Sunday, November 25, 2012

Update on House in the Woods


As of the fall in 2012, the next two pictures show how things have progressed:

A whisp of smoke rises above the roof from the wood stove on this nippy fall morning.

West side of house: same angle as below for comparison to 2007
It started out like this in the spring of 2007:

Spring, 2007.
 

Th power company hooked up electricity as soon as a wall was up to provide support for a meter box and the wires from their pole. It was pretty much like a tent back then, with just a temporary roof with tarp over it. 

                                                                                            Tally

Friday, May 25, 2012

House in The Woods



The house in the woods isn't quite as wooded any more.  Tarps are finally off the roof, and there is a lawn of sorts.  There's even a second floor deck, although it's not finished in this photo.  Well, nothing is finished, really, except the roof.  I'm hoping the sheathing doesn't rot away before siding goes on, but first there's stuff like insulation and sheetrock to get installed now that it's staying dry inside, at least.

The patchwork colors are due to prepainting the latest wall additions to help preserve the OSB long enough to get the sheathing on.  The remainder will get painted shortly by use of a very long-handled paint roller.  Another deck goes across the back later on, so that will make the sheathing job easier.

This is how it looked before, photographed from about the same angle, but a lot closer since there wasn't anything to see but woods if you tried taking a picture farther away: 


The posts now support an 8 by 28-foot addition to the upstairs and a 4 by 16-foot addition to the first floor. The picture below is how it looked early on from the front.  It's pretty well closed up with real wood and shingles now, but still some openings for insects and bats to get in.  The bats keep pretty good control of the bugs. 


Tree clearing was required because the ice storm two years ago bent many of the trees in the direction of the house. One tree had tipped over onto the roof, and others appeared ready to do the same.  The nicest trees that weren't a hazard were retained, but they were thinned out enough that it took the birds a full season to become accustomed to the arraingement.  Now they are back in full force: indego buntings, cardinals, woodpeckers (the wholeset - downy, hairy, redhead and piliated), hummingbirds, flycatchers and wild turkeys to name a few.

Tarps don't make good roofs.  However, real roofs need good walls under them, and an attic floor needs to be installed after the walls are up to provide a platform for working with heavy rafters without having to balance them from a ladder. And putting the walls up mean windows and doors have to be installed inside as the walls are built to avoid working outside on a ladder later on. It's a lot of work for one person. Next time, if there is one, I'll put up a great big barn of a shell with a roof on it first with only posts holding it up, then add walls.  I've built barns like that.  Don't know why I too dumb to do it with this house.

Tally