An Unrelated Gigantically Unbelievable Silly Tale...

About Underpants Gnomes Unleashed Somewhere Today,
After Unsuitable Gibberish Undid Someone's Tongue.
And, Upstairs, George's Ukulele Strings Twanged...
As Underwater Gusto Uplifted Sleeping Turtles,
Avalanches Uphill Groaned; Uprooting Surfing Trolls'
Acrobatically Unfriendly Gyrations Under Stony Terrain.
Agonizing Ululations Greeted Urchins Suppering There.
Apples Upon Greenery. Until, Slightly Terrified,
Apricots Ushered Ginger Underneath Seaweed Toast.
Anthony's Utensils Gave Up, Scattering Towards
Apparently Unsuspecting Guppies Uncannily Sipping Tea.
Asses Upwind Generated Unholy Scheming Tactics.
Aha! Unearthed Gasses Upheld Skipping Toads
Approaching Uproarious Giraffes Unanimously Shouting Ta-da!

Chris had a little reprieve from work assignments and was onsite the last half of the month. This allowed C+C to get lots done. Only the Ufa knows how horrible things might have gone had Chris not had that time home! Thankfully, C+C will never know. They were simply grateful to tackle tasks together so that they could get on with the planned yurt raising. Yippee!

US Cellular started offering service in the area, so C+C tried out their service. However, the signal was no better than Unicel's and several functionalities would have been lost. Having verified that nothing better exists right now, C+C are left with continued cursing of Unicel and their phone service that frequently offers a non-existent signal or terribly poor quality signal.

Still more digging and hauling, hauling and raking, filling and tamping, with the occasional banging of the head. Cassandra was ecstatic to have Chris' help a couple times, with him doing the digging and her the hauling. And, for part of the retaining wall, he even did the tamping too! Most other times, she was doing heavy duty work alone and it was slow-going due to the severe humidity, heat and bugs. Not to mention, she was doing this while feeling sick.

(She wondered many times this summer how it is that construction and/or road workers keep from being utterly soaked during humid summer work? Or, do they? She and Chris were unsuccessful and peeled the sweat-soaked layers off at the end of work sessions. Perhaps those workers didn't have to contend with swarming biting black flies and could wear less clothing? Perhaps there's special air conditioned undies that whisk away sweat and cool simultaneously? Hmmm...)

But, agonies aside, by the end of the month:

• Underneath the 30' and front deck was cleared and swept down to ledge, except for the outermost front and south side.
• The remaining ground under the 30' and 20' was leveled, shaped for drainage and covered with gravel.
• The area surrounding the yurts was also shaped for drainage, and...
• The south side of the 20' deck area had been built up dramatically to provide more ground before dropping off (usually referred to as the retaining wall).

Did Cassandra attack the decking? (yes) Did it attack her? (not literally) Or, would it be attacking other Team helpers? (C+C hope not!)

Progress in attaching the deck boards was S-L-O-W due to their warping, bowing, twisting, and other things that there probably is term for*, but this term is unknown to C+C. Add in some structural complications, like beams and joists not exactly in the "right" places, and this is one frustrating task. Agonizing, even.

*Their own term (modified slightly by Julien in July) to identify boards with cracks, divots and general poor quality, that might work for other construction, but are not so desirable for a deck top: S.B.U.'s. - Structural Butt Ugly.

With yurt raising looming near, and the deck nowhere near meeting up with the yurt platform, C+C became concerned: the ground surrounding the soon-to-be-raised 30' yurt, up front, was solid ledge and easily 8' below. Quite a drop. A plan to provide a walkway was conceived. Deck work skipped ahead and out of order: positioning for the deck boards that would eventually have met up with the yurt platform was calculated, and as many as possible of those deck boards got screwed down now. Other boards would be strapped onto to areas that couldn't be finished, or laid across the screwed down boards to fill in gaps next to the yurt. The remaining, large nine row gap, between the already-done-deck and the newly attached boards, would have to be carefully avoided.

