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.
