We began really making some headway in getting trees down. It is unfortunate we have to take down as many trees as we have to, but I am glad it is all working out great. We are using all the hardwood, or will be, as firewood since I'll be heating with wood. Hopefully all of the red pine will be used in the house construction itself. Most all the huge white pines will be going to a saw mill.
I am getting over the shock of tree felling as much as possible. My original romantic idealism of being in the woods is turning into realistic stuff now. I mean the idea of living in the woods is to live in the woods. But first you have the county issues for the leach field whereas they want a huge leach field and then they want a clear perimeter around the field in order for the sun and wind to get at it and keep it dry.
Next, is the issue of the house. Well, it all seems well and good to build in between the trees, but you have to take some down for the house itself, and then some more for the driveway, and then some for the walkway, and then of course you have to take some more down to get huge trucks up next to the house to deliver shingles, logs, windows, concrete...things like that.
Then, you need a staging area, or several staging areas for things like placing the logs while you build with them, work area, eating areas, etc.
And lastly, who wants some 80' tree falling on their house? Not me. So, a few more have to come down.
A friend of mine said, "I don't know much about white pines 'cept they grow really big and then they fall down."
Well, friend, that sums up the matter.
Me with Rory
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Peeling away
I am glad the peeling is going so well. It is easier to do when the tree is freshly cut. It is for this reason we only took down a manageable amount this time. I am almost finished with this load. Then I will start peeling standing trees until we are able to get them cut down. I can't think of the numbers I will need in total or else I would be too overwhelmed...5 tall porch posts, 2 for bottom of porch stairs, 2 wall ties, 10 or so ceiling beams, rafters...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Dang ticks
You know I curse those things. I once was a free spirit in the woods, running about in my tank top and shorts. Lyme disease changed all of that. When I got infected, my free-to-dress-as-I-please life changed. Now I am an overdressed woodsman, ready to pass out from the heat.
Bro and I have to overdress for the temperature while we clear the land, which makes it doubly hard to do the work. It was like 80 the other day and there we are in long sleeves and me with my pants tucked into my socks to keep ticks out.
I didn't know what time of year those suckers came out, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I began doing the tick checks as soon as the snow was almost all melted. Never soon enough in my book.
Well, last night, barely into April, I found one attached to my chest area. Yikes! Once removed, which I do have to admit I still never remove properly, I took a shower and cleaned my wound. I hate them.
BTW, I had no regrets drowning it and I hope it suffered all the way down the bathroom drain.
Bro and I have to overdress for the temperature while we clear the land, which makes it doubly hard to do the work. It was like 80 the other day and there we are in long sleeves and me with my pants tucked into my socks to keep ticks out.
I didn't know what time of year those suckers came out, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I began doing the tick checks as soon as the snow was almost all melted. Never soon enough in my book.
Well, last night, barely into April, I found one attached to my chest area. Yikes! Once removed, which I do have to admit I still never remove properly, I took a shower and cleaned my wound. I hate them.
BTW, I had no regrets drowning it and I hope it suffered all the way down the bathroom drain.
Clearing
Bro is home and playing with his chainsaw. He is cutting away while I am clearing all the tons of logs and branches. Wow. You can't really grasp how much a tree can cover the ground when it is all cut up and laying on it. One average size tree can be four wheelbarrowfuls of logs and many armfuls of branches.
Bro, being an engineer, had to make a road first. This entailed selecting which area of the new forest (old goat field) to debranch in order to open up a roadway without cutting any trees.
He even found a grassy area in the woods for a turnaround spot. Now this road is an access road to take logs for dumping. I need to get all the tree parts as far away from the leach field as possible so the heavy equipment can get in and do their thing.
I worked on breaking down the old goat fence, barbed wire and fence posts in the roadway. I need to drive my truck right where the fence is/was.
That was a chore not only dealing with barbed wire, but just locating the fence since most of it is now part of the forest floor.
Then there is the disposing of all the rusted metal. Bro suggested leaving it all in one of the holes for the perk test. I did. lol
Bro, being an engineer, had to make a road first. This entailed selecting which area of the new forest (old goat field) to debranch in order to open up a roadway without cutting any trees.
He even found a grassy area in the woods for a turnaround spot. Now this road is an access road to take logs for dumping. I need to get all the tree parts as far away from the leach field as possible so the heavy equipment can get in and do their thing.
I worked on breaking down the old goat fence, barbed wire and fence posts in the roadway. I need to drive my truck right where the fence is/was.
That was a chore not only dealing with barbed wire, but just locating the fence since most of it is now part of the forest floor.
