A(nother) Home in the (different) Woods

[EddieWalker]

Those forms are very impressive. I've never done anything on that scale and it's pretty amazing what it takes to get them built.

What type of soil do you have? It looks white.

Eddie

 

[dstig1]

The concrete contractor is a pretty good sized operation, but still local, and they have been pretty good overall. Not perfect, but they seem to try to do things right overall. They delivered a ton of wall forms for this, and they left a lot unused. They brought forms trucks on 3 different days and used a boom crane on the truck to place them out in the middle. They keep their trucks all washed and spic and span all the time. Dunno how they manage to do that.

The soil is very much sand. All of that is very fine sand that does not drain very well (thus the reason there are so many mound septic systems in this area). You may not be as familiar with it as we are around here, but a lot of this sand is the desirable "frac sand" type that is mined and washed and then shipped off to where they are fracking wells for oil & gas. There is a major deposit of it on both sides of the river (St Croix and Mississippi) that pop up in parts of Minn and Wisc. I'm told this is the same stuff, but there will obviously be no mining in a residential development, so I won't be selling it. That has been a big deal politically here as people try to capitalize on what they have on their land and all the NIMBYs try to stop them. It has just exploded in the region the past few years.

Today was a brutal day (105+ heat index) but I still managed to get some work done. The ceiling in the shop building is now totally complete, along with the vapor barrier. Now to get the walls drywalled!

 

[BoFuller]

So are you all dried in? What's the latest?

 

[dstig1]

Haven't forgotten, just too tired to do updates here. Yes we are dried in, but not yet fully insulated. I have been racing against the calendar to get to the point of insulation before winter sets in, but that is not going to happen. Still racing as fast as I can right now. Just finished interior framing tonight. I'm quite tired... I will update with pics, but it will be while until I get enough of a break to do so.

Thanks for thinking of me, Bo.

 

[EddieWalker]

Good to hear you're moving along. Are you working on it by yourself? weekends and evenings?

Eddie

 

[dstig1]

Yes, largely solo. I have a couple friends that help out significantly too, but I spend every night there for 2-4 hours and then all weekends, holidays and vacation days.

 

[EddieWalker]

Our lives are very similar. I've been doing the same thing since August of last year, except I have gone on two vacations, but otherwise, every weekend, and I try to do something in the evenings if I'm free. It's just time, and the end results will be worth it.

Eddie

 

[dstig1]

To my brother in arms - Eddie! :drink:

I put chains on the tractor tonight for the first time ever with potentially big snow coming. Oh my gawd that was awful. It will be easier the second time, for sure, but geez they need to make lighter steel :laughing:

 

[Obed]

I would love to see a picture. :licking:
Obed

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I lost my first Husky when the blade pinched as the tree started leaning wrong. I ran the other way and turned in time to see the saw drop free ... just before the trunk came down and squashed it into a whole lot of little bitty pieces.

Now I carry a long ball of cord with a large carabiner attached that I can quick snap on the handle of the saw and pull it out of harms way if tree comes down unexpectedly. Of course if it gets pinched and isn't coming down, I just remove the saw from the blade and put the spare blade on.