But Wait! We're Not Done Yet!

Will wonders never cease.

It seems I still have the cabin, and more work is actually getting done.  “KEEP IT!” screamed most of my friends.  And since I wasn’t in that much of a hurry, and since Don the intrepid and compulsive carpenter volunteered to restore the front windows and finish the soffits, how could I say no?

Plus, the red lobelia along the river/pond bank was once again spectacular this year.  Although I have to do something about the water lily invasion.

 

 

Look at that lawn, willya?

I still have to put in a chimney pipe in order to hook up the wood stove, but that may indeed happen.

I’m also being begged to put siding on it but let’s not get carried away.

So those of you who got to this site via craigslist . . . .the asking price is no longer valid!!

It's come to this . . .

It appears I have bitten off more than I can chew in re: this project.  Hard to admit, but the cabin really needs someone carpentarily inclined in order to do this as cheaply as I do so love to do things.  Plus, family circumstances may make it so that I am not living close enough to spend as much time working on it as I would like.
Sigh.
So, this post concerns all you Craigslist responders out there, whom I have directed to this blog to learn more about the cabin, and while I can't tell you much more than is already here, I can give a May and June update, with photos.

The chimney was finished, after much kicking and screaming (on both our parts) and it is now ready to have a metal pipe put in it.  We kept telling Mike to use rounder rocks but he liked the look of flat and would not be moved.  After a year or so the color will be the same on the mortar, and it does have a nice square look to it.  Barney would keel over.  As Mike can attest, he wasn't the greatest mason.  But that's all taken care of now!

Ev has gone the way of the buffalo, after he pulled out his micrometer one too many times and insisted that I keep to the highest reconstruction standards known to man.  It was useless to convince him that I was not financing the reconstruction of Monticello, so my bank account and he parted company.  But not before receiving a structure that could withstand a tank attack.  Just what I need.

The new boys, Joe and Rick, insisted on covering the building in felt roof paper to protect it until I could side it, which was a good idea because we have had some wicked rainstorms.  In the photo above you see that it has covered the front windows as well, which is good because those are just holes.  My plan is to rebuild those windows myself, which I think I can do!  Unless I sell it before then.
As you can tell I have been experimenting with trim paint--all doors, windows and trim will be dark sage green, which will go with either painted clapboards or what I'd really like which is cedar shakes.
But like I said, I'm already past my budget for 2013, so things are moving slowly.

Back window and door looks good though!

 

I left the old shakes on the back for protection.  and the left hand side is where the 8x8 addiion will be (for the 5x8 bathroom and 3' of extended kitchen area)  so I didn't do that window.  The rest of the front will be an 8' covered porch. You can see the loft skylight on top--so far, no leaks!

 

Things are growing back again after all my clearing, but the front yard has grass instead of poison ivy and the side yard could be cleared off, I've just gotten too lazy.  Plus, that's where the septic will go and I haven't tackled that yet either--have to get all my ammo together and send to health dept.  Town officials do not believe I need an engineered drawing and neither do I, but it's gonna require a lot of begging.  Maybe next week . . .

 

This was taken at the north boundary by the hiking trail.

Inside also is loooking dapper . . .

 

Rick and Joe insulated the floor and stuck in the quarter-round windows which are just so cute!

Good sized loft--finally!

The next step is for me (yes me) to install channels betwee each rafter so that R&J can put the last piece of soffit up.  Then I will re-install the front windows, bring some chairs over, and have a nice bonfire and picnic for all my friends who've helped me get this far.

 

More pond and vegetation photos next time.

 

 

Look what came up this May!

Yes, I'm behind on posting--been trying to get my real house ready for spring . . . so tomorrow I will post the updated cabin photos.  You will not recognize it!

But today . . . today we have spring.
Last fall I planted some white tet a tete daffodils and grape hyacinths under the laurel in front.
Look at what happened!

And these tulips . . .well, tulips were good this spring but I have never seen anything like these babies--right by the nearest oak tree.  I guess the area is mole-free . . . for now.

Mr Turtle came out to sun himself on a fallen log in the pond . . .

and here's the view from the outfall, looking towards the old railroad overpass that is now the greenway.

I feel that this blog will soon come to a close.  Will post final photos of all the rest I have done, plus some lovely shots of the pond all leafed out.  But unless a miracle happens, I think the entry in months to come will read "For Sale . . . "

April Update

Cripes, where did the time go?
I'll tell you where it went . . . most of it was spent brooding.  And then, early in the month, the weather turned warm, and Ev had a mad burst of energy and started on the trim.  Then wonder of wonders, Mike joined in, and started to build up the chimney . . . until 6 feet of it fell on him, so he had to start halfway up.  But that is okay, because now the chimny is secure.

