Today I took another much needed break from office/computer work to work up the street at the River.
Yesterday I returned to work on one of the many ongoing projects there, picking up this time from where I’d left off before Lee was born in January: the floor installation. So yesterday I hand-carried a truck full of white pine tonge-and-groove flooring half an acre or so to the job site, since I couldn’t drive on the wet, soft ground. I got the job site prepped for installation, my workstation organized and installed my first few pieces, then called it a day. It was a short day at only three hours, but a very busy one.
Today I got in a decent amount of work in only five hours, installing up to nearly 3/4 quarters of the flooring. I also helped Tim install the main, front window, which was really nice as it really brightens the room and makes working amidst stone and block that much better.
Tomorrow, time permitting, I’ll be back to finish the flooring installation. Then it’s on to finishing the window and door installations, the ceiling, the interior wall, wiring, heating, and some other odds and ends.
Categories: 2009, work Tags: 2009, building, carpentry, construction, daily log, green building, lee, outdoors, the river, work
Today I finished the subfloor.
It came out nearly perfect, except for one block leveling form. I opted not to redo it as it doesn’t impact the floor’s integrity nor will it effect the finished look (though it looks funny now). I should start laying the flooring tomorrow and in the end, no one will ever know. Except us 
.
I also was happy to recycle the plastic bags the insulation came packaged in as additional vapor barrier protection, the original concrete floor I broke up I also reused in another project down by the river, as a rainwater runoff filter and barrier. It helps sort some of the debris, soil and what not from the farm field above, before dumping into the river below, while retaining much (hopefully all) the embankments soil on the trail leading down to the river.
In addition, the insulation I’ve been installing throughout this room (ceiling, walls, subfloor) will greatly help reduce heat loss after it’s finishing, thereby reducing the heating needed (probably a natural gas heater).
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I’ve been working on various projects at the River on and off over the years. This particular job featured here was something I’ve been putting a few hours in here and there over the last few weeks.
Today I finished framing out the subfloor.
It’s been a fun project and a timely one as it’s given me something to focus my energy on instead of freaking out about DistinctiveFabric.com’s state of affairs. Plus, it’s fun work building floors, decks and similarly constructed projects.
This one is especially fun because its one of the last remaining projects on one massive project started over ten years ago and it’ll probably the last project I get to do at this property, potentially ever. Once I’m back in LA again I doubt I’ll have another opportunity to work there.
Anyway, today’s job finishing up the framing was one of the most grueling days back. I was up uber-early to readjust my sleeping schedule and the temperature while working was near freezing. But I still got it done and enjoyed the process and steps by which I worked.
Tomorrow or whenever next I work on it, will see some finishing touches to finish securing the framing, cleaning up, fastening the plastic vapor barrier, and laying out the insulation.
Then the real fun part begins with the installation of the finished floor: white pine tongue and groove flooring.
I returned to the River yesterday for another day of work. I was happy to finally get to do some board and batten installation with some nice rough-cut cedar wood. The house I helped build there was covered entirely in this and it looks fantastic!
Now we’re covering a portion of the barn, our biggest building project on the property since the house, with the same material. Here’s a shot of the front (facing west), which was finished 2nd after the south side had been completed (I ran out of light so couldn’t get a shot from yesterday’s work):
It took me a few attempts before I got the rhythm and system down for measuring, cutting and hanging the batten but once I got it, I got it and was moving pretty smoothly, finishing the bulk of the batten pieces on the north side of the barn.
This was after a quick dig for Eileen’s Christmas tree:
Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’ll dissemble the scaffolding and resume work on the master office.
I’ve been working back at the River intermittently since I moved back to PA.
Right now we’re building this barn in place of the old changing stalls from the old canoe company. Last week I started moving stuff in storage from the front room on the ground floor to here so we can start work on the master office, on the first floor of the 4-story house we built back in ’99.
I’m working alongside Tim some days and some days on my own; either suits me just fine.
The shot here is from the back side facing west. We’ll be mounting a gutter for rainwater catchment for the garden that sits to the right of this shot at some point.
Most of the barn has been built with recycled materials from throughout the grounds, including the old pavillion customers would wait under before or after their river trip. It’s weird working back here, so many ghosts, both painful and great.
