Monday, November 27, 2006

It Has Taken a While, But...

Finally! I've fulfilled a promise to myself and completed the roof on my little log cabin this weekend. Thankfully, we had unseasonably warm weather in Pennsylvania, so it was possible to work this late into the year.

I thought I give you a little retrospective on the construction.

First step, go make some logs:


Perfect! Now just...a whole lot to go:


(When I briefly considered going the play pen/prison route:)


Getting ready to start the run from the eaves to the peak:


Roof supports are in place. Ready for the sheathing:


Prepared with roof felt, drip edges, and the starter course of shingles:


And finally, we have a roof:

It's got a bump or two, but considering its nothing but raw logs underneath, I'm satisfied. Next spring will be the door and the chinking (mortar) between the logs. Then, it's really done.

Here is me next to it to give you a sense of size:


Time for a drink.

26 comments:

anne frasier said...

wow! that is amazing, jason!

and aren't you a handsome guy.

so strange to see a photo of someone after so many months of nothing but a mental image. i've run into that with editors. i'll get a mental image, then we finally meet and they look nothing like the picture in my head. my brain adjusts, but then a month later i revert back to my original image. :D

anne said...

A well deserved drink, too!

RuKsaK said...

yes - drink well-earned. looks v. nice by the way.

Scott said...

That's cool Jason. I should find the pictures of a house that my dad and I built from logs on the property. It was a real experience. 40x40, two stories. Biig.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic job. I'm envious.

Anonymous said...

Anne, I'm curious. What was your mental image of me? :D

Anne, make that a double.

Ruksak, thanks! Working on it on weekends here and there really stretched it out. I'm looking forward to being DONE.

Scott, whoa, that's a serious structure! In a small way, I feel your pain. :) I'd love to see pictures.

Steve, it's kept me busy. =)

Anonymous said...

Wicked Jason!!!
Skilful and cute guy... shhhh you naughty woman don't you dare... humpf
*

Wilf said...

Well done. A triumph! What's it for?
Addy

Anonymous said...

You'd be handy to have nearby on a desert island... very Robinson Crusoe. I am impressed. Q- does it keep the rain out? Last time I went camping- v.long time ago- the rain came through tent it was raining so heavily. That or the tent was crap.

Anonymous said...

Wow. how long did it take you? Enjoy the drink.

anne frasier said...

it's the name as much as anything. the name jason gives me an immediate image of someone with very dark hair, a little on the shaggy side. jasons are kind of bad asses. jasons could have a few tattoos, and might listen to credence clearwater revival. even after i discovered you didn't fit that image, it was already locked in. sorry! :D

Anonymous said...

Angela, skilful and cute...hmmm. Yeah, I think I'm liking you. :D

Addy, although it's not in the picture, this is right next to our cabin in the woods. This structure is going to be for tools, equipment, fertilizer, etc.

Jude, oh yes, rain in a tent is not fun. (Been there, done that.) Once the mortar is done, this structure should be weather proof. Now, keeping out bats and mice, that's a different matter.

Rethabile, well, I'm afraid it has taken a while. I started in the summer of 2004. At best, I got to do some work on it every other weekend in the warm months. Of course, this is while we have two young kids. Not always easy. ;)

Anne, I like your image! Except for the tattoos. I always imagine tattoos on a 75 year old. That can't be pretty. It's okay, you can revert back to your Jason. :D Hey, wait, I used to ride a motorcycle. Does that count?

LiVEwiRe said...

I do suppose the scale would change a bit if you were 5'1" as opposed to 6'5". Nah, they're logs! Logs!!! Any more than, oh, maybe three and I'm impressed. Looks like you did some bark removal, too. Oh, your playpen/prison idea was great... some stray child roaming the woods? ;) Congrats on your progress and the pic of you was a surprise, a definite bonus!

Anonymous said...

lol! I think Livewire is asking for your dimensions ;)
You did a great job, Jason. I'm impressed and yep, you deserve that drink.

Anonymous said...

Livewire, for statistical purposes, I'm 6 feet tall. :D

Terri, thanks! I had the drink last night. A little delayed, but still good. =)

Anonymous said...

Very impressive!!
Now about your picture. You remind me of my old boss I had at the furniture place I worked at in Missouri. You 2 have the same build and same kind of hair style. We use to throw little blocks of wood at each other for fun.

Stephen Blackmoore said...

An excellent job! Nicely done. Looking forward to seeing the finished project.

Jaye Wells said...

Jason, that is so cool! Now you just need to get electricity in there with some DSL and it will be habitable. Seriously, though, what is your plan for it? A place to get away from it all? I can picture you there in a rainy day with a journal and pen, drinking coffee from a thermos.

Melissa Amateis said...

Jason, that is so awesome. What a neat little retreat! I am very impressed (and glad to see you!).

anna said...

WOW! and cute to boot

LiVEwiRe said...

Wow, that did sound a little like I was viewing you on the eBay auction block, didn't it!? Truly, I was originally thinking of scale but hey, it's me, I need to know things. Guess my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes! ;)

mermaid said...

What a wonderful gift you have created for yourself and your family. I see your children and their children telling stories about their past, present, and future yet to come. Many of your characters contemplate their nature in nature, and now maybe your real life characters will do the same.

Anonymous said...

Beady, I'd be up for a wood block fight! In fact, there is lots of scrap wood lying around that area right now. ;)

Kate, you definitely know how to make a guy smile. :D

Stephen, thanks! I'm not going to dally next spring. I'll get right on it!

Jaye, it would make a nice little getaway, just like you're saying. I think I'll post a picture of the "real" cabin next to it. I needed a storage out-building, and I always wanted to experience builting a log cabin. This was a case of killing two birds with one stone. :) BTW, that's a great image you painted for me. I'm there!

Melissa, thanks, my friend! :D I figured it's probably time to start emerging from the shadows.

Anna, thank you. ;)

Livewire, no worries. :D I bet someone could pick me up on Ebay at a pretty good bargain.

Mermaid, I do hope my children are old to enough to remember the process. They weren't directly involved, of course, but I do hope in years to come, they can point to that little house and say their crazy father built that. :)

Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...

Make some logs?
Jason...make some logs?
Oh dear!
hee-hee

Anonymous said...

This looks EXCELLENT dude! I hope I get to try my hand at this process some day... it looks like it was a lot of work, and a lot of fun!

Jeff said...

It's looking very good, Jason! I know you've put in a lot of hard work.