They would trade all their tomorrows for a single yesterday

With Christmas week and my back still giving me some trouble I didn't work on the cabin this week. Instead I concentrated on getting all my belongings out of storage and safely into the basement. It was a process which started the previous week and which I expected to go through to the end of this week. In the end I had it done by late Thursday which was just as well because on Friday and Saturday it snowed none stop and I may have had difficulty pulling the weighted trailer up the hill out of Wardner to the Development.

Getting all my stuff out of storage may not seem like much of an achievement for a week's work but it is nevertheless a significant milestone. Financially, it means I no longer have to pay storage charges, which always seem to be high for what you get but, more significantly, a psychological milestone has been passed. Moving all my stuff into the house somehow seems to make the finished home suddenly much closer, more easily achievable and makes the future challenges seem easier to overcome. It is almost as if half of me has moved into the house.

My now empty storage facility on the wrong side of the tracks, which was always a bit of a worry, in Cranbrook.

The shelves of my storage room are now beginning to make it look like the SQMS's stores. Sorry about the poor quality of the photos in the basement.

I have taken some stuff out of their boxes but have left most things still packed up in order to keep the dust off them.

Some of this stuff will have to be moved while I work on the plumbing which will go along part of this wall.

The larger items are staying in the open area of the basement and, as you can imagine, they were not easy to carry down here by myself.

This pile of windsurfing equipment I had moved here earlier, in the summer.

The snow has been piling up on the deck and today I cleared it all away and rescued the scaffolding, which is on the other side of the deck. I have dismantled the scaffolding and stored it under the covered part of the deck in order to ensure it is available to use later in the winter.

Seeing all the snow on the deck has made me feel very satisfied that I designed a significant portion of the deck to be covered.

It has snowed none stop, virtually, since the day the roof was finished and locals are saying it is the heaviest snow they have had in living memory. If this really is as bad as it gets then I shouldn't have too many problems. The cabin is coping well, so is the car and so am I.

With all this snow outside I shall not be able to do much on the outside of the cabin, such as the decks, fascia and soffits (NB that I have got the spelling right at last). Next week therefore I am going to start on the wiring. For this I will need to pull a homeowners permit which authorises me to do the work myself but, at the same time disqualifies a professional electrician from helping me. I have been reading up on the codes and how to do things and I do have someone who I can go to for advice when I need it. So if, in the next photo you see of me, my hair looks a little frizzy - you'll know why.

The conditions on the ski slopes at Fernie and Kimberley are reported to be outstandingly good with off piste powder conditions the best they have been in December for years. I have been seriously tempted to take a day off and go for a day's skiing but, I cannot justify either the time or the money at the moment - shame.

I worked through Christmas and am planning on doing the same over the New Year. I thought it best to keep busy rather than take too much time off and get bored and lonely sitting in my little one room apartment by myself. Normally, I can cope with the solitude quite well. I have lots of books, some downloaded movies/DVDs and of course the internet but, at this time of year one's thoughts naturally turn to family and friends and reflections of the past and so I thought it best to keep busy. I bought a cooked roast chicken and had it with some raw (by choice) vegetables, all of which lasted me for four days. I also treated myself to some Stilton and Camembert cheese, just to ensure that it felt like a special occasion.

On Friday I went into town and dropped in at the Sally Army shop to see if they had some old sheets that I could use as dust covers for some of my stuff in the basement. There was the usual crowd of bag people there, mostly old indians with sad dark eyes, one glance into which tells you all you really need to know - that they would trade all their tomorrows for a single yesterday.

Home for sub-mariners

Another slow week. I am still recovering from the injuries of two weeks ago but am pleased to report that my back at least has improved and I was able to do some light work. I spent much of the week collecting wood from the Indian Reservation Mill, which they kindly loaded mechanically for me. I have now taken four of the five loads of wood they have for me and I will fetch the fifth in the New Year.

