yard. Misordered Knotty Alder doors I had dibs on for a couple years. I had told the owner I would take them. However sell them if he could. I really did not know when we were going to start. They got sold to someone else - when they framed for the doors they did not frame for that size so I got them back. The owner of the lumber yard said it was just to be. The only doors that I really had to pay full cost on minus my builder discount was a 2'0" Knotty Alder for a small linen closet and the sliders for one bed room. Exterior doors were seconds because of the fake wood grain did not match up.
Quote from: rick91351 on June 01, 2014, 08:47:17 AM
Oh we had plenty 'juice' flowing back then. Start of winter - the electric back up on the furnace and no insulation in the lid rather no lid hung and had to get some heat going for the dry wall crew. Normal winter would have been impossible to build up here. We were still going walk about in January looking for snow. ;) Cold but pleasant walking. We only got like two feet and did not last very long. Then the rains began and we end up at about normal per the NOAA site up here.
I still have to run the power to the shop yet. I have electrical down there sort of. ;D I don't think I am going to need that big of wire going down there as I just don't see it being that busy. Conduit is in and all but funny Ellen said she sort of figures the house trumps the shop.
Love the great state of Montana - sort a second home state. We had kin folk scattered all over there at one time. :( Most have passed on now. Where in Montana did you attend collage?
If you have the cable handy, I'd pull whatever will fit in the conduit. I find shops are an area where electrical equipment tends to accumulate almost magically. ;)
I went to Montana Tech over in Butte. It was a good time. Was able to get back to Big Sky country last summer for a wedding, and really enjoyed it.
Quote from: _JT on June 01, 2014, 09:55:36 AM
If you have the cable handy, I'd pull whatever will fit in the conduit. I find shops are an area where electrical equipment tends to accumulate almost magically. ;)
I went to Montana Tech over in Butte. It was a good time. Was able to get back to Big Sky country last summer for a wedding, and really enjoyed it.
I buried 3" over to the shop, it is another run of about 300' about like the house. I so know what you are talking about magically accumulating - magically and magnetically just shows up......
Cousin lived in Butte retired from the Navy then was a state trooper then became a police judge. He is one that passed on. Would have loved to seen Butte in it's heyday.
I have not been doing much in the house mostly waiting on the plumber to finish up......
We have been working on the old barn lumber.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/4b008c3b-0121-4bee-b05f-eb4bac88e1cf_zps3dcdbd7e.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/758a2c77-717f-4184-97aa-83cd1b57ff99_zpse13c67bf.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0433_zps80201686.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0430_zps99e8566d.jpg)
I really like what I am seeing just have to get it edged and Ellen is wondering about sealing it? ???
The orchard is bloomed out
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0447_zpse677b71b.jpg)
It looks like we had a very good pollination
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0444_zpsc3984cba.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0438_zpsdd308741.jpg)
We mowed because the grass was getting to high to drag the hoses through
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0504_zps5c13012b.jpg)
New planting of cold weather black raspberries we scored ten starts for Saint Lawrence Nursery.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0457_zps409b2577.jpg)
Our established raspberries. There are ways to do it in this cold weather climate that really work well. If you are such and want to know please PM will try and 'slain it. Works sort of contrary to warm weather practices. Ellen is the researcher and refiner there. ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0458_zps1b54b663.jpg)
Blueberries have woken up well. Something I would never do again is mess with them. You all that have the right kind of soil and all that God Bless love ya.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0460_zpsccb34398.jpg)
We planted some eatable honeysuckle lot more user friendly for this type of soil. And do not discount the Service berries (Sarvice) They are higher in antioxidants than blueberries. But are sort of weird texture but do make a good jelly...
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0456_zps825d5aa9.jpg)
Just because we are not working on the house does not mean we are not working however. Where ever the blue marker is we have sprayed for Knapweed
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0490_zpsbb2df9c5.jpg)
The grove is ready for picnics and barbecues.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Grove/DSC_0517_zps935ca143.jpg)
Beautiful! Love that place and the wood is turning out great too. What are you going to do with it.
I'm going to have a take a break from building in about a month. Wife's 2002 explorer dropped a valve and will get a newer 4.0 from a 2009 mustang.
Austin
Quote from: dablack on June 04, 2014, 03:43:53 PM
Beautiful! Love that place and the wood is turning out great too. What are you going to do with it.
I'm going to have a take a break from building in about a month. Wife's 2002 explorer dropped a valve and will get a newer 4.0 from a 2009 mustang.
Austin
Well the Mustang sounds more fun than the Exploder. ;D But still ----
My old 78 F-150 dropped one when I went to return a tape rental. Got to the video place turned it off that was all she wrote. Went to start it to leave and spring broke put the valve into the piston of course. I was already POed because it fell on me to return the dang tape. Funny I was talking to a mechanic - Yep happens all the time this time of the year cold then hot then cold so he droned on...... spring breaks and that is all she wrote.......
The barn lumber is going into the nook. Ellen said I can get creative in there! ;D
Rick if you are going to try to seal the lumber you had better find a distributor that sells it in 55 gal barrels. ;) Just try to hit the high spots (planed). At least it will not collect as much dust.
WOW!!! John I guess you know about the old barn wood dust. ;) I was going to get a photo of where I was emptying the sander bag. But no one would believe me.
As far as sealing there is a jobber in Tenn that does sell tung oil that way.
8 oz. $7.58
16 oz. $10.95
32 oz. $18.25
1 Gallon $45.95
55 Gallons $1850.75*
(coverage 300 to 400 sq. ft. per gallon)
*Bulk price equates to $33.65 per Gallon. These are packaged in Gallon containers for freshness and convenience. At this low price no returns will be accepted. Please note a "Drum" contains only 52 gallons, we ship a full 55 gallons.
;)
Rick
Quote from: rick91351 on June 04, 2014, 07:23:35 PM
Well the Mustang sounds more fun than the Exploder. ;D
Oh no. She isn't getting a mustang. Just the 4.0L out of one! The long block from any OHC 4.0L is the same from 1997ish to 2010. There are more wrecked V6 mustangs than anything else that has the 4.0L so that engine is the cheapest. I will strip off the mustang specific parts and then swap over the explorer specific parts (upper and lower intake, oil filter adapter, valve covers, and front accesories). Then drop it into the explorer. Should cost about $1k.
Can't wait to see how the barn wood looks installed.
Austin
Quote from: dablack on June 05, 2014, 07:07:51 AM
Oh no. She isn't getting a mustang. Just the 4.0L out of one! The long block from any OHC 4.0L is the same from 1997ish to 2010. There are more wrecked V6 mustangs than anything else that has the 4.0L so that engine is the cheapest. I will strip off the mustang specific parts and then swap over the explorer specific parts (upper and lower intake, oil filter adapter, valve covers, and front accesories). Then drop it into the explorer. Should cost about $1k.
Can't wait to see how the barn wood looks installed.
Austin
Opps!! reread that. You did indeed post - Wife's 2002 explorer dropped a valve and will get a newer 4.0 from a 2009 mustang. I was just assuming I guess. Funny we use to do stuff a lot like that up here. Now days I just never hear of it much. I think it is a lot of the computer controls and emotions testing that has killed the swaps. Or assuming you just don't want to go there.
We are so needing the plumber to get in here and finish up. So I can start knocking down the wood floor. Then I can get on to rest of the wood. Floor really needs to be down and I don't need him or anyone in there when I start that. It is just to easy to get stuff messed up......
Quote from: rick91351 on June 05, 2014, 07:40:51 AM
I think it is a lot of the computer controls and emotions testing that has killed the swaps. Or assuming you just don't want to go there.
Yes, not having a good car for her to drive has been testing both of our emotions!
;)
Looking great! Only one of my trees bloomed this year and it's done now so I don't expect any apples but boy I hope next year we'll have some!
Quote from: OlJarhead on June 05, 2014, 02:25:01 PM
Looking great! Only one of my trees bloomed this year and it's done now so I don't expect any apples but boy I hope next year we'll have some!
I have noted some of the Saint Lawrence tree sort of cycle. All and all pretty pleased. They are all pretty young yet to put on real apples. [hungry] Cant wait....
They had a lady come up here and teach for a two day class on Herbal Medicine. Actually she does this class every year up here and has for the last eight years. Ellen and I took the time off and attended. Wow if anyone is interested in such please get a hold of me. She has travel extensively. She puts on classes for groups like us. She had worked with large pharmaceutical companies.
We met at a neighbors home and was introduced to our instructor.
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They asked if we would let them use our ranch and creek for the class. We were more than happy to say yes. So off we went about two and half miles away. From the time we got out of the vehicles. She was instructing. Holy cow! Hold on.
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We collected specimens. Learned what parts of what does what for what. ;)
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She took a great deal of time to answer questions and give good answers to many health problems people have.
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Even on a hill side like this she can lecture all day.
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Then we dropped over to the main part of the property and what we call the grove and found even more!
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Then we returned back the neighbors and was instructed what to do with what we had collected. I really don't think I had seen this much interest in herbs since collage. :D
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Plumber is finished. We did some last minute modifications on a pump to pressurize a tank hooked up to the spring water. I did find out that with the drop we have from the spring we do have about 13 lbs of pressure from the tank to the house. Using 1.25 supply. He put in a by-pass so we can still used the spring in the event of a power failure. They still have one more trip and that is to plumb in the pressure relief line in to the drain. They did not bring in enough pipe last time. Good to know the pro plumbers do that as well. ;)
So with the little jet pump and 35 gallon pressure tank we have all kinds of water in the house. High end is set at 55 lbs low 35 lbs works so good. Actually taking showers and baths down there now. I am pretty impressed even with the low volume shower heads. The low volume toilets have come so far as well.
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So with the plumber gone.
So with the plumbers gone.......
Wood working starts. Started on the master bed room. Laying down the fore mentioned fir floor.
A DIY flooring guy that has done it before should lay down around 250 or 300 sq ft in a day using store bought T&G and your back and knees can hold out..... Most pros shoot for 600 to 800. ( That is large rooms and long runs - trimming and ripping and stupid angles and scribing does not apply. Those even can kill the pros.)
Me in a day and a half have managed a whopping 95.25 sq ft. [waiting] Like about half of the master bed room.......
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Go to the lumber pile - pull a board that looks good for where we are at. Go out side run it through the planer one last time. Go to the chop saw and trim the ends one last time. Or if it has a lot of defects chop it up in two and three feet pieces. Go back inside. Mark it 1.25 on the ends and a one inch margin on the sides at about 16 inches allowing for a little over run here and there. Go to the drill press and punch holes. Then go to the floor and flip flop a couple times and find the best fit. Toss aside for a better choice do all over again.... :D You assure yourself 'That is okay you can used it some where'..... ;) Manufacture another board ... toss it aside and use the first one..... So it goes.
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I call this photo give me a place to stand and I can move the world or at least straighten a board.....
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When I get it all laid down I will plug the screw holes with home made plugs. Fill the cracks and dings with floor filler. Then see if I can borrow or rent a floor sander. But I think my old buddy that does floors and showed me so much about laying them and finishing them so I hear has moved back to California so most like will have to rent.
Your place is looking great! Love that barn wood and have a fair idea about how much prep work will be involved in taking from the barn to the nook. Luckily you forget how much work it was as the years pass. ;)
Wish I could have taken the herbal medicine class - looks like lots of fun. My wife took one near us in Port Townsend that was once a week for a couple of months. They got to ID and pick stuff, and then in the following weeks make medicines (teas, salves, rinces, elixers...) using the herbs. The botany and plant ID side was part of what drew me into forestry, but I mostly work with computers instead of herbs these days...
Quote from: Pine Cone on June 13, 2014, 10:38:22 PM
Your place is looking great! Love that barn wood and have a fair idea about how much prep work will be involved in taking from the barn to the nook. Luckily you forget how much work it was as the years pass. ;)
Wish I could have taken the herbal medicine class - looks like lots of fun. My wife took one near us in Port Townsend that was once a week for a couple of months. They got to ID and pick stuff, and then in the following weeks make medicines (teas, salves, rinces, elixers...) using the herbs. The botany and plant ID side was part of what drew me into forestry, but I mostly work with computers instead of herbs these days...
About the barn lumber I am still in love with wood work so it is not work - more a tiring art form... ;) No not a wink this time. It must be sanding dust in my eye.
