Friday, May 29, 2009

Plumbing Rough In


The plumbers did the "Phase I" plumbing rough in. From left to right it's

Furnace Room (toward the top)
Laundry Room (three white pipes in a row)
Guest Bathroom (you can barely make it out against the far wall)
Master lavatories (2) in the center
Master shower (toward the bottom in the corner)
Hot water heater location (a bunch of black and blue pipes)
Master toilet (very corner of far right bottom)

When he got done the plumber commented "you're going to have a nice sized master bathroom." Something a plumber would appreciate. I think we'll get the concrete floor poured next week ....

Barn Red


Therese got the Shower house and Pump house almost painted. Barn red, in case you couldn't guess. She had to paint between each shower. Now I've got to finish it up ...

Ken the timber framer



Ken came over this weekend. It rained quite a bit, but we got a post set for a new fence, Ken used the draw knife to take the bark off some timbers, and he cut the obligatory "guest" brace. This one will go on the back side of the kitchen wall. Jack wasn't sure what to make of Ken. He must of circled him a hundred times. Probably smelled lawyer.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Eatin' well ... not

Ran out of decent food tonight, and it's just too late (9:15) to go into town. So for dinner, let's see, we have Doritos, marshmallows (always though they were marshmellows??), peanut butter, and a chocolate bar. I'm eating tonight like a 12-year old. Goin to town in the morning.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Chinese Theater



Sam had a rough day on the pour. In the first picture you can see his fine work. Tuckered him out so much that he had to take a nap on his water bottle.

Fill 'er up



They came today and filled the stryofoam Arxx blocks with concrete. Not a leak or problem anywhere, except after the pour we noticed that the safe room door seemed narrow. OOps. That's why they make blades that cut concrete, right?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

It's been a hard day's weekend, and we've been working like a dog ...






Arxx blocks, meet the Ramsey & Atha crew.

Two full 12 hour days, preceded by two 1 am "planning sessions." Today I'm almost as sore as I was after I ran my first marathon back in (geez, when was it that we lived in DC??). The Athas were all here, as were all the Ramsey's (including the wing of the family now known as Holk).

We got all of the basement walls formed with the Arxx blocks. It was fun and physically and mentally exhausting. Larry was a workhorse & Gary's figurin' kept us from putting the doors and windows in the wrong places. Therese did a little bit of everything, but was limited by her recently healed leg. She's come a long way in two weeks though, as here limp is almost gone.

Larry picked some flowers on the way back to the Barn on Sunday morning and presented them to Adele for mother's day. Therese was in the bathroom, so she didn't see it. That gave me the opportunity to give her the same flowers for her mother's day. She liked them, but she couldn't understand why everyone was laughing when I gave them to her. It was a memorable "mother's day" moment.

Tyler and Zack did a little of everything, but had primary rebar responsibility. So, if the wall crumbles in a few years, we'll know who to see. What I remember most about Lisa is her up on the scaffolding with the blocks, trying not to get blown off when they acted "like a kite."

Jenna spent Saturday morning with us setting block, tying blocks, and running rebar. She so wanted to ride Clipper, but I didn't have time to get to it. Alyson stayed all day Saturday, and it was fun to see her and others carrying a pallet of the blocks with two 2x4s, looking like they were carrying Cleopatra. Adele and Kristin stayed to the bitter end. The seemed to have block measuring and cutting down to a science.

Will post pics tonight.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Spare Bedroom


We're going to have a get together this weekend to set up the blocks. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. We needed an extra bedroom, so Mike brought over a japanese tea house looking frame that that he recently made out cedar trees that were downed in the big ice storm. We set it up by the stream. It will make a dandy place to set up a tent.

Clipper & Rocky meet Arxx


The Arxx blocks we're using for the concrete walls in the basement were delivered yesterday. R&C were'nt sure what to make of them.

Monday, May 4, 2009

In the Eye of the Beholder



It rained all weekend. So, I spent Sunday trying to functionalize the showerhouse. I made a tp holder out of an antique, or "vintage" if you will, wrench. Then I made a shelf to sit over the top of the shower, out of a saw vice and a saw. Doubt you'll find another one in the world like it. :) So, is it art? Can art be functional as well as interesting and appealing to the eye? Hmmmmm.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Doors and Tornados

Seems that there may have been a tornado or two a few miles from here tonight. We had some hard rain, but no high winds. Kinda fitting, as earlier today I orderd our FEMA approved door for the safe room we're putting in the basement. Heavy metal, three dead bolt locks, etc. Heavy price tag too. Eight week delivery time, so no pics until then. :(

Outriggers / Gallis Beams


We spent the day cutting and fitting the "outriggers," which will hold up the rafters outside the posts. These definately aren't in the traditional timber frame world, so I started calling them "outriggers." They will look more like gallows when set upright, so now we call them gallis beams.

Gallis Pole

"Friend, did you bring me the silver,
Friend, did you bring me the gold,
What did you bring me my dear friend,
To keep me from the gallow's pole. "

(from Leadbelly, Shout On!, 1948)

About Me

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Witter, AR, United States
We are building a timber frame home in a small rural community in Northwest Arkansas. We created this Blog so our family and friends could follow our progress.