Work complete for 2009 October 9, 2009

I have wrapped up the log building for 2009 and I am returning to New Hampshire. I ran 6 inch treated posts down the center of the floor, and laid reinforced plastic on both sides. The plastic is secured to the posts and the interior log walls with 2 inch wide wood laths, and the plastic goes out each door forming a trough. The water can get to 1 and a half inches deep on the floor, then it will flow out the doors onto the ground. If the weather warms up to 45 degrees again this fall, Tony will be back to continue sealing the logs and the rest of the deck. I am now signing off on this Blog until at least the middle of May,  2010.

Take care, Doug Anderson

10th Round completed October 2, 2009

I have the 10th round of logs on the walls. I now have full logs above all windows and doors. This really made the short walls solid. I was able to remove all interior braces from the short walls. I am now going to put a temporary roof on the house and head home for the winter. I will also saw cut all doors and windows to their final dimensions, and frame them in with 2X8's, then sheet them over with plywood for the winter.

Most of the exterior log walls have been stained. Weather permitting, we will finish staining the rest of the logs on the outside of the house, the rest of the deck support poles, the window and door frames, and the outer deck rim board in the next week or so. I would also like to get the interior walls stained before winter. We can always get a heater inside the house after the temporary roof is installed to get it warm enough to stain the interior.

We were going to seal between all log seams before winter set in with Log Jam, but when I add a log to the wall, there is some compression, which affects the appearance of the Log Jam seam. We will do all Log Jam installation after the final roof system is completed next year.

Fist snow September 30, 2009

We received the first snow on September 30th. In this picture, taken on October 1st, most of the snow has melted. Fleecer mountain is in the background. It dropped about 6 inches on Fleecer. The weather is not looking good for the next 10 days.

10th Round half completed September 29, 2009

On the 29th, I began installing the 10th round of logs as you can see on this picture and the one below. These go much faster that the split logs, except for the peeling!

On the 30th, I was snowed out. Tony couldn't stain yesterday because of the impending weather, so he started sealing between the logs with Log Jam. I will complete the 10th round tomorrow and begin peeling logs for round 11. 

I am facing some very bad weather in the next week and I have been told that by the end of October, it could turn bad for the season. I am making plans to dry the hose in temporarily for this year and head home for the winter. I have everything set up in the basement to protect it over the winter. My plan is to have Tony stain and seal everything I have built before I leave. With the snow and rain we received today, and the rain they are predicting over the weekend, the driveway should have plenty of moisture to settle all the dust, and pack the soil. My cousin Jim and I will work at getting the driveway graveled next week.

Staining logs September 28, 2009

Over the weekend, I finished installing the second rim board on the outside of the deck, which will now get stained. I also finished installing the temporary deck sheets of OSB. In this picture they are the light colored areas placed 8 inches from the log walls. I added extra sections at every corner for added safety. 

We started staining the log walls today. Tomorrow we may be able to do more staining; Wednesday it will be too cold. We need at least 45 degrees, they are predicting 35!

I measured, marked and sorted the load of logs delivered last week. I started peeling round 10 today. 

Deck frame completed September 24, 2009

I completed the deck framing today. I still have to put the outer rim board on and lag both layers to the deck support logs, which I will do tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will also lay down 16 sheets of 4' X 8' OSB around the entire inside perimeter of the deck about 8 inches from the log walls as temporary decking. This gives me a platform to work from. When the majority of the work on the house is completed, I will install 2" X 6" decking to the entire deck.  

Tony Stockdale is doing all the staining on the entire deck system. He will finish the deck frame tomorrow; he will start on the support logs on Monday. When he has this completed, he will start on the logs. He will then run a bead of sealer in the seams where the logs come together on the inside of the house, as well as the outside. I have enough logs on site now to finish the walls. I will begin peeling the logs for the 10th round no later than Saturday morning.

