Monday, March 12, 2012

Workin' in the Spring Time

Spring has decided to show up early here in Virginia, so you know what that means- MORE HOUSE BUILDING!  Well, maybe not necessarily more, but at least warmer, more enjoyable house building.  With the effects of day light savings time already apparent, I'm looking forward to working on some more evening projects without straining my eyes in the pale light of a florescent work lamp.

The weatherman was calling for rain and drizzle all last Saturday, but my dad and I decided to take a chance and set up some projects.  As it turned out, we completely missed the rain and had a rather productive day nailing the yellow poplar into place on the ceiling.  We made good time and would have finished, but we ran out of material.


Being rough-sawn, we definitely didn't mill this stuff to the same precision as tongue and groove that you'd pick up from Lowes.  But, I think it still looks rather decent and gives the place a nice "country rustic" feel (don't ask me to define that- I tried to explain it to a sales lady at the lighting store and got a blank stare back...).  I've got a few ideas for how I want to finish it, including possibly white-washing to brighten the ceiling, but if you have some recommendations, leave a comment below!

Clifton ever so graciously came out for another day of work Sunday to help me start SIDING!  As amazed as I am about the wonders of Tyvek, it doesn't provide some of the aesthetics I desire.  In one afternoon we were able to cover most of the front, and I did some more around the wheel wells this weekend.  I love how the cedar matches the mesa red of the windows!




Since my last post, I've also purchased the remaining two awning windows for the lofts and shopped for an assortment of fittings to piece the plumbing system together.  Since some of my appliances are designed for RVs, the sizes and thread patterns aren't necessarily conventional.  After checking a bunch of stores and calling manufacturers, I finally did a marathon shopping session at Home Depot and found enough pieces to finish my water and gas systems. When multiple customers come up to you asking for plumbing advice, you know you've been spending too much time at the building supply stores...


As of this date, my house is still homeless.  I've started looking at real estate around the Richmond area in the hope that I can find a cheap fixer-upper that I can pay cash for and park my own house in the backyard.  I thought I had found a good fit on the east side of town, but after touring it I decided there were just too many issues with the plumbing and electrical systems that would just cause it to be a headache for me.  So, the search continues!

3 comments:

  1. I like your whitewashing idea. That would brighten but still keep the wood look. There is a painting technique called "pickling" that is always really pretty and light. You may google or YouTube it to look it up. I enjoy your blog. Thanks for writing it. Building one of these houses is on my lists of things to do. :)

    Also, a suggestion for the place to park. One of the benefits is its portability. Why not find friends with a big back yard who need a little extra money to help with their mortgage? Most neighborhoods would probably allow it like a storage building. And, if it doesn't work, move to another friend's yard. :). Good luck!

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    1. I went to Ace Hardware this weekend and found an oil-based "whitewash pickling stain". I put some up yesterday, and while the wood soaked up most of it (even after using a pre-stain conditioner)it definitely lightened the ceiling up some. Great recommendation! I'll post some pictures soon to show how it turned out.

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