Working not partying

Apologies for the lack of anything last weekend, especially to all those who eagerly look forward each week to a new posting from me . The week before, some friends, who had outstanding work in Northern Alberta, needed help and so I went up to Fawcett Lake to give a hand. I didn't get back until Tuesday and not only missed doing the blog posting at the usual time but lost more than a week's worth of work on my place. So there wasn't anything to write about anyway.

Rumours that I was in Los Vegas partying with the son of the Colonel in Chief of the Army Air Corps are completely unfounded and I hope all the photos on the internet and in the Sun newspaper bear witness to the fact that I wasn't naked ….. I mean I wasn't there. I don't have any photos of Northern Alberta to show you either, so you will just have to take my word for it. I was however, working as hard as HRH was partying and we put in ten, twelve and even one fourteen hour day. As a result, I came back pretty well exhausted and still haven't really caught up.

I got straight back into the swing of things here and although it was a short week have accomplished quite a lot, finishing the deck framing, starting to lay the actual decking boards and one final half day logging to make sure we now have all the freely collectable materials we need to complete the decks. We will still need to buy some stuff (more decking and square timber for the covered deck roof framing) but at least there is plenty of stuff to be getting on with.

The lower deck framing all in place. Making sure all the posts were in line, upright and the joists were level was a major pain but the final result was satisfying.

So this is how it all looks now, starting from the front door, ...

… going around the first corner to the south side of the cabin ...

… and peaking around the southeast corner to the main deck area.

Then looking northeast along the main deck ...

… and from the kitchen corner looking south, back to the main deck ...

… and then turning around to look towards the garage and the kitchen door. The lower deck is over 1100 square feet and there is at least another 400 square feet on the upper level yet to be framed. So quite a bit of work to do yet on the decking. 

Finally, from the kitchen door looking towards the main deck. 

Steps will come off the deck opposite the kitchen door and in one place off the main deck on the southeast side. Latticework will hide the underside of the decking.

The decking itself is 1 x 6 inch fir, seasoned for more than two years. That means that it is very dry and hard and all the screw holes have to be pre-drilled to avoid the wood splitting. As two screws are required for each joist that means a lot of drilling and screwing. What did we do before power tools? There are over 600 screws required for the front deck alone.

You will notice that the last two rows of deck planks have not been layed. This is to leave room for the posts to be inserted and fixed to the framing and this will all become apparent as the posts, railings and spindles go up. As you can also see from this photograph, the colour of the fir deck boards is very attractive and I shall be applying a transparent wood stain to try to keep the grain at least from being hidden.

Most deck planks in Canada are layed tight up against one another but I have elected to have a small gap between them in order to allow dust and water to be cleared off between the boards.

The stain for the window trimming, internal flooring and the deck has been ordered and is awaiting collection at the shipping office in Eureka across the 'line'. I went down on Saturday to pick it up only to find, once again, that it was closed and so I will go down during the coming week. I took the opportunity however to visit the Builders 'Center' and found some solid fir quarter light doors on special offer and am seriously considering them for two out of the three entry doors, that being the main entrance, which will have a side light, the garage entrance and the kitchen door.  For the kitchen I would prefer a barn,or dutch door as the call them here, where the top half can open separately while the bottom remains closed to keep the critters out.

Talking of critters I saw a baby skunk the other day and thought it was cute until I reminded myself how unsociable they can be. On my way up north I also saw some bears including a grizzly, which was a first for me.

The quote we received for the roof was a bit on the high side and therefore we have called for another and someone is coming out tomorrow to have a look. I am hoping Owen will sub-contract the whole roof to him and that he gets started as soon as possible. Roofers are hard to come by at the moment because about a month ago there was a tremendous hale storm in Southern Alberta that damaged thousands of roofs and therefore materials as well as trained manpower is in high demand.

Just one fish out of 27 million

Bottom line up front - not a bad week.  The roof still hasn't been started but we did start the decking, some of which (where it is covered) has to be completed before the roof can be finished. So, although I am still itching to get the roof started I am content that more resources are being devoted to my place and my Contractor has agreed that from now onwards my project will be the company Main Effort. I am planning on holding him to this promise and under my new policy of "name and shame" announced last week, will give you regular SITREPs on his performance.

For the first half of the week, I was still working alone and managed to get quite a lot done despite the lack of that ever helpful extra pair of hands, for which I was forced to improvise on several occasions by using mechanical clamps. First up, I put some more stud walling up in the utility area to complete the walling for the walk-in pantry, fridge/freezer alcove, utility room and downstairs toilet.

From the gangway to the garage, looking over towards the kitchen end of the utility area. Walk-in pantry at the far end, then the alcove for the fridge/freezer and the utility area in the foreground.

Looking the other way is where the downstairs, two piece bathroom will be.

From the kitchen looking obliquely into the pantry.

