Mike's Mill

Wow. A pretty incredible morning. Perhaps you all recall that we had to fell a spruce tree in order to build our house. We loved that tree. It was the one we put the ladder against and dreamed and planned where we could position our house and capitalize on the view. We must have climbed that tree a thousand times over six years.

The day we cut it we were both sad, but made a promise to ourselves that we would mill the tree so we could use some of the boards in a special way in the new house. Today was the day we had the log milled. But it was more than that. Don met a new neighbor, Mike, who is another really nice person - really really nice. Mike was a pro with his "backyard saw mill." The photos tell it all. Here I was, on a farm in bow, on a beautiful spring morning, milling our tree and making an assortment of boards and beams that we plan to use for our staircase post, railing posts for our stairway railings, our trim board for the loft, and maybe for a sitting bench! Way more than we thought. Mike made it easy. He advised me on what he could do with the tree, and away we went. It was great and a great part of building our house! Mike was born in the Bow area and is a great resource on the history of the area - like so many of our neighbors.

Tomorrow Deb and I pick up the boards, beams, and scraps and bring it to the house to store it till we are ready to use it. Can't wait! Note: the "stairstep" photo of our log was taken when we were cutting true 4x4 inch posts for our stairway railings....

Day after earth day

Ok, not too creative of a title. Deb came home today! We did some work cutting screen for the windows and used a bread knife to cut the excess foam insulation so it planes out with the walls. Will nail screen on this weekend. Tomorrow we will have the spruce tree/log milled. Since it was the special tree we used to climb to see the view, we plan to use the boards from it for some special woodwork in the house...

All we have... Another sterling sunset. The lighting is wonderful inside and outside of the house.

Earth Day

Yep, April 22. Earth Day 2009. Crazy day too. Spent way too much time trying to get my mom a few tests.... mainly due to "miscommunication" with doctor offices..... Yoy! When I got home from work, I ate dinner around 430 and then headed to the house. Decided to take a photo from our photo point in the driveway. Sure enough, I found a photo taken from the same point last year. WOW. It is very hard to believe the first photo was taken one year ago!

I spoke to our friend Patty Wincek today. She said to me that we should take stock in what we have accomplished - that many people have dreams, but very few actually make their dreams come true. Well Patty, these "before and after" pics allowed me to take stock and reflect, if only for a few minutes, and sure enough it brought a smile on my face and a sense of achievement.... thanks!

Other updates here include a couple sheetrock shots, and my latest challenge of framing in our windows with plywood which I finished last night.... then tonight, I tar papered all the framing. Pretty easy with a staple hammer.... love that tool. Next, nail screening. Should be done in a couple days. Sunset for earth day was wonderful... the lighting this time of the year is just perfect for the view.... I lit a fire too but, I got a "small boulder" in my eye earlier and it was killing me so my thoughts of enjoying the fire and the sunset went out the window..... ended up going over to Ardie and Larry's and they did some voodoo magic (just kidding) and helped me get it out.... Thanks!

Bedtime..... have to say it again......the before and after pics are amazing.....

Hello from Deb

Hi There!!! Don's been doing such a great job keeping this blog updated! I wanted to tell everyone myself that it's been so nice to hear from all of you. We appreciate the comments on the blog, the emails and the visits from neighbors and friends - this keeps us motivated...because building our house has it's ups and downs. We have been working on this for a little more than 1 year with (it seems) more lows than highs. Thanks for all of your support!

As for my recovery - it still progresses. The surgeon said it would be 1-2 years for a full recovery - if that ever happens. I continue my daily exercises for my back - with the MUCH appreciated reminders from a friend and co-worker! I still take tylenol, but typically in the morning and at night. This week, I'm in the field doing stream surveys - so I'll be hiking and walking in streams with my waders - I'm just very cautious and slow!

Again, Thanks for your encouragement and support! We truly appreciate it!

Deb

Lisa comes to help!

