Looking forward to 2012

It's December 30th, one more day and we will be into 2012. The time just seems to fly by! I am starting to get the urge to build again. Yesterday I ordered a log tenoning tool from Amazon.com to make spindles for the deck railing on the house. I have never done this before. I have asked several people who build log houses and nobody has any good suggestions on what tools to use.

I Googled forums and chat rooms for information and there is not a lot out there. Several people recommend the type of tool I just ordered that can be used on a hand drill to shave the end of the spindles down. Some people recommend using a router. There are several types of router setups on the market. They seem to have a very rough looking finish.

I ordered a tool right now so I can practice on some Hew Hampshire pine and hardwood to see what works best. I may have to borrow a drill (I left my big drills in Montana) or use my drill press. The drill press would probably be the best bet. I will have to build some kind of a jig to hold the spindles so they don't spin while I cut the tenons. They make an air operated clamp that looks like a great idea. My only problem with that is my air compressor is also in Montana!

In the next few months, Betsy and I will be doing a lot of interior work (Painting, removing wallpaper, replacing bathroom fans and fixtures, sanding and painting bathroom cabinets, and installing a second sink in the master bathroom) in our NH house. At some point we will be ready to sell our house and downsize.

Before I go to Montana this spring I want to have detailed plans on how I want to build and secure the deck railing around the house. I also want to plan out the windows and the loft floor plan for the garage. I will probably have one window on the south side of the garage and two on the west side. They will make for great lighting and will allow the sunlight to heat the garage interior in the colder months. I am thinking I don't need a window on the north side, and the east side will be taken up with two 9 foot garage doors. They will probably have windows on the upper panels.

I will frame in two windows on each of the gable ends of the garage to allow a lot of light in the second story. I would like enough room above the garage to put in a workshop or a guest bedroom. A couple extra rounds of logs above the loft logs will make if very usable.

If anyone reading this blog has ideas they have used or heard of, I would like to hear from you in the comments section of this Blog. If you have used tools that you have found to work well, I would like to hear about those as well. Building this log house has exposed me to many aspects of building I had never even thought about in the past; now I'm doing them!

This is my last blog posting for 2011. I appreciate all of you that have been following this Blog and I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Let's hear it for 2012!

Building completed for 2011, September 18, 2011

Today I finished building for the 2011 season. Time to head home to my beautiful wife, Betsy.

I insulated the mechanical room and I am heating it with a small ceramic heater set at 60 degrees for the winter as a test for future winters to see if freezable items can be stored safely. I drained all water from the water heater, pressure tank and water lines, blew everything out with compressed air, then winterized everything in case the heater fails.

Next year my plans are to install the railings on the deck and build permanent steps up to the deck on both sides of the house. I will also get help to install the interior stairs from the basement to the main floor at some point next summer. I also plan to begin building the log garage. I would like to get as much of the log work completed next year as I can.

My sincere thanks to all of you who have been following this Blog. Until next year.......

East side drain system completed September 13, 2011

The top picture shows the drain/culvert on the east side of the house. Before we installed the drain system on the west side of the house, all water from the west side traveled across the front of the basement and went down the east drain. I put a 90 degree elbow on the end of the pipe you see here, and I cut a hole in the bottom of the drain box for the other end of the elbow to go through. The top is a 20 inch round grate that is rated for 1,000 pounds.

It took about 12 wheel barrow's full of dirt to fill the hole. I then put plastic over the box and cut out a hole in the center, then raked the rock over everything. No more tripping hazard and there should be a lot less soil erosion.

Here is what it now looks like from the edge of the basement apron. I wish we would get a huge rain so I can see the system at work.

All siding completed September 12, 2011

Today I finished siding the basement. I had help from Tony putting up the 16 foot boards. Tomorrow I will caulk the seams on the siding I installed today.

I also installed blinds on the 4 gable windows. I am still looking for blinds for the dormer windows. Butte doesn't seem to have any in stock!

Tomorrow I will go pick up the pipe I need to complete the drain system on the east side of the house. I will take before and after pictures to show what I do.

I also plan to install an outdoor outlet by the basement door tomorrow.

basement bathroom completed, September 8, 2011

The basement shower and bathroom are now completed. I finished grouting the tile around the shower door and installed the trim around the entry door to the bathroom and the mechanical room on Thursday. It was my first time installing trim around a door. Two pieces of trim later, I now know how to install it properly.

I turned on the shower yesterday to see how it worked. Some water splashes out onto the bathroom floor. I will look at getting a shower stall door next year. I checked the temperature of the shower and it did not get real hot. The water heater was set very low. I set it to 135 degrees.
I purchased blinds for all the windows on the main floor and the two windows and the double doors in the basement. I finished installing them today. I will look into getting blinds for the 5 loft windows.