 I, meanwhile, busied myself with ripping off the two layers of old siding--some nice cedar shakes that covered the cabin here and there (Barney took gifts and I think that his plan was to cover all the asphalt siding but he didn't have enough).  You can see the nice oak planks that literally were the only thing holding up the cabin when the roof was going on.

But shingles happened, and so did a skylight.

Some of the crocuses I planted in front came up like gangbusters, as did tuplips and daffs (no moles here yet!)
Hopefully Ev will finish the soffets, and this weekend a new cast of characters is coming to insulate the floor (which means ripping up the floorboards, but then they can fix the door sill and replace the rotten floor board where the back door is.
Here is the big window that will face the pond.

Am I still on budget?
Hell no!!!
Still no plumbing or electricity. But 1 year later, I have a new roof!!!

Baby's second step . . . and he's only 6 years old . . .

Between Pete and I, we took some pretty good photos the other day of the recent bit of crawling towards buttoning up Barney’s cabin.  Now that winter is nearly over.  Ahem.  Progress here is like a cheerful but clunky infant, in no hurry to develop along with his peers . . . two steps on the carpet and then bam! on his butt on the floor where he sits, contented, for three weeks, happy to not move another inch.

So the actual addition of things, at Barney’s cabin, is hard to document, unless Ev is right there pointing and explaining and whipping out the micrometer --it seems that since the house tilts downhill towards the pond, and since the roof is now level, Ev decided he would have to frame the new windows and doors also level, which makes sense, but that threw him into an absolute froth because the Beam, which now rather sadly will take the place of Maurice’s chain in the hold-the-house-together department, is like 5/40000 of an inch listing to port. 

“Don’t worry,” he assures me, “when the walls and finish trim is on you won’t see a thing.”  I gotta tell ya . . . I don’t see a thing now, but it’s this type of OCD builders’ trauma that has turned the shack into the smallest structure ever to be able to withstand a hydrogen smart bomb being thrown down the chimney. 

And speaking of chimney, Ev’s decision to make it appear square from the outside has lent itself to a custom-fabricated steel contraption (part of which you see above at the top)  that also sits on top of the roof, anchors the chimney to . . . .what I don’t know—the underworld?  and allows for fieldstone to be placed on the roof.  Good for Santa.  Bad, I have figured out, for the timeline.

 

But apart from the fact that I’d be homeless if this were my only option, I guess I can be thankful that  no one but no one will ever be able to say of this dear thing that it was not restored, as my friend Linda would say, “to a fare-thee-well.”

(the side door will be in the left hand corner)

 

 

  

 

(the extension will extend 8' out from the window (which will be above the sink)

 

Pete as usual gets the prize for art shots—the stream widens just before the sluiceway and on the other side I put a wood duck box last fall—let’s hope someone rents this spring.

 

Also you get a nice idea of the proportions now of the inside, minus the addition, which will be to the left of the window and be 8x8, housing 3 feet of the kitchen and a 5x8’ bathroom at the end—that is why the window seems so close to the end of the house—it is not really the end---the window is placed in what will be the middle of the sink, which I should take a photo of—it is from the Library (former home of the outhouse) and is an ancient 36” white ceramic number  with a backsplash and wall faucets that would be far too big for the cabin if it weren’t so cute, and besides, I can drop it into a cabinet and it’ll be fine. With a piece of metal on the side to protect it from the woodstove. If I hang in there that long.

 

Still Life With Blizzard

Pete the intrepid photographer went slipping around the back roads today before the blizzard got too bad (we are expecting 24-48 inches plus high winds) and took some great photos of the ‘hood, and of Barney’s cabin.

Here’s what you see on the road just south of the cabin.  This farm is over 1,000 acres and picturesque from any angle.  The main house is on this road, though, and the Scottish longhairs or whatever they’re called always hang out close to the family manse.

And to the north we have the reservoir, no longer used by maintained by the state for boating and fishing as part of the state forest.

 And here’s Barney’s cabin with a WINDOW in it!  Knock me over with a feather!!!  Loft!  Loft!  Loft!  Loft!

