Where Did The Summer Go...

Hello all,

Sorry for the inconsistency of my posts, it seems that the closer we get to moving the more things we have to get done and the further down the list this blog ends up. I will try to remedy that....and here's the first step!

We've moved! Goodbye to the lovely 65 Sandale Drive :(

The Palace was good to me

We are officially on the laaaaand and have even made the transition from tent dweller to cabin lurkers! Seems a lot has happened since last I posted let me rattle a few things off:

1) Poopshack is into fully operational status! We did all the siding out of pallet wood and have begun chinking with moss and mud and whatever we can find. Special thanks to my brother for the initials.

Fortress of solitude

2) We put up a canvas garage to store some of our stuff and be a temporary shower/bathroom

Could also be a sweet dancehall if need be

3) Muttrun has been put together as they need a place to be lazy when we're in at work. 

Sure beats the old spare room in The Trailer

4) We have a roof/windows/door and chimney! Also we've completed the bale work in the walls.

Views galore 

Stack Stack Stuff Stuff

Every bale in it's place

It's a hard days work supervising

5) We finished the plaster prep work with mesh and lathe on the outside and 90% of the inside also

Lets get Plastered!

Skin shredding fun!

6) Plaster is up on the front and north facing wall! Big thanks to Ma & Pa and Ger for their help last weekend!

Ger with his magic scaffolding ladder

7) We've learned to grab naps whenever the opportunity allows

Sleep in the bed you dig

Too beat to care

I will try to make a better effort to get up more info as we move along. But it has been a very busy and very rewarding few months of progress and excitement looms as the pending addition to our family grows and we near the big day. Here is a wealth of pictures of our summer's progress. 

Until next time

I can get used to this every morning

Oooooss a good girl??!!?

Doss & Co

Bring on the Rain! ...well not quite yet...

Hello all!

As the weather has gotten a lot nicer as spring wears on, we've been loading up and camping on the land during weekends for longer working sessions. This weekend was looking like rain but it managed to hold off until about 3 pm on Sunday with a few sprinkles early in the mornings. We were able to finally put up the frame work and roof and partial wall on our Fortress of Solitude.

It is a small fortress

But it is a happy fortress

The frame is almost completely made of reclaimed wood removed from a basement project (which we found on Kijiji). If you look close you can see the 3 new looking 8 foot 2x4's in the roof that were stolen from the cabin supply of wood and the two new 2x6's for the door frame. Floor is the left over piece of flooring OSB from the cabin as well. Wall boards are from pallets that we were able to get for free and dismantle on our own. Sorry we have no detail pics of the wall side...more to come once we complete it!

On the cabin front we had some help from our newlywed friends Dick and Joann who with their amazing help we were able to get all the rafters and attached to the frame!

Steady Dick

Sunbather

More bracing is needed and the extensions to put up the last final outside rafters. Then we can slap fascia and tin on there and call it a roof! Once that's up we're into windows, door, and toe up installation. Then it is time to bring on the bales!

It has been so cool to see it all come together from this...

Manager Morgan still makes me giggle when I see this

Lastly here is a flower!

I am happy to report they don't smell like feet

We have a few more pictures here that you can peruse at your leisure.

Thanks for stopping by.

Doss & Co

Ahh Spring!

Hello all!

Sorry for the inactivity as of late. This update has been a few weeks in the making but I have finally sat and made some time to get a post in here.

First up: Cold, Rain...and our Unintended Pond.

Winter seemed to hold on forever this spring and has pushed back our work schedule quite a bit. Just one short year before we were already in shorts and sipping beers on patios daydreaming about our big plans. Now that our plans are in place to get rolling we get unseasonably cold weather and late snow as winter held on with its stubborn claws. We received record snowfall this winter and consequently that translated to a very high water table thus flooding under our cabin floor and putting the piers under a foot of water. Our first visit they were all holding strong and staying in place so we ordered all our supplies to get rolling and prepped for a May Long kick off to cabin framing. The Thursday before said long weekend we receive our supplies and notice our first big setback of the project...

SUNK!

Not good...

On the North side of the floor two of our piers sank. One about 6 inches and one 1.5. After some panic and cussing we calmed down and decided what we had to do to move forward.

Side Note: May Long Weekend....cruel mistress...vile temptress...we endure some cold harsh winters here in the prairies and May Long weekend is always that beacon...that light at the end of the long winter tunnel. And that light is not a beautiful sunny weekend that we all hope for every year, it is always a raining sopping mess! Every year it is a trap and every year I fall directly into it. This year would be no different...

Piers! Yes, they would need a better foundation around them to move forward so as the May Long rain clouds rolled in, I rolled out to the land for a day and a half of wheel barrow gravel moving. 60+ loads later we had the ground built up, braces built and shims in place.

She ain't pretty but she'll work.

Next up: Fun with Wood, Saws, Numbers and Shaun!

As the rain continued to pour late on Sunday and into Monday Shaun and I were actually able to get going on the framing process. A few more evenings of work, aided immensely by the steady math and framing skills I never knew Shaun possessed and we are ready for a roof. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Things coming together despite the weather

Soggy Shaun

Doors and windows framed!

Lastly: Work Relief  in the Form of Beer Holsters and Hammerschlagen!!

After all the hard work on the frame we had intentions of continuing to work until a generator malfunction halted progress but increased relaxation! Some friends of ours were out and one of them introduced us to all the glory that is Hammerschlagen! Thanks Ben!

Game of skill and grace...and Hammers!

Lap Dog Morgan

There are a few more pictures available here. We did eventually get back to work getting the ridge beam up that spans the cabin and cutting half the rafters, but unfortunately it was very late and very dark and no photo evidence was taken. I'll snap some pics and get em up asap!

Aaaaaannnnd We're BACK!....kinda

Hi team,

Just thought I'd drop a note here to let everyone know that we're still kick'n round but it seems that life and Christmas and the current cold snap have gotten in the way of progress. We did get out to the Laaaaand on the 26th after not being there for a handful of weeks to find it completely snowed in! Much wood was chopped and we had a grand ol' time push'n snow around with the mutts. Here's some pics!

Someone's EXCITED!

Looks like the truck will be staying on the road today...

Dance floor is buried!

Can you spot the dog?

Queen Morgan of the wood pile

You can really get a sense of how deep the snow is with these few vids showing the dogs and us slugg'n through the deep white stuff.

There's a few more photos here. We're hoping to get back to work soon. But I suppose we'll have to come up with a plan to move all that snow so we can get supplies in.

Doss & Co.