We're getting there...

The tires of the Mountaineer hit the freeway around 6pm this past Sunday with trailer in tow.  I had held off purchasing the 3/4" OSB subfloor for the loft because I didn't want to risk that I'd ruin them by driving in driving rain!  The storm that blew through town in Cleveland around 5:30pm looked like a monsoon.  I chuckled to myself that the decision to hold off the purchase was a good idea.  The drive into Pa. was clear for the most part.  The bulk of the heavy clouds and I'm guessing rain had headed over the lake because I received a light sprinkle near route 11 and that was it.  On the fly, I gambled and decided to stop in Erie.  I arrived at the Erie Home Depot at 7:30pm, loaded up the 6 sheets of OSB and headed South to Camp.  No rain on the horizon, minimal clouds in the sky....this was a good sign!

By 10pm I had everything off the trailer and into the Thinker's Box where it was safe, sound and protected from any potential overnight rain storms.  I unloaded most of the items out of the SUV that weren't extremely valuable and prepared my sleeping arrangements at Pedro's place.  It was "early" and I was looking for something to occupy my time for a few hours.  There wasn't anyone on top of the mountain that I could tell so it was off to a little-less-local pub about 15 minutes down the road to watch the Steeler's game and a quick bite to eat.  A little-less-local because our local pub (within 5 minutes of camp) has closed its operation.  It had been for sale for $550K for a while and I guess the potential to serve a resident community of 468 people wasn't convincing enough for an investor to pony of the asking price?  Go figure?!

Anyway, when I left the pub...it looked like the Steelers were going to lose, but the game finalized with the win on their side.   If Manning had been healthy, it would have been a definite loss as would have Cleveland's game against them the week prior.  But, as the saying goes...Any given Sunday!

I returned to camp around 11:30pm and set my alarm for 6:30am.  I awoke to find the air cool and crisp, the sky turning bluer by the second and very few clouds.  It took a little longer for the sun to crest the mountain because of the season, but when it hit late morning...it was full force.  The work was systematic.  With only two tasks to complete, both being quite repetitive, I got into "machine mode" and got things done.  I departed camp at 3:01 and was home at 5:30pm.  

Video recap provided for your viewing pleasure.

Loft is in!

Another Thursday spent in the rain at TC installing the loft's joist framing.  The Thinker's Box now has an 11'8" X 13'4" second story "storage" area with one heck of a view.  Two luxuries that I enjoyed this time around was a cold day, a steady cool breeze and working under the protective shield of a tarp for a roof.

The overall framing went up without much trouble.  It took quite a bit of time because of the additional rigging needed to install the 2X8X12' lumber by myself.  Once I figured out the methodology and implemented the steps, it was steady work.

Once the joists were in place, I thought it would be a good time to block between them.  Instead of running one blocking row down the middle, I split the floor joist run into thirds and installed two rows.  The result was a very stiff upper deck which will only become more solid once the 1/2 tongue and groove OSB is installed on the next trip.

Weather report:  It rained from midnight through 8:45AM Thursday.  Once the rain had passed, I was able to work in cloudy conditions that changed to partly sunny, breezy and quite cool.  Because of the early morning rain, I decided not to purchase the OSB.  I'll haul it up to camp on a day that is dry and I've got my fingers crossed that this may be next Thursday?!

I'll bring you up to day next week when I return!

Dj

Framing The Thinker's Box

Originally the plan was to run solo out to TC and frame our camp's Thinker's Box (utility shed).  I prepped the vehicle by packing it full of all the tools necessary to complete the job.  I had a few minutes to spare a few days prior to leaving so I took advantage of them by preassembling the headers for both the roll door and the entrance door openings.  This saved quite a bit of time at camp and made finishing the wall with those openings much easier.

I met up with Floatman and collected the remainder of the Home Depot gift cards from his side of the division and put them together with one rather large gift card, sent to me as a tip for good work, from a loyal and multiple repeat rod building client.  He reads the blog, so I cannot thank him enough for his generosity...I REALLY APPRECIATE IT SCL!

