slave labour

We were excited to be having help this weekend. Donald volunteered his assistance for 2 whole days, poor guy had NO idea what he was getting into. So for the cost of feeding him dinner and breakfast, we worked the poor guy. Dinner of steaks, fresh sweetcorn, fresh green beans, coleslaw, baked potatoes, all washed down with wine; then for breakfast juice, toast, and egg and veggie fritattas. Hey, if anybody wants to work for 2 days, we'll feed you well.

Bill and I had decided that our best use of Donald was to be sure that we put the sheathing on the section of the cottage that has 2 floors (figuring we could handle the bottom floor stuff on our own). Since the scaffolding was already set up in the living room, giving us access to the 2nd floor, we put up the sheathing on that section. That went fairly well and gave us some sense of encouragement.

Next we went to the back and put up what we could get to. However, the septic bed offered a real dilemma. It is a raised bed so is very uneven. All that day we mulled over ways to get up to the second level. The scaffolding just wouldn't go on it. So that first day we worked around it, hoping we'd come up with a good solution. We did 1/2 of the back wall and worked around the corner that day.

The next day after bouncing ideas around we came up with a neat little idea. Leave a 2 foot section open so that we could build a temporary platform that would reach across the span of the septic to the cottage. So, using 16 foot boards (destined to become rafters soon) we nailed the boards to the 2nd floor and included a plywood floor for safety (see the picture below for a good view of it). We worked well into the early afternoon before stopping for lunch taking advantage of our momentum (and our captive slave labour). The afternoon was spent moving scaffolding around and tackling the wall facing the woods which thankfully was a flat surface. The guys would put up the sheets and do the bulk of the nailing, while I would follow behind and cut out windows and doors. We finished the bottom section and 1/2 of the top before quiting (moving the scaffolding around is heavy work and very time consuming, but I can't imagine doing this without it) .

So released from his work, Donald took a quick swim before heading out. Hopefully it refreshed him enough for the drive home. Thank you for your help Donald. Hopefully you won't be TOO sore in the next few days.

The front of the cottage before roofs. 

The septic bed being very uneven caused problems for setting up the scaffolding. Together we came up with this scathingly brilliant idea and it worked wonderfully. 

Crazy dayz....

I think I drove Bill crazy Saturday.

It was hot and humid again. I started building walls for the upstairs and Bill built headers for the windows. He was able to work in the shade downstairs, but I worked in the sun.

Maybe it was the heat that drove me crazy. Anyway, after we got the first wall built, we lifted it up and slowly skootched it into place. We're on second floor remember and BTW, I don't do heights very well. Anyway, the closer we got to the edge and more nervous I got. In all honesty, I was just about freaking out, though trying REAL hard to buck up and do what I had to do. Anyway, uh...I wasn't able to hide it too well, all those gasps and words of exclamation and obvious signs of distress such gave me away. Bill had to work at staying calm and to keep me calm and focused, but I'm sure he was about ready to pitch me off the side. Yeah, crazy.

We didn't work too fast. It was just too hot. But did get another section put together before quiting for the day. I didn't wierd out so much on that one; it was a shorter, lighter section to deal with.

Sunday was a bit crazy too, but in a different way. How many different ways can you say it?

It rained like H E double toothpicks
We got wetter'n wet hens
We felt like drowned rats
It rained cats and dogs

Anyway, in case you didn't get the drift, it rained. It rained for the whole drive up, but we kept thinking, oh it'll clear. So we unloaded our stuff and sat on our little plastic adirondack style chairs under the cover of the 2nd floor floor (sitting only in places where the rain didn't drip through) and sat and drank coffee and thinking, this is the first time we've been able to just sit here and enjoy. The lake view is pretty even in the rain.

It started to clear up an few times and tease us, but finally stopped after an hour or so, so we continued with our building the walls for the upstairs. It took most of the morning just to get ready. We put all 3 levels of the scaffolding up to help us and it worked really well. Got the 2nd section up plus 2 more sections together and up. The scaffolding was especially helpful in getting the wall section over the front room up. We were just about to start on the next when the storm rolled in again. Bill started to brace the walls before it started raining, but it didn't take long for the rain to come fast and hard. By the time we "saved" all of our tools, the plans, etc and got them out of the rain we were dripping wet.

We stood around under the semi protection of the 2nd floor floor wondering if the rain would let up, but it appeared to have settled in, so we called it a day. Crazy rain. Ruined our work day, but to be honest it actually felt good on the skin.

