Green Cabin Addition
These pics should give a little more 
dimension to the cabin and the addition. Please click on the picture to get a larger version. I thought about making a contest out of who could list the most junk on my porch! This may seem a little backwards, but yes, I am cutting my roof with a saw! I was getting ready to lay tin when I was informed I could vent out of the ridge cap even with a tin roof. So with my new venting materials purchased, I headed back on the roof to cut a one inch slice out of each side of the peak. Cutting into a nice sealed roof is pretty nerve wracking. You can see on the right side of this pic, I already cut the tin and insulation from the existing cabin. Sometimes you have to go backwards to make progress!
This is a view of the addition from the West. From this shot, you cannot see the Kitchen/Dining, or the new Bedroom areas. The windows in order from right to left are the laundry room, the bathroom, and the office. If you are coming to burgle me they are actually the trap door area, the video surveillance room, and the Pit-Bull nursery! Some of you are probably thinking my house wrap is on upside down. Well, the best I can tell, it only makes a difference if you are advertising house wrap. Besides, that’s just the end of the roll I started on!
As you can tell, I have gone green while building my house. I have to admit, it wasn’t all my choice. The lumber yard had green house wrap, but I did pick the green roof! With 6 inch walls and rafters, the insulation should make it pretty efficient. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention… Insulation party at my house next week!
Fair Weather
The temps are finally getting above freezing during the day. This is the first weekend in about 6 weeks that didn’t start with a big snow. The combination of these 2 events has me ready to get back on the roof today.
When last we checked in, the roof was incomplete. (my theory on salt creek elves has been debunked. I will have to do it myself!) The rafters, plywood, and felt are covering most of the addition. I have yet to cut into the existing cabin roof to join it all together. The thought of snow melting and water dripping down through the existing woodwork has been a good deterrent.
Before it thaws this morning, I am gonna pull my trailer alongside the addition. This gives me a sort of 3′ tall scaffold to lift materials from. The trick is going to be cutting the existing tin, building the rafters, covering with plywood and felt, and at least get the flashing on before the next precipitation.
Scout and I are heading out to move the trailer. He is gonna spot me and help me get close to the house. I don’t know if I should trust him. The last time he directed me, I backed over the dog pen. I think he did that on purpose!
Blustery Building
The storms have been pretty bad the last couple weeks. The cold has frozen cattle waterers, the snow and wind have blocked Honey Bunches’ access to civilization, and the cows are pushing the fences looking for wind breaks. The progress on the addition has slowed to a crawl.
Nature seems determined to show me a challenge! I took this picture a couple weeks ago. It shows the back of the addition. With snow in the forecast, I rushed to get the roof covered with felt. I was barely in time, but did get the plywood covered.
The snows just don’t seem to be backing off and the wind makes it pretty rough. Here are a couple pics to describe recent weather. One of the road
before
in the evening, one the next morning. I am a winter kind of guy. Skiing, hunting, snowman building, all favorites of mine, but this is getting frustrating. After a quick look at the weather this A.M. looks like snow showers today with the temps dropping to single digits tonight.
I need to get this house closed in. The addition roof still needs to be connected to the existing structure. Right now, snow and rain can still get in. 3 warmer days would be a great help. Come on Mother Nature, give me a break!
after
Doggone Roof!
I had lots of help on the addition today. Some of my relatives showed up with both corded and cordless power tools ready for action! They were determined that the roof must go on. However, much like myself, they spent quite some time scratching their heads trying to figure out my plan. Since I had forgotten which plan (A,B,C..) I was up to, we had to wing it.
There was much banging, sawing, and nailing. The ruckus forced “Honey Bunches” and “Scout the Wonderdog” outside to make sure we weren’t damaging the existing cabin. Satisfied the walls were not going to fall down, they headed out for a walk. With all the commotion going on, Scout pulled poor Honey Bunches around the place in a hurry to get back to see the flurry of activity.
I have to say that building a roof with 4 people is faster than one! We didn’t get the roof done but I am happy for the extra progress. The eaves and soffit work would have kept me busy for a couple days. A big thanks to Greg, Starsky, Hayden, and Vance.
Well after dark, I made it back in the house. Honey Bunches was writing in her Journal. Scout was reading a magazine. I could only think of two things. First, family is important and nice to have. Second, some magazine owes me a subscription for posting this cool picture!
The Salt Creek News 9/20/09.
We finally got a little rain around here overnight. It’s been a few weeks, and the dust was getting pretty thick. Everything is washed off now. Looks a lot better. It had gotten so dry, a neighbor accidentally caught some grass on fire near a dry cornfield. The fire department showed up and stopped the fire before any corn was popped.
2 city folks showed up at a local construction project at the wrong time today. 
At first locals thought they were poachers, as they kept saying, “Nothing runs like a deer”. Turns out they were just mowing yards in the area. One resident didn’t mind offering them a little extra work. (Hey, that guy on the ladder looks like me!) It was actually my Uncle Greg and Cousin Vance. That’s Greg backin’ me up. Vance was out of frame with a level and a plumb bob talkin’ something about measurements and accuracy.
Meanwhile, there was a close call in the area. A couple of residents, blinded by the flurry of activity at the construction site, swerved in to see what was going on. Luckily tragedy was averted, because witnesses report they were not wearing seat belts!
You And Me Goin’ Framin’ In The Dark.
“What are you doing out there?” Honey Bunches yells out the door trying to overpower my whirring air compressor. “Framing the new addition”, I holler back. “But it’s dark outside”, she informs me. “I know”, says I, “Lots to get done this week”. She worries about me working with dangerous stuff. “Don’t worry sweetie, I have a light”.
Between messin with the cows, tryin to haul grain, and getting my CRP disked, I am just running out of hours in the day.
I bought a new nail gun to speed up my framing work. About dark, I find out I have the wrong nails for the gun. Sparks and 2 nails flying at a time, Hmmm… That’s not in the troubleshooting section of the handbook. Hammer hammer, nail nail, cuss cuss!
I decide to give the nail gun another chance. Pow Pow goes the nail gun. “Thats more like it”, I think to myself. Wait a minute… Where are the nails! It just made indentions in the wood. Setting the useless nail gun aside I look around for my hammer. My boot makes a strange scratchy noise as I step. Looking down, I see one of the nail gun projectiles has lodged in the front of the sole of my boot!
That’s it! I quit for today. I will have to go get the correct nails tomorrow. I sneak in house, can’t let “Honey Bunches” see this one! I tell her I am in for the night and she can quit worrying. She is preparing for bed and calls from the bathroom, “You better put your boots up somewhere, or Scout (new puppy) will get them”. I tie the shoe laces from one boot around the nail protruding fom the other, and hang them on the door knob.
Snuggling up to her for the night, she asks if everything went ok. “Of course sweetie” Why do women worry about us men so much?!?
