Back to timber framing

We waited all during the first half of May for the weather to warm up enough to allow us to begin working outside on the workshop timbers. Waking up to snow in the second week of May cooled our enthusiasm somewhat! Despite the cold temperatures, there were signs everywhere that spring was arriving and I began to notice on my walks that the nearby pastures were slowly greening up.

Blossoms began to appear:

And the snowshoe hares continued to change from their winter white coats, to their springtime brown:

As always, there were plenty of things to do while waiting for improvements in the weather. There were chisels to sharpen, tools to assemble, and lots of logistics to figure out.  We took some time to start thinking about what kind of tiles to install around the shower, and bought a couple of samples to try out. We also gathered up some new paint chips as there has been a change in plans for some of the colours.  I think we've switched from a pale yellow to a nice warm neutral off white (with the absolute faintest hint of peach) for the living room, dining room, kitchen and hallways, and maybe a similar but warmer tone for our bedroom, and a cooler toned grey blue for our bathroom. I guess we'll see when we eventually start painting. Which will be a while yet.... I keep flipping from wanting a cool and calming Zen kind of bathroom look to a wild looking brightly coloured one.  This week the Zen look is winning. As we already picked up a small bunch of tiles for our bathroom at a clear out center a few years ago that would go well with a Zen look - it's probably a good thing to keep going in that direction.

Rob stacked all of the pine that will be used for the ceilings in the new house so that it could adjust to the house humidity level and sometime next month I hope to start applying the "whitewash" to them.  Since there are a lot of boards to do we built some drying racks to stack them as they dry.

And there are quite a few stacks to be done!

We picked out, and bought our stove for the kitchen.  Now, I love to cook, but buying appliances is not a huge thrill for me - and the funky retro looking stoves and the beautiful Aga's were all out of the question. In the end there was really only one choice for off grid use.  The stove needed to using a minimal amount of power (yes, I learned that even gas stoves use power) and this is the only model we could find that did not have an electricity driven glow bar and the usual array of clocks and other powered options. The glow bar is used in almost all gas stoves to run the oven and it uses a significant amount of power during the whole time that the oven is in operation.  The stove that we chose does not require any power (just some "D" cell batteries for the spark ignition system). It's a rather plain stainless steel and black, but it looks to be good and solid, and gets pretty good reviews. It will also fit in nicely with the range hood that we bought during the winter. (We were both pretty happy to find the exact energy efficient hood that we wanted one day, tucked away in a clearance pile at more than 50% off!)

Mid May the weather turned, and after a quick trip to visit family, Rob returned and began setting up his space for working on the workshop timbers.  As I mentioned in previous posts, this particular area of the property has a special place in our hearts. It is where we camped when we were building the log cabin, and the scent in the air always brings back memories of those times. There is almost always a light breeze to keep the bugs away, and the sound of the wind in the leaves is quite lovely. But we are already feeling a hint of nostalgia because we realize that this is the final frame to be built here (well, at least the final frame for this particular project, Rob is already talking about building an octagonal gazebo frame!)

Rob seems much more relaxed about this part of the construction. Having done the first frame, he now understands the whole process; what is important, and what isn't. Unlike the first one, he now works on several timbers at a time as well.  If the weather continues to cooperate, he hopes to have it completed by the end of June and on the whole, the weather has been good. We were even hit by a blast of hot air at the end of May, with humidex readings of 38 and 39 degrees C!  The extreme heat slowed us down somewhat, but it soon cooled off again and dipped back below normal. For the most part it was dry at least, so Rob just kept working.

Testing the fit:

Testing the fit:

And for all you fashionistas out there, here is the perfect way to keep wood chips out of your shoes (note: this has since been improved upon by using form fitted plastic bags!):

Walking back to the cabin after watching Rob timber frame, I discovered that one of the local beavers has been rather busy as well. Both of them seem to produce a lot of saw dust and wood chips!

The May long weekend brought the annual "boat" float down the river.  The river was still pretty high and fast, and further downstream we could hear the whoops and calls as they navigated over the rapids.  It was fun to watch them go by, and to observe the various methods of putting together something that floats. The one with the umbrella in the photo below was a tad unstable, and I'm not how it fared when they went over the rocks!

Two weeks later, the river level began to drop and this kind of event would not be possible.

Although I enjoy all the seasons here, summer is one of my favourites. When the warmer weather arrives we enjoy our coffee out on the porch of the cabin, listening to the bird song, and the goings on in the river.

One morning we caught a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron as it walked slowly along the river edge, and could hear the sound of the mergansers down on the rock.  When I went down with my camera, I was disappointed to find them long gone.  Luckily I looked up, and found a doe on the other side of the river, quietly watching me.  She was a good reminder to me to remember to look up and look around!

