Exterior--DONE!!!

It stopped raining today. (We've had tons of rain!) When the sun was out, there were moments it felt warm. When the sun disappeared, the wind felt bitter cold.

I applied the caulk around the last two south-side windows. This means the exterior is done! Even though more exterior work will have to be done when the house gets moved to its eventual foundation (namely the skirting/weatherproofing around the base), I still feel that this is a momentous milestone. Although the caulk is largely invisible to others, completing this step feels more significant to me than stapling up the last shingle. Even though it took me forever, I enjoyed shingling the house. I really dislike applying caulk, however. Having it now done... worthy of a dance party!

All the recent rain has pounded most of the remaining leaves off the trees, which opens up some views of the river.

Exterior Finishing Touches

We have had lots of rain recently. It helps make up for the lack of rain during the spring and summer seasons, but it's been getting in the way of my finishing up the exterior of the JayBee. After a pounding rain last weekend, I opened my door to see this: close to a hundred pears on the ground. Added to what I'd already collected, they helped me make a few gallons of pear sauce. Yummy!

It was blustery today but not raining, so I got the caulk applied around the upper loft window on the west end of the JayBee.

Since the lower window was already done, the west end is now completely done!

Then, I applied the caulk to the upper loft window on the east end.

The east end is now completely done!

All that's left to do: apply the caulk to these two south-side windows. May the weather hold...

On an entirely different note, I also recently installed this grab bar in the JayBee's shower.

Putt, putt, putting along...

Warm Day!

I thought today was going to be a re-set day--cleaning out the JayBee to get ready for the next phase of building, putting away shingle-related stuff, etc. But, once I got out there and realized how incredibly warm it was (mid 70s!), I knew I had to use the warm day for other things.

When I first built the front steps, I only stained the top cedar boards. I left the pressure-treated structural boards alone--to weather before I stained them. Well, today was the day! I disassembled the three sections, and started staining.

In process...

I even re-stained the tops, complete with the gritty stuff that keeps them from getting too slippery when wet.

Done!
(Yes, it won't be long before I have to move the steps out of the way of the plow guy. <sigh>)

Staining the steps took me longer than I'd anticipated (doesn't everything?!). Even so, I still managed to get the caulk applied around the lower east-end window. Four more windows to go.

On a different note, I think I have enough pears now to make some pear sauce.

There are still over a hundred pears in the tree. All too high to reach, I have to wait for them to hit the ground.

North Wall is Done! (Siding 15)

Yesterday, I applied the caulk between the north window and the window trim. It took me hours, and I was barely okay with the results. I have tried a half dozen different ways of applying caulk, and I still don't have a method that works smoothly. <sigh>

After that, I installed the two rows of partial shingles above the air exchanger.

I spent most of this morning setting up my final ladder arrangements. Now that I know that some of you are focusing on my hair-raising ladder setups, note that this time, I used some boards to help ensure that the position of the closest ladder did not shift.

First, I cut these boards...

Then, I propped them between the ladder and the wall.

It was worth taking the time to get the ladders set up just so because they were quite stable--and I could just reach the gable peak! I installed another row of shingles.

And then, another row.

Finally, the. last. row. of. shingles. Woo hoo! Took me until sundown, but it's done! Worth doing a jig, or having a party, don't you think?

These are all the shingles I have left over.

I also have these partial pieces of shingles left. I guess I will throw these away and save only the full shingles.

Amazing--how close I came to running out!

Once the north wall was done, I climbed the hillside (risking ticks, poison ivy, and thorns, and sliding around on acorns and clay) to take a set of pictures.

I would like to be able to say that the exterior of the JayBee is completely done--but <sigh> not yet. Once I apply caulk around five more windows, then the exterior will be done.

Also see:
Siding (North Wall) 1
Siding (North Wall) 2
Siding (North Wall) 3
Siding (North Wall) 4
Siding (North Wall) 5
Siding (North Wall) 6
Siding (North Wall) 7
Siding (North Wall) 8
Siding (North Wall) 9
Siding (North Wall) 10
Siding (North Wall) 11
Siding (North Wall) 12
Siding (North Wall) 13
Siding (North Wall) 14


Gorgeous supermoon rising over the river tonight--one night before full.