Anyway, Jim and I had talked about going up there together which was a relief because as I thought about it more (and certainly now that it is done) I had come to the conclusion that there was NO WAY that I could have completed this project on my own.  At least, not without a struggle and a lot of rigging to make up for the second person needed.  Jim had some known family obligations that prohibited him from coming and with just a day to spare I scrambled to find an able bodied person to help me.  I went through the Rolodex and was beginning to become worried that the search would end miserably.  In desperation I called my neighbor Matt's wife because she's easier to reach and always knows what Matt's up to as far as work is concerned (most of the time he is up to his ears in jobs).  Matt has two speeds...100mph and relax/pass out/sleep.  I called his wife because the guy is so busy from sun up to sun down that I knew it was unlikely that I'd be able to reach him anyway.  Well long story short, the less than ideal weather had conspired to work against Matt's weekend plans and in favor of mine.  I gained a helper and  before I knew it I was the helper and Matt was running most of the show.  It was obvious by the speed at which we were able to build the structure, that we were on the same page and working toward the same goal in tandem.  Our efficiency was only interrupted by my need to video tape the progress for posting purposes.  

We were so busy that when we paused for a few minutes to prepare for the slowest wall to build (the one with the two door openings) it caused my neighbor further up the mountain to cruise down into our camp on his quad to make sure we were OK!  How's that for coolness?  After finding out that we stopped for reasons other than emergency related (that's a relief!), Randy shot the proverbial with us for a while.  In the course of conversation, I'm happy to report that we, and our visitors, have now gained an additional place to cook, take a hot shower and refrigerate food when needed.  I have to tell you, the hospitality of our neighbors is overwhelming.  We are very lucky to have them as they are certainly the salt of the earth!  Thanks Randy and Pedro.  You guys rock!

Back to the build...Matt and I framed the four walls of the Thinker's Box by 2pm.  All that was left was to set the ridge beam in place.  This took a little forethought as one end would put a person 20' in the air and the other near 18'.  I came up with using a few of the boards and constructing corner stands.  We climbed the ladder and perched ourselves at either end which put us in the position to be able to hoist the 16', 2X8" beam into place with minimal effort.  Returning to the shed's floor and looking up gave me a better perspective on how tall that beam actually was; much higher than what I had pictured in my head when sketching the building!

To finish off the job for the day, Matt and I draped a camouflage tarp over the beam and stapled it along with some 4 mil plastic to the walls in an attempt to protect the OSB flooring from the elements.

Here's the video recap.  I'm not sure why the first segment is in slo-mo, but it doesn't effect the capturing of the work progress.  You'll get a kick out of watching Matt (within the first couple minutes) walking on the lower level.  Doesn't he look like he just came out of the Sasquatch video from the 70's?  LOL!

Although I've done it a couple hundred times already (that isn't an exaggeration!), I'd like to publicly extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Matt for spending time helping me build the Thinker's Box.  His experience equaled efficiency and (again, no exaggeration) his drive at times motivated me to work and work with focus even when I thought it might be time for a break.  And for those that know me and how I work, I never take a break unless I really need one...so I can appreciate his enthusiasm.  And, although he shrugs it off as fun, building a structure takes energy any way you cut it...so I greatly appreciate him sacrificing time and energy to help me when I know there were probably a 100 other things he could have been doing!  Thanks Matt!

What's next?  I'll return to camp in the next several days with a heavy load of donated boards that will find their home as the exterior walls.  While up there and after the boards have been unloaded from the trailer, I'll head to the nearby Home Depot to purchase the loft floor joists and roof rafters.  She's coming along and I'm glad that you are interested in hearing / seeing the progress.

Until next time...

Perfect Preparation / Not-So-Perfect Weather

Labor day weekend was spent with our neighbors and "The Floatman".  The ten of us converged upon the local tavern Saturday evening.  Jim held the kitchen open for us and, literally, the last entree was ordered just before it closed at 10pm.  What a relief it was to make it down in time to be able to eat before heading up to our spot on the mountain because there wasn't a back up plan (at least one that didn't involve eating junk food instead) for Saturday evening's meal.  We ate, drank and got merry then headed to TC.  After setting up camp, some of us grabbed fresh cold ones and everyone else found a spot to hang out and have their own fun.  My poor daughter, suffering with the onset of a cough and cold, was forced to hang out by herself in the camper.  I have to say, even with feeling like complete poo-poo, my daughter impresses me with her maturity and helpfulness.   On her own, she prepared the inside of the Coleman pop-up and made it ready for our family to sleep within.  Thank you Babe-ah, I love you more than you'll ever know!  And I'm sorry you're feeling like 'el crappo!