In the evenings we sometimes head over to the new house, sit in the "living room" and sip a cool beer. It's a perfect way to relax after a long day, and we can enjoy watching the river from a different angle, as the sun goes down.

With about two weeks of timber framing left to go, I have a feeling the work days are about to get even longer.  I now know the whole process that is about to begin again - moving the timbers down, getting them up on the pad and installed, getting the crane in to get the roof up, framing, plywood, foam, roofing, windows....and eventually  - the solar panels. (And they will be a first time event!) Lots to do - but like the ducks in the photo below, we know it's important to take some time to relax too, and down by the river is the perfect place for some down time. (Whoops - no pun intended!)

Missing Leon

Any of you who spent time in our home in the last twenty years, were more than familiar with our wonderful tabby cat Leon. He was the first one to greet you at the door, and the last thing you'd remember when you left. He was well known for quietly chewing off every one's shoelaces, whenever they left their shoes in the hall. He would leap up onto your back as you were bending over trying to figure out what was wrong with your shoes, then drape himself over your shoulder, peering down at those shoes along with you, and start purring....  I think he was a bit of a practical joker.  Sadly, after a difficult few weeks of watching his health rapidly decline, we had to say goodbye to him last month.  We are trying to celebrate his wonderful long life, (20 cat years are the equivalent of 96 human years!) but he has left a huge hole in our hearts, and we are reminded daily of the many things we miss about that sweet tabby cat.  In honour of Leon, I thought I'd post a couple of our favourite photos of him. The first one is a classic Leon pose.

Another classic pose; this time with our former dog Zuni.  They were best buddies. Leon welcomed Zuni the first day he walked into our house with huge meows and rubbed all over him. We'd been told to keep them separate and introduce them gradually, but Leon had other ideas.  Leon lived long enough to train 3 dogs, and he did a fine job of it.

Leon curled up with our other three cats, (Axle, Sita and GB) who snuggled with him every day, but even more so when he was sick. GB is trying his best to fill the purr-void with some purrs of his own now, but it is still strangely quiet in the house. We all miss our boy.

And so we find our moods somewhat suited to this long grey cold spring. We are still spending most evenings close to the wood stove, and haven't yet dared to tuck away winter boots, coats or mitts.  On my days off I check the progress of the snow and ice melt around the timbers, and try to imagine that soon Rob will be carving them for the workshop. The glorious days of spring have not yet arrived, and for now, we are content to wait. Both Rob and I had some kind of long lasting upper respiratory bug that hung around for several weeks, and only now are we feeling like our energy levels are coming back up to normal.

Despite the cold spring though, the birds are returning to the area, and each morning we hear another bird song added to the symphony.  And Rob spotted our first woodland spring flower, so it won't be long before more pop up.

The snowshoe hares have been taking advantage of the cedar that covers the ground this time of year, and have been munching away in the clearing near the cabin.  Their white coats are slowly being replaced by their brown summer coat, but they are still pretty patchy.

The river is high and fast, and we can hear the roar of the falls both upstream and downstream.  I love to visit it's banks in several different locations, to listen to the sound, check the levels, and scan for wildlife.

This is the one time of year too, that the river flows into the lower areas, (what we like to call the bayou!) and provides a good habitat for muskrat, beaver, ducks, frogs, turtles and the occasional blue heron. Jet likes to check out one of the areas where the river flows in. The beaver is kind enough to often leave him a nice stick to pick up!

Hard to believe but in a couple of months, the river will drop, the vegetation that is now under water will spring up, and it will look more like the photo below that I took a couple of summers ago, from the very same spot.

And the new house?  Well, it has gone through quite a lot of changes since the last posting.  As the snow began to recede, and the daylight hours got longer, Rob's work days got longer too.

He completed the rest of the plumbing, and it passed inspection. Even though we probably won't use the radiant heat system that we laid out in the concrete before it was poured, he still had to deal with the runs of tubing.  The pex tubing for heating is that group of  lines on the left, and the plumbing lines are on the right in the photo below.

He rough framed in the bathtub, and yes, I had to stand in the frame and try to imagine my first bath in our bathroom!

And then he started packing insulation in the walls.  I don't think I got one single photo of him, wearing a white clean room suit, goggles, toque and dust mask for protection from the fibres. Although not as itchy as the old style insulation, it still isn't entirely pleasant to deal with, especially when it's overhead!  The ceilings will also be packed but with a slightly thicker insulation for more R-value.

As soon as the insulation went in, the timbers seemed to emerge into view again.  As well, the rooms suddenly began to take shape! Below is the guest room on the left, guest bathroom on the right.

Our bedroom.

