One of the advantages to having a house being built on your property is that there is plenty of off cut lumber for projects.
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| Note large pile of lumber to the right of the house |
One of the disadvantages of plenty of off cut lumber for projects is...more honey do's.
So....Mrs J, ever thoughtful of my mental health, and in addition to the normal "Honey Do" list has begun adding to my workshop project list.
In spite of my subtle warnings.
However, she does know my weak spots.
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| Oscar would be my little buddy on the right, his wonky leg is his front right one. Annie is on the left. |
"Well...You know that Oscar is getting a little long in the tooth and his "wonky" leg is giving him issues"
"Yes"
"Well, he's having issues getting up on the bed and even worse ones jumping off of it."
"Yes", I say with trepidation, knowing the trap has been set and there's no way out.
"Well, couldn't you build a ramp for him to use to get into and out of bed? Soon."
So, I run out to my nearest lumber supply depot, (Shown above) and pick out two long cut off pieces of siding and some quite usable (after cutting nailed ends off and squaring them) 2 x 8's. Which when laminated together, mitered to the correct angle (14o) , covered with leftover carpet from our last re-carpet of the current house and garnished with a beautiful piece of ambrosia maple for a rail gave me a nice little ramp.
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| Banished to the Lumber Dump! |
Which Oscar promptly jumped off the tall end, catching his hind legs on the rail. The Czechoslovakian Judge gave him a 10 for the resulting half gainer.
The look on Mrs J's face as she rushed to assist him, told me that Oscar would not be sleeping in the Dog House that night, but it would not be empty.
So...fortunately, my local lumber supply depot had not been stripped bare of lumber. So, consulting with my project manager on changes She'd like in the design, I went back to work.
Round two went a little easier.
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| We will be adding a permanent covering shortly. |
And, while not completely finished, we tested it before committing more carpeting (which was a pain in the butt to unwrap, cut, attach then re-roll and re-cover in industrial Saran Wrap). Annie was first up the ramp. Oscar eyed it a little nervously, so we picked him up and put him on it. He promptly jumped off the side.
I felt Mrs J reaching for the rolling pin.
So, I picked him up and put him on the bed. He ran down the ramp. Again, I picked him up, Again he ran back down.
Finally...
Tuckered out by the episode, he ran up the ramp and took a nap. Unfortunately, that's my side of the bed and I had intended to take a nap.
Knowing that discretion is the better part of valor, I let Sleeping Dogs lie (Literally!) , and went to clean up the work shop.
So, how is the Lumber Supply Project coming along, juvat?
Well, Sarge, pretty well.
Monday morning last, the project looked like this.
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| Taken from the Horse Barn. |
Later that morning.
By Tuesday.
We had a pleasant surprise Wednesday evening, as evidently, some one other than just carpenters had shown up.
The fireplace and Chimney had been installed.
Doors also.
By the end of the week, most of the internal braces had been removed, the AC ducting installed.
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| Great room taken from front entrance with dining room on left. |
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| Front entrance from Patio door, Kitchen on right |
I've been told that we are rapidly approaching that part of the project where noticeable progress slows considerably. That having been said, one of our commenters here, BillB, had suggested adding some insulation to the inside wall between the Master Bedroom and the Great Room to dampen the sound of the TV above the Fire place. We made that change in time, so...Thanks Bill!
The plumbers are expected this week and one of their tasks will be to reposition the water pipes from the middle of the Master Suite hallway and into the actual bathroom where they might be useful. Guttering is something else we need to consider. We've had fairly heavy rain and the ground underneath the roof corners is eroding quite a bit.
Didn't think of that (and 4.6 Billion other small details).
So...Life goes on. Heard a little good news from our Governor. Hope y'alls are doing what they should be doing and not what some have been doing.
I'll leave it at that. Or maybe some Hummingbird dogfighting.
You had my rapt attention at "...plenty of cut off lumber for projects."
ReplyDeleteAn Italian told me, "I've noticed that the Venetian Magistrate talks in his sleep, and when I listened I noticed he never says anything truthful."
I asked, "Did you do anything about it?"
No, he replied, "It's better to let a sleeping Doge lie."
