So it begins, The Wee House in Vermont

[John Raabe]

Video worked great. My thoughts exactly - the woodpecker should get a part-time job as a nail gun!

Congrats on the project. Getting and staying dry is a major milestone.

[tlmartin]

Just added more pics to photobucket but thought I would share these 2, the windows and doors are finally going in !!

[tlmartin]

Ladder wouldn't reach so we used good old Yankee ingenuity and a pair of gloves over the ladder ends kept it from damaging the window.

[Barry Broome]

Is there such a thing as Yankee ingenuity    Haha... I was thinking that looked a lot more like the types of redneck applications I'm used to seeing here in Mississippi!!! I like that sliding glass door with the wood trim. Do you have two sliding doors? The place is looking really good!!!

[Danfish]

Looks like something out of an "O.S.H.A. Cowboy" cartoon!  The things we owner-builders will do...

[Gary O]

A very nice build.
Love the two sliders with the framed in look, and they offer such a great, calming, sedating, view.
Very nice.

[Tickhill]

In Mississippi we would have taken that piece of plywood and laid it across the bed of the atv and then put the ladder on top of the plywood. The end of the ladder would have been above the window! We would have used duct tape to secure the plywood to the atv. Looking good.

[tlmartin]

Misssissippi rednecks, you gotta love that, I loved your idea about the plywood and duct tape  , why didin't I think of that !!  There is a slider on the side and a french door on the front, I picked up the french  Therma Tru door at our local hardware store for $100, seems someone ordered it a few years ago and never picked it up. It was filthy and I guess I was the only one who could see the diamond in the rough. It took me awhile to put the fiberglass stain on but you can't beat the price. I was defineatly going for the peaceful, calming and warm feeling of wood and woods !

[tlmartin]

Our baseball field during Irene

[rich2Vermont]

I hope you and yours survived the storm and the aftermath okay. We've been anxiously looking at all the pictures online of the devastation in Vermont. We don't yet know how our property fared, but I'm going up on Friday to find out.
Best wishes,
Rich

[tlmartin]

Rich, we made out okay, did you go Friday and check your place out?

[rich2Vermont]

The Topsham area had relatively little damage, and we only had my project from last year realigned somewhat:
Before: After:

We've been blown away by the photos and videos of damage on routes 4 and 100. For those out there reading and wish to help, here's an article on ways to do so: http://7d.blogs.com/blurt/2011/08/after-irene-how-you-can-help-vermont.html . Thanks!

[tlmartin]

I decided to stain the rafters for the loft since they will stay exposed



Then I bought 1" shiplap pine for the loft floor,I left the underside natural with a coat of poly on it and stained the topside (loft floor), still have to nail it down but I like the look so far

[tlmartin]

Here are my improvised knee pads, they worked for about 1 hour then my bubbles burst ...



This is the Waterford woodstove I got out of my friends basement, just needs a little sanding and painting

[tlmartin]

I had some old chicken feed so I dumped it in front of my wildlife camera, here is what came along so far...

[timj]

Absolutely AWESOME "wee little house"!

[tlmartin]

Absolutely AWESOME "wee little house"!

Thanks Tim, it's nice to hear positive feedback since I really don't know what I am doing ...

[ScottA]

I like what you're doing. I do have question about your loft joists. Are they just nailed to the side of the studs? That's how it looks in the picture. If so you are going to have problems. You should have a ledger board notched into the studs for the joists to sit on.

[tlmartin]

I like what you're doing. I do have question about your loft joists. Are they just nailed to the side of the studs? That's how it looks in the picture. If so you are going to have problems. You should have a ledger board notched into the studs for the joists to sit on.

I am using timberlocks in the joists where they meet the wall, do you think I need more?

[CjAl]

Can you use the t1-11 siding as sheeting? I plan to use board and batton for siding however i will be in a hurry to get it dried in so we can occupy it asap. So im.thinking of putting the t1-11 on so we have a tempexterior finish and i can come back later amd reside it. I know it will cost more in the long run, just wondering is its strong enough for sheeting.


Btw. When staining pine they make a clear sealer to use on it first. It helps it take stain evenly and eliminates the splotchy dark spots you get otherwise

[ScottA]

I am using timberlocks in the joists where they meet the wall, do you think I need more?

I'm not sure if the timberlocks are enough or not. I was just pointing out a possible problem. Generaly a 1x is notched into the studs under the joists to support the floor. Here's a pic I found on another thread.



There have been quite a few discussions on this in the forums over the years you might want to do a search.

[tlmartin]

Can you use the t1-11 siding as sheeting? I plan to use board and batton for siding however i will be in a hurry to get it dried in so we can occupy it asap. So im.thinking of putting the t1-11 on so we have a tempexterior finish and i can come back later amd reside it. I know it will cost more in the long run, just wondering is its strong enough for sheeting.


Btw. When staining pine they make a clear sealer to use on it first. It helps it take stain evenly and eliminates the splotchy dark spots you get otherwise

My friend and carpenter who helped me start this build suggested that I use the (5/8") t1-11 as siding and then put 2 inch boards as battons over the groves to make it appear as true board and batton. I thought that was a great idea and it saved me alot of money. I still have to put the verticle boards on . Working on the window and door exterior trim first. As far as staining the pine I like the contrasting colors of the stain. I put poly on the boards the other day and they ended up looking like old distressed farm house boards in the loft. I know it is soft wood but there won't be much traffic up there and it really turned out to be quite firm and strong once nailed down.

[CjAl]

Thats the same idea i was working off of. The battons end up closer together but its a good option for the short term. Im building in a lake community. Its very easy going.there but i dont want to have a house sitting in osb and tyvak for a year or two. Lol.

There is also a version of that t1-11 without the grooves but not many places carry it.

[tlmartin]

I'm not sure if the timberlocks are enough or not. I was just pointing out a possible problem. Generaly a 1x is notched into the studs under the joists to support the floor. Here's a pic I found on another thread.



There have been quite a few discussions on this in the forums over the years you might want to do a search.

Thank you for the info. I think I will take your advice and put a ledger under the joists while the walls are open. Better safe then sorry. I really appreciate everyone looking at my posts and if any of you see anything else that needs my attention please let me know. I'm just a middle aged mountain woman trying to achieve my dream before I'm too old to do it. 95% of the interior is being done by me alone and I have my friend Rocky help me with the stuff that needs two people or when high ladder work is needed. I don't do high ladder climbs very well. The first time I went up to the peak on the extension ladder I froze with fear because the ladder slid sideways about two inches and I nearly peed myself. I just keep plugging along and when I don't know what to do I research ALOT !!

[texasgun]

Since you did not use a leger you could put a stud  under each loft joist from joist to plate for your support. I have seen it done that way just seems easier than trying to retro a leger now.