Pete is not amused with the speed of renovations, but it is almost a completely protected structure now so that’s a big step.  When it stops snowing I will venture up there to see what’s what.  Hopefully the roof will hold out!  (It should—Ev has built it to withstand the Spanish Armada . . . )

Inching Along

Pete came by to take some photos today--he liked the afternoon light--but said he did not notice any changes from the last time he was there.  But you, gentle reader, will notice that the peak now has framing for the window, and it appears as though Ev's 10" interior beam is entirely installed around the perimeter.   The side door and the electric service cannot be far behind.

In a way, not much has changed except the lighting, and the raising of the temperature by about 2 degrees to a whopping 19, and of course Pete's photographic skills, but  . . . I dunno . . . it sort of looks almost like it might not fall down now . . . doesn't it?

Tomorrow Dave and I will go looking for the pair of bald eagles that the Selectman spotted just upstream from the cabin, by the reservoir.  If I see bald eagles by Barney's cabin . . . .well, I think that that will make up for some of the construction despair.

Here's What the Place Looks LIke at 8 Below

 

Yes, it may look like a piece of dreck . . . because that's what it is!  However, a more solidly built piece of dreck you will not find anywhere.  A few afternoons ago the light was so nice that I wandered on over (Ev having hightailed it to Las Vegas for a week to avoid the bitter, bitter cold and attend his builders' conference) to take a photo, certain that the beautiful light would make the cabin look at least halfway habitable.

HA!

However, the roof is all on, and  the inside is looking lots more spacious.

All the cross braces will be taken out when the loft beam goes across; then Ev will put in the floor joists for the loft.  That oughtta keep the old thing hanging together. He wants to put in the floor as well, which is okay I guess.  Then the shingles and skylight go on.  That dark triangle at the far end is the old roof that still hasn't been taken down yet--with only about 2 1/2 more feet and a 10" beam around the top of the wall, there seems to be a whole lot more space.

There better be; with the economy going the way it is I may have to live here sooner than anticipated--with an outhouse!!!

 

At this point I've just got to have faith that the old shack will come together soon.  Perhaps Ev will be back this week--it's going to be in the 30s and 40s so I will crack the whip . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ivy Palace" No More: Let's Think Positive (this is gonna kill me . . . )

Will you look at this.

The Tumbleweed Tiny House people have a new manager, Ella Jenkins, and she has a tiny house.  Here’s what she says about it:

"I chose the name Little Yellow (Buidhe Bheag) because to me, yellow means sunshine, daffodils and California. In Scottish Gaelic, the colour yellow (buidhe) is often used as a positive emphasis symbolizing happiness, luck or beauty. A person who is "pretty, yellow" (brèagha, buidhe) is very pretty indeed and The phrase "I am yellow" (tha mi buidhe) means that one is well, happy or satisfied."

 

 

 

That is so damn positive it makes me want to run out in traffic.

But part of me admits . . . at this point my cabin should have a better name than the Ivy Palace (or Ivy Acres, as it is known to some).  Besides, it's 5 degrees outside and any poison ivy that was growing there has packed up and left for St. Croix. So henceforth, IP will be Barney’s Cabin, for this blog anyway.  And next time there will be a new blog title.  I’m wondering, though, if I can change the URL . . . .

Another nice day brings out the curious onlookers . . .

From: Pete

Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 11:38 AM

To: Penny

Subject: Penny's Cabin

Hi Penny

So here's what your cabin looks like (around 11 a.m. on Tuesday)  It's good to see some more progress, although it is very slow. I do hope that things move along much faster for your sake, and that finances get better, so you can continue to improve upon this little treasure of a place.

Always,

Pete

 

Great photos, Pete--thanks!  I think I will use the last ones on the blog--I have been taking photos over the last couple of days--yes, the progress is indeed slow, but we have had discussions about that, and I think Ev will be a bit friskier now.  The next thing after the roof will be the floor of the loft, to strengthen the frame, so you won't see much from the outside for a bit after all the roof sheathing goes on. Then comes some of the under-roof trim, and then the doors and windows get installed.  Ev is being whipped by another master on this one---his new tenants, who want to use his garage, so their impatience is my gain!

My finances, I'm afraid, are not going to get any better--all I can hope for is that repairs get cheaper! :) Stay tuned!

--Penny
 

Ev to the Rescue

Well, maybe it was the warm temps this week or maybe it was my crying jag the other day at Barneys, but when I arrived at the cabin yesterday I had nearly a whole roof’s worth of rafters.  And today there is actual sheathing on the roof.