I had to change our insurance carrier this year as you can only carry construction insurance for two years. (Guess I need to pick up the pace!) The new carrier wants me to get all the siding installed within 30 days of the policy taking effect. I will be getting the material to side the basement wall on Monday. With the amount of windows and doors, it should not take much material; I will probably finish it in one day.

Basement bathroom completed, September 8, 2011

Basement shower

Siding completed September 5, 2011

Today we finished the siding on the house. A friend of mine wanted firewood, which I had in two piles from last year. While his son and Jerry Phillips cut and loaded the firewood on a trailer, Donnie and I finished the siding. Jerry would run the lift for us whenever we needed his help.

Tomorrow I will clean up the main floor, putting away all the tools I will not be needing until next year, and vacuum the floor of all sawdust. When this is completed, I will be loading all the excess siding material on my trailer and returning it to the lumber yard for credit.

On Tuesday I will finish hanging the trim on the two basement doors and finish the grouting on the basement shower.

Siding end gables September 3, 2011

Yesterday, September 2nd, I started siding the end gables. Fitting the trim around the logs (Top wall logs, purlins and ridgepole) takes a fair amount of time. Once I have the trim installed, the installation of the siding goes pretty fast.

The top picture is the south end. I did as far up as I felt safe. I used the lift cage to lift all my tools up, then I used a ladder to carry the cut siding into the cage. Most of the trim I cut while in the cage using a portable circular saw and a jigsaw. I am caulking the siding as I go so there will be nothing else to do to the siding when I finish the installation.

The second picture shows the progress on the north end. Once I get all I can safely reach by myself, I will get someone to run the lift while I install the upper siding on both ends.

Tony finished the second clear coat on the basement bathroom door, mechanical room door and the trim for both doors. I'll install the trim this coming week.

I started repairing the culvert on the east side of the house. I found I had the wrong size 90 degree pipe. The right one will be in next week.

Landscaping and sidewalk completed August 3, 2011

Today I placed black plastic sheets under the deck on both sides of the house, then I had help to install 10 yards of small stone over the plastic. The west side is complete. On the east side I am short a small amount of the larger stone.

The picture below shows the sidewalk, and pads for the deck steps, completed. They were poured yesterday and I stripped the forms off this morning. I used the same small rock between the sidewalk and the house, and on the outside of the sidewalk.

Yesterday I finished tiling the shower. Tomorrow I will grout the tile and the shower will be ready to go. I may need to install a shower door.

Once I complete the grout, I will begin installing the trim on the end gables, getting them ready for the siding.

Dormers completed August 29, 2011

Today I finished siding and caulking the dormers. I used a special caulk that matches the color of the siding. I'm done walking on this side of the roof.

Tomorrow I begin siding the south end gable. I'll tackle the toughest one first. The end gables should go pretty fast. The most difficult areas will be where the trim and siding meet the ends of the top wall logs, the ridge poles and the purlins. I'll use the bulls eye scribe to mark the trim and siding and cut them out with a jigsaw.

Bathroom close to completion, siding Dormers August 28, 2011

This weekend I began installing the corner and window trim and started siding the dormers. Monday I will finish the dormers and begin trimming out the end gables. The interior bathroom doors, shower ceiling and the outside walls have all been painted. Today I hung the doors on the bathroom and mechanical room. I also installed the vanity mirror, the vanity lights and two towel racks. I installed the light switch and outlet covers in the bathroom.

All house soffits complete August 24, 2011

Today we finished the last of the soffits on the house. This is the west side of the house. No more places for birds to roost over the deck. I hired a temp guy today and installation went a lot smoother. It was less work to move scaffolding and much easier handling of the 16' boards. I actually had more than enough boards to finish. The rest will be used for the garage.

Tomorrow morning I will begin installing the trim on the dormers preparing for the siding, which I will pick up tomorrow afternoon. My cousin Jim delivered the first 10 yards of 2" stone to go under the deck and the deck eaves. We planned out where the deck step pads and sidewalk will go, and the placement of the culvert that will handle all the water runoff from the west side of the roof. No more erosion!

Deck soffit progress, August 23, 2011

Today I finished the soffits over the deck on the east side. Working with 16 foot tongue and groove boards alone is proving to be quite a challenge. The straight ones are a challenge, the ones that are severely bowed are impossible to do alone. Tomorrow I will have an assistant to help me out for the day. Did I mention that my other assistant, Jimmy took up Varsity golf while I was away? I already miss him!