Darcy the herbalist does do more involved classes and as well as apprenticeship opportunities. Of course this weekend was just a great opportunity to open a new thing to see if you might be interested in diving off into. There are people that do really get in to it up here - some if it is so simple. Yarrow grows everywhere up here. Very easy to ID for most all people (I have to face the facts some people can not ID trees nor plants. Some people all conifers are pine trees - spruce - Doug Fir - redwoods they are all pine trees. All plants seem to look alike as well.)
Yarrow - My word when it is fresh like right now. Great for like bug bites, crush some up in your hands roll it and roll it to get a good crush and rub on itch and irritation is gone. Dried it is great to reduce high blood pressure used as a tea a couple times a day. Cold remedy taken with mullein and horehound at the very beginning of a cold often is broke in 24 hours. Makes in to a very useful antiseptic beeswax salve. Fact she says if you can only have one herb that is it.
Do a search for Darcy of the Forest ... or http://www.darcyfromtheforest.com/servlet/StoreFront
I am not one who listens to all the conspiracy ideas and conspiracy theories out here and there. Yet when you see the government and Monsanto and then government and the pharmaceutical companies passing laws. Passing laws or trying to pass laws to inhibit people from growing ie growing their own food and gathering their own food. Being bared from using natural medicines. There must be something to it. Do we trust Monsanto and their GMO's? Or the pharmaceutical companies from barring you or us from using the same herbs they do? Control the food and the medical and you control the masses.
I do hope to dive off into this more and more in the years to come and help spread the knowledge. We will see what happens.....
Well finished up another dark thirty day. Now at about 200 sq ft.
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I figure another two days getting the floor down in the master bedrrom, then will plug and fill the cracks and craters.
Yeah, I'm still putting down 1x material for my subfloor. It is random width and it is taking forever.
The production number you spat out is for the simple stuff and using a nailer. You are doing it the SLOW way but it will look great!
Austin
Quote from: dablack on June 16, 2014, 07:33:16 AM
Yeah, I'm still putting down 1x material for my subfloor. It is random width and it is taking forever.
The production number you spat out is for the simple stuff and using a nailer. You are doing it the SLOW way but it will look great!
Austin
:D Oh yah!! You are so right the figures I did spout out are for a DIY that knows what they are doing and has helped a professional a few times. Most likely racking boards for the guy nailing and being more than a lugger and coffee gopher. That figure yes is using a nailer and hopefully a pneumatic one at that. As well as using store bought tongue and groove flooring that is very uniform. ;) Those figures are also for the guy that has tears in his eyes because of his poor back has gave out and his knees are shot but you have the determination to get it done. ;D
I did toss this floor out to everyone I could think of. I laid awake thinking about it. Really was a lot of wondering if I should or should not. Got a lot of feed back from both sides stating it will take too much time and may be unstable - Give it a try see what happens..... We have one neighbor who has a high value home their contractor used the same method in their master bed room. It has not given them a minute of problems in ten years now. I talked to as many as I could that worked on that project - some local right here. Then there are several that have used pine - one in another high value home. So heck why not?
What you all are doing on the sub floor I have never done. That turns into a labor issue real quick. One huge reason they went to a modern subfloor system.
We are still working on the floor of the master bed room. Plugging right now.
The hummingbirds have been sort of busy other places stopping by for a quick drink and are off. That was until a cold front moved through. It was cold enough it froze over on the other side of the Prairie. Here on our weather station it showed 35F here. (1.6 C). Then last night a storm moved through cold - windy and a drizzle. The hummingbirds showed up with a vengeance this morning. Ellen had to fill feeders several times during the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGllXD4YQ68
Not often you are glad I mean really glad a inspector shows up. Plumbing inspector showed up to final the plumbing..... I had some questions for him if what we were doing was okay for landing the wood stove. They inspect HVAC and wood stove installs...... I had last winter talked to the company that sold it to me. They said remember to put a hole down so we can draw air from the crawl space. Sure no problem..... They explained -- Now remember because we will have a hard time if you tile it and we have to do a hole. Lot easier when you put in the tile..most likely if we do it you will be replacing the tile anyway.... Inspector said looked okay to him but not a sign off thing.... Then it was about the time he was starting to asked where the air was going to draw from as he was looking at the stove. It hit me like a ton of bricks ---- You forgot the hole..... dummy.... So up came the tile and out came a big hole saw.... One thing about it I am getting pretty good at cutting stuff like that in the tile with a tile saw. [cool]
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The landing at the front door..
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We had a bear tearing up some old stumps on our property.
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And to be a smart a$$ Yes they in the woods....
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This tree we found when we had the herb class the bear had not been around there then. It had lightly touched the tree when Ellen went back over. Sort of wonder if it is not reclaiming it after we were there, or maybe a cub?
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I forget stuff all the time. My floor trusses are 16" OC from the west wall. While putting OSB on the faces of the floor trusses, we started on the front wall and went counter-clockwise. The front wall was fine, on the back wall the ends of the OSB missed each floor truss by 3/4". Oh well. I will throw a little stud in there!
I've seen this before but I'm going to ask before I forget. Why do people put the spray foam in the hole the wire went through in the stud? Is that just to stop air from moving from one stud bay to another?
Austin
Quote from: dablack on June 26, 2014, 07:28:01 AM
I forget stuff all the time. My floor trusses are 16" OC from the west wall. While putting OSB on the faces of the floor trusses, we started on the front wall and went counter-clockwise. The front wall was fine, on the back wall the ends of the OSB missed each floor truss by 3/4". Oh well. I will throw a little stud in there!
I've seen this before but I'm going to ask before I forget. Why do people put the spray foam in the hole the wire went through in the stud? Is that just to stop air from moving from one stud bay to another?
Austin
That is indeed of course to stop the movement of air. Any holes in like that tend to become a conduit for cold winds and breezes. I was raised in a home that if the was zero outside and the wind was blowing. Every light switch and outlet had a cold breeze coming out of them.... In this day and age you just could not afford houses like that..... Not to mention pretty uncomfortable........
I have never seen anyone put spray foam on the interior studs where the electrical went through. Is that a regional thing?
From my experience, normally you leave the wire slack in the wall, you do tack it close to the receptacle but loose enough to be pulled if needed from the box. The spray foam is usually used for exterior walls, to prevent air movement from outside to in, not between stud cavities.
Quote from: Adam Roby on June 26, 2014, 05:35:40 PM
I have never seen anyone put spray foam on the interior studs where the electrical went through. Is that a regional thing?
From my experience, normally you leave the wire slack in the wall, you do tack it close to the receptacle but loose enough to be pulled if needed from the box. The spray foam is usually used for exterior walls, to prevent air movement from outside to in, not between stud cavities.
The foam is to act as a seal and stop air flow that will find its way to outlets and switches. Per Idaho code do not know which verity of the electrical code they are currently working. Your Romex has to be stapled secure within six inches of the box if I remember correctly. My electrician I used on this job I had never used before. The state inspector sure likes him. I do know that and likes his work. My go to guy let his licence laps and now owns a coffee shop. I still call him if I have a question.... I even offered to pay to reinstate his license.
By the way the insulation company I used is known for going way above and beyond the requirements. The building inspectors in the counties he works in all they say he always treats everyone the same and goes extra mile in everything he does. Has all his paper work turned in and filed. Idaho did accept Obama Bucks for energy conservation so that really stepped up the requirements here especially in new construction. He stays small so he can keep and eye on everyone and everything so he says. And he does and is real hands on. He himself ran an air dam across where porches are on that house. That is not required but shuts off drafts in the attic yet allows it to breath. Under the house when they were finished with the floor joists they unfolded the sheeting and laid it down. They were here Thanksgiving morning right at day light with a huge crew and did the walls. This is up in the mountains and he has a crew here at day light!! It is a good hour and half drive and they are here Thanksgiving morning at day light...... He does keep and eye on everyone and makes sure they are doing what he wants. Then he will be over here or over there. When my drywall crew I had accepted their bid and they fell through. He handed me the name of a company. Then called them to made sure they could come.
Off topic.... But concerning the 'crafts' now that they are all pretty much done. My concrete guy I have worked with before and just a great guy to be around. Great story teller when you are all bent over tying rebar. Sure takes your mind off things... Wink!! My framer / helper / labor / friend / Pastor - we just think the wold of him. Insulation company all Mexican 'nough said about them - Siding company all Mexican they were here on time and stayed until dark every day. They did a good job or okay job. Down side was communication. When one person on a crew can speak English sort'a and I do not do Spanish any way shape nor form. Plumbing was a family owned business and third and forth generation plumbers and have owned the company that long. They as well were great to work with and be around but where not here at the crack of dawn nor did they stay until last light. Inspector who finaled it the other day did not like the overflow on the hot water heater pan but passed it. Said he was going to have a talk with them. Roofers were hired and glad I did but were sort of hit and miss at showing up. Flat got lied to by the owner on materials. He kept telling me they were waiting on the metal. I guess he did not know - I know the manager where they had the metal rolled. It had been sitting waiting for them for a couple weeks. He even tried to get the owner of the lumber yard I use to haul it up and get it off the rack. The dry wall guys - did work me in ahead of another pressing job. In fact the day after they got back from northern Idaho I had a dry wall crew and a dry wall delivery truck here. The HVAC guys wow they as well were great. The weather had turned cold and it was a cold wind blowing but they stuck it out way way after dark..... I set up both my lamp stands and they set up what they had brought It was pretty miserable for a day or two on them. They all were committed to another job the next day when they finished up here. The hour and a half drive out and it was past midnight when I helped them load up. All in all - all my subs I hired were just pretty dog gone good to work with and I sure would not be afraid to do another house with them. Fact been sort of toying with the idea.....
Down by the canyon today we came across an Osprey sitting in a dead fir in the canyon..... High up - watching down into the water. It knew I was there, but did not let me bother it.
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Two one year old Orioles were making life rough on it...... both were taking turns diving down on it.
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Because we ran out of edged flooring boards. And pondering the fact that the out feed table at my tablesaw was covered with sanded barn lumber. I made a productive executive decision. We had to loose the barn lumber. SO!!!....... The chair rails sit out a little further than I intended and that bothers me. But once I get the windows trimmed and framed they might look better not as obtrusive. There is going to be another curio shelf there on the long wall. I did not make it yet as I did not want to short myself lumber for the infill.
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The window frame is four quarter pine - It is there just for fill when I do the window trim.
This stuff is so fun to work with but stressful. As I always look at this these boards - 'everyone has a story to tell'. So you just try your best to bring out its tale. I had no intent to trim out knot holes if they were interesting.
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Nor reject or cut up a board with several woodpecker holes. These types of holes are often caused by a male drumming or to attract attention himself. Hey baby listen to me!!! They will find a spot where they can make the loudest racket and be plainly seen. In doing so they also often end up with a nest hole...... No matter their reasoning be it finding burrowing insects or finding a mate - they are just plan distructived.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0748_zps66bca357.jpg)
Here is another hole same board - the dimple down by the outlet.
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I trimed out the peninsula front making a panel using my Kreg Pocket Hole Jig and pocket hole screws and Tite-Bond II glue. It is not set yet as I am undecided how I am going to attach it.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0751_zps581cebc0.jpg)
All in all a couple productive days......
I really like the way the barn wood looks
I may try the same thing someday when I run out of other project to finish on the house and yard
we have an old tobacco barn that would make great siding for the space above the garage
what kind of sander did you use ?
I agree,really nice work.Just looks great!
Quote from: Windpower on July 06, 2014, 04:56:28 AM
I really like the way the barn wood looks
I may try the same thing someday when I run out of other project to finish on the house and yard
we have an old tobacco barn that would make great siding for the space above the garage
what kind of sander did you use ?
The sander I used on that is a PORTER-CABLE 362V 4-Inch by 24-Inch Variable Speed Belt Sander. I have also a slightly smaller one like a Porter Cable 3 X21 it is no where the belt sander of this 4 X 24. With the 4 X 24 you can just fly through stuff - fact you have to watch it or you will get too aggressive.
The old tobacco barn sounds interesting!! Of course in Idaho tobacco is an unknown crop.... ;) I have read about and seen photos of tobacco sheds and the tobacco poles. What kind of lumber and how wide and thick. Is the lumber still pretty sound? If it is I would be making plans if I were you.
