Can you Tell it's raining today? Catching up on Projects... (and the blog)

While it rains outside, let's review the project list we'll be making a dent in while we're off the road:


1. Have a garden, grow vegetables and can them to replenish our stock of pickled beans, beets, and asparagus!
1 1/2.  Finish building the greenhouse so we can start seeds on time.
2. Build the quilt studio and actually finish a few quilting projects!
3. Build a hot/cold smoker - Mostly done!  Just waiting for a trip to the DIY store...
4. Add a sizable overhang to the existing garage to enable dry storage for firewood and various other items
5. Build an outdoor pizza oven
6. Landscape the back and side yard
7. I know I'm forgetting something else...

Now for and update of Project #2:

The Quilt Studio:

So here's what we have to start with.  This is the original garage that came with the house, circa 1906.  It was built with rough cut, true dimension 1x12 panels  they stood up one layer of 1 x 12's on the inside, then sealed the cracks with 1x3's, then sealed the outside with tar paper (long since rotted mostly away), and finally sided with another layer of 1x12's running horizontally.  Over the hundred or so years it has been standing the elements and gravity has taken their toll.  Some of the exterior siding boards have warped, checked, rotted and the entire building has gently leaned to the South!  About a year ago the roof finally gave up so we removed it...

Here's a side view from the East.  One of the first steps was to attach a few big eye bolts trough the South side wall and attach them via rope and chain and a winch to a large tree 30' to the North.  This was done not in an attempt to stabilize the building as it was still on pretty steady footing, rather in an attempt to winch the entire structure back to a relatively plumb position.  Taking a lesson from our daughter's orthodontist, we tighened the winch to start with, then re-tightened it every few days, until over a few weeks time, it slowly came back into proper alignment with the earth.

Many people have asked, why bother?  Wouldn't it be easier to just raze the building and start from scratch?  Well, yes and no.  Yes, it would be easier to just burn it down or bulldoze it and build a nice new studio, but to do so would have been a real injustice.  We choose not to take the easy way on this one -- we choose to preserve the history and  personality of this building, and celebrate the effort it took to build this structure in the first place.  Can you imagine the cost of trying to replicate the original building method today?  A majority of the 1x12 boards used to build this original garage have fewer than 3-4 knots and are still as true as the day they were cut.  In the boards that do have knot holes,someone has taken the time to seal each one with a small tin patch, secured in in place with several hand-made nails.  It may take a bit more time, but we'll be saving this building and forever celebrating its character! 

Here is a photo of one of the original nails I had to pull from one of the siding boards.  I take the time to straighten and re-nail each of these that I pull.

Here's a shot of the rigging that is helping slowly return the building to its former straight posture.

Another support is needed to support the gable end

And the framing begins!  Our strategy is to build a new internal skeleton frame that will support the original structure and provide a (somewhat square) framework to retain the posture of the building once the winch is removed.  This view allows you to see the original internal 1x12 vertical walls.

At times a little more persuasion was required to square things up.  The new walls ended up interlocking with the original supports really well as you can see at the corner.

Once all the walls were framed in, we started with cross-member supports which we notched at the ends so they would "drop" onto the top of the walls and hold them in place (the walls had bowed out somewhat over the years).  Each joint got its own set of hangars and hurricane straps to lock everything in place!  Here I am wondering what we got ourselves into!

Jumping forward somewhat, this photo shows the rafters and trusses in place with sheathing on and ready for roofing!  Once the sheathing was all on and nailed in place the winch was removed.  Not even a creak was heard and all dour walls are within a 1/4 bubble of true!!!   Funny thing about this roof.  15 years ago, I had no problems jumping up on the roof to repair tiles and such.  This time I was much more hesitant and cautious for some reason... so it took me much longer!  The old window hole on the left will eventually be sealed and sided over.  The hole on the right now houses a new window.

Here's a view from the inside showing the attic crawl space and cross member framing supports being installed.  Our roll of quilt batting will eventually hang from the ceiling and recess into this space up above so we can simply lower it on a pulley system when someone needs batting!

Back outside now and the roofing has begun!   I like to lay roofing -- for about the first 1/2 hour...  The next 72 hours of roofing, however, were murder!  I think I scraped most of the skin off all my knuckles in the process! Please Lord, let this be the last roof I have to lay! (but then, I've said that before).

Will the roofing never end?!  Don't be fooled by the smile... I'm actually gritting my teeth!  I will spare you the many photos where I was layed out face first trying to keep from sliding off the pitch of the roof by making contact with as much body surface as possible, thus increasing friction, all-the-while trying to hold shingles and drive nails!



Which finally brings us to the here and now!  The roof is on, the nice victorian era door which has been sitting in the back of the garage waiting all these years for a purpose is finally installed, and the windows are in.  It's all sealed up and ready for siding patches and paint!  Isabel came up with the design for the door overhang.  It's suspended by chain from above as not to require 2 big support posts right in front of the door.  Nice work Isabel!  Notice our "night dropped" Mexican Fighting Rooster in the foreground along with one of our Buff Orpington Ladies inspecting the work and wondering when we will finally start cleaning up their foraging area.



Now that it's weatherproof, sealed up and secure, we're starting to move some furniture items in to create more space in the house.  Next on the list is wiring, insulation and drywall!  For now it's off to the hardware store -- again!