Achieving Clarity... Not!

If there's one thing I've learned about building, it's not to ask too many questions, because you'll end up getting way too many answers. Best to find one source of info and get all your insight there. Unfortunately, being the neurotic nutcase that I am, I'm always searching for a second opinion, when in reality, all I should be doing is listening to one person's advice. Whatever.

I must have asked a dozen people about installing a sill onto the concrete foundation and gotten three dozen variations on the same theme, and yet, my first inclination is to keep asking. What exactly am I looking for? Your guess is as good as mine.

After all is said and done, I think I'm leaning towards going with PR's (my brother in law) advice and drilling holes and putting in anchor wedges. It's definitely not the quick, down and dirty, easy way, and I think I won't come away from it wishing I'd done it differently, it just may take more time. I even went out and bought the anchor's and the bit, and located a hammer drill that I can borrow, so I'm on my way. Let's hope I don't screw this up. I might, however, give one last call to B and get his thoughts since he's a concrete expert. I'm also a little wary of the stuff I bought because the guys at Britton's, even though they're great guys, don't always instill me with the most confidence. This should be good, so stay tuned.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to gerard79 for the pic.

Disorganized, Splurging and Libertarianism

I just wanted to mention that being disorganized causes me to suffer greatly in whatever task I undertake. From disorganization comes sloppiness, and that's what will really hurt you in the end. My Mentor is always getting on my case about that, but doesn't have the time or energy to constantly hold my hand.

Either way, I bring this up as a warning to all you children out there reading this: take the time be organized, it will make your life so much easier in the long run.

Case in point: framing. I was running out of boards to make studs/jacks, and ended up needing only one more. Luckily, I had a stud left over that I'd removed to make ROs. It was ruined on one end (I had to knock it out with a sledge hammer), but 80% of it was perfectly fine because I was going to use it to support the header (boy do I love talking the talk). So, all I needed to do was cut off the bad end and use the good part.

Well, in my haste and because I'm such a slob, of course I screwed it up. I cut the wrong end! When I looked at what I'd done, I kicked myself in frustration, and wished I'd listened to my mom all those years about cleaning my room. After my anger had subsided, I was not faced with the problem of needing a board to make a jack. I scrounged around and luckily found one that was in good condition, but even still, how could I be so stupid? You don't have to answer that one.

Anyway, I'm learning... sort of. As hard as I try to be neat and organized, however, it just seems to take too much time and effort, but I'll get there. If I don't, my Mentor will have strong words for me, as will my wife.

Also wanted to say that I went out, at the encouragement of my brother in law (as well as my mentor), and bought a real piece of equipment, a framing hammer. In the past I've purchased the Home Depot specials when it came to tools, and the hammer I got cost me $5. For the record, it wasn't the cheapest one, they hammers that cost under $3, but I was too embarrassed to get that one. Anyway, at one time, my Mentor actually lent me two quality hammers, Estwings. In retrospect, I wonder if he was trying to inspire me.

Whatever be the case, I went to Sears in search of the perfect framing hammer, and was inundated with choices. As a side note, I'm reading this really cool book about people who rigidly (blindly?) support free market economics and how everything for them is black and white. I.e., libertarians want absolutely no government, not even the slightest bit. There is no gray area, which is ridiculous when you think about it. Instead of any authoritative oversight, even the slightest bit, they feel that the optimal solution is to forgo leadership and instead give people as many choices as possible and let them decide, and only then will the best outcome ensue. Well, anyone who shops for cereal knows that fallacy of this approach, and I was experiencing this in choosing a hammer.

There were so many hammers that I almost gave up and walked away. I'm talking about three dozen different kinds, and they all looked the same. I took a deep breath and ended up taking every one in my hand and swinging it around a few times. I have to confess, it really made a difference, and I opted for the Estwing 22oz framing hammer with the waffled head to prevent slippage. My Mentor and his buddy B gave me two thumbs up (B said he only buys Estwings) and pointed out that the hammer is 16 inches long, corresponding to the distance (on center) between studs. So not only do I have this killer hammer that feels good when I swing it, but I can use it to measure the distance between nails. How cool is that? I love this thing.

