House Building Journal - Part 12

In my last blog I was quite smug about our good fortune with the weather, among other things. December began well enough although with the holidays looming, timing was critical. The masons were still under the plastic tent and progress on the chimney seemed slow. Just when I began to think someone had died up there the plastic came off and 'voila' our beautiful chimney was revealed!

The roofers were back to complete the section of roof around the chimney but still the porch on the back side of the house was only half complete. It had taken a crane to lift the huge fir timbers into place for the lower part of the structure. All had gone smoothly and I was already imagining sitting on the porch on a fine summer evening, protected from the bugs and sipping a cool libation, when out of the blue the dark clouds rolled in both literally and figuratively.

The fir timbers for the upper level were on order and in transit from Washington state. Still no snow to speak of - were we going to make it?

In the meantime, Ernie and the boys had insulated the garage and were making up the overhead doors to provide a warm indoor space to work. The fir arrived but one key piece was missing. It was going to take another week at least.

December 12, 2012 was supposed to be a lucky day. I had performed a renewal of vows ceremony at noon (12/12/12 at 12) at the Green Mountain Inn for a couple married 10 years prior plus there were numerous other happy events planned for that day. It was a crystal clear night and the stars were out when Frits stepped off a 2 foot ledge landing on his heels with enough force to cause a compression fracture to his back. It was the end of the work day but many hours in the emergency room followed. Not allowing me to call an ambulance necessitated maneuvering him into the front seat of my car for a very painful trip to the hospital. Rest and time (and pain killers) were the only treatments prescribed, none of which my husband is very good at taking. Did I mention the broken rib that had just healed from a fall 7 weeks before?

Bed rest lasted about 3 days and then, under the influence of the pain killers, Frits went back to work. He quickly discovered his limitations but still he crawled out of bed at 5:00 each morning and shuffled across the driveway to be ready when the workers arrived.

Then just before Christmas the snow began to fall. It was light and fluffy and kept coming for days and days. Good news for the skiers and the town in general but it added complications to our project. Shovelling was out of the question for Frits but I could see him eyeing the tractor with the snow blower. Ernie stepped up and manned both the shovel and the tractor to keep Frits at bay for at least the first few days.

Next came the germs! A very nasty cold bug had been circulating and landed on Frits the day before Christmas Eve. As I have mentioned earlier, not much slows him down but this put him to bed with a fever for another 3 days. With nobody on the job site he gave in and allowed himself a few days of rest. He missed much of the festivities but at least his back benifitted.

Finally the missing fir timber arrived all packaged in plastic. Once opened it was found to be undressed! Not naked but in its raw unfinished state. Next problem ... to find anyone with a planer that could handle 10 inches of solid wood, as sending it back to Washington was not an option. The right tool for the job was located in Groton, 45 minutes by truck away and it meant two trips for Frits. The final sanding, trimming and sealing took place and once again we were ready for the crane.

Are all systems go for 2013? Well, not quite.

The electricians had begun the rough wiring and the time was right for the insulators to come in to foam the sill box and the ceiling of the cupola. The night before they were due, the temperature fell to -15 degrees causing ice to form on the inside walls from condensation. They came anyway, from New Hampshire in a truck with summer tires. Of course they couldn't make it up the snowy driveway! With the help of the tractor to pull them out of the snow bank and the sanding truck, they eventually made it. Not until they had unpacked the hoses and foaming equipment did they determine that the job couldn't be done until the weather warmed up and the moisture was removed. They packed up and left.

The largest dehumidifier was summoned and together with a massive salamander (that's a kerosene heater that blasts a funnel of heat similar to that you see escaping during a shuttle launch) running night and day, the place was dried out in no time. Back came the insulators but even with a freshly sanded driveway they went off the road again. More digging and pulling and finally they were ready. They had already lost half the day so it was close to 7:00 by the time they finished. While they were at it we had them also do the underside of the cabin where we live. The problem here was that all people and pets had to stay away for several hours until the fumes cleared. The dreaded cold bug had now settled into my lungs and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Instead I schlepped myself and Lily (my Yorkie) over to the sympathetic neighbors and waited it out curled into the corner of their couch.

Frits, in the meantime, was coping with yet another crisis. A frozen pipe in one of our commercial buildings had burst, flooding a very large area. So armed with a wet and dry vac and the very same dehumidifier he spent the evening mopping and vacuuming, bad back and all!

Now the happy news: the weather has warmed up, the heating system is running and the porch timbers are in place.

Cool - huh?