Outdoor oatmeal cuts cold cookshack
Circle Chris Cassandra tongue (and groove) tarps Transported twenty-foot thermos twice! over
Oh! Ow!
Brrrr! beams brought bloody! building emergency
Extreme electronics
Raise the yurt!
Hmmm... What does all that mean?
With many overnight temps at, around, or below, freezing, and a backwards weather pattern (crystal clear night skies and cloudy days), the unheated yurt was getting quite uncomfortable. Showering and sleeping (and doing much of anything else) in 40 degrees was unpleasant for Cassandra and Chris. Brrr! Cold! C+C continued to heat water in the evenings on the outdoor woodstove: for showering, making coffee/tea, and to be stored in thermoses for use in the mornings. Oatmeal, sort of runny and not really hot, 'twas only slightly warming in the mornings. Wearing quite a lot of layers was the key. But, Chris and Cassandra don't shower with their clothes on, and anyway, after a point, what else can reasonably be added! Something had to be done. Coping with 40-50F temps in October was one thing... but come Winter, the yurt was bound to be colder still, and the MLA wasn't going to be done in time. Try as they might, C+C couldn't come up with an alternative. The outdoor cookshack was dismantled, Chris cleaned the pack stove thoroughly, and assembly of Park Avenue Heating Installation Yr#2 commenced. Chris cut his hand, bled a lot and got a little woozy. This makes for Twice! that Chris has had to go to the Emergency Room for stitches. And, it meant another night spent in an unheated yurt for C+C. A little over a week after the woodstove was back in, Cassandra was opting for being cold rather than deal with smoke and fire problems. She was in pain and nauseated from some heavy duty exposures that had occurred during the heating installation. Eventually, she got with the program and conceded to working with the woodstove. Yet again. Grrr.
Thanks to onsite work finished in October, the last yurt can now be raised: Yippee! The 2*6 tongue and groove floor was finally all screwed in place. Team YIPPEE Sarah was present, electronically (via phone), for the installation of the last floor board, at 7:45 pm October 9th. On Saturday the 21st, Chris rented a sander, jumpstarted Mungo and sanded away. The circle was cut, Cassandra joined in to re-seal the freshly sanded floor and cut circle edges (after an appropriate delay to allow generator exhaust to vacate), and the whole thing was tarped. Then, re-tarped. And, then re-tarped again.
Extreme winds at the end of the month caused damage to the tarps on the shed and 20' platform by ripping out grommets, guest tent by tearing rain fly off, SIPPEE #1 by upending and wrecking. There were also major downdraft problems with the woodstove that day.
The guest tent was disassembled (a bit early due to those extreme winds) and relocated into the 30' yurt, where it would be setup as part of cold weather Team accomodations. Part of October's work was creating new procedures for onsite Team help, since the weather was now too cold for existing accomodations, darkness arrived earlier each day, and the Park Avenue yurt had less space due to having a woodstove again.
With the floor/platform completed, and coordination of Team help/accomodations underway, Yurt Raising 3.0 needed a few other things. By month's end, the scaffolding was being disassembled for its modification and reuse in the 20' yurt. Some yurt supplies (insulation, side cover, liner and hardware box) had been transported over from Poocham and stored onsite.
Completion of the deck would be ideal for yurt raising. A lot of deck boards were transported from Poocham to the site during October. Boards were also transported from the shed up to the MLA (hand-carried). The deck now reaches the 30' yurt up front and is quickly going around the sides. Woohoo! But will the deck go up quickly enough to provide a solid walkway around the 20' platform? Deck boards that meet up with the yurt require measurements and marking. Chris makes the cuts when home, and after test fitting, the cut ends are sealed. Only then can those boards be screwed in place. Building the joists and support blocking, where the deck structure meets the yurt, has also made for slow going.
Well, Deck or not... cold weather or not... raising the final* yurt will happen soon! Yes, the Odyssey Continues Toward (Oh Brrr!) Ensuring Raising...
*Final is, surprisingly, subject to change. (see future newsletters) What is meant in this context is the 20' yurt: the last to be raised of the three yurts planned for YIPPEE-Land's MLA and WC.
October Journal
10/01/06 - Sunday
213.04 attach decking
10/02/06 - Monday
Notes:
- C+C work together, swapped a Sunday for Monday. Chris up top couple hrs first. After Cass up top, wipe off floor to let dry. Work on deck: Cass fit cut boards, Chris joist work. Lunch. Finish up deck work prep. Floor work. Mouse capture and relocation.
