It's Not Cramped, It's Cozy!

Ed finished the interior framing this weekend. Man, that bedroom is tiny! It's about 10'x10', more or less, which is about the same size as our guest bedrooms now. It will be livable, but only just. We had friends that lived in a cab-over camper for a year while their place was being built, and they had a toddler! We only have a dog and three cats. We can do this.

This is the kitchen. The refrigerator will be first along the left wall, then counter space. The double sink will be under the double window, then the counter will run to the right to the wall (bedroom wall) , turning into desk under the large window. We'll have an island, about 4'x6' that will have the stovetop and oven, and an eating counter. Can you see it?

Ed spent most of Tuesday morning finishing up and cleaning up for the rough framing inspection. The building department here has been pleasant, helpful and easy to work with. But having an inspection is like having your teeth cleaned. They don't hurt you, but you hate it anyway. All went well, of course. Ed is pretty precise about his projects. It was a milestone though. One baby step down, 150 baby steps to go!

Windows and exterior doors come Monday. Of course, it's supposed to start raining this week, and we won't see the sun for a while.

He Was Framed

Sunday it was raining a bit, and Ed helped a neighbor install a pellet stove, but by the afternoon, he was back up working on our project. We decided to go with Milgard Tuscany windows for the apartment. They were lower priced than some, but not rock bottom. Because the windows are custom, they get pretty darned pricy very very fast, so we decided to conserve here and spend the big bucks on the house. But we also didn't want the windows so different they would be visually jarring when the house and garage are complete. To make a long story longer, the sliding door and transom show as one unit on the house, but Milgard Tuscany windows don't come that way and had to be made as separate units. So, Ed had to put a header in between the door and the transom. He also finished framing the arched windows both front and back.

Ed started framing the interior walls on Monday, and into Tuesday. That's the fun stuff. This is where I can really sense what it will look like. Ed is visual..he can see it all in his head. I'm tactile, and have a tough time until the hardware is up.

For instance...above is the pantry. The kitchen will start on the right side of that wall. First the fridge, then cabinets, and the sink will be centered between the two windows. The coat closet is the same size, on the opposite side of the door.

This is the bathroom, and the bedroom closet will be to the left of the..um..left wall..you know..Anyway ..the bedroom walls aren't up yet, and there is more (and more, and more) blocking to go in for the sheetrock, but hopefully by next Tuesday afternoon, Ed can call for his framing inspection.

Finally as the weekend comes to an end, it's always good to stop. Smell the air. Hear the sound of a thousand crisp maple leaves drifting their way to ground, and the creek singing as it glides toward the Mighty Columbia. Elk call out their challange to one another. Ravens gronk as they settle in the tree tops. Life is good. Say thank you.

One Two Red Blue

No....I didn't forget. It's just that things have taken a slight detour. Ed hurt his hand and hasn't been able to use the hammer. Weekend before last we gave it all a rest and took off for Portland for the day. We went to Lumber Liquidators to see what they had to offer. Then we went around the corner to check out the high-end plumbing fixtures. We don't plan on getting too carried away with the apartment above the garage, but it's nice to see what the choices are. And what choices there are! Brass, bronze, copper, chrome, stainless steel, granite, onyx, concrete, porcelain, soapstone, glass...and that's just sinks and faucets. Did you know there are electrified toilets? Lids that go up automatically, go down silently, heated seats, quiet flushes, one button flushes, two button flushes ..red flushes blue flushes. No,wait, that's Dr. Seuss' bathroom.
It was fun to see all the stuff though. Go figure..I zeroed in on the cute little faucet that was only $850. That's a water faucet...not a champagne faucet! We'll be skipping that one!
We did manage to get the Mustang pushed back into the garage. That's a good thing because winter is right around the corner. Ed hooked a big old tire to the front of the tractor and pushed the car ever slow slowly while I sat inside and steered..which I hate. I was scared to death I'd steer it right into one of those pillars we just put in. But we managed to get it in there without hitting anything!
This last weekend Ed's hand was much better so he was back at it. Unfortunately all the stuff he did was not camera-friendly so I don't have any pictures. He put in more blocking, nailed off the rest of the hurricane clips and finished nailing off the plywood.
Finally on Tuesday he started framing the interior walls. By next weekend he should have the majority of the interior walls framed in. Once he is done with that....(drumroll please) we can call for the framing inspection!

Bats In The Belfrey!

Sunday Ed put up the scaffolding on the east side of the project. He'll probably leave it up for the duration, since he will need it to put in windows and shingles and stuff. Just getting the scaffolding up took the better half of the day.


Monday he started hanging the plywood for that side. He nailed up some blocks along the wall and lifted the plywood, set it on blocks, lifted the plywood set it on blocks, moved to the next tier of scaffolding, and started over. Lifted the plywood, set it..well you get the picture. After doing that all day, he got the Big-Boy-Backrub.
After fighting the rain through half of August, it feels good to get the roof complete and the walls up. It looks really different from inside. I spent some time topside, laying rope and electrical cords on the floor where the kitchen cabinets and interior walls will be, trying to fix in my mind how the rooms will feel, besides small, which is a given.

Those are the views...west, east, south and north.
We're due for rain next week too, so Tuesday Ed wrapped the chimney with roofing paper, and tarped the door opening. Windows and doors have to go in before the real winter stuff hits, but for this storm, we're calling it good. The rest of Tuesday was spent cleaning up the jobsite and doing a few pre-season chores like tarping the part of the woodpile not covered already, and cleaning out the woodstove chimney flue. Did you know that if a little bat gets trapped in your chimney in the summer, the little bat-mummy just doesn't weigh anything at all! Poor thing...and HOW does a lizard get up on the roof and inside there? Ed vacuumed out two dead bats, three mummified lizards, and rescued one live lizard (after a brief E ticket ride through the shop vac).
I'm pretty sure Ed will be framing interior walls next week. WoHoo!

