Dogtrot at Hightop

[Redoverfarm]

Not too much accomplished this past week with this cold,flue or whatever I have.  Did manage to finish off the gable end of the living room wall and primed. The mantle was installed and some other things which didn't require alot of energy but were necessary.



I also finished the mantle log.  It is a hand hewed log that I cut down to 5-1/2".  When I started with it the demensions were 7-1/2" thick, 16" wide and 16' long.  After the mantle selection was made I still have enough to make a 5' bench with 2' tall legs. But that will have to wait.  I counted the growth rings and there was approximately 176 rings.  So it you convert that to years it is at least 176 years old.  Probably a little more as there wasn't much distinction in the rings and I probably missed a few that had been taken off the back side to make it fit the block on the flue flush.



I sanded the top and face then applied 3 coats of poly to get a dust free finish for easy cleaning. I hate to turn such a beautiful piece of lumber up that you can't see.  This is a picture looking at the top of the mantle from the loft.



This is the underside of the mantle which is the original hand hewed which rest on the rock support arms.

[ScottA]

That's a beauty John.

[Whitlock]

Looking good I'm still jealous

[Redoverfarm]

I just happened to think about the mantle.  It has probably been cut for close to 100 years.  Given the growth rings that would make it almost 300 years old.  Probably not that many ancient pieces of timber in a house today.  Amazing I think.

[glenn kangiser]

That's cool.

[cordwood]

I just happened to think about the mantle.  It has probably been cut for close to 100 years.  Given the growth rings that would make it almost 300 years old.  Probably not that many ancient pieces of timber in a house today.  Amazing I think.

The only thing that old around here are the jokes about my building techniques

[CWhite]

Beautiful mantel and nice rock work.  I especially like the key stone in  your fireplace.

Your appreciation for the years it took to grow your mantel are just one piece of why that house is going to be very special. 
Christina

[considerations]

Good morning! - I would really like it if you would post a picture of your Ashley wood stove. 

We had one when I was a kid.  It looked like a big metal box with rounded ( I think) corners and tiny mica windows.  There was the word "Ashley" cast in one piece of metal and fixed somewhere on the front of it.

We used to bath and then run to the stove to get warm again.  My sister backed up too close one time and got "Ashley" branded backwards you know where.  I was probably 4 or 5, and was just learning to read, and thought it hilarious to see letters printed backwards.  Got in a little trouble for the uncontrolled giggling when I should have been sympathetic. 

Just wonder if the stove is similar or been modernized over the years.      

[Sassy]

Great story, considerations, lol!  Yes, desdawg - your place is wonderful - so much thought & care taken to make it just right!

[CREATIVE1]

Looked at your slideshow for the first time.  The details are absolutely MINDBLOWING.     A custom builder would have trouble even coming close.  I'll have to send the pictures to my prospective crew.  You're doing so many things that I had in mind, like mixed siding materials, interesting window trim, etc.  Exacto set, here I come.  Again, WOW.

[Redoverfarm]

Considerations I will post just for you next week if I think about taking the picture.  It is the newer cheaper style.  Sort of a box but better than I had in there.  My grandparents had one similar to what you were describing and when I was growing up we did the same thing to theirs.  But we really headed to the little area between the cookstove and the wall 1st thing in the morning.   Try getting dressed in that little area and yes we got branded a few times ourselves.  Nothing permanent to show but the memories have lasted forever.

[Redoverfarm]

Christina even still I run across little things with the logs that I hadn't caught before.  Makes you wonder why , how and for what purpose did they serve.  I managed to save a couple of round handmade pegs that I will try to save and display in a shadow box along with the draw knive that I used and other artifacts. One peg I just left in the hole.

I don't know if you picked up on the extra log that was left from the mantle.  Will make a beautiful bench for the kitchen. But that is later.



Thanks for the reply

[Redoverfarm]

CREATIVE1  thanks for the comments.  Alot was done out of neccessity just to make things work out and others were "the little touch" as they say.  If you saw something that I might be able to help you with just let me know.  Not that I did it right or wrong but I will tell you how I did it.

[CREATIVE1]

Might be giving you a holler in the spring.  From building one house already, I know how many decisions are involved.  Help is appreciated.  And as you say, some choices have more to do with serendipity than planning ahead.

[Redoverfarm]

Haven't made it to the cabin since Saturday when I dropped off a Generac 12KW on the front porch that I PU on Craigs List in the Shenandoah Valley.  Had never been used.  The lady had bought it 2-1/2 years ago for a house her and her husband was going to build but ended up getting a divorce.  Good buy as it was almost 1/2 of what a new comparable sized one cost now.

Anyway yesterday was disasterious.  We had freezing rain on Monday PM and with the packed snow on the road it turned to shear terror.  About 1 to 1-1/2" of ice.  There are about 5 switchback turns that lead up to the cabin off the paved road.  Upon turning off the main road I was met by a truck parked.  The passenger said there were two vehicles overturned down the embankment at two of the turns.  One of which was a couple hundred feet from the cabin.  As it turned out an elderly gentleman from New Jersey (passenger) in one of the overturned trucks had died as of a heart attack after the wreck.  Had heard theat he had heart problems and panicked when they smelled gas.

Well to compound the problem the ambulance tried to drive up and ended up crossways in the turn at the location of the first accident nearly overturning on top of the previous accident vehicle just lacking 6-8" from the embankment.  That was 1 mile from the fatality accident.  The paramedics had to walk to the site.

