End is in sight

I have a few minutes to spare, spam going to post a quick update. For the past month I've been very busy. On average, I spend 10 hours per day at the office, come home to have supper and spend some time with the family, and then go to the cabin for 3-4 hours to work, and then home again at 2:00 am to get to bed and start it all over again. I'd say we're about 2-3 weeks from completion.

Tonight I finished the wiring. Today is the last day I can legally do my own electrical in Wisconsin. Starting tomorrow, I have to hire a master electrician for everything. Barring any issues from the inspector, the electrical is done, other than putting on covers and installing permanent light fixtures after the painting is done.

Speaking of painting, tomorrow we will be done with the plastering and will be ready to sand and paint. I decided to hire my contractor back because I hate plastering and I'm not good at it.

Once the painting is done, trim will go up, which s being milled as we speak. Then it will be finishing the floors, finishing the decks, and cleaning up.

I'll try to post pics soon.

Winter has set in

It's been almost a month since I last posted and much longer since I posted any pictures, so I figured anyone still out there that even bothers to check my blog is entitled to a bit of an update.

It's early December and our most recent move-in-by-Christmas goal is looking more and more unachievable, but I haven't given up yet, even if my wife has. :)  Today we got our first snowfall, and while I could have used another week or so without the white stuff, I shouldn't complain.  I was pushing my luck to the end just to get the final dirt work done, which was setting the decks and digging in the electric.  The electric line was dug a week ago and the cable went in this week, and we were shoveling the ditch back in the night before things really cooled down and froze.  It was close, but we got it done.

The electric is 95% done.  All the wires have been run and inspected, so all that remains is to hook up the service panel and install the switches, outlets, and fixtures.  We were able to do most of the electric ourselves--and satisfy the inspector, amazingly enough--but I hired an electrician to install the underground cable and he will help set up the service panel for me, just to make sure it's done correctly.  Here in Wisconsin you can still do your own electric, provided it's up to code, but starting the first of the year, the law will require us to use master electricians for all electric, as is currently the case with plumbers.

Buried cables have to be at least 18 inches per code, but I always prefer to go deeper, particularly where next year I'll have the driveway put in, which will entail cutting 12" of sod core out and refilling with gravel.  Because we had to run about 140 feet and the ground is hard and we have a fair amount of rocks, I elected to use a Bobcat and trencher to do this work.  Needless to say, even with the rock, the Bobcat made short work of this and I didn't need close to the 4 hours of time I had it rented.  I used a friend's Bobcat and paid $100 to rent the trencher for 4 hours.

I have the two exterior doors on the cabin on both gabled ends, and so it was time to get busy with the stairs or landings before the ground froze and to make it easier and safer to get in and out of the cabin.  After looking at it more closely, and considering the fact that I had a stack of used 2 x 10 lumber from a prior deck, I decided to just put an 8 foot deck on both ends of the cabin (16 feet each) and I'm glad I did.  Doing so wasn't easy, however, as the footings for the 6 posts have to be down to the code frost zone for our area (4 feet in our area).  In other words, any attachments to the home have to have the same frost protections.  So, I set out digging 6 holes to 4 feet and it took a number of days (and nights), and a pry bar and water, to get them dug.  We hit lots of rocks along the way and the clay is very hard, and there were times I wondered if we were ever going to get to 4 feet.  Finally we got it done, had the holes inspected, and then dropped concrete pads before installing the 6x6 treated posts.

Normally I would use only 4x4 for decks, and lighter boards for deck, but because I might eventually convert them to covered porches and/or make finished space out of the areas, I decided to plan ahead to make the framing adequate to support finished living space.

Inside the cabin, the loft floor was installed months ago.  Because I don't have any interior ductwork, I was able to go with tongue and groove pine floor for the loft (which is also the ceiling for the lower level).  The 1 1/4 inch spruce spans the beams and provides a beautiful floor and ceiling, although it squeaks more than I expected.  If you need to install ductwork for heating and/or AC, it becomes more tricky to hide things, meaning a separate ceiling needs to be installed to fill the cavity created by the loft floor joists.

Upstairs, after we had finished the wiring, we insulated the 2 x 12 rafters.  First, we added foam vents from the soffit to the ridge.  This cost approximately $100 and insures that the roof is well-ventilated and the insulation never impedes the airflow from the bottom of the roof to the ridge.  Next we installed 10" R-30 fiberglass insulation in between the rafters.  This was fairly straightforward, although with all the angles and the collar tie braces, you have to take your time to cut it so it all fits nice.  We put 5" R-19 in the gabled ends and dormer, which were framed.  Once the insulation was inspected, we put on 4-mil vapor barrier on and started sheetrocking.

