Journal of Progress--September 3-9

Monday, September 3, 2018

Didn’t get much done today, but I did get the dormer sheathing done, with the help of my son-in-law and grandchildren. Together, we got it finished. I’ve forgotten how little people know about carpentry who have never done any. But I loved working with them. And truth to tell, I wasn’t much better today, thanks to no sleep the last two nights. I really needed to work on false rafters, but, in a rare attack of sanity, decided not to do scary, dangerous work on high ladders, when recovering from illness and lack of sleep. It can wait until tomorrow. At least we can say we accomplished something. But I’m exhausted, and can barely keep my eyes open right now, and it’s only 4:00. I've had a pain in my back that Barbara thought was kidney stones--so lots of liquid and cranberry juice. Then the pain moved to my stomach and felt more like gas. I passed a lot of gas but the pain was still there. I feel fine when I'm up and around in the daytime but hurt at night and the pain keeps me awake. A friend said it may be a slipped vertebrae and I need to see a chiropractor. Alas, Mammoth doesn't have one. We have one in Salt Lake and one in Tooele but it doesn't seem like we are ever some place when it is chiropractic type hours. We will have to do something if it keeps bugging me.

Before sheathing is finished

Working on sheathing

Same picture from a distance

Finished with sheathing on dormer window

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Feeling a bit better, but still hurt some. My assistant showed up to help, plus my friend who is working on the truck. Barbara invited him for lunch, so I have to find something to keep him busy until then. But good news! His son is a real carpenter looking for some work to eake out his unemployment, while he waits for a real job. He’ll be here this afternoon!

Well, the son (the carpenter) didn’t show up this afternoon, but will be here tomorrow. Meanwhile, my assistant and I got nearly all the windows installed, including the sliding glass door. Only ones left are the dormer window, the two 36" square windows for upstairs, which have not yet been ordered, and the bedroom window, which needs an openable frame made for it. Tomorrow, I hope to build the window frame, install the dormer window, and make and install the dormer false rafters

I’ve been reading up on roof building, and have decided not to use the 7/16" OSB sheets I originally bought for the purpose. I don’t have enough of them, but that’s not why I don’t want to use them. I read NINETY comments about using OSB for roof sheathing, and all but two were extremely negative. And even those two listed lots of preventive things you should do to them before using them. And ALL of them said that roof sheathing needs to be at least 5/8" to properly hold nails or screws. So, I’ve decided to use 5/8" plywood. Problem is, I’ve got about two dozen sheets of OSB that I need to deal with. They are still in new condition. I’ll see if The Home Depot will take them back. If not, there’s always KSL, I guess. Or maybe I can trade them to Kim for some lumber for building trusses. He told me he’s planning to build a shed, and they make dandy WALL sheathing! I’ll call him tomorrow, if T.H.D. won’t take them back.

We now have some pull electricity in the house so we can have lights at night in there.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

My friend’s son, the carpenter showed up today. Right after I dropped the dormer window down sixteen feet and smashed it to pieces. I did manage to miss the Honda by two feet, so that’s good. and only one of the double panes broke, so it can maybe be repaired. We’ll see.

He’s a good worker, and knows what he’s doing, so I expect he’ll be a big help, just when I need it. Also, Barbara says one of her contacts has a son who knows how to build trusses. Maybe it’ll work, but I’m still discouraged.

Between us, we did manage to get the false rafters for the dormer built and installed before the afternoon thunderstorm drenched us. Had to stop before we got all four of the storage doorways cut out and nailed up, but one is finished, one is about half done, and the other two are planned. I’m using some 4x6 timbers that I don’t really need for headers. Don’t really need them that strong, but we have them already. Might as well use them and save some time.

The broken window is at the bottom of this picture. Actually, one half had been removed, one pane broke but the frame is not bent so it should be repairable.

Our backhoe guy came out and we got the tank into the hole. I have attached it to the water main and installed the manhole extension. Read the instructions and discovered that I need a vent pipe, which can also function as an intake pipe. I’ll have to get the parts in Salt Lake City, when I go to get the truck tank and hose. Also, I must ask about an easier way to access the manhole, besides screwing it down with six screws every time I need to get inside to clean it.

This time Don used the mule tape that Rocky Mountain used to pull the electrical wire through the pipes. It was strong enough for the backhoe to lift the tank without breaking.

Even though it’s officially a low profile tank, it’s not low enough for ME. Today, by exerting all my strength, I was just able to jump and climb out, and that was without the sixteen-inch extension! Fortunately, the diameter is not too tight a fit for me, just the height. But it IS the right height for burying the tank. It’s going to come out just about the height the ground level used to be! Only with a 1500 gallon water tank underneath. And the outlet is just about dead level with the water inlet line to the house. We’re going to have gravity flow to the pressure pump, or darn close, even with the tank nearly empty. Full, we’ll have four feet of head between tank and pump, even though the inlet will be at road level. Woo hoo! Just the way I planned it. In my dreams, that is. I guess all those years surveying and more years piping creek water at Tolstoy Farm were good for something after all.

All in all, not too bad a day’s work, except for the window.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Got half the tank ribs stuffed with sand/gravel mix, which passes for sand as far as the tank is concerned. Our carpenter came up with what may just be a stroke of genius. “Why not,” he said, use some of those cans of Great Stuff for Large Volumes that you have lying around?” Thought I would try it. Then I learned that Great Stuff dissolves in water. I guess I’ll have to finish by shoving sand under from the sides, and shoveling sand into the columns, like I did all morning.

The carpenter got the four attic storage doorways cut out and installed, then started on the false rafters for the lower main roof. The ones he put on the dormer look so good that I didn’t even notice them. They just look like they belong there.

The carpenter also came up with a wonderful idea for the east and west attic walls: fur them out with 12" spacers, close them in after inspection, and blow in cellulose insulation. Twelve inches of cellulose would be about R-48. In the walls. This is even better than the north and south sides of the attic, where five and a half inches of fiberglass in the rafters and three and a half inches in the walls gives a total R-value of R-36. That’s darn good for a wall.

If I don’t want to pay to have it blown in for me, I can always just use three fiberglass batts, which would “only” give R-38, and might cost a bit more. The furred out walls will be at least twice as stiff as they would otherwise be, at the cost of losing sixteen inches of room space. And will have the added advantage of providing window seats on the west windows. Triple win. Let’s do it! Far be it from me to reject a genius idea, just because it wasn’t mine.

Friday, September 7, 2018

Got the under-tank ribs filled, and ran out of sand. Also filled the water line trench to the depth of the pipe. Lots of very dirty, very hard shovel work and hand work, grubbing in the dirt. Now I need about another ten tons or so to cover around above the tank. I hope. Also, need an inlet/vent pipe, which I forgot to get last time. And the truck tank, of course, plus a shut-off valve in the house. Don’t have one right now.

The car was completely covered with dust from Don's digging. Here he is blowing the dust off.

Got all the outriggers cut and installed for the main roof barge rafters, which I have been calling false rafters. Also, cut and installed the facia boards on the north side. Framing is coming along. I need to order for delivery 51 sheets of 19/32" OSB (plywood is not available for delivery), plus eight sheets of 15/32 BC plywood for truss gussets. LOTS of money! And I need it NOW! We’re hitting the big time on spending money. May also need to order roofing felt (don’t know what thickness yet), and building wrap. And roofing nails. And maybe slip sheets for the metal roofing. Oy vey!