My wife was extremely happy to be able to see the stars in their full glory.  Saturday evening, we were blessed with little cloud cover and moderate temperatures, both are great for night sky watching.  Once we completed camp construction and the positioning of our gear,  Matt and I plopped ourselves down in chairs on the "lower level" while the rest hung out around the fire and on the deck under the ez-up screen tent.  Besides the stars, comets and satellites, the coolest thing was the low level cloud that settled on the property for a few minutes.   All of sudden, the stars turned off and the sky went from blue/black to a dark grey.  I grabbed my LED flashlight and pointed it skyward.  The beam shown solid white.  The air was so thick with water droplets that the beam could penetrate only a dozen feet or so.  I scrutinized the light saber as it appeared to be alive.  What I found was that each minuscule droplet was moving around in a wind orchestrated dance.  It was really cool and mesmerizing.  The beam appeared like a bright wand of sand flowing back and forth and in layers like strudel.  Before I knew it, the cloud had passed and the show was over!

As the night drew into morning, we collected around the fire pit and put a small dent in the wood pile.  At times, the fire ring radiated heat so well that some of us repositioned ourselves further up the hill and actually off the pavers.  I was happy that I had made the trip up earlier in the week and took care of the weeds and moved the brick piles.  The added space came in handy when we gathered around the fire pit.  The bench seating that I built was also a hit and put to good use.

Sunday morning brought in a few passing rain showers, some heavier than others.  The worst of them hit just about dinner time though.  But, early morning had a window of opportunity that allowed us all to load up and head into town on a breakfast run.  I had promised and had my heart set on having us all go to a dinor (that's they way they spelled it there) that was within Tionesta's city limits, but the place was hopping with patrons because of the holiday weekend.  The servers were noticeably frazzled and it caused them to show little interest in accommodating our large group in any seating configuration.  I was disappointed.  I really wanted the kids to enjoy the good flavor of their homemade perogies.  As we waited for a couple tables to open, I watched a group of 6 walk in and sit down to be served which facilitated our group's exit.  The decision to reroute to the Sky Jet was wise.  This restaurant, only 10 minutes further up the road. had a much greater seating capacity and an efficient staff.  The proprietor, who is always dressed to kill in her Sunday best, sat us in the backroom within minutes of our entry and within 5 minutes I was chugging my first cup of many coffees to come.  We ate like kings and queens and rolled back to camp.  No, we literally rolled back to camp as I was so full of good eats I could explode! LOL!

Back at camp, it had begun to warm up.  Every now and then, there would be a small gust of cool wind, but they didn't last very long and didn't do much to stop the sweating.  I set up a few protective moving blankets on the ground of the lower level and unloaded the arsenal from the truck.  Matt, the kids and I made our way through the various calibers and just about everyone had a turn to display their markmanship.  The neighbor's daughters, although having never fired a rifle, showed that with just a little bit of instruction they could compete with the best of them.  The younger of the two was even brave enough to fire my .40cal Glock.  I was very thorough with hand and body position and what to expect upon trigger pull. She listened intently on what to do and what NOT to do.  I wish I could have captured the size of her grin on camera after the first squeeze and shot fired down range!  I knew by the look of her face that she could feel the power of this impressive weapon and wanted more.  I pointed out a few things that I felt could be improved upon and then let her empty the magazine.  I think she enjoyed herself.  I know she enjoyed firing that weapon.  I was really impressed because most of the 13 rounds were finding their way through the paper target placed 30 feet away.  Good going "Not a Toyota"!        