I also put the three garage windows in, which wasn't easy doing by myself and I am minded to wait for help before putting any of the rest in. There is a risk of the inside woodwork of the windows getting water damaged without the roof on, so I have put polythene sheeting on the inside and have already stained two out of the three and will do the third next week, before the next rain comes - it is hoped.

Here you can see an example of the trim work that will surround the windows on the inside of the cabin. It will be stained a dark brown to contrast with the golden wheat colour of the logs. Unfortunately, none is available yet to show you.

Not to be idle, I have also put up some shelving in the garage in preparation for when I can secure it and start using it as a workshop for doing all the work on the inside of the cabin. This 12' section will eventually go on the other side of the garage and back onto the pantry and utility area behind the fridge.

These two sections will probably stay where they are as this end of the garage will almost certainly remain the workshop end. As you can also see, I have moved the workbench out of the trailer and put in the garage where it can be used for the purpose that I made it. I have replaced it in the trailer with a section of shelving similar to those above but I forgot to take a photo for you - next week perhaps. Anyway, it has made more room in the trailer and I have managed to mount the bench-saw on its trolley so that it can now be wheeled out into the garage for doing what it is designed for. As a result of all of this, this end of the garage can now take on much more of the role that I intend for it. I am being careful not to damage the logs on the inside of the garage and if I want to hang anything off them I will first put a board in order to minimise drilling into them and generally otherwise marking them.

And so to the deck.

We started outside the front door and worked our way around to the South side of the house, replacing the temporary steps where the finished ones will eventually go.

Turning the corner one can already get an impression of how the deck is going to add to the appearance of the cabin.

We have also made a start on the main deck area on the lakeside of the cabin and I hope to be able to report that the framing of all the lower section of the deck is complete by the end of next week.

For those interested in the technical detail, all of the framing, (including the lower posts) is made from pressure treated wood. This will ensure a longer life for the deck. The joists are all hung on joist hangers secured to a plank, which is bolted to the main rim joist of the cabin on the inside and sit on a beam supported by the posts on the outside. Once the tricky task of lining up the posts and making sure they are upright is done, the structure can go up quite quickly. What you see in these photos took three of us two days to put up.

It has continued to be very hot and dry, the temperature hitting 43 degrees C in the sun on Monday and Tuesday. Fortunately, on both days I was able to work predominately in the shade in the garage and avoided the worst of it. It was still very hot for the rest of the week and the Canadians pulled stumps early on Friday due to the heat and consequently I had to work on until 1900 hours to achieve the day's goal. The heat is also taking away my appetite and I am losing weight quite rapidly, as I did at the same time last year. I am existing almost exclusively on fruit and salads but, I am keeping up my fluid intake so at least I am not suffering any dehydration.

I have missed virtually all the Olympics but have kept up to speed on the internet when I have got back to my room in the evenings. Well done team GB and the whole organising and supporting cast who seem to have put on a pretty good show. It seems that even the weather was kind and helped make it a very memorable experience for everyone.

The guy from the roofing company came on the third appointment, just in time to save himself and his company from being named and shamed. He did a thorough job estimating the requirements for the metal roofing and he has already submitted his quote to Owen.

To end the week, Owen, Tex and I went fishing in Koocanusa Lake this evening, not getting back until after ten o'clock. We had lots of bites but caught only one fish (a small salmon), which we let Tex have for his supper. A pretty disappointing bag since, according to Owen, there are 27 million fish in the lake. Most of the bites we lost just before landing them. Anyway, we had fun.

Until next week.

To name and shame

Another long week working in 30 degrees centigrade of heat and the last, I hope, by myself for a good few weeks to come. Relations with my builder hit an all time low while they were away in Toronto but, I believe they are now on an upward trend. They all got back on Wednesday and so there was nothing to be achieved on that day, not even a meaningful discussion, as they had been on the road for three days and had driven through the night on Tuesday. There was no point in discussing things with exhausted people and so I left it until Thursday.

On Thursday Owen and I sorted out how we are going to build the roof conventionally, which involved getting advice from an engineer and ordering the materials, which in itself was not as straightforward as I had hoped, and you could be forgiven for expecting. We also finalised plans for building the deck, which will involve one, if not two, more forays into the forest to collect post, rial and spindle wood. The main commercial source of our building materials (apart from the Indian Reservation mill) didn't have all the lumber that we need, in particular 6'x6' pressure treated wood (known here colloquially as PFW), that we need for the deck framing and so this will have to be sourced from elsewhere. I am not expecting any difficulties in finding what we need as I went into town today (Sunday) on my admin run and checked Home Depot in Cranbrook, which has plenty of what we want.