The 'siding' is 1X of variable width from ~ 6" to ~12"
it is very weathered and some pieces are too far gone -- it was put up in a hurry to help finance the replacement of the dairy heard about 60 years ago (they lost their heard to Bangs disease)
There is a fair amount of salvageable wood there though.....
just whar I need another project :-\
it does really look good
Quote from: Windpower on July 07, 2014, 06:44:41 AM
The 'siding' is 1X of variable width from ~ 6" to ~12"
it is very weathered and some pieces are too far gone -- it was put up in a hurry to help finance the replacement of the dairy heard about 60 years ago (they lost their heard to Bangs disease)
There is a fair amount of salvageable wood there though.....
just whar I need another project :-\
it does really look good
If you like that tobacco barn lumber at all I would carefully remove it and store it. Ellen and I tore that old barn down in the late seventies - early eighties. Knowing someday we would be doing something with it. It sat in a hay mow in another barn for several - several years. A couple things about that old barn we tore down the lumber most all of it was very very tight when we tore it down making it worth it. I am finding it still to be very sound.
The other reason there is lots of sentimental value - dad worked over at the Engleman sawmill during the depression time exchanged time for lumber. Ellen and I tore it down knowing someday we were going to build a house or small cabin up here. We never intended to move up here full time. As we got older it seemed the thing to to. So the house morthed a lot larger.
Love it!
Last winter I wrote or posted when I was plowing snow with my four wheeler that my logging excavator buddy up here was talking about putting a snow plow on my International 1566. I usually keep it over there in case he needs another big tractor. Well it happened - he built it and got it mounted. I had to bring it over to skid some trees I sneak down and thin.......
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He moved the weights from the front end to the rear and mounted them on the three point. The drive tires have fluid and I also have chains AHHH!! Tire chains not the logging chain hooked and wrapped up there on the three point - But then that is my chain as well [noidea'
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Thanks Pat..... [cool]
Everything is looking great! The barn wood looks right at home.
I like the snow plow, even if I am more concerned with heat rather than cold this month. Should come in handy next winter and many more winters to come. Nice that it is symetric. Years ago I was using a road grader to plow snow and hit some ice and the single straight angled blade pushed the grader off the road into the ditch. Had to use a Cat D4 to get it back on the road.
Quote from: Pine Cone on July 30, 2014, 12:05:07 AM
Everything is looking great! The barn wood looks right at home.
I like the snow plow, even if I am more concerned with heat rather than cold this month. Should come in handy next winter and many more winters to come. Nice that it is symetric. Years ago I was using a road grader to plow snow and hit some ice and the single straight angled blade pushed the grader off the road into the ditch. Had to use a Cat D4 to get it back on the road.
Thanks Pine Cone been wondering if you are around. I have not seen your 'Tag' lately. The barn lumber was a lot of fun. Lot of sentimental stuff there. When I finish the curio shelves and get to move in and I unpack my what - nots and dust collectors it ought to be pretty neat or fun in there.
The heat and lighting storms and the threat of fire might be the reason I decided to unveil the plow right now...... :D We sure have our fingers crossed and pray a lot. This little swath right in here is the only spot left standing after last years inferno Elk and Pony Complexes
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/map/3616/12/
and a scar from the 92 Foothills Fire
https://www.mapwith.us/item/m/V6894/i/A132008
Rick that looks like it will cut your plowing by at least 2/3 of the time. Give you more time to work inside. ;D
Quote from: Redoverfarm on July 30, 2014, 05:53:36 PM
Rick that looks like it will cut your plowing by at least 2/3 of the time. Give you more time to work inside. ;D
Thanks John. Up here the past couple winters have been pretty laid back and mild. There is one on the way - You sort of just know it.
The inside is starting to come together. The bulk of the fir floor is down and we 'started' on the wainscot. Then I don't know why it should surprise but the wainscot was going to be so easy!!! Had the panels cut out and routed. It looked really really so good in my head. Wont take any time to knock this out. Built my first mock up..... One word Yuck........ Build my second mock up...... And it rated a Yuck - Yuck. SO we are tooling over to go another direction. A lot more minimal in appearance. Built it a mock up yesterday with some old subgrade material. Ellen came walking by and looked at it and wondered what I was going to do with the knots holes. GRRR!!! I think I have to work on my replies after all she in the best helper I got and ever had. She went to the trailer and was unseen for a hour or so. I came up with a design that works better and is cleaner and easier to keep clean.
Will use my raised panels in blanket chests and cabinet doors for the new church we were ever find time to build that or make a boat load of blanket chests. [waiting]
Been a few weeks since I posted anything on the house I guess.
We mounted the second curio shelf in the nook. It took both of us and the cabinet jack to get it level and set. Those cabinet jacks are fairly inexpensive and if you remember you own one can really help. One of those tools you think you might use but what do you do with it after the cabinets are hung. Great tool when you need that second or third body. Easy to set and remove I would say it was very well worth the money.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0842-Copy_zps2a182761.jpg)
More barn lumber.... Shows how I inset the chair rails and the shelf.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0845_zpsdd37c528.jpg)
Front room looking in to the nook.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0846-Copy_zps1d2fade9.jpg)
As I have said with this old lumber every board tells a story. This was a brand of my grandfathers. I still own that 'iron'.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0851_zps76b82309.jpg)
Horses or something was 'cribbing' on this board some time in its life.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0853_zpsffc3b4f7.jpg)
This shows the fir floor in the nook and filled ready to sand the other boards are the base to the wainscot
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0863_zps6fa701e3.jpg)
Fir flooring stored in the master bedroom - master bedroom has been filled and ready to sand as well.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0865_zps6a24351b.jpg)
Last of the fir flooring that I bought off of my buddy up here. It is stickered and getting a climatized to the house. It is already dry.....Needs edged and planed.... We have the hallway and both spare bed rooms and closets left to do. We have our finger crossed we have enough.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0869_zps8825590f.jpg)
Looking across there the other day and took this photo and hit me 'Holy cow we have put down a lot of wood.....'
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0870_zps68cb5b1d.jpg)
And then this one with all the lumber I have pulled and waiting to be planed. That is now plained and edged and most cut up for stuff.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0867_zps748526f8.jpg)
Electric Ray made an executive decision he wants the electrical covered so he can get his permit finaled. The wainscot is holding him back. I am getting tired of flooring so ----- Well I finally got started on the wainscot. For a couple years was toying with this design in my head using raised panels as I stated that went south. But may resurrect them in the bedroom as I am understanding this a little to lot better. .
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0879_zps198e1127.jpg)
As I have said about woodwork. Every board has a story and it is a woodworkers job to bring that out of the board. Where this does not occur so much is vertical grain fir and oak. You see one peice you pretty much seen it all. Sad ..... One reason I love knotted up - limby - stained pine.
Sid the sloth the guardian of the kitchen
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0880_zps881ee557.jpg)
Same board - He has his eye on you from up above.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0881_zps26187807.jpg)
When I found this guy I called it The Lion of Judah - had to do some filling sort of hurt the appearance.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0882_zps6105a1bb.jpg)
Love this as I am a Far Side Freak - Gary Larson come back!!! Looks like one of Larson's animals...
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0873_zpse7edfe66.jpg)
My wood's rendering of a giraffe
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0874_zps6192bb66.jpg)
Mamma Kangaroo and a Joey
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0875_zps5bfcdf7f.jpg)
If this is a wood's art exhibit..... there has to be a nude right. So an example of a Picasso - or a unknown French artist of a impressionism era
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0876_zps477be8bd.jpg)
As they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
Here is a wall at the cabin which I call the 'Bear Wall". Sort of funny when I realized that it actually resembled a bear head and showed it to my wife. She said Wow how did you do that. I told her I spent all day situating the boards to get that picture. But she knew me better than that and replied. You just stuck them up there and that is how they turned out. I guess though I am addicted to working with wood. So many possibilities.
(https://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/redoverfarm/hightop/100_2744-1.jpg) (https://s220.photobucket.com/user/redoverfarm/media/hightop/100_2744-1.jpg.html)
John forgot about the bear wall.
I do watch for stuff to use all the time. Mind like a rusty steel trap.... if the jaws don't get ya...the tetanus will..... Cough - cough - :D
Lately our strategy has changed somewhat. We have went from pulling a bunch of random boards and planing them. Stacking them and using out of them..... Now in the evening some where usually around dark thirty just before we come up from the house. We get good idea what we will need for the next day and I write a list of what we will need. Then first thing the following morning I go down and pull rough lumber to be planed.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0911_zps8d5452cf.jpg)
The wainscott is finished in the dining area.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0913_zps5da75820.jpg)
Laying out the wainscot on the next wall I am undertaking
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0914_zps51c6685b.jpg)
A two inch cap will cap those short panels beneath the windows and get them locked in to place. Then I will drop the window apron to the top of the two inch cap. The apron should stand out almost 3/4 of an inch. The balance will receive a three inch cap with a rabbet top and bottom to catch and stabilize the stiles and panels. As I have done on the other wainscott.
I think I wrote about not using the raised panels I routed out for this project. Well after a little redesigning and refiguring - and then planing them down to 7/8 of an inch rather than 4/4 or one inch they were. This allows me to use the same rabbeting we are using on the other wainscot
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0912_zps48eed1ec.jpg)
Taking time now to look back those raised panels - they never would have worked like we wanted them to. I did not do them very well. To much verince - you can not do that. I am finding a sixteenth of an inch can be a mistake noticeable.... But we are getting short on time so what you have to do is avoid those mistakes and make sure they do not happen however when it does happen roll with it. You can not waste a half day ringing your hands and recutting everything. You know it is funny looking back at this house. When you start in it is 100 ft tapes and can of marker paint. You get it in and squared up and trade that for those flat carpenters pencils sharpened with a knife and a twenty five foot tape. You measure and mark with broad easy to see pencil marks. Your calling measurements to who ever is cutting in quarters and eighths mostly. Now we are down to the inside and small sixteen and fourteen foot tapes, round pencils and sharpened with a pencil sharpener to a fine point. You now measure in eighths and sixteenths and thirty seconds of an inch. You make marks that you can hardly see. You measure and cut and remeasure and readjust. DO it now so latter does not occur.
We got the front room pretty well trimmed out as far as wainscot and windows still need to build the entertainment center. Got the doors all hung.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0930_zps075608fb.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0931_zps08d12060.jpg)
We are using two exterior doors that are twins for the mud room. It is designed and insulated as a area to keep the cold out of the house and warm in.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0939_zps1732a59b.jpg)
Moving on to the master bed room we diffidently are using the raised panels with small flat panels above.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0942_zps4f4c6e6c.jpg)
Hopefully we will have this knocked out today
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0948_zpsd8c5afba.jpg)
A side note went on a little fourwheeler ride about dark
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0950_zps288a1eaa.jpg)
Sort of strange got over around the village that late and ran into all kinds of people I know. Had a good long chat with a few of them.
Looking great!
Well - we finished the wainscot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Took 60 raised panels and the smaller panels in the master bedroom. I think I have thee or four raised panels left over. Good to see them go!!! Felt so good to get that done! I have not got a count yet on all the flat panels that went in to front room / dining area. [cool]
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0962_zpsbd8ff4bf.jpg)
After that I went back to working in the nook and started sanding barn lumber as I had a spot to cover the electrical before the electrician can call for an inspection. One of the reasons we tore down and salvaged the old barn was people were shooting it. This was like thirty years ago. Yep we were able to store and hold on to it that long. I was sanding today and found this. Proof some one did hit the broad side if a barn......
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0957_zpsaf3fd499.jpg)
I think I'd leave that and clear resin it in place ! As a feature
Quote from: UK4X4 on September 14, 2014, 02:13:37 PM
I think I'd leave that and clear resin it in place ! As a feature
I sort of thought of that lest it worry one of the grandkids to remove it ;)
Or add to it! Looking good.
I finished up with the barn lumber today. That is [cool] wainscot finished and last of the barn lumber going on. (There was not much left there) Yet I miss calculated a couple things so when Ellen and I lifted the header into place it fit like oh oh big booo booo. We tweaked and adjusted and shortened it. Not once but twice. Then we were about to punt and get the wonder bar and disassemble. Ellen suggested we rip a fillet tack it to face. I had thought of that but it will never work not that thin I insisted. [waiting] She found a good clean piece of pine that would work. I lowered the plainer down to as close as it would go. I fed it through and ripped it. Tacked it on and Ellen saved us both a lot of extra work. That strip is just a little under 3/16
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0964_zps2fb50047.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0966_zps52b16c1f.jpg)
I still have a little trim to do there but wow it is starting to get to where we are checking off several things every day now.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0968_zps0ea758b7.jpg)
I found the two knots in some 5/4 I had piled a couple years ago, I secreted them away. I have been waiting for something I could use them on. They came from the same tree. But were not together I just happened to remember Hey I seen one about like that one a while back so I went back and found its twin..........