Even more exciting though, was when the drywall went up.  Rob had "fun" trying to fit some of the drywall up under the beams, and may have uttered more than a few choice words at times.  It was also a bit of a challenge to try to make the best use of each sheet, to eliminate unnecessary wastage.  We are using the new lighter drywall which is mercifully slightly easier to handle, but has it's own challenges.

The living room and upstairs ceilings will be packed with insulation and then have whitewashed pine boards attached. In the photo below you can see where Rob has tried putting some Tyvek wrap over the insulation in the ceiling. He is thinking this might work to prevent any insulation particles filtering through the ceiling planks, especially if the planks shrink over time, allowing the fibres to escape out. In a regular house, the vapour barrier would prevent this, but this style of building doesn't use one, and the Tyvek is moisture permeable which is important. The dining room and kitchen ceiling will be drywalled, so shouldn't be an issue.

Rob checks the fit in the guest bathroom.

Installing drywall in our bedroom was a challenge. Rob rigged up some clamps to help ease the drywall up into the tight spaces between the timbers and the wall studs.

With scaffolding, and the help of our friend Bob (thanks Bob!) we were able to get the high peak sections of the room done, and Rob finished the lower sections himself.

And that's pretty well where we are at.  The huge stack of drywall has disappeared, (poof!) and we need to get more so that we can complete our bathroom, and the kitchen and dining room ceilings. Rob cleaned up a bit, and we can now get a real feeling of the spaciousness of the living room, dining room and kitchen area. And talk about wall colours.  And artwork !! And pretty much just grin a lot....

The timbers for the workshop are almost free of ice and snow, and as soon as it is warm enough, Rob will switch over to working outside and getting the timbers carved and ready for the workshop. On rainy days he can continue to work indoors on other projects.

And so, as the last of snow disappears, and the warmer weather (hopefully) arrives, we view our woodpile and are pleased that we didn't run out of wood this year. We did pretty well, considering we kept the cabin toasty all winter, but also kept the inside of the new house warm enough for Rob to work in.  It's wonderful too, to be able to dry our clothes out on the line again, although it still takes them most of the day to truly dry!

And despite the chill that lingers in the air, Rob and I were able to sit out at the end of one sunny day, sheltered somewhat from the wind, and enjoy a cool beer together.

The best part is that with the snow still in the shadows of the trees, we had our own handy refrigerator too !

February... March.... bring on Spring!

February is known for it's unsettled weather, with extreme lows, and occasional thaws. We certainly had the lows, but there was no sign of any thawing for the entire month! We had several "extreme cold warnings", wicked wind chills of minus 35 to minus 40, and bitterly cold nights.  But, as we watched the snowy weather patterns on the east coast of Canada and the US, we decided that we were feeling pretty lucky overall! We did get a bit of snow, but nothing major for the entire month.

For us, February is also "the month of love". We celebrate the anniversary of our first date, Valentine's Day, and the anniversary of our moving in together.  (Don't do the math  - we did indeed move in together after knowing each other for a pretty short time.) We met 37 years ago - so far it seems to have worked out pretty well....

So while some people say February is their least favourite month of the year - we are rather fond of it.  We spent most of it cozied up next to the wood stove, or heavily bundled up and walking with Jet outside. Rob kindly made sure the truck would start every morning that I had to go to work, and I would fill the passenger seat with extra mitts, hat, and scarves, in case of any problems with the truck during my commute. I discovered that the beautiful Alpaca wool wrap that was a gift from my friend Elizabeth was perfect for wrapping around my knees, or draping over my shoulders, keeping me warm each day until the truck really warmed up.

I experienced some of the most stunningly beautiful views on my ride into work; cold winter sun barely glowing through the early morning ice crystals, drifts of snow blowing over the farm fields, and shaggy, frosty cattle grazing on their morning bundles of hay.  One morning I passed one of the Mennonite men, in an open buggy, well bundled but still looking awfully cold, and the horse pulling the buggy all covered in ice. One evening I looked in my rear view mirror and caught the sight of a lovely big grey horse pulling a buggy up a dark and snow covered lane way - the horse perfectly lit by the lights that were mounted on the wagon. Of course I have no photos of these moments, but the images are firmly in my memory!

In fact, I have few photos from this month at all.  And many are ones I took from inside the warmth of the cabin!

Each time there is a fresh snowfall, I like to go out and look for new animal tracks. There are snowshoe hare tracks all over the property, but I rarely see the actual rabbit. One day as I sat inside at my computer though, I caught some movement outside the window, and there was a lovely hare, browsing on some cedar. Thanks to the German Shepherd who seems to have put nose prints on the inside window - possibly not my clearest shot - but it was lovely to sit and watch the hare eat for a while.