Decking progress September 22, 2009

On Friday, the 19th, I had a carpenter, Paul Tallon help me get the deck rim boards started. Paul showed me how to set up and mark the notches in the side of the support logs, and I cut out the notches with the chain saw. When he left, we had the inner rim board on the east side of the house completed, and all the deck floor joists installed to the front of the house on the east side. On Sunday, Paul Hubbard and I set up and notched the supports on the west side and installed about a dozen floor joists. We also went to Basin, MT and marked logs to be cut for the rest of the house. They have been cut and will be delivered tomorrow, the 23rd.
On Monday, I secured the 2 X 8's on the front of the house to the sill plate with 1/2 inch X 7 inch lag bolts. The inner floor joist hangers are mounted to this plate. I then installed the rest of the floor joists on the west side of the house. Today, the 22nd, I set up and notched out the rest of the deck support poles on the daylight end and installed and leveled the outer rim boards. Tomorrow I will begin installing the rest of the deck floor joists.  

Trout fishing September 19, 2009

Paul Hubbard helped me work on the log house for three days so we took a trip into the mountains to do a little fishing. We used four wheelers and a dirt bike to get to the lakes. Here I am with the largest trout I have ever caught. Jerry Phillips caught one the same size. We limited out and headed home. Tomorrow we will meet with a logger in Basin, MT who has house logs for sale. At this point I have been unable to find my own logs to cut on Myles Carpenter's property that will meet my needs. I need full logs 40 and 44 feet long to finish the walls and the loft.

Deck poles in place September 17, 2009

Today, Paul Hubbard and I completed installing the deck support logs. They are bolted at the bottom and supported by two threaded anchors. Next we will make sure all of them are lined up properly, then we will laser in the two by twelves for the outer rim which will be set in notches in the support logs. After the first rim board is in place, we will add another on the outside and then install the hangers on the inside of the rim boards. The next step will be to cut the two by eights and install them in the hangers.

Slab completed at basement door September 10, 2009

Here we are pouring the slab at the daylight basement. Next Wednesday, we will strip the forms from the slab and begin installing the deck support posts, and the decking frames. This weekend I have to return the pickup I have been using all summer to Don and Pam Hestekin.

Driveway completed, September 10, 2009

This is Fred (Fritz) Hossfeld. He just finished building our driveway. It is about as perfect as it could be from what I can see. He completed it in 46 hours. Fritz is 84 years old. Next week I will look into getting the driveway graveled.

Driveway in progress September 6, 2009

The entire driveway has been established. We installed 53 feet of culvert at the entrance and moved the driveway to the crest of the hill where it will be better situated to resist drifting snow and promote drainage. The driveway that was started last year has been smoothed back over. This coming week we plan to get a road grader to finish leveling the driveway, then we will get gravel hauled to finish it up. This picture shows the driveway coming in around the front of the house at the daylight side. The driveway then continues around the house and comes back out between the garage slab and the rear of the house.

Decking joist hangers September 5, 2009

Here is Jerry Phillips putting up the last joist hanger on the house, for the deck. Tomorrow, I will finish peeling the last four logs for the deck supports, and start cutting them all to length. I will then plunge cut a slot in the base of each log so they will fit over the blades cemented into the deck support pillars. I will paint the base of each log with tar so water does not wick up into the wood and cause damage in the years to come. Then they will all be installed and supported with 2X4's so we can scribe the lines for the double thickness of 2X12's that will serve as the outer rim of the deck. 

A day of rest

Jerry Finley (center) came to help me build for a week. On Saturday, my cousin Jim Hendrickson (left) and Jerry Phillip (right) took us on a fishing trip into the mountains where we caught cutthroat and rainbow trout. It was quite a trip to get to the lakes on dirt bike and four wheelers.

9th round completed September 1, 2009

I completed the 9th round of logs today. The walls are all over 78 inches tall now.  The next round of logs will be full logs. 