Good work on the ramp, and even better, excellent work on knowing when a project isn't going to work out as originally planned and going back to the start.
That's good for a chuckle, John, thanks.
DeleteThere's some pretty good looking timber in the pile also. Cut offs from the ceiling and roof 2 x 8 and 2 x 12's. Only problem is I don't have a lot of storage space in my shop. Might have to use the horse barn for long term storage.
Thanks.
"y'alls"? Good grief. You mean "All y'all"?
ReplyDeleteDepends. I think of the blog as individually speaking to each reader. Hence, y'all. If I were speaking to all readers at once then, All y'all would be more appropriate. As a great man once said 220, 22... whatever it takes".
DeleteSir juvat doth got the Southern Rule of Y'all down correctly.
DeleteBut...
Just like English, Southern has some quirks. 'Y'all' can also be used as an informal, soft version of 'all y'all.' As in: Mrs. Butternut, in getting everyone's attention after recess, said softly, "Y'all take your seats now, you hear."
And, if the recalcitrant little children don't listen, then more formally: Getting somewhat flustered as her class wasn't settling down, Mrs. Butternut said a tad more forcefully, "All y'all take your seat now."
Upgrading the force level: Noticing the recalcitrant little brats were still up and about, Mrs. Butternut sternly said, "Lookee-here, y'all. All y'all better get into your seats now or you'll face a whoopin'."
Maxing out force level: Now totally peeved at the mutinous sprats and addle-pated twerps and downright disrespectful little snots, Mrs. Butternut belted out, "Now Lookee-here (insert a whole list of names, including first, second-first and middle and second middle names.) All y'all git into your seats now 'fore I tell your mamas and papas why I whooped you good and solid. Bless all y'all's little hearts." (Which had better be followed by a host of little bodies breaking the sound barrier and vacuum-clamping their butts to their appointed seats.)
Tru-Dat!
DeleteOn the sound deadening between rooms, its more than putting some fiberglass batts between the studs. You really want to look at an isolation product like deading mats or stand offs to break the transmission path. Even in a townhouse with interior drywall on metal studs with 2" drywall filling, then an insulation-filled space, and metal studs with 2" drywall fill and then interior drywall, when my neighbor mounted his big screen direct to his wall I got all his base notes in my dining room.
ReplyDelete/
L.J.
L.J. You're right of course. But...If Mrs J decides she's going to crank the Bass on the TV, sleeping in will be the absolute LEAST of my worries. If you know what I mean, and I think you do.
Delete."It is going to be great, and a new house is just not a new house without a few "Wish we'd have done's"
ReplyDeleteYou’re right Joe, Just trying to minimize the definition of “few”.
DeleteThe house is looking amazing juvat!
ReplyDeleteI had a thought the other day, what are you going to do with the current house? Did you cover that already?
I'll bet you can watch those humming birds for hours, beverage in hand of course.
We’ll probably do some fixing up on it, then turn it over to my sister. Once she’s in we’ll renovate her cabin and make it a second B&B. That’s the plan anyhow.
DeleteAbsolutely, on both sides of that last equation!
Watching the progress brings up many memories.
ReplyDeleteThe hummer vid reminds me of the campground we visited at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon two years ago (seems like yesterday).
Heck Skip, yesterday seems like two years ago! Haven't visited the North Rim, might have to do that (when released from durance vile of course.)
DeleteThanks
Glad you finally got the roof on, and then got the OSB or whatever they're using for roofing panels covered up. Now is not the time to have your brand-new, expensive house uncovered for the spring rains.
ReplyDeleteAs to ramps, I get it. We used cinderblock 'stairs' for the previous dog, Liesl, so she wouldn't hurt her hips much (a problem with large breeds.) She'd usually go up them, but only in her old age did she use them going down. The new dog, Kegan, took to them like white on rice, when he's not fairy-hopping or just teleporting or springing onto the bed.
If you can, you may be able to fit some board holders up on the outside of the shed, if the roof overhangs far enough. Just make some, well, shelf brackets, and hang them about a foot or two below the soffets on the wall and you can store pressure treated lumber easily-ish.
