A Plumber, A Parrot, and a Rotweiler

A plumber in Floyd arrived at his next job only to find his client was leaving. Worried about the client's Rottweiler the man asks if he could come back later. Noticing the plumber’s concern the client says, “Don’t worry about the dog he won’t hurt you, but whatever you do don’t talk to the parrot!”.

Heeding the client’s warning he walks into the house and into the kitchen.
Feeling more confident about the Rottweiler he starts working on the sink. Barely after starting he notices the parrot sitting by the Rottweiler. All of a sudden the parrot bursts out with a slew of insults. Halfway through the job the plumber starts to get angry and tells the bird to be quiet. The parrot initially obeys and then very quietly says, “Sickem' Toby.”

And so begins the next phase of construction - the plumbing. Mind you, I have no experience with plumbing with the exception of using a plunger. So, needless to say this should be an interesting experience. Fortunately, as was the case with the roof, our friend Ben will be helping me - phew!

This morning I went to see the local building official to get a couple of plumbing questions answered. Then it was off to Wills Ridge for the plumbing supplies.

Weather permitting, the septic tank work will begin late this week.




Someone had posted a comment on the last post about how the ceiling finish would attach on the gable ends. Here's an image of how that was addressed. I oriented 2x6's with the wide side facing vertically and attached them between the ridge plate and double top plate.

Those jeans sure do look good on you.

This weekend, Christy and I, with the help of her dad, Jim, finished insulating the interior of the cabin. I'll tackle insulating the floor later in the week once the rain stops.

Before installing the insulation I had placed venting baffles in the ceiling. These are installed to minimize condensation on the insulation.


Venting Baffles

The insulation we opted to go with is natural cotton batting from Bonded Logic. It consists of 85% post-industrial recycled fibers (denim scraps). We're using 3 different R values - R30 for the ceiling, R13 for the walls, and R21 for the floor. The insulation is treated with a non-toxic borate solution that provides Class A fire rating, mold/mildew resistance and pest inhibitor.

The only issue we had early on was cutting the batts. Most people recommended using a utility knife and making repeated cuts. That was just too time consuming and laborious. So Jim and I took a drive to our local lumber/hardware store and came up with the perfect tool - a machete. It worked like a charm. It was like cutting a loaf of bread. We made quick work of any cutting that was needed. The insulation was easy to work with and didn't cause any itching like fiberglass. Wearing glasses and a mask wouldn't be a bad idea as there was quite a bit of fiber dust. Fortunately it was harmless.

Once the insulation was in, you could really tell the difference. The first thing you notice is the sound muffling qualities. It was even possible to talk in the loft and not be heard down below. The second thing we noticed was the ability of the cabin to hold in heat (imagine that).



Cotton batts


Coincidentally, we all wore jeans.

Ooh, it's so soft!

Watch your fingers, daddy.

Machete made in Brasil


So, a good weekend's work yielded a nicely insulated cabin. We're very pleased. Thanks to Jim for coming up from Charlotte to help out. And of course much gratitude to Linda for sending along pumpkin bread and brownies to replenish our energy reserves.

Friday night we all went to Christy's and my favorite new restaurant - Isaacs. We all opted for a meat dish instead of our usual vegetarian. We were comfortable eating the the lamb since they're grass-fed and raised locally without the use of antibiotics.

Brrrr...

The last two nights have been in the upper 20's. That makes for uncomfortable sleeping environment. Thankfully, today has been quite warm with a forecast of upper 30's tonight.

Cabin status:

• All windows and doors are installed
• Rough electrical wiring is complete - waiting for inspection
• Recycled denim insulation has been ordered

Lucky!

Wall Residences, Floyd, VA

Christy started her new job at Wall Residences this week. She'll be working in accounting and HR. I'm jealous cuz she's got a walled office (something I've never had). Anyway, she likes the organization and the work. It's only 20 minutes away and to top it off, it's a green building. Our friend David did the solar panel installation.

We officially moved out of the tent on Friday. Earlier that day I had placed 4-ply plastic sheeting over the door and window openings and so now we're fairly well protected from the elements. It's a great feeling.

I've also started the electrical wiring and hope to have that done in the next day or two.

Terra Cotta Red

The roof is complete! Ben put the metal roof on while Christy and I were in Charlotte. It looks great. Today I finished up applying the tar paper. Next up, rough electrical and installing windows and doors. Rough construction inspection is set for Monday.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair.

After three years of letting my hair grow to the requisite length for living in the woods I've decided to have my locks shorn. I'm really enjoying this new found freedom. Ironically, I felt the same way when I had decided to let it grow. It was the freedom of not having to concern myself with what it looked like, i.e. a particular style or even if it was combed. It's surprising that opposites can be so similar.

This week Jim and I worked on finishing up the gable wall framing and applying tar paper to the exterior walls. We almost finished before having to head back to Charlotte.

The adage, "Black is slimming." comes to mind when looking at the cabin covered in black. An already small structure now appears even smaller. But, come next week, the roof will be red.

