back up the hill

It has been a wild week here in San Diego--fires across the county (and all through SoCal) have been raging. On Monday, news accounts threatened that this year's fires could be "worse than the Cedar Fire." The air was thick with ash, and evacuation noticed displaced half a million people as the Santa Ana winds moved flames quickly through the region. Again, the fires threatened Julian. But, for one more time this year, the fires were only a threat and not a reality in Julian.

On Saturday, the evacuation order was lifted, and we went back up the hill to work on the house so more.

The day was beautiful--the view out the back windows is glorious this fall. We did some little bits: bolting the beams to the steel columns, adding a few rafters, adding more brackets to the side walls to catch more rafters, and adding plywood sheathing to the east wall.
The best part of the day, though, was on the ride home--we spotted a glorious rainbow out over the desert. We pulled over to look, and the scenic viewpoint just south of the house. The rainbow stretched all the way across the sky.
As we stood looking, little drops of rain started falling on us. As if to say that God's promise is still with us--we will not be completely destroyed. Both for folks whose homes were spared and for those who suffered loss this year, I take the rainbow as a reminder to claim hope.
---
The work will continue next weekend--anyone up for some building?

it looks a house!

Here's the progress as of Saturday evening. There are still a bunch of rafters to install. And plywood sheathing on the house and roof, but the shape looks like a house. :)


On Friday, a wonderful crew of folks came up to help work with the crane to put the walls Dad's been building in place. (And a few beams, too.)

Thanks to Josh, Andrew, Don and Jay for their help. With Dad, Matt and I, and a patient crane operator named John, it was a wonderful crew.
You can see a little video of the action here. We edited out the *long* pauses to make things fit right.


Everyone worked hard on tall ladders to make everything fit together.
Our last "lift" of the day was the ridge beam that will hold the roof in place. With Don guiding the crane, it fit neatly into the frame of the house. All is well.

Today (Saturday), Matt and I, Phil and Shan, Dad and Jay worked on setting some of the rafters in place. That ridge beam is really high. We made Matt climb the ladder. (And tie a rope around his waist and to the beam!)
With a little ingenuity and teamwork, we devised a workable method for hoisting the rafters up all that height. Hooray for ropes.

It was a day of good teamwork. Nearly half of the rafters are up, the walls are all plumb, and the frame should be secure. Dad heard a forecast of "hurricane strength" Santa Ana winds, so we put a few extra nails in...We worked 'til dark (and, well, a little past.) Enough to get the worklights up to help illuminate the nailing-in of the last rafters to go up.

crane day, revised

Just in case you've been waiting with bated breath...

The crane is coming TOMORROW!!!! (That's Friday. The 19th.)

We're gonna have a work party up there to make it all happen. You can come play, if you want. Or, you can come Saturday. We'll work then, too. ;)

(And, in case you're a word nerd, I looked up "bated breath," 'cause I didn't want to misuse it. I'd have spelled it "baited breath," which doesn't really make so much sense to me. Turns out, it's "bated." Like "abated." Like you've stopped breathing until the moment when you'd know when the crane was coming... Not like you've hung a crane out there like "bait" to draw the folks up the hill to Julian.)

beaming

Today, the Dixieline truck delivered the ridge beam for the house. It's really long. And large.

Lest the story of our day seem stressful, I thought I'd start with this picture of triumph: Matt and Dad standing with their successfully off-loaded beam, in a location that will not block the crane we hope will arrive to set it in place.
We arrived just after the delivery truck. The whole reason for our early departure was so that wouldn't happen. (But I'm just not good at mornings...) Luckily, the big, long beam was still on the truck. There were negotiations about where and how to drop it. Proposal one was to aim it downhill, out the way of the street. The wise delivery man nixed that plan. "There's no way I'm gonna let that thing go down hill!" he said.
A second plan seemed better: lay it next to the old, burned electrical pole, out of the way of the crane's perch and out of the street. I continue to be impressed with Dixieline truck maneuverings. Today was no disappointment...
even if the final solution was to just heave the beam off the side of the truck. Here it is mid-fall. Dad's watching carefully, though I'm not really sure what he could have done if it had all gone wrong. ;)
Here's more careful supervision of Matt's activities, as Matt trims the ends of some other beams to the right angle and length. With a chainsaw. We're thinking that if this Mechanical Engineering thing doesn't work out, chainsaw sculptures of little bears could be a real possibility. Such precision.
And, speaking of precision, I thought we should show off Dad's impressive pile of carefully-built walls. They're stacked in the house, waiting for the crane.
Don't they look great?!?!