The shower is close to completion. A couple more hours when the last bull nose tiles come in will wrap it up. The ceiling is installed and finished in the shower; it will be painted the next day I get Tony back. Tony is ready to complete the final sanding on the bathroom interior and exterior walls. He will then prime the walls and paint them. When he has this completed I will install the mirror over the vanity and install the vanity lights and towel racks.

I have the bathroom and the mechanical room doors in the basement. I will install them when Tony has completed the painting.

This is the west side of the deck. I have installed the soffits around all the lights. Tomorrow we will install all the tongue and groove boards I have left. At this point I will get an exact count of what I need to finish and hand select the boards so I don't have to return any.

This week I also ran a water line to the back of the house. It comes out by the east corner of the walkout basement wall. I probably should have done this sooner, but.......

The next project will be to install siding on the dormers. I have the trim for the dormer corners and windows ready to go. I purchased them last week and they have already been stained.

Return to Montana

I just returned to Montana after spending 3 weeks in Minnesota. My younger sister has been fighting cancer for quite some time and they finally had to stop all treatments as nothing was working. She passed away last Thursday and the funeral was this Tuesday. She will be missed by all of us. She was only 42. She left behind 4 wonderful children ages 15 to 25.

I have rescheduled the electrical inspection for tomorrow the 18th. Then I will finish the soffits and begin the siding. Hopefully I will get my cousin in next week to do the pads for the deck stairs. He will do some leveling with the Bobcat and we will put down plastic and then rock over it to prevent any further erosion from water coming off the roof.

Soffits over deck close to 50% complete July 23, 2011

On the 22nd we finished about 50% of the soffits over the west side deck up to the light cans. I'll check Monday to see if I have to have the wiring inspected before I cover the can wiring up.

Below is the east side soffit progress. It is about 45% completed. I ran out of tongue and groove boards today. I have an order being delivered on Monday the 25th. We will stain them on Monday and continue installing them on Tuesday. My plan is to complete all soffits by Thursday of next week. I will be taking some time off to go back to New Hampshire and spend time with my wife, Betsy the following week. Tony has been on site quite a bit in the last few weeks caulking the seams between the logs with the Log Jam. He should have the outside 100% in another few days of work (when I can get him).

Decking completed July 20, 2011

Today I finished laying down the deck boards. What a relief! I went through 60 pounds of screws in the process. I'll probably build the railing next year. I will have to get a permit and cut some green poles to build it.

I finished wiring in all the lights over the deck today and started installing the soffits. Below is a picture of what we finished today.

This process goes pretty fast. I expect to have the outside portions completed on both

sides of the house by tomorrow night. We have to use the forklift for these portions of the deck soffits. The rest of the soffits will be completed off ladders or scaffolding.

I can see some difficulties scribing and cutting the holes for the can lights.

Decking progress July 18, 2011

Here is the completed east side deck. I finished this before I went into the mountains on the 15th. I started the front deck on the afternoon of the 17th. It looked like I would run out of 2 X 6's. I pulled the extra 16 ft 2 X 6's from the loft that were left over from last year. I purchased 18 more 12 ft 2 X 6's this morning. This should complete the decking.

As I was putting down the decking today I realized I was going to run out of deck screws again. I will need to purchase at least 8 more pounds of screws in the morning if I want to complete the decking tomorrow.

The front deck is coming along very well. Once we are done with the decking, I will install the light cans over the deck and then install the soffits over the deck on both sides.

I should have enough tongue and groove (T&G) boards to complete the soffits. About a third of the T&G I have on hand have been stained and are ready to be installed. Other than a slight problem with the east side TGI's, the soffits should go very fast.

I still have not made up my mind on the color of the siding for the end gables and the dormers. Help!

Recharging in the mountains July 16, 2011

I took a few days off for research. We went into the mountains above Sheridan, MT and saw quite a few different log cabins. Some, like the one I am sitting in front of here were probably built in the late 1800's. Some were built in the early to mid 1900's. A couple were less that 20 years old.

It's interesting to see the different ways they were built. Some have weathered better than others.

We were above the tree lines several times. Here is a picture I took looking across from one mountain to another. We hit a lot of snow in some places. Jim and I tried going across a pass only to be stopped by a field of snow a quarter of a mile wide by at least three miles long. Jim thought it had to be at least 80 feet deep in places.

Time to get back to work!

Side decks close to completion July 13, 2011

Today we finished the west side of the deck. This portion is about 52 feet long and 10 feet wide. It was a little tricky getting the last board installed against the base of the house. The sill logs extend beyond the edge of the basement walls.