  Fast forward to dinner time.  I said "just before dinner time" in reference to the rains before dinner because it couldn't have been time any more perfectly.  The grill had just been turned off and all of the food was warmed and/or cooked to perfection and the rains began.  Two tables, 8 chairs, 9 people fit like sardines under a 10 X 10 canopy (in case you wondered!).  I, however, found a tree with broad leaves and used it like an big umbrella.  My wife Jennifer outdid herself again.  I suggested we do burritos as much of the ingredients can be prepared at home and warmed on the spot.  If you could imagine a burrito night at the local buffet line restaurant, you must have been up at camp with us!   The expanse of food at the chow line was crazy-out of this world.  She literally could have fed an army.  The fact that the food bags we brought up to camp filled a 100qt cooler should have been the clue on how elaborate this spread was going to be!  All of us tried intently to eat as much as we could, but the mounds of food just laughed at our attempts and would not relent.  We were forced to wrap up just about half of it all and store it for reheats the following day.  We had Matt, Carol and family over again (this time at our home) Monday evening to finish the left overs and we still had food to pack back into the refrigerator! LOL!

While it rained steady during Sunday's Spanish Supper, as soon as we had finished eating like pigs...it stopped and allowed us to enjoy yet another evening around the fire.  This time the festivities didn't last quite as long as the gravity of the consumption and the tiredness of all that we'd put ourselves through for 1.5 days had caught up to us.  We "called it a night" early and shortly thereafter it began to rain non-stop and didn't quit until early morning.  I thought for sure that we would find the Gricars in their tent somewhere floating down the mountainside, but the forest surrounding camp is forgiving (for the most part) and had sucked up the storm water like a sponge.  We packed down and headed out.

I couldn't help but think how much easier camping is going to be once I complete the Thinker's Box and haul the Banner camper up.  The convenience improvement is almost incomprehensible.  I apologize for not video taping.  I've got a few minutes of the children shooting targets, but I'm going to hold off posting it.   I was having to much fun to be stuck behind the DV recorder instead of in front of it.

The next post will resume with the construction of the wall framing and roof of the storage shed. Coming soon!

Dj

Thursday = TC Party Preparedness Day

   At the actual time of this entry (Monday 8/29/2011), two days prior to the evening that I will head out to camp, I'm planning on completing the following chore list so that our family's time on the mountain this holiday weekend will be all about having fun and not about work.  I'm fearful of the forecast as the hurricane that has passed (and a new one developing) plays with possibility of delivering rain or shine.  In any event, we'll be sitting shotgun on the mountain top, making the best of being in the forest and out of the concrete jungles of city life.

So here's what Thursday morning's schedule looks like:

• Paint the underside of the "Thinker's Box" subfloor
• Relocate the piles of bricks to a better, out of the way location
• Eliminate the excessive weed/fern growth surrounding the firepit and deck areas with the weed wacker
• Assemble pine/deck board bench seating
• Lop roots protruding from excavation area
• Fill in foundation post holes with dirt
• Burn pile of dimensional construction lumber waste
• Test propane grill

Granted, most of the tasks list above would not prohibit us from enjoying ourselves directly, but the fact that they need to get done would nag the recesses of my mind and cause me to want to do them.  I figure heading up prior to the event, working hard and getting as much done would be prudent and increase my level of personal enjoyment for the weekend.

So, what was I unable to complete?  Well, the rain was fairly constant from 2:00AM - 9:00AM and then 10-11:00AM again.  I didn't bother with the painting.  I also didn't bother with burning the wet dimensional lumber scrap either.  The roots sticking out of the lower level surface weren't really that bad.  I was thankful that I brought the lopping shears as I used them to remove that huge bush of weeds adjacent to the fire pit area.  And, as I ran out of time, I wasn't able to get to filling the holes circling the posts of the "Thinker's Box".

When I finally got home after a 2.5 hour drive and attempted to walk from the driver's seat of the Mountaineer, my body felt like I had just celebrated being 85!  I was sore and beat and in pain.  It got me thinking, I wonder how much lifting was involved with the relocation of those several piles of bricks?  Answer:  Nearly 10,000Lbs!  Back pain - - GO FIGURE!

Heavy Hardware / Subfloor

The entire family headed out early Monday morning to camp and arrived just past noon.  A slight delay in Erie to pick up some supplies at Home Depot and grab breakfast at Mickie D's had our drive time to just over 3 hours. Camp was absolutely beautiful.  Probably the most beautiful day that I can remember spending there in a long time, if ever.  The cool steady breeze and intermittent clouds blessed us with very tolerable temperatures (sweat shirt cool at times) and enough rays to get sunburned if you weren't careful!  Nick and Carly helped me out by pitching the stones that littered our excavated area into the woods.  Eradicating them from the flat is going to a chore that will need repeating many times.  In the course of their stone throwing adventure, they found two toads and played with them a while.  The wifey found switched from on the deck in bright sun to under the trees in the cool shade.   I, however, had work to do.  Beginning at 1PM through 5:30PM, I checked many tasks off my list of things to do.

It began with drilling 24 holes (48 times) first in 1/4" then in 1/2" diameters sizes, pounding in the 1/2" carriage bolts, installing the fender washers, lock washers and nuts.  Now the beams are done!  There are some spots where the center run of support doesn't hit the joists that run perpendicular across them, but this is due to putting the bowed side of the joist boards facing up.  In time and with the weight of the walls and roof, those few joists will settle flat and the structure will become even more solid than it already is now.

The tongue-n-groove 3/4" underlayment was installed long side parallel to the joists which required me to block between the joists where the end of two boards met.  This sorta killed two birds with one stone as I had planned to do a full run of blocking the left and right of the middle line of beams anyway.  I used liquid nails subfloor adhesive and 2 3/8" hot dipped nails to secure the sheets to the joists and experienced only one high spot at one seam.  I figure I'll take this down with a belt sander when we get to that point.  After reviewing the video above, I'm going to use the left over material and fill in the gap created at each end where the sub floor came in short on the 16' span.  I believe this was due to the fact that the boards aren't actually 4' wide.  Just a small difference adds up over that much width and this may have caused the 1/2" of gap at either end.  I've got enough material to make this gap disappear and will tackle that job when we begin to install the walls.  One more thing that I definitely wish to do is paint the entire underside of the floor, joists and beams.  I believe painting will assist in durability in the long run.

I left the structure covered with a doubled over camouflage tarp and built up a high side with the boards so that the water would run off the tarp and hopefully not pool on it.  The tarp is weighted down with bricks (we've got enough to go around!) and tied in a couple spots with twine to make sure it stays put until we get to the next stage.  "The next stage," you ask?  Stick framing!

Yes, the next time Floatman or I, or Floatman and I, hit TC...we're going to begin erecting the actual wall structure!  Won't that be fun.  I've been researching my rear-end off to be sure I know the process and I'm looking forward to the challenge.  Wish us luck!

Two weekends from now, we'll have our first family of visitors up at camp.  Jennifer and I invited our neighbors, Matt and Carol, up to camp along with their children.  To be completely honest, I'm looking forward to relaxing and partying with them.  Matt's a friggin' work-a-holic (I'd say like me, but he sets the bar a little higher than I'm even comfortable with) and I'm sure he'd enjoy the time away.  I'm also hoping that Floatman's clan can make it up to join us too.  The kids ages run a fairly broad spectrum, but I'm sure that we'll all have fun in the activities we've planned for the holiday weekend.  Let's be candid here, I've never been accused of being "really mature", so I'm just as much a kid as the rest of them.

Solid Oak Flooring, for free? SWEET!

Thanks to Ernie of Erie, Pa., Trout Camp's "Thinker's Box" is now the proud recipient of 150 square feet of solid oak flooring.  I truly appreciate the generosity of CListers and friends that have answered my "want ads".  The donated materials have been a G_dsend!  I THANK YOU!

I picked up the flooring this past Wednesday and lugged it back to my home to prepare it for re-use.  In the course of only a couple days, I was able to detach the underlayment (dual 3/8" plywood) and salvage almost all the floor boards intact.  From the pile of boards, I used a cutoff wheel to remove the rather sparse staple legs and stacked them neatly.  It is amazing how little room the individual boards take compared to when they are assembled into a sheet.  With only 50% left to complete, we're just about ready to put the tongue and groove underlayment down up at camp.  I've accumulated quite a bit  of materials waiting for the ultimate day of installation including a 36" wood door, screen door, three small windows, a camper sink and faucet, a small camper tub, wood galore and now the flooring.