The number of animal tracks crossing the river increased in February as well. The river appeared to be frozen, but when we stood at the edge of the river there were sections where we could still hear the river flowing beneath the ice. In an area one afternoon, it sounded exactly like lovely steel drums.  We always walk cautiously along the edge, and don't venture out too far.  The coyotes, deer and fox seem to have so such qualms. One thing I haven't seen this year, is the tracks of the wild turkeys. They usually show up along the river edge, and all around the cabin but this year there have been none.

We like to follow the deer tracks, as they seem to have a bit of a highway running in front of the cabin, along the edge of the river, and over to the new house where they cross in front of the living room windows.

It was also nice to be able to walk along the frozen river edge and look to see how much of the house is visible from the river. (Not much!)  I couldn't do it in the fall when the house first went up, as the river was too high, too cold and running too fast!  Funny to think that was just a few short months ago.

With the cold wind chills we didn't manage to get out for any snow shoe hikes this year. We did don some snowshoes briefly one afternoon when we went to help our friend Bob take down a dead tamarack tree.  We needed the snow shoes to get through the snow and down to where the tree was. It's a bit of a slope down to the lake where Bob lives, and Rob took a few minutes to show us some excellent techniques for getting up when you fall over! Here he demonstrated the roll method, and the use of a pole.

Later on he demonstrated the tree hugging method.  I am sorry I laughed - but I did manage to ask if he was all right...!  We still wonder if Bob didn't wax those snowshoes!

In terms of the house building, obviously not much has been going on in the house. But Rob has been extremely busy working on the plans, and sourcing items. He twice had to cancel travel plans for picking up the off grid system due to the weather and poor road conditions.  But he was pleased to be able to finally pick up the panels, inverters, and controllers, one cold bright sunny day.  I think I pictured some sort of major celebration when he arrived home with them, but it was cold and dark when he arrived home, and we simply carried in what we could, admired the boxes, and decided to celebrate when they system is actually installed!

The reality of going off grid did however, become a bit more "real" with the arrival of the panels. Rob has been working on the lighting plans for the house, and had to think carefully about putting in multiple switches to ensure that we could turn on a light when we entered a room, but also turn it off as we exited into the next room.  We've been practising here to turn unnecessary lights off more often, but I think we will find ourselves improving on that! I picked up a good indoor drying rack for drying clothes and have been using it for the last couple of weeks to see how it does. (It's great!) Although the clothes dryer would have to be on propane, we are seriously considering not bothering with one at all.

Rob has been researching bath tubs - (acrylic vs. cast iron vs steel - I think marble is out!) and here's the problem.  I LOVE the bath tub here - there is something about it that is just really comfortable. But I don't know what it is!  I'm told the best thing to do is to go to the store and get into the tub you want - and check it out for fit. Well - most stores have them on display stacked above each other on a rack, way up high. I don't think you can ask them to please just bring it down so you can get into it!  I guess we will have to look into it a bit more.

Other items on the list - low flush toilets, bathroom fans, wiring, (Rob is reading the entire newest version of the Electrical Code book!) wood stove installation, interior wall designs. Final design for the kitchen (the peninsula is now an island!) Rob's been trying to simplify the workshop design. The solar panels will be mounted on the roof of the workshop, so the sooner they are on the better. The workshop is not yet built however!

February was a great month to spend time planning and researching. But I think our brains are getting full, and both of us just want to get on with the actual building. I know though, that when Rob is in the thick of it - he'll be glad that he took the time to think things out first.

Unfortunately March arrived with a forecast for below normal temperatures, and we woke up one morning to a thermometer reading of minus 33 ! Rob had expected that he would be able to get back to building by the beginning of March, but has been frustrated by the continuing cold. Suddenly though, in mid-March, we were teased with a brief spell of above normal temperatures, blue skies, and glorious warm sunshine.

The concrete pad inside the house began to warm up a bit, and Rob even opened some windows in the house during the day to allow the warmer air from outside to come into the house.

The river began to show some signs of thawing, and we were hoping that the warm trend would continue.

Rob decided it was time to remove some of the snow from around the house, in hopes that he would soon have some bare ground, and access to the east and south sides of the house at least.

Of course, March being March, another storm blew in, and the promised rain arrived as snow instead.  On the plus side, it was very beautiful!

We will get building soon. This week the jays and the chickadees moved into a different song, the song of spring. The deer have been more active in the woods and on our roads.

There was a bit more warmth in the sun, and it is beginning to set a little later in the day. We've been able to go for a walk most evenings when I get home from work.

 Despite the cold, spring is surely on it's way.

And with the imminent arrival of spring, our "winter hibernation" period is about to end. We are enjoying our last few days of relaxation before the work on the house begins again.