Life is good when you can appreciate the little things in life, even if your enthusiasm gets on everyone's nerves.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Lars Sundström for the pic.

Winter Has Arrived and Barn Update

Now that winter is here, the yard work is winding down, though I think I'll give it one last mow to clear some leaves and get the garden in order. Then again, it might be too late for that. I'd like to clear the debris, spread some compost, and then till the soil, but it's been freezing at night and soon I won't be able to.

Also, there is the issue of time. I can barely keep things together on the home front, but I've also got other project going, but no time for whiners, right?

Having said that, I've managed to get four rough openings completed, and have to confess that I like doing them. I guess I'm a framer at heart, because there is a margin for error and sloppiness, which is my forte. It may take me days to frame a RO, and the edges may not line up, but boy do I have fun doing it. I've completed the entire backside of the barn, and I just need to put up sheathing and then frame out the gable ends for the doors and kitchen sink window, which will be a big one. Should be interesting.

I still haven't heard from my sensei, he said he'd be available to help me, and he is a logger who can cut the trees in back (he's got a chipper), and he does roofs. An all in one package if there ever was one, except what good is it when they never get back to you.

As I've mentioned before, it's hard enough to get a contractor to return your calls when it's an emergency, but if they have even the slightest hint that there is no urgency to a job, don't even dream that they'll contact you. It's almost as if they don't want our money. On the bright note, it's more stuff that I get to do. So what if it takes years to complete... just kidding.

I got the pressure treated wood for the sill and cut it to size, making sure the kids were nowhere in sight and I was properly protected. Nasty stuff, that pressure treated wood. My friend made a garden box in his home using PT wood, and I couldn't believe it, but said nothing. Also, our good friends the Macs are always eco-friendly and health conscious (to the point of being priggish) and they just built a deck entirely out of PT wood. No thank you.

Anyway, I now need to fasten the sill to the foundation, and I have a few options. The first was to have our friend B come over with his handy nail gun and simply shoot nails through, but this brought up a couple of issues. First, I've been told the nails can crack the foundation, and second, I've heard they don't actually hold the boards down, they simply prevent them from shifting. It has been recommended to me that I use a hammer drill to make holes and then put bolts (I forgot what they're called) and fasten the boards to the bolts. Finally, my good friend JC (who has a hammer drill that he said I could borrow) recommended mason screws, which apparently hold well in concrete. So many choices, so little time. I like the idea of doing it myself, not just to save money, but because it's another step towards becoming a real man and I don't have to wait around for someone to show up, much less return my phone calls.

Finally, I ran out of rough cut lumber. I need more 2X6 boards, and it's convenient that the guy sells them down the road, but I think the quality of the wood left something to be desired. I may simply make the trek to Wrights Mill and get the good stuff, especially now that I'm a framing machine. Speaking of which, I need to increase the RO of the doors, which will entail cutting out the header and raising it up a few inches. Time to break out the Sawzall. I love that thing, though I wasn't sure what to use it for at first. I just did what I told, and I was told to get a reciprocating saw. I didn't know what to do with the thing at first, but now I'm really into it. I think the key was getting good blades, and lots of them. I've broken two of them, but fortunately they're cheap, which of course speaks volumes to me.

Anyway, cutting out the headers should be interesting. I want to retain the jacks because they require long pieces of wood, and you can't really buy short pieces of the stuff. The shortest I've found is ten feet, which is more than I need, but you take what you can get. I also need to order windows and doors, but one thing at time.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Hanna Zabielska for the pic.