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0969_zps4591f3e7.jpg).
Beautiful work, Rick
Those knots are a work of art.
Fine work! The character added by the knots and saw marks really adds to the overall beauty of your project. Glad to hear you have a partner that managed to save the bacon.
Quote from: Danfish on September 16, 2014, 09:32:43 AM
Fine work! The character added by the knots and saw marks really adds to the overall beauty of your project. Glad to hear you have a partner that managed to save the bacon.
Thanks - that lady I don't know what I would do without her.
Nice! [cool]
Just tossing this out. A reminder please don't take life for granted. This vessel we sail this life in is not damage proof. Roads traveled many many times in a year - spring and summer - fall and winter are never to be taken for granted. Never assume that when someone is leaving to go somewhere that they are going to return home. Never assume you will have a chance to talk to or met up later.
Rest In Peace Wade............ Wished I would have taken time to know you. Wished I would have taken time to stop in and said hello and bought some veggies when your sign was out just a few short weeks ago. You will be missed....
We have had company for a few day from our great friends from Washington State. They have departed ....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0993_zps4c6eb550.jpg)
So back to work......
We did get the final on the electrical - that went well. Even though we lost our old inspector who is battling liver cancer. The new guy seemed to be sort of tense and wired a little different then most we get up here who are pretty laid back in their demeanor not in there rules. ;)
We have the trim out pretty well done in the nook....
Those slabs from the sawmill planed down to an inch worked pretty in this application for window stools.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0986_zpse6131dce.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0985_zps80c0f98a.jpg)
I just can't say enough good about this planer - all the floor, the wainscot and trim you see has been through it. I wish I would have kept track of how many thousand feet have been planned.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0975_zps0a3a31d6.jpg)
We held the lines very well - here Ellen is plugging screw holes in the number three bed room.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0972_zpse52f4117.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0976_zps2624ad72.jpg)
We got the floor down in the number two bedroom lastly Ellen was using it for her staining room...
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0995_zpsda2364be.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0996_zps5c25b42b.jpg)
We are running out of fir for the floor I have two large closets and the hallway left,
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0977_zpsf5212071.jpg)
Laying out the hallway to make sure we had enough..... in the morning.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0997_zpsca5b6ade.jpg)
As far as I got last night....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0999_zpsd0c786de.jpg)
I just can't say enough good about this planer - all the floor, the wainscot and trim you see has been through it. I wish I would have kept track of how many thousand feet have been planned.
so how about a brand and model number....... ;D
How about a run down on the floor system. 1x fur with screws, but what else. Are you using a special drill bit to give the countersink? What are you plugging the holes with?
Looks great!
Quote from: Windpower on October 07, 2014, 08:22:08 AMso how about a brand and model number....... ;D
My words exactly, I'm in the market for something that size, it almost looks like the DeWALT I've seen but can't quite tell.
OH Man I keep forgetting to get the model number but it is the three knife - 13 inch DeWalt bench planer. Weights in just under 100 pounds and comes with a spare set of knives. Around Christmas time they run a special with the stand and the two removable tables for free most years. The knives are reversible and not bad to change. They are throw away but I think if you had a little time in the shop and a honing stone you could get them back in to shape once or twice barring nicks and gouges. I have not tried. One of those winter things when the house is done.
Best place to buy knives I have found is the two bundle pack from Amazon..... Or you can shell out more and get a set of non reversible carbide knives. Me with all the soft woods just stuck with the regular knives. Might have been better going with the carbide knives.
About that dewalt planer, I took some cabinet making classes at a tech college and they had bought one to test to see what it could do ended up being the most used and reliable planer they had, they had put years on it already before I took the class. And they had some equipment a German made planer had to 50k machine,5 headed molding machine,they also had another massive planer. I bought mine after that class,really great machine.
Not to take away from Dewalt but I've done thousands of BF with my Ryobi too ;) Haven't changed knives yet either and loaned it to a customer to plane 600 feet of pine when his Dewalt failed....
Nice looking floor! What are doing to do next? Plugging the screw holes with? Going to use pour on floor?
Quote from: OlJarhead on October 13, 2014, 07:43:57 AM
Not to take away from Dewalt but I've done thousands of BF with my Ryobi too ;) Haven't changed knives yet either and loaned it to a customer to plane 600 feet of pine when his Dewalt failed....
Nice looking floor! What are doing to do next? Plugging the screw holes with? Going to use pour on floor?
I have changed knives a lot but I don't really mind that. Have read a lot of con about the carbide knives,
We use a 1/2" plug cutter. Will get some photos tomorrow or Wednesday. Might even have a few already.
We just cut plugs out of fir board ends and boards that do not trim well.
What am I going to do next? Would like to go kill a deer....... not mad at it just would look good in the freezer.
What are we going to use on the floor? We were always Glitza fans but the now owner of my buddies old flooring company likes Bona. Bona Mega couple coats with a topcoat of Bona Traffic. We are not going to do that at all. 220 Volt sanders dig big divots ....... Next to the last sanding like 80 grit they will fill the cracks with wood flour with another product and either fresno it in or hand fill. We have not gotten our final bid but it is in line with the house we did down in the valley... adjusted.... That was like 20 years ago.... So about twice as much as we paid back then.....
Plug cutter on my fancy Harbor Freight floor drill press. Actually not a bad machine for HF.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0365_zps1d8de07d.jpg)
Not near as neat now. Now about the only thing I leave are the little wood chips... ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0368_zpsc7218d2f.jpg)
We cut two buckets one with light plugs and the other dark
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0362_zpsf15c6c54.jpg)
Plugging away, few drops of Titebond II in the hole. Find a plug that looks like that peace of wood. Orient the grain of the plug to the wood. Tap into place and trim off with a chisel....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0614_zps62883727.jpg)
looks really nice that floor !
can only think one thing....time consuming but you'll apreciate the quality of job for years to come
I can really appreciate the amount of time that is going in to that floor, I hope everyone that steps foot on it will do the same ;)
oh I remember seeing that! I should get one of those.
Question: when you screwed in the floor did you countersink holes for the plugs first? How deep?
The reason you've piqued my interest so much is that I've been delaying my own floor until I settled on exactly what I wanted to do. I was fighting between tongue and groove and just straight cut....looking at what you've done and considering I'm talking about a cabin I'm thinking I'm going to just true up my flooring best I can, plane it and screw it down. Lots faster than T&G for one thing, and well, I like the look too.
Quote from: OlJarhead on October 14, 2014, 07:25:51 AM
oh I remember seeing that! I should get one of those.
Question: when you screwed in the floor did you countersink holes for the plugs first? How deep?
The reason you've piqued my interest so much is that I've been delaying my own floor until I settled on exactly what I wanted to do. I was fighting between tongue and groove and just straight cut....looking at what you've done and considering I'm talking about a cabin I'm thinking I'm going to just true up my flooring best I can, plane it and screw it down. Lots faster than T&G for one thing, and well, I like the look too.
I countersink them at 16" and about a half inch deep with a very good 1/2" brad point bit. One inch margin on the sides inch and a quarter on the ends. I am not anal about 16 inches between holes toward the end I sort of split the difference. However never more than 16 inches between holes. The magic 16 inch if carpentry seemed most logical. I used the floor guys thing of no laps of less than six inches. Notice the photo of the chisel and plugs on the floor there are three boards their with six or eight inch laps centered in the photo.
I really don't know about quicker than T&G. T&G is a lot more stable however we went sort of extra mile on that. This was stickered last year and we had good winds and actually a few days of zero percent humidity and a month or two of like ten to twenty percent. Then it went into the house and restickered in there. Last batch we brought over from the mill this year had a couple wet spots in the pile and all dried very good stickered in the house and out side. I could not bring the other over sooner because I was out of good stickers and soon as I worked my self back in to some that last bunch came over.
I could have had T&G down a lot quicker. It goes so stinking quick once you get on to it. Racking and nailing is real quick. After while you never really ever grab or touch a board with you hands. You are flipping boards around mostly with your flooring mallet and into place and seated in one move and then with the nailer bam - bam - bam every six inches or so. Flip another on and in place and seeded check the lap on the board next to it and bam - bam - bam so long as the back and boards hold out. This way is after they are edged which would be six and six time wise. You go through the pile and find a board you like. Trim the ends and then go to the drill press measure it all out and mark it and counter sink it. Then screw some dead men down and wedge it over straight. Then at the end your cutting and trimming to the wall regardless. Most the time you can just force a warped tongue and groove board over with you nailer one nail and it is pretty well stuck then bam bam.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0972_zpse52f4117.jpg)
Quote from: OlJarhead on October 13, 2014, 07:43:57 AM
Not to take away from Dewalt but I've done thousands of BF with my Ryobi too ;)
It is funny how hit and miss these tools can be. I had purchased a Ryobi battery tool kit that included the circular saw and drill. I was lucky if I could get through a full 4x8 sheet of plywood before the circular saw would die. The drill was weak, would not hold it's charge and after 1 year (maybe less) it would no longer take its charge. My Dewalt drill on the other hand I have had for several years and it is still going strong, even if it sits for months it will have the power to do the job I need it to. I have gone through a couple of Mastercrafts as well and still the Dewalt has outlasted them all.
I think my DeWalt Driver takes second on this job. Especially with all the deck screws in the floor..... [cool]
I think in the opposite corner --- Tools that were not all that good. The Kobalt Tile Saw. Within a week it was shocking the heck out of me. Took it back and got a full refund but dang I was sure getting punchy. ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1068_zps5ed9e756.jpg)
Replaced it with a Rigid - love it....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSCN1146_zps34460e74.jpg)
Drum roll please the last of the floor went down today!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last board was one I omitted in the master bath closet - very unceremonious and not very pretty even a can of OFF was rolling around down there from last spring and the mosquitos that never got put away......
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0018_zps08f22476.jpg)
So today I completed the master walkin closet
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0020_zps105e3cee.jpg)
A hall closet
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0021_zpsa26bcedd.jpg)
And the hatch cover for the crawl space. [cool] Closet in the number two bedroom
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0022_zps147b0ce5.jpg)
Am I jacked or what.......
Thursday a guy is to be here to start prepping the floor for sanding and sealing and the Bona......
Measured out at 1330 sq ft of wood.... It will take a lot of filling and troweling a couple places but hey its a homemade floor......... We - Ellen and I got it done..... [cool] Now it is unloading out of the house all the extra boards and tools and router cabinet and drill press and on and on....... We may actually be sleeping in a real house again soon.....
[cool] love the floor!
In the topic o f effort I was referring to the time it takes to make the T&G vs just planing and laying. Of course added time for creating the plugs and screwing vs nailing but for the nailing part I don't have a T&G floor hammer and am not sure how well it would work on a softwood floor. By planing and laying, screwing and plugging etc I might save time.
I was more worried about the wood shrinking and leaving some gaps but as my wife says "it's a cabin" so perhaps this is the way for me to go.
Key to good wood floor is inside and acclimatising. Week or so even after it is dry from stickering or even a dry kiln. The guy that is here right now is pretty happy with this floor and how it went down. The owner of the company gave me good compliments. Both said you have laid floor before. Yep but never a floor like this... ;) May work may not. We will see in a couple years. The guy they sent up here. I sort of knew him. He ran a couple crews for R&R my buddies competitor... but he and my buddy were friends. He quit R&R and subs for my buddy's old company and another guy.
You can set nails in softwood just the same with a nailer. Where you are at it will gap in the winter especially if you are living there. Winter and its almost zero % humidity when the weather goes dry up here is a factor for sure. That will happen with fir or oak or maple or _____. I think bamboo is the most stable. Seen some hundred year old bamboo floors in China. Wish I could find the photos... So to fill or not to fill.... spent about an hour talking this morning.... we are filling he is not in favor..... But as he says this has already been in the house some for a very long time so it may be good to fill. I said the little lady wants it filled it will be filled. ;D
In a small cabin not so hard but you take 1330 sq ft. The installer here right now says it would have taken him close to a month and I think that is about what I was a couple months total barring the other stuff like getting the electrical covered and people and drop that to do this......
Floor guy got started good today! Fist cut with the 220 V machine.
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Edging between the first cut and second....
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He is so surprised that this fir is so hard. Part of the reason it is because it is so knotty and part of the reason is this is all old growth fir. This is not logged off a tree plantation this is the real thing. He is sort of thinking it is like a hardwood taking way more time than he figured......
