Straining on toward the goal...

With the siding/window project finished I've been busy staining.  I find my self reflecting on the fact that I just stained our entire house in NC in the spring of 2021.  Fortunately this one doesn't involve 25 foot ladder work.  

We used a T1-11 Reverse Board and Batten rough sawn product (on 8" centers) with ripped 1x3 battens from treated lumber.  I'm very pleased with the outcome.

For the windows, we kept it simple and affordable with the Pella 250 series vinyl clad product line. And again we're very pleased with the results.  Mega kudos go out to Ben and Bob Chesko at RCI Renovation and Repair Services, LLC in nearby Wellsboro, PA for the hard work, diligent effort, and timely completion.

I searched long and hard, reading review after review after review, talking with local painters and others looking for recommendations on stains and went with a product I had never heard (nor was it mentioned by any with whom I spoke). And I am exceptionally pleased with the product.  I anticipated needing about 7-8 gallons, bought 10 gallons and just ordered 5 more anticipating total usage of 12 gallons (but planning to use the rest on another project).  I can't say enough good about the spreadability, coverage, or clean up of this oil based stain.  We went with a Dark Walnut which isn't quite as dark as some of the samples shown (which is right in line with the many comments on this color, so we were not surprised).

I started by staining the battens, cross members, and hard to reach places, like corners, with a 3" brush. The end result was a lot of funny comments like "I love the striped look" or "hey we live in a fudge striped cookie house." (My family has a wonderful sense of humor.) I'll let the reader decide how accurate that description was...

And then the fun.  I've never used a roller for the application of stain before so I thought I'd give it a try.  Again in the spirit of "simple and affordable" I had a bunch of "contractor grade" 9" roller covers on the paint shelf.  I cut them down and using my 4" roller frame set to work rolling out that stain.   And here's where the stain really shined.  It coated evenly, was absorbed well, and gave a wonderful uniform appearance.

I still have the back side to finish staining and then some window caulking to do.  We'll likely power wash and paint the foundation and chimney a light gray later this summer, and then look at applying some
faux stonework next year to finish off the look. I'll be building some window boxes and mounting them and trying to finish up some landscaping yet this summer, so it'll be a busy one.

But when I look back at what we bought I feel a certain level of accomplishment, thanks be to God!
 

 

 

 

100 Year Old Floorboards...

 So, with the work done on the construction phase of the siding and windows project, our attention has turned to staining and caulking.  After quite a bit of deliberation we've decided on Ready Seal Stain and Sealer. It comes with high marks and  some good recommendations.  These are the samples they provide. We'll use the Dark Walnut (which isn't "dark" at all, more of a medium, almost Pecan color).

And while we await delivery of the stain I was informed that there are still quite a few interior projects that, in one resident's opinion, are "unfinished" like a door frame and doors for the front hall closet...

So, by the grace of God we happened to have two doors which were
initially intended to be put together for a bi-fold door.  These doors were constructed of 100 year old center cut tongue and groove pine flooring.  Once I built the doors it became obvious that they would be too heavy to use as a bi-fold and I stacked them away.  We brought them up from NC and they've been sitting on my "scrap shelves" in the shop for a year and a half.  

My lovely wife suggested they might work and they were a perfect fit.

The real story in my mind, however was what happened while working on them. They needed a bit of trimming, some finish sanding and of course some hinges.  So I set to work and methodically set the hinges, sanded the surface and otherwise prepped them for hanging.  But as I was mortising the hinges with the multi-tool the smell that arose was something out of heaven.  These 100+year old center cut pine flooring planks, in response to the heat of the multi-tool, brought forth sap, boiling sap!  The smell was, well unparalleled.  Perhaps for some that sounds a bit twisted, but anyone who has worked with type of flooring understands.  That rich pine smell...

This is almost hardwood hardness pine. Old growth, likely yellow pine. As I sit here tonight jotting these silly notes, I can still smell that smell...The doors are hung, although there are still some adjustments and trim work to do, but that will have to wait for the next order of wood which includes some 1x10's to finish the windows (with the insulation and all the building up we'll have 9" wide window sills!) In the meantime I'll be on the ladder staining...

The Work Continues...