A roof over your head

When my brothers and I were little our father would regularly remind us that he was providing us "with a roof over your heads." And without argument, he did. We always lived comfortably and in a nice houses. But all of that takes on new meaning when you actually build the roof that will shelter you. Yesterday, Ben and I finished sheathing and applying tar paper to the roof. So, for all intents and purposes, the cabin is covered. Next week the metal roof will be delivered and so we'll install that then.

I'm now remembering other things my dad used to say. Things like "Don't the let the door hit you on the way out." or this when we voiced displeasure with something he said "You know where the front door is." All that talk about roofs and doors - perhaps he had secret aspirations to be a carpenter.

Next up, before putting on the metal roof, I need to finished closing in the upper gable walls; attach tar paper to the exterior walls; and then install the doors and windows. At that point Christy and I will begin sleeping in the cabin. Shortly thereafter we'll insulate the walls, roof and floors. It's all very exciting - I'm so lovin' this.

"Ben, the two of us..."

That's my tribute to the late MJ. Admittedly, I used to have a poster of him when I was 10. I remember that for one month each year we were the same age.

It's amazing what can get accomplished when you work with someone who has more experience and knowledge than you. Our friend/building consultant, Ben, worked with me on the cabin yesterday. We finished putting up the first course of 2x6 rafters (see the previous post for an explanation). It took awhile to get everything sorted out. The reason Jim and I had such difficulty last week was because the ridge plate wasn't quite centered nor was it level. Consequently my 45 degree angles were more like 43 and 47 degrees. Once we got things figured out the rafters went up pretty quick. Today we'll add the second course of rafters and perhaps get to laying down the roof sheathing.

Ain't she a beaut! (spoken w/ Aussie accent)

Prior to working on the roof, I went ahead and put up the wall separating the kitchen and bathroom. We're still deciding on what type of door to use for the bathroom. We discussed going with a folding door to minimize floor space. A narrow louvered door might also do the trick.

The loft area is visible here

Christy and I have chosen terracotta red for the roof color. We're going with a metal, standing-seam roof instead of the standard asphalt roofing shingle. The roof has the Energy Star rating; it's comprised of 50% recycled content; it offers good solar reflectance and emissivity - 32% and 87%, respectively (which equates to lower energy costs); the manufacturer offers a 40 year warranty (40 years!!!); and lastly, it's recyclable.

Ridge board is up

Without too much effort (surprisingly) Jim and I were able to mount the ridge board on the gable center studs. It's a 20' 2x12 and not too light. We were able to set in place by fashioning a 12' 2x4 into an extension pole. It worked out pretty well. The rafters will be doubled 10' 2x6 boards to make a 2x12. These are the leftover boards that weren't going to be used. It also makes for easier handling than single 2x12 rafters. We had a real difficult time getting the angled cuts (plumb cuts, seat cut and bird'smouth) to line up correctly. Given that the roof has a 12/12 slope (1/2 pitch) the angles are pretty easy to figure out; however, once we made the cuts the rafters didn't quite line up with the ridge board or the top plate. I've made the decision to wait for some guidance from our friend/consultant, Ben.



Here's how we left things today:





Check out the homemade scaffolding:

To the Four Corners

Finally, the four walls are up and fully sheathed. My father-in-law, Jim, came up from Charlotte to help out while Christy was in Charlotte replenishing our coffers. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures, and now that I'm in Charlotte that'll have to wait until I return.

Jim and I got a lot accomplished. We made a correction on a section of the south that was misaligned, and attached the sheathing (1/2" 4-ply, CDX plywood) to the remaining two walls. Attaching sheathing to already erected walls isn't an easy task especially when contending with window and door openings. It wasn't until we got to the fourth and final wall that we developed some proficiency. We also installed the floor joists for the loft and added a sheet of 5/8" plywood as a temporary floor to help with installation of the roof. We'll start on that next week.

It was quite fortuitous that Jim was available and offered to help. I certainly couldn't have done the sheathing by myself. He arrived last Tuesday, and camped out in a tent which we set up inside the cabin at night. At night, we set up my laptop and watched DVD's in what's to be the living room. So, I thoroughly enjoyed having the company and the help - thank you, Jim!
I have to commend anyone who is willing to leave the comforts of home to do manual labor, get dirty, camp out in the woods, shower with a gallon of water, use a sawdust toilet, etc.

Christy drove up from Charlotte yesterday to interview at a local business - Wall Residences. Check out what they have to say about their "Green Building" here. This would be an ideal place for her to work. They're local, they're socially and environmentally responsible; they provide a healthy (physically and mentally) work environment; and they offer a good benefits package for small town Virginia - heck, it's a benefits package that would be welcome anywhere, actually.

Now for some much needed r & r. Four days off in the big city of Charlotte. I'm hoping my carpal tunnel syndrome subsides enough that I can play my guitar.

Lately I've been telling people that I want to cross out the "good" in the "Life is good" logo on my baseball cap and replace it with "great". Life certainly is great - for me at least. But not for everyone: