First Deck Rail Section Installed. June 11th, 2012

Today I started building the first section of deck rail. I built a template out of a 2X4 so the spindle holes would all be drilled on the same plane and evenly spaced. I hand peeled and stained about 45 spindles today. (Only 220 to go!) The first section took 16. I stained the bottom and about a foot up on all 30 posts.

Here is the first completed rail section. I drilled two 3/8" holes on each post, and using an electric impact wrench installed 4 - 3/8" X 8" lag bolts with fender washers. They are installed towards the outside of the rail. Tomorrow I will hand peel and stain the rest of the spindles. I had planned to build the sections on the garage slab. The first one was completed on the deck and it seems to be the best way to do it. I will finish staining the rest of the posts and the rails once all the sections are in place.

Deck Railing Progress - June 8th, 2012

   Yesterday I finished peeling all the deck railing posts and all but three of the rails. The poles I cut last week looked straighter in the mountains that they do on the peeling rack. I will have to go back for a few more rails. I scribed and carved out each post so they fit tight to the vertical log supports. Each post is labeled with its position on the deck.

    The second picture shows the final fit. I ran a double string line along each side of the deck to help position the posts in relation to the vertical logs. I spaced each post 1/4 inch above the decking so water on the deck cannot wick up into the posts causing damage. I also made sure that each post was as close to vertical as possible. This will make the top and bottom rails in each section the same length, and the spindles will have uniform gaps at both ends on each section.

    The next step is to strap the two posts for each section in place and determine the rail length for that section. I will then pick out the rails, cut them to length, and determine where the two holes should be drilled for the bottom rail. These holes I will drill while the posts are strapped to the log supports. Once the spindles are installed in both upper and lower rails, I will be able to determine where the top holes should be drilled.

    The weather forecast for the next two days is a high of 52 and rain. I'm looking forward to summer!

Peeling Deck Rails and Posts June 4th, 2012

      Today I finally started peeling the poles for the deck posts and rails. I forgot how much fun this part was. I managed to peel and cut to length 23 posts and 8 rails. (Stacked in my trailer) I need 30 of each to complete the deck. I have enough poles to supply the rails for the loft, so I will probably peel those while I am at it. (If I don't expire first) You can see the poles I have to peel on the peeling rack in the background.

     I received a call today from the Butte Silver Bow Courthouse. They have my garage building permit approved. I will pick it up tomorrow.

    I woke up this morning to a downpour. It was very loud as it hit the roof.

    Tree swallows were starting to build a nest in one of the can lights over the deck. The bulb was off center allowing them room to get behind it. I put up another bird house on the deck post and centered all the bulbs over both sides of the deck. The birds have already moved into the birdhouse. They've got my number! They mess with the house and I make them a birdhouse!!!

Basement Wiring MAY 31ST, 2012

After stumbling around the basement at night trying to find the bathroom light switch I decided to wire most of the basement. The first photo shows the exterior lights and one of the two exterior outlets I installed.

This picture shows two of the three can lights I installed inside the basement. I also installed three outlets on the inside wall under the windows. What a difference! I probably should have done this last year like I planned.

First pole for 2012

I am back in Montana for a summer of building. The first thing I did was apply for a building permit for the garage. It is under review by the planning committee. I should hear back by next week.
I applied for an extension on my electrical wiring permit. I probably won't finish the wiring for a couple of years. I visited the USDA Forest Service in Butte and applied for a pole permit to cut poles for the deck railing. They told me a couple of places to look, and when I find what I want, to come back and get the permit. I went in the mountains today an cut all the poles I should need for the deck. Here I am below dragging the first log out. Three elk ran in front of us as we were coming out of the mountains today.

I also bought electrical supplies to wire in lights in the basement interior and on the outside of the basement. 

Tomorrow I will start peeling logs for the rails and the posts. I found a place up by Helena, MT that makes peeled and shaped spindles out of the same poles (Just smaller diameter) I cut for the rails and posts. I will just have to hand peel the spindles so they match the look of the rails and posts. This will save me a lot of time this year. 

Some of the poles I cut today were dead so I can stain them before installing them. The ones that were still alive will have to dry until August or so before they will take the stain.  

It appears there are 11 antelope who think they own the property now. The snort at me every morning when I walk outside. Monday morning I woke up and saw one walk right past my car and around to the north side of the house.

Practicing in New Hampshire

It was time to start limbering up for the summer. On Saturday, my wife Betsy and I stripped two layers of shingles, a layer of 5/8" plywood and most of a layer of 3/4" shiplap boards off the roof of our screened porch in New Hampshire. We stripped off all of the screen around the porch and the boards that held the screens in place.  It came to 2760 pounds of debris when we took it to the dump in the afternoon. When we finished unloading it I thought I was going to die. I've been living way to easy this winter!!! We thought the roof was leaking around the two skylights which we removed, but it turns out there were leaks in the shingles in quite a few places as well. (Not anymore!)

 On Sunday, I hired a friend, Andrew, to help put the roof back on. We replaced all of the weak and rotten boards and all but two of the 4 X 8 sheets of plywood, then put down ice dam, 30 pound tar paper, and drip edge. The actual shingling, except for lifting the plywood sheets and shingles onto the roof, was the easy part. I have a couple of pieces of siding over the flashing, and some upright siding in the corner of the roof to replace, which I will do this week. We'll replace the screening this weekend. The house painters should start pressure washing and painting the house in the next week or so.

I gave my two month's notice about 6 weeks ago at the company where I have been working this winter. It is about time to for me to get all my gear together and get ready to head to Montana in two weeks. Betsy and I have been walking a couple of miles every day this winter, but the activities this weekend let me know I need to get more serious about exercise before I resume building in Montana!


My next posting will be around the 1st of June when I have been able to accomplish something wothwhile in the Big Sky Country. If anyone reading this Blog would like to to hear more about any Log Home Building topic that I may not be covering in as much detail as you like, please let me know. If there are comments addressed to me about these topics, I will gladly respond.

Thank you,
Doug A

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!