The first load of wood from the Indian Mill was this shipment of floor planking. It is 2" thick and will go on the stair well platforms and the bridge areas where they can be seen from  underneath, through the beams.

Next up was two trailer loads of 1" floor boarding (over 5000 linear feet) which will be the flooring for the whole of the upper floor level, less the areas covered by the 2" stuff. The one inch boards will sit on top of the OSB sheeting already in place, hence the difference in thickness. There is still one load of wood on the trailer at the cabin where I am living but, I am waiting for better weather before I take it up to my cabin. It is fascia material for the roof eves and the decking.

The best news this week is that BC Hydro actually connected my electricity supply up on Thursday. By then, I had resigned myself to them not coming until after Christmas but, when I got out to the cabin at about midday with a load of wood from the Mill, I noticed their tyre marks in the snow and checked the metre stand and found the metre installed and running. Deep joy - I can now have light and power for my tools without having to run the genny, which I have now pronounced dead.

The 200 amp main panel in the basement. It is my intention to have a 100 amp sub-panel in the utility area for the garage and North Wing. Note the temporary circuits beneath the box. The one on the left is 220 volts, the ones on the right 110.

The storage room in the basement. It will also screen the plumbing and some of the wiring for the upper floor level. It is just under 10' wide and just over 22' long. I will eventually put a door in doorway.

Inside the storage room there is already 128 linear feet of shelving and …..

….. I have already got some stuff out of storage and on the shelves. It is hoped that I will have all my belongings out of storage before the end of the year. I think sub-mariners would feel quite at home in here.

It has snowed almost constantly ever since the day the roof was finished and even with some packing down we have got about two feet of snow on the ground. I am really glad I have got the jeep and that I put new tyres on it last week.

The stairs between the basement and the main floor of the cabin in place. Easier to build than you might think - just need to get the maths right.

The sun came out for the first time in two weeks and there is a feeling of 'winter wonderland' about the place.

This is what is left of Koocanusa Ranch after the development land was sold off.

The gate to the community with the 'Steeples' or are they the 'Spires' in the background - can't remember.

I am planning on working through Christmas because I am going to the UK for a week in January to see family and have a short (one week) break. So I wish you all a very Merry Christmas in the full knowledge that you will all drink and eat far too much and take very little exercise. Well, what are new year resolutions for! Thank you for taking the trouble to read this blog and for all the support and encouragement you have all given by doing so.

Hey, hey

I didn't get much done this week. I hurt myself slightly more than I let on to you when I fell off the scaffolding last week and this week I spent three days in bed, or lying on it at least. The days I did venture out I took the car into Cranbrook to have the tyres changed and I bought some lumber and sheeting for the basement. I also managed some more staining.

With the trailer out of the garage, the workshop end is now coming into its own.

The bench saw and the chop saw are now readily available the whole time and it is quick and easy to put the thickness planer on its stand (foreground). Every time I use those things, especially the bench saw, I count my fingers at the end of the session to make sure I still have them all. The stacked wood on the far side of the chop saw is decking for the upper decks - mostly.

I made up some of the lost time by working Saturday and Sunday and managed to get the trim on the front door.

I also finished staining the stairs for the basement but, my contractor's generator has decided not to play, so I couldn't finish installing them because I have to drill anchors into the concrete flooring, for which I need power. I suspect the generator is sulking because the mains electricity is about to come online. The electrical subcontractors, that laid the lines, returned on Monday and completed their work by connecting up the electrical box and putting in two 110 volt and one 220 volt temporary circuits for me, as well as a light over the box. I am just waiting for the electricity supply company (only one to choose from in BC unfortunately), BC Hydro, to come along and pull their lines through to the metre box and I will have electricity. I hope they will come next week but, being the week before Christmas - who knows. Having mains electricity will make a huge difference, so I have my fingers crossed. I tried to take some photographs of the electrical stuff in the basement for you but, the light was too poor for my iPhone camera. You can see from the photo above that I have also been putting up some walling. I am building a storage room in the basement, along the front wall, which will hide some of the electrical wiring and plumbing for the top floor. It will be long and narrow (the same width as the stair well) and have quite a large capacity of shelving and when it is complete, which I hope will be sometime in the coming week, I will be able to get all my belongings out of storage.