Siding (North Wall) 14

Well, the kayaking excursion did not happen. Instead of the predicted "possibility of a morning shower," we had RAIN all day. No house building occurred yesterday, either. I went back at it today, though. In order to reach up into the gable peak with the shingles, I came up with new ways to use both ladders on the hillside.

First, I got one row added.

And, then, a second row--all except the part above the air exchanger, which I could not reach.

Three rows left to finish up! I'll have to come up with even more creative ladder setups to get it done.

Also see:
Siding (North Wall) 1
Siding (North Wall) 2
Siding (North Wall) 3
Siding (North Wall) 4
Siding (North Wall) 5
Siding (North Wall) 6
Siding (North Wall) 7
Siding (North Wall) 8
Siding (North Wall) 9
Siding (North Wall) 10
Siding (North Wall) 11
Siding (North Wall) 12
Siding (North Wall) 13
Siding (North Wall) 15

Siding (North Wall) 13

Here's a new row done on the east side of the north wall.

And another one.

And one more. At this point, all that is left to do is the gable peak above the window!

Also see:
Siding (North Wall) 1
Siding (North Wall) 2
Siding (North Wall) 3
Siding (North Wall) 4
Siding (North Wall) 5
Siding (North Wall) 6
Siding (North Wall) 7
Siding (North Wall) 8
Siding (North Wall) 9
Siding (North Wall) 10
Siding (North Wall) 11
Siding (North Wall) 12
Siding (North Wall) 14
Siding (North Wall) 15


Taking a break from house building tomorrow to go on a kayak adventure. Last for the season (although I only got out there one other time all summer!) and it has to be on Sunday--when hunting is not allowed. Hopefully we will not be shot! and I will capture some interesting foliage photos.

After I butchered it when cutting down the tree it was climbing last year, I thought this grapevine would not produce any grapes this year. I was wrong! There are not a lot, but there are some.

Siding (North Wall) 12

Another row of shingles done.

At this point, I broke my shingling rule... The rule, which I managed to follow on the other three sides of the JayBee, was that each row had to be shingled as a complete row. No randomly starting new rows without completely finishing the previous row. I thought following this rule would help me install the rows nice and straight. On the north side, though, when I had three rows left to install at the top, I decided to economize the amount of ladder movements. I installed the top three rows on the west half of the wall--from the window to the end--leaving the east half for later.

For the top three rows, every single shingle has to be custom cut. It's not only the length...They also have to be cut to fit around the rafter tails.

One row done...

Here's a new ladder configuration I used to help me get the top row installed.

Here is George during one of his many moments of "helping" by sitting on the shingles I was in the middle of cutting.

Finished the top row on this side of the wall today in the rain. The west end of the north wall is done!

East half left to go!

Also see:
Siding (North Wall) 1
Siding (North Wall) 2
Siding (North Wall) 3
Siding (North Wall) 4
Siding (North Wall) 5
Siding (North Wall) 6
Siding (North Wall) 7
Siding (North Wall) 8
Siding (North Wall) 9
Siding (North Wall) 10
Siding (North Wall) 11
Siding (North Wall) 13
Siding (North Wall) 14
Siding (North Wall) 15


Massive gunfire woke me up at sunrise today. Ah, yes, October 1--the start of bird-hunting season. It is always traumatizing to live in the middle of a firing range (er, otherwise peaceful countryside) during the month of October. Yesterday, the geese were making such a racket on the river, I went down to see if I could snap some shots. The geese were on the near shore of the river. Although there were hundreds of them, they were mostly hidden by the leaves on the trees.

I recorded the geese chatter. Can't see a way to post a sound file on here, though, so you'll have to take my word for it that they were LOUD!

Both cats came with me to visit the geese. Bear disappeared down to the waterfront. I'm sure the geese were happy to see him! George hung out with me.