Typically you put 5/8" sheetrock on ceilings and 1/2" on walls.  Because our loft ceiling is at a 45 degree angle, it's sort of a wall and a ceiling, and I debated on whether to just use 1/2", as the sheets are quite a bit lighter and easier to work with, and our rafters are only 16" apart, rather than the typical 24" for trusses.  Ultimately I went with the 5/8" because I thought it would better protection from having holes punched in it during use.  We are currently 95% done with the ceiling and have started the walls in the loft.  Once that is done, we'll do the few interior walls in the main floor and then begin taping and plastering--not my favorite task, but something that needs to be done.

We recently got the wood cook stove going.  The unit we bought needed new firebrick, and I soon realized they are not standard sized firebrick.  I could order them online for $90 plus $30 shipping, or could get them from the local Amish for $50.  The only down side to the Amish is he didn't have any in stock, so had to wait until they came on the yearly truck that re-supplied his store.  Finally, weeks later, the truck came in and I had the firebrick.  Once I figured out how to install them, we fired up the stove and it works beautifully.  It's much nicer working inside the cabin when there's heat, and it will also mean I can now begin plastering and painting whenever we're ready.

Here's a number of pics showing our progress.

Bottom of spruce loft floor, and ceiling for first floor

Pine floor in large loft bedroom

Oldest son enjoying the new loft floor and window

Framing for loft interior walls--one to divide two rooms and others for stairwell

Wiring view for outlet in framed gable above log knee wall

Wire for outlets in log knee wall goes through rafters and drops down into outlet cavity

Cavity between 2 x 12 roof rafters

Foam vent panels run from soffit to ridge vent before insulation is installed

Fiberglass insulation in loft ceiling and walls

Used Bakers Choice wood cook stove after chimney installed

West deck--posts will be cut to length after railing laid out

While we had the Bobcat, we decided to clear the old farm trail through the woods to provide access to fields across valley, previously accessible only by highway.

Bocat with trencher attachment

They hydraulic trencher made short work, even with rocks.  We average 30 inches deep with little problem.

We trenched approximately 140 feet in about 1 hour

First fire in cookstove after installing new firebrick

Ceiling sheetrock.  Care has to be taken to cut around collar tie cross-beams

Close up of collar ties

Wood cook stove after installation of heat shield (to reduce clearance to wall) and insulated hearth mat

Wood Stove is in

I realized it's been almost a month since I last posted progress, so thought I should share, even though I don't have any pics handy to upload.

The contractors are done with their work, so now it's my job to finish.  The wiring is 95% roughed in and has been inspected.  We insulated the loft roof and the framed gables and dormer and the windows in the loft.  I need to insulate around the windows downstairs and then have the inspector out to approve so I can install the sheetrock upstairs and on the interior walls downstairs.  Nothing ever seems to go as fast as one might like, but we're making progress.

One major hurdle that was solved this past week was heat.  I've gone back and forth quite a bit about whether to install a wood cookstove or a wood heater.  The basic difference is that with the cookstove (obviously) you can cook on it and it has an oven, whereas a heater basically does just that, although you can generally heat up water on the tops.  

While there are various pros and cons to each, I broke them down as follows.  The pros of a wood cookstove is that you can heat and cook on them, which is nice from the standpoint of self-sufficiency.  Plus, many have water reservoirs so you can heat water up for domestic use.  The cons of a cookstove is they are generally bigger and often have a shorter burn time, meaning you have to fill them up more often.  They also tend to be somewhat more expensive than a heater.

By the end of this process, I offered a silent prayer that if we were to use a wood cook stove, that one would present itself.  Because of our budget, I couldn't really afford a new stove, and the only wood cookstoves I've seen on craigslist are almost always antiques (I want something newer and UL approved), or they get bought up right away.  When it came time to decide on a wood stove, I found a used cookstove, but by the time I saw it, it had been posted 3-4 days, so I figured it must be gone already.  I contacted them anyway and found out it was still for sale.  The regular price for this Bakers Choice is about $1800 (plus shipping), but I got it used for $500.  I'll post pics once it's fully installed, but here's a link to the company's website.

I decided to have the chimney professionally installed.  I'm pretty certain I could have figured out the process of installing a stainless steel chimney, but I really wanted to make sure it was up to code in terms of clearances, etc.  Plus, our insurance company has always been very good about us heating with wood, as long as it's up to code, so I wanted to make sure we were up to code in the event of any future claim issues.  So, I spent the money to have it done right and feel pretty comfortable with the decision.

I'll try to post updated pics in the next week.  Stay tuned.

It's not an ark...or is it?

One of the main drawbacks to our homestead is it presently lies on a rather busy highway.  I say presently because there is a likelihood that, in a few years, the road will be re-routed away from us as we are right on a large curve.  However, with visibility comes an opportunity for witness--and, of course, gossip.