We finally feeling that we may end up moving in sometime before winter. That has become a real touchy subject with me and Ellen. I so do not want to move in until it is all finished. She has vision of another winter in the fifthwheel. However seasons changing and I also do not want to have to get the fifthwheel ready for extreme cold weather again. Plus this is another huge extra expense. When I get the fifthwheel all ready for winter and I get all the heat tape plugged in and halogen lamp under there turned on to keep the black water tank warm. Plus a Edenpure heater in the main part and a small heater in the bedroom going plus the fifthwheel furnace. $$$$$ on the Idaho Power bill. This is with it all skirted and sealed up. We have found and others up here that have tried this it is liveable but extremely inefficient when the temps drop in to the low twenties and below for highs it is a real different life. Plus having to heat the house. But there is hope on the horizon...... There may be peace after all.
The sanding sealer went down on the master bedroom and the nook
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Another plus is we have the all the trim cut and stained pretty much for all the doorways and to finish out the windows. Well minus the base boards once the floor guy is gone. Base boards are mostly rough sanded and sitting down in the shop....
We did find another whimsical board.....
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Loving the floor! It looks great with the sealer on there. Nice job.
What filler are you using?
Austin
Quote from: dablack on October 21, 2014, 08:11:20 AM
Loving the floor! It looks great with the sealer on there. Nice job.
What filler are you using?
Austin
Thanks ....
Some got filled with Wood Dough a commercial product you mix with the 'woodflour' from your sanding. Then parts got filled with Woodwise Maple/ash/pine. Woodwise was what my buddy used a lot of it back when.... I wanted to use Wood Dough because of a couple spots we had to tell the truth were pretty bothersome. But as I say it is a homemade floor and it sure is not vertical grain fir.
I wish I knew then what I know now about putting this floor down.
We got a very good rain.... It stated to fill the trench we are using to carry a few utilities to the house.
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Up in the mountains above us our first snow of the year on this side.
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Quote from: dablack on October 21, 2014, 08:11:20 AM
Loving the floor! It looks great with the sealer on there. Nice job.
What filler are you using?
Austin
It is wood doe not wood dough.....
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Mixed with wood floor (sanding dust) in a tub when it kicks it is hard like a rock.... You have to get it worked in and tight.
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Woodwise comes in different tints
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I get a lot of this with Woodwise when sanding. Nother reason to call in the pros.
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Nice work on the floor !
We could not face winter in our camper last year -- we moved our mattress into the master BR closet floor before the first bedroom had flooring. we did that almost exactly one year ago -- we were talking about that experience last week -- we were never sorry we 'moved in' before the house was done
we lived through me doing the flooring and and getting the trim done and a lot of the wiring and tiling and plumbing fixtures and having a make-shift kitchen sink and toaster oven for our kitchen until late January
it was well worth dealing with the construction mess. Being in the camper through last year's brutal winter would not have been easily possible
I'd vote move in -- you have earned it
Thanks Windpower - Most likely we will be moving in as we really just have trim and a lot of 'varnish' to apply. Well plus the porch decks. I think we can avoid the bad places here and there where we will be in the way of ourselves with a little planning and trying.
People who have faced winter in a camper in the great white north I think need special recognition of some type. A sterling silver frozen snowball pin from hell or something. We never never really 'froze' this puppy up but it took a lot of planning and heat tape and skirting and crawling underneath to dump the sewer. ;) It was fun and enjoyable at times but hardly comfortable. I do know if you ever freeze one up it would be almost impossible to thaw out.
There is a special temp occupancy permit in this county if you meet certain criteria. But the only thing I get out of the inspector is Rick just finish it you're not that far out. Only permits we have still hung out there are the HVAC and the woodstove hook up. Both work well but not yet inspected both are hung in the Idaho State Plumbing office.
Yesterday the floor guy finished up.... Dang my marriage lines did not look all the bad.
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Putting down the first coat of finish. It is a two part system with a hardener they mix with water and pour in the jug.
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Then laid it down with a hand pad or a T-Bar
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Last night about nine the floor guy was finished with the hard top coat called Traffic. Same type system.
We are sort of out on if we like the sheen or not. They felt satin would work best up here. Ellen was wanting a more semi gloss. So last night she was bummed and we will call the owner and see what we can do or do a walk through and say WOW this is nice.
Now with the floors finished we are returning to trim out and varnishing and ___________.
Couple issues seemed to have come to a head. One the roofer used a cricket eliminator. That did not work at all. We had snow piled up higher than the stack. While it never bent the stack or chimney, that needs attention. So getting him back up here is like GRRRR!!!! Nother issue is all couple loose ends on the furnace - heat pump - vent covers and such..... feeling I am getting is heck that is a long drive you can install them..... in have now inherited a box of PVC fitting and a valve and plastic vent covers that go in the ceiling. The switch they installed on the woodstove does not trigger the stove fans when it heats up. Rick 91351 is starting to get a little whizzed.
I did contact the roofer. Made call after call. I got no answer nor returned calls from my hey give me a call messages. Why not just return my call and tell me hey we will get the metal ordered and be right up there by the ______. Hard to keep a civil tongue. But he says the fifth. COOL first thing in the morning. Dude remember this last fall. You can not get on this till afternoon there is frost up here. Oh ya might take a couple days...... have to wait on the frost..... Ya and if you would have been up here when I started calling NO Frost. But then I am not running a roofing company.
Now I am so Whizzed will most likely call the HVAC dudes and tell them I am whizzed at the roofers come up and finish your job. I have enough to do myself without a half day doing yours. Beside I thought that was what I paid you for.....
So what has Rick and Ellen been doing? Varnishing or lacquering
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Working on marriage lines. I started out using the old regular jointing mud finally broke out the 'hot mud'. Lot faster and get 'er done. Sanded it fairly smooth and shot it with some canned texture. Look pretty good last night when I stripped the sheeting.
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Typical for contractors. At least 75% of them. I have never really met any from the remaining percentages. No there are good ones which return calls, do good work and are reliable but they are few and far between. I guess demand keeps the others a float.
Deft is wonderful stuff. The fumes are the only drawback from using it.
Looking good.
Ellen is pretty wobbly today after an all day yesterday. You are so correct about the Deft.
I feel you on the contractors. I gave my road guy a down payment, when he said I was next in line for the job. he cashed it. Month later, I keep going down there and no road work. No answering calls, no call back. Getting ready to get a lawyer and finally reach him and he started today. It's like buddy, just give me an update, I'm losing sleep here. Ok you got a bigger better paying job and I'm pushed out a couple weeks, fine, at least have the decency to tell me. Of course when they are trying to get the job the communication is great.
I still have a couple marriage lines to complete between the wainscot and the sheetrock. I have found a system that seems to work well.
Ellen did two days of eight hours brushing Deft Lacquer. That was it she went on strike. Got on the internet and found the solution. Zenith by Valspar....
HAPS-free/Low VOC
Low Odor
Non-Flammable
Water Clean-up
Formaldehyde-free/Isocyanate-free
New product she sent me to the only store that sells it in Idaho that she can find. She calls the store yes it is on the shelf. Zenith by Valspar. It is in Hailey a 'burb' of Sun Valley where Bruce and Demi used to hang out before they split the sheets. And the stars and VIPs with their one upmanship 'cabins' in Idaho. So I make the drive hoping to bump into someone. Doubt John Kerry and his wife would be in the store looking at paint chips but you never know. ???
Make the trip grab the product and go..... No one seen..... Get home waisted four hours of drive time to find out wrong @#$#R@##$ stuff. Ellen sent me back the following day. Nope your going with. So off we go. Back to Yeppyville. I explain - they both remember me. The owner has a cabin not far from us..... Loves it over here. Guess not everyone hangs out in Hailey..... We have a great conversation with him. Talk about the product in question. Turns out the Zenith is not a brushing lacquer. I don't want to learn lacquer spraying 101 when we really don't have that much more to do. So he says why not try one of these masks and should help a lot. So this trip nets a mask and another gallon of Deft Semi Gloss. And Ellen even said she was sorry because of all the trouble she put me though. Not knowing it was not brushable. I told her it was a good thing we went together because we took time to ask the right questions and find some answers.
BTW she loves the mask and that was money well spent. Ellen the Lacquer Lady went back to work. But I gave her strict instructions no more lacquer marathons. Take breaks and get some air - get tired - knock it off and go to the trailer. Rehydrate - take a nap. But get the heck out of the house.
We unpacked some furniture. Careful placed it on the new floor. Boy do I ever need to start working on the entertainment center and book shelves. The OSB looks pretty tacky. Ellen had me wait on the laundry the other night in the dryer. So I actually sat down and started to read. First time to actually sit down in the new house and take time to read. First time I could now that I think of it.... Living in the fifth wheel and spending huge blocks of time working on the house. I just do not take time for stuff I did. Plus the fifth wheel is not the most comfortable; Great unit but not home. After a few sentences I discovered dang I'm tired and laid down on the couch and crashed. Stumbled up the hill with the now dried laundry at about 10:00 PM. Ellen was in the fifth wheel watching TV. She looked up an said you must have went to sleep..... Dear like a rock - like a rock.
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This is all coming to a head very quickly and none to soon...... We got our first snow....
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Starting to look a lot like.... HOME. ;)
There's a lesson for everyone...anytime you are using a product containing VOC's ....wear a respirator with organic vapor cartridges, not a simple dust mask (which does no good)!
Looks great Rick. So much hard work. [ouch]
I agree about the campers too... I stayed in an RV for a while working on the underground cabin but it was warmer in the unfinished cabin with plastic over one open wall than it was in the RV, so into the ground I went....
Looking really nice Rick. BTW on a side note I did an inspection of my four hives two weeks ago and all looked set for winter. Went there today and 2 hives knock test and the girls are setting in. 2 hives nothing have to wait till spring now to check unless we get some 50+ degree days. Very strange.
Quote from: GSPDOG on November 26, 2014, 09:37:53 PM
Looking really nice Rick. BTW on a side note I did an inspection of my four hives two weeks ago and all looked set for winter. Went there today and 2 hives knock test and the girls are setting in. 2 hives nothing have to wait till spring now to check unless we get some 50+ degree days. Very strange.
Small world you hanging with Mark? Thanks for the update. I really think I am going to have to winter them down in the valley as up here there is just to much winter and the fall is of course too many yellowjackets and wasps. I have talked to Mark a couple times lately but not about the bees.
floors look great Rick...awesome landscapes that surround you as well :D
Have not posted anything as of late not that nothing is happening but resting up a little to hit it again.
We did have our annual rib feed and Christmas celebration
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I did veg in front of the TV for the New Years Bowls - BTW two of my favorite teams did very well!!!
Then today I received my St. Lawrence Nurseries Catalog. Old Jarhead turned me on to them.
http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/
This is their last year for catalog sales.....
So if you live where I live and you want real cold weather fruit trees and edible shrubs and oh yes the nuts and the cold weather grapes. We have roughly planted I would say 25 of their fruit trees and love them. But if you are looking for trees that gauge real large you will be disappointed. But if you are looking for trees that will root well and grow well in cold environments. This is your last chance.
The owner is very old fashioned. He wants personal checks made to him. He wants to send you your trees via the postal service. He wants you to send him your order via the mail not the internet. Over the past couple years I have called him several time and got good answers to problems.
So with that all said if you decide to order needs to be in ASAP as they do run out of some product.
I should add a disclaimer mostly for the administrators if this sound like spam or a solicited plug for a company. It is not it is just a great place to get cold weather trees and shrubs.
I saw that too :( Hate to see them retire but there is a notice that some of their kids may start the biz back up in a year or two.
I plan to order a tree or three this year. One to replace one that got damaged by some critter and maybe a couple others just because.
Erik
I did note the black raspberries are gone. We ordered some last year will report [cool] [cool] [cool] to off and never looked back.....
Will make another tree order mostly super cold hardy apples and a few pears. Might order some more grapes as well just have to see. Sure will miss them. I still plan on planting until they plant me. Best gift I can give those who come after me. Not much prettier than spring time blooms and fall fruit.
By the way we ended up with a couple good bushels of apples this year. Our peaches the cold winter ones are doing well. But we have not had a arctic blow.
When I started posting on here I proclaimed we lived in a snow belt. I am about to pull my statement - this is the third or fourth year in a row of hardly any snow. We have about a foot here on the flat. We have had ample moisture this year as well as last but not in the form of snow. The water in the Boise River Basin looking close to 100% to 110% of normal!! Just got a few inches of very very wet snow and now this week end they are saying some rain.
