Here we've put up the last 10 foot section of one of the 30 foot walls. 

Lessons

Saturday
We had ordered wood for this weekend's projects ahead of time. When we arrived, there it was sitting exactly where we had hoped they'd put it. Close to the cottage. First thing we noticed was there were no mosquitos this morning, so there was no need to spray on toxic bug repellants, only the required gobs of sunscreen.

Our first task of the day was to finish the flooring, so that is what we did. Bill and I normally work pretty well together, but at one point today, I apparently backed up too close while he was on the upstroke of a hammer swing. In order to miss my bum, he broke the swing only to come down on his thumb. Lesson: hammers, thumbs and bums don't mix.

Once done, we started going through the wood. The 8 foot 2 x 6s looked pretty good, but Bill noticed that the 10 footers which we were going to need for the top and bottom plates were ratty looking. Of the 8 that we'd gotten, 4 were deemed unusable. We decided replace 2 and get a refund for the others. So off I go.

On my return, Bill had taken 3 of the remaining good ones and was just finishing up planning out the stud placement. We're on our way..... or so we thought. Once we dug out the 2 x 6s to use as studs, we realized that they too were not premium quality, but were bowed, twisted, and barky.

It was by then too late to take them back and get different ones (besides, I really had to work at finding good ones last time, as the whole bundle was questionable). So we decided to call it an early day. We would hit Home Depot that night and get enough studs to finish the next days work and do the same for Monday.

So we went through the bundle, picked out what was useable and set aside the ones we would return.

Sunday
First thing was the trip back to the local supplier to return the wood. The boss was there, so I told him we were disappointed, would you please put something on our account to say that we expected good wood. We buy from them because they'll deliver and it would be easier for us. But we refuse to use that 2nd quality wood. We can get premium wood at Home Depot $1 per board cheaper. (I didn't tell him that). I tried to be nice. How do you say "we're not accepting crap" nicely? He talked about them having to decide if they should only carry premium wood, but it would be 25% higher, yada yada yada. They're already $1 higher per board for lesser quality wood. This is getting hard to swallow. *sigh* but I'll be nice. I've made my point to them.

So back to the site I go. We focus on putting the first 3 - 8 foot sections of the wall together (minus windows) before lunch. The heat of the sun at midday is brutal

After lunch we begin getting some shade on parts of the worksite and it is slightly more confortable. We concentrate on windows (I believe its a 3 hammer level job). It all goes fairly well and by the end of the day, we've raised the 3 sections and have them in place. We're feeling pretty good about things. By the time we got home though, it was too late to go to Home Depot for more wood.

Lesson: check your order thoroughly first thing. Oh and before the store closes.

Monday
We hit Home Depot right at 7 am and filled up the Cavalier with the wood. You'd be surprised to see how much we can fit in that little car.

First thing we did once we got to the cottage was measure everything (again). Somehow, we've lost 1/4 inch on one side and 1/2 inch on the other of the width of our cottage. Hmmm. What to do. After much thinking and colourful language, we end up taking all the nails out (they weren't fully nailed in) in order to move the wall out. Once we try to move it over, and I can feel the thing wobble, I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of our choice. I see visions of disaster and I'm starting to sweat. I voice my concerns about the ability of 2 people to move 30 feet of wall. We decide that the 1/4 inch on the one end is liveable, but we have to move the 3rd section which is in too far off. We're not sure which major board is slightly bowed, but one of them is and we have to correct for it. It has to be square. So we move the 3rd section to match the others.

However, this was not to be our only frustration for the day. Bill noticed while working on this wall that the front corner studs were not flush with the bottom plate. Since this is a corner, it is critical, we have to correct it. So we decide to take that section down and fix that corner. Now putting up a wall is easier than taking it down. We were very concerned about it sliding off of the floor. Again visions of disaster come to mind, so I strategically place myself in a 16 inch stud opening. Bill however, didn't realize this and while we're taking it down, he starts to yell at me to back up so I wouldn't get caught under it, when in actuality I can let it ease down and then slide right over me. It actually came down without a hitch, much to both of our relief.

