Strike a Pose

There's much to be said about the virtues of manual hand tools: there's a meditative, simplicity to them; they don't require gas or electricity; they're often inexpensive; they can help keep you from getting pudgy. However, having sung their praises, there's nothing like having a power tool at your disposal. I'd still be on the first wall if all I had was a hand saw.

So the third, and east wall, was raised last night with the help of neighbors Annie and Curtis. This wall will have the French doors that Christy and I picked up last weekend. Something I did differently with this wall was to attach the wall sheathing while the wall was being built. This made for a heavier wall to raise, yet it negated having to lift the plywood in place after the wall was erected.

It's coming together!

Second Wall Is Up

Along with the east wall being erected, one of two rough window openings was made on the north wall. It's taking a little longer than expected to put these walls together. Especially now that Christy is in Charlotte working with her previous employer, The Carolina Raptor Center. Apparently her successor didn't quite work out and they're in desperate need of her help. It couldn't have come at a more opportune time given that our savings are being depleted quicker than planned.

I thought I was going to be able to lift the 10' x 12' wall by myself but was quickly shot down. Thankfully our neighbor David was available to give a hand.

This past weekend Christy and I met up in Durham for a little R&R and family visiting. We also picked up the 5 used 30" x 32" windows mentioned in the previous post. In addition to the windows, we found a pair of used French doors for $40 at the Durham Habitat for Humanity Restore. And, as an added bonus, we got a double sink that my mom and step-father were going to sell. Price - $25.

Next up: Put in the second rough window opening on the north wall; build the west wall with rough opening for the French doors; take my mind off missing Christy by working, reading and watching DVD's.

Raising Cain?

Nope, but we did raise our first wall frame yesterday. We left out the rough opening for the windows because there's some uncertainty as to the dimensions of some used windows that we're getting from Christy's uncle, Phillip. They're windows that will require new frames so that's where the uncertainty comes in. Also noticeable are the shorter studs butting up against the full length ones. These are the supports for the loft joists. The opposing (south) wall will have them as well.

Since these walls are 10' tall (to accommodate more headroom in the loft) we'll need to add what are called fire blocks or "cats". These are 2-by pieces that run horizontally between studs of a wall frame. They serve two purposes: one, they retard the rate at which a fire can spread through framing cavities and two, they stiffen the wall frame by preventing twisting in long studs.

One of our neighbors, Matt (who actually lives in Connecticut), gave us an old, used exterior door and a crank-out window. We'll clean both up and perhaps paint them and use them for the front door and one of the living rooms, respectively. Both are in the image below.


Looking southwest to Tucson...


...and northwest to Seattle


Christy and I had a fun-filled, busy week and weekend. Last week we met, Matt, the owner of the unoccupied house across the street. He currently lives in Connecticut and works as an electrician, carpenter, and industrial PV (solar) installer. His girlfriend, Teagan, who lives in NYC and works as a milliner, accompanied him. We all really hit it off. They had us over for dinner and we chatted about his history with the property and his and Teagan's future plans of moving here next year. These are the kind of neighbors I like - friendly, positive, progressive and fun.

Later in the week we went to a potluck party that they threw. Most in attendance were people that we were already friends with - how cool, eh? On Friday, the four of us went hiking here. I can't even begin to describe how amazing this place is. It's almost like we weren't in Virginia but rather out in Montana somewhere. Who knew this place, that's less than 30 minutes from home, even existed? Well, evidently Matt and Teagan did.

Green Travel Ranking

An interesting, if not enlightening, graph on the CO2 emission rating of various modes of transportation. It may be worth printing it out and keeping in our wallets/purse/man bag.


Click on graph for better viewing.

A Piece of Cake?

Not quite but we're happy with the results so far. We made some modifications to the posts before proceeding with the flooring. We decided to shorten the posts and set them in concrete in order to improve the overall integrity and ensure stability. So now there's an 8" concrete pad, anchor, 6" of concrete around the posts, and then the remainder of the space is tamped earth.

We then set Enviro-Safe treated double girders on the notched posts. That was followed by 2 x 8 floor joists set at 24" OC and topped off with Advantech 3/4" sheathing. Between the joists and sheathing we also added construction adhesive. Unfortunately I hadn't done any research on finding a low VOC alternative. I'll find something suitable for when we'll need caulk later. Before going on to the next step we'll add the header joists.

Girders on posts

Joists with bracing in centers

Sub-floor complete

Next up? Framing the walls. We'll do some calculations on what we need for wood and place an order today or tomorrow from our local lumber yard.

Things are looking pretty good from our perspective. We're really pleased with what we've done so far, especially given that we're novices at this. We're also having a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying working with the wood and building. Reminds me of when I was little playing with my Lincoln Logs. I can see why so many people do this for fun and as a career. It was cool sitting on the finished sub-floor last night while eating dinner. We started imagining where we'd place certain pieces of furniture or where the bathroom would be. What a trip.

How Boring!

This is what we have to wake up to - sunlight filtering through the trees during a quiet morning while we sip our coffee.

And then to top it off, we have to contend with butterflies using us as salt licks.

This is such a harsh way to live.

RickyFest 2009

In honor of my 50th birthday, friends and family joined Christy and me on our property this past weekend. Some formed a mini tent city while others sought more comfortable accommodations. I want to commend those who camped out and were willing to use our sawdust toilet. It's not always easy getting out of our comfort zones.

Tent City (sans Tom's tent)

It was a real treat to have my family spend the weekend and so many of our Floyd friends join in. The campers were - Adrian and Keith, Roney & Beatriz with their kids Parisa, Bianca and Micah, sister-in-law, Nancy and finally my friend Tom from Asheville. My mother and step-father, Ron stayed at our neighbor's stone barn inn while my in-laws, Jim and Linda stayed at the Hotel Floyd.

Queso!

The party itself was a potluck and so there was an abundance of food. The food that everyone brought was delicious. Pat and Dave brought a venison dish that was just incredible. Even my niece, Parisa, loved it. Keith made some really amazing lemon cupcakes in lieu of a birthday cake. Some of the guests brought me homemade jars of beans, salsa, sauerkraut, and honey as a birthday gift. You can tell we're in a rural area when many of the gifts are food that's been canned. Although certainly canning and urban living are not mutually exclusive. I'm sure plenty of people in suburbia and in the city can vegetables; however, it's just more prominent in rural regions.

"Ricky, why aren't you eating?"

I had a lot of fun and was very pleased with the turnout. The weather held out for the most part. There were some brief interludes of showers early on but they held off during most of the event. I'm lucky to have been able to celebrate twice with the people I love. We may just have to make this a yearly event. Perhaps next year Christy and I will perform some songs - Christy on the fiddle and me on guitar.

Eat up!

Follow the leader. Christy leading a tour.

Bein' a kid is the best!

Now I'm ready for another cupcake!