Christmas

The house with a few inches of new snow.  Cozy don't you think?

Nancy and Steve at tjhe front porch.  We put modest decorations up this year.  Next year we'll do better and hope to be in the local parade of decorated homes.

We have a White Christmas this year (more unusual in Colorado than you'd think).  We're expecting 8 to 12 inches with temperatures in the low 20s.  Tomorrow (Christmas) morning will be a beautiful winter wonderland.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Window Trim

Jamb extensions installed but no face trim yet.  This window has just been stained, varhish comes later.

The windows need trim.  Those set in log walls need substantial (5 1/2 inch) jamb extensions to account for the extra wall thickness.  Those in the log walls also need special trim to allow for the walls to settle about 3 inchdes at the top.

Fireplace Mantle

Mantle being cut on mill's circular saw.

Here's our 2 (double sided fireplace) mantles being cut at a local log yard.  They're using a beatle kill log, both mantles are cut from the same log.

Drywall

Hanging drywall.

The drywallers hung sheetrock in three days.  We're waiting for the tapers and finishers.

Boiler

Boiler fully connected to 4 main zones plus the domestic hot water heater (extreme right).

The boiler was finally plumbed and commissioned.  We lost a week while the plumber went hunting (fortunately he didn't hurt himself) but got the system up and running just in time for the weather to turn cold.

In Floor Heat

Some of the tubes have been installed to carry hot water into the floor.  The tubes will be covered with 1 1/2 inches of concrete (then a finished floor is applied).

Heating tubes in the master bath

Heating tubes in the master closet.

Utilities

Gas line and flue connected to the boiler.

Nearly all the circuits have been connected to the circuit breakers.  There are regular breakers, ground fault and now arc fault breakers ($$$$$).





 

The high efficiency boiler is almost ready to be connected, and the electrical panel almost finished.

Ready for stain

Washed and ready for staining.

The house has been power washed in preperation for staining, windows are being masked.

Gas

Gas line in the trench.

Kevin from the gas company installs the regulator/meter.  We'll be connected in a few days.

The gas piping has been installed (will be inspected in 2 days).  Now a ditch has been excavated to run the gas and electric lines from the street.

Siding

The back side of gthe garage

The front of the house.  Log, Board and batten and windows.

Board and .  It looks great, and will be stained along with the logs.Batten siding is installed to non-log exterior walls

Running Wires

Friend Art Szabo came out from New York to help running wire.  BIG help Art, THANK YOU!

All the wiring to outlets and switches are run back to the electrical panel in the utility room.

Windows Installed

Pella windows are installed along with doors.

In Floor Heating

PEX in-floor heating tubes (looking up at the ceiling).

We ran the heating tubes for the 2nd floor loft and guest bedroom areas.  This included aluminum plates that spread heat and improve condustion through the floor.

Stone, Stairs & Plumbing

We've started attaching the stone veneer to the foundation walls below the logs.  It's looking great, we're using a river rock style.  Mix some mud (morter), butter the back and shlep it on the wall.

Stairs are finally in place so we don't have to climb a ladder to the lower lever any more.  Red oak treads, we pre-finished them before installing.

Now it's plumbing.  We hired out the waste and venting but are installing the PEX supply tubing, red for hot, blue for cold, it's hard to screw up.

Starting in the corners, Nancy works her way out.

Smile Nancy.

Steve does most of the ladder work.

New stairs.  Look at all the space to store junk.

Red and blue PEX tubing.  It's flexible (sort of) so long runs can bend around corners.

Some of the tubes stubbed out in the master bath.  Heavy duity drill 'cause it many holes.

Framing

We hired Whitley Homes to do the exterior framing, they have log home experience and are framing the rear deck roof, all gables and dormers and the garage trusses, facia and roof deck.

I am doing the interior framing including the master suite, kitchen and utility wing as well as partition walls up on the loft level.

The master bath.  Note the pocket door frame. 
These walls (on the log level) must be made to allow the ceiling to drop up to 4 inches as the logs shrink and settle.
The settling jack atop the wood column had to be lowered (along with others) as the house has settled about an inch already.

Setting the roof trusses for the utility wing (3/12 pitch).

Framing rafters over the rear (North side) deck.

Gable end framing of the upstairs guest room. 
This space is intgeresting because of all the roof angles and heavy beams and columns.

Placing the garage trusses.  In one day they attached the trusses, installed sub-facia to the West side installed the floor decking in the storage attic of the garage and attached the roof decking on the West side.  They'll finish it tomorrow.

The front facade looks different with the garage tussed and sheathed.  Note the log headers above the garage doors.  From the headers down we'll use stone veneer.  Above the headers will be board and batton.

Early Tour

Here are pictures of various spaces in the house, you can get an idea of what the rooms are like now. 

Looking through the living room from the dining room.

Dining room on the left, kitchen on the right.  Stairs to the lower level where the ladder is now.

Beautiful half-log stairs (railings will come later).

Master bed room (the master bath and  closet).

The loft office area, foyer on the left, South facing glass on the right.

Looking through into the guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom dormer provides a lot of spece.

Main floor rooms are classic log, while the upper floor is a maze of roof geometry and stout log columns and beams.

Deck Framing

Ian installing a joist.

You can walk out onto the deck from the living room.

View from the golf course, the deck beams break up the vertical columns with a horizontal element.
Note the packs of stone veneer which will cover the lower walls.

Putting in the beams and joists to support the back deck, which runs across the entire North side (golfcourse side) of the house.  Decking planks (synthetic) arrived this afternoon and we will start installing them Friday.

SIP Roof Installation

SIP (Structurally Integrated Panels) are a sandwich of OSB on top, 10 inches of styrofoam (R44) and tung and groove pine panels on the bottom. 

Large, 4 foot wide panels are cut to fit on the ground, then lifted into place with a crane.  Once in place they are secured with 13 inch screws into the structure (ridge beams, purlilns, etc.).

The installation should have taken 3 days, it took five (and way too much stress on my part).

First panel in place.  A framer sits on the ridge beam to screw the panel into place.

The steep 12/12 pitch of the roof makes it difficult to work on.  Workers used toe boards to keep from sliding off.

A panel flying into place.

Another panel (attached to cable).  On some afternoons, the wind picked up, making the panels higher to control.  Good to say, no-one was hurt.

Log Set

Placing sill sealer to prevent air infiltration.

Setting the logs!

The process took two days.  Tuesday the walls sent up and Wednesday the posts and beams that support the roof.

Greatland Log Homes arrived with six workers and a crane to do the lifting.

Everything fit increadibly well, no cutting was needed to make everything come together.

The first log flys into place.

Squared up and placed just so.

More logs.  We drilled vertical holes for electrical outlets which some later.

Logs stacked very quickly.  Every log was labeled so they kniew where it went.

Long logs tied short sections together.

Day 2 starts with the stairs flying into place.



Beams up high.  Much climbing around was called for.  No one got hurt.



View from the golf course.There's still so much to do