Bill then tackles removing the offending nails and straightening out the boards. This job resulted in more cuss words than all of driving throughout Portugal and Spain. But it too passed, was corrected and the wall put back in place.

But we're getting tired and it isn't even lunch time. The heat takes alot out of you, we're drinking alot of water.

Next we start on the back wall. It is shorter, only 24 feet total, but we do it in 2 sections. This wall only has one door and one window, it should be easier, but somehow we have more trouble with them today. The headers cause us some difficulty. I think we're just tired. We get the corner section done, put up and squared. It turned out well. The 2nd section isn't square. It's only off slightly, but we try to adjust before putting it up. It is late by the time we're done and have tidied up. We're exhausted and hungry when we head home. We noticed though that we no longer hurt at the end of the weekend. We're only dog tired. I never thought I'd say I was looking forward to going to work so I wouldn't have to work so hard. But it was true. We both needed the break.

*sigh* I think someone was looking over us this day.

Lesson 1: You can't measure too many times.
Lesson 2 for Mary: Don't trust the level of the boards just because they're lying flat on the floor.
Lesson 3 - Bill is still learning this one: Don't just throw your tools down when you're done with them, that is what the little loops on your toolbelt is for (ask Bill how much time we spend looking for his hammer and such).

The first windows quote

I forgot to mention. We've gotten our first quote on the windows. Home Depot. The guy that was preparing the quote has only been on the job for 3 months. After several failed attempts, due to missing windows, and sliding doors that were 3 times more expensive than the 6 foot garden doors we wanted and alot of help from Jamie the window expert, he finally came up with a quote. Bill has since numbered the windows on the plans and their corresponding ones on the quote to be sure that every one of them is accounted for. We think that it is now probably correct.

There are I think 20 windows total and 3 garden doors. Four of those windows (which are the triangular ones and therefore special orders) are estimated to cost about 1/3 of the total.
That seems a bit out of line. They are not that big.

Guess we'd better get a few more quotes.

The floor 2

Saturday
It rained all night Friday/Saturday. Bill and I went up early hoping to get a full days work in. Laying the sub floor down is a one hammer difficulty project according to the do-it-yourself construction books.

Somehow things just weren't coming together. The floor is 24 x 30. That means that we should be using 3 full 4 x 8 sheets and need to make only 2 special cuts each row. One on each end. Now it would seem that you'd only have to do one cut, but it has to be on both ends because of the first and last sections NOT being 16" centres, since you have to go all the way to the exterior of the board, not the centre.

On well, shouldn't make much difference right? Wrong. You see, in real life, 4 x 8 sheets translate to 96 3/8" by 47 1/2" when the groove was not counted and 48" with the groove. Making the effective width 47 1/2". Problem was the joists were laid out for exactly 96" centers so after two or three boards the extra 3/8 of an inch pushes us off center. So we end up making about 4 cuts each row and end up with oddball sizes many of which cannot be reused cuz their too d@&^ small. Also, the 47 1/2 " width means there will be a 3" strip after laying the six rows that will have to be covered. Not much strength there.

The books also suggest that you use a special glue (caulk) to glue the sheets down before you nail them. Reduces the squeak I suppose. We were getting so much of that glue all over our hands that even though Bill hammered his thumb 3 times, there was only the slightest bruise. He had so much glue on his fingers that it deflected the blow. Maybe I should try that every week.

After a full days work, we we one special cut from being done with 3 rows, only 3 more rows plus to go. Even when we stopped it took another hour just to tidy up and get tarps over everything. Just after we had tarped everything, Bill took a step, onto the special cut spot that we didn't finish that night. He couldn't see that it wasn't solid as the tarp made it appear so. Luckly, the tarp only gave so much and he didn't go crashing all the way through. It was enough to shake you up though.

Needless to say, we were tired when we got back home. If this is only a one hammer, we're in for it. Bill is already trying to talk me out of the dormers.

Sunday
I had to leave this morning for O'Toronto for work, so Bill and I couldn't work at the cottage together. To finish the floor you really need 2 people. If you have any brains at all you won't even try to cut those 4 x 8 sheets by yourself. Too floppy. Too dangerous.