The second photo shows the progress on the east side deck. This portion of the deck is the same size as the west side. I plan to complete the east side tomorrow and begin the portion of the deck on the front of the house.

The front section of the deck is the final phase for the deck board installation. The dimensions are 36 feet long by 10 feet wide. There are 4 poles I have to scribe out.

I bought a lumber straightener a few weeks ago to help keep the 2 X 6's straight as I screw them down. It appears the longer they stay stacked together, the more bends they develop. I broke the tool today. Triple S in Butte replaced it at no charge. I also had to buy more deck screws. I started out with 42 pounds; I purchased 10 more pounds today.

Once the decking is completed I plan to install and wire in the can lights over the deck. With these completed I can begin installing the soffits over the deck. I will need to get back to tiling the shower at some point very soon.

Deck in progress july 10, 2011

Here is the deck after the second day of installation. I went into the mountains today on dirt bikes with my cousin so I did not start work until 5 PM. I have a little over 50% of the decking completed on this (east) side. I have lost my hired help for the next three days so I will start the west side tomorrow. Scribing around the logs is the most time consuming so I will get this completed before Jimmy returns on Thursday.

Jimmy has been doing an excellent job cutting the deck boards to length, routing the ends and staining them. When he comes back I will be training him to screw the deck boards down. I found out today that I can easily cut the boards to length using my portable circle saw, which will eliminate a lot of extra handling of the boards.

Soffits installed, deck started July 5, 2011

Today I finished installing the soffits on the dormers. It was very difficult to staple the soffits at the very back where the soffit meets the roof. The roof is a 9 - 12 pitch so it was difficult to stay on the roof while I was installing them.

The temperature hit 85 degrees today, the warmest day I've seen in Montana this year. Tony is back this week caulking between the logs with Log Jam.

We began in installing the decking today. It is very time consuming getting the three outer deck boards installed because we have to scribe every board and cut them out with a jig saw before we screw them down. Once the three outer boards are installed, the rest will go very fast; all we have to do is cut them to length, router and stain the end we cut, and screw them down. We will reinstall the 4 X 8 sheets of OSB on the deck top with a couple of screws to protect the surface from damage during the rest of the construction.

I will be moving cattle for Myles Carpenter for the next few days. I will be getting more logs from Myles in return.

Installed soffits on end gables July 1, 2011

I started installing the soffits on the end gables yesterday and finished them up today. Tomorrow I will install the soffits on the dormers. Once the dormer soffits are completed, I will frame out the windows with 2 inch rough cut cedar and the house will be ready for the siding, which I plan to order next week.

I also have to order a bunk of tongue and groove boards to finish the soffits on the sides of the house. These will be stained before I install them. I have 8 angled can lights to install over the covered decks on both sides of the house (4 per side) before I install the soffits. These will be installed and wired next week.

I finished framing out the end of the deck on both sides of the house and installed the last backer blocks at the deck support posts earlier this week. All the 2" by 6" deck planks have been stained. Everything is in place and I am ready to install the deck planking.

Bathroom in progress June 30, 2011

Joel Gershenfeld (on the left) and Jim Joyce helped get the bathroom 90% complete on the sheetrock, and to at least 80% complete on the painting. With Joel's help we worked late into the night on the 28th and into the early evening on the 29th to complete the bathroom. We installed the vanity, plumbed in the sink and reinstalled the toilet. We turned on the hot water heater and everything is a go! I'm having a minor problem with a leak at the sink which I will correct by moving the vanity a half inch to the right.

I decided the bathroom could take a rest today so I started installing the soffits on the gable ends. When I went to install the first tongue and groove board I discovered the staple gun I purchased was actually a brad nailer (boxed wrong). Back to the store for an exchange!!!

Tomorrow I will continue with the soffits. When the temperature hits 85 degrees (which is in the forecast for the next 6 days) I will probable begin tiling the shower floor and walls. The basement stays very cool even on the warmest days. We only have 6 more of the 16 foot 2" X 6" planks for the deck left to stain/oil. (173 completed)

Bathroom floor tiled June 24, 2011

Today I removed the toilet in the bathroom and installed the floor tiles. I had to mix the thin set, which I have never done before. In the past I purchased pre-mixed product. I bought a mixer I run with my 1/2' drill. It actually worked very well.

The tile saw I purchased in Butte made the job go smoother with much better cuts. I will grout the tile on Sunday, and install the sheetrock before I reinstall the toilet. The tile for the shower floor will be 6" X 6". The shower wall tiles will be the same size as the bathroom floor tiles; 12" X 12". The shower tiles were shipped today and will arrive in Butte next Tuesday.

