Saturday lofting day

Today felt great! I got about five hours of sleep but was invigorated and focused on my goals for today. I wanted to get the loft walls done...All of them!

Starting the day out with the power of the sun to crank my tunes and set the tone !

Nailed down the floor

View looking down from the loft

Starboard side wall pre wall finish

Port side wall

Using the jig saw

let's see....

Teaching Cambyr the jig saw

Go girl!

Hell yeah it fits!

Taking a well deserved lunch break

i'm in love with my little home!

Friday all nighter loft walling and roof fixing

I got so much done tonight it was incredible! Stayed up pretty late and worked all day, but I'm seeing some excellent progress these days that is truly igniting my fire again! (The warmer days aren't hurting either!)

First thing first...Had to take care of this disaster!

Leaking from somewhere....I nailed down the siding better....

The major Culprit....t1-11 edge not covered.

The new black drip-edge...Splurged on the extra 40 cents to get black! It looks way cooler than white!

when I finished the roof I cranked out another round of insulation...Getting close to finishing that up too, yeah!

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electrical delays

I'm learning ....so slowly sometimes, but it's all good.

Today I was hoping to fix up the start of the electrical situation. Just wanted to stop having to have a chord running through the open doors. So, I basically want similar to a mini extension cord built into the wall of the structure.

I went to Amesbury Industrial (my new best friends!) and talked to Scott about my options. He loaded me up with all the pieces and we talked in depth about how to put it all together.

Once I had the steps in my head I went off to try to execute it...thinking, of course, this shouldn't take too long. Boy was I wrong!

All the necessary pieces...check.

It was really fun seeing how everything worked and getting an understanding by physically doing it myself. I knew I needed to strip down the wire into its components (black - hot, white - neutral and copper - ground) and be careful not to strip the sheathing off too much since we don't want hot wires exposed anywhere behind the scenes. I also knew that I needed to match up the silver with the white, the bronze/gold with the black and the green gets the copper ground. Ok, now for the execution...a whole different story! 

I had the plan but boy it was my dexterity and the order in my operations lacking! 

 

Wow, it's so simple when everything is disassembled.
I had no idea these things could come out!

wired up correctly

I wired it up correctly without the housing...but then had to figure out how to integrate it with the housing. After a few iterations I finally got the wires straightened out and pulled through the housing.

wires through housing take 1

Wires through housing take 2

trying to pull them all the way down is proving difficult.

I had the hardest time getting the wires to straighten out once they were in their housing. I also had an issue with putting the main round housing securely inside the square lid the would mount on the external unit. Geez, something so simple has turned out to be trickier than I imagined!

I clearly didn't have enough time to install it tonight (I am heading out to ski this weekend up in Vermont...hey, gotta balance this work out with some relaxation and play!) so I will try to work on it this weekend/during the week and see if I can't get it "wired" by next weekend so I really can install it and get on with my other long list of  things to do!

Loft is in...windows are in!

I was so excited by my hardware discovery yesterday coupled with the extremely warm weather (60F/15.5C) we are having I knew I needed to take advantage and just push hard. So, I stayed up all night to get the loft installed and lined up some help installing the last few windows today.

First I had to figure out how to install my hardware in the tree....at first my head thought i needed to carve out a big hole....but that was my old design....this new one was even better as all I had to do was carve out a U. It took me some patience and various tools (chisel, regular large drill bit then finally a paddle bit) but I happily worked on it through the night until I was able to drive it all the way in.

Named the tree Ursula in honor
of my U-shaped hardware

A sweet moment pounding her in and she finally fit!

After installing the hardware Ursula was ready to go! I bolted her into the floor and readjusted my loft frame to utilize her as a support. My only problem was that I was lacking one more two-by-four to complete the end of the frame.....and I had put so much time into it by this point I really wanted to see it finished. Home Depot was closed and I searched my basement without any luck. I resolved to hitting HD in the AM first thing to get a board so I could have it all assembled before my friend showed up. Then, low and behold, there in the dark as I shown my light on the ladder to climb up and close up shop for the night I found her! A lone piece of 2x4 beneath my raft waiting, begging for me to use her tonight!