Now, we just need to arrange for the crane. October 20 is our target date. Anyone want to come for the fun?

bigger columns (or, six boards closer to a back wall)

The weather was lovely in Julian yesterday--sunny, but not miserably hot. And, the house looked lovely. Now that the front wall is all up, it looks pretty darn impressive...Out biggest accomplishment (or, at least the thing that most needed a second pair of hands) was getting boards attached to the columns in the back wall. Even though they're not as tall as the back will will eventually be, those columns are darn call. Getting boards measured and set on the bolts that come out of the columns took a bit of coordination. We made Matt climb the ladder.

It was fun to see all the work Dad's done, stacked up on the house's floor--we're getting closer to ready for the big day when we can hire a crane to life all those tall walls into place.

Don't you think that wood sets off the red of the columns nicely? (And the front wall looks lovely in the distance...)
The excitement of the afternoon was when a swarm of bees came through the house. Matt decided that he didn't really want to be on a 28' ladder when they were swarming all around him. Eventually, they settled on the tree just south and west of the house. We would have preferred they'd settled further away, but were thankful they didn't choose the house itself. It was pretty incredible to watch a huge swarm turn into a little ball of bees on the oak tree branch.

[And, of course, the presence of bees in this year when they seem to be dying elsewhere, was heartening, and invited us to turn to discussion of the possibility of planting a few fruit trees on the property. We're thinking apple and nectarine. Any thoughts?]

Here's Dad and Matt as they investigate the bee ball in the oak tree. Like father, like son, eh?
And, finally, here's Matt up on his ladder again, cutting off the ends of the column's bolts. See how happy he is, working on the house? (He also seemed happy when a herd of 13 turkeys walked through the property, very near where he set up his target for archery practice. He's looking forward to turkey hunting season...especially if they voluntarily come within arrow range.)
Can't wait to host a big turkey dinner for everyone who's helped us, complete with Nona's apple pie from fruit from the tree we have yet to plant...

three cheers for dad

While the rest of us have been heading back to work (or to Army responsibilities), Dad has been hard at work on the house. Steadily working away (sometimes with Mom's help in the days before school started), he's finished the second floor walls and nearly finished the first of the big, tall, 2-story wall sections. And he started the back wall. Cool stuff.

So, in his honor, I thought we should post a few pics I took when I stopped by the house today. (I was just passing through on a church errand...)

Here's Dad where I found him, packing up for the day.
Here he is as he shows me the first 2x6s that will become the back wall, all bolted onto the steel beams.

Thanks, Dad!

lifting, hauling, hammering, hanging!

All in a day's work...

LIFTING
"I think we can, I know we can...WE CAN"
HAULING



There is a whole lot of hauling going on! What would we do without good, good friends. Molly is trying to keep everyone in step, "Left, right, left, right, swing wide, forward march..."






HAMMERING

SARAH'S SEVEN SWINGS
It's in!!! Your first adventure with building a house!





HANGING
It's really all about measuring for the miles of blocking

And so it goes up at the Julian Adventure in Building a Home.

the view from the second floor

Here's where we were when we started work last Saturday; Matt and Dad had gotten many of the joist hung for the second floor. But, that *large* pile of lumber was still looming in the distance...

After much lumber pile unstacking and hauling, we got some of the plywood that'll be the second floor up there. Matt R hauled a whole lot, but still looks happy, eh? (The view's not bad from the second floor, either!)
In mid-afternoon, we took a break for some salsa and chips on the second floor. Our first meal upstairs, I suppose...
Emily and Jen were gluing and nailing the plywood, so it's good to see them enjoying the floor, too. :)
We also put some of the sheathing on the front of the house. (If you look closely, you can see the second story floor, too!)

Since this picture, Matt, Phil and Dad finished the floor (yesterday), and are up again today working on the second story walls. It'll be fun to see them!

wall-raising work

We hope you enjoy this little film, made from a bunch of photos Matt took between Wednesday and the end of Friday, in chronological order. (Sort of a flip-book for this millenium?)



Big things happened this week, including the construction of all the bits of the first floor that are under a second floor, and the lifting of some darn big beams that will support the second floor.

Thanks for all the good work, everyone!