I knew Bill hoped to go up to work a bit. So I suggested that he put down some full sheets in the last 2 rows. If he lined them up so that we'd need the least number of special cuts it would work out and not be so much lost time.

I'd had bad feelings all night of him working up there alone and taking one bad step and falling onto the joists and breaking a hip or leg or something and no one there to help him. We don't have a cell phone and even if we did, they don't work up there half the time.
Anyway, so first chance I get I call home at the end of my day and am relieved that he answers the phone. Go ahead, call me neurotic.

So apparently he got done what he had hoped and also water proofed the flooring so we don't have to worry about tarping them, only the stack of not yet used sheets. He still seemed disappointed with our progress this weekend though. We'll have a 4 day weekend soon and be able to catch up. Or so we hope.

The floor

It's raining today. We had rented a large truck to take the generator, table saw, scaffolding, base flooring and other goodies up to the cottage. Hoping that the rain would pass, we optimistically packed a lunch of rosemary chicken salad, 2 types of bread, cheese, crackers, a variety of pop, and granola bars.

It was a bit fancier lunch than we usually pack, but Daniel, Amanda and Amanda's mom, who is visiting from Nova Scotia was joining us. They brought a veggie tray with dip as well.

Bill and Daniel rode in the truck with Amanda driving their car, me with her and her mom. To navigate, right? Well, we're barely got off of our own street and me busy gabbing away forget to tell here where the first turn was! *sigh* Lets just tell Bill that we thought we should follow him.

I was more careful after that and managed to tell her where all the turns were before she was already past them. So we make it to the cottage just in time to see Bill's attempts to back this huge truck down our curved downhill driveway. He did pretty good, managing to only run over a few small trees.

It was still raining, so we quickly donned jackets etc. The mosquitos were numerous and hungry, so we quickly Off'ed ourselves. Nasty stuff, but it works. You can die from West Nile or you can die from deet. Take your pick. Deet takes longer to happen, so I guess for now I'll choose that route.

We unloaded the smaller stuff taking most to the shed and then started on the wood for the floor. It was placed right on top of the joists, Daniel and Amanda's mom handing it across from the truck, with Amanda and I helping it across the span to the joists and Bill easing it into place. A regular assemby line it was. Worked well too, until the pile got too tall for Amanda and I (both being vertically challenged and all that jazz). Finally all that was left was covering things up with more of those blue tarps and chaining the expensive things down. We've heard about all of the theft that happens on construction sites and want to be able to sleep at night.

Since it was still raining quite hard, we couldn't really do any more work, we retreat to the base camp tarp and had lunch. That is what it is for after all. But, the mosquitos don't give us any peace and find all sorts of little spots in which we did not spray cancer causing chemicals on. So after quickly gobbling down the meal we decide we've donated enough blood and head home.

Thank you Daniel, Amanda, and Cindy for your help. We sure wish it had been a more pleasant day.

The floor joists going in. Daniel and Bill are working away on them. You can tell by the shadows they're not even 1/2 way yet. 

This is a "before" picture, clean and energized. Notice the blue tarp, that is part of our "base camp" and provides much needed shade for lunch. 

Beams and joists

Friday
Bill and I spent the day "creating" main beams. We got there before the delivery truck, so had some time to kill. Since after next week, we'll be camping up there on weekends, we decided to start making our base camp. We hung a tarp between the trees for shade and protection against rain. This will be our kitchen and sitting area.

The truck arrived shortly after and with its built in crane lifted the wood and was able to place it very close to where we would be working.

At first glance the wood looked nice, but as we started working with it, we could see how badly many of them were warped. Many times, alot of planning and effort had to go into placing and turning the wood just so so that we could force the wood into as straight as a beam as possible. We figured that the sheer weight of them would eventually force them to settle into place.

The plans called for 3 2x10 s but Bill thought we should go to 4 2 x10 s for added strength. Knowing full well that there was no way we'd be able to move those puppies once they were done, we decided to build them right on the piers. It actually worked out quite well, though was heavy work and time consuming. By the end of the day we had our beams done and in place.