Here's the run down on the plans at this point:

• Install the carriage bolts (long overdue!)
• Install 23/32" tongue and groove underlayment.
• Complete structure stud framing including the roof.
• Install the exterior wall sheeting.
• Install the wood flooring.
• Install the 36" wood door and screen door.
• Order up the roll door and install.  Janus 650 Steel Roll Door
• Exterior trim work & Interior dressing up as needed.

My neighbor Carol brought up a good point when I relayed the plans for construction.  Initially, I had thought about laying the hardwood down and then stud framing on top of that.  She voiced concern with the flooring ends following the perimeter of the structure and their exposure to the elements/moisture.  I explained that the walls would cover this area and most of the joist floor framing.  This question served another purpose, though, as I did some recalculating and re-figured the quantity of oak flooring that we actually needed.

Total shed underlayment covered floor [ 12'3" X 16" = ] 196 square feet.

We're framing with 2X4" studs.  The stud wall's bottom plate reduction (a 2X4's width), due to the thickness of the material around the outer edge, would subtract [3.5" X 147 (twice) + 3.5" X 192" (twice) =] 16.48 square feet of flooring.  Less if you consider the 1/4" gap that should be allowed between the oak floor edges and the interior walls.  We'll call it a total reduction of 17.5 square feet of flooring material.

Here's why that is important.  I originally thought I'd arrive home with 400 square of gymnasium flooring from Erie, but after loading...it was obvious that I had less than half of that amount.  So, the total subfloor area equals 196 sq. ft., subtract the 17.5 sq. ft. because of the walls and we have an area of 178.5 sq. ft. that needs to be covered.  If we then include any interior walls, shelving or the underneath of a countertop, etc...it looks like (if all goes well) that 150 square feet of oak flooring should work out just about perfect.  In the event it doesn't, I have about 60-80 square of bamboo flooring left from the installation of our front room's floor that I can use inconspicuously where needed.

Thanks Carol for inadvertently forcing me to rethink and formulate a better plan to maximize the use of what I've got on hand!

Lastly, there seems to be some questions regarding how we intend on incorporating the latrine into our structure.  After all, the "Thinker's Box" got its name from the fact that some of our most brilliant ideas come to us while answering the call of Nature.  And, in the course of relaxing at camp, it became obvious that the ladies needed an inspiration throne. Floatman and I needed a place to store tools and other camp necessities as well.  So, we're killing two birds with one here.

Let me back up a bit and shed some insight into the design premise behind this Trout Camp addition.  First off, according to the county office, it is permissible to erect a storage structure up to 1000 square feet as long as it isn't to be occupied as a livable dwelling.  Yes, you've read that correctly!  We can build a garage or barn up to 1000 square without having to pull a permit.  That is almost unbelievable, but I re-checked and that number is accurate!  Due to county legislation, the times of erecting a primitive cabin on a budget are all but written off.  If a structure is to be erected for occupation (one day / month or 30) then permits must be pulled for the construction and one is forced to incorporate septic, well water and electric.  If you're not aware, these three are EXPENSIVE and only further the cause for the gov't / commercial enterprises to charge you for utilities / taxes that are totally unnecessary for a weekend camping lodge.  The original thought behind the legislation had reason.  Older primitive cabins dot (litter) the landscape down to our turn off and up the hill to our private drive into camp.  The many pit latrine / outhouses have contaminated the aquifer that feeds the spring coming into camp.  So besides feeding the machine your money, the ecological goal was to limit the mountain stream's contamination source.  Unfortunately these laws grandfathered preexisting established camps and came too late.  The damage is done and likely will never be undone.

We wish to be as ecologically friendly during those limited days we can steal away and seek refuge in her bosom (I'm talking about camp here, keep it clean!)  The benefits of humanure are well documented and the process ecologically sound and friendly.   Our plans incorporate a DIY model very similiar to this commercial available unit.  By the time the human matter hits the soil, it is as nutrient rich and decomposed as any cow/horse manure you can purchase from a farm.  During the process of collection, if the proper steps are taken in handling and preparation, waste is completely transparent to both nose and eyes.  See embedded video for all the information:  

That's all for now.  Next week I'll post a short video of the carriage bolts and underlayment installed.  We've invited  some guests up to camp for the labor day weekend and having the underlayment floor on the joists of the "Thinker's Box" will give the kids somewhere to camp that is off the ground and dry.