16

found

Entries made in October, 2014

October 2014, in Photos

Friday, October 31st, 2014

The Chimney Saga, Parts Two, Three, Four, Five, Six & Seven

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

This was originally drafted as a seven part series recounting the maddening tale of our first chimney installation. However, we're writing this months after the fact, and neither of us has the energy to do the thing justice. So, here are all the pi...

The Chimney Saga, Part One

Monday, October 27th, 2014

A few months ago, we called our local Stove Depot to purchase a chimney and stove pipe. Having never installed a a wood stove, we had lots of questions about which parts to buy and how best to install them. Unfortunately, nobody at the store seemed...

Trimming the Cold Roof

Sunday, October 26th, 2014

This afternoon, we trimmed the cold roof sheathing which was overhanging the eaves by an extra two feet or so. On paper, the process looked quick and easy: just snap a chalk line and cut the extra plywood off. In practice, most of actual work was s...

Laying Lodgepole Pine Flooring

Thursday, October 23rd, 2014

It's high time we had a floor in our loft. We've been making due (inadvisably) with 1/2" plywood scraps for the last several months. After chatting with the folks at our local building supply store, I decided on "lodgepole pine" tongue-and-groove b...

Life is Horrible

Monday, October 20th, 2014

We are exhausted. Bone-achingly, depressingly exhausted. It feels impossible to have a full time job and build a house in time for winter, as Tyler is trying to do. It feels impossible to have a full time job building a house, as I am trying to do,...

Skylights, Part Two

Sunday, October 19th, 2014

Donavin came by today to help me install one of our skylights. As he promised, the installation was incredibly simple—for the most part, all we did was put it over the hole and nail it into place. It took a bit of fiddling to get it lined up correc...

Autumn Cold Roof Construction

Sunday, October 12th, 2014

Autumn has always been my favorite season—moving to Vermont has only bolstered my conviction that this is the absolute best time of year. The explosion of color in our front yard right now is so awe-inspiring, it's almost enough to move me to tears...

Here I Go, Here I Go, Here I Go Again

Saturday, October 11th, 2014

Whenever it's time for a new step in the process—another batch of plaster to be mixed, another giant job to be tackled, learning how to do yet another thing we don't know how to do—I have to get myself geared up, like a boxer preparing for another ...

Finish Plaster Continues

Thursday, October 9th, 2014

Since working on the finish coat of plaster requires non-stop focus, leaving no time for photos, we asked our dear neighbors, Charlie and Becky to come take pictures of us while we tackled a section of wall tonight. We've said it before, and we'll ...

Skylights: Part One

Wednesday, October 8th, 2014

I have been procrastinating for months but it cannot be avoided any longer. It is time to cut holes in our roof for the skylights. I know it is an unrealistic fear, but I'm terrified that I'll install them wrong, and that somehow our roof will rot ...

Finish Plaster Begins!

Monday, October 6th, 2014

Today we successfully completed the finish plaster on one section of wall! Here's what we learned from our first foray into the art of finish plastering: Once again, we were nervous about working with a new material, and once again...

Strawbale Cottage SIP Panel Cold Roof

Sunday, October 5th, 2014

It wasn't until our roof panels were installed that I learned we would need to build an additional "cold roof" on top of them. A few months ago, I had no idea what a cold roof even was. The physics of it make perfect sense, though. When warm air in...

Off Grid Above Ground Water Storage

Saturday, October 4th, 2014

Tyler: There is a drilled well on our land, and a large clearing next to it. This area is obviously where the previous owners had planned to build a home—it is also one of the few places on our property that gets a good deal of sun. Rather than b...

Getting Sand For Lime Plaster

Saturday, October 4th, 2014

For our plaster, we are using a sand comprised of several aggregate sizes. The grains range from very fine to extremely coarse. This type of sand has different names from region to region; at our yard it's sold as "double wash." When we say "...

Julia Visits!

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

My dear, sweet, talented and beautiful college friend, Julia came to visit us! She was in Maine for a wedding, and drove four hours to come see us and then four hours back the next day! It was one of those quick, last-minute ideas—the kind that wou...