Yesterday, I went into the mountains with Myles Carpenter and we cut and hauled logs for the deck supports. I will determine the length for each of the 16 support logs tomorrow with a laser level, and plan out the proper logs for each location. I will peel all the logs this week; paint the bottom ends with hot tar so water cannot wick up into the logs and begin installing the deck support logs next Tuesday.

8th round completed August 27, 2009

Today, Jerry Finley (pictured) and I completed the 8th round of logs and started installing the 9th round. I can't see over the walls anymore!  After the 9th round we will have to go back to full logs across all the windows and possibly the doors. The blades for the sonotubes were completed today so we can pour the sixteen pillars for the deck supports. I will begin building the deck next week.

Seventh round of logs completed. August 24th, 2009

Here you can see the driveway being built. It will loop around the bottom of the house, then around between the house and the garage with a parking area at the back of the house. See below for a picture of the 7th round of logs completed.  We also poured the footings for the deck last week. I burned up another chainsaw today. It is covered under warranty and will be back in a week.

I took a day off yesterday and went fishing with my cousin and another friend, Jerry. We went to Gate to the Mountains. We caught a few trout and three walleyes. The sheep you see here were 50 feet from the boat. They never quit eating.

We also saw about a dozen eagles and several deer. Below is a picture of the Gate.

This body of water is a reservoir on the Missouri River.

Sixth round completed August 14th, 2009

I finished the sixth round on Friday the 14th, and peeled the four logs for the seventh round with the help of my brother Jerry. On the 15th, my cousin Jim and I dug the holes for the 16 footings that will support the deck. On Monday, I will build the forms for the footings and prepare for pouring them this week. The road builder showed up on Saturday and started to build the driveway. He will be back tomorrow the 17th, to work on it. We are going to look for another source of better logs to install once I get above the windows and doors and need full length logs again; less knots, less taper, and straighter.

Fifth Round completed August 11, 2009

Finished the fifth round of logs today. My brother Jerry, and his family are here helping me when they are not sightseeing.

They have peeled three and a half of the four logs for the 6th round, which I will begin installing tomorrow morning.

Here is the north end of the house. The window in the middle is going to be above the kitchen sink.

Fourth round completed August, 7, 2009

Finished the fourth round today and peeled the four logs for the fifth round. I was hailed out at the end of the day on the 6th so I couldn't bolt down the last logs of the 4th round until the morning of the 7th. The hail did a number on my garden. Looks like the tomatoes were not destined to bear fruit this year!

Third round completed July 31, 2009

Today I finished the third round of logs. Now I have to plan the window placements. I am going through a lot of chainsaw fuel and oil. Each log I scribe and shape seems to get somewhat easier. 

Garden progress July 27, 2009

Here is the garden progress. Radishes and peas are doing great. The tomatoes don't seem to do much, but they are still green. The cucumbers are growing well, and I have a couple of watermelon plants growing. I don't think there are enough warm months left for the last two to do anything. We get rain every day, and it has been in the mid to upper 80's and the low 90's on some days. 

The bird house by the garden has several baby bluebirds in residence at this time. They are fully feathered and will probably start flying in a couple of weeks or less.

Second round of log completed July 27, 2009

I finished the second round of logs today. All electrical outlet holes have been drilled. When I start doing the actual wiring, I will have to enlarge the holes I drilled so they will accept the receptacles. For the rest of the wall logs I just need to peel the logs, cut them to length, scribe them, cut the notches and groves, and install them with insulation. Right now the walls are 16 inches high. There will be one more round of logs the same lengths you see here, then I will start the windows in the great room, south bedroom wall and the dining room. Once I start the windows, I will use shorter logs. This should speed up the process. The east side bedroom, bathroom, utility room and kitchen windows will start with the 5th round of logs.

Where did those bulls go??

I took a break with my family last week to chase a few bulls. Looked for three, but only found one, so we took it back with us. Dane and Lindsey joined me on this ride.