Have not really posted anything as of late. Not doing much finish work and all that. Great to just kick back and enjoy and wait till spring when we can give it a sprint to the finish. Did make make to the cardiologist for my yearly check up for a little heart problem I have. He informed me that "My God man when you stopped building on the house you needed to stop eating as well." I have been heavier but not heavier and this old!! :o So that said - he said he never has said anything about weight because I was always stable and very active..... Saddddlllyyy I'm now on quarter rations and exercising - :( Not all bad I've been on walkabout and taking some photos.
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Have had the big IH 1566 snow plowing as well. For a homemade snowplow myword it works great!!! [cool]
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Well, spring has sprung pretty good or is that pretty well? Or its just time to get back to work on the house!
Getting the porches on seemed to be number one. As we are getting tired walking planks and dealing with the issues such as that.
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We put the porch decks down with the Phantom screwless clips or brackets. I really do not know what I think about them. If they don't work we will pull it up and take them off and screw it down. To me, there is a lot of flex and give.
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We worked on the tapered porch piers as well. Got them in pretty well I think other than the finals or finials
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The one on the end, the side toward the house is sort of a problem child and we very well may marry it up with the house without a taper. Will get some photos today of it. And see is anyone might have a why don't 'chew' do this??? That might work.
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I am already ready to go get a few Cracker Barral rockers and do so sitting. And it is just starting. ;D
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Back porch is completed so now wrap the tapered porch pillars and start beautifying them. Then hopefully it will start drying out over here to get some landscaping done. A yard, a fence, a garden, a rock wall or two. Then there is the fill in the blank _________.
Looking good Rick. Was wondering about that clip system for decking. I have to install a portion on the apartment. Problem is that I will be attaching them to steel and then using composite decking. Most likely will get some Stainless metal screws and attach them with those. I will just have to find some that will work.
The post next to the house I would be inclined to just use a façade rather than a regular post. Unlike the others where you have open space around each that particular one would be odd that it would have a dead end space against the wall of the house. Unlike the back door the post support footing could pose a problem doing that. I like when a well laid plan comes together. Join the crowd. ;)
What is your choice of material to wrap them in or were you going to use cultured stone?
Getting the tappered porch columns trimmed out and getting them ready for paint and then the infill.
The guy the owns the lumber yard where I get 95% of my stuff.... He had a large pile of 1X4 Hardie that he let me have because someone had given it to him during the housing bubble bursting thing. So it had been stored. When I got done trimming I had two long boards left.
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Then also remembering that this is a ranch.
Saturday I got a called that Sunday they were going to brand our calves..... So missed church but got to look at our livestock up close.... These are taken down in the valley where they winter. They soon will be on trucks for the summer pasture..... Sorry no photos of me. These guys and gals are the real pros.... Been years and years since I tossed a rope and took a dally on a saddle horn....
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Getting mothered back up--
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Makes me glad I have a picture ID!!!
I'm starting to gain on the front of the house or so I feel.... ;)
The siding guys did not have a couple boards to do up under the eves... So I picked them up last year and here it is already next year.....WOW Where does time go.....
So anyway that is one honking heavy board to get up there over your head then nail it off. Ladder was okay but.... needed more hands and a lot of other stuff. So set up my painters scaffold. That seemed to want to work but it got loose. So Ellen held it and I go it up there and then flipped it into place. And the fiber cement ceder textured board was backward so down it had to come and we did it all over again..... Check that off it is hung......
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Next thing to check off on the front of the house is boxing the tops of the pillars. I had a lot more complicated idea and Ellen says 'Hey why don't you just_____.....'
Well it just wont work that way..... ??? I tell her then I wonder.... ??? Why wont it work that way? ???
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Lot easier that what I was going to do. Looks good and clean......
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I have for a long time loved to 'hobby cook' but never liked to bake..... The kitchen in the new house has really changed that....Ellen did such a great job laying it out I think.... The peninsula base as Redoverfarm pointed out we needed it to roll out the biscuits... He was not wrong - thanks John....
Got a new sourdough starter started and have had a lot of fun.........
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Sourdough cinnamon rolls half with raisins - I love raisins
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When's dinner? :)
We brought up the bees from the valley this year. I think we will have more time to tend them this year. I and Ellen will keep a close eye out on them and when the honey flow is over I think we will move them back down to our friends place in the valley. I am not crazy about over wintering them up here at all. However there is one couple up here that does from what I understand or did.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0799_zpsmwbuw1gg.jpg)
My old friend Mark
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0798_zpsug0pcftz.jpg)
Little smoke calms the savage beasts!!
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0795_zpskrbtmofy.jpg)
We put this bunch up on the hill where the did the best last time we had them up here.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0801_zpsjkgvhj0a.jpg)
This one needed a little more attention as it was in a lot different environment when Mark collected it.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/3c4f9c54-4e15-4c16-a715-1f214556fdb1_zps2dg3usn3.jpg)
Mark and I went to the house and let the bees settle - after about an hour we ventured over to the orchard to see if the bees had found it.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0811_zpsoqcbghlm.jpg)
If we do not get a bad freeze we will have a lot - no make that an awful lot of thinning to do this year. Removing the young fruit to about six inch apart on the larger trees.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0816_zps7te6vn9p.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0837_zpsk3eplhxv.jpg)
Hey we got bees!!! There were Carniolans!!! - The breed what we have. They were already working in the orchard. YES MY FRIENDS there are bee breeds!!
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0844%202_zpsqstya9zx.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0834_zpsyvyqxoeo.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0822_zps2pv4vugl.jpg)
This one is a lot more yellow on her if you notice. It might have came from one of ours. The one that had to be worked over we noticed a lot of more Italian looking bees where in. Okay that is another pretty common bee breed.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0820_zpszvujkoi0.jpg)
Okay time for a sort of bee side bar - if you are looking at going and getting a few bees I would look for Carniolans.
I am not a beekeeper of the strict sence. I have never taken the classes. I learned most of my stuff from Mark the guy in the photos. He was a railroader like me. He has owned a lot of hives (enough to send some down to California to the almond orchards) and some times just a few like right now. However some stuff I have learned that helped me the most. I have never heard from those people that take the classes it was the guys in the field to will teach and talk to you like my buddy Mark. I am not saying DO NOT TAKE THE CLASSES. Just saying there is a lot more to just the basics of bee keeping 101.
As far as the Carniolan bees I really like them and have become very use to them. Most of the time you can work them if you have the touch without a vial and gloves if you have a good smoker and know how to use your hive tool. I say that guardedly because some people do not have the touch. Nor will they ever have the touch. You just have to be slow and gentle and may sound funny but breath mints. Bees hate bad breath. If you watch the bees when you are moving the frames they will tell you a lot if they are getting too squished or tight yet frames have to be properly spaced so give them a little time to move out of the way. Never charge into a hive like a bull in a china closet even if you are suited up. You just end up killing a lot of hard working bees and and can very easy injure the the queen. Another thing if you charge in and get them all riled every time you work them expect them to just go in the fight when you show up. When bees start to get up set they produce an odor this alerts the hive to go in to a defensive posture. When this occurs look out. Smoke will not settle them down or anything I have seen tried. Best to just try and calmly walk away let everyone settle back down. If you are like most homesteaders it is not like you have a hundred hives to go though today. So just chill and let them chill....
great stuff, Rick
as always
Would love to have bees!
Your trees have all bloomed already too? Strange but mine are only just waking up. You must be warmer than I am?
My cherry (Bali) is the most awake with it's small leaves just started to look like leaves. My Crimson Beauty (apple) is next followed by a pear and an apple that is just barely awake. I don't expect to see blossoms for a couple weeks at least.
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 06, 2015, 11:42:04 AM
Would love to have bees!
Your trees have all bloomed already too? Strange but mine are only just waking up. You must be warmer than I am?
My cherry (Bali) is the most awake with it's small leaves just started to look like leaves. My Crimson Beauty (apple) is next followed by a pear and an apple that is just barely awake. I don't expect to see blossoms for a couple weeks at least.
Bee are fun but they can be moody - out and out mean..... They do not like it when it is rainy - too hot - too chilly - too breezy and so on... however when they can just fly and work fun to have around and even fun to work.
Most of our Siberian root stock is late bloomers of course. These are all in the EMLA 7 rootstock... However this was a winter that was not. Sort of like the message I wrote one of my FB buddies who was asking about the same thing this morning - "Spooky we never really had winter. No massive snow. Most years right now we are wading around in mud bogs and icy streams right now. I am sure hoping it stays warm and does not freeze the fruit real bad...."
Pears are coming around in all sorts of their own time. We have some that woke up early some that are running later. ??? Bali cherries art doing well. We have several Crimson Galas they are doing so well!! Good stout trees and nice growth.
No frost damage pm freezing mornings?
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 06, 2015, 10:15:24 PM
No frost damage pm freezing mornings?
This year is so weird that we are not even expecting any that I can see. Mid thirties at 5000' mid May... :D
Quote from: rick91351 on May 06, 2015, 10:32:30 PM
This year is so weird that we are not even expecting any that I can see. Mid thirties at 5000' mid May... :D
Last year the blossoms on our Crimson Beauty were frost killed but there wasn't any other trees to pollinate with so it wouldn't have produced anyway. Not sure what will blossom this year but am hopeful the weather is warmer. We're in the low 30's this week (at night) but I expect temps should be above freezing moving forward so hopefully I'll see some production finally.
Quote from: OlJarhead on May 07, 2015, 01:36:41 PM
Last year the blossoms on our Crimson Beauty were frost killed but there wasn't any other trees to pollinate with so it wouldn't have produced anyway. Not sure what will blossom this year but am hopeful the weather is warmer. We're in the low 30's this week (at night) but I expect temps should be above freezing moving forward so hopefully I'll see some production finally.
You are starting to experience some of the frustration of having fruit trees. Bottom line is they take a long time to come into production . I am amused at those who fail to see this in California currently with the drought. Kill the orchards and then bring them back at a whim does not work that way. Orchards and trees as such to large corporations is one thing. But to a small Ma and Pa Operation or a small back yard orchard who babies their trees and trims and fusses and then Big Brother tells you to kill them. Sort of sets wrong. A small orchard like we have of around a hundred trees scattered about is a big investment just to let die. Even ten or fifteen trees and look at the good they do.
Well in between the birds and the bees and flowers and trees I have been back to work on the house. I was not going to in fill the columns until Ellen painted. She said to go ahead that way I would not be getting caulk on her fresh paint. Soooo!!
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0847_zpsqqihzunl.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0852_zpskiegmi8z.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0851_zpsj1cbxhze.jpg)
It has been surprising how long one column takes to do, measuring and marking and cutting and up and down the ladders. What I though might be about four or five hours a column has turned in to closer to a day. Three down and three to go...... They do now go quicker that number one... but still a lot longer than I have figured.
Might be taking longer than expected but it really looks fantastic.
You won't regret the hard work you did when its all done and your friends and family (and us) are telling you how great it looks.
dang
freaking beeeeutifull
Quote from: Gary O on May 09, 2015, 10:18:53 AM
dang
freaking beeeeutifull
Thanks Gary he said blushingly. Hope you are talking about the house.
Quote from: rick91351 on May 09, 2015, 11:51:53 AMHope you are talking about the house.
Well, no, I was talking about that log roll of duct tape....but now I see it's just some sorta chicken coop wire...s-o-o-o-o disappointed.
Hell yes I'm talking about that gorgeous place of yours, and am jealous to even know someone that takes their sweet time with things....and it shows.
Luv ya man
Quote from: Gary O on May 09, 2015, 07:36:20 PM
Well, no, I was talking about that log roll of duct tape....but now I see it's just some sorta chicken coop wire...s-o-o-o-o disappointed.
Hell yes I'm talking about that gorgeous place of yours, and am jealous to even know someone that takes their sweet time with things....and it shows.
Luv ya man
Chicken wire goes under the bellyband on those porch columns. It gets a skim coat of mortar then the faux rock goes on. Ellen and I discussed real rock or fake. Seems fake won out.
Sort a side bar but there was not really much we could do last winter in here. So it was such a treat just to sit back and enjoy the winter. It was the first time we could say we were actually resting. So nice in the evening with the stove going we even put together a few huge jig saw puzzles. We had time to just sit and talk - take some photos of the snow and and the animals. After all year prior day light to dark and fall in to bed and get up and start all over again. Six days a week.
The tile work in the middle of winter and zero I would get a couple buckets of water for the saw and such and have a skim of ice on it as soon as I set it down. Having to cut tile with the frozen spray and all that. Now I look at it and feel so blessed. Truly Ellen was been stellar in this whole build. We meshed very well with our strengths and in truth when one of us want to just say #$T$#R%)#$)R% the other would just pick it up and go with it. My only hope is our great grand kids might be able to say grandpa and grandma........
