The Week in Review

JURY RIGGED CARDBOARD CHANDELIER

This week Shark and his painting crew sanded and sealed the Big Bertha Beams.  This brought out the color of the fir and it should deepen over time.

After the sheet rock is finished, the wood for the ceilings will be nailed to the rafters and then we can hang the light fixtures and ceiling fans.  We want to do it right after the ceiling goes up, because we will need to use the scaffolding before it is taken down.  The peak of the ceiling is 24 feet from the floor, too tall to use a ladder to hang the fixtures.

But we have not ordered the light fixtures yet.  Because this is such a tall space, we know we need a big chandelier, but not sure how big it should be.  So we made a cardboard template to see how it would look and feel in the room.  Gary was going to hang it off the scaffolding, but that didn't work.  So we jury rigged a pipe between the loft and the scaffolding with rope to raise and lower it to find the right height.

Mud season with the snow melting around the wood.

Progress from the Roof to the Basement

Progress has been sporadic since the holidays but construction is back in full swing, with work underway from the roof to the basement.





While Hans is in Vietnam, Trapp has started on the metal roofing over the porches and the dining room.  The metal roofing allows for a lower pitch on the roof and give us a farm house feel, or at least we hope it does.

John has been working on putting up the siding and moving toward the front of the house.  With temperatures in the 40's, it's pretty good weather for getting this done.  However, the snow all around the house is melting and mud season has begun.

The fireplace and flue were installed last week and a test fire was laid.  In one of our first houses, the stone mason said the chimney would "draw so good, it'll suck your cat up and out of the house."  We are hoping this one draws good too, even though we don't have a cat.  The mason is scheduled to come this week to discuss the stone for the fireplace and the hearth.

Gary has continued to work in the basement pullin' wire.  Looks like spaghetti down there.  His work has been difficult because the insulation contractor put up insulation before they should have.  All of that has to come out to complete the HVAC and electrical installation.  So there are insulation mountains in parts of the basement.

More Choices

Bathroom Tile

Wood Floor, Carpet and Trim Color

Bathroom Tile ?

Another Possible Bathroom Tile Combo

Sheetrock

John P. and his crew hung the sheet rock last week and did the entire house in two days.  What a job, Gary and I hung the sheet rock in our first house and learned quickly that we were not very good at it and it isn't a fun job.  The first 12 foot piece we tried to hang on the cathedral ceiling broke in half, 6 feet sections on either side of Gary.  They were hanging pieces 18 feet up in this house, which was another reason to hire pros.  Fortunately the scaffolding has stayed in the living room to help with access to the high walls in the living room.  The only thing left to hang is the garage and hopefully we will have warm weather next week and they will be able to complete the work.

While We Were Gone

We have been in NC for the holidays and got back to Red Lodge on Friday.  We have been gone for a couple of weeks, visiting friends and family and getting warm.  While we were away, Hans and Trapp worked on the siding.  They started on the garage, to get a feel for how it goes up and how the boards fit together.  The wood is Douglas Fir and is already stained and rough sawn, for a rustic farmhouse look.  The company, Montana Timber Products, is based in Missoula.  They will place corner trim after putting up both sides.

 

 While we were gone, we got a couple of feet of new snow and it has been snowing every day since we got back.  This may make it more difficult for the delivery of sheetrock this week. Temperatures are not supposed to be above 35 next week and not much work can occur in that kind of cold.