The road is a all time favorite route for hunters so with all said and done there was several vehicles either overturned on the embankment or the ditch that had to be pulled out.  A friend of mine operates a towing service and arrived shortly after I did.  We installed chains on all four wheels of his 4 wheel drive wrecker and after  8 hours of snatch blocks, chains, cables I finally got home some 8 hours afterwards. 

I did manage to get up to the gate of the cabin early and unlocked them so the emergency workers and salt truck could turn around. 

A somewhat comical ending was that just before the end of the day we went and locked the gate to the cabin and then proceeded to the last remaining wreck to pull the truck overturned below the cabin.  While over the embankment a friend of mine from Charlotte came down the hill and said "You locked me in".  I said what and he went on to explain that he had taken his friend to look at my cabin and I had locked the gate while they were there unknown to me.  He did manage to climb a dirt embankment that I had put at the gate.  He told me that he would fix it in the spring.

Without chains it was useless to try to drive up that road but many tried and usually didn't succeed.  It's like " I have four wheel drive and I can walk on water".  Four wheel drive in this circumstance was useless unless you had chains.  I didn't so my truck stayed parked at the bottom.  Even though it is a USFS road they did manage to get the county highways department to cinder it to my cabin. .  But there was still 4-1/2 miles left untreated to the top.  Like most times I didn't have a camera to capture the events.  Will try to get up there today as the cinders improved the surface to where a standard 4 wheel drive could make it.

[CWhite]

Geez John, what a nightmare! 
Sorry to hear about the victim.

[MountainDon]

Here in the west there are roads and times when all vehicles are required to have chains. Chains are a part of your ski equipment if you are a serious skier. Sure adds up when you have a 4WD.

[Sassy]

Whew, what a day!  Wouldn't have wanted to be an emergency worker in that...  no injuries?  Sad about the man who died...  that must have been pretty scary for him.

I used to drive on black ice all the time in Washington during the winter - but we had studded tires which really helped - I'm sure they tore up the roads but sure helped you stay on them!

[glenn kangiser]

What an ordeal, John.  Somehow I missed this yesterday.  Sassy pointed me to it.

Chains are required here or you don't go, but I have seen in Illinois that they were not even allowed.  They made wide edges for people to crash off the road into.  ...and there were lots of cars off the road waiting for a wrecker when I was there.

[MountainDon]

Back home I used to run studs on all four wheels on the car. They were only allowed during the winter months.

[Redoverfarm]

Same here Don.  Only allowed from October to April.  If I had an extra set of rims I would consider studs but too much hassel to re-mount them in the spring and fall.  Also the extra expense of buying two sets of tires.  With 10 ply one set is about all I could afford every three years or so.

Yes Glenn we have an area off the side of the road as well it is called a Hollow.  Tree's are the guardrail if you are lucky.

Sassy there wasn't anyone hurt besides the elderly gentleman.  It is amazing that they were not more people hurt as both turned up side down and went into about a 20' ravine.  And yes Black Ice is bad.  I had a trooper that worked for me several years back that hit it on approach to a bridge responding to a domestic situation.  Ended up in the water and it was several hours before anyone found him.  He didn't make it.  To compound the situation his wife (married one year) had found out that day she was pregnant.  Still keep in touch but still felt responsible for a long time but am eventually coming to peace with it.

Well on the lighter side the temp went up to 35F and some of it started melting off the road.  With the cinders put on yesterday I made it to the cabin with no problem and worked most of the day on the plumbing.  Temp in the cabin was 30F when I got there and lit the stove and it raised to 45F by the time I left.

Just to add to the hetic of yesterday my son has been hunting with my wife's cousin and of all places they went was on top of the same Mountain above the cabin.  I talked to him on the phone from the camp and he said they didn't have any problems although it was slick going and coming.  I just wonder how they even made it up there but they did and returned safely.  Just a few more grey hairs to add to the rest that I have left.

[peteh2833]

Redoverfarm, What do you do for a living??? Pete

[Redoverfarm]

Pete check your message box.

[peteh2833]

I sent you a message back. Pete

[Redoverfarm]

The majority of this week was spent on the plumbing.  Anything but convientional for the most part.  Everything is done to the crawlspace area with the exception of the shower which I will have to build in to determine the supply and drop locations.  As you can see in the photograph I had only one partition that I could use for the drop and supply lines given the beams and open ceiling.  I have a stacked 1/2 bath over the main bath of sorts.  At least the toilet is in the 30" area of the ceiling over the main floor bathroom.  There will be a dropped ceiling to hide the toilet waste and supply of the same T&G as the main ceiling. Now for the loft bathroom sink I had to get inventiive as it is not over the drop area.  My solution was to go around the room wall until I reached that 30" area.  This will be hidden as well with a cabinet/shelf area.  I managed to vent the system in the vicinity of the loft bath ceiling and out the metal roof. I don't profess to be a plumber but I think this will work.  Did I mention before that next to drywall I hate plumbing as well.

Main bathroom





Loft bathroom







Roof Vent



This is the 12KW generator that I purchased a couple of weeks ago.  This is as far as it has gotten since it weighs 470 pounds and I didn't have the tractor to unload it. I just slid it off the truck to the front porch. Doesn't look the best there but hey it's no a refrigerator.   When I get up on the mountain with the tractor I will move it to it's new home in the retaining wall that I stoned a couple weeks ago.  If the weather holds off a little longer I might even get it installed.



Considerations this is the Ashley stove that I had temporarily put in the kitchen for a little heat.  It is probably not the one you remember. A newer verson of a box stove style.  But it does help. Eventually there will be a wood cookstove in that location.