Me in utter disbelief that I got the exact length
of 2x4 I needed when I really needed it!

 See my manifestation powers really are getting honed! ;-)

I was so excited I got a second wind and went all the way! I stained the plywood so it would look acceptable as the loft floor (i even stained the underside of it since it will be exposed down below).

I stained all the joists that would be exposed to keep the feel in the place consistent with the roof beams, then I assembled her and laid the plywood on top to be fastened down later.

sanding away the print

staining the loft joists

staining the loft floor

still staining, and cutting

pretty proud of my calculations for fitting
Ursula into the loft floor!

OMG! I actually have a loft now!

I FUCKING LOVE IT!

It came together so nicely! I am beyond thrilled right now! Now my friend and I will have a platform to install the loft windows, making our work that much easier!

old hardware above, new below.

 In the AM (after a few hours of sleep) I got things
cleaned up and organized and fixed the
hardware on the kitchen window.

leaking like my weeping eyes...nothing that can't be fixed!

Another great thing about the thaw is I could see there was one wall that had some leaking issues. Luckily I was able to see this and correct it before it would be too hard to spot. I hadn't caulked or sealed the other octagon window so I did that as well as when on the roof and sealed the hell out of the loft roof edge on that wall. About 20 nails and a thick bead of silicon and I'm pretty confident most of the leaking is fixed. The rest seemed to be an oversaturation of the T1-11 which will be taken care of once I paint the outside with the elastomeric paint.

Finally it was time to install the window...and I have to say, because of the forethought and more experience that I had with the previous ones....these went surprisingly fast! Fast enough to get it all done by noon to have lunch with my girlfriends!

Dave installing port side loft windows

Finishing off the starboard loft window!

 so grateful for the help!

thanks Dave!

I found it...and I believe!

I last wrote about my custom solution and ...well, that whole law of attraction thing is really starting to make sense to me now! I went into Amesbury Industrial to get proper hardware for my octagon window in the kitchen and yeah, they had what I needed (unlike Home Depot). Then, I'm explaining to the guy my tree and the loft and how I want to support it on one side and my idea for how to get it all working, and my problem for not finding.....

And low and behold....as I'm making a square with my hands to explain what I am thinking of for hardware, I look through the hole and see it!

even better than my design!

I had that design (see previous blog entry for comparison in a new window) in my head for weeks and I swear I manifested it! Granted, it wasn't quick and easy....that's just because I'm learning to hone my new manifesting skills....but it probably didn't hurt that once I got serious about it and wrote it down then asked a friend at work and started to search in earnest for it...the universe then took my dreams seriously! Don't believe me? Try it for yourself and let me know!

Now, on to build that loft! ;-)

i'm so "stoked" !!!!!

custom solution...

I'm trying to figure out how to install the tree I have that will support one corner of my loft. I came up with this idea and sketched it out in OnShape

After talking with a friend at work I was recommended to have it fabricated at Custom Welding in East Nottingham (right off of Route 4) or similar. He also mentions to "have them cut a disk say 8 inches in diameter and a quarter inch +/- thick and weld a stub one inch in diameter and six inches long in the center." he also reminded me that "drilling out the base of the tree is not trivial as any offset and the tree will stand crooked."

I might need to go a less aesthetically pleasing route just to not fuck up the way I want the tree to stand...and I so love my tree, I really don't want to mess her up!

In the meantime...I need to identify what kind of tree this is! If you have any clue....let me know!

upclose on her bark.

that's her...right in the middle leaning slightly left

Blank it

 the blanketing continued today and I began to see the blank canvas of creativity before me. Suddenly.bones were filled in with fat and muscle and tissue is soon to follow. It's been five month of building the bones of my little home....And now, in my gestation of my dream, it is transforming into something warmer, something with form and heart.

mostly done with giving the loft its blanket!

I poured my heart into what I call stainting....Painting with stain. I loved every second I spent pouring and dripping and wiping and swirling and dabbing and rubbing. What started off as the cheapest piece of 1/4 plywood I could find...Transformed into a priceless one of a kind expression of me.

first layer....a natural teak.

second layer....americana

final touch....jacobean to match the beams.