The Homeowner's Guide to Basic Tools

Hammer: In ancient times a hammer was used to inflict pain on one's enemies. Modern hammers are used to inflict pain on oneself.

Screwdriver: The drink ordered at the local bar after you call in a professional repairman to undo the $500 in damage you did while trying to change out a light socket with your handy screwdriver.

Phillips Screwdriver: The bar drink that you order when the damage estimate is over $1,000. Contains twice the vodka.

Pliers: A device used to extend your reach the necessary few inches when you drop a one-of-a-kind screw down behind the new wall it took you two weeks to install.

Multi-Pliers: Contains a handy assortment of sharp and dangerous tools. Best left in it's leather sheath and worn on a homeowner's belt to increase testosterone levels.

Halogen Light: A work light that lights up your backyard with the incandescence of a football stadium, causing you to cast a heavy shadow over the area you're working on so that you need to use a flashlight anyway.

Cordless Drill: A device that lessens your chance of electrocution 90% over a standard plug-in tool.

Chainsaw: Allows you to cut your way out of the shed that you accidentally built completely around yourself.

Vise Grips: A pair of helping hands that doesn't critique the job you're doing or offer advice.

Bill working on the 2nd floor. We'll have an awesome view from here. 

Lunch time 

You know its gonna be a bad weekend when...

...you start the day by driving away with your coffee mugs sitting on top of the car and don't realize it until you hear the thud and the coffee is all over the street.

...the first thing that "hits" you once you start work is the realization that one person (OK, me) started marking all the 16" centers wrong (ask Bill what that meant to us) .

...the forecast is rain Saturday and brain melting heat after that.

...the rain has brought out the mosquitos in droves. Lots of little stagnant puddles all over (aka mosquito factories)

Yeah, it started out bad.

The table saw still isn't fixed so all cuts must be made with one of the various small electric hand saws or the chop saw that we have. For the most part it works well, but it results in some pretty rough cuts when you have to rip a long piece. On the good news side, we found the original receipt for the table saw and it had one week left on the 2 year warranty (the part alone was $80).

We did get lots accomplished though and ended up meeting our goal for the weekend, but it meant long days and the typical resulting exhaustion. The heat was brutal and took alot out of us. We took several breaks and drank gallons of water though. Our body gave us plenty of signs of when to break and we listened. We're both sore and really wanted to call in sick the next day but dragged our bums to work.

Accomplished:

1. finished ALL of the walls for the interior rooms of the 1st floor
2. put up the floor joists for 2nd floor
3. put on 99.9% of the sub-floor for 2nd floor (only some very small pieces left which require a better saw)

Neat things that happened to remind us that all of this hard work is worthwhile:

1. can actually envision the view from 2nd floor now and it is outstanding
2. caught a glimpse of a mink scooting across the front of the lot
3. saw lots of birds to whet our appetite, 2 kinds of warblers, wrens and sparrows. Plus the normal jays, chickadees and woodpeckers
4. the sound of children laughing and playing in the lake
   

Smile for the camera.  

Dave and Bill putting on the top plates. 

motivation, vision and mutiny

Friday
Ever since we bought the cottage lot 2 1/2 years ago, we've been slowly picking up all the tools we figured we'd need to build the cottage. One such purchase was a large table saw. We figured it would get a bit of a beating on this project, so bought one of the bigger ones, a Delta, which we figured would be pretty sturdy. It's a heavy bugger, if that indicates sturdiness.

On Friday though, while cutting through a large 2 x 12 piece of lumber, something inside bound up and it blew the circuit. Looking underneath, we discovered that the trunnion, which is what holds the motor in place had literally snapped in two. We had just begun the day and had lots of cutting to do, so you can well imagine the choice words uttered (commonly referred to as Portugeuse now since our driving experiences in PT and SP). Luckily we also had the electric chop saw up there, so finished our cutting with it. On the large wood like the 2x12 it was not a neat cut as you had to flip it over and make 2 cuts that met in the middle, but it did the job.

It was a cloudy day, much cooler than last weekend and was actually pleasant to work with a slight breeze blowing. Late morning though a storm hit, complete with thunder and such. We quickly covered the piles of lumber and took refuge under the cottage where Bill used the time to begin taking the saw apart. We could smell skunk and looking around were relieved to not see him. However, he obviously comes around sometimes (the rain probably brought the smell out). We'll have to keep an eye open for him/her.