Saturday
It had rained overnight. We arrived to see that the second delivery of materials was there and waiting for us. We also noticed that the beams had indeed settled nicely and would need very little shimming to level everything out. We took our measurements and checked for level. Then on to the joists.

It was a sunny day. Bugs weren't too bad once you got to the construction area (though they were vicious in the wooded area near the shed and outhouse). There was a nice breeze which helped as well. The work was slow going. Squaring everything seemed to take forever. Then measuring and marking exactly where board placement was to be took up yet more time. Again some of the boards were bowed and warped. By the end of the day we only had 3 sets of joists in place and we were concerned that we might not get the joists ready for flooring (which was to be next weekends project). It was a long day. We worked until after 7. We were hot, tired, sweaty, stinky and hungry by the time we got home.

Sunday
Bill had arranged for Daniel to come up and help us. Yesterday Bill and I had set alot of the wood in place and at first glance thought we were over half done. We was a bit disappointed when he realized how much still had to be done.

It had been a cloudy day for the most part, but it was also humid and there wasn't much of a breeze. The dragon flies are everywhere but for the most part we like them since they are getting fat with mosquitos and keep the population down.

Bill and Daniel worked on the piers and I concentrated on puting the bracing in place. It worked out well that Daniel was able to come that day instead of Saturday. By 4:00 we had everything done.

Monday
Groan. We both woke up sore and still tired. Can't believe we have to go to work. We could certainly stand a day to rest.

The piers 

The piers

It has been a busy weekend.

Friday Bill was up at the cottage shoveling the sand away from the forms and taking the forms apart. He claims taking the forms apart was the hardest. I guess we'd put alot of nails into those puppies. Then at home that evening he cut them up and drilled holes into them so that we could use them as face plates for the piers. It was a long day for him. He was already sore by Saturday, when we got up early and drove up to the cottage to start again. Not a good way to start your weekend.

Saturday we spent the morning remeasuring and checking levels. Gotta double, triple, quadruple, hextuple check them you know. This is the critical part. And so we did. Multi-tuple checked levels. Again. Am I getting across how many times we've checked levels so far? So, finally satisfied that we're doing just fine, we measure out where the blocks have to be placed.

Then we stack them only to notice that some of the blocks have little knobby globby things on them and won't sit well. So as we go along, we have to use the cold chisel and knock off any of the uneven globs. THEN Bill notices that some of the piers have ended up with the top level facing the wrong way. He explains that the direction of the split between the two blocks of the top level (2 blocks per level, then the next level alternated) must be in the right direction or the main beam will sit on the split a potentially weaker spot. This is a theory mind you, he hasn't read that anywhere, but it sorta makes sense and I'm not about to argue (grumble yes, but argue no). Besides, do we REALLY want to take the chance? So, we restack probably 1/3 of the piers before cleaning up and calling it quits for the day. We're tired, but it already is beginning to "look" like something.

Sunday, is the day to mix cement by hand (Bill's hand) and to fill the pier cavities, using rebar to reinforce it all. The face plates which I have put the 8"L-shaped bolts into site on top (just where we've marked that they must sit). So, we mix, fill, pack, place face plate, & mix, fill, pack, place face plate some more. About 1 pm we fear that we won't have enough cement (though plenty of sand and aggregate) and I run up to the closest Home Hardware to buy more cement. Alas, it closes at noon on Sunday. We are not looking forward to the prospect of having to come back up on Monday to finish up. But we slog on and mix, fill, pack, place face plate, mix, fill, pack place face plate, all day long.

As we keep working we begin to think that the cement will be enough after all (those guys at the buidling supply store are good at figuring how much you'll need for a project). We just might make it. And lo and behond we do. Though we work till well past 6:30 and don't get home until after 8:30. But it was worth it. At least until we woke up Monday morning and felt our muscles complaining.

Next week I'm going to try to get before and after pictures of the two of us.
Before we start work on the weekend - clean, smiling, energetic, raring to go....
then on Sunday late afternoon/evening - grubby, haggard, haunted look on our faces, dragging butt.

How is it that the stupid scale hasn't registered one pound less???? We should be skinny after all this work!!!! *sigh*