Then there is the disposing of all the rusted metal. Bro suggested leaving it all in one of the holes for the perk test. I did. lol
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Award
The biggest news is that I will be getting my award from school on Saturday. I am so excited! The Eliza Grace Whipple Communications Graduate Award for Commitment and Creativity. Wow! It makes me feel as though I really did the right thing by, not only choosing the perfect school and program, but also by sticking with my final project until I was truly satisfied...well okay, obsessive me really would have liked to work on it another year –– lol –––but I had to stop and get outside for fresh air. lol
I am so thankful to my school and to my department for the award. Just the fact they are so supportive means more than I can ever say.
I am so thankful to my school and to my department for the award. Just the fact they are so supportive means more than I can ever say.
Rocks
Last Saturday it was 60 some degrees out! I went out to the property and discovered no snow or mud in the roadway. I was so happy. That is why I hadn't been out in a couple of months. My mother kept reporting all the snow she was having so I figured there was no way I could park my truck out there.
I was happy as can be, so I dug right in, and I mean dug in. I dug up more rocks for my field stone faced foundation and chimney. I also cleared fallen limb debris from the leach field. I figured since we will be working on it cutting trees, we don't need to be tripping over so many branches.
Opps! I remember I want to get some more pallets before Bro comes home. I use them to pile the rocks and cut hardwood on.
I was happy as can be, so I dug right in, and I mean dug in. I dug up more rocks for my field stone faced foundation and chimney. I also cleared fallen limb debris from the leach field. I figured since we will be working on it cutting trees, we don't need to be tripping over so many branches.
Opps! I remember I want to get some more pallets before Bro comes home. I use them to pile the rocks and cut hardwood on.
Chain sawing
Bro is coming home Monday and he is ready to chainsaw, chainsaw, chainsaw. Yeah!
We will start with the leach field since that is what I need cleared most right now.
I marked a bunch of trees to come down first. I guess winter cut is better than spring cut, so I hope since there is still a little snow on the ground out there that it is not to late. I am only concerned for the wood I am keeping. I want the red pines for the ceiling beams, and porch posts. A few white pine for the stairs.
The few hardwoods I am keeping are for fire wood not for construction, so I think that doesn't matter as much. They have to dry a year anyway.
I also have dead trees that have to come down. Some are down and those have to be cut up small enough for me to lift off the forest floor. We cannot dig up the forest floor at all. The stumps must remain at a foot high. The county guy said that if he sees any stumps dug up he will make me bring in another foot of sand. Ouch!
I have to peel the red pines right away and that means clearing the area of the peeled bark afterward. Bark is a lovefest for bugs.
I pray we will get it all done and be able to clear the building site as well.
Optimum plan would be to clear leach field and building site, have daughter finish house plans ASAP, have architect do the fine tuning and stamping, file them, get septic layout from county, and get those sand trucks in before my bro comes back in May/June.
If we get the leach field and building plot cleared this visit and he still has time––wishful thinking––then I need to get an outhouse and tool shed put up.
Tool sheds are so expensive to buy I can't believe it! I drive past the roadside places that sell them and I really like how cute many of them are, but too much $.
We will start with the leach field since that is what I need cleared most right now.
I marked a bunch of trees to come down first. I guess winter cut is better than spring cut, so I hope since there is still a little snow on the ground out there that it is not to late. I am only concerned for the wood I am keeping. I want the red pines for the ceiling beams, and porch posts. A few white pine for the stairs.
The few hardwoods I am keeping are for fire wood not for construction, so I think that doesn't matter as much. They have to dry a year anyway.
I also have dead trees that have to come down. Some are down and those have to be cut up small enough for me to lift off the forest floor. We cannot dig up the forest floor at all. The stumps must remain at a foot high. The county guy said that if he sees any stumps dug up he will make me bring in another foot of sand. Ouch!
I have to peel the red pines right away and that means clearing the area of the peeled bark afterward. Bark is a lovefest for bugs.
I pray we will get it all done and be able to clear the building site as well.
Optimum plan would be to clear leach field and building site, have daughter finish house plans ASAP, have architect do the fine tuning and stamping, file them, get septic layout from county, and get those sand trucks in before my bro comes back in May/June.
If we get the leach field and building plot cleared this visit and he still has time––wishful thinking––then I need to get an outhouse and tool shed put up.
Tool sheds are so expensive to buy I can't believe it! I drive past the roadside places that sell them and I really like how cute many of them are, but too much $.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Breather
Been taking a couple of weeks off from house design research. I needed to let my head clear and catch up on some other things.
