Inside job...

The interior of the garage has been primed and painted. Susan and I carefully masked the door and windows, and sprayed the sheet rock ceiling and OSB walls. We left the sheet of plastic up in the garage door opening, and fired up a kerosene heater to help dry the paint. The drying process is very slow due to the lack of circulation and the large buildup of moisture in the closed space. As soon as we could, we unmasked and opened the door and windows to remove some of the moisture.


The siding is complete on the east and west sides. George and DJ are now installing the siding on the deck area and the patio area. After that is done, they will start on the garage.


Susan and I have begun running the wiring in the basement. So far we have one bedroom and the storage room wired, and a power line run to the vault.

The installers from Overhead Door came up to install our garage door today, but slid into a ditch at the base of the driveway. It has been snowing steadily all day, and their truck didn't have snow tires or four wheel drive. I managed to extricate their truck with my tractor, and they wisely decided to go back to Emmett and come back when the roads are open.

Multi-tasking

George and DJ are hard at work installing the Hardie Plank siding, soffits and vents on the exterior walls. In order to reach the high walls, an elaborate scaffold system has to be erected. Installing the narrow siding planks requires about three times more work than the standard 16" width siding does.



After seeing the finished product, we agree that the extra effort is well worth it. The "farm house" look that we are trying to achieve is really beginning to show.



Susan and I finally finished installing the radiant barrier on the underside of the rafters. Working from scaffolding and dangling from extension ladders, we hung approximately 3500 square feet of barrier, using over 6000 staples in the process. Not only will this have a significant effect on keeping heat out of the house in the summertime, but to a lesser extent will aid in retaining heat in the colder months.



The plumbing inspector came up yesterday and gave us a green tag on the plumbing rough-in. The supply side and the drain/vent side were both pressure tested and approved. The next inspection will be the final inspection with all fixtures and faucets in place.



The electrical inspector gave me a green tag for the rough-in wiring in the garage ceiling. We immediately installed the sheet rock ceiling and will now frame in the man door and windows, install trim around the ceiling, and paint the inside of the garage. Once that is done, we'll install the main electrical panel, then the garage door and opener.

Crunch time...

Determined to finish the roof before Thanksgiving, George and DJ worked in the rain for two days to get the job done. They then took a well deserved week off for some rest and relaxation.



While they were gone, Susan and I began to install the radiant barrier in the attic. The radiant barrier consists of very pure aluminum foil attached to a woven mylar center. It comes in 4' x 250' rolls, which we staple to the underside of the roof trusses. This product reflects over 90% of the radiant heat that normally enters the house through the roof. With 9' ceilings and another 15' to the attic peak, it is a real challenge to install this stuff without breaking one's neck. So far we have about half of it installed. We hope to have it finished in another week.



MGM Mechanical is installing the ductwork and venting. These guys do quality work and are a real pleasure to do business with. All that ductwork isn't making the radiant barrier installation any easier, though. It would have been nice to have been able to install the radiant barrier first, but we couldn't begin that until the house was closed in.



The ceilings over the deck and the front entrance will be covered with 3" beaded ceiling. To ensure a nice flat ceiling, we first install 7/16" OSB panels to the ceiling joists, then attach the ceiling boards to it. Installing the OSB today closed the last major open areas in the house. Now, with the exception of the soffits, the house is entirely closed in, and considering that we got our first measurable snowfall last night, not a moment too soon.

George and DJ will now begin installing the Hardie Plank siding while Susan and I begin to run the wiring. I am hoping that we can get the wiring done in the next two weeks. Once that is done and inspected, the sheetrocking can begin.

The pace quickens...

After installing the ridge vent screen, George and DJ wasted no time getting the steel roof panels installed on the garage, and this morning they began installing them on the house. The weather forecast shows the possibility of rain this weekend, and we are hoping it is wrong.



When we were laying out the kitchen floor plan, we ran into another "oops!" by Precision Panel. The kitchen window on the right was cut two feet too far to the right. I had to remove the upper and lower windows and cut new holes in the proper location. I then filled the old openings with the pieces I cut from the new openings, and reinstalled the windows. Now that looks better, doesn't it?