One afternoon, implementing the aforementioned plan, C+C worked together on screwing down boards by the yurt. Too bad this is not an ongoing possibility, as this task is SOOoooooo much easier and faster with two people. Cassandra's efforts in future months will be eased somewhat, thanks to her application of newfound ratchet strap knowledge (from attaching flooring) to help with wrangling the deck boards into line. Chris approved and Cassandra only wishes she'd have known about this weeks ago!

The front angle section of the deck is done. Chris is happy with the joist hanger jig he created to aide in the placement of hangers. Cassandra learned how to nail in joist hangers and joists, and began assisting Chris in this task.

Very big tarp. Come along and rope. More rope. Tie-downs. Re-orienting and re-ties. Prop up with boards and buckets. Sweat (because its hot working under the tarp). Adjustments, after some big pools of water collect on tarp and hence flooring. Towards the end of flooring work, push back the tarp along the central rope and Ahhh... nice to work out from under tarp. Remove tarp for sanding floor. Pull back over before wiping and sealing floor. Tarp work: Grrrr....

What is a yurt platform? The platforms for C+C's YIPPEE-Land yurts have posts that support 4*6 Douglas fir beams, with 2*6 blocking between the beams at perimeter of the platform, set on an angle to accommodate the circle, and 2*6 tongue and groove boards over top.

In preparation for attaching the flooring, Chris printed and laminated the board layout diagram which C+C would refer to frequently. Beams installed in '04 and '05 were cleaned and resealed, and then all beams were marked lengthwise for center reference. Chris started cutting some floorboards (an ongoing task, along with sealing the cut ends), down from 12' into other lengths: 4', 6', 8'. The designated lumber for blocking couldn't be located; reject deck boards would be used instead.

The platform plans have the 2*6 perimeter blocking installed after flooring, and the front few installations happened this way. However, C+C discovered this task to be much easier without flooring in place, and thereafter, proceeded to mark, cut and install blocking as needed, prior to the corresponding flooring attachment.

Mid-month, flooring boards began their long anticipated union with the beams! Chris had thought that, after some initial instructive sessions, screwing down the flooring would be a task turned over to Cassandra. This idea was scrapped almost immediately; screwing was definitely a two person job! A good routine was developed with Chris on the bottom (underside), and Cass on top. Two people also came in handy when, for instance, one person was perched on a single 2*6 board, in the middle of a 4' span, above an 8' drop onto solid ledge... and started losing their balance (with so much effort applied to the screwing)... Watch out Chris! As with the deck, board selection and board wrangling were cause for much frustration. Even with two people, many ratchet straps and countless whacks with the rubber mallet, pulling the boards into line and screwing them down was slow going. As time spent on attaching the 30' yurt's flooring grew and grew, realistic acceptance crept up on C+C: the 20' yurt raising might have to wait. Argh.

Finally, after a marathon 16-hour session (that's a lotta wrangling and screwing!), following several other days of marathon sessions, the floor boards for the 30' were all united with their beams. The final board was installed very far past midnight, in the early hours of August 25th. Re-stacking and re-covering (scraps and remaining boards for the 20'), clean up and organization of ropes and ratchet straps, all happened on another day.

The perimeter circle was marked onto the flooring and, after the floor was sanded (213.28 MLA Flooring prep, below), Chris cut the perimeter. The flooring was easy enough to cut through, but getting through the 4*6 Douglas fir beams was exhausting. After running the saw batteries down, Chris muscled away the rest via handsaw. The cut edges were all sealed and ... The 30' yurt now has a floor!

The floors will eventually be properly finished. But for yurt raising prep... After the 30' yurt floor was sanded (ala Chris, ala rental sander powered by Mungo) C+C wiped it down and applied Watershield, working under the tarp which was just barely off the floor on the sides, finishing by camp-lantern, and hoping it wasn't too cold overnight. A ridiculous hope really, since it was already cold when they finished. Winter's flirtations with August were not welcome at all!