Last sill log, July 21, 2009

The last sill log has been installed. While I wait for the deck footings to be dug, I have chosen the four logs for the next round. There will be a total of four doors on the main floor, so I can use shorter logs for this round on three of the sides. I will peel them tomorrow, set them up and scribe them, and cut all of my notches. I will then mark out all the electrical outlets so the wiring comes out between the basement wall studs and the floor joists. I will drill through the second round of logs, just into the sill logs. I will then remove the second round of logs and finish the holes through the sill logs for the outlets.

Once the holes are all drilled, I will replace the second round of logs, secure them to the sill logs with Oly Bolts, and drill holes at the inside center of the logs into the holes I drilled for the electrical outlets. I will fit all the outlet boxes and run the wiring after the house is dried in. 

Making changes to floor plan.

Here I am planning changes to the floor plan with my family on their Montana Trip.

Here is Lindsey Peeling her first log!

Amanda is taking a stab at peeling her first log.   

Here is my Wife, Betsy doing the Log Peel. Notice the perfect execution!
My family wanted to make sure I knew how to peel a log.

Logs, logs and more logs. Third sill log.

This week we cut 28 logs in Elk Park, and hauled them to the building site. I now have the last sill log and plenty of logs to keep me busy for a while. While talking with Myles Carpenter Jr about what he learned while he built his log house, he said he would build the deck around his house before he started laying the logs on the walls. This would have eliminated a lot of work going up and down a ladder to scribe the logs. It would also have made it safer. I have decided to build the deck on the three sides as soon as I complete the installation of the sill logs. I will take a trip to Myles' log house and look at his deck construction for ideas on how to build our decks. 
Here is the third sill log going in. I slabbed the bottom flat, center

lined the log, and marked and drilled all the holes for the anchor bolts. Tomorrow I will scribe and cut the notches and bolt the log to the sill. I will then peel the last sill log and install it. Since there are no anchor bolts to align on the daylight end, the last sill log will go much quicker.

Basement Doors Installed June 30, 2009

Today we installed the basement doors. Now I can clean out the vehicles and the trailer and store everything securely in the basement. It will make it much easier to find what I need. I also won't have to worry about bird nests anymore.

I had a minor mishap yesterday that is costing me some time. I was lifting these double doors off the truck and I slid my forearm across the edge of the frame and a sliver of wood went into my arm fairly deeply. They will remove it tomorrow and I will be back in business.

First logs installed

Here are the first two sill logs prepared and bolted to the sill plate. The next step is to choose two more logs that will be the sill logs on the ends. These two logs will have a section shaved off the bottom so they lay flat on the sill plate, then they will be notched to fit over the first two logs. I will lay out the center line on both of these logs so I can mark and drill the holes for the anchor bolts. Once the sill logs are completed, the logs will go up much faster.

I need to get back up into the mountains and cut and haul more logs next week. I also need to finalize the door and window placements and sizes so I can start using the split log method. This will allow me to use much shorter logs. (Easier to find, less peeling, less waste, etc.)

First logs on the wall

Here is the set-up for splitting a log in half to make two sill logs. Note the chainsaw sitting upright towards the closest end of the log. (This is an extremely dusty part of this project! The chainsaw, in this position, kicks the sawdust and shavings right in your face.) The second photo shows the finished product. I sprayed the flat side of both halves with an oil preservative, laid out the center lines on top of both halves, and marked and drilled the holes for the anchor bolts. Then I bolted them to the sill plate with two feet of log extending beyond the edge of the walls on both ends. I had to use coupler nuts and threaded rod to extend the length of the anchor bolts as the anchor bolts are too short for this application. The anchor bolts we used are made to bolt down 1  1/2" or 3" stock; logs are much thicker.