Renewable Energy Resources delivered our geothermal ground source heat pump today. It will be placed on a pedestal, then wired and plumbed in after the ductwork is installed next week.



Speaking of plumbing, we decided to have Goff's Plumbing install the remaining drains and supply lines. I had originally planned on doing the work, but what would have taken me two weeks to do, they can do in four days. I will, however, still do the electrical work myself, under the expert guidance of electrician Ray Pattan.

In my post of July 13, I mentioned purchasing a load of insulated panels. We used some beneath the basement floor, and the rest were to be used as insulation against the concrete basement walls. Here you can see that I have cut the panels to fit between the studs. This should not only slow down any heat transfer, but provide a radiant barrier as well.



This male American Kestrel managed to fly into the house through the opening for the front door, which has not yet been installed. I opened one of the sliding doors on the south side of the house, and he flew out unharmed. He is yet another example of the wonderful variety of animals with which we are privileged to share this amazing place.

Closing in on closing it in...

The roof sheathing and tarpaper is all in place. Tomorrow Susan and I will tow our trailer to Vale, OR to pick up the steel roof panels from Tiffany Steel. The roof should be completely installed within the next week. The steep pitch of the roof (10/12)will make it a tricky installation.



Yesterday Susan and I hauled all the windows up the hill from the shop to the house. After applying sealant tape to the openings, the windows are being installed. George and DJ will finish installing them tomorrow while Susan and I are in Vale picking up the roof steel.



On Thursday we had the fireplace installed in the living room. We are having fun envisioning the fire crackling on a cold snowy day while we sit in our cozy new home enjoying the view.



The joists for the rear deck are now in place and temporarily covered with sheets of OSB. After all the other construction work is completed, I'll install redwood decking in place of the OSB sheets. A redwood railing will complete the deck.



Early one morning I drove north on Timber Flat Road and took this shot of the house looking back to the south. It does a good job of capturing the serenity of the area at daybreak. Be sure to click on the picture for a larger view.

Raising the roof...

The cool mornings are beginning to produce fog on the valley floor, as seen in this photo. Note the sunshine beginning to hit the butte to the west. These cool, windless mornings provide ideal working conditions for setting the trusses and attaching the sheathing.


By the time the sun began to warm the butte, George and DJ were already hard at work erecting the main roof trusses. You may note that the tops of the trusses are flat. This was done because the trusses, when laid flat on the delivery truck, were too wide to meet highway dept. width restrictions. The truss company included a little triangular piece for each truss which will be attached to the flat area when the OSB sheathing is nailed in place.



This photo shows not only the main trusses all in place, but also the three 6"x6" columns that will support the redwood deck which will run the length of the back of the house. Additional trusses with less slope will be installed to support the roof over the deck.



The view from the kitchen area looking into the living room is quite different, now that the trusses are in place. It almost feels like an enclosed space, but not quite. The fireplace will be centered on the far wall. Our office will occupy the room behind the fireplace.
While George and DJ work on the roof, Susan and I are busy in the shop painting the exterior doors and frames in anticipation of installing them in the next week or so.

It's a wrap...

In spite of rain showers and gusty winds, George and DJ have installed the vapor barrier on the exterior walls, framed in the interior walls on the main floor, and begun erecting the gable trusses. The main trusses are scheduled to go up next week, weather permitting.


It is a pleasure to work with George, who can be seen here consulting with the head boss on one of the many design details of the construction. His craftsmanship is pleasing to the eye, and the work site is always completely clean and free of debris.


While George and DJ worked on the house, Susan and I had some time to prepare for the coming cold weather. Last week I felled a dead 100' pine tree for firewood. I had to cut it into four 25' sections which I then dragged into the clearing by the creek, where I cut them into 16" rounds.


Yesterday Susan and I took our trusty splitter down to the clearing and went to work. I did the splitting, and Susan loaded the logs into a small trailer behind our four-wheeler and towed it up the hill to the shop. We almost got it all split before we had to quit for the day. When finished, I'll have over two cords of nice firewood.

Racing the weather...