I am still waiting for my building contractor to organise the engineering inspection of the house construction so far. It has been two weeks since the inspector visited the cabin and the delay is holding up the installation of the roof insulation, which is becoming a little tiresome.

I should have achieved more this week but I could hardly walk, or even sit down, for much of it. I did however take advantage of the opportunity to do some research on interior decor. For those interested I have been scanning through http://www.houzz.com and searching their data base for rustic, log, interiors, kitchens and bathrooms - try http://www.houzz.com/rustic-log to see what I have been looking at. It has given me lots of food for thought and has changed my opinions and intentions in several areas.

If anyone knows of any other good sites I would be grateful it you would let me know. I have been quite confident about designing and building the exterior of this cabin but, I am not quite so confident about the interior. As the interior finishing will be critical to the success of the project, I could do with all the help I can get.

I need a hot bath and to lie down so I'll sign off now. Sorry it is a short post but, better short than nothing at all.

Hey, hey. 

By the skin of my teeth.

All the main tasks that I wanted to complete before Christmas, and more significantly before winter really sets in, have now been completed. They were: getting all the services (water, electricity, and septic lines) put in, the roof on and all the windows and doors in. I can now work on the inside of the cabin over the winter, putting in the plumbing and electrical wiring and, when the weather allows, I can finish off those features that need to be done to complete the exterior of the cabin. So this week was a landmark in this project. 

On Monday I took advantage of some reasonable weather and put up the trim on the upper prow windows. It didn't go as well as I wanted but with a bit of adjustment with the installation I made it work.

I am still waiting for the fascia and suffit material from the Indian mill to be able to complete the wood work on the exterior of the cabin. The Fascia will probably be the same colour as the trim and will have to be stained before installation.

I also started work on the stairs going down to the basement. I have put in the platform (sorry no photo yet) and have made all the runners (4) and the steps (13) and sanded them all down ready for staining. The runners and steps are made from 3" x 12" fir and their heavy look will fit in well with the logs and timbers.

On Tuesday the framing inspector came and has asked for a full Professional Engineer's report on all the framing. This was not unexpected as it is normal practice for this type of house and my contractor should have had it prepared before the inspection. This will now place a further delay on getting the cabin fully sealed but at least it is now waterproof.

The roofers returned on Wednesday evening, coming over the rockies from Alberta only minutes before a landslide closed the pass for two days. This was a bit of luck that I have been unaccustomed to recently and was grateful for it. The roofers set to work on Thursday and were completely finished by midday Friday, including a good clean up of the site. I was pleased with their work with one exception, which was the ridge cap. Fortunately, there was no disputing that it is not up to standard and I have held some money back from them until they return in the spring to fix it. With the snow on it you can't see the flaws in it but without the snow it is quite obvious and spoils what is otherwise an excellent job by Sean and his team.

In the meantime, Steve Astafaroff, has worked solidly and diligently to finish the septic. I cannot speak too highly of Steve. He has done an outstanding job for me. He gave me a very good rate for putting in the water and electrical lines and when he finished the septic installation he extended the driveway to the house and laid the gravel on it without charge. Considering the cost of running his large pieces of earth moving equipment, not to mention his own time, this was a generous gesture. I also commend him for all the landscaping he did to finish the excavations for all three services, particularly the septic installation (tanks, pipelines and field) which covered a large area of the property.  Much of the ground in question had been badly marked by the Developer's infrastructure works and Steve has left the property looking much better than before he started. (As an aside, his grandmother was Mary Astrafaroff, an interesting lady or rather a feisty little minx - look her up on google).

Last week, I showed you pictures of the piping from the house to the tanks (2 of) and the piping up to the field where the excess water will be drained off to be filtered down into the aquifer. This is one of the three drainage trenches with 2 feet of filtration sand in the bottom and the pipe, which has holes in it, from which the water will be prayed onto the sand.

Steve at work here starting to install the cover for the spray pipe, …. 

which insures that the water is distributed evenly over the sand. There are also dry wells at each end of the field so conditions in the trenches can be monitored from above ground.

When he had finished his landscaping of the areas he had disturbed, Steve left the property looking great and even the deer seemed to appreciate it.

From the road, only one last remaining piece of earth moving equipment marks the landscape. We lost four small trees putting in the septic and they can be seen at this end of the wood pile waiting to be cut up.

I now have a circular driveway with a larch tree as an island and, although I don't have a photo to show you, the trailer is now out of the garage again and sitting where you see the jeep in this photograph. I have taken the shelving out of the trailer so it is ready to move my belongings out of storage and I have put all my tools in the garage - photos next week. The workshop end of the garage therefore has much more room, ready for work through the winter.

I need to put the trim on the garage and front doors for which I still need to get some materials but, it shouldn't be long before you see it. You will also have noticed the finished roof from the last two photos. The roofers finished work on Friday and that evening we had 8 inches of snow. So I managed to get the roof on by the skin of my teeth. Just lucky or, is someone looking after me?

I have another new neighbour, Tex having moved into the main house sometime ago and Dean (his successor) having found more suitable accommodation for himself and his wife, who has now joined him. I live in a place that often attracts people going through tough times, often drifters, often lonely, sad people who say little and often have that thousand yard stare. Such is Keith who with his wife and daughter shares the room next door, which is the same size as mine, and a similar younger couple two cabins down the line. They make me look at myself with different eyes. Am I still fortunate, or, am I slowly becoming one of them as the challenges of this project mount up and the money relentlessly drains away? Sometimes the isolation makes it seem as if I am and it takes a tremendous surge of positive thinking and self encouragement to reassure myself that I will get this thing done and I will live again. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and there is a bit of that going on here at the moment.

But, in town yesterday, I discovered a bulk food store that I have passed on many occasions but had failed to notice. I went in intending only to have a look at what they have but, wound up spending $30 on things I really shouldn't be buying. I felt guilty all the way back to the little room that has been home for me now for more than a year. Guilty that is until I put on a movie (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) took the top off a bottle of beer and got stuck into a bowl full of Bombay mix. Thank God for simple pleasures.

Hey hey.

Winter Cometh

A few weeks ago I forecast that the months of October and November were going to witness a transformation in the external appearance of my cabin. That transformation is not yet complete but nevertheless it has been substantial. The roof is nearly finished and although I was hoping it would be completely done by now there is only a day's work left. There is still much work to do on the facias and suffits (eaves) and I am waiting for the mill to let me know when the materials for these two jobs are ready to be collected.  I also need to put in place the panelling on the sides of the dormers and the kitchen gable. Before I can do this, I want to stain the panelling which is sitting inside the cabin protected from the elements. To stain the panels I need to be able to heat the inside of the cabin and to that end I have had the wood burning stoves installed. They won't be able to do their job properly until the eaves have been sealed and the roof insulated, which is now my next major priority. To get this done I must first have the framing inspected and having put in place the steel brackets for the main beams and posts I am now ready to ask the inspector to come and do this.

To complete the exterior of the cabin I also need to finish building the decking and this is going to take longer. Much of the materials I need for this are already available but again I want to stain the railings and spindles before installing them and I will need help to build the three upper decks. I also have the lattice work to shield much of the underside of the lower decking but, this also needs to be stained before I install it.

The driveway needs to be finished and this will be done when the septic installation is complete and will be done by the same contractor, who is doing an excellent job for me and is proving to be one of the best contractors I have had working for me.

On Tuesday, the two wood burning stoves were installed. The larger of the two is in the centre of the cabin on the main floor and has its own ducted air intake drawing air from outside the cabin. The ducting is between the I beams under the flooring. The stoves don't yet really warm the house up because of the roof isn't yet sealed but, it is warm around them and a big difference from outside the cabin.

Before the stoves can take a full load it is necessary to bake the paint on to them by burning three small fires in them gradually increasing the size of each fire. This is nearly a full load and as you can see I brought in a pot of stew to test it's cooking potential which, I am pleased to report, is excellent. It brought the stew up to a simmer in about half an hour and kept it there all day.

If necessary you can take pot off the boil by moving the plates to the side.

Upstairs in the North Wing this little Norwegian baby is great. It puts out a phenomenal amount of heat for its size.

Apologies for the poor quality of this photograph, it really doesn't do the stove justice. I will try to get a better one next week. Again, note the cooking hot plate on top of the stove. This one gets really hot and is less easy to regulate - good for keeping a kettle on the go I guess.

Work on the septic system resumed in earnest this week starting with digging the trench that will take the outflow pipe from the cabin to the tanks.

Pipes and cabling laid and ready to be backfilled.

Pipes going down to the tanks…..

 … with electrical cabling for the pump and sensors.

From the tanks, where the solids decompose, the excess water is pumped up to the drainage field at the top of the property where it will be dispersed into sand and then will soak away.

Looking the other way towards the drainage trenches.

There will be three drainage trenches, which you can see are fairly substantial. Each will have 24 inches of sand in the bottom which will be covered by a dome tunnel covering perforated pipes carrying the water, which should be dispersed evenly throughout the field. 

Steve, the septic contractor, did a good job covering up all the excavations.

One of the six steel plates for the post and beam joints. 

Both garage doors are now in place and this means I can now lock the cabin up and make it secure. I now need to build the stairs from the basement to the main floor and then I can start to get my belongings out of storage and into the basement. Before I do that, I also want to put up some shelving in the basement to keep some of my stuff off the concrete floor - it is never straight forward.

The only parts of the roof to finish now are the covered deck on the south side of the cabin and the ridge cap. Work stopped on Friday due to heavy rain and discovering that the ridge cap that was supplied with the materials is too small to cover the ridge properly and so wider panels need to bought. I hope the roofers will be back Monday or Tuesday with the new ridge cap panels.

Not there yet but, it is beginning to look like the cabin I envisaged at the beginning.

I have made and stained the trim for the last of the prow windows. I am just waiting for some good weather to fit it.

The shed dormer was the last part of the main roof to be completed (mainly because it is easy to escape from) and proved more difficult than anticipated because it wasn't square but, the roofers shaped the panels so you can't notice it. Well done them.

With the landscaping done by Steve to cover the septic system, it is beginning to look OK around this side of the cabin.

I need to get the stove installers back to secure the chimney over the North Wing to complete the installation of the stoves. The beams you can see in front of the garage are for the deck outside the North Wing, which I hope will go up soon,

I have to admit to being exhausted at the moment. I have been building this place almost single handed for several months now without much of a break and I have acquired a number of repetitive stress injuries that are causing me problems sleeping at night and stopping me from doing a full day's work. On Thursday night I had to take twelve pain killer/anti inflammatory pills in order to get to sleep, which I know is not good for me. Friday night I was determined to stop my dependency on them and didn't take anything and consequently hardly slept at all. Saturday I really wasn't fit to work but, did so anyway and in the afternoon fell off the scaffolding on the inside of the cabin while putting up one the steel brackets and nearly went down the stair well into the basement. So, a few more bruises and sprains and a bit of a wake up call so, today (Sunday) I have taken a full day off, the first in many weeks.

No lectures or comments of sympathy please. I know it's silly and I know what I have to do. Now the place is secure and the roof is all but on I can slow down a bit, which I will. It is snowing hard outside but, this should not stop the final touches to the roof being done. Winter cometh.