Second Annual 'Big Push' Redux

The last 'big push' weekend was - to my thinking - an unqualified success. We got more done in the weekend than would have otherwise been done the entire year. I was completely satisfied.

Dad, however, was not. 

He had expected that we would complete the ceilings, and we didn't, so something had to be done. And it was: When visiting my sister a few weeks later, he kidnapped my brother-in-law and showed up at the cabin at noon on a Thursday. By Friday noon, the ceilings were done, and more of the plaster sanding to boot. Here are some photos...

 

Asleep on the job? Not exactly. We built temporary bridges for the work above the cathedrals. Laying the lowest courses of the ceiling were the most awkward, forcing you to lay on the bridges while trying to maneuver the T&G with one hand and use the nailer with the other. All while remembering not to slide to far backward...

While the boys worked upstairs, the LSW took the 'easy' work sanding the sheetrock plaster. She can attest that it's unpleasant at best, but at least we're close to done.

The boards were anywhere from 18" to 14', while the rafters were 2' on center starting 2" off center from the middle of the cabin (don't ask). The trick was trying to make the most efficient use of the materials at hand while not letting any seams line up. Eventually, they got it to a science.

The Brother-in-Law. He and my father worked upstairs measuring, fitting and nailing while I stood downstairs to receive boards, cut them, and pass them back up. We had a clever idea for propping up the chop saw outside the upstairs window, but it turned out that the only 10" blade we had was dull as a brick.

The upstairs isn't quite as hot with the insulation in place, but we definitely needed the fan. The weather was cooler than the prior work weekend, though, so we considered ourselves lucky.

 

The finished product. To cover the seam at the peak, my father wanted to run a single board (the length of the cabin). I wasn't sure this would look right and suggested that we cut about 56 6" pieces and run them width-wise (like the underside of the bridges). Dad washed his hands of this, but admitted in the end that it looked pretty good.

So the place looks awful close to 'done' now. What would have taken 2 years of occasional weekends for me, the LSW and The Boy took about 4 days with a crew of 3. I'm incredibly grateful.

In other news...

The Boy decided that he was Indiana Jones all weekend, despite the cowboy hat, 6-shooter and badge. Here he's holding Geocache #25 for the Vermonster family.

The Boy also lost another tooth over the weekend, and found himself 90 cents richer once we helped the Tooth Fairy scrounge for change.

The next trip up will be in August, when - if everything works out - we'll finally prime the bathroom and hook up the vanity. No more brushing our teeth and washing the dishes in the bathtub!