My 15.75 x 30 Jemez Cabin

Started by MountainDon, December 20, 2006, 02:03:09 AM

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MountainDon

Quote from: secordpd on June 14, 2009, 01:25:22 PM
 Do you remember what color stain you used on your window trim?  I really like that, not too light and not too dark, just right.  

There are no stains involved. The wood was finished with Minwax Polycrylic clear in the Satin variety. The lighter wood is common SPF from Lowe's. The red colored wood is select grade Redwood, sanded lightly and then clear coated with the Mnwax product.


Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Redoverfarm

Don here is a site to get the desired petina on the copper.

http://www.sciencecompany.com/patinas/patinaformulas.htm

I googled and there are several home remedys which refer to Vinegar(acid) and salt in combination or Vinegar by it's self.


MountainDon

Thanks John.  [cool]  I have some small pieces of copper sheet I may experiment with first.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

gandalfthegrey

Be careful using the vinegar and salt around iron as it starts to rust almost immediately. 

Of course if that is your desire please disregard.  My wife uses this recipie to rust old parts she uses for decorations.
Bad Wolf

HomeschoolMom

I just mentioned the copper selling to my father in law and he mentioned the price being down..oh well.  I  might have to play with some vinegar.
Michelle
Homeschooling Mom to Two Boys
Married to Jason, Self Employed

Wanting an earth bermed hybrid timberframe...just need some inheritance  ;)  Will never have another mortgage again!


secordpd

QuoteThe red colored wood is select grade Redwood, sanded lightly and then clear coated with the Mnwax product.

No wonder its so beautiful, it's redwood!  I also want to say thank you for very clear explanations on using this website.  You made it very easy and quick. You are the Master Po  ;)
"Whether You Think You Can or Can't, You're Right"--Henry Ford       Just call me grasshopper Master Po.

MountainDon

We've been away a while; back for a few days picking up materials and supplies....

One of the first things I tidied up back up in the mountains was the grounding on the PV panels/pole. I drove the 8 foot copper clad steel rod to within 2 inches of being at the NEC legal depth (full 8 feet) and hit a rock that would not budge nor break.



My plan to solve this is to add dirt on top and make it 8 feet.   :D

There's a little more info on this in the Off Grid Power topic
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=6059.msg93218#msg93218



Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

We improved on the burn barrel location. I staked the logs to the ground with rebar and we shoveled pumice from along the hill up and poured it around the barrel to help prevent sparks and dropped ashes from igniting ground cover.



We also hauled the 20" range up and got it hooked up.



The fridge goes to the left soon.

I completed the trim framing around the door. More redwood...





Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

Back outside once again we finally completed the soffits and fascia on the north and south sides.



The story here is plan better.   ::)  I somehow messed up and made the eves overhang greater than what could be covered by ready made soffit material. The material we chose is the James Hardie cement fiber stuff, to match the siding. We were short a few inches. My solution was to use some Hardie plank material in a 6 1/4 inch width. It's applied at the gap by the wall and is screwed over the 24 inch wide soffit material. That is predrilled for ventilation.

Once that was up we could complete the last upper row of siding on the north side and begin the south side.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


MountainDon

After that I got a start on the battery house. First a sturdy platform. The posts are 5 feet in the ground with a doubled 2x8 beam.  The ledger is lag bolted to the cabin rim joist.



In the area where the batteries will be the joists are 2x6 with 12 inch spacing. The gap in the middle of the Hardie sement fiber board is creative use of cut offs.



Twin 40 lb propane bottles are mounted at the south end. Someday we may get a 200 gallon on-ground tank and save the bother of hauling these.

Then we took a break and had some fun. Pine cones, of which we have a surplus, make fine 22LR targets.





Note the gray mark above the base where the lead bullet split the pine cone.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

Before siding the south wall I drilled a big hole.



Then cut out a bigger hole...



Why?  It's for the RV water heater we're using. I flashed it much like a window before running short on material and running into a problem.

RV water heaters fit into the wall. Rv walls are much thinner than the cabin's 2x6 framed walls. This placed the gas line fitting in a bad spot. I cut a groove and will run a short length of copper line from the 3/8" flare fitting back inside the cabin space.



Then the heater will be installed. Details and photos when completed.

One last thing...



I set timbers and laid cast concrete blocks at the foot of the porch stairs.  That gives more space to stomp off mud when it rains, before mounting the stairs.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

Siding. At last, all installed up to the eves and the 7 - 8 foot level on the end walls.





Next is more paint and more insulation in the attic (blow in cellulose) and then the gable siding and end vents and access doors, plus the end fascia trim.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

ScottA

Looks like good progress Don.

Sassy

Wow, you've gotten to the home stretch it looks like - and everything is done just so - great job, I'm sure you guys are really enjoying it.  
http://glennkathystroglodytecabin.blogspot.com/

You will know the truth & the truth will set you free


MountainDon

#839
We still have a ways to go, but yes, we are enjoying ourselves.

Today I came into town to pickup the Servel 400 refrigerator. It will be nice to have more refrigerated space.  :D
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Bishopknight

Great progress MountainDon :)

Let me know how that RV heater works out. I need to put one in the 12x16 eventually ( or use an on demand electric one ).