Before

After

Bathroom wiring completed, outside sheeted. June 23, 2011

Today I finished wiring the bathroom lights, outlets and fan. Everything works! I then sheeted the outside of the bathroom and the outside of the mechanical room. It's time to tile!

Basement bathroom June 22, 2011

Since my last posting I have the shower ready to tile. I installed the light/fan in the shower; it is ready to be wired in as soon as I pick up the special light switch. I plumbed in the water heater and wired it to the main panel. When I have the shower tiling completed, all I have to do is turn on the breaker and the water valves. This picture shows the water heater and the water manifolds, one for hot and one for cold. I use red PEX for all hot lines, blue for cold.

The manifolds have valves on each outlet. As I add water circuits in the house all I have to do is connect them to the correct manifold and turn the valve.

Tomorrow, after I finish wiring the bathroom, I will begin setting up to install the soffits on the end gables. I purchased a bunk of of 2 X 6's for the deck this week. I have hired a high school student to stain all four sides and the ends. When they are all stained and dry, I will begin installing them.

Windows all installed June 18, 2011

Today I finished installing the remaining windows. The wind was fairly strong today which made it more of a challenge. Yesterday I took a trip to Bozemen to get shower/bathroom components I could not find in Butte. The next project will be installing the shower fan/light and the overhead light in the bathroom. Then I will finish plumbing in the shower and get ready to tile.

Framing shower and bathroom June 15, 2011

Today I finished framing in the shower and the bathroom. The floor of the shower has been sloped to the drain with cement, Tomorrow I'll install the membrane over the shower floor, secure it at the drain, and cover it with 1 inch of mason cement. When this is completed, I can install the hardiboard on the walls and bench and get set to install tiles.

Beginning 2011 June 13, 2011

The first project is the basement

shower. I had to move the drain from the original position. When I roughed it in I did not position it correctly. I found my in-floor radiant heating tube. (No damage to it.)

The only problem with the house over the winter was the aluminum covers I put over the chimney flashings. A bird or hail broke them open and a bird flew in. I think its mate tore up 5 of the window screens trying to set it free. The screens were made of fiberglass. I pulled all the screens and had them changed to aluminum mesh screen.

Montana 2011

Time to start thinking about what work needs to be completed in 2011. Our oldest daughter, Amanda is getting married in May, and there will be receptions in St Louis and Minneapolis afterwards, so I will not make it back to Montana until the second week of June this year. In 2009 I started in April, in 2010 I started in May.

The first project will be to install the shower in the basement, and plumb in and wire the hot water heater, which I will do myself. When this is completed, I will be staying on site and only going to Butte for groceries and to do laundry. Time to break out the dutch ovens again!

My goal this year is to get the exterior of the house completely finished and begin building the garage.

The next phase will be to complete the installation of the last three doors and the final 6 windows. With this completed I will install siding on the end gables, the dormers and the framed out wall in the walkout basement. I will have to decide how to trim out all the doors and windows as I install the siding. I will then install the soffits and trim under the roof at both ends of the house, and over the deck on both sides. At this point the house will be completely sealed in. I don't plan to do very much house wiring this year, but I do have to install the light fixtures over the deck on both sides of the house prior to installing the soffits.

At this point, I would like to install the decking around the outside of the house. With something like 1,320 square feet of decking to install, this will take a while to complete. The decking will be made of 2" X 6" lumber. I will oil these planks on all sides and both ends prior to installation. I feel this will give them the best possible protection. This will be completed using a natural color oil which should be a nice contrast with the cedar stain/oil I used on the logs. I will then install the hand rails and the steps, which will also be a natural color.

I will have to pour small cement slabs for the two sets of stairs going up to the porch.

Once this is completed, I plan to start building the garage. I have 14 logs on the ground right now that are peeled and stained, and ready to work. I would like to try to finish the log work on the garage this year. If I can get the roof on this year it would be great, but it is not critical. With the logs stained, they are well protected from the elements, and the garage floor will not be a problem. I want to build a deck on the front of the garage, with a double hung door coming out of the loft onto the deck. It will be 30 feet long and 10 feet wide. If I use the loft of the garage for a woodworking shop, this would be perfect for getting lumber in and projects out of the loft. I would have to decide on putting a stairway on the outside of the garage for access to the loft, or on the inside.

I will need to excavate for footings for the three vertical logs that will support the deck. I would probably plan these to be poured when I pour the two small slabs for the deck stairs on the house.

Oh yes, and a building permit for the garage will be purchased this year.

The next time I post to this Blog I will be posting pictures of the building progress.