Let There Be Light!

Saturday 10/24/09
The cabinet contractor installed the cabinets in the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry on Wednesday, October 21st. Deb and I spent Thursday night purchasing all of the outlets, switches, and lights (including light bulbs). On Friday after work I picked up the wood stove and borrowed the Escalera (a manual fork lift) from Dennis at Gallery of Fireplaces. Once home, I packed all of the electrical stuff neatly (sort of) around the wood stove in the back of the van. Tim arrived in Vacaville around 8pm. He had time to play “A Real Good Looking Boy” and then we jumped in the van and headed for Almanor. Deb had a school function Saturday morning but drove up in time for Saturday dinner and a Sunday visit. Stan and William drove up Friday night a little ahead of Tim and me. The weekend goal was the installation of all of the finish electrical (all outlets, light switches, and lights), delivery of the wood stove, installation of the laundry sink, and weather sealing all exterior doors. Tim, Stan, Will, and I started work Saturday morning at 8am. We had the house swept and most of the material laid out by the time that Cynthia and Ed arrived (around 11am). I also had to install the laundry sink and tie in the furnace condensate drain to the laundry sink tailpiece. By 6:30 pm Saturday we had the furnace running and a majority of the finish electric installed. Time for a BBQ dinner with Cynthia and Deb. Up early on Sunday for buttermilk pancakes and then back to the cabin by 8:30am. At around 12pm we had all of the circuits wired and were ready to flip the first circuit breaker and test out the wiring. Let there be light! The fist circuit to be tested was of course the lighting circuit. The circuits all tested fine with a few minor issues such as an electric outlet that had not been installed and a screw from a light fixture that penetrated the underside of a wire nut. It was a great weekend. A big thank you to William, Stan, Cynthia, Ed, Tim, and Deb.

October 16th Friday:
I took the day off so that I could meet the insulators at 10am so that they can install the last bit of blown in attic insulation. When I arrived at the cabin I noticed a PG&E truck down the street. Turns out that they were installing a new transformer for our cabin plus several of the neighboring residences. I asked the lineman if he could also adjust the wires to our overhead service because the first PG&E installation left the wires hanging down around 30”. By 3pm the new transformer was installed and the lineman had trimmed our overhead service wires quite neatly. The sheetrockers at around 1pm and began getting ready spray the texture. I helped them get the paper on the floor and cover windows with plastic because they need to finish early Saturday afternoon so that the texture will be dry enough for Tim and I to paint on Sunday. Jed and Orville finished the texture Saturday afternoon around 3pm. Tim and I rolled the primer and paint on the garage walls Saturday from 3pm to 7pm. On Sunday morning Tim and I were at the cabin by 7:30am to get ready to paint. From 9am to 12:30pm we sprayed primer. We took a short lunch and began the final coat of paint around 1:15pm. For the final coat of paint I was spraying and Tim was back-rolling. This slowed us down considerably. We finally finished painting at 7:30pm. Twelve hours and 50 gallons of paint! What a day! We cleaned up our mess and headed back to the Dusty Road cabin by 8:30pm and were on the road for home by 9:30pm. I got to bed at 1:00am Monday.

October 10th Saturday:
This weekend I brought up 25 gallons of primer to spray the walls after the tapers finish. Jed’s crew finished taping and touching up the sheetrock joints on Saturday. The taping mud must dry overnight so I had to wait until Sunday to spray the primer. Saturday was a warm day so I set up the extension ladders and caulked joints at the siding and trim around the windows and building corners. On Sunday morning I covered all of the windows and doors with plastic (Deb and Dorothy helped with the windows and doors so that I could set up the paint sprayer. Dorothy is always a great helper). I started spraying at 10am and finished at around 3pm.

October 4th, Sunday:
With only Sunday to work I only had time to tend to a few details. I fixed the stair head room by cutting out a 36” piece of sheetrock adjacent to the stair landing, cutting the double rim joist from 12” to 9” deep, and installing blocks so that there is now a small tapered ceiling that matches the slope of the stair. Luckily Scott was on site with his beam saw and was able to cut the double rim joist for me (my saw would not cut the entire depth of the double joist). I cleaned up and did a few other minor projects. Using a small sheetrock saw I cut holes in the upstairs closet ceiling for the three ducts that connect to the fresh air unit.

