Extraordinary February

A nice sunny day at the camp.
Looks warm, doesn't it?

Owners enjoying the sunshine, standing where the deck will be.

With the height of the big door, we're looking forward
to entertaining all of our friends who play in the NBA.

Mary, David, Molly and Mary
are enjoying the warmth of the camp.
Gentle tropical breezes fill the great room.

Great to be able to warm up in front of the newly mounted fireplace.

I hope there is more pipe to get the flue to the top of the chase.
And I hope the pipe at the rear, for the basement wood furnace,
is well secured so it doesn't fall.
I really prefer not to
catch the flue.

With the afternoon sun streaming directly through the big slider
and also bouncing off the snow,
the place really lights up.

Guest cottage loft is framed on one side...the other is open.
People may want to have a little privacy.

Here is the technique used to keep the insulation tight.
The wallboard goes up over the insulation, and then the joists are hung
on another board secured to the inside of the wallboard.
Though certainly more energy efficient, 
I hope the entire window will not be covered up.

Looking down from my lofty perch.

The loft even has a light fixture ready for wiring.

And now we have a professionally mounted basement door.
With a spring, even.

Time to go.
Maybe we'll wait to come back when the place is toasty.

Or maybe not.

A Tale Of Two Visits

Mary and I drove down the driveway to the construction site one fine September day.  We saw the trucks, but where was everyone?  Gone fishing?

Hopping out of the car, we could hear chatter, but could still see no one.  Well, at least Mary could hear chatter.  Where are they?

There they are!  Down in the shadows of the basement, 
working on applying a finishing coat to all the wood.

Beams!

Parts!

Pretty great!  An access point for the crawl space under the guest cottage.
All we need is a door to close it off.
I'll need to assign a sign to it, denoting it as the Bear Door.

Isn't it a wonderful 4-feet-tall space 
for providing mechanicals that will make our guests comfortable?
Yes, I think an unkind reader or two will make comment.
And I think the bears will like it too, without comment.

Wood being finished.
I wish the finishing would finish so that the buildings can be finished.

Another quick reminder of why we're rebuilding here.

A view from down by the river.
OK, it's not really a river.  It's a dammed creek.
The creek is a dam-site better for paddling.

 

The ladies returning from a walk through.

I love the smell of recently cut wood.
Polyurethane?  Not so much.

But the smelly stuff does a fine job of bringing out the beautiful grain
of the Tamarack posts.

These false beams, awaiting finishing, will obscure the engineered beams
that will support the trusses.

The floor joists overhead, not at basketball height,
but much higher that what I'm used to at home.
I'm gonna like this basement.

Drying racks awaiting the finished knotty pine boards
that will become the Great Room ceiling.
Yes, I think it will be a great room when done.

Thirsty Tamarack beams.

"Wake me when it's all finished."

More progress on egress.

Not rolling, nonetheless unsatisfied.

Still awaiting the creative surge that determines the use of the boulders.

Parts in place for what we hope soon becomes a flurry of activity.

As one of our neighbors paddles in the distance,
we enjoy the first toast in the Great Room.

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Early October visit.
When we arrived at the dam downstream from our construction site,
the colors began to pop.

Not bad further upstream either.

The view from the kitchen.

Look what happened!
Mary is holding up one of the walls in the guest cottage.

I love the fall colors.
Great to see the beautiful leaves and construction materials.

All finished and ready to go.

Ceiling pine to the left.
False tamarack beams to the right.

These posts are not yet upright citizens.

Love the grain and color in the Tamarack.

I'm beaming with pride over the beams.
The reddish portions of the wood are supposed to darken
and show the grain in a more pronounced fashion as time goes on.

First basement project complete,
and I haven't even lived there yet.

I'm glad to see all this insulation.
I'm guessing you know why.

Rain, rain, go away.
Construction crew,
will not stay.

It's just a big puzzle, poised to be put together.

Back on the road after our quick visit.

The rain gives East Canada Creek a healthy flow
after a very dry summer.
But we'll be back in residence next year, so expect a wet one!