Our goal for the day was to get the 3rd wall done. Made a trip to the lumber store for wood, only to discover that it was closed for Canada Day (stupid of us not to remember really). By the time we went to get it up we were tired and it started slipping off the side. We set it back down, took a couple of deep breaths and tried again. It went up that time. Once it was tacked down, you could already feel how much sturdier everything is. I I no longer feel so anxious about everything tumbling down like a pile of matchsticks. Since we got put so far behind with the saw ordeal, we worked until after 7. By the time we got home at 9 pm, we were exhausted. It's a good thing we can envision what the cottage will be like once done. It keeps us motivated.

Saturday
We made 2 trips to the lumber store today to exchange and buy more. Each trip takes just short of an hour. While I was gone, Bill worked out the stud plan. The stud plan is always slow going. It is time consuming when you have windows and doors and this last wall is the one that faces the lake, so is almost all windows and doors. We saved it for last purposely. We did this wall in 2 sections. At first, I worked on one and Bill worked on the other. However, because it is the last wall, the fit is so tight that we couldn't maneuver, so we decided to do one section at a time. So we pulled back the 2nd section out of the way and went to it. Bill worked on the headers and I worked on the frame. By lunch time we had the first section frame done, minus windows. After our break we finished it up and put the 1st section up. The headers that you make for doors and windows make each section very heavy. We knew we'd have trouble getting the last section in. Not only is the fit is so tight, but there are 2 windows and a 6 foot sliding door, it's very heavy, so we decided to wait until Dave got here tomorrow to put it up. We were both quite tired by the time we got home. I can't wait until the day comes when I can sit on the deck with a cool drink and I have nothing to do but watch the birds, Lenny (the chipmunk) and Squiggy (the squirrel). I'm really, really, really looking forward to that.

Sunday
Up by 6. We're both still tired, our muscles are protesting. Loudly. We wanted to be able to do a few things before Dave got there, to use having a 3rd person to its full advantage. By the wedding in August, I'll be so muscled I should consider a tuxedo, not a dress. But right now, Bill expressed it correctly when he said "Right now, I feel like Gumby".

Dave arrived just before 9. Bill gave him a brief tour of the lot. While I did the customary run to the lumber store, Bill and Dave put up that last wall section. Next we squared everything, checking for level, etc. It is a time consuming process, but it went really well, so we nailed all the walls down tight. A fellow cottager stopped by to chat and by the time he left, it was lunchtime. After lunch, Bill and Dave put the top plates on all of the exterior walls while I built the only inner walls that is a supporting wall. Since Bill and Dave were using the scaffolding to work on the top plates, I had to put it together quite a distance away from where it would be placed. It is a 16 foot section, so was extemely heavy to get up and move into place, but we finally managed. It was 6:30 by the time we finished. We couldn't have done it without a 3rd person. THANK YOU DAVE!!!! I'll bet he has a few aching muscles in the morning. Hope it didn't affect his golf.

Monday
This was a 4 day weekend for us and we had hoped to take advantage of it and get lots and lots of work done. Unfortunately, our bodies were protesting furiously and threatening mutiny. Even on the way up, we felt more like we normally do at the end of a day, we were so tired. We're not used to this type of work, we have desk jobs!!! I don't care how many times you go to the gym. It does not prepare you for it.

I was so tired, that I fell asleep on the way up (its usually on the way back that I do that). No amount of coffee was doing the trick. But we have work to do, need to stay motivated, keep that vision. Bill was hoping that we'd get started on the floor joists for the 2nd floor, but I was skeptical. It is heavy work. Each 2x10 is 14 and 16 feet long. They're heavy and we're tired before we even started.

Bill decides he doesn't like the header on the inner wall that we put up yesterday, so he attacks that, putting in a few extra supports etc while I build one of the inner walls. Because it has no windows etc, it is quick and easy and we have it up in no time.

By the time we're done it is almost lunchtime, so we take a break. Neither of us wants to get up, afterwards and I suggest to Bill that we make it an early day. After a bit, we go back to work. Bill is still not satisfied with that door frame and begins to talk about taking it apart. I convince him that we need to be working on brainless tasks, that we're too tired for making big decisions. So we decide to work on the other inner walls. We count stud pieces on hand and realize that in order to finish them we need a couple of 10 footers and an 8 footer. With what we have we can only do one of them. So, we finish that wall, Bill takes apart the table saw and call it a day. An afternoon off is badly needed.

When your body decides to mutiny there is only so much that you can do.