Like an angel arriving from heaven, Lisa came up this weekend to help out. Needless to say we weren't shy with work. Saturday, we worked about eleven hours straight! Had dinner at about 9 pm. Lisa and Debbie "foamed" the outlets with insulation foam in prep for our wall texturing/plastering. Don framed out the big picture windows and then lisa and debbie cut tar paper that needs to go on the wood... then mark will put on the lath (screen) and get underway. Once again we have way more work to do than we thought per the windows.... Many of them will need to be framed out with half inch plywood, and then tar papered. Its not easy work but just gott do it and move on.

Bottom line - we are so grateful to have friends like Lisa (and Dick). To come up here and work all day, then sunday morning do it again, is just unbelieveable. Then she went over to Margarets apartment and had lunch with her, and cheered her up! Not only is the labor really helpful, the cheerful and positive attitude pumps us up. And, she loves the house. We love her! Enjoy the pics!

He's Back!

The Stucco King is back. Mark is back at it. In two days, he and Morgan have finished the west side of the house, the east side loft area, both the screened porch and loft porch walls, and even patched a couple of our "mishaps" to boot. Everything looks great.

And, it's not over. Mark and Morgan will be leading the effort for the interior wall texturing which will happen in concert with our sheet rock man, Tom Mundt - another really nice man. Mark and Morgan have agreed to teach Debbie and I how to apply texture to our interior walls. It is a no lose situation. We do as much as we can to help getting the walls and windows ready, learn a new skill, and save some money. If we can't get the hang of it, we turn it over entirely to Mark and Morgan.....M&M!

Sheetrock gang is going gangbusters on the taping too. Walls just keep looking better.

So it goes. And, last but not least, another milestone was completed today. Mark let us use the high lift he rented to get to the east loft wall safely. So, sure enough, Don went way up high and finished staining the soffits on the north wall. What a relief it is for all the soffits to be done. We were worried how we were going to finish it, and now we have it done and we did it ourselves.

Does anyone "get" Don's little bit of weird humor on the center pick...? Look close.

Ah! We move closer again.

Sheet rocking complete - taping and plastering next

Just a quick update. Pics tell it all. Sunlight on stone heater is really cool looking... ignore all the crap around it. Thrilled to have all sheetrock hung. Totally different feel to the house.... And, stucco on west side is done! Its warming up and sunsets just won't quit lately. All for now..........

Whoa, a Big Day!

Major kind of day today.... had a lot of crews doing a lot of work. Steve, Pete, Leanne, Brian, Mark, Morgan, Josh and Dylan had a big day. We will let the photos tell the story..... sheetrock, doors framed, and stucco work. All very well done by some very nice folks.... And, last but not least, Hank (and Tim) came down, along with a great sunset to boot! Enjoy!

Easter

It's Easter! It's raining, cloudy, and below average temps.... about 50 degrees. But, it has been a great day. We picked up Margaret this morning and took her to Church and then came back to the apartment for a late lunch - yummy fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, and Deb's home-made scones. Now we are just kinda relaxing/napping. It is AMAZING. It is Sunday, and we are NOT working at the house. This has to be a first, as far as we can recall. Yep, been over a year! Last year on this day, the foundation forms were just being built. Wow.
The clever little pic was taken last night.... Don was being a bit silly, and drew a face on his big toe... and then the "toe" snuck up on Deb on the couch.... you can guess the rest...
The beautiful Easter Table was done by Deb. Margaret loved it. So did Don. Margaret got an Easter Lily, Easter Basket, and Easter card. Overall a really nice day and its only 330 in the afternoon....
Upcoming week should be a big one.... Deb travels for work on Tues, back Thurs....
Happy Easter!

Sunlight

Almost the end of another week. Sheet rock continues to move ahead. Looks like all the sheetrock will be in place by Monday. I think they may start the taping and mudding tomorrow? Josh came over today and helped us out by setting the bathtub on a frame. Don was going to do it but it was a bit more than he wanted to attempt - especially when he didn't know what to do...:) So, its in. We're glad. And, our interior doors are in so we have to pick them up and install this weekend... Great fun.

Overall, its hard to get a good shot of the sheetrocking in the basement, so we'll have a photo of the living room ceiling once it gets done. Meanwhile, lots of odds and ends to do.

In a rare moment of actually looking around and enjoying the house as it is, we are noticing something very very neat..... "Sunlight!" Yes, over the past few months we have been noticing how the sunlight that comes in to the house, continually changes the mood and what it actually shines on. Sure, our house is no different than any other (well, we think it is), but the point here is that it is all new to us. Some of it is a complete surprise and other times it was what we were hoping for. So, here are couple shots that sort of surprised us on how the sunlight (at this time of the year and at "that particular hour/minute" looks when it shines in the house.... We love it!

Oh Chute!

Another weekend of work on the house ends. Knocking things out for sure. Today we started bright and early and finished around 630 pm. Actually got the laundry chute built and set in place - it even works. Some funny parts during this effort that got us laughing pretty good for a sunday morning.... too much to tell it all. Also, did some gravel hauling for our trail, removed the cheap hardware for the pocket doors and replaced with better, installed the garage door trim, did some window insulation, built a fire...nice, etc. Lunch on the deck watching the squirrels... "Buzzy." Wow, quite a day. Tomorrow sheet rockers resume and we work jobs, and need to take Mom to doctor appt. and call other doctor to hopefully arrange for a different test. Deb will be doing laundry tomorrow night too. Can not wait till we do not have to go to a laundromat.... you have no idea what a pain that has been.... among other things. There you have it. Really nice weather! 65 and sunny. Tomorrow, 67 and sunny. G'night!

Happy Birthday!

Yep, another Birthday for Debbie. After what happened last Aug. 7, 2008, her fall and breaking her back, we truly celebrated another year of life. Things could have been so much worse. Deb had a pretty nasty cold on her Birthday, so we had a couple of mini-celebrations after the main day. On Friday, we both worked a full day, then picked up a pizza and took the birthday cake and some ice cream over the Margaret's apartment. It was great. We had pizza, cake and ice cream and then watched "Marley and Me-" the movie about the naughty yellow labrador retriever. Lots of fun.

Today was really busy. Went to Bellingham. Visited Deb's co-worker Gayle at the hospital, who had neck surgery yesterday. She was doing really well. Then, picked out and bought 12 interior doors, looked at faucets, tile, sinks, and vanities. Then bought some pocket door hardware, rubber gloves, muriatic acid, 12 " galvanized venting material (to build a home-made laundry chute), a few 2x4s, and then headed home to unload all the crap. Ate leftover pizza and cake, went to John and Carol Penny's (who are so so nice) to pick up some dry firewood, took that to house and hauled it all up stairs (no dumbwaiter yet), then shoveled and hauled gravel for our trail, then we in the house and went upstairs. Deb cleaned off the masonry heater, and Don split some wood. Then we built a fire, watched the sunset, watched the fire burn down, came back to the apartment, showered, and collapsed. Tomorrow, we install new pocket door hardware, frame out a few things, install trim on garage doors, build the laundry chute, and maybe wrap the masonry heater with plastic so it won't get all messed up when they start sheetrocking the ceilings in the living room. Great fun. Weather is supposed to be really nice for the next few days! G'night!

Shhhhhhheeeeet, its sheet rock time!

Right on the tail of finishing the insulation, we had sheetrock delivered today and the installation has begun! Pretty wild to watch this event. They hoisted up a whole bunch of sheets and brought them in the third story window- then stashed them against the walls until they are ready. Did the same on the bedroom floor and the basement. Two guys doing the work and in about 5 hours they did the master and guest bedroom ceilings, and the office ceiling. Then did guest bedroom wall, Then headed home. Before it is all over they will be in the house for about 2-3 weeks. We will also be having the outside stucco finished and then Mark will start on the inside of the exterior walls. We plan to help to minimize costs.... mostly masking windows and nailing screening to the window wells etc... we may even get a chance to do some plastering... great fun for sure! So, there you have it. Overall it seems sheet rock photos are not going to be that exciting but we'll see what happens. We are excited to see the insulation get covered up and will be pretty jazzed when the big picture windows get the finishing touch on the inside. We think this will be a good time to pick out some faucets, sinks, doors, colors etc. so we can be ready when sheet rock is finished. All for now....

Oh yeah, yesterday was Debbie's birthday!!! And, one year ago on April 1, 2008 we broke ground! Goodnight!