Monday, August 29, 2011

Fair Weather Fun... sort of

G & I got most of the wiring run through the joists and the two interior walls while it was raining. You'd think that would be a fairly easy task, just pulling some Romex, but noooooo... not when you take into consideration that we're trying to run the maximum outlets/lights on the minimum amount of wire, without overloading any of our few circuits or potentially leaving ourselves in the dark if we turn something on a pop the breaker, and not drill too many holes in the same stud/joist, and keep the wires as hidden as possible... all while being two of the most OCD and contrary planners in recorded history. There are times where we just do not communicate and work well together. Of course, the freaky differences between US and UK standards doesn't make things easier since G got his EE degree over there in the land of 220v wiring ;)

Anyway, we were going to start on the flooring so we could move in by Labor Day (Sept 5 for you non-Americans LOL); but had to take advantage of a fortuitous break in the rain to do a little work on the roof which has been suffering under an infamous Alaskan Blue Tarp since December. Needless to say, a few wind storms and a lot of UV exposure later, it's protective coverage was patchy at best. So, when the glorious sun finally peaked back out of the clouds, we scrambled up the ladders to yank the poor shredded thing off!

Then it was a matter of trying to install the self-adhesive rubberized ice shield on the rake, ridge and pitch breaks. Yeah, if only it were that simple. Seriously, this stuff sticks to everything except the roof, and it especially likes to stick to itself. And that "easy" release paper... yeah, uh-huh... kept shredding instead of peeling, and of course it had to shred right in the middle so we'd have to fight with it the whole time while it tried to adhere to us and itself. All while balancing precariously on a 7:12 pitch in the wind. We're talking some serious feats of Peter Parker Prowess.

And poor G-man... found yet another building material he's allergic to. Poor bugger was breaking out in hives before we'd even finished the rakes, so it was quickly back to the tent to wash him up and pop some extra-strength Benadryl. Needless to say, it took us 4 days to lay down 7 strips.  We also nearly created the world's largest glue-trap when a piece flipped over, stuck to itself and then blew off the roof... almost snagging poor Ripley who was anxiously pacing at the foot of the ladder below.

But the membrane is down, with the minimum amount of weird wrinkles that we could manage, so it should keep those joints from leaking again. Now all we have to do is drag the new Ultra-Duty White Tarp up there and get it spread out evenly and tacked down so we can protect the rest of the roof this winter since we couldn't get the porches on and, therefore, couldn't actually get the tarpaper and shingles on. At least this tarp is much thicker, covers the entire roof (and then some!), and is UV stablized... but it also weighs about 100 lbs. Since I'm better at hauling materials up and down on the ladder, I'm going to have to figure out how to wrestle some bulky thing that weighs almost as much as I do up there. Joy!! Let's hope it's not windy THAT day!!

But, we can hold off on that tarp for a couple of days and (hopefully) get back to the floors so we aren't delaying our move in date too awfully much ;)

And, I promise promise promise, as soon as I recover the fugitive card-reader from it's hiding place at the cabin, I will post pics of all our progress!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Time flies while it's raining

Well, we have our stairs in and most of the drywall installed. Were planning to install the floors this week, before mudding the drywall and painting the walls, so they could get dry and acclimated before sanding and finishing. Everything was starting to click along...

But Noooooooo... it absolutely had to RAIN again. Grrrrrrr  We got a brief respite from the rain yesterday, but needed to go into Manley which wasted most of the day.

We don't want to drench the flooring hauling it into the house, plus we have to move some stuff outside into the rain to do that (and hope we can tarp it before it gets soaked through). Can't finish the mudding the walls because it won't dry. Can't properly install the entry doors because that means taking them off and exposing the inside of the house. Can't pickle and poly the kitchen cabinets because it's too humid. We're at the stage where most of the tasks are either outdoors or require good ventilation and relatively dry conditions. Booger snots!!

The only cabin projects we could really do during this weather are piddly things that really don't impact our ability to move in by Labor Day and could easily be done at Christmas or New Years or Easter. Arg :(

Heck, can't even do laundry... but the sheets and towels we had hanging on the line are getting rinsed really well. And it's a little too warm to go clearing brush or chopping firewood with a raincoat on.

But - on a positive note :)  Mr. Bear hasn't been around since I chased him off with the shotgun, and our neighbors finished a big enough clearing that we could move their camper to their property instead of behind our tent. Silver linings....