As the summer heat finally yields to the cool days of autumn, we are keenly aware that our days of good building weather are numbered. On a positive note, fire season is over. Most of the fires are out and the air is once again crisp and clear. This morning we awoke to see the first dusting of snow on the butte to the west. It has been our goal to have the house completely closed in by the first snowfall. This includes wrapping the house with vapor barrier, installing the siding, doors, windows, trusses, radiant barrier and steel roof. Once these tasks are completed, Susan and I will concentrate on installing the plumbing and electrical. The HVAC system and fireplace will also go in at this time.


We had about a week delay in receiving the walls for the main floor. George and DJ took advantage of the time by finishing up the garage. We now can use it for storing some of the materials needed for the house.



When the walls did arrive, George and DJ wasted no time in erecting them. The house is finally beginning to feel like a house! We will now put all our energies into getting the roof on forthwith. We no longer have the luxury of not having to worry about rain, as we are beginning to see rainy days every week.



When I saw Susan's plans of the house with so many windows, I had my doubts. Now that the walls are in place, I can see the genius of her design. This is a panoramic view I pieced together looking to the southwest from the main floor. Pretty neat.

Truss me...

Now that framing in the basement is finished and the stairs to the main floor are built, George and DJ turned their attention to getting the garage walls put up. This turned out to be somewhat of a challenge when the wind began gusting to 25mph. It's a good thing we were using a crane to support the walls while they were being fastened in place.

Note the very smoky conditions in the valley. This is caused by the huge Cascade Complex wildland fire burning about 40 miles to the northeast. Started by a lightning strike on July 6, it has to date burned a total of 287,809 acres and is only 30% contained.



In the middle of the installation, the truck with our truss package arrived. I always wondered how they unloaded those things, and now I know. If you look at the trailer, you will see that it has a series of large rollers its entire length. The driver simply unstrapped the load and drove forward. The bundle of trusses rolled right off the back of the trailer and onto the ground. Pretty neat.



This morning when I arrived at the shop, I was greeted by a small flock of turkeys. I called them back toward the truck, where one of the toms began to strut. After a few minutes of showing off, they all wandered off over the hill toward the creek (pronounced "crick" here in Idaho).

Dirt in, Deck on...

Harvey was back yesterday to push the dirt back over the geothermal coils. After he filled in the pit, he smoothed out the surface to match the original contour of the hill. Nice job, Harvey!


While Harvey was backfilling the geothermal pit, George and his helper installed the remaining floor joists and then covered them with the first floor decking. Now the place is really taking on the appearance of a house. This is exciting!

Laying out the basement...

The framing of the basement continues, with George first laying out the rooms with chalk lines on the floor, then building the walls. George is a meticulous craftsman, making sure of the smallest details before proceeding.


The first section of floor joists has been installed on the west side of the house above the vault lid. I will now install the water lines and drains for the utility room and the half bath over the next two days while George is gone. As soon as I am finished with that, we will install the decking over the joists.


Yesterday we observed a small wildfire about 20 miles to our north in an area known as Indian Valley. Today it looked as if it was almost out, until a strong storm cell moved through the area bringing high winds. This brought about just the right conditions to cause a sudden reignition, or explosion, of the fire. These conditions present extreme danger to the firefighters working to contain the blaze. The "explosion" lasted for approximately 1 hour before returning to a normal plume of smoke. We volunteers are on standby as more thunderstorms are forecast for tonight.

Walls & windows...

Yesterday George and his helper laid out and installed the sill plates for the basement exterior wall panels. Today they installed the panels using George's crane truck. They made it look easy, even though there was a considerable amount of adjusting and fine tuning to get everything to match up exactly level and plumb. It's really exciting to finally see a significant change in the appearance of the house.


OOPS!!!
Once the panels were in place, we discovered that an error had been made by Precision Panel when they measured for the placement of the windows. Evidently they failed to take into consideration that the panels are sitting on a stem wall that is 5 1/2 inches above the floor level - exactly the amount that the window openings are set too high in the panels. Our man Gus from Precision Panels assures us that it's an easy fix and he will be out next week to take care of it.



I shot this picture of the moon tonight as it came up from behind the mountain. Just another reminder of why we love this place so much.