 

I understand the delay.  Partly.  Barney built the cabin well in some spots, weirdly in others, and not at all where the roof meets the walls.  If I hadn’t wanted a higher pitched roof, I guess things could have stayed the same, but when the rafters came off there was nothing else holding the roof together.  Since I want an open ceiling, Ev has to make sure that an enormous carrying beam along the roof line, plus a cross beam that will define the edge of my loft, keeps the whole shebang upright.
 

The Town Library replaced its old addition this summer, and Randy could not bear to see all those beautiful hand-hewn beams go to waste, so he took apart the addition board by board, and stored it at his house.  Several of those beams are key to the cabin’s future: one will be the roofline beam, which not only will be way cool but which will add a bit of integrity to the structure that a wimpy old Home Depot piece of wood could not.

Ev has been fretting about the load that the chimney side of the house will have to take, and so has been reinforcing it so that it will withstand the Battle of Normandy.  This is where the money and time is going . . .

But this weekend should be gorgeous weather and Mike the chimney guy will be pouring his cement and hopefully even getting the chimney pot on.

Ev and I did have a bit of a tiff about the loft.  I want it 9 feet; he says that because of the placement of the windows in front and the door in the rear the big beam that has to cross the house has to go at 7 feet, rendering the loft 7x12, which is damn dinky, especially since at least 2 feet on each side of the 12 foot width is too low under the roof to do anything except amuse the cat.

 

And he is not easily amused.

But what can I do?  Suck it up and think of a nifty design to put on this big 10” wide beam that spans the width of the house and that will be seen from below --and, dear reader, 5” of which will have to be climbed over when one reaches the top of the ladder to get to the loft.  Hey, at least it’ll remind me of my old days on the shrimp boats, nestled in the berth.  But wait . . . as Woody Allen would say, “the wrong life is flashing before my eyes.”

Ev is also asking me to change not only the name of this blog but the name of the cabin as well.  He thinks it’s demeaning.  After all, the original poison ivy invasion, from which the cabin derived its nickname, has been sent packing.  Ev calls it “the Dacha.”  I am indebted to another blog called “the Strange Love” for this photo, in a post titled, cleverly, “Dacha.”. 

Um . . . be warned, it’s not a tiny house blog . . . I rather liked the photo of the retro blow-up doll . . .

http://hombresteph.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-post.html

Enough of Winter! Let's Design a Garden

(Updated from yesterday--with photos!) 
In the front of the Ivy Palace, where once was just a rug of poison ivy (and 3 iron bed frames, a box spring, a mess of scraggly scotch pines and 300 feet of coiled barbed wire) there will now be a dear little front lawn.

The front of the house, as you know, is only 14 feet of lawn.  There used to be 90 feet but in 1982 a large curve was taken out of the road, to eliminate an overpass that crossed the Airline Trail. Now that it is a rail trail, cars can just cross it.  But poor Barney lost 90 feet of woodsy frontage.  However, there are about 5 cars a day on this road (except when the horsey folks get together, then it's trailer-o-rama but it's kind of cool to watch them) and plus, we got the Air Line Trail out of it, so I can live with 14 feet.  But one wants a bit of a buffer.

So, picture the house, in all its length of 20 glorious feet.
Now, right in front of it will be a 12" curtain drain instead of a roof gutter--I like them lots better.  Then there will be a 2-foot grass and stepping stone pathway, and in front of that is a simple but elegant wood fence, painted dark mouse brown, like in the photo below (which doesn't exist yet), on which are climbing New Dawn roses.  I think 3 of them, along the fence.

Now,walk round to look at the 18 foot fence (don't want exactly the same length as the house) from the street, and you will also see, interspersed, russian sage

white peonies

>
the smaller, darker Salvia "May Night" a bit to the front (above)

and interspersed with this some pale yellow daylily "Happy Returns"
and on the side and maybe a few behind the fence some digitalis ambigua (foxglve)
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and a fabulous new Echinacea "Sunrise."

I love "Solar Flare" and want to put it somewhere, but what I want here is the white-pink of the rose standing out against the fence and the light and dark lavender, with some soft white accents (peonies) and yellow contrasts, which will flower at different times.

The front of the house will have 3 awning windows, remember, since it is the street side and close to the road, but window boxes plus this fence/rose garden in front will anchor the house and make the oblong of the windows fit right in.
That's the plan anyway, if I decide to keep it.
Perhaps, since I'm still depressed, I will design the window boxes next . . .
I may not be a carpenter, but I am a landscaping fool . . .