After flooring completion, boards that had been in place for beam spacing were removed. Unfortunately, the realization that Cassandra should not undo boards from any pressure-treated posts came too late to prevent illness, but Chris handled this part afterwards and prevented further illness. Cassandra could safely screw boards into the posts though. So, she attached most of the temporary support bracing under the 30', as directed by Chris. This is another task, simple enough, but awkward and downright dangerous in its proximity to (many, painful) head banging opportunities.

The 6" drip edge specified in Pacific Yurts' plans does not even cover the beams in their plans (1" of drip edge is to extend above the flooring and there's 1.5" of flooring and 5.5" of beam). Lame. C+C realized this with the WC and made plans to redo a wider drip edge for the MLA yurts, making sure it would extend below the platform, and allowing extra for skirting attachment. Chris bought more plywood, then cut it and sanded the edges at the house. During Judymom's mid-August visit, she did C+C a huge favor by taking on the staining and sealing of the plywood; this was done in the driveway (away from Cass), up by the MLA. Thanks Judymom!

Joist boards were moved out of the shed and stacked on Park Avenue, to begin making their way up top. The drip edge and various supplies for GIPPEE were transported over to YIPPEE-Land at different times. Then, in the last days of the month, the 30' yurt started its trek to Vermont. The rafters, roof insulation, side cover, side insulation, liner, hardware, top cover, and lattice wall are uphill and in place for yurt raising to commence.

Team clothes were re-washed with mold cleaner and stored in new, non-cardboard, bins. The old 14' platform was stripped down, cleaned, resealed and setup to host the guest tent. Supplies for guests were gathered, lugged up, and storage arranged: inside SIPPEE, tent and GIPPEE. Coordinations also got underway for lining up the Yurt Raising Team, and making travel arrangements.

Ideally, C+C would have lots of cookouts and an interesting variety of accompaniments to offer the Yurt Raising Team. But, preparation times and coordinating would all take valuable time away from sitework, and yurt raising work. C+C tried out various nut butters and jams in an effort to come up with easy Yurt Raising food prep. Yummy, nutritious (especially with the organic and whole food quality of ingredients used!) and quick... it was decided. A variety of nutty + fruity sandwiches would be provided, with bulgar salads for dinners, various quick breakfasts of oats and cereals, and plenty of wholesome bar snacks along the way. A list of supplies was calculated, purchased, carted uphill by the macho-man Chris, to be sorted, prepared and organized into each days' needs by Cassandra.

Judymom gave the onsite guest accommodations a trial run when she spent a whole weekend onsite with C+C, working alongside them and infusing her good vibes into the building project. Yippee! She really enjoyed herself! The daytimes were beautiful, slightly reminiscent of fall, and a welcome change from recent heat.

Winter (yes, winter) had some early, and unwelcome, whisperings. Breakfasts and dinners got a bit chilly outdoor in SIPPEE. One of the many reasons for SIPPEE's existence is to provide a visiting area, outside of Cassandra's living environment, in an unenclosed space, to reduce illness from unsafe exposures. But a screen tent isn't much help in 30-40F weather. This unseasonably cold weather was not in the plans! Argh! As odd as it seemed to be bundled up in lots of layers, C+C and Judymom all did so. At least C+C had body warmth to temper their nights in the unheated yurt (with the woodstove still functioning in its outdoor cookshack setup). For Judymom, winter hats were pulled out of storage; and with some reflectix underneath the sleeping bag, she was much warmer in the unheated guest tent during the next night. In the mornings, with the sunshine, and hot chocolates, breakfasts were actually rather nice outside. But for evening visiting, a few retreats to the yurt's relative warmth happened.

Well, even if the weather didn't improve soon...
There'd soon be Healthy Brew Beer...

