Nerding it up

I've been putzing with this sketch program (Google Sketchup) every now and then and today it has been helpful to visualize siding. We keep coming back to cedar shingles, but it would nice to know whether we want to stain them before putting them on. Then there's deciding whether to paint the trim. And that big space on the right side of this wall, what do we do with that? So far we can see hanging artwork, running horses or cranes in flight or something. There's no hurry for that part, but we're already pushing the siding date pretty far beyond what's recommended, as far as leaving housewrap out in the wind and sun. So siding time starts pretty soon.

We put a subfloor on the attic space in the past week and a half, and the work continues framing the fancy ceiling.

We've been really blessed with mild (for February) temperatures and that is forecasted to continue into the first week of March. There are several things like taxes that have been on a list of things to do when it gets too cold to work on the house this winter, but I might just have to skip out and do them in this balmy 30º stuff.

But tomorrow I can't resist getting back to the ceiling. It's just getting so close.

Ceiling takes shape

Assembling the ceiling

I've heard it said that before you start a project you should make your best estimate as to how much money and time it will take and then double the money and triple the time and you might be close. I've found this to be generally true except when it comes to working with rounded shapes. In this case what you have to do to the time is septuple it, if you will.

Not that we're not having fun. Here's how this ceiling is going together:


1. My dad cuts out a thousand pieces of studs.



2. I nail them to the trusses and the walls.



3. 3/4" plywood, cut into an arch shape (also mostly by my dear Dad), goes on the studs.









4. Ribs are fit in between the arches

It's exciting to see it come together. The cold weather has been a challenge any time when we're not moving around a ton. But when we are, I often don't really notice until times like now, in the evening after warming up and I feel like a sleepy old elephant.

I'll be back out there tomorrow and welcome anybody who wishes to come out.

There goes the neighborhood

This 20 acre plot is halfway to between us and the blacktop. Under the trees in this area are sand dunes on top of red-brown sandstone bedrock. The cabin is very small.


I took a walk around the place with a camera in fall of 2010 and made this video.