If I could

Blueberries

One thing about training to be a real man is that the process doesn't end with hammers and power tools. There are the ever-present issues of the yard. Besides mowing and cutting and splitting and all that good stuff, we're having problems with our lawn as well as our blueberry bushes.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, and excuse me if I have, but our blueberries, which were house-welcoming presents, have taken a turn for the worse. They gave us loads of berries the first year, tapered off a bit the next year, and this year looked like they were on the verge of death. No berries, and sickly looking. I made the mistake of putting wood ash over them thinking I was doing them a favor, only to learn they love acidic conditions and ash is alkaline. How was I supposed to know? And what am I supposed to do with all that ash?

Anyway, we are in the midst of reversing the process. I tried to remove as much of the ash and junk as possible, then spread some nice juicy acidic fertilizer around the base and covered it with pine mulch (evergreens are acidic, I learned). We got lucky in that right after doing it, it rained for days, so hopefully the conditions are working their magic on the roots, but we won't really know until next Spring, though we'll keep our fingers crossed.

There is also the issue of the lawn restoration. Our friend W said it's hard, if not impossible, to beat out lawn ivy, i.e, Creeping Charlie. The stuff is hard as nails and grows like a house on fire, so maybe I just need to embrace it... naah! When I first spread the grass seeds, I was convinced that there was no way in heck this was going to work. The seeds just sit on the surface of the soil, how were they going to grow? Well, here we are, two months later, and sure enough, the seedlings are sprouting up all over the place. How cool is that? I need to do research my next step, but so far, so good. Something to look forward to in Spring.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Front Porch, Framing, and Rough Openings

So I managed to cut out my second rough opening the other day, and felt so much like a man that I went inside and read some Hemingway. This time around, I only dropped the header once, and even that could have been avoided if I wasn't taking shortcuts out of laziness. My inadequacies always come back to haunt me. It was good for entertainment value, however. N was watching me, from a safe distance (I thankfully made him stay a safe distance back until I secured the header), and I'd left my box of nails on the bottom sill. When the header fell, it not only crushed the box, but managed to drive several of the nails into the wood. Kind of funny, though I'm glad it wasn't my head under there.


After it was up, I was ready to cut the final two ROs, but we really need to finalize our choices on windows before we go cutting up the frame. My Mentor concurred with me that this was probably a good idea. This, like all things in life involving contracting, was not as simple as it seems, because in the interest of symmetry and aesthetics, you'd like to get proper spacing and proportions relative to things like counter tops, pre-existing windows, and appliances. This then requires that you envision your kitchen in its final form, and that, for me, is the hard part. It's easy enough to knock out studs and cut jacks, but to have to think about it? Count me out.

After much toiling and discussion, I think we've arrived at a window and its placement. Now we just have to see if it exists, i.e., if they carry the stock window. We could have any sort of window custom made to fit any RO, but then you're getting into the big bucks. We'll stick with stock windows for now, they cost well over half the price.

Yesterday my Mentor stopped by and helped me put up sheathing, though we had to stop because we can't finish the back without knowing the ROs. Those darn windows keep coming back to haunt me, so I've got to just get it done. At least the sheathing has been initiated, making it all that much easier to put the next boards in. I have this incredibly naive fantasy that I can put up sheathing by myself, and I'll at least give it a try, though I need to make sure the kids are not within earshot because I know while I'm doing it, every other sound coming out of my mouth will be the F-word.

Also got loads of good advice about the front porch, all of which simply confused me even more. After all is said and done, I don't think we'll be employing concrete. Out of the 456 opinions I got on what to do, all of which BTW were different, at least 450 of them hinted or declared the concrete would be too thin and would crack. Majority rules. Unfortunately, this also means I have to rip up the cement board, which ain't gonna be easy. I'm never comfortable destroying something that someone else has worked so hard on creating, especially when it involves our house.

On the bright note, after slaving over the details and possibilities, I do feel increasingly confident that not only can this be done, but I can do it. At least some of it. That's why the invented power tools. Whatever happens, it should be interesting, so stay tuned for more wild and whacky adventures. And thanks for reading.

Good Help is Hard to Find

Just for the record, I never once believed I could do this on my own. In fact, I approached this project as if my Mentor was going to hold my hand and pretty much do everything while I sat back and took notes, but no such luck. And in the end, that's not how any learning experience should be. Sometimes you have to sweat and bleed a little before the hard lessons are tacked into your brain.