August Journal

08/01/06 - Tuesday

Notes:

• Horrible loud noises back again. Cass has to just hope they are working far enough away again today since Chris can't check.
• Humidity spiked up to an awful level, and air didn't cool off much last night; in for an unpleasant day after an unpleasant night.
• Chris' flight delays mean he didn't arrive in Houston til 2AM this morning/last night!
• Logging equip finally stopped around 2:30pm. Whew!

213.27 MLA/Deck shape ground

• Cass got the req'd 5hrs work done. But it was a slow-going time due to the severe humidity and heat.
• Time: 5hrs

08/02/06 - Wednesday

Notes:

• Heat index today is 114F (up from yesterday's 110). Another day of sweating it out as fast as you put it in...
• Cass feels it is a better day though. Way better without the logging! And, up until 6:30pm, that incessant mowing/generator type noise was gone. What a relief not to have a noisy obnoxious day. Well, the bugs are still obnoxious and a stressor.
• By 11:30PM, temp down to 84. But feels cooler, presumably because of being overheated most of day.

213.27 MLA/Deck shape ground

• Dirt fill to shape around yurts done. Rest of dirt to be used in building up retaining wall and/or dumped off front. Hauled out the various rock piles and used in retaining wall. Carted the hardened cement down from where it was by the posts, and used
• Time: 5.5hrs

08/03/06 - Thursday

Notes:

• Don't know today's heat index. Was already 84 at 7:30AM, never cooled down last night. Infuriatingly, the radio kept reporting that the oppressive heat had left and that it was cooler today, as Cassandra was sweating and overheated. Techically, 92 is

213.27 MLA/Deck shape ground

• digging a real challenge. Cass had to quit early due to getting really really sick.
• Time: 3hrs

300.40 Cass Phone

• yesterday and today, cass tried new phone out. Downloaded trials for email and aim. Very different than current unicel, and looks like will lose several functions. Key point tho is signal. So far seems to be about same as unicel. Will keep comparing.
• Time: not tracked

08/04/06 - Friday

Notes:

• Very heavy rains in morning. Cancel bug spraying plans.

226.25 Team onsite tent setup

• Removed plywood underside from portable yurt platform
• time: 2 hrs

275.04 Materials Transport/inventory

• Guest tent bathroom materials brought over

275.04 materials transport

• 1/2 hr transporting bathroom stuff

213.27 MLA/Deck shape ground

• gravel around footings and perimeter of 20'
• Time: 3hrs

08/05/06 - Saturday

Notes:

• What a pleasant day! (weather-wise)
• Bugs still problem. And, whoever it was that we talked to before buying here, that told us it was a nice quiet area, should be taken out at sunrise and shot for their treacherous lies! The noise here is many days horrible and incessant.

275.04 materials transport

• 1/2 hr transporting bathroom stuff

226.25 team onsite tent setup

• cleaned, sealed and assembled old 14' plaform for guest tent
• time: 8.25 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• c+c worked together on beam/joist prob, laying out row showing cass how to handle angled. Cass got that row done finally (board selection difficult) but not much else.
• Time: 5hrs

08/06/06 - Sunday

Notes:

• Jabba, the hut, is no more

213.02 attach 2*6 flooring

• cleaned beams installed in '04 and '05 in prep for floor install
• time: 1 hr

226.25 team onsite tent setup

• tent is slightly too large for platform, had to install wings
• relocated sSIPPEE and redesignated as guest bath house
• during post-hole digging for solar shower Cass discovered gas-dirt either from driveway excavation or the Vermooses leaking gas tank
• time: 13.75 hrs

08/07/06 - Monday

Notes:

• Very Humid and really Hot again. Oh well.

226.26 Team onsite bathroom setup

• lugged up water, shovelled more where chris couldn't finish last night, got shower laid out, drains cut and attached for sink and shower, sink hung, toilet tested, finished staking. Gas dirt a problem!
• time: 4.5hrs

213.27 shape ground MLA/Deck

• shovelled more dirt
• time: 1hr
• Drip Edge Redo
• Cut plywood for new bigger drip edge
• Used all batteries
• time: 3 hrs

08/08/06 - Tuesday

Notes:

• Cold morning and night, but generally a decent day. Bugs might be letting up too?
• Cold showers continue to suck.