Having yer mate working by yer side is a wonderful thing...I know.
It's a privilege to see what folks do on here, and when you get to know one, well, that's really hard to beat........
Went up to the hives 5/10/2015. There is a great honey flow going. The bees were just hitting the landing boards and scurrying right into the hive others right into the vent hole. Trying to take that in still photos was not working but was short on battery I still decided on some video.
https://youtu.be/mUTJXzNpK7s
busy as a bee, or so the saying goes ;D
Quote from: MountainDon on May 11, 2015, 10:32:30 AM
busy as a bee, or so the saying goes ;D
When they are like that they are very happy. We can work them like that and they just do not care. Just a little smoke and they let you right in. However when its gets hot and the bloom trail off. Then you just walk by a hive sometimes three or four sentry bees will hit you so fast. They can get upset and mean when it is rainy as well..... windy..... just over cast. OUGH!! What did you do that for!!
We lost a couple hives down in the valley this last winter. There could be several reasons.... but when a queen dies sometimes they just go into a depressed shut down mode......
These bees have their heads buried in the comb and just died there. They still had honey but they would not even produce enough heat to keep the hive going. BTW We will recycle these frames right back in to good hives so they do not have to waste time and resources making wax.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0031_zpshc5r1cvn.jpg)
Same hive and they had plenty of honey
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0026_zps9tlnvdel.jpg)
Bees glue everything together with tree sap. Lots of scrapping and cleaning.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0034_zpsmawlc5ea.jpg)
Bee herding - little smoke and they calm right down.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0036_zpsnn4cquoy.jpg)
One of the rewards working your bees fresh honey and comb right off the tops of the frames.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0039_zps42rmr8js.jpg)
Checking for eggs and to see if the queen has been there....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0043_zpsjr8jamaz.jpg)
You can see some eggs and so me knew the queen was okay. But never seen her.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0045_zpsdfruundn.jpg)
This is a crazy strong hive Mark and I started up here two years ago. They have been going great ever since.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0048_zpsho7u4dub.jpg)
In fact it is right back here it started.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0049_zpsflkg1y8y.jpg)
Worker bees doing their thing.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0050_zps98yvyadh.jpg)
Mark using a pocket veil. Handy weather was starting to build on us so the bees were getting a little agitated.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Bees/DSC_0053_zps7x23nyun.jpg)
Lot more going on around here than just the bees however.
My excavator friend dropped by and graded the lanes and the lawn area. Lots of stuff there to do yet. Culverts to put in and and a lawn and and and
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0055_zps4lvvjpnb.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0057_zps9kvgwcgr.jpg)
Pat even brought in his big artillery
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0060_zpsobkj8ged.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0061_zpscpieq5hq.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0063_zpspb4nlncv.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0072_zpsf62lahud.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0075_zpslzzstzvi.jpg)
We are sort of working our way out of the monsoons that were working into this country..... They really brought a much needed drink to the crops and landscape. In fact for a few days lots and lots of rain.
It was great in that it gave us a chance to sort of veg for a day or two..... One of our grandsons was up and I took him on a fourwheeler ride.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Pairie%20Scenery/DSC_0083_zpsoevf6cl3.jpg)
Dropped by the one room school house up here.
It was build on our ranch by my great grand mother.... It was located where the big sage brush is in the photo....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Pairie%20Scenery/DSC_0108_zpsy6s6ymwb.jpg)
Later like in 1952 all the schools were consolidated and it was moved to the village of Prairie. Grades K through 8 after that they have to board in Mountain Home or drive or...... great thing about it they do so much with the kids here. Trip to DC in the spring a trip to Yellowstone or the Oregon coast in the fall. The kids they are so far ahead of the kids when they get to high school it is not even funny.... They put on a couple plays that they write and produce. Everyone gets a part and it is so well done. Hardly anyone misses those and a big pot luck as well...... Christmas and Halloween it is a big thing.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Pairie%20Scenery/DSC_0084_zpsxugrbm6n.jpg)
When they did that they also moved the teacherage (check it out real word) from Deer Creek School to the Village.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Pairie%20Scenery/DSC_0085_zpsokiej9h2.jpg)
Right there together with that is also the Prairie District Library though very very small. My wife is the librarian BTW..... Very small but very well stocked with books and periodicals.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Pairie%20Scenery/DSC_0086_zpsikwwrhdu.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Pairie%20Scenery/DSC_0096_zpsupymthne.jpg)
Weather changed to warmer and humid. Remember this is Idaho and humid is anything over like 35% and people are like complaining..... :D
So back to the salt mines.....
We put in some culverts for the road into the house and and shop. First one was 30 foot wide...
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0145_zpso0kzl05h.jpg)
Next two were twenty five feet wide.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0146_zpsinao8vcz.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0149_zpsgm4gxxrd.jpg)
Pat my excavator, logger buddy hauled material from our decomposed granite pit for the parking areas and recover some places in the road.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0142_zps22zrbqlt.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0144_zpsojsbgc4u.jpg)
Notice I got the infill done of the tapered porch pillars.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0147_zps0aoryqtm.jpg)
But not with out a casualty. We carefully searched out the conduit that runs up the the trailer pads. 220 V we found it we were happy. Then we started digging and discovered the conduit we forgot about the last time we dug there. I was laughing my buddy never seen the humor in it. To so carefully find it and then discover our patch job from two years ago we forgot all about.... Got to mend that now......
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/DSC_0154_zpsiw7qy2gk.jpg)
I'm enjoying the project tour and the great neighborhood. Thanks, the air smells fresh and clean.
Quote from: John Raabe on May 31, 2015, 06:22:50 PM
I'm enjoying the project tour and the great neighborhood. Thanks, the air smells fresh and clean.
Thanks John but back to work - Ellen is the painter lady. She has been painting trim all the vertical boards she is matching up with the siding. When she starts something like this it just holds me in awe. The kid is so gifted.... We have only been hanging out together for 45 years now and she still surprises me.
She first paints a layer of base....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0161_zps3byliyfz.jpg)
Then feathers in a top coat and bushes and high lights until a match with siding.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0155_zpsp7lag4vn.jpg)
The siding is Certeened siding.... The verticals were mostly Hardie so trying to bring out grain patterns is not a give me.... Even though most or a lot of the Hardie was given to us. ;) Could not turn a deal like that down sort of like free....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0160_zpswcvcrknq.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0158_zpsxgxgmkui.jpg)
Looks like you hired the right person for the job, it really looks great!
Looks great! I hope all your recent grading work is drying out. Around Boise, it seems like solid sun in the forecast for the next, well... summer. Do you get more rain your way than we do over here?
Quote from: midrover170 on June 16, 2015, 10:31:09 AM
Looks great! I hope all your recent grading work is drying out. Around Boise, it seems like solid sun in the forecast for the next, well... summer. Do you get more rain your way than we do over here?
Actually you all get a lot more moisture than we do - then this year sort of flipped. Prairie is over the top in the Boise Basin as far a moisture.
Ellen's hand work is starting to show here! She got it matched up down to the 'belly band' in the front.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0162_zpsr6mq4jtb.jpg)
and in the back
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0165_zpsp0ueaq7j.jpg)
now getting the sides prepped
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/house/DSC_0163_zpsonf61o3d.jpg)
I have been off to the orchard a lot as of late......
Our blue berries have turned out stellar. We finally are getting the soil amended to where we can grow blue berries. I am not kidding, we most likely in the five or six years of trying and failing have lost close to 150 plants. I know that sound crazy. We could buy a life time of blue berries out of the store for what we have lost! I will not argue that at all. But we would never have gained the knowledge we have gained. We have now 36 or 37 plants in our blue berry plot, and room for like 60 some more.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0172_zpskrdv4e99.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0171_zpshfcycudr.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0178_zpsp0n7cwdp.jpg)
Same way with the soft fruit..... We have found two preach varieties that will produce up here without a whole lot of winter freeze damage. One is Canadian Harmony and the other Reliance. They started producing well last year. I love the flavor of the Reliance. But there again we lost so many trees. I was talking to a nursery back east and they suggested these. I think we most likely now have ten or twelve peach trees.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0180_zpsrlet6mwo.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0181_zpsy3slud4a.jpg)
Pie Cherries We have a like three trees. They got hit very hard with the drought and my water rationing. We lost about three or four then. 2013 bad year.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0182_zpsufkyvgag.jpg)
I think we planted these in 2008 - a new breed on the market called Snow Sweet. We lost 50% of the trees or all the Honey Crisps that year. We did not know enough and went into it blind. We I think lost one Snow Sweet since these have been planted and they are coming on strong....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0183_zpsu0bcukft.jpg)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0184_zpskexct9dj.jpg)
Crimson Gala on an EMLA 7 root stock
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0187_zpsbgmemuoa.jpg)
These are from a nursery the Ol Jarhead turned me on to.... They are a Siberian root stock - They are a crazy good tree. I really like them a lot....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0189_zps6alnapmf.jpg)
Two more of the super cold hardy trees
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0190_zpsqxtfmd4r.jpg)
Pears are coming on strong now as well
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0193_zpsmt4p0epm.jpg)
We thought we lost all our raspberries so to speak.... They just did not show any wake up come spring. Minus a few here and there -
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0201_zpslllasweu.jpg)
The few clumps there are super cold hardy black raspberries we planted last year. Interesting history on them or the grower - or patent owner.
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0205_zpssjfh3mnj.jpg)
So what is the new experiment? Blackberries, a lady up here had some black berries. She has grown them up here for some time and they do not freeze out. We have tried black berries before and they all died. Looked at the info and talked to growers and they say pretty doubtful up here. Apparently these black berries are very cold hardy. However they are not a cold hardy breed because they do not really exist according to what I read. The other neighbors she has shared them with do not freeze out...... So we planted some and will see.....
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0209_zpssylrnims.jpg)
I am so jealous! Still tore up over losing those 5 trees :( and two of the remaining 3 don't look great so I'm hoping I got them in time. I plan to pour the water to them and get some fertalizer in there too
And there's the answer in the background - a 7' wire fence... ;D
Simply wonderful
thanks for the show, Rick
Quote from: hpinson on June 17, 2015, 04:44:10 PM
And there's the answer in the background - a 7' wire fence... ;D
Size does matter it is eight foot and almost a acre. ;)
(https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt15/rick91351/Orchard/DSC_0505_zps6dd93af9.jpg)
Quote from: OlJarhead on June 17, 2015, 02:46:34 PM
I am so jealous! Still tore up over losing those 5 trees :( and two of the remaining 3 don't look great so I'm hoping I got them in time. I plan to pour the water to them and get some fertalizer in there too
Hey do not be jealous.... This has not been with out a lot of loss - trees and time..... But that is how I have to learn..... Just hope to pass something along..... I really like my little mini orchard as well. To me that is the way to go for a cabin orchard but sure would not stop the gophers. BTW I tore that enclosure out yesterday. That tree is now going to be in our yard.....
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Quote from: Gary O on June 17, 2015, 10:07:58 PM
Simply wonderful
thanks for the show, Rick
That is just the preview Gary....
Hey you all - the coffee is always on and let me know and I will make some sourdough something.... I did sourdough sticky buns the other day my word even the coyotes were wanting seconds.... ;)
It has been rather hectic here at the ol' homestead. I decided I better get the yard fenced because the renter is going to need to turn cattle in here pretty quickly.
If you never have planned and put in a fence the best time is the spring soon after the snow has left and the ground has thawed and the grass has had not really started up and the brush and bushes are not or are hardly leaved out. Days are also cooler and the ground is not so hard....... I missed the fencing season by a couple months. We would have liked to put in a beauty fence. But some times beauty fences are one too expensive. And two they are not very sound when there are range cattle grazing in the area. Plus horses can be a real pain if they decide to tear something up. So I chose regular old 'field fence, then will run to strands of barb wire a top that.
So the first thing one needs to do is set the boundaries and get rid of the grass and brush. The better the job the easier it will be when you start unrolling wire and walking and walking.
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Best thing to do I have found is set your corner posts and run a string line tight between the corners and start in filling with the gate posts and brace posts and ....... It is not the end of the world if you forget a string line or it disappears of you have a roll of barb wire. You can use that in place of a string line but a string line is a lot more user friendly I have found out over the years.