Daughter, on the other hand, has been drawing up all the graph paper plans into AutoCad and making necessary corrections. So while I am focusing on writing stories, she is busting her butt on the design.
I went to a lit and small press fair on Saturday at my school. Sunday I went to a gem and mineral show and a flower show all at the museum.
It was great to get out of the house and not think about the new house. I have to nurture my spirit and rejuvenate my body with all that good energy from the crystals.
Daughter, on the other hand, has been drawing up all the graph paper plans into AutoCad and making necessary corrections. So while I am focusing on writing stories, she is busting her butt on the design.
I went to a lit and small press fair on Saturday at my school. Sunday I went to a gem and mineral show and a flower show all at the museum.
It was great to get out of the house and not think about the new house. I have to nurture my spirit and rejuvenate my body with all that good energy from the crystals.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thank goodness
I appreciate help from others as I create this project. A friend of my sister's recently paid me a visit with log house plans! "Who Hoo," as she would say.
She loaned them to me to glean for details. I had been trying to get a real hard copy set for a while and then she laid them in my hands. Her Dad had given them to her, a while back, for her dream home.
She is someone who loves lakes and woods and most things country. A connoisseur.
She even offered to loan me an appropriate book,
but after my recent water spillage on one of my Mackie books I figured I better pass and get it from the library instead. lol
It is a good recommendation about a lady building her own log cabin. And when I say she is building it, I mean she is out there with the axe cutting down the trees.
She loaned them to me to glean for details. I had been trying to get a real hard copy set for a while and then she laid them in my hands. Her Dad had given them to her, a while back, for her dream home.
She is someone who loves lakes and woods and most things country. A connoisseur.
She even offered to loan me an appropriate book,
but after my recent water spillage on one of my Mackie books I figured I better pass and get it from the library instead. lol
It is a good recommendation about a lady building her own log cabin. And when I say she is building it, I mean she is out there with the axe cutting down the trees.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Drawing, drawing
I am spending most weekends drawing and researching details of log home construction. Whew!
Some people let their architect decide on windows/doors and colors for everything. For me, that just isn't what I want to do. I may only have this one opportunity to have a home of my own and I want it to have my signature on it.
I like making things and building a house is one BIG art project. I like knowing how it will go together as that is part of the house building experience. I also realized yesterday that it will leave me much better prepared to deal with the builder and the building inspector. Maybe if I was in another income bracket, like a more realistic one, lol, I would let others run the show, but who knows. Right now I feel more prepared to take on this very enormous project. The more I educate myself the better.
TBD: Do I want to walk out basement wall concrete or conventional framing? What angle do I want the porch roof as it connects to the house roof?
This weekend I spent figuring out window and door dimensions. Of course that means I ran around the house with my measuring tape and notepad and sifted through window and door specs from various manufacturers.
Ciao.
Some people let their architect decide on windows/doors and colors for everything. For me, that just isn't what I want to do. I may only have this one opportunity to have a home of my own and I want it to have my signature on it.
I like making things and building a house is one BIG art project. I like knowing how it will go together as that is part of the house building experience. I also realized yesterday that it will leave me much better prepared to deal with the builder and the building inspector. Maybe if I was in another income bracket, like a more realistic one, lol, I would let others run the show, but who knows. Right now I feel more prepared to take on this very enormous project. The more I educate myself the better.
TBD: Do I want to walk out basement wall concrete or conventional framing? What angle do I want the porch roof as it connects to the house roof?
This weekend I spent figuring out window and door dimensions. Of course that means I ran around the house with my measuring tape and notepad and sifted through window and door specs from various manufacturers.
Ciao.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Another Home Show
This time I went specifically to look at windows. Boy, those home shows are tiring. It is a lot of walking and it was really cold in the outer ring.
On the flip side, though, it was great to see so many window brands at one time in one place. The Andersons and Marvins, of course, seem to be the best. I do want wood, but I am getting a sneaking suspicion they will be the most $.
A side by side (one unit) double hung wood window med size from Pella is $2,000.
What the XXXX (heck)?
Talked to one log home dealer and again I am told one can not have a solid log wall on the gable end peak. The builder/manufacturer I am getting the logs from says you can and so does B. Allan Mackie, the god of log homes.
Cousin G has one gable end peak all log. Sometimes I think the dealers don't want to cut the angle so they say it can't be done.
This is Cousins front with the gable end solid log to the peak.
I put my name in a drawing for a wood stove, but they haven't called me yet to tell me I won.
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