226.26 Team onsite bathroom setup

• gathering supplies and taking all up there, attached shower container shelf, cleaned up chris' trash.
• Time: 0.75hr

226.27 Outdoor place for dinners and visits

• gather supplies and into buckets, not sure about storing raingear etc in there
• Time: 0.25hr

213.04 attach decking

• moved boards out of way, found enough decent to do row, measured and marked several rows. Not much progress tho as boards are giving Cass a very difficult time with their warping bowing twisting (and other things we don't know names for) and the beam
• Time: 4.75hr

213.27 shape ground

• lugged wheelbarrow up top. Whew. set about moving yesterday's pile out from under structure and over to ret.wall.
• Time: 0.75hr

08/09/06 - Wednesday

Notes:

• Beautiful day. Crisp and like fall, but at least not so humid. Yeah.

213.04 attach decking

• moved lots boards, tried screwing boards in place, problems, got 2 more rows down, all boards above gone thru and suck, ...as much time as has been spent on board selection and related issues, could've had the whole thing screwed in place by now! Geesh
• Time: 3hrs

226.26 Team onsite bathroom setup

• got extra unrelated supplies out of way and lugged up to woodshed, devise a shower curtain rod (took while, not perfect, but will work) and curtain, hang shelf and pound in hangers
• Time: 2.5hrs

226.25 Team onsite tent setup

• took diatomaceous up and dusted
• Time: 0.25hrs

213.27 shape ground

• removed rest of pile from other day, and dug up new pile for carting out tomorrow.
• Time: 0.5hrs

08/10/06 - Thursday

Notes:

• Algae in outdoor water jug. Eww! Cleaned all out really well.
• AIM on new test phone is enjoyed by C+C. But signal doesn't seem any better, and Chris has harder time hearing Cass on that phone.
• Cass only works part day up top due to: reg Thurs chores like cleaning, prep for w/end, and also, the exertion was making her sick, and then, it was raining in early eve.

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• still digging and hauling dirt/stones out from under
• Time: 2.5hrs

08/11/06 - Friday

Notes:

• Judymom joins in again
• Chris' Thursday flight was way delayed, he and Judymom get to YIPPEEland at 4:00 am

275.04 materials transport

• Brought over some of drip edge
• time: 30 min

213.01 Footings

• Judymom pulled form tubes off footings
• time: 3.25 hrs
• Drip Edge Redo
• Chris assembled a makeshift work structure for staining & sealing work
• Judymom started staining
• Chris finished sanding edges at Poocham house
• time: 1 hr +

226.26 Team onsite bathroom setup

• cleaned shower bin out, ready for its 1st use! Labeled bins and water. Screwed in solar light for evening entry.
• Time: 0.5hrs

213.35 Clean MLA beams and rewatershield (before any flooring goes down)

• Cass watershielded beams
• Time: 1.75hrs

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• still digging and hauling dirt/stones out from under
• Time: 0.75hrs

08/12/06 - Saturday

Notes:

• Some lingering substance on Judymom is making Cass very sick.

305.01 Garlic spray

• Another Italiam Moaquito Death Salad is served
• time: 1.25 hrs
• Drip Edge Redo
• Judmom continues staining and starts watershielding
• time: 4.25 + 2.75 hrs

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• C&C worked together to position and mark 30' yurt breams
• time: 4 hrs

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• Chris helped! Yippee!
• C&C worked under platform and along retaining wall
• time: 3.5 hrs

213.12 Utility Shed Built

• Judymom pulls up some weeds from footing area
• time: 45 m

275.04 materials transport

• Chris got 25 joists out of shed (which has a leak) after some relocating of other boards
• time: n/a as Chris did while heating shower water.