Another Monday After

It was a busy Sunday. We only had Sunday because I had a CALBO board meeting on Friday and Saturday. More later but check out this link to a photo site that Tim set up using pictures taken on his phone.
http://picasaweb.google.com/timtgarcia/AlmanorCabin?authkey=Gv1sRgCLzV0aDw_9D3Hw&feat=content_notification#

I Can't Believe It Is The End of September

September 26th:
This week, Deb, Tim, Jennifer and I drove up a little earlier and were able to get a good night sleep Friday night. Tim and I arrived at the cabin around 7:30am to start installing bathroom fans, bathroom shower walls and a few other miscellaneous items. We are in a big hurry because Jed decided that he needed to start rocking on Saturday around 11am. Deb did a real nice job sweeping up the minor mess left by the insulators only to have the sheetrockers trash the place. Ha Ha. It is crazy trying to work around the sheetrockers. They started rocking the ceiling downstairs while we continued work in the bathrooms and laundry room. I am frantically running around to make sure that I have not missed anything prior to the walls being enclosed by sheetrock. About mid afternoon Tim noticed that the electrical outlet under the stair was covered by rock. We were able to find the outlet box and get it exposed. All other outlets were cut through without incident. Although it was hectic having the sheetrockers working while we were finishing our work, it actually worked out well because I was able to explain how we wanted specific items constructed. When we left on Sunday afternoon, they had completed most of the upstairs and all of the downstairs. Unfortunately, once the stairwell was sheetrocked, I noticed that I needed to adjust the header over the landing because the ceiling was 1.5” too short for the code required headroom. I did a quick calculation and determined that I could cut the beam down to a 9” depth and taper the ceiling at the dining room back to the first floor joist to get the required head room. I am glad I found this item now rather than after the sheetrock was finished.
September 23rd:
The inspector showed up at 9:30 and approved the house for sheetrock. I called the Jed to let him know that he could start sheetrock on next Monday. He said that he would actually like to start sooner but I told him that I still have too many small items to complete and cannot get back up here until Saturday.
September 22nd:
The insulators arrived at 10am to start their work and Darren Strand was already excavating for the septic tank and leach field. The jobsite was a little crowded since the insulators had two large trucks that where necessary to install the “Spider” insulation (a type of insulation that is blown into the stud cavity; a corn based glue is mixed with the fiberglass to hold it in place) and Darren had two large pieces of equipment to dig the hole for the septic tank. The insulation was in place by 6:30pm.
September 21st (Monday):
Had the Frame inspection today (Monday). The inspector had a few concerns but I was able to clarify most of the items and also agreed to have them addressed at the insulation inspection on Wednesday morning. I called the engineer while the inspector was onsite to have him clarify that it was ok to have only a double top plate as the header for the two rear dormers since the windows are only 3’ wide.

September 18: (Saturday)
Well I plan to have a Frame inspection on Monday so this will be a crazy weekend. The HVAC contractor (Jim Coons) spent several days this week installing the majority of the duct work and plenums. Pete will be up Saturday to finish the gas, DWV, and water. I need to help the roofer pick a spot for the gas vent to penetrate the roof. We need to be careful to place the vent between the ribs of the metal roofing. By the way the roof on the front of the cabin is almost complete. I took another half day off work on Friday and drove up to get an early start. Deb and Tim arrived late Friday night and Pete arrived on Saturday morning. Saturday was a daunting day. Tim and I worked hard to finish all of the wiring details and install the main panel with rigid conduit that tucks under the front eave. I helped Pete with the plumbing from time to time and then went back to wiring and other miscellaneous details. I also chose the location for the fresh air heat exchanger and ran a 4” pipe through the upstairs closet down into the kitchen ceiling and over to the living room. Fresh air from the outside will enter the living room and stale air will be taken out at the top of the stairs (about 70 cfm continuous). We also had to install 5- 12’ sheets of 5/8” sheetrock on the garage ceiling.

September 11th:
I spent the week filling the van with all of the parts to complete the electrical and picked up the cast iron tub. Since Stan and Will plan to come to Almanor this weekend I figured it was a good time to carry the 300lb tub up the stairs. Ed decided to arrive on Friday morning so I took off work early (around 9am) and made several stops on the way up the hill to pick up additional parts and meet with several contractors (cabinet, insulation, and garage door installer). I got to the cabin around 2pm and began helping Ed with the wiring. Tim, Deb, Stan, and Will showed up Friday evening and as usual we were up early Saturday to assault the unfinished cabin. Will and Stan built a catwalk (Will called it the Boardwalk) from one end of the attic to the other. Since the roof has a 12:12 pitch the attic is about 7’ tall at the peak. After finishing the “Boardwalk” Stan began installing the whole house fan and Will used the magnet on wheels to pick up nails and metal from the yard. Ed and Tim pulled more wire and I finished the closet framing and tried to keep everything in order. Ed reminded me that I need a light in the attic and Tim picked several locations for additional electrical outlets. It is a chore to remember all the locations for switches and outlets. On Sunday Ed began making up the wires (connecting grounds, neutrals, and hot wires in the electrical boxes and Tim worked with Will pulling wire for several more circuits (now instead of following Ed, Tim was leading Will. Everyone learns something new). Tim, Deb, Stan and Will had to leave early but Ed decided to stay late Sunday and leave on Monday morning because he could see that I wasn’t going to finish the wiring by myself. I think everyone really enjoyed the hard work. Oh I should mention that Deb has done a great job of keeping the house clean and making breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, Tim, Stan, Will, and I did lug the cast iron tub up the stairs with minimal effort. Four pairs of hands are better than one!

