The State of Things

We left Torrey to return to Logan at 11:15 on Saturday, November 13. Stegner, Arion and Charlie (our llama family) peered out the windows of the trailer not happy about spending the next six and half hours in such close proximity to each other. The paraphernalia of Torrey life was crammed into every available crevice and gap of the truck.

Dave at the saw

Tyse on porch decking

As we pulled away, Dave and Tyse were finishing the last of the decking on the porch roof. There was nothing more Scott and I could do for the moment and Logan obligations called from the north.

Reviewing the progress of this second building season, we have...

* put a wood-burning stove in the yurt
* planted and fenced 20 trees - 10 cottonwoods, 1 Fat Albert blue spruce, 5 blue spruce seedlings, 2 apple trees, 1 plum tree, 1 cherry tree
* installed the PEX for the entire floor
* poured the concrete floor in the bedroom, office, kitchen and master bathroom
* laid the first five inches of the earthen floor (the last one inch to be installed later)
* insulated the foundation with Pink Panther rigid foam
* mortared slate to the entire exterior of the foundation
* built a sill plate for the straw bale walls
* buried the 21,000 pound water storage tank for the solar water heating system
* graded the building site to eliminate piles of dirt and fill in holes
* finished and raised all of the timber frame (HOORAY!!!)
* assembled the core of the Tempcast masonry heater
* purchased and stacked 500 bales of straw in the garage and to the north of the garage
* cut, sanded and sealed all of the porch posts, rafters and beams
* erected the porch
* framed the interior walls
* selected and purchased almost all of the lights for the interior and exterior of the house (This had to be done in order for the electrician to wire the house.)

Solar Mechanical "Room"

Trent Hunt has placed all of the electrical wires above the ceiling. Phillip Winters has completed as much of the solar heating and water system as is possible without a finished roof. Tyler Torgerson and crews have completed the decking for the entire ceiling and porch plus added the waterproof felt layer and the metal drip edge.

While we work here in Logan, Tyler and crew will continue working. Eventually the phone will ring, and we’ll head back to Torrey to blow the insulation into the roof.

For now, Scott and I have called a hiatus. We know the first, middle, last and nick names of every piece of wood in our entire house. Our sweat, tears and not just a little blood linger everywhere. There is still so much to be done. Maybe we can complete our 2010 "to-do list" before the 2011 season begins.

November 2010

November 2009