08/13/06 - Sunday

213.27 shape ground

• Chris got some more dirt out, Cass shaped and Chris tamped. Most of ledge under yurt/deck is now exposed
• cass broom and shovel removing final layer dirt, very dusty work
• time: 1hr+1.751

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• Chris started cutting floorboards to length
• C&C put 4.5 rows of boards on
• Seems the trim-head screws work best with a pilot hole.
• time: 6 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• time 1+0.75
• relocating boards, c+c

08/14/06 - Monday

Notes:

• Judymom heads home

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• C&C added 4 more rows of boards
• Chris nearly fell off platform leaning on a loose board
• time: 2 hrs

213.44 tarp onsite

• new tarp in place over floor
• need to move back anchor point
• time: 1 hr

226.31 Close up guesthouse

• time: 15 min

213.04 attach decking

• measured for next few rows and marked joists. Moved "end" boards out of way. Selected and laid out some boards.
• Time: 1.25hr

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• some sweeping, but wind wrong direction and couldn't do. Bummer. Filled gravel in some already swept low spots, gravel around a few footings.
• Time: 1.25hr

08/15/06 - Tuesday

Notes:

• Chris whacked thumb with hammer multiple times due to odd angle braces for perimeter blocking install, and smacked head on a beam while putting up tarp. D'oh...
• Rainy night, but cleared up late morning. Has been quieter lately, and enjoyable.

306.03 Chris preparation for Cass work, tools/materials

• Cleaned ratchet straps
• time: 30 min

213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges

• This sucks and is a pain in the butt
• Not sure where the designated lumber for this is, so we used reject deck boards instead
• Four of fourteen for 30' yurt installed; makes floor installation better.
• time: 3.75 hrs

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• Cut for next section, installed another row.
• time: 3.75 hrs

213.44 tarp onsite

• moved rear anchor point,'tis much better
• time: 1hr

213.04 attach decking

• wipe down area so can work, screwed in boards from other day. Selected and marked boards for chris to cut. After chris cut, watershielded ends
• Time: 3hrs

08/16/06 - Wednesday

Notes:

• Water not flowing out of MLA hose. Chris checked reservoir, level is low. Cass noticed no problems at Park Ave. Yurtlings are being extra-conservative with h2o usage.

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• Ssssslllloooowwwwww-goooooiiiiinnnnnnng!
• Cut & sealed 20 boards for next section
• Ran into problems with board gaps. ugh
• time: 11.25 hrs

08/17/06 - Thursday

213.00 Misc construction tasks

• early a.m. trip to Poocham to recharge tool batteries
• time: 3.5 hrs

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• More floor, more floor!
• time: 7.5 hrs

213.44 tarp onsite

• had to re-orient and re-tie due to use of longer floorboards
• time: 30 min

08/18/06 - Friday

Notes:

• spell of enjoyable weather is done. Humidity back. Yuck.

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• Chris selected 45 more boards from the ever-shrinking stack
• closing in on ha'fway on the 30' floor
• time: 5 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• time: 1.25hrs

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• woohoo! Most of underside cleared (edges can be done later). Started filling low spots w/gravel- is difficult to get buckets o gravel in now since tarp and flooring limit height and provide obstacles.
• Time: 2.75hrs

08/19/06 - Saturday

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• Prepped three joists for angle section, installed two as third was a bit long.
• Made a joist hanger jig to aide in the placement of hangers. It works pretty well.
• time: 2.25 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• Cut a few more boards
• time: 1 hr

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• the halfway point for the 30' platform is one row of boards away
• time: 6.75 hrs

08/20/06 - Sunday

Notes:

• rained really hard overnite and in morning

213.44 tarp onsite

• had to adjust as some big pools of water had collected
• time: 1 hr

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• Fixed joist
• time: 15 min

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• passed halfway mark!
• time: 9.5 hrs

08/21/06 - Monday

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• set joist
• time: 30 minutes

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• more boards added
• time: 10.75 hrs

08/22/06 - Tuesday

213.04 attach decking

• Chris countersunk a screw hole too deep. d'oh
• time: 2 hrs

213.01 Attach posts & beams

• had to add a shim to level one of the beams
• time: 1 hr of whacking nail heads with a chisel (and about 15 minutes to nail in the shim!)