(Our Aunt Ann and Cousin Sarah got to help, too, though you have to look really closely to catch them in the video... SO, I added a still shot to make it easier.) ;)

sweet, sweet milestones

With hawks soaring under sunny skies, and thunder clouds rolling through, we finished that big, floor and raised the first wall! As Shannon would say, "Whoo Hoo!" Thanks to Andrew for gooood friendship! Dad, Phil, and Matt even enjoyed the first dinner IN Sweet Home Cuyamaca (just trying out names...)!

a big week

I'm writing from San Diego, as walls are goin' up in the house.

This week, Matt and Phil and staying up in Julian to get some serious work done. Mom and Dad are going up there, too. The rest of us are stuck at work... (on those pesky jobs that pay the bills).

Last night, Matt said they'd finished the floor, and were building the first wall--the lower half of the north end of the west wall.

Who knows what's done by now!

Anyhow, just in case anyone's checking in on our work this week, I thought I'd give the tip-off that things are happening.

And, of course, if you're looking for something good to do with a day, you'd be most welcome. I'm headed up on Friday. Wanna come? ;)

some floor to stand on

It was beautiful in Julian today--warm, but with clouds passing by through the day, and a nice breeze to keep us cooler.

Dad and Matt worked to get the last joists and rim board in place, on the pointy end of the house.
We put Mom to work, too--it's not every day she gets to use the power tools and break a sweat...

She bolted the beams that will support the second floor into place.


And, she laid all the adhesive that will keep the floor from squeeking. We nailed nearly half the floor sheathing into place.
Doesn't it look swell? There's enough floor to dance now...

Now that the floor's partly down, I have a new suggestion for the name of the house: Treehouse II. It feels like you're in the treetops when you're at the house level! (And, of course, it sits next to Treehouse I, where small Parker children learned some of the building skills that they're using now...)

Other name suggestions, from way back, include:
Little Haven (which sounds a bit like Littlehale, and carries the hopes that one day we can go up to the mountains for a bit of haven-like relaxation...)
Sweet Home Cuyamacas (for obvious reasons)
Starwood in Julian (a tribute to John Denver)
and, last, but not least...
The House that Jack Didn't Build (Lots of Others Did)

Votes, anyone?

rejoice: joists!

Yesterday, Matt, Phil, Dad and I did some ground work, so that today we could build a floor. Today, the joists are all in place (for which we rejoice...)!

Here's where things were when we started today. You'll notice the presence of some good people who made the day better: thanks for your help, Josh, Vanessa, Brandon and Stephanie (even if you're not in THIS picture...)!!With the sill plates and anchor bolts all in their places, we carried the big, beautiful beams that'll support the floor into place. It took a whole lot of us. And, we're grateful for Nona's neighbor, Gary, who built the *spectacular* hangers that hold them.
Vanessa got good at drilling. Dad helped make sure things were in the right places.


Matt told us what to do. Or, tried to. When you're losing your voice, it's hard. Here he is as he pauses for a moment of reflection (or strategy? exhaustion?).And, finally, here are things as they lined up toward the end of the day. Aren't they lovely?!?!

Work Party!!!!

Wanna come join us this Saturday, for a work party as we starting building the floor?!?

If you say you'll come, we'll be sure to have good things for you to eat and drink.

It'll be a good time.

lining up in columns?

Today was big, tall, exciting progress: the steel columns that will support the back wall of the house (with all its windows) were installed.Matt, Dad, Phil and his friend Jeff went up to make it all work, but the steel man and the crane operator were the big heroes of today... They lifted the beams into place, and made 'em work. That's someone who knows what he's doing on the top of a steel column on top of this steel column:
Don't they look marvelous in place?

(Phil's included for scale.)
Thanks for making it happen, guys!

solid as a rock

What a sight: after yesterday's concrete pumping fun, today, there's a solid (12" wide, 6' tall, 32' long) wall at the back of the house foundation.

We went up today to remove the wood forms, and to see if we succeeded. And things look beautiful. ;)Matt had fun removing the custom-made bolt-holding cavity protectors. I think they give the back wall the nice effect of a crenolated tower--our own little castle. Dad thinks they'd make a nice turkey blind, now that it's hunting season.
Here's Matt in triumph after removing the most stubborn wood.
Just look at how well the concrete filled in--even under these forms!
Now: who's up for some wood-working?!?