Lots of changes

Sorry - I am too slow to actually post to this blog...to many other places to post.

You can see some updated photos at www.blackstarranchwy.com

Things are moving along nicely though!

Trying to wrap it up

John Maxwell finally took the advice of the little red hen and came to WY with me to dig the trench into the cabin. Rocky soil and hot weather made it difficult. Finally we were deep enough, dropped in some conduit and pulled wire.

Friday brought on a delivery of insulation, dumped in the driveway in SLC. I loaded it into the trailer, all strapped in, except one little bag. On the curves into Parley's canyon, the un-strapped bag teetered, and tottered, nearly dumped out the side, without brake lights I slid to the side of the road and strapped it down. Slow going with the 34 bags of insulation strapped taller than the Land Cruiser. Got it unloaded into the cabin and hauled upstairs to be stored for a while. On to wiring for the weekend.

Wiring happened, and I was able to get everything going, connecting the wire that John and I put in, connecting outlets to the wire that Melissa and the DeVoe’s pulled. Once it was all done, the panel was wired and it worked. We can actually go in our cabin now and, turn on a light!! Big step.
Lots to do before winter, we would like to get the woodstove going, so that means tiling the floor first, then insulation, but I have to do the plumbing first, then drywall, and siding. Phew, I do have my work cutout for myself. That would put us in pretty good shape for next year.

A buggy week in WY

I have just returned from a pretty buggy week in WY. Melissa's folks, Tony and Linda drove their motorhome down for a week of building fun, and fun we had.

We had the roof on in 3 days, and house wrap and partial windows the next day, finished windows, built walls, and pulled wire to round out the week.

We worked pretty hard but had some fun too.

Melissa Looking goood with my chainsaw, which was used to cut the windows out....

Power tools, aaahhhh, Melissa was a huge help in shearing each of the pieces of metal roofing to length before hauling it onto the roof for me to install

8 in 12 pitch is steep, we definitly had harnesses on!!! This is Tony andf I rolling tar paper on the back half...

Interior walls framed, bedroom on the right, bathroom on the left, and kitchen on the far left.

Tiny ants working on the cabin roof. Hot up there...miserable really

Spring in the mountains

So its been a while since I posted, its been a loong winter. We made 2 trips in the winter and spent the night one of them...brrr, see photos at http://www.blackstarranchwy.com/

So its building season again, got in over memorial day, and got started, had the typical rain and storms all weekend. Our friends the Spanton's came up to visit and spent most of the weekend huddled around the woodstove, but had a good time non the less.

I was able to get the rough sawn rafter tails tacked on, pretty easy project, and good to get going again.

The following weekend I was on my own to install the supports on the ends of the cabin to mount a final rafter on, the lookout or barge rafter. This was very difficult working on my own, on a tall ladder, with drill and impact wrench in my bags, scary at times.

I was also able to build a set of stairs, what a thing to have real steps rather than a rocking stump to get into the house...

And a slapped the roofing on the shed, went fast, and now it is leak free over my tools.

This past weekend Melissa and I went up there despite the weather reports calling for wind, rain and snow...snow?!?!?!

Our goal was to finish the eaves with the rough sawn lumber that is more like finish work than anything else. We first had to attache the barge, lookout rafters. These are heavy, long pieces of lumber. Working from a fully extended extension ladder, placed carefully on top of my sawhorses I trembled my way up to the top to wrestle with these 4 beasts...long hard day, but we got it done. Sunday brought more rain, and I worked through it and got the back side done. I guess there is always next weekend.

Winter is not that conducive to work....

Well Melissa and I amde two trip up to the cabin, two weekends in a row. Both times the cabin was standing and holding to the weather. We considered even staying the night in the insulated, but cold bunkhouse...

The tarp over the roof seems to be holding to the weather, and shedding the snow. I would estimate that the snow on average is about 4 feet deep. We bought a nice "ice fishing sled" that is deep, and I towed all of our stuff around in that on snowshoes. I was rewarded with the fastest sledding ride of my life down the road and out to the landcruiser at the bottom of Elk drive...

Wishing for spring, but glad it is winter all the same. So what do we do in the winter, here is a short video of Melissa making turns under bluebird skies at Solitude last weekend.

Big weekend

I drug the same friend up once again to attempt finishing the roof. Saturday morning we left early and got started up there. Saturday we finished setting all of the rafters on both sides of the cabin, then tied them all together at the ridge, lots of time on the third tower of the scaffolding…
Next we carried 36 sheets of plywood over to sheet the roof. I pushed them up 20 +/- feet of the ladder to my buddy on the roof, he then carried them to their spot and nailed them off…

Sunday we sheeted both sides of the roof and were out of there about 5:30, in time to listen to the Red Sox game on the radio. What a lot of work but it feels good to have the roof on, and at least something to drain the rain. See more photos here : http://www.blackstarranchwy.com/

Rafters over head

Well - we have made big progress the last two weekends, last weekend we had all the posts and beams lifted into place, and this weekend we started setting rafters, which is the goal, roof over head and "dried in" for the winter. Lots of help from friends. More to see at http://www.blackstarranchwy.com/

Posts beams and a loft...OH MY!!!

Big progress this weekend. Melissa skipped out, but I had my friend (mountain man champ) Darek come up to help lift the posts and beams into place. I hired a couple old guys with an even older cherry-picker to help. Big help they were.

The first two posts Darek and I lifted using my wall jacks and it went well. Then the cran came up to lift the center post, and the other beams. We were able to set all of the loft joists, and by the end of the weekend I framed a short wall to complete all the walls.

Next weekend, Rafters!!!

4 walls are better than 3

We finally got that fourth wall up, with Melissa moved into a management/supervisor position, I was all alone as a laborer. But saturday morning I was able to raise that final wall alone, and framed out the top windows.

Monday mornining we had a pleasant white out snowstorm in true Labor Day form. We are getting closer!!!

Slow Progress

OK here are a couple pictures from last weekend, Tony and Linda left on Friday and we were able to get a couple things done that weekend. All materials for the remaining walls arrived on Friday afternoon. We finished building the shed - which is soooo nice to have a place to put all this junk that is up there now for building.

Tony and I also built some stairs for the birdhouse (bunkhouse) last week - they turned out pretty cool, I used a piece of lodgepole pine and cut out slots with the chainsaw for some rough sawn 2 x 12 -

See more at www.sevenmarbles.com/cabininwy

Great kick-off with Tony and Linda

WOW! With Nate's help getting the concrete done, Tony and Linda arrived with a site ready to build on. As you can see day 1 brought a water level and cutting posts, setting beams. From there it wazs joists, insulationa and subfloor. We went so fast we ran out of work by Wednesday - So what do we do.....get more materials. We got enough to put up two walls. And we had that done by saturday evening. Hard work and long days, but things are moving along....

Can't wait for more family to whow up to button things up...

Weekend with Nate

Well electricity was installed on Thursday and nate arrived that evening...it was a very successful weekend. After a slo start to the summer we finally had great weather up there. Friday we complete some more layout tasks, and installed a single outlet. Saturday was the great pour, all of our footings were poured in about 4 hours, with the help of nate. A swim was needed to cool, and clean off....thats right thats Nate swiming the the suit he got for his birthday...

Sunday brought roofing to the top priority, and we got it mjostly completed. Melissa has now completed the tiling inside the bunkhouse and it is ready for us to live in...woohooo