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I used a new product called a Parma Tie. They resemble a old two sided railroad cross tie. Then they make a Junior Tie as well that is about 8 inch. I used those for brace posts. They are available from a local pressure treat business. Locally here railroad ties are getting way - way too expensive and do not paint real well.
I set my corner posts and then set the brace posts at six foot because I could get 4X6 to use for bracing from my lumber yard, they were rejects at a pretty good savings. They were at 12 foot lengths and so I will cut them at 6 foot. Then at ten foot and twenty feet I pounded in a 6'6" t post then at another ten foot planted a 6" round pressure treated post. Then go to the opposite end of and work toward the middle with the same pattern. Then splitting the distance when I got to the middle. Using the string line for a guide.
I decided I would just dig and set posts by hand. Two first tools in fact I ever amassed for myself as a kid fencing on the farm or ranch growing up was a good digging bar and a tamping bar. You might laugh but I have set a lot of posts and build a lot of fence growing up in a farm and we always have had cattle. I never really like the fancy digging bars with the tamping end. That tamping bar - I grabbed one day when my dad and I were building a corral and tore out a bunch of stuff it was part of an old cattle chute. It is like schedule 80 black pipe. It was heavy and had something welded on the end. Worked great to tamp with. I think I was sixteen or so at the time I have had it ever since, and I am sixty three now.
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I do like the old clam shell fence post diggers to clean out a post hole when they get real deep.
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Ellen's painting scheme is coming together.
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Where the two railroad ties are I will just temp them in and that is where we will locate our wood shed. The wood shed is one of those round to it things - like pouring the side walks and then there is a yard to put in and then there is _______.
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Another thing that is getting sort of bad is the temps are very high for this time of the year. So Ellen has to quit painting the wood grain as soon as the sun hits it. She has found she is done. But she continues on with the cream colored trim. In the morning I am going to start at first light - is the plan and put in bracing until it is to hot. Then start watering the orchard. But then my friend the bee guy us going to show up some time tomorrow around noon. So just doing our thing.....
Making me feel lazy ;) I just use an auger on the back of the tractor ;)
Certainly looks like a lot of work. Still the kind of work that makes you feel good about your day. How long does it take per hole, and how deep did you have to dig?
Quote from: OlJarhead on June 30, 2015, 04:05:44 PM
Making me feel lazy ;) I just use an auger on the back of the tractor ;)
'Meself' I would just as soon dig by hand. A couple neighbors offered theirs. After spending a couple summering at Post Hole University as kid to me it is really easy especially up here where this is at. Right there there are no rocks and no hard pan just easy digging. It actually takes me longer to set a post property up here than to dig the hole. Me and that big ol' long digging bar..... ;) On the other hand I did use an auger when we dug the holes for the orchard. That was over a hundred holes for the trees and the fence! Down in the valley I would opt out for a auger a lot. But we had a layer of 'hard pan' just below the top soil that was killer. I hate to even think building fence down there.
Quote from: Adam Roby on June 30, 2015, 04:14:45 PM
Certainly looks like a lot of work. Still the kind of work that makes you feel good about your day. How long does it take per hole, and how deep did you have to dig?
I set these at 2'9" - it doesn't take any time to dig post holes. Takes longer - a lot longer getting rid of the bush and grass so you can unroll your wire so it is not getting hung up. And getting rid of the tripping hazards. [chainsaw]
My daughter and son in law and grand kids were up here for the forth of July weekend.
They all pitched in on the fence.
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Hammering staples and darning wire as the old ranch hands called it....
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Tigger the job dog checking out the progress.
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Christian our oldest grandson is spending the week with us. He works hard when he comes up... He seem to have fun but when the sun is beating down in the temps are teasing triple figures pretty hard on a twelve year old. However he stuck it out the last two days. I turned a couple problems and projects over to him. One was a 2X8 piece of fence. He measured it all out with a tape and figured it out in his head..... Later said well he had to say it out loud!! Board spaced out just great.
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Next was how to hang a double gate. I did some coaching and used the power tools but he actually came up with a very good way we could accomplish this using a sixteen foot 2X8 and a level. Then matched up the bottom adjusting the lag hinge pins or brackets. He did a great job!!!
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Looks pretty proud of his work.
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BTW he is the fifth generation on this property.......
Place is looking great! I really like the look of that siding, we used a lot of that when I was building houses in Southern Oregon... haven't seen it since. Nice job on the fence too guys!
Good to see a hammer in his hands rather than an Ipod or cell phone. He will remember that experience for years to come.
Wish my neighbor would have had that stout fence yesterday evening. Just after supper about 20 head found their way into my yard. Yum yum nice green grass. >:( After a couple hours of herding/chasing and cutting the fence to make access back into the pasture they were back where they belonged.
For once it wasn't mine that got out. :)
Quote from: Redoverfarm on July 08, 2015, 06:16:43 AM
Good to see a hammer in his hands rather than an Ipod or cell phone. He will remember that experience for years to come.
Wish my neighbor would have had that stout fence yesterday evening. Just after supper about 20 head found their way into my yard. Yum yum nice green grass. >:( After a couple hours of herding/chasing and cutting the fence to make access back into the pasture they were back where they belonged.
For once it wasn't mine that got out. :)
John about the IPod - and such and with your Stephen being the stellar banjo player he is. I am amazed at a guitar teacher I know and took some lessons from. He has problem with kids being able to finger the neck of a guitar now when they start. Some parents even jerk their kids because it is just to hard on them stretching out those muscles and tendons and hurts the poor kid. He says some he has seen are like claws.
I hold my dad so important in my life because as a 'kid' (young teen) dad had enough guts to let me have projects like building a corral or roofing a garage or building a boat. Some were my ideas some were his. If I got stumped he was around to what do you think dad? I just hope my grandson will do the same. Idle hands ...... and a creative kid can cause a mess....
Not funny how much damage a small herd of cows can do to a lawn and landscaping..... We have little hope of one of those manicured show lawns here but just the same I hate to do all that work and it all be ruined. So quickly.......
Quote from: rick91351 on July 08, 2015, 09:20:28 AM
Not funny how much damage a small herd of cows can do to a lawn and landscaping..... We have little hope of one of those manicured show lawns here but just the same I hate to do all that work and it all be ruined. So quickly.......
Yes with those 1800-2400 pound cows their hooves leave a pretty deep hole and with that manicured lawn being green and tender they pull a full mouth full when they chow down. Another 6 months and you will not be able to tell it. ;) But on the side note I don't have to add fertilizer to that area. ;D
We skedaddled off to Seattle to see friends right in the middle of berry season. Right in the middle of fixing to put the fake rock on the columns. Right in the middle of wanting to get the yard planted. Right in the middle of needing to start cutting firewood. We were so ready to get away after no time off really in two years....... We had not really moved the fifthwheel nor went back in it after we moved out of it. It was calling and so were our Seattle friends..... We had a great trip to Seattle. But all kinds of tire issues on the fifthwheel on the way back. Got home with three count them three new tires. Why three because the fourth was almost new.... Literately grace of God and a very good Samaritan prevented a lot of damage.
Got home spent the next whole complete day watering the orchard, the landscape plants, the blue berries, the grape starts and the little trees. Then the mini orchard and four American Chestnuts we have left.....
We had a young couple come over and water the plants around the house a couple times and told them pick some berries...... I meant pick some berries a lot of berries..... :D I did not think they even toched them..... They said they did....
We have maybe fifty feet of berries producing this year. We have the biggest share set to produce next year. They are all reds and the goldens - they produced heavy last year so they all got cut off and are recaning this year. BTW The goldens taste so good.... they are not pretty nor real well formed but WOW!!!!! They taste so good........ Ellen found a interesting horticultural article on growing high altitude short season raspberries that works so well up here. We follow it pretty well to the letter and have huge crops..... If anyone wants to do such just ask and well drop you an answer.
So after our return from our week away - we picked two 3.5 quart bowls of raspberries and one of blue berries. We have packed a whole bunch in the freezer before we left and more coming on...... The apples are really making a show. But they will not coming on until September - October. We are really enjoying seeing all the hard work and the bounty of the Lord paying off.
Our one crazy huge producing hive is still crazy and outproducing the others two to one. So I talked to my bee guru, I want to move the DNA from that hive to our others. So he is going to bring up his 'castle' and we are going to grow some queens from that hive rather than buying new queens this year. This will get that strain into the other hives. That hive is such a pain to work because they have always attached the bottom of the frames to the top of the next one. I can not breed that out of them but we can get the other hives producing more honey and brood.
It is all coming together what we sat out to do years ago. So glad we did it in the thought out small steps we did. Power we put in like twenty years ago. Soon after like fifteen the well. The well gets used a lot this time of the year. (July - August and in to September) Water for the cattle and helps out with the orchard and berries. Then we shut it down and go back just on the other water. About five or six years ago the septic tank and drain field and RV pads and the shop. Then the big decision cabin or home, jury is still out there if we did the right thing. We are a lot more attached to the valley that we would like. But at least we get to leave it and live up here. Then there is the we are getting older issues. But it is three hours traveling round trip in the spring - summer and fall..... Winter add at least two more hours when the road to Boise is closed and having to go the long way and chaining and unchaining and chaining and unchaining and slick roads and people slid off on and on......
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I posted this to Ol Jarhead's page - Got'a catalog from St Lawrence Nurseries - one of the one people on staff decided he want to buy it. Bill and Diana MacKentley will be hand 'round advising..... Just handling apple trees this year!!!
Anyone interested in easy to grow cold hardy apples - drop me a line. I will be making an order as I have had a couple moralities the last couple years. Aim to keep on planting useful trees until they plant me!!! :D
WOW!! Did not realize it had been so long since I last posted anything.....
This was like the day after Christmas and they trailed the last of the cattle out of here. A few of these are ours. They run with those from this big ranch up here .....
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I did not have a chance to build a woodshed to we filled the stock trailer full of wood and it has lasted really well. May not build a wood shed and use the stock trailer in the winter time...... ???
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Snow is even encroaching on the porches. :D
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Snow keeps piling up
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One of the reasons we moved off to a place like this........ Went for a walk early one morning and shot photos of the full moon setting.......So quite and peaceful.....
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Rick how many head of cattle are they running? I would hate to feed that many over the winter months. Well it will be spring again before too long and more will make the trek back to the ranch. Probably not the same ones unless they are brood cows.
Doesn't look as if you burn that much wood. Don't see a path. ;) Shoot I have made enough trips to my wood shed to wear the snow down. No not really just a couple blades from the tractor and I have a path.
With the metal roof the snow sure slides off and piles up. Good that the entrance on the gable side of the house. ;D
We only run about 25 pair and a bull on our Forest Service Permit. We lease the place to the big outfit and they winter our cows.... But come spring because they will have calves so they get an all expense paid trip up the mountain on the eighteen wheelers..... Going down they trail them out about twenty miles or so to a set of corrals and load them there. They run on some desert ground down in the valley so actually there is very little feeding involved. The valley does not get that much snow....
As far as the wood all the insulation the State of Idaho calls for now pays off in spades. We have been heating this with some pretty bad pine cord wood and does not take much. Not like the old houses up here at all.
The snow sliding off the roof was exactly why we faced it the way we did and the porches are like they are. Surviving winter easily was one of our main concerns in planing this house. It has all worked out very well.
Glad to hear things are working out! That's a LOT of snow! which is a darn good thing :) [cool] c*
I just read this incredible thread from start to finish. All I can say is thank you for such an inspiring story.
Gary
Quote from: GaryT on February 07, 2016, 05:35:51 PM
I just read this incredible thread from start to finish. All I can say is thank you for such an inspiring story.
Gary
Thanks Gary T it has been sort of as we planned sort of just shooting from the hip.
Rick, Good idea of using horse trailer for wood storage... not a taxable strucute...able to be moved at will... c*
Quote from: speedfunk on February 13, 2016, 07:12:46 PM
Rick, Good idea of using horse trailer for wood storage... not a taxable strucute...able to be moved at will... c*
One of my better brain farts.... ;)
Rick and Ellen. My wife and I have been reading your incredible journey over the last three nights. Thank you for sharing it.
We are presently building our 5th house together.
Quote from: tigrr on February 16, 2016, 01:01:39 AM
Rick and Ellen. My wife and I have been reading your incredible journey over the last three nights. Thank you for sharing it.
We are presently building our 5th house together.
Thanks - Been a real journey. Before this house we lived in a constant state of remodels. I so much like doing new more than understanding other peoples mistakes so you can make your own on top of theirs.....with out infringing on their right of being first..... ;)