A diary of the projects, hurdles, rewards and family life at we recorded at Wise Acres, our former homestead in Horsefly, BC. (Careers and teenagers have forced us back into the city, at least for a little while.)

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Cabin - Part 8: The Ceiling

So far the building is made of mostly spruce and fir, but when it came time to pick a ceiling, I went with a cottonwood/aspen mix. I chose this because the cost wasn't much more, I could still get it from a local producer, and it's very pale, making for a higher-feeling head space.
Once again Florian came over to help, along with his compressor and staple gun. We stopped by Leading Edge, Horsefly's own lumber mill (who have incredible flooring and other wood products) and picked up enough aspen tongue-and-groove ceiling planks to fill 140 square feet. We chose 14+ foot lengths so we didn't have to mess around with connections - each piece ran the entire length of the room.


We had to fight the downward pressure of the insulation most of the way. I don't know how I would have done this without Florian's help or his nail gun.

We started around 4pm, stopped for dinner (great meatballs by Joanne!) and pushed through till we were done at 10pm. The light fixture slowed us down for about a half hour, but otherwise it was pretty smooth going.

I also picked up some cedar trim to install around the windows and door, but that will have to wait till after we've finished chinking.

Location:Horsefly, BC

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Cabin - Part 7: Insulating the Roof

I mentioned in my last post that I'd installed blocks between the rafters - here's what they look like.


Yesterday Florian came over and helped me get the insulation into the ceiling. It's not a pleasant job and I really appreciated his help. Once the batting was up, we taped up the vapor barrier.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Cabin - Part 6: Four Windows and a Door

I can't believe it's been three months since my last cabin post! If you were to conclude that it's because nothing's happened on the cabin you'd be mostly right. Progress was delayed due to the holidays then a very intense (and ongoing) period at work.

At some point over the holiday break I was able to cut and install the blockers that go between the rafters to seal the roof. Damon had pre-drilled them with holes, and I simply had to staple screening to the backside and then pin them up with brad nails. I was very grateful for the use of Florian's compressor and brad nailer.

In early January we mounted a window and installed the door. Today we mounted the other two windows.



As you can see here, within the logs abutting the windows and door is a 2-inch slot, into which we inserted a 2x4. This helps brace the logs, and also ensure that if the logs shrink (they shrink only in thickness, not in length) over time, the window won't be crushed. You'll also see that we've left a gap above the windows and door, which will be filled with insulation and hidden with trim, for the very same reason.


We chose vinyl windows as they were about 1/4 the price of wood-framed, and built a wood box around them with 2x6's.



The bottom was left open to rest directly on the log, but we laid down some foam tape first. A 1-inch sill will be placed here later.



The south-facing one (next to the door on the porch) is a 4'x4' picture window, whereas the west-facing one, also 4'x4', opens. For the cross breeze, the west-facing one also opens, but is only 1.5'x4'.



The view to the north:


The view to the west:


Tomorrow I hope to insulate the roof and fill in the gaps left around the windows.

Location:Horsefly, BC