213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges

• time: 2.25 hrs

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• time: 1.75hrs+1hrs

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• time: 1.5 hrs

08/23/06 - Wednesday

213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges

• cutting these eats up saw batteries
• time: 1 hr

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

ugh...still not done

• time: 11.5 hrs

08/24/06 - Thursday

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• its on for 30' platform
• time: 16 hrs

213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges

• added more
• time: 30 min

08/25/06 - Friday

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• restacked and recovered remaning floor boards
• had to replace first two boards as they were too short. D'oh!
• time: 3.25 hrs

213.28 MLA Flooring prep

• drew circle for sanding
• time: 15 min

08/26/06 - Saturday

213.28 MLA Flooring prep

• sanded 30' yurt floor after picking up rental U-sander
• C&C applied watershield
• time: 14 hrs

08/28/06 - Monday

• Notes
• cold. Brr.

213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges

• finished perimter blocking
• trimmed circle, though some beams still need to be cut. Reciprocating saw blade was too short to get thru floor and beam in one pass, then still too short for beam alone. Plus, cutting DF 4*6 beams sucks 18v batteries dry fast
• time: 10 hrs

213.45 Bracing: yurt platforms

• Cass unscrewed the boards that had been in place for keeping beams apart. Obtained bracing boards from woodshed. Started placing and screwing boards to posts. Chris helped in afternoon. Ok to screw into pressure treated, but got sick undoing some board
• Time: 4.5 hrs

213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring

• Cass cleaned up and organized underneath platform: ropes and ratchet straps all neatly tied up and scraps put away.
• Time: 30 min

213.27 (MLA/Deck) shape ground for drainage/lay gravel/stone over site

• C+C each carted buckets of gravel up to build up level (to prevent rainwater flowing in) under front perimeter. This was done prior to screwing in support boards that now block entrance.
• Time: 45 min

08/29/06 - Tuesday

Notes:

• Rain is getting so demoralizing. But C+C keep hoping rain stops for yurt raising! At least can keep working under platform and tarp

213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges

• Ran two saw batts down, rest of cutting done by handsaw
• Seal perimeter and cut beams
• time: 4.75 hrs

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• 5 deck joists
• time: 5.5 hrs

213.45 Bracing: yurt platforms

• finished temp
• Time: 2.75

08/30/06 - Wednsday

Notes:

• Woohoo! Sun out mid morning! Collllldddd in eve again. But thankful for sun.

275.04 Materials transport

• the 30' yurt starts its trek to Vermont. Some of the rafters plus the roof insulation are transported
• time: 2.5 hrs

226.28 Clean and re-store Team clothes

• time: 2 hrs

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• 4 deck joists
• positioned and nailed in joist hangers
• time: 4.5 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• C+C decided (yesterday) to go ahead and screw in boards near platform - more stable and has to be done sometime anyway. 4ft span should be ok. This route is better than other ideas, having to create mod and then undo later. So, Cass marked out board pl
• Time: 3hrs

08/31/06 - Thursday

226.28 Clean and re-store Team clothes

• this is a lot of laundering to do!
• time: 1 hr

275.04 Materials transport

• rest of 30' rafters, side cover, side insulation, liner, hardware, top cover, and lattice wall are transported
• time: 4 hrs

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• time: 1 hr

213.04 attach decking

• as usual... Struggle with boards. Nonetheless, three rows in front down. Sides are getting tricky w/lack of all joists and circular platform to work around. C+C worked together a while in afernoon before lunch and it was SOOoooooo much easier and fas
• Time: 7hrs