Rancho-de-Quigly, my never ending project...

[Quigly]

This is my little slice of paradise in Canyon Country, California and the reason I bought my S-470D Tractor. The old Slanty-Shanty sits on about 1 acre of land. Our adjacent uncleared raw land is about 36 acres. I can't wait to see how much time the little 4x4 Buck saves me keeping the brush down, not to mention the blisters from my old lawn mower, weed-whacker and hand implements used in the past. The house will be done in half-log siding for that warm rustic look. A "great room" is planned were the International Travelall hangar garage is now, with a large master bedroom & full bath, 1/2 bath and two car garage next to that.

If you have the time, take a walk down Rancho-de-Quigly history lane. You just might enjoy the stroll... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Quigly]

It all started in the 1930's when my step-grandfather bought this place as a cabin to escape from Los Angeles on the weekends. I think it started life as a couple of old miners shacks mailed together. Grandpa Hobert was an injuryed WWI pruple heart and very active in the local VFW. He retired from the Department of Water and Power as a Substation Operator. As a child we would help him change the dressing on his leg wound every day, it never healed his entire life. He loved to have guest out to the cabin and play horseshoes. The first thing he did after purchase was erect a flag pole out front. Each morning he would raise the flag and salute it. Each night he would lower it before turning in for the night...

 

[Docsknotinn]

Looks like a neat place. Is the Quigly sharps still hangin over the fire place ? Do you have elk in that area or wild pigs ? dave

 

[Quigly]

Not much changed in the 1940's... I found a guest log book my grandparents kept for visitors to sign. Some of the things people would write were just halarious. One that comes to mind is:

"No birds, no bees, no flowers, no trees... November"

Friends of the family would just stop by and stay awhile when traveling through. The cabin was open to all that wanted a rest stop heading out of Saugus through Mint Canyon and on out to the high desert in Palmdale/Landcaster regardless if my grandparents were here or not. People would stay, make notes in the guest book and generally restock what they used. It was a different time...

 

[Quigly]

The trees started filling in in the 1950's & 1960's and a shade patio was added. I remember an old home made tree house that my cousin Bobby and I would hang out in just behind the cabin. I smoked my first cigar there with friends /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Boy did we think we were getting away with something... Hobert never missed it!

 

[Quigly]

In the 1970's & 80's an effort was made to modernise the old cabin by a distant relative. As so many things go, it was never finished, but some new trees got planted that did survive the years...

 

[Quigly]

With Hobert gone many years before, my grandmother passed away in the 1990's. I bought the old place out of my grandmothers estate in very sorry shape. This is what it looked like when I took it over... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It was a mess inside and out!

 

[Quigly]

By 2000 I had stripped the skin and unfinished cement off, rebuild the walls with 2"x6" studs between to old raw cut true 2"x4" studs, insulated everything, and applied 1/2" chip-board sheer wall all over. Put a quick coat of gray paint on the chip-board as I went along for asthetics knowing it would be covered eventually. Re-plumbed with cooper and replaced all the electrical, bringing it up to current codes in the important areas... I finally felt like the Slanty-Shanty was coming together once it was all straightened and looking more like a home /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Quigly]

Keeping with the cabin theme, I began designing a stuctural support for a future large post & beam carport to rest on and attach to the front of the house. It was tricky /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif because the right side of the house is about 10" higher then the left (matching the slope of the ground). I ended up lagging two 4"x6" beams to the house in an overlapped form with rustic simpson decorative strong-ties. The beam out to the left will be used to match the center peak of the house from right to left. The front of the future carport will be balanced (unlike the house), with equal distance from the peak. I plan to match the general look of the house beams on the carport front, but with two end posts and one center post...

 

[Quigly]

On goes the half-log siding for that log home look! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Added all the mounting brackets under the eves along the patio side for a matching large beam patio roof the full length of the main house. Out here you have to build to "large construction" standards because of the fire codes. That means patio roof and carport posts no less then 6"x6", rafts no less then 4"x6" and 2"x tongue & groove material on top (clearly over kill! And expensive /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif ) I bought that sidng from Century Cedar Log Homes. I believe it is Oregon Cedar. It is about the size of a 2"x8", thus 1 1/2" at the center and has a 7" stack height. Nailed it at a 45 in the tongue and slid the groove over so the nails are hidden...