A Roofer Runs Through It

Thursday was another dump run, physical therapy and general running around. We got home in time for Ed to put in a few hours, so he gave the fascia boards a coat of dark green paint. It goes great with the roof shingles (Pabco Sherwood Green).



Friday is the day we have been waiting for! The roofers showed up bright and early to start the shingles. I can't tell you how glad I am that Ed's not doing that job, and he just wants it done before it starts to rain again. Ed roofed the barn, and when you're doing it by yourself and you only have a few days a week to work on it..well..it takes forever.















This is where having the right tools for the job makes all the difference in the world. That lift truck was just too cool. I wonder where you get one of those..by the end of Friday they had most of the roof covered with shingles, and the rest covered with roofing paper. We knew we would be getting rain over the weekend, so we were just happy that it was more or less water tight. What a huge relief. They'll come back Monday and finish.













Over the weekend, Ed worked on the interior. He installed ceiling joists, and more blocking for plywood and drywall. He filled up the truck with another load to the dump, and took down the staging front and back. Sunday he put up truss blocking and hurricane clips..and before you say it, no we don't have hurricanes. We do have 90 mph+ winds several times each winter, but since they don't spin, they just blow, it's just wind.









Monday the roofers returned and finished up. Isn't it pretty? A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Actually, they are 30 year shingles, but at our age, that's close enough to forever. We are so happy to have it finished.













Monday Ed started working hanging the plywood on the west wall. It's just really hard by himself, and after a few false starts and some scary moments, he decided to build scaffolding on the side of the house and work from there. Much better! He had to put it up, take it down and move it around a bit, but well worth the effort. Trial and error ate most of the morning but once the scaffolding was up, things went a lot faster.









By the end of Tuesday, he had the west wall done. Considering how much time out of the last two weeks he had to spend taking care of me, he got a lot done, and things are shaping up nicely.
Ed went back to work this morning, and rain is expected this week. Of course it is! It rains here all the time!

He's Been Around The Block A Time Or Two

Ed has been a busy guy. He lost three days of work taking care of me, waiting on me hand and foot. After that I was sufficiently mobile that I could sit around eating bonbons, trashy romance novel in one hand and walkie-talkie in the other. With the other half of the radio in his pocket, he went back to building. On days where I had physical therapy, he only had a half day to work, since he was chauffeur the first part of the morning. Considering how his work time was split up, it is amazing how much he got done.

He installed a drip line on the barge rafters ..I'm not sure what a barge rafter is, but since I couldn't get up the ladder to take any pictures all week, you'll have to take my word for it. Then last Saturday, he finished all the blocking downstairs and drilled and epoxied in the remaining tie downs along the foundation. On Sunday he was back up on the roof and put the last of the plywood on the roof. After that he moved all the lumber up to the second story that he would need for the interior and end walls.

On Monday, he put the headers up on both 11/12 gable end trusses for the end walls. Once again, he figured out how to do it by himself. He fitted the lower end into place and fixed a rope pully. Once he got it hoisted into place but not snug, he tied it off and shot a few nails to hold it, pulled the rope, and then nailed it tight.

He put up the primary framing for the east wall, with the window framing still to go.

Tuesday he was my driver again in the morning, so didn't get to start building until about noon. By the end of the day he had both end walls framed, door to the west and windows to the east.

Wednesday.....more blocking. He nailed in the second floor blocking and built the 4' walls that connect the two different roof slopes. These areas will be closets, pantry and storage areas once the apartment is finished. This shot shows the bedroom area, bedroom to the left and closet to the right, both on the northeast side of the unit. There will be a second one on the southeast corner, and two on the west side, on either side of the entry door.

Thursday is physical therapy again and the roofers are scheduled to come on Friday, but that will be another chapter.

Three Sheets To The Wind

Sunday after church Ed was back up on the roof...again... At least we're able to see the light at the end..or is that a train? We got a few sheets of bad plywood where the glue failed and the stuff buckled apart. Ed had to remove those pieces from the roof and recut and renail new pieces. He was not a happy camper. But by Sunday night, after a few more sporadic downpours, he had the roof just about done.

He did leave a small spot on the back where the chimney for the wood stove will come up. Before Ed started framing for the chimney, he decided to clean up the floor on the upstairs. It was littered with piles of sawdust (wet and slippery), ends off 2x4s, miscellaneous cut-offs from plywood, empty water bottles, an old sawblade, and about a gazillion used nails that he pulled out of boards as he went. He took down the interior supports (now unnecessary) and the scaffolding, and made a nice, neat pile of the reusable lumber.

Once the jobsite was rendered safe, back up on the roof he went, this time to construct the chimney. Once again this involved, standing on a slick slope, holding a very heavy sheet of plywood and a nail gun. Did I mention that the tendon in Ed's shoulder has been barking at him? Add gusty winds to the mix, and stir....I took the dog and cats inside the house so when that plywood came sailing down, nobody would get killed. Oh me of little faith! Ed never dropped a single sheet. Almosts don't count. By the end of Tuesday, the chimney was done and ready for the roofer-guys. Yes, we are gonna shell out the money to have someone put the shingles up. They can get it wrapped and shingled in a day, and it will be worth every penny!

There may be no entry next week as I'm having my hip roto-rootered, and plan on being heavily medicated.....unless I can talk Ed into working as ghost-writer.