Other than that, looks good. Definitely get in any changes to the interior now before they sheetrock every thing and you can't easily change.
Well, just spoke to the Super. Electricians are expected tomorrow, plumbers are scheduled next week. Unfortunately the woodshop doesn't have much in the way of soffets or overhangs. I've got a wood rack on one wall that's pretty full with some pretty good wood. (OK, so nice that I keep deciding not to use it for THIS project but a future better project. Bad habit.)
DeleteAnd some of the 2Bys in the pile are longer than would fit in the shop anyhow. The barn has a long flat cement floor behind the stalls that we use to feed the horses from. It should be wide enough to allow for a stack or two along the wall. I'll have to take that up with the "Decider" and see what she says.
Juvat, if you get bored and are looking for something to do I might suggest JEB STUART BY JOHN w. THOMASON, jR. which I found on Amazon. Very interesting book written by the grandson Thomas Goree who was Longstreet's chief of staff. I suspect that cavalrymen were the fighter pilots of the Civil War and Stuart was the baddest one of all.
ReplyDeleteCavalrymen have been the fighter pilots of just about every war since someone figured out how to fight from horseback.
DeleteSome of Napoléon's cavalrymen would have fit right in in just about any squadron ready room you care to pick.
Cavalrymen: cocky, lots of self-confidence, and damned good at their trade. (Did I miss any, juvat?)
Watches, you forgot watches.
Delete🤣
DeleteBeautiful house. How about a safe room/tornado shelter? Ive always wanted one that could double as a wine cellar. Maybe with a big screen TV, old fashioned juke box and a pool table. heh
ReplyDeleteYep, it's sure forming up to be one. There are a few interior closets that could serve as a tornado room and are big enough. We definitely have set aside one closet, in "My Office", which will serve as the wine cellar. If we had a pool table, we'd be using it to play "crud". It's a Fighter Pilot thing.
DeleteLooking good! And yes, the 'extra' insulation is a great idea! Still waiting for the Hummingbirds to show up around here. I've seen ONE!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Not a birdologist, but I'd say they should be there shortly, they've been here for a few weeks now.
DeleteIt's like a colony of ants, busy building and working FAST! Must be a very good company and a lot of good workers. Happy for you. We have two corgis now, (one is owned by The Artist) and both have no issues jumping up or down, but it's not good for them. Unfortunately, ramp space is limited in our bedroom. I foresee some middle of the night tripping or banged shins in my future.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we're a little space limited also. The first try ran along the width of the bed at the foot and my guess was that the 9" width plus the rail made them a bit uncomfortable. But I was concerned about the climb angle. The new one only sticks out 30", which puts the angle at 40 degrees. I was concerned they wouldn't make it up, but that hasn't proven to be a problem yet.
DeleteThat is an impressive house! Are you going to have a huge attic under that roof or a second story? You sure can buy a lot more house in Texas then you can in California
ReplyDeleteThanks, there is a version of the house that has a family room option upstairs. We've kept that option available, but are only planning (well paying) for an attic only. Mrs J's and my knees view stairs as a YGBSM thing nowadays.
DeleteI'm sure that's the case. But the large influx of folks coming from there to here are bidding the prices up quite a bit around here.
Juvat, Thanks for the hat tip. Looks like the house is coming along rather nicely and possibly quicker than ours did. I remember when ours was at that stage.
ReplyDeleteLove your doggies. There comes that time when you have to provide some assistance for them. When we use to let our chihuahuas sleep in the bed, my side (naturally) had a foot stool by the bed for an intermediate stop on the way up. Now they sleep in crates at the foot of our bed next to the crate with our 1 year old 45 pound Catahoula mix who we have so far successfully kept from sharing our bed. This doggie came from the SPCA in your neighborhood.
Besides the wood that you can salvage from the construction, watch for the cutouts and cutoffs when they install your counter tops. I rescued a couple of real nice pieces of granite from the trash pile. Could use one for a table top after recutting. The other I am going to use the smooth side of for a surface to sharpen chisels and plane blades. If you are into salvaging pallets, there may be some of them available in the same location. Also a couple of near complete rolls of PEX water pipe were there. I saved them to finish out a shed with a bathroom and bar sink.