Building a Log Home in Maine

Last Sunday afternoon, I tackled the decking on the front porch. Last fall, Bob had installed 4 or 5 rows along the outside edge, which were required at the time because the porch roof posts rest upon the decking. Now, I finished up the remainder, running the boards wild over the open end and also at the end where the front porch joins the large south deck. Working alone, it took a couple hours to install the decking; the process was slower than it needed to be because each 16' board was anywhere from 1/4" to 1" overlong, requiring that each board be cut to 16' to preserve the proper spacing over the joists.

One evening during the week (I forget which), I took a few moments to trim the ends of the boards where they'd meet the decking on the south deck. Since the decking would change direction here, I planned a miter joint where the boards met, so I trimmed the boards after striking a 45° line in the proper location. Bob had installed wide blocking here for this purpose.

Today, with the best weather of the week predicted (forecast: sunny, highs in the upper 50s), I decided to play hooky from work and spend the day outside working on finishing up the decking on the south side. Of course, as it turned out, it remained overcast and rather cool all morning, and didn't clear up and get warm until about 1400. And with the clearing skies came more gusty northwest winds, much like we'd seen over the past couple days.

Anyway, I got to work on the remaining decking. It took a while getting going, since initially I needed to install a band around the edge, and again had to cut each board to fit properly. As I approached the miter joint, I installed a board lengthwise along the cut ends of the front porch, since I doubted that there was any chance that the spacing on the boards from the two decks would end up allowing for properly aligned joints; the extra board provided a visual buffer between the two sections. As it turned out, the spacing was very close.

Once I got all the angled cuts started at the joint, the remaining decking went much faster, and I wrapped up the whole job after about 6 hours total. I had two full boards left over and a few short pieces.

The decking is red cedar.

Now all we need is a railing...

In other news, I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that, in the interest of maintaining some modicum of sanity and in completing the exterior of the house in a timely manner, it would be best to request a quote from Bob on hanging the log siding and related exterior tasks, like the upstairs window trim where necessary. This has been hanging over my head since fall, and I just don't have the time to dedicate to the job.

And, frankly, it's a boring task, all located above first floor level, that I have no great desire to do, and don't feel a need to say that I did it. I've done enough...now I just need the house to be done!

We'll see where Bob comes in, pricewise, but I suspect that it will be fair and that it will make the exterior be DONE. And that will make me very happy.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2007

Another one-year milestone: on this date last year, we officially moved from North Yarmouth to Whitefield. And this was also the day, one year ago, that the crew poured the foundation--an event for which I wasn't on site, since I was busy loading the moving truck.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2007

It was exactly one year ago that we broke ground for the house. March 7, 2006 was the first day of digging, and while the weather was similar a year later--crystal blue skies and cold--it's remarkable how snowless it was last year. We thought this winter was pathetic, but last year was even sillier.

At the time, I wrote, "It took real vision to see what it all might look like someday". Indeed. But no vision is required anymore, except 20/20, or thereunto corrected.

(OK, I cheated a bit, and the picture below is actually from March 8, 2006...but I didn't have one from a similar viewpoint from the day before! Close enough, right?)

Tuesday, we had some very strong NW winds that ushered in some very frigid temperatures. That's not remarkable, particularly, but the winds--perhaps funneling down the new clearcut area behind--toppled an old, decrepit White Pine tree that had been lonesomely standing on the stone wall at our far property border. No great loss, but unfortunately it fell on our side, which means I have more brush to clean up--hardly what I needed!