Was the hardiplank soffit board expensive? I need to order some but I've been lazy. Watch I'll probably get a racoon up my soffits the day before I have it delivered.  d*

Either way, good pics. Is that atleast a 5 megapixel camera?

MountainDon

Thanks!   :D

RV water heater. It's now installed. I have no doubt it will work fine as we've been using basically the same unit in the RV for many years. We normally use it in pilot light mode; only using the normal burner mode if we both have a shower the same day. It is amazing how much heat builds up with just the pilot lit. After a day or so in normal summer weather the water in the tank heats to the medium to hot thermostat setting. In late fall and winter it takes longer. Mind you that is with frugal water use. Years of dry camping in the RV have made it second nature to us. I'm also going to use extra insulation around the tank. Pictures next time I return.

HardiPlank soffit material. I bought it last fall and don't have a clue about the price as retained, or not, by my aging brain cells. I wanted the cement fiber material for it's fire resistance and that was that. I ordered it through Lowe's. I do recall that their price was about $2 a piece (24" x 12 feet) than the lumber dealer in the mountains. (FWIW, the Ace guys prices on many things are as good as the big box stores.) It is a handful to handle the 12 ft lengths, but my son and I managed.

My images are from an 8 megapixel Panasonic camera. I do use software to resize and reduce pixel count and increase compression for faster web page loading. The Panasonic does have a pretty good E. Leitz (Leica) lens.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Bishopknight

Ya I can tell, thats a good camera. I need to invest in a new one.

Good info on the RV heater, thanks.

MountainDon

The past 10-11 days have been busy, but not with much actual building.

We've had a bunch of visitors for one thing. For another we bought the adjacent acre and a half and spent nearly two days picking up fallen branches and trees and burning them. We got real lucky with some very high amounts of rain for a few days; everything on the ground was very well soaked. We figured it was an ideal time to burn some trash. It took some diesel with added gasoline to get it to start burning, but once it was hot we kept on adding everything from stumps to pine needles. This is on the corner of the new property.





For the 4th of July we had a truly big bonfire in the burn pit. The pile had not been burned for over a year so there was quite an accumulation of unwanted trash trees, pine needles and brush. James fired it after dark as we didn't really want the smoke to be seen all over the Jemez. Here it is sometime around it's maximum; probably about 1000 sq feet in size.



And, the morning after; a very much reduced pile of trash/debris.



Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

I picked up the Servel/Dometic RGE400 refrigerator at the local warehouse. It was a bit heavy but K & I managed to get it off the trailer and inside. After letting it sit upright for a day it fired up nicely and "made cold". (We had transported it on its side because of the bumpy road in.)



It's working well with the inside thermometer reading between 36 and 40 degrees throughout the day.

So with the cold under control I added some insulation around the water heater.





When the under sink plumbing is all completed there will be aluminum over all the exposed foam. The white hose between the cold and hot is a bypass system. In freezing weather we can leave the water heater shut down with the tank drained while still using the water system for cold. Then it's not quite so much work to blow the system dry before we leave.

Our shades came in while we were in the mountains last time. So one od the things I did this time was to install them (4). The one in the bedroom area is a bottom up - top down style. Part of the reason for selecting one of them was price. By spending a little more we bumped the total up to where we saved enough to pay for the feature and still save us $45.





Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


ScottA

Starting to look very livable Don.  :)

MountainDon

The game/trail camera I ordered also arrived and I spent some time fooling with it. It's an HCO ScoutGuard 550.



It took a few days to get pictures of something other than squirrels.

Pictures are here.


Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Redoverfarm

Don the gas stove is that considered a "manuel" as it only has a pilot light and no electronic ignitor? Been pricing the Dometic 400 this evening.  $1,385 incl shipping.

MountainDon

#848
I've also got the Energy Center well underway. This used to be known as the 'battery box', but I renamed this portion of the project yesterday.   ;D ;D



The propane bottles will be on the left side of the elevated platform. Next will be the ventilated compartment for the charge controller. Batteries will be located in the large center compartment with the inverter located in the right end compartment. The electronics will be vented to dissipate any heat. The batteries will be isolated from the electronics. The power flow is logical, from left to right, PV panels to charge controller to batteries to inverter to breaker box. The breaker box is hidden on the right end.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

Quote from: Redoverfarm on July 12, 2009, 09:20:25 PM
Don the gas stove is that considered a "manuel" as it only has a pilot light and no electronic ignitor? Been pricing the Dometic 400 this evening.  $1,385 incl shipping.

Yes John, the range has a pilot light; no electronic ignition. From what I was told the electronic ignition models usually have a heater bar for the oven ignition. I decided to go with the pilot light so save on electrical power. The oven pilot can be left off with no danger when there are no plans for oven use.

I also installed the shutoff valve for the propane just behind the upper back portion of the range. You can see the valve in the photo. It is simple to shut the gas off when one doesn't want the heat from the pilots, or does not wish to burn the small amount of gas that the 2 pilots use. It's a simple matter to relight with one of those butane 'firesticks'.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.