This weekend is a long holiday weekend and so I am not expecting the workforce back until Tuesday, which is when I hope most of the materials for the roof and the deck framing will also be delivered. On Thursday Owen and I also went into see the metal roofing specialists, who will put the 'Forest Green' aluminium (that's alluminum for North Americans) sheeting on once we have completed the framing. I am trying to get Owen to get the plan joined up between the various tasks and sub-contractors, so there are no delays between them. This is easier said than done. While we were in the offices of the roofing company on Thursday we arranged for their boss to come out to the site on Friday afternoon to measure up the square footage, so he can make sure he has enough sheeting (which comes in rolls). At 1730 hours on Friday he hadn't turned up and hadn't contacted me to say he couldn't make it, so I phoned him and accepted his apologies on his promise to come out on Saturday afternoon. By 1830 hours on Saturday he still hadn't turned up and again without so much as a phone call to say he wasn't coming. Are you beginning to get the picture of what it is like trying to do business in British Columbia.

I am being let down so much now that I have decided to name and shame those companies and individuals who prove unreliable, so that people doing due diligence on potential suppliers and contractors can see which ones are unreliable. A simple google search on the company or individual will bring up the relevant page of this blog, where they are named. It will be three strikes and out. So the roofing company that has let me down twice in as many days now has one more chance before it gets named and shamed. Prompt and appropriate compensation on the other hand will result in the frank remarks being removed and outstanding service will likewise receive credit on these posts. See below.

There is also a great deal more that Owen has to get done before winter, including connecting all the services up, putting in the windows and external doors, making the garage airtight, laying some of the flooring and constructing all the stairs and steps inside the cabin, to name but a few. My main concerns now are human resources for getting all this work done in time. Owen is going to have to hire extra help and or sub-contract work out if he is going to complete his contracted obligations before the winter returns. He has promised to do so but, the jury is still out on this and I will keep you posted on progress on this key issue.

So what else have I achieved this week apart from getting angry with my Contractor. Well, I have finished staining all the pine logs and posts on the inside of the cabin. All the pine wood therefore is now stained inside and out. I also made a start on caulking the inside of the cabin and have all but completed the upstairs. There are still one or two bits to do but I am going to wait until the roof is on before I do these last gaps near the interface between the walls and the roof. I have also ordered, from the same supplier in the USA, some darker 'rustic timber' stain for the fir posts, beams, rafters, floor boards and window and door trims. It is hoped that the colour I have chosen from the sample card will contrast well with the 'golden wheat' colour of the pine wood. I have decided to have only these two colours for the woodwork, any more and I believe it will look to fussy. There will be opportunity enough to influence the overall impression with the plaster board that will go between the rafters in some places and on some of the stud walling most, if not all, of which I am planning on having in plain white. There will also be some tiling in the wet areas and this will also break up the domination of the wood.

There isn't really very much to show you this week in terms of photographic evidence of progress made, more particularly because the real progress was made in the offices of my Contractor, Owen Kenney. Here you can see that I had to move all the windows and doors away from the walls in the study/dinning area, that I am beginning to refer to nowadays as the 'man cave', so that I could stain the walls.

Not a brilliant photograph, I'll grant you, but it does show the stain and nice flat surface of the inside of the cabin logs, which will be easy to work with when it comes time for shelves, pictures etc.

More of the same walls from a different angle, I'm afraid the photos of the other walls came out too dark to really show much. 

 I have also had the travel trailer (caravan) taken away. I haven't been using it and am unlikely to need it again. Part of the deal I had with the company that I bought it from was that if I returned it to them in less than a year they would take it back and sell it for me with only a small loss. When I went into the company to complete the deal I was dismayed to find out that the guy I did the verbal deal with had died but, I am very pleased to report that after only a very short deliberation they decided to honour the deal on my word. The company, Runners-RV of Cranbrook, therefore are the first to receive an unqualified recommendation from me on these pages. From the very start they were helpful and considerate, transferring the trailer to and from my property (a 45 min drive each way) without charge, setting it up and giving me (free of charge) a start up pack to get me connected to services and the caravan fit for living in. An outstanding company and sales team that I am very happy to recommend to anyone.

Where the caravan (travel trailer) used to be, now just a pleasant view of the lake looking down to the south.

The only other main achievement this week was to cut up the four trees that fell down during the storm the week before last and to clear up all the mess that was left behind. Strewth, what a difference having the quad made to this operation and how I wish that I had had it when I was clearing everything by hand from where the cabin now stands. It meant that I could cut the trees up into 15' long logs that, once they are dry, I shall be able to use for furniture and other uses. I was able to drag these along behind the quad to the wood pile and stack them, any larger then even the quad had difficulty in moving them.

I am still looking at options for covering the ICF foundation blocks in stone and this week I had another look at real and artificial rock in Cranbrook and was surprised this time by the reasonable pricing at one of the suppliers. So there is hope yet therefore that I may be able source this material in Canada, which would be nice.

A friend has asked if there has been any word about John, the homeless man, who disappeared a few weeks ago. I am afraid there hasn't been and I am still concerned, as much by the apathy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who, because John was homeless, don't really seem to be interested in investigating what happened to him.