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring
213.04 attach decking
10/03/06 - Tuesday
Notes:
213.04 attach decking
- Sanded edges, as instructed yesterday. Wiped off and applied watershield. Screwed in some boards on angle side, with break in middle due to rain. Had to take down nicely stacked drying boards and restack under platform. Rained enough to make everything
- time: 5.5hrs
10/04/06 - Wednesday
Notes:
- In case we haven't said so recently... Black flies and mosquitos aren't dead yet. Still annoying. Bug lotion still req'd. Unfortunately.
- Weather still sucks too. But at least today had some warmer spells. Cloudy. Yucky.
- Leaves mostly brownish and yellowish. Many off trees. Maybe fall foliage will happen and be over fast.
213.04 attach decking
- Screwed in all cut boards that could go in (need joists and/or blocking for rest). Continued from there on both sides to measure and mark next batch of boards to cut. A few could be screwed in as is.
- time: 5.75hrs
10/05/06 - Thursday
Notes:
- Wet and windy overnight. Cold.
213.04 attach decking
- marking boards for cutting
- time: 5hrs
213.36 site cleanup
- leaves sweeping on deck and around yurt
- time: 0.5hrs
10/6/06 - Friday
Notes:
- c+c work together on deck. Cass fit boards. Chris recut a few. After chris off to poocham for tasks, cass continue working.
213.04 attach decking
- Cut more boards
- time: 2 hrs
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
213.04 attach decking
- sand and seal cut boards + scraps, screw some in.
- time: c+c AM time + 3hrs
10/07/06 - Saturday
213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring
213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges
- perimeter block is done for yurts
- time: 1/2 hr
10/08/06 - Sunday
300.41 park ave heating installation yr 2
- Stupid wood stove design...grrr...
- time: 1 hr
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
- more joist work
- time: 1 hr
213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring
- 75% done
- runing low on good boards
- time: 5 hrs
10/09/06 - Monday
213.04 attach decking
- Cass has first tool breaking experience, snapping the bit on the countersink for deck screws. D'oh!
- time: 2 hrs
213.02 attach 2x6 T&G flooring
- last screw driven in at 7:45 pm. YIPPEE!
- Team YIPPEE Sarah was present, at least electronically, as she called during the installation of the last floor board.
- time: 5.5 hrs
10/10/06 - Tuesday
213.04 attach decking
- Cass measured beams and bays on north side to convey data to Chris, proposed two solutions to couple squaring and measuring problems there. Removed stuck broken drill bit and screwed in remaining cut boards on south side.
- Time: 2.5hrs
213.01 beams/joists/posts - deck
- Successfully hung two joists on south side, after much finagling. Ratchet strap employed to make square, but Cass managed to get it very stuck. Third joist lined up, but will finish later.
- Time: 3.25hrs
10/11/06 - Wednesday
213.04 attach decking
- Marked beam ends on north side for cutting this weekend. Marked joists in that bay for board placement. Only one board could be screwed in, others s/b left off til beams cut.
- Time: 1.5hrs
213.01 beams/joists/posts - deck
- Joist finagling. Squaring problems. Release of ratchet messed up lots. Sick and should have waited but proceeded and now is off 3/8". Grrr.
- Screwed together 2*8's for built up beams.
- Time: 3hrs
10/12/06 - Thursday
Notes:
- Rained steadily and hard all night. Very wet out, foggy. Couple rain showers thru day until afternoon when began clearing.
213.04 attach decking
- selecting and marking boards for cutting.
- Time: 4.75
10/13/06 - Friday
Notes:
- 42 in yurt and 30 outdoors at 7AM. Brrr. sunny but cold. Brrrrrr
- Chris fixed tarp over 20' yurt floor, which had gone askew.
- C+C up top - work on joist and beam to make parallel and square, add a 4th joist, angled. Chris cuts deck boards for Cass to sand edge and seal. Cass works on board selection and marking angle for cutting.
213.04 attach decking
- Cass continued working after Chris left for Poocham tasks. Ratchet strap comes in handy yet again, getting boards down tight onto new joists.
- Time: 3hrs
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
- Chris grabbed more joists from shed
- Between C&C three more non-standard joists got put in place
- time: 2.5 hrs
213.04 attach decking
- More boards cut
- time: 1hr
10/14/06 - Saturday
Notes:
- Chris gets right to work on year #2 Park Ave heating
300.41 park ave heating installation yr 2
- Stove cleaned
- Cookshack disassembled
- Old pipe and supporttaken down
- Stove and new inside pipe installed
- New pipe support built
- Insulated pipe insta..D'OH! Chris gashes hand on pipe, bleeds profusely, gets medical care from nurse Cassandra, heads to ER for stitches. No heat tonite :(
- time: 11 hrs
213.04 attach decking
- Cass screwed in some boards up top while Chris doing shed work (and she couldn't be down at WC)
- Time: 1hr
10/15/06 - Sunday
213.04 attach decking
- Cass marked more boards up top while Chris doing work down at WC. Later, after heating install done, more marking (while Chris cuts). Then C+C address how to handle blocking needs around yurt perimeter.