Update, June 25, 2009

Today, I finished peeling the first sill log, and partially completed the second one. In between, I dug in a post by the garage, and mounted and wired in an outdoor electrical panel. I installed two GFI protected outlets below the panel using steel conduit, and wired each to it's own 20 amp circuit breaker in the panel. We were rained out about 3:00 PM, so I drove to Dillon, MT and picked up the 100 amp circuit breaker for the garage. Tomorrow I will finish the wiring at the meter box so we have electricity at the garage. At this point, all outside electrical wiring will be complete.

I had Latin Carpenter helping me today. He peeled some of the second log, and he spent about three hours sealing the seams in the floor decking on the house. I am trying to control the water that comes through the decking when it rains.

I picked up the last coupler nuts from Quality Hardware today. I had to special order them last week as they rarely sell this many at one time. The only other thing I need before I lay the first log is the sealer I will spray on the bottom surface for protection. This I will pick up tomorrow afternoon. 

Peeling rack, June 23, 2009

Today I built the log peeling rack. I used the base of four trees that Myles and I picked up from a logging operation in Elk Park. I cut the bases and buried each base about a foot deep. I then used a laser level to measure the height of lowest one, which was about at the perfect height. I marked the other three at the same height and cut them level with the chain saw. I scribed the tops of the bases so the cross logs were eight inches above the tops of the bases, and notched them out with the chain saw so they don't move from side to side. I started peeling the first log you see on the rack.

I placed the next largest log on the rack before I left tonight. The cross logs barely moved with this weight in the middle, and the bases are solid. Let the body building begin!

Moved trailer, looked for shale

Today I traveled to the mountains above Melrose, MT, looking for a source of stone to face the daylight end of the basement. I found several places that had limited amounts of the size I think would look good. (I will find out if I am right on this in July!) I found one spot close to the top of the mountain that had quite a bit of good shale in many different colors. My family will help me find other sources when they come to Butte in July, and they will help haul it to our property. 

I also moved the fifth wheel trailer onto the cement slab that will eventually be the garage. I will pick up the circuit breaker and outdoor panel tomorrow and wire electricity to the garage for the trailer.

Bluebird update: The pair that was nesting in the basement has built a nest in the birdhouse I put up by the garden.

Garden completed, June 19, 2009

Built fence around the garden and planted it today. The fence is 4 feet high. I am told deer will jump an 8 foot fence. I hope the deer don't find me this year. I drove in 8 foot posts 2 feet into the ground, so I can add more fencing on top. I also installed the egress window, ladder, grid and cover in the basement today. The bluebirds don't seem to be interested in building a nest in the basement anymore. I hope this lasts until I get the basement doors installed. The doors should arrive in about two weeks.

Creating a garden and working with Bluebirds, June 18, 2009

Today I took a shovel and turned over the soil to plant a garden. This is ground that has never been tilled. It was a lot of work. luckily, I knew a friend with a rototiller. It still took about three hours to complete. The garden is 20 ft by 20 ft. I will get fencing material tomorrow and put it up before I plant. There are deer and antelope, as well as a herd of cows who would probably eat everything I planted in one sitting. I also had to do some bird work today. A pair of bluebirds keep trying to build a nest in the basement, so I built four birdhouses and attached them to posts I dug into the ground. I placed three in front of the house, and one by the garden. You can see one on this picture at the left upper corner. The birds were inspecting each of the three houses out front. It looked like they couldn't decide which one they liked the best. I picked up the rest of the material today to attach the sill logs; coupler bolts, threaded rod and the drill bit to drill the holes in the sill logs for the anchor bolts to pass through. I will have the lift delivered to our property on Saturday, so I can build the peeling rack and start putting logs on the wall on Monday. I think next week will also be the week that we get the driveway built, as well as the rest of the dirt leveled around the basement and the garage slab.

Tomorrow, I will plant the tomatoes and peppers my Mom started for me, and move the fifth wheel trailer on top of the garage slab. I will set up a tarp over the front of the trailer for shade and protection from rain.