What started as a lonely, seldom used hunting cabin is beginning to blossom.  After almost 20 months of love and labor, the investment is beginning to pay off.  We both well remember driving up to the "Snake Pit Rod and Gun Club" and thinking, hmmm... We had our hearts set on  something complete, something we would could move into and relax with...

The "Snake Pit" was something that would need A LOT of work.  Architecturally, it wasn't much to look at, a cement block house with a strange porch, no real driveway, a spring fed well, no central heating system, no phone service, and it came fully furnished - a house full of 2x6 bunks, crock pots, gun racks, and some sketchy lazy boy furniture, the kind, well that belonged in a "hunting camp."

But once we sat on the porch and looked out we knew we'd buy it.

 

As the contractors, RCI Renovation and Repair Services, LLC, finish up their work on the windows and siding, we're starting to feel like we've turned a corner.  The next step will be staining, foundation cleaning and treatment, and then landscaping, but we really feel like it's starting to come together and that's a good feeling.

We purposefully chose a board and batten style to lift up the Appalachian style mountain theme since we are in the northwestern most section of the Appalachian Mountains. We'll post more pics when we've moved a bit more forward, but we wanted to give thanks and bear witness to God's goodness that has brought us this far.  It's a piece of work (God's workmanship)!  Thank you, Lord.

<Pictures may be enlarged by a single click on them>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring has sprung...

Spring has sprung and the work has begun.  Just before I get started let me show you what we're working from.

When we bought "The Snake Pit Rod and Gun Club the approach looked like this------>>>

Note particularly, for this post, the two towers, one for the television antenna (near the chimney) and the other for a set of floodlights to light the back area (near the center of the rear wall).

That same view nowadays is like the picture to the left...

<<<------  While we've put in a drive and parking area to avoid the spring time mud you will also note the two missing towers.  This is something I've been longing to do since we bought the place.  Unfortunately they were appropriately anchored in cement so my handy dandy angle grinder came in handy.  I had to cut one leg at a time and fell it like a tree, but victory was joyously mine with little effort and NO BLOOD!!!

 

(Insert happy dance)

Of course this had to wait until the RCI Renovator crew was finished for the day, lest I land it on top of one of their trucks. (I can't say enough good about Bob and Ben Chesko, their patience and attention to detail.)

Today (after almost three days of work) the back of the house is ready to wrap and side.  The new windows were installed with a nice little hiccup which involved cutting the opening for the window that arrived 6 inches too tall. BUT that's a win win in our book as it will allow more light into the small spare bedroom.  If you note on the first photo at the top of the page there was an opening just big enough for a small window air conditioner.  So we're pleased to be sure.

Removing the rear tower involved some rewiring, which I was able to do in the morning while windows were being installed.  And now the tower lies quietly awaiting further resettlement.

And as the week draws to an end, rain is forecast for the next few days...hence the recovering of the white pinewood flooring pictured with the tower.  So much to do...so much time...God is good...All the time...

If you agree, why not take time to leave a comment?

 

I went to a Garden Party II

Some far more knowledgeable and experienced folks would call me stupid or perhaps, to be kind, foolish or ignorant.  I choose the title "DARING AND ADVENTUROUS!"

So as follow up to yesterday's braggartly claim of 95% of the rocks being harvested, fearing what yet lay before the surface, I threw caution (and common sense) to the wind and ventured forth into the unknown exploratory journey of attempting to till the garden! (Cue trumpet sounds.)  I selected an area in the middle of the garden about 6 feet wide and the full 30 feet across.  And dove in...

Two hours...I repeat, two hours later I had made two passes at this area and yielded yet another bumper crop which can be seen in the foreground of the picture to the left...but wait, that's not all. 

Besides the horseshoe, the window screen and the myriad of rocks and roots piled in the pictured here (above left), I, at great danger to myself and to the well being of the tines on my tiller, harvested yet another pile seen here (to the right)...

While the tiller performed flawlessly there were those wonderful "jerks" and stalls" which let one know there is something there.  Occasionally there were warnings, such as the earth moving a foot away from where I was tilling indicating I had a big one "on the line" (fishing metaphor).  Once in a while the bigger stone would be sufficiently inline with the tines that it would just stick up in there nicely and stall the engine (that dreaded, oh darn, now we do have a problem).  One was so large and so wedged it took several minutes with a hammer and a masonry chisel to break it up and remove it. But some of them were thin enough that the tines of the tiller actually broke them...

I must admit the thought of raised gardens has crossed my mind, but frankly the expense of 1500-2000 square feed of raised garden frames, bedding etc. isn't on our list of financial priorities, and I like the challenge and work involved in breaking this ground up.  There's just more satisfaction in hard work, than easy work...

...it's what I sense God thinks when he looks at me...and He is MORE than up to the challenge.

I went to a Garden Party...

We're seriously excited that in just three days we expect to begin the big window replacement/siding project on the house that will make it so much more presentable to the community and make it just a whole lot more attractive.  While we appreciate the sturdiness of the block construction, the new look will be the most visible exterior change.

This week's weather has been amazing and yet so busy with an annual physical, 2 Bible Studies, several meetings and appointments as well as other assorted activities, there's been very little opportunity to work outside.

Finally today, I was able to get the tractor out and get the spring clean up done.  It included my own little "garden party" (cue Ricky Nelson).

A friend and neighbor came up last fall to plow up the ground and it was a massive task since the ground had perhaps never been tilled or at least not in the last hundred years or so.  We only opened up an area about 30'x50' for the first year.  We're still not sure what the deer will do but we have some plans to deal with that.

So today was the first garden "harvest" and I estimate I harvested easily a ton of stone from the 1500 sq foot area.  (All in that tiny little trailer I call Mighty Mo - pictured below.) If you look closely (or click on the picture of the rocks to enlarge) you'll see my foot at the bottom.  The pile is easily 6 feet x 8 feet and 3 feet high in the middle. Some of the stones were well over 100lbs. You can imagine this old man's back may be stiff in the morning!  But it's done.  The garden is clear of 95%+ of all rocks bigger than 1 inch.

It's times like this I greatly miss that Prairie soil in Illinois.  The Silty Loam here in Tioga county can run up to 35% rock/stone.

Be that as it may we're on our way.  We'll need to disc it before I'm able to use the rototiller but we're moving in the right direction.  And our second set of seeds have been started indoors (April 1 and April 15) since we don't plant much before mid May here, but we'll be ready.

It's a good feeling to go to bed exhausted.  There's incredible comfort in having put in a good day's labor.  I wish more folks understood that.

Stay tuned for another posting coming soon, when the supplies start arriving!

OGM Contracts and Reality Checks!

 

It's not much. But it's OURS! Our own four acre estate in the mountains. It's requiring a lot of work. It had four walls (concrete block), 1/2" foam board insulation, and a wood stove.

But slowly, we've been making it ours. We were a bit anxious in January, when the gas/oil contract we had with Seneca Resources expired. We knew they were planning on putting this unit on line so payments would be made but without a contract we, as far as we knew, would receive no payments.

Enter the negotiations...We had previously sought the input of a friend with a background and some extensive experience in such matters. We also had carried out conversations with some of the neighbors and other friends who had experience in these matters.  The bottom line on such offers seemed to be "take it or leave it."  

But, of course, being the bullheaded person I am I wasn't going to just roll over, so I pushed back...pretty hard and heard:

Well we really don't need you to sign.  1. There's no "leg" (actual pipeline) under your land so there's no trespass. 2. Federal and States laws are on our side in that a 4 acre plot can't hold up progress on a thousands of acres development. 3. If you don't sign, instead of the percentage we'll be paying you (which is above everybody else who has the unexpired contracts) we send less to an escrow fund in Pittsburgh and the State uses it for Land Development. So...

Now to be sure, the one who is tasked with negotiating this does not actually work for the Oil/Gas Company, he only represents them in the negotiations.  And he did extend a pretty gracious attitude and understanding.

But that's what Big Government and Big Corporations can do.  They really don't need our permission.  They'd just like our blessing.

So we'll sign. We'll be paid for a percentage.  We'll receive a small "signing bonus."  Neither will make us rich, but it will at least pay the taxes and some of the utilities, so there's that. And, of course, there is a "non-disclosure" agreement in the contract so we won't be sharing the terms.

Anyway, we are blessed.  

We're hoping to leave the house with a certain level of self-sustainability, intending it to provide a place of rest and refuge for future generations.

But, of course, we'll die and life will go on, unless Jesus comes and makes all of this moot!  Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!!!