September 4th:On Tuesday, September 1st I drove to SF to pick up Cynthia and Ed at Pier 35 as they returned from an Alaskan Cruise. Ed asked how the cabin was coming and I told him that it is framed and I plan to start the wiring this coming weekend. Ed was excited at the prospect of coming up to help with the wiring and I was excited that he was excited. During the ride home we made plans for Cynthia and Ed to come up for the Labor Day weekend (yes labor it will be). Deb, Tim, and I arrived late Friday night got a short nights sleep and were up early on Saturday to begin work. Ed and Cynthia arrived at around 10am. Tim and I had done a little preliminary layout but had not started placing the electrical boxes. Ed had tools in hand and asked were to start so I said that he could start pulling wire in the living room since that room had boxed ready to be placed. While Ed drilled holes I nailed boxes in place. Saturday seemed slow since we only got wire pulled in the living room but we did have the holes drilled for two more circuites. The next day (Sunday) Tim and Ed began pulling wire (it goes much faster with two people working the wire through the holes) while I continued to place the boxes and drill holes for the additional circuits. Work continued feverishly until Monday afternoon with about 50% of the wiring completed. I also began work on a closet above the stairs for bedroom two and finished securing the chimney. Ed said that he would return the next weekend to help complete the wiring. It is fun working with Ed.

August is Over, Nooooooo!

August 30, Sunday:
Deb, Jennifer and I looked at lights, picked out a ceiling fan for the living room, and also finalized our decision on kitchen appliances. I spent a little more time picking out electrical stuff so that I can get a good start the wiring over the Labor Day weekend. Lots of work and lots of play is the plan.

August 28th and 29th:
Skipped work on Friday so that I could get a little extra done on the cabin before driving back on Saturday to pick up Jennifer from the airport (oh yeah, Jennifer decided that Benin Africa was not for her and arrives at SF Saturday night at 7:45pm). More on that later, maybe. So I was up at 4am on Friday making plans for the day. Stopped at Lowe’s in Chico to pick up the main electric panel and a bunch of other electric stuff. Met Marshall (Loerke Insulation) at 9:30 to work out the final details for the insulation and sign a contract. Sidenote: Marshall had some really cool baffles for maintaining the air space at the sloped roof. I had been planing to cut and fit soundboard between rafters but the product that the pros use will be a real time saver. So not to bore myself, or you, I will make the rest of this post short and sweet. Saturday morning I finished wiring the front and back porch lights, primed and painted three additional gable end vents, cut and screwed in place 40 blocks which meant 320 screws driven with my new 18v cordless impact drill (insert here the double grunt Tim Allen makes on Tool Time because I can’t spell it), and installed R38 insulation in the porch ceiling below the dormers. I felt hungry a lot but since Deb was not there to make me lunch I just kept working. 7:30 to 2:30 with only water, now that is a diet plan! O yeah, Patrick Riley had a crew put on the metal roof underlayment this past week. Now if it rains the cabin roof is watertight except for the chimney. I’ll post the picture later.

August 22nd and 23rd:
I loaded up all of the chimney pipe and parts, porch lights, some wire, and tools while waiting for Tim to arrive from his job in SF. Deb, Tim, and I left Vacaville around 8pm and arrived at Almanor late. Stan and Will drove up for the weekend to help work on the new cabin and were still up when we arrived. We got up early Saturday for a buttermilk pancake breakfast and headed over to the new cabin with our first priority of choosing the location for the wood stove. It was decided that a corner installation would fit best so I began reading the installation guide to determine exactly where to install the pipe and to determine if any framing must be adjusted. Luckily the pipe fit between the existing first floor joist layout but that meant that we needed to head out a ceiling joist and 2x12 rafter at the second floor. I made a trip to Chester to get some lumber and connectors and Tim, Stan, and Will began drilling blocking for attic ventilation and installing the recessed lights for the front and back porch. We made good progress on Saturday and rewarded ourselves with a great cocktail hour and dinner at the home site cabin. A warm shower sure feels great after a long day of work. Among other things Sunday was playing with clay day! We started working at 8:30am with Tim and Will installing the clay wrap on the in-wall drain lines from the second floor. Will made the work go fast by cutting all of the pieces first and then placing them on the shower and tub drains. I continued to frame out the chase for the chimney, which now included relocating a wall from one side of the room to the other side (Deb decided that the closet in the upstairs west facing bedroom should be on the same wall as the fireplace chase). That made good sense and it was better to move the wall now at frame stage rather than live with a bad layout. Later while reaching up with the skill saw and sawsall to cut out rafters and roof plywood for the chimney I realized that eating sawdust wasn’t so bad now that I don’t wear contact lenses. (Remember that eye surgery this time last year) It is still no fun cutting lumber above your head but at least without contact lenses it is tolerable!

August 15th and 16th
Things are still moving fast. On Friday night, August 14th, Deb and I drove to Almanor (new cabin or old cabin, it will always be “going to Almanor”). Pete drove up Saturday morning. The plan is to finish the DWV and install gas pipe on Saturday and then install the water pipe on Sunday. We stopped early (around 5:30pm) so that we could drive into Chester and attend a fundraiser dinner for Hospice (sat with Claude and Elizabeth Walker). Things went well and Pete finished all of the work he planned. I worked on pickup items and cut and installed backing for Pete and also lowered the 6x8 header for the kitchen window which was originally framed to high for Deb to see out. I cut in the underfloor access so that Pete could crawl under the downstairs bathroom to install the trap for the shower pan. We were thinking that Tim should be here to be the first one to crawl the “rock free” underfloor space.

Progress update

On August 7th. Deb, Tim, and I drove to Almanor. The plan was to finish painting the trim and metal vents and to install the DWV piping. Pete Trockey drove up Saturday morning, August 8th, and spent the day installing the majority of the drain waste and vent (DWV). Scott Oswald spent a couple of hours Saturday morning framing the upstairs bathroom walls and Tim got to help put the walls in place. Then Tim and I went back to the Dusty road cabin to finish painting trim. Pete finished the DWV around 5:30pm and then left to go to his cabin near Quincy. Deb, Tim, and I went to the firehouse on Scott drive for a fundraising dinner. Sunday we swept up wood chips and saw dust at the cabin to leave it clean for the carpenter. We put all of the painted trim back in the Dusty road cabin garage and headed for home. We made a lot of progress over the weekend.

On Tuesday night August 11th I drove back up to Almanor to be onsite for a window delivery on Wednesday morning. Windows were delivered at around 8:30am. I helped Scott load some of the painted facia and then drove to Chester to pick up two boxes of galvanized nails. When I returned I primed and painted the 2x6 outrigger material and met with an insulation contractor. I returned to the Dusty road cabin for lunch at 12:30 then called Jennifer at 1:30. Jennifer told me that she will be assigned her post tomorrow. At around 2pm I returned to the cabin to fix the sill height for the master bedroom window (I ordered the wrong height window. The height will be fine). On my way home from Almanor I stopped by Oakridge cabinets in Chico to work out the details on the cabinet bid. On the way home I also checked with Jed regarding sheetrock delivery and with Patrick regarding the timing for metal roofing.

Thursday night, August 13th, I picked up the shower pans and some electrical conduit as I began making plans to install the electric panel.

That’s all for now.

More pics to come

Progross through August 12, 2009

Initial update of Cabin Progress

8/6/2009	Talked to the Maze Nail rep and ordered the Maze nails. Talked to Sierra Stair in Loomis and order two newel posts. Jed visited the site today to verify sheetrock and loading.
8/5/2009	Researched the correct nails for the siding. Researched available newel posts. Asked Scott to verify that he has a gun to shoot the Maze Nails. Met with Jed and gave him a copy of the floor plan for his use in deciding where to stock the sheetrock. Gave Jed a map to jobsite.
08/04/09	Talked to Jed regarding final details for sheetrock order and stock.
08/03/09	Trusses arrived at the site at 10:30. They were set in place by 12:00pm. Went back to cabin and put all of the trim back in the garage.
08/02/09	Cut the painted plywood into 12" strips and delivered them to the jobsite.
08/01/09	Got up early to go to neighbors cabin (that has the same siding and roof) and look at painted trim samples. It was a hard decision but we chose the colors. Drove to Chico, bought paint, and drove back to Almanor. Set up saw horses and plywood on the ground. Started painting at around 1pm. Stan and Denis showed up and helped with painting the green trim and painting the primer on 12 sheets of plywood. Cleaned up the sprayer and then painted the finish color on the plywood (to be used for the soffits)
07/31/09	Talked to Scott to make sure that he will be ready for Trusses on Monday. Called Moss Lumber to verify that trusses will arrive Monday morning. Arrived at Almanor at 7pm. Scott is just finishing. He has ridge and some of the rafters set. He had to work alone for the afternoon. Cut 4 pieces of trim and painted several colors so that we can make a choice Saturday morning.
07/30/09	Bought 4 sample quarts of paint at lunch. Purchased a Graco paint sprayer after work. Watched DVD on how to use paint sprayer late that night.
07/29/09	Deb doesn't like colors so I will pick some more.
07/28/09	Erin and I went to Kelly Moore at lunch to look at paint and paint sprayers. Picked some preliminary colors
07/27/09	Roof Frame package arrived from Meeks in Chico. Fascia and Trim was dropped off at the old cabin for painting next weekend.
07/26/09	Worked at the old cabin cleaning out the back garage to make room for painting the trim.
07/25/09	Went to jobsite to count lumber and verify that all of the roof beams were there. Checked out the 2nd floor frame.
07/24/09	7am, looked at cultured marble showers and sinks in Martinez. Then drove to work while talking to Dave Shelton at Meeks lumber regarding the roof frame package that will arrive on Monday July 27. Also Talked to Andy Lester regarding the date that windows will arrive. Andy said that the windows will arrive onsite on August 12th. Picked up the wood stove info from Denis Gregerson.
07/23/09	Scott Oswold called to say that one 20' 6x12 was not shipped. He also said that the rim joist material was not shipped. I asked Scott to recheck the lumber and he found the 5-24' lvl. I talked to Dave Shelton and asked him to add the missing 20' - 6x12 to the Monday roof frame package. I also noted that we need a good 20' 6x10 to replace a twisted one that cannot be used for the front porch. Scott said that he had the first floor framed and plumb & lined.
07/22/09	Talked to Jed regarding the sheetrock bid. He gave me his price and I said that it is in the ballpark and that I will check out some places for he and his crew to stay during their phase of work. Ordered Roof Frame Package and ordered Trusses
07/21/09	Ordered Windows. I was told that the windows would ship on August 17th. (Yikes! This is not acceptable)
07/15/09	Met with Scott Oswold onsite to clarify the location of foundation vents and supports for all point loads. Waited for the inspector for the underfloor inspection and had delivery of the second lumber package.
07/12/09	Pete Trocky installed the copper water lines in the underfloor.
07/11/09	Pete Trocky installed the DWV and gas lines underfloor today. Tim and I formed the concrete walls for the water access in the garage. We also cleaned some of the rocks from the underfloor
07/10/09	Scott installed the first floor joist and girders today
07/08/09	Foundation was poured today, Wednesday, July 8, 2009
07/03/09	Scott has made a lot of progress on setting forms this week. He expects finish the forms on Monday and pour Tuesday
06/29/09	Scott Oswold began setting forms today. Deb is staying at the cabin all week
06/25/09	Darren Strand dug the foundation
06/24/09	Met Darren Strand and Scott Oswold onsite to clarify the details for laying out the foundation and the final height of the foundation.
06/23/09	Darren Strand cut the rough grade and house pad
06/15/09	Drove to Quincy to pay for Building Permit. Also stopped by county road department and paid for the encroachment permit
06/05/09	Bldg Permit Approved
06/01/09	Septic Permit Approved
05/29/09	Received lumber bid from Meeks
05/21/09	Submitted Plans to Plumas Co Env Health Dept
05/21/09	Provided Plans to Earle Colridge for Lumber Takeoff
05/20/09	Structural Plans Complete
05/20/09	Submitted Plans to Plumas Co Bldg Dept
05/18/09	Provide Comments to Jim MacIntyre
05/15/09	Received Draft Plans from Jim MacIntyre
04/30/09	Taylor Metal estimate
04/29/09	Received Final Plans from Paul Friend
04/21/09	Preliminary plans to Jim MacIntyre
04/11/09	Received answer from PG&E re: overhead service
04/10/09	Received Preliminary Plan from Paul
04/08/09	Gave Bob's dwg files to Paul Friend
04/07/09	Received Preliminary Plan from Bob
04/06/09	Met at Quicy Bldg Dept and Meet with Engineer
03/30/09	Preliminary Plan to Bob Fessenden
03/26/09	Signed Loan Papers
03/17/09	Received Final Papers
03/11/09	Received Preliminary papers
03/09/09	Start Refinance for Hillsview Dr