It's amazing how many comments and questions we get about our cabin progress.  When the walls were up, but no roof, and with just a few small windows on the front side, I had multiple people ask if we were building an ark.  Others asked if this was going to be our vacation home.  I politely let them know we're going to be moving the family in there--all 7 of us--once it's done.

The ark comments have stuck with me, though, as in many ways I feel a little like Noah.  Not because we're doing anything prophetic or remarkable, but because it can be a lonely, vulnerable process doing something outside the mainstream.  We are constructing a home that is smaller than most people's garages, and our family is much larger than most modern families.  And while the project is modest in financial circumstances, it has still involved a significant commitment on our part, and caused us to wonder whether we're crazy or will be able to complete the project.

In the end, I'm reminded that this home really will be an "ark' for our family--it will be a place for us to further separate from the world, while remaining in the world.  It will be a place where, on a frosty January morning, I can wake up to stoke the fire and watch the deer and turkey from our back window.  It will be a home where the walls and floors age with our family, and will serve as a diary of sorts as the children leave their dings and dents and scratches and, undoubtedly, crayon marks.

The more I wonder if I've lost my mind, the more I'm convinced God is present in all of this, and leading us to a deeper, simpler relationship with Him and our family.  Lord willing, we will enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal and Christmas morning in our new home.

Here are some recent pics of our progress.  I'm also going to include a few video links showing our progress with the strawberries, asparagus, and potatoes.  Enjoy!

First year growth on thornless blackberries on trellis

Old hay growth that will be plowed for next year's garden expansion

Mowing the hay/grass in preparation for fall tillage

Native patch of overgrown raspberries on terrace. 

Raspberry patch mowed with sickle mower to permit new growth next year and, hopefully fruit

Clipping and picking butternut squash

Kids gathering pumpkins from garden

Wiring, bears, and deer

The guys have gotten most of the exterior of the cabin done, so now it's my turn to work on some of the inside.  Having never worked with a log structure before, it is apparent to me that electric is the part of the process that is most different from conventional construction.  Unless you want to look at exposed wires or conduit, you're forced to find ways to snake wire inside and around the logs to keep them hidden--and protected.  For the outside walls, holes were drilled as the logs were laid to create channels for fishing the wires through.  You then locate the channels and mark around where your electric boxes go, and then have to cut out the logs to receive the boxes.  In our case, we used a combination of a jig saw, chisel, and large forstner bit.  

The trickiest part is getting wires to the lights that will serve the first floor, and attach to the beams and pine ceiling that make up the loft floor.  For this, we used a saw to create a groove in the top of the beams and along the walls, in which we place the wire to get it over to a traditional framed wall, which is then drilled out to feed the wire and will be covered with sheetrock.  Once the wires are fed to the lights for the main floor, we can then get it inspected and then call the guys back to install the tongue and groove pine flooring, which will be the floor for the loft and the ceiling for the main floor.  They just have to be sure not to put a nail or screw through the wires that are recessed in to the top of the beams.  Here are some pictures to demonstrate.

framing for future bathroom

Loft framing

wiring from loft to lower framed walls

The wire is fished through grooves made with saw and chisel.  The horizontal run will be covered by flooring and trim, and the vertical run will be behind an interior wall.

timbers are added between the loft beams to run the wire and receive the electric boxes for lights/fans

wire fed from groove in logs down to framed interior wall.  

wire fed from switches to lights over kitchen sink and bathroom vanity

hole to receive switch boxes

4" hole cut through timber to receive box for ceiling light/fan

hole to receive ceiling lights for first floor

view from above loft floor where wire groove meets hole to receive light

upper view of ceiling light box.  This will be covered with pine flooring for loft, so has to be installed before floor goes down.

One of the bigger challenges to gardening in the country is not only dealing with bugs and small pests, but dealing with deer and raccoon.  Deer always like strawberries, sweet corn, and your cool weather crops like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.  However, the deer have gone so far as to also eat our raspberries, a problem I've never heard of.  I'm not sure if it's just because the plants are small, or because the year was so dry, or a combination of these.  Either way, I don't anticipate this will be a problem once the plants become larger next year, but the deer are sure having their way with the new raspberry plants this fall.  Here are some pics, along with some pics of the fall crops I planted--lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

deer chewed leaves off raspberries

I planted fall plants in late July.  I planted broccoli and cauliflower directly into garden in a row, and then transplanted some and thinned the rest.

transplanted cauliflower and broccoli

pumpkins nipped by frost

butternut squash after frost

Oh, and did I mention we have bears?  My neighbor across the fence caught a large black beer on his deer trail cam.  I hope he doesn't find the garden or berry patch.