Case in point, this barn. My Mentor is busy with flying and he will be going back to Maine in November, so what the heck am I going to do? Well, rather than cry, or in addition to crying, I need to man up and deal with what needs to be dealt with. Which for a city-boy like myself means one thing: hire a contractor. I'll need to keep a standing supply of beer in the house, while sequestering the non-alcoholic stuff or else compromise my fragile standing the real man world.

The problem I run into is that I really want to be active in the building of this barn, for many reasons, but also as an integral part of my real man training. This complicates matters because really serious contractors don't want some Johnny-come-lately getting in their way, which I know I would. Also, they tend to hire their own crews. What I need is someone who is capable and reliable but is also willing to let me come in and destroy all their hard work. Someone who is not as uptight as me and will come in to help and assess but not dominate the project. Then, of course, can take the reigns when I have to go inside to make Rice Crispy Treats for the kids.

Well, finding this ideal candidate ain't easy, as you might have guessed. I got two responses when I called around. Either they never called me back, or were busy. How's that for getting shot down in flames? What is it with contractors? Don't they want our money?

I finally spoke with my karate teacher, CH, and I think he's the man. Besides being capable and trustworthy, he does it all, and is willing to work around our schedules. He even mentioned working at night. He is also a logger and does ceilings, but the time will tell where this one goes. I want to believe.

My Mentor also introduced me to a guy B who is a seasoned contractor and is willing to put up with my inadequacies, so things are looking up. But it's early, and there's much room for disappointment. In the meantime, I'll keep plugging away. Our short term goal is to seal up that barn and work in the winter. I don't think this is unrealistic, but what do I know?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Miracles do Happen

In a testament to the fact that miracles do indeed happen, I somehow managed to put a rough opening in, all by my lonesome. For the record, it was incredibly hard to do, and not only did it bring tears to my eyes, but I almost gave up. I couldn't, however, face my Mentor after doing that, so I persevered. And best of all, it only took me about 6 hours to put in, but at least it's in, and I can hold up my head in pride. The following pic is not the finished product.

I based the design on the other windows, since we were simply moving the front ones to the back, so the ROs (contractor lingo for rough openings) would be identical. With this in mind, it all seemed so simple, but I forgot to factor in the fact that the green wood that we're using, rough cut hemlock I believe, weighs a metric ton, so when all is said and done, the actual header (more contractor lingo for the top part) weighs about 50-60 pounds. This would not be so bad if you didn't have to lift it over your head while balancing yourself on a sawhorse and then secure it. Whatever you do, don't try this at home.

I ended up dropping the thing 5-6 times before I finally came up with a plan. My Mentor would have been proud of me. The header rests on posts I believe they call "jacks," but whatever they are, I was told the fit should be tight. What I ended up doing was placing the jacks in first, but at an angle to the studs (the boards that hold up the roof). I placed the header on the angled jacks, then gently forced the jacks plumb (contractor lingo for vertically flush) with the studs, thereby lifting the header into place. What a nightmare, what a dream.

I was so pleased with myself that I went inside and celebrated by making lunch for the kids and then doing the dishes. I have to confess, I shamelessly went back to the RO that I'd made again and again to just stare at my handiwork. Call me vain, but it left me with a warm glow inside.

Just a quick sidenote, my Mentor warned me repeatedly to not leave boards with nails lying around, and of course I completely ignored him in a rush to get as much done as possible. And, of course, I ended up stepping on a nail, but luckily for me, it didn't hit my foot, though I could feel it penetrate the rubber soul of my shoe. Not a good feeling, but as I've always said, the lessons you learn the hard way are the ones you never forget. Unless you're stupid. I'll leave it at that.

Now I'm light years away from completing this project, but I am gaining some degree of confidence in my limited contracting abilities, so much so that I am looking forward to cutting out the next rough opening.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.