In this home, I will always.aim to spend time over money and care over speed. As I finished up and looked around at what was before me I realized the magnitude of what it is I have done so far. I have touched every single board, almost every nail, and screw. I have been here every step of the way, and have a story for each of those steps. This house already has so many memories ....And I smile at each and every one.

This process has been a metaphor for life...

Especially my life as of late.

You have a dream and feel the pull so strongly that something in you forces you to act.

You do, 

and sometimes things flow and feel effortless and easy, 

and then sometimes you find yourself overwhelmed and ready to give up.

But you know you can't....

You've invested too much time, you don't want to admit defeat, you don't want to believe them when they say you can't do it or you shouldn't do it (or even that you are doing it wrong).

So even when you are lost and frustrated and can't find the time or energy to continue...

 you just do. 

You take a break and regroup and let it all sink in and eventually you find something small that feels possible that keeps you in motion. And just because of that...That willingness to keep going, suddenly things fall into place again and before you know it that fire is back and you are in the flow and you realized you've learned and can do more than you could when you started...Knowing more than you did, able to do more. Your skills are slowly increasing as well as your confidence.

Then 

you just know....

You just know you can't stop, you won't stop. And each phase of the cycle is a new blank slate. Time for renewed enthusiasm, updated outlook, and new creative solutions and ideas. It's a beautiful thing even if at times it's maddening....

And this little floating home has taught me that there is magic in madness. ;-)

A blanket to keep her warm

This process has helped me think a few steps in advance naturally and I'm better able to see what things should be done in what order to make everything simple and easier. I want to finish the loft so I can install the loft windows easier, however I realized that before I finalize securing the loft to the walls I would be wise to somewhat finish the walls off in those areas so I don't have to dismantle then loft later, or have a hard time finishing off the walls later. With this in mind, I decided to insulate the area that would be easier to do now before the loft is installed. That mean stuff near the tree post as well as where the loft is attached to the walls. I also wanted to finally fill the gaps around the windows that are already installed. So today I spent some time doing just that. I'm using the Roxul insulation because the R-value is pretty high, it's environmentally sustainable and friendly, and I really like working with it. It's a bit more expensive but it is super easy to install, and I like that it's a greener option. I swear it's already warmer inside now!

tree post

Today the big storm rolled in and blanketed the city in a white fluffy powder that magically transforms melancholy into smiles. The light airiness of the snow has a power to lift your spirits if you let it. And I let it.

I wanted to bring nature into my home and connect with her in a different way. One way I've dreamt of doing that is by having a tree in my house...like a tree house. Sounded magical, so today I went out to make it happen!

Friends with property let me scout out the perfect candidate for my plans and after trekking around on my skis for a little bit and comparing a few, I found one! She reached fairly straight and had a girth that would suit my needs.

There's my tree!

she's tall and lean, but strong and stable

I cut with intention and respect...

....in awe of her story.

hauling her out on my skis

she fits so nicely in my car!

She fits so nicely in my home!

Lofty plans

My night time dreams lately have been filled with completing specific tasks on the floating home so I will be ready for launch on time.

The next low hanging fruit was the loft ...and my dreams were telling me how to proceed! (Nice to have that guiding me right now!)

A quick chat with a friend confirmed my next moves so I went for it ...Jackson lumber was great about getting a delivery to me this afternoon and so I was able to get some of it going.

I Installed two ledger boards and a partial wall to support the loft. After holding up the 1/4 plywood to see what it would look like full size, I decided I wanted to keep it as open inside as possible so I’m going to cut it down to fit the 6 foot high loft. That wall will separate the bathroom from the living room couch while also allowing a nice spot for throwing cushions and settling in with a good book overlooking the river!

To support the open corner of the loft I will go out at some point this week and find a tree about six inches in diameter to use as a post. My goal is to have it ten feet tall to reach the top and get the feel of nature indoors! (If it’s not too heavy, otherwise I’ll cut it down to six feet for support under the loft floor)

After the loft install, I’ll be in a better position to figure out where the lighting and outlets will go.

I’ll also be building some storage cubes that will double as stairs to get to the loft. Exciting to see the inside shaping up!