- Time: 2hr
300.41 park ave heating installation yr 2
- pipe structure completed, raised and connected to stove
- time: 6 hrs
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
10/16/06 - Monday
Notes:
- Clear day with sun, cold but nice. Cass very pained and nauseated from yesterday's exposures. Is nice to be in sun working and making progress anyway, especially since tomorrow looks like rain...
213.04 attach decking
- Measure and mark deck boards, and blocking. Clean up cut boards and seal edges. Screw down boards on south side. Drill battery died and no more in cases! Continued work by switching batt from drill to screwdriving. All cut boards on south side down.
- Time: 6hrs
213.36 site cleanup
- scraps out to dry, and then put into bin
- Time: 0.25hrs
10/17/06 - Tuesday
Notes:
- Cass very sick. Weather cold. This AM's "downstairs" temp: 55 inside, 32 outside. Started raining around noon and kept raining all day. Cass figured out fan placement to help heat distribution.
213.04 attach decking
- got 1.5 boards in on north side before raining too much, and only remaining drill batt was dying anyway
- Time: 0.5
213.36 site cleanup
- cleaned up leaves and scraps under deck
- Time: 1hr
10/18/06 - Wednesday
Notes:
- Whacky Warm Weather. Weird. Morning temp was 55! Hasn't even been that warm at midday recently. Black clouds but didn't rain anymore (rained yesterday from noon until... well, it was still raining at 4:30am) Very strong smoke outdoors much of day, ugh.
213.04 attach decking
- goes much faster with two batteries! (found in the orange saw bag, with use of mask) all cut boards are down now. marked a few more deck boards for south side, and one more blocking on north side.
- Time: 4.25hrs
213.36 site cleanup
- pulled out all scraps by saw bags, cleaned off and sealed
- Time: 1hrs
213.01 posts + beams (deck)
- worked on placement for next beam on north side, that runs up to yurt post. clamped scrap to post as a shelf for beam, and used scrap board to find square for measuring distance between beams.
- Time: 0.75hrs
10/19/06 - Thursday
Notes:
213.36 site cleanup
- scraps from north side laid out to dry, ropes and ratchets together and organized. Cass should not have been doing this... Something had her extremely bad off... Either tarp or some unsafe scraps. Was prompted by Chris to stop, much to her displeasure
- Time: 1hrs
275.04 materials transport
- cass carried a couple deck boards up top, one at time since feeling so sick.
- Time: 0.5hrs
10/20/06 - Friday
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
- worked on raising two more beams
- time: 2 hrs
213.44 tarp onsite
- reroped tarp over 20' platform
- time: 15 min
10/21/06 - Saturday
213.28 MLA Flooring prep
- Chris rented sander,
- jumpstarted Mungo and sanded away.
- Chris then cut the edge into mostly a circle
- Cass came up and applied watershield with Chris
- time: 10 hrs
- this task is DONE!
213.44 tarp onsite
- put two tarps over freshly coated platform floor
- time: 1 hr
10/22/06 - Sunday
213.28 MLA Flooring
- returned sander & dropped off watershield @ house
- time: 2.5 hrs
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
- Chris raised another post, cut and set two short beams, and cut blocking boards
- Cass marked more joist locations
- C&C affixed blocking
- time: 1.75 + 3.75
213.04 attach decking
- Chris cut more boards
- Cass sanded and sealed cut ends
- time: 3.5 hrs
275.04 Materials transport
- C&C each carried joists up to MLA
- time: 15 min
10/23/06 - Monday
Notes:
- Cold. Didn't get over 40. Black clouds, cold wind. Brrrrr. Cass cold all day.
213.01 posts + beams (deck)
- worked on getting new beam properly aligned-square, and put joist in. This knocked it back and had trouble getting back flush to 7'. Another PIA joist bay. Would be so much easier with 2 people. But, Cass must get lots done during week! Can't afford to
- Time: 3hrs
213.04 attach decking
- screwing down boards into new blocking. And, added a few boards that had been waiting for blocking. Circle around front done. Doesn't look greatest, but well, is done.
- Time: 1.75hrs
213.36 Site Cleanup
- Scraps (to toss) are now all in pile for Chris to take down on wkend. Tools organized and most now in bin.
- Time: 1.25hrs
10/24/06 - Tuesday
Notes:
- Bit of sun in morning was reeeeaaally nice to have, warming and way better. But didn't last. Cloudy and a bit of drizzle in afternoon.
213.01 posts + beams (deck)
- 3 joists and 1 blocking "joist" are up on next bays for north and south sides.
- Time: 5.5hrs
213.04 attach decking
- screwed in some cut boards
- Time: 1hr
275.04 materials transport
- carried 2 joists up to use today
- Time: 0.25hr
213.36 Site Cleanup
- raked leaves
- Time: 0.25hr
10/25/06 - Wednesday
Notes:
- Little over a week since woodstove back in, and Cass is opting for being cold rather than deal with smoke and fire problems. Grrr. Brrr. Cass sick too. Once again... Night sky crystal clear after a cloudy day. This is backwards! Need sun and clear ski
213.04 attach decking
- screwed in all avail cut boards, marked board locations for next joist bay, worked on board selection and marking. Need more boards!
- Time: 3.75+hr
213.01 posts + beams (deck)
- worked on joists setup by 20'
- Time: 1hr
275.04 materials transport
- carried deck boards up
- Time: 0.5hr
213.36 Site Cleanup
- scraps in bins and cleanup by new joist bay
- Time: 0.5hr
10/26/06 - Thursday
Notes:
- Cold n windy, dark cloudy.
- Military jet low flying. Ugh!
275.04 Materials transport
- Cass transported deck boards on-site
- Chris carted 21 mordeck boards to site from house
- time: 1 hr
213.04 attach decking
- screwed in some cut boards
- Time: 4 hrs
10/27/06 - Friday
275.04 Materials transport
- Chris used the Vermoose to bring 51 deck boards to MLA from the Xterra & parking area
- Chris got a number of boards out of shed and moved them to the intersection of Park Ave & Main Drive
- C&C carried some boards up to MLA
- time: 3 hrs
213.26 Platforms: attach perimeter blocking, trim circle, seal cut edges
- Chris cut three beams
- time: 30 min
213.04 attach decking
- Chris cut more boards that Cass cleaned up and sealed
- Cass reviewed and orgaized new deck boards
- time: 2 hrs
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
- another beam, some joists and blocking got put up.
- Cass made up a beam
- time: 6.25 hrs
10/28/06 - Saturday
228.20 Buy scaffolding
- Started disassembly in 30' yurt
- time: 1.5 hrs
275.04 Materials transport
- yurt insulation, side cover, liner and hardware box loaded and transported
- time: 15 min
10/29/06 - Sunday
Notes:
- extreme winds cause damage to: 1) guest tent by tearing rain fly off; 2) SIPPEE #1 by upending, wrecking poles and roof; 3) tarps on shed and 20' platform by ripping out grommets.
- Tent is disassembled and relocated to 30' yurt
- Cass has major downdraft problems with woodstove in a.m.
213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)
- Chris raises four deck posts
- C&C measure for beam and joist placement
- Cass makes more beams
- Chris sets a new beam and rebolts an in-place beam
- time: 7.5 hrs
213.44 tarp onsite
- Chris reconfigures tarps over 20' platform
- time: 90 minutes
226.32 cold weather team prep
- Chris disassembles (with help of wind) and relocates guest tent to 30' yurt
- time: 90 minutes
10/30/06 - Monday
Notes:
275.04 materials transport
- carried few boards up top
- Time: 0.25hr
213.01 posts + beams (deck)
- joists on north side-finished nailing in
- joists on south side-cass and chris apparently should be more careful working in cold and dark, as all measurements from last night were off and so no joists are able to be put up. Joist hangers are up. Reviewed probs with measuring. Cass requested and
- Time: 2.5hrs
213.04 attach decking
- remarked the south side bay, to adj so that first long board row will be at beam. screwed in cut boards.
- Time: 3.25hrs
10/31/06 - Tuesday
Notes:
- Much nicer weather! Mostly sunny and warmer, woohoo!
213.01 posts + beams (deck)
- Well, its hopefully good enough: got new beams squared, bracing into posts (carefully, with mask and shims to block p.t.), and was able to almost get 4 joists up prior to running out of nails. Marked the remaining 5 joists for cutting.
- Time: 4.75
213.04 attach decking
- finished up remarking the south bay so that first long board row will be at beam.
- Time: 0.25hr
