The Log house Project begins........

[tnmike]

**** Rick, I don't suppose you can get out. The rain guage at Fitts Gap showed 3.5 inches since sunday when I looked at it yesterday. Its hard to imagine the flooding rain from an inland hurricane. I guess I need to check on my road but not knowing might be better in my condition.

I guess the high rainfall along the clinch in VA is doing it.

http://forecast.weather.gov/product....n=1&glossary=0

[Rock knocker]

Balusters installed:


Left side:


Right side(faces front door):


Next is something to go from the top of the center pole to the roof/rafters. I ordered a brass ball with the stairwell to cap the center pole..... Well you should have seen the faces.....like I just kicked a puppy, " a brass ball....that goes on a flagpole" I was shamed so bad I guess I have to take a trip to the woods for something special..........

Is there any concern that the stair and railing ballusters nowhere maintain a 4" maximum spacing? This is meant to prevent a childs head from getting stuck.

[tnmike]

Is there any concern that the stair and railing ballusters nowhere maintain a 4" maximum spacing? This is meant to prevent a childs head from getting stuck.
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You could always spot weld expanded metal vertically behind each step and fix that.

[Rock knocker]

Is there any concern that the stair and railing balusters nowhere maintain a 4" maximum spacing? This is meant to prevent a child's head from getting stuck.
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You could always spot weld expanded metal vertically behind each step and fix that.

You don't understand the code. It is not the open tread risers, which are actually OK, it is that the UBC requires that vertical surface guardrails to not have a space greater than 4" between the balusters or other members. So as is shown in the photographs, the stairs and loft rails are in violation of the UBC, CABO and ICC since about 1990. It is possible that the local area has not adopted those articles, or that inspection is not required on this structure. But the OP should be cognizant of this danger especially if any children are around. The vertical natural wood balusters on the loft railing are especially dangerous in that there are numerous keyhole like structures which would exacerbate the danger.

[tnmike]

I understand what you are saying Rock but I would be more worried about a child falling than getting his head stuck. Screw the code. The bottom line is there is noway you are going to make that vertical staircase child proof without altering it a lot.

[Rock knocker]

I'm not talking about the stairs. One could install a kiddie gate on top of the stairs. I'm talking about the entire loft rail

[ben2go]

It's looking good up there.Did that kit come with a cap for the center post?looks like a place to add some ornamental decorations.

[pacerron]

Pic's of the bridge:
They are calling for another half an inch of rain this evening/night. Looks like tomorrow might be worse than today.

Wow, just looked at the video. Is the water down yet so you can get out to the main road and to your hut?
My dad always said.. build up on a hill so you don't have to take anybody's xxxx. And, Always have 2 ways in/out.
We took his advice here. I didn't see another road out of your mountain when I flew over, via internet.
Ron
Ron

[Obed]

Wow, just looked at the video. Is the water down yet so you can get out to the main road and to your hut?
My dad always said.. build up on a hill so you don't have to take anybody's xxxx. And, Always have 2 ways in/out.
We took his advice here. I didn't see another road out of your mountain when I flew over, via internet.
Ron
Ron

Ron,
Two ways out is great but not always realistic. We live back in the woods like Rick does. Building two roads through the woods isn't really an option.

Obed

[MotorSeven]

RK the stair balusters are 14" apart so that kid would have to have a head like the Great Pumpkin to get stuck. We have had this discussion ref baluster width, the cedar baluster rails meet my code. I built them and I am responsible for any children that might wander up there and stick their pumpkin in them. Kids too young to know better require supervision, not codes.

Ben you are behind...the brass ball "cap" discussion is a page or two back and I am hunting for a more "appropriate" finale to the pole

Pacer there is only one way in by car, many ways by foot.

Mike we got almost 5" of rain since Monday. Yesterday the creek went down and I spent 4 hrs in the light rain repairing my 2+ miles of fence. I replaced 40ish broken insulators, T posts that were uprooted and washed 10-20 yards were re-set and all the wire re-spliced. Got up to the house, took a hot shower and had a whiskey(or two). Heard a loud roar outside, stepped out of the basement door to see an inch of snow on the ground and snowflakes as big as golf balls raining down.
Looked down at the creek to see that it had already re-flooded the pastures Tried to call Les to tell her to get home before it was too deep....phones were out. She had already figured it out and arrived 20 min later. I took the Dually across the fjord, picked her up at the quonset, then tried to get up the driveway...nada...4-wheel drive was zero help so we parked and walked. We got 2+ inches of snow in about an hr & we heard thunder and saw lightning many times even though we were socked in.

30 min later the power went out & was down for 19hrs. Hooked up the 25KW PTO generator and ran it for 4 hrs. Smaller 2600 watt genset would not start & I had to take it apart and clean the carb(yes I keep Ethanol stabilizer in the fuel, but I swear this stuff is mutating). Creek was back down again this AM...fence is a wreck I put the BB on the Kioti and smoothed out the 2' deep ruts across the bridge approach. Off to buy more insulators.............& tomorrow I fix fence again

A few pic's:


5ac pasture re-flooded:


Approach to the bridge: