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Sunday, 23 October 2005
Seasonal Shutdown


Hi All,

This time of year when contemplating spending a weekend in a partially insulated non-electric camp in Vermont one spends a goodly amount of time at www.weather.com looking at 10 day forecasts. Of course the only forecast nearby is North Adams, Ma. and they are 800 ft above sea level, we are 1200 feet higher. Saturday they predicted it would start raining about four in the afternoon......okay, that would make for a pretty good exterior siding workday . If fact it did start raining at 2:00 p.m., but we got to enjoy showers of sleet starting at 7:00 a.m. We worked in between the bouncing ice balls, and quit when the 34 degree rain soaked us. Not a whole lot of progress to show. However we reached the conclusion that this year we would not be heros.

Next week we will call Wally the mountain farmer and ask if we can get the four wheel drive truck up the mountain, and if so, go pack out for the season. Chickenshits. Smart Chickenshits.

Woke up to a Sunday dawn to find the car covered with snow. Headed down to see Barak, Jenn and Baeden for a transgenerational fix and were amazed to find that Rt 2 (the Mohawk Trail) had one lane washed out from all the recent rain in two places, one on each side of Florida Mountain. The top of said mountain had at least two inchs of snow.

Ah yes, I remember weekends of walnut woodchips: sculpture as the three dimensional sister art of architecture....... love to all BSB


Posted by Bennett at 6:18 PM EDT
Monday, 10 October 2005
Half a Construction Season Later


Dear Friends and Family (and any lost souls who stumble on this blog entry at sykesgallery.com),

It has been a long time since I sent a Report from the Mountain bulk mailing, and half a building season since I updated the website with a Letter to the Architect. So what has been happening with our non-electric camp, 2000 feet up the side of a hill in Vermont? And what has happened to the passion with which this endeavor has been documented after every weekend of construction and the two 5 hour commutes?

I did finish the stairs, with mahogany treads and landings,

and did finally get to the work so desperately needed on the exterior: trim and finish roofing on the porch and guest tower.


There is nothing particularly interesting about roofing, either as photos or narrative, except for solving the scaffolding problems to get our sorry old asses up high enough to bang down the shingles.

That was the point where my blog posting stumbled, fell, and ceased. The sense of loss this camp, this realization in living form, suffered with the death of Bob Harper, the architect, (www.robertlharper.com) also caught up with me, paralyzing my motivation to post a Letter to the Architect. Finally, by way of excuses, I have entered into reading "The Nature of Order: an Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe" by Christopher Alexander, which is a lengthy quartet of books that has consumed every available, sedentary minute of my time. Mr Alexander may be slightly mad, but that doesn't mean he isn't right.

With the main roofing completed, we have been able to turn our attention to the finish of the exterior walls. The corner boards were an ongoing discussion with Bob Harper. I have always had concern that on the overhang brackets and the support for the eyebrow roofs and rear cantilevers, water would run down the sloping corner boards and concentrate where they meet the vertical walls. I was able to study an example of this configuration of siding that was at least a hundred years old at the Shelburne Museum, up near Burlington, Vt. and sure enough, there was an area of advanced decay spreading out from the center where the angled board topped the vertical one. The solution I finally arrived at (with astral prompting??????) was threefold: cut the top of any horizontal or angled trim at 30 degrees, cap it with flashing, and most important, insert a horizontal return at the bottom of every sloping board to shunt the water out and down.
I have no idea if any or you, dear readers, can make sense of my description and the photo documentation. I ramble on because it has consumed a great deal of thought.

One of Bob's last communications to me was that he thought that clapboards would be aesthetically fine, rather than cedar shingles. Lord knows they go up faster! The cost of clear cedar for the skirt boards, window trim, and corner boards would have bankrupted the whole project, so I chose to use 5/4x6 inch knotty cedar decking. It still is not cheap. I left the 1/4 inch radius on the boards, and in fact routed it on the rips that had to be made. Design feature. I routed a shiplap joint onto the two boards that constitute the skirt trim, which generates the width necessary to Bob's design, without involving the increased board-foot cost of wider boards. Louise and I liked the white line of the aluminum drip cap flashing and decided to let it be another design feature. We also used a sealer to coat all sides of the exterior cedar, including the end cuts as they were made, before we put it up. God knows I don't want to have to paint or stain this place later!

I guess that brings construction news up to date. A couple of weeks ago we invited our neighbor Wally over to dinner. He farms the mountain and keeps an eye on the camp during the week while we're gone. At the end of the meal, at dusk, Wally looks out those wonderful east windows, and exclaims "Look! There goes a moose!" Sure enough! Right across the meadow which is our primary view. Sort of makes the whole endeavor worth it! Love to all....BSB



Posted by Bennett at 1:39 PM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 11 October 2005 6:15 PM EDT
Monday, 20 June 2005
Report from the Stairwell in the Cabin on the Mountain


Hi
Solo on the mountain.....37 hours of work in three days and 10 hours of driving.....this may just be an incoherent report ....yup, dont have a clue as to how to get from my fried synapses to your hopefully somewhat more rested electro-spark-gaps....huh?

Louise had to work over the weekend so I drove up Thursday night with a cabinet in pieces in the car. Assembled the corner cabinet with 5 more metal drawers on Friday morning, and then set up shop on the porch. I now have a table saw, compound slide saw and jointer. Finish carpentry is unthinkable for me without a jointer. I got a Palmgren bench jointer from Amazon.com. Found their customer reviews very useful in choosing this one (104 lbs of cast iron) over a stamped sheet metal/plastic Delta.

I discovered over the weekend that the 5x5 foot sheets of Baltic birch ply dont just automatically stack to fill a wall. The diagonal measurements dont agree (the test for right angles in a rectangle) and after hand planing the corners more and more as I worked up the wall, I discovered that the factory edges aren't straight.....maybe thats why the Soviet Union lost the cold war, they cant make square plywood. So much for an easy wall fix.

I screwed the extension jambs together and then screwed the resulting box to the Andersen window frame. The flashing pan under the window pushes the bottom out almost 1/8 inch, so the extension jambs were taper cut with the jointer. I then lapped the ply over the jambs, screwed it tight and trimmed it back with a router. This is an evolution of a suggestion from Bob Harper back when we were thinking of using T&G pine....(too much work) Speaking of Bob Harper........by removing the temporary floor to open up the stairwell, it becomes increasingly obvious that his design is an accomplished essay in natural light.There remains one more space to open, but the ceiling on the second floor has to be done first......... the stairs are the priority, so that will wait. Thanks Bob. We keep in the camp the picture that Patty Harper sent us at Christmas of a younger Bob; it is a reminder that the structure has a guardian angel.

I am at risk in my weariness of regressing back to High School when I was accused of typing illegibly, so I'll close....Best to All....BSB





Posted by Bennett at 5:27 PM EDT
Grandchild's Loft Windows

Greetings

We anticipate spending most of the construction season this year up on scaffolding, roofing the porch and getting the exterior finish done, but before that.......we have decided to build the stairs in the main building. Climbing a step ladder to get into bed, exhausted after a work day, or descending same ladder in an uncaffeinated state in the morning looses its charm after a couple of years. In order to insulate and panel the walls that define the stair, we had to first keep the water out of the building, so we prayed to the Tyvek gods that their product might do the trick for a couple of months.

We also have done a spatial analysis and decided that because the privy/shower is across the porch in the shed building, we could modify Bob Harper's interior configuration, turning the intended main building bath area into a library/desk alcove connected to the living space. We also decided that since the were high (10' floor to floor) we could create a child's lookout loft under the stairs and over the alcove.....a womb with a view, accessible by built-in ladder....probably not for kids under three or four, but we'll see if there is a monkey in the genetic memory of our grandchildren. So this weekend we installed the windows for that loft and got Tyvek on the walls where the stairs will go. Invented a way to attach a scaffolding rail to a modified ladder bracket, which simplifies the scaffolding set up. Have I ever mentioned that I really dont like ladders and scaffolding? In the world of Zen, ya do what ya gotta do....love to all BSB




Posted by Bennett at 5:18 PM EDT
Updated: Monday, 20 June 2005 5:55 PM EDT
First Report from the Mountain: 2005


Greetings;

The computer swallowed my first attempt at a letter , and I am a post Memorial day construction warrior zombie, so I'll do a list of sorts.

First weekend North:
Saturday morning 7:00am ferry.
Great American Quickie platform bed
Walmart Barbecue assembly
Futon-sofa Assembly
Dinner for 8 (Barak Jenn, Baeden, Daina, Eric, Zenta, us) Visit Mass MoCA
Get home early-ish Sunday

Build shed/guest loft stairs Tues and Wed evening in Peconic

Return Friday:
Fill a 15 yard dumpster neatly with 2 years of construction crap Install stairs
Build railing in guest loft
Run to Home Depot in Greenfield Mass for the Living Room Floor parts Install 10 sheets of 3/4 sanded underlayment ply and 300 sq feet of vinyl floor tile, finishing by LED headlamp. Recycle floor ply scrap into shed storage shelves (self supporting so the walls can be insulated and finished later.)

Drive home
Make mistakes at the computer.

Yet to do:
Sleep.
And when the morning light comes streaming in, we get up and do it again. Amen

BSB




Posted by Bennett at 5:09 PM EDT
Sunday, 7 November 2004
Sleep Well House




Hi Everybody

We did find a little pile of unmelted snow where it landed after sliding down the valley of the porch roof when we arrived Saturday about 9:00 pm. After all our midnight arrivals this fall, It was a pleasure to get the camp toasty and play Cathedral by the light of a new Coleman lamp. It doesn't hiss as much as the older one. Thanks Chris for a thoughtful gift.

Woke to first light and got up immediately and fired up the kerosene heater. First light in Vermont is a spiritual experience, no matter what the weather......... well it is now that we have a roof and windows.

We used the generator and heat gun to dry the dampness of the dew (dew is a form of precipitation, and will make our brook run even when the summer drought reduces it to almost nothing.) Finished the Ice and Snow Membrane on the porch and were on the way home by 1:00 in the afternoon.

With almost all of the leaves down, photos of different views of the whole camp are possible, so I close the 2004 construction with a bit of a walkabout of the architecture of Bob Harper....bless him

Love to all, BSB










Posted by Bennett at 10:03 PM EST
Updated: Sunday, 3 April 2005 3:45 PM EST
Monday, 1 November 2004
2004 Penultimate Construction Weekend




Greetings

Are you who read these missives as tired of them as I am just plain tired when I write them? The weather reports for this past weekend forecast rain. Which makes for a week of anxious planning. More tarp magic....17 sheets of 5/8 ply to cut and install. Finished the jack rafters over the kitchen and by the end of Saturday had half the roof sheathed with plywood. With the time change we were able to get a start by 7:00 am Sunday and finished the second half by noon. Not so much rain as occasional sprinkles so we launched into Ice and Snow Membrane installation. Had that half finished by 3:30 when it started raining enough to make the roof slippery and too wet for the membrane to stick.

So.....our last weekend of construction proved to be the penultimate. Louise has to work next Saturday, but if if if the weather promises to be clear, we will leave earlier than usual in the afternoon on Saturday and finish the waterproofing in a half day on Sunday.

Then we can say Sleep Well House. Have a nice hibernation, perhaps interrupted by a snowshoe visit.....but I get ahead of myself. Best to all....BSB








Posted by Bennett at 7:51 PM EST
Monday, 25 October 2004
Lessons in Roof Framing 2




Greetings All

Another weekend in the cold of Vermont.....Well, it was about 34 degrees inside and out when we arrived Friday night about midnight. Louise packed long johns for me to sleep in this time and it helped a whole lot. Once the kerosene heater kicks in Saturday morning, it's very pleasant to be there, but the arrival and first contact with cold sheets and the morning air are shall we say , bracing.

Louise cut and installed the roof overhangs on the common rafters while I corrected a miscalculation in the valley rafter bird mouths (ah the joyous learning curve) and installed the hack errrr, jack rafters at the cross gable.

The overhangs of the cross gable were done with a combination of recalling conversations with Bob Harper of three years ago when I brought the framing model to Connecticut for him to review, studying his cross section through the porch gable, a lot of Trial and Error, and finally Brute Force and Ignorance (BF&I).

It is a fine thing to finally be able to see the full form of the camp as the Architect intended it! We left two pair of jack rafters unfinished over the kitchen, but should be able to brave the cold arrival next weekend to finish them and get plywood on, and hopefully also Ice and Snow Membrane.....then the camp could do what bears do in the woods.......hibernate in the winter, while we resume Peconic creativity.

The Red Sox were winning Game 2 when we pulled in the driveway.

Hope all are well...love BSB





Posted by Bennett at 6:35 AM EDT
Monday, 18 October 2004
The Geometry of Roofs




Greetings All,

Did I ever mention that I don't have a whole lot of experience as a framer? I tend to rely on stuff like trig to figure things out, and I like the geometric theory of hip and valley roofs.....the valley rafter is the diagonal of a square....multiply by the square roof of two....right? Not quite. That only works in the horizontal section or what is called the plan. If one multiplies the length of a common rafter by the square root of two to get the valley it don't work so good. I doubt anybody except Martin would care about the explanation which a night of insomnia in 34 degree weather figured out. Anyway I cut seven valley rafters for the four which got installed. Learned a bunch of stuff however.

Next week we will deal with the jack rafters which complete the cross gable, and the overhangs which were designed by Bob Harper as sistered 2x6s. The valley rafters will get cut back to line up with the overhang, but the detail of the square ended overhang on a valley tail eluded me on paper. Week after that we will shoot to get on the plywood and Ice and Snow Membrane for winter tightness, and I suspect that will end this season of building. Roof trim and nice red shingles in the spring. The lack of insulation in the building is felt during the night when we sleep without the kerosene heater running.....burrrrrrrrr in the morning. Love to all...BSB



Posted by Bennett at 6:26 AM EDT
Updated: Monday, 18 October 2004 6:31 AM EDT
Monday, 11 October 2004
Porch Raising or Fun with Joints2




Hi Everyone

This past Saturday we arrived on the mountain with Chris and a truckload of 6"x6" beams with funny ends on them. Barak, Jenn and Baeden arrived shortly after and we got started on our porch raising. Chris set out to put in jacks and headers in the main camp where the girders would be supported with steel hangers, spiked in with 16 penny nails. We blessed Bob Harper when we confirmed that the double 2x8 joist header of the guest tower was perfectly aligned with the girders of the porch, so no support modifications were necessary. Barak helped me as we laid out the central frame, square on the porch framing and then cut and installed the cedar posts. Pushed till failing light which also brought failing judgment as I cut the last piece that runs to main house one stinking inch too short. Barak was quick with the suggestion that a build-up of plywood would fill the gap and give support for the whole steel hanger. Done in concept, and done to completion by flashlight. Just in time for a family dinner!

Dropped Chris off in Nork City, and tomorrow I will have to face the responsibility of drawing the porch roof framing, doing the trig calculations for dimensions and putting together a lumber list for next weekend when Louise and I carry on yet again.

We brought a portable propane heater for the shower area, and the increase in creature comfort afforded by drying from a shower in a heated space as the temperature drops toward the 30's outside is a joy. A kerosene heater for the main camp has been fine so far, but perhaps by this time next year we will have enough exterior finish done to justify insulation and the wood stove! I don't think we will carry on past first serious snowfall this year. This time of year I begin to experience long distance construction burn-out.

Hope all are well...love BSB






Posted by Bennett at 8:55 AM EDT

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