More Construction

Perhaps inspired by the other family building projects, my niece Olivia and foster niece and nephews Munif, Nuha and Mohammed built their own cabin Saturday May 19. It is constructed entirely from recycled lumber and brick. They incorporated natural lighting and air conditioning in their building design. The designer/builders are, from left: Nuha, Munif, Olivia, Mohammed

Porch Progress

Saturday May 19 2007, my brother David and I got the rails installed on our porch. That included adding two uprights across the front of the porch. I had to buy new 4 x 4s because the 3 x 4s that came with the kit were significantly warped. I think that was due to all the moisture we got earlier, even though the posts were under a tarp and didn't get wet directly. By the time we got those up and screwed in, Alisanne (site superintendent and wife) ordered me off the ladder. The wind was pretty strong and made her nervous. Not that I minded . . . That did mean the braces for the new uprights will get installed on a less windy day. I think the porch with the railing looks pretty good. We had been going to have the stairs to the deck on the front (west side) but decided there would be too many stairs, and that side isn't the most convenient to the rest of the beach. My sister and brother in law--Marci and Dave Tuttle--are here from Alaska, so the work day was shortened so we could have time together. The cabin isn't going anywhere, but Marci and Dave will only be here a few days.

roof and porch progress

Our roofer got the "tin" on our roof and I think it looks very cool. My brother Dave and I worked hours Saturday on the fascia (the siding in the triangle on the front of the porch) and made slow progress. Then I went today (Sunday May 13) and worked by myself, with occasional much needed assists from nephew Evan and brother in law Bruce. I think we made a big mistake when we put the roof on before the fascia--contrary to our instructions . . . We wanted to get that roof on before the big rains--and I am so glad we did--but it has caused all sorts of grief getting this (relatively) small bit of work done. Anyway, you can see that it looks more and more like a cabin and less and less like a "project"!

whew! that was close!

As my brother said "I think we dodged a bullet." The water got close, but that's all. The river that flooded crested several hours earlier than forecast, which probably kept the water from going any higher. It's difficult to convey how high the water is, but it is higher than we have seen it for about 15 years. I'm traveling the next few days, but hope to work on the cabin this weekend. Weather permitting.

uh oh

Tonight, Alisanne & I went to move the last stack of lumber into the cabin where it would be more accessible. We found the lake seriously on the rise. The Big Blue River, thanks to record rains over the past week, is several feet over flood level, and not due to crest until tomorrow. Though the lake was still rising when we left, and is higher than it has been in years, we are fairly confident the cabin is high enough to not be flooded. Nonetheless . . . I will update you as soon as I get back down to the lake to check it out. If it ain't one thing . . .

Announcing Grandson Adrian Ried Huisman

While the cabin building project was full tilt boogie, our daughter Stephanie and son in law Nathan became the surprised, overwhelmed, grateful and proud adoptive parents of little Adrian Reid Huisman. (photo below) The story is absolutely amazing, and Alisanne and I are still not fully back down to earth. If you want to read more, check out Stephanie and Nathan's blog, linked to ours over there on the left.

Closed in!

Our cabin is fully roofed and felted (tar papered) so the interior is now totally waterproof. We know this because mere hours after the roofers left, the heavens opened and the rain came down. But nary a drop of water on the floor of the cabin. Assuming the 40mph winds we had today are gone for a while, we hope the roofers can get the metal roof on this coming week. Then we go inside to install the loft, mount windows and look toward getting water and electricity. Here are two photos showing the roof and, under the blue tarp, our last (of four!) stack of wood. It's mostly loft material and probably gets moved inside this week. Oh, and note the fork lift with a cage. Could have used that earlier . . .

Catching up

Due to our hectic and tiring construction schedule, I got behind with my posts. As of today--May 3, 2007--the cabin walls are all up and most of the roof is sheathed (the 2 x 6 tongue and groove planks) are in. Let me work backwards a little. Monday May 1 was my good friend Bill Hammond's last day working on the project. (Bill is a general contractor from California, and generously donated 10 days of his time to help us build this cabin.) Monday was also the day Bill and I both reached the end of our physical strength. We had hoped to get the entire roof on and "felted" or covered with tar paper so the interior would stay dry. We didn't make it. Not for a lack of effort, as we (and friends and family) worked very hard the 10 days Bill was here. Yesterday--Tuesday May 2--Bill flew home to San Jose, so not much work got done. However, I did hire a roofer to finish that work. The peak of the roof proved too high, the sheathing too slick and my energy level too low for me to get that done. Despite intermittent showers today (and rain forecast for the next few days), the roofing crew got started this afternoon. Once the roof is done, we can work inside at a more leisurely pace. Here are some photos to show the progress of the construction as of Monday May 1.