2024

After the shoulders for the braces are cut onto the posts the posts are stood back into their holes.

Then Dan cuts the shoulders on the summer beam for the joists.

These shoulders are bigger and so he builds another jig and adds a sliding mid-style to support the router. 

Now there is a flat surface for the joists to butt up against.

He fits them together and makes some final adjustments.

Our Daughter-in-law spent the beginning of the year participating in a four day race. First day 5K, then 10K, then 1/2 marathon, then full marathon. Our granddaughter awoke in the morning and happily wore one of mommy's medals while eating breakfast. 

New Years Day! 

We got a dusting of snow on January 3rd, then real snow started on the 6th, and by the 10th it looked like winter around here.

What a difference ten days makes!

With the first summer beam up (including braces), Dan is warm and cozy inside and almost finished with the second (and last) summer beam. 

The snow is all powder. Our snow cat can't stay on top of the snow and sinks in and gets stuck.

I still find it fascinating how snow, wind, and freezing temperatures can create interesting snow sculptures.

(temps in the single digits)

Not much solar going on right now.

But with a break in the weather and a beauty day we dug a path to the solar panels and cleared them off. 

Normally I would just stomp my way over to them, but the powder wont pack down and I had already dug a path before this last snow so it was easier to dig.

With a day of no new snow and the hardening of the snow a little we decided to attempt going down the hill. But that didn't work out to well for us. We will try again another day:)

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Bruce started clearing the road down to the gate with his tractor and snow blower. This is a time consuming job. Dan was calling it his snow cat luge track. It looked like we would be able to get down to the gate soon.

Then mother nature threw a little freezing rain our way and iced up everything.

Hey! I didn't order frosted windows!

And it got very cold out.

Remi's tennis balls would freeze and I would thaw them by the fire.

And the trees got heavy with ice and fell, delaying the clearing of the road.

But on January 20th we made it to town...

And picked up our new little girl, Loretta. She is another rescue dog from a high kill shelter that was transported up to Vancouver. We have been unable to go get her because of the storm so a doggy foster home has been keeping her for us.

The second summer beam is put in place and the braces fitted.

The Genie lift lacks a couple of inches in height to lift the joists above the summer beam and down into the mortise. So Dan built a jig to give it the needed height.

Up goes joist #1.

After joist #5 is up completing the perimeter, joist #2 goes up.

Then joist #3 and #4 are raised. Every piece was raised and lowered serveral times in the fitting process. Thank goodness for the Genie Lift!

After Dan was happy with all the joinery, he strapped it all together and drilled the holes for the timber pegs.

Then he pounded in the pegs, trimmed the end of the pegs, and unstrapped the frame.

And there it is! Finished! Minus the staining of the pegs and a little touch up on the lacquer finish, which I will get to after things settle down with our new dog.

Next comes the building of the stairs from the basement. Dan got a partial hole opened up, and figured out the rise and run, but will need to take a couple week break for some office work.

"Hey guys, there's a hole in the floor"

Dan completed the sheeting in the stairwell, but will modify the back of the bedroom closet a little. The stairwell is big enough to build stairs to code but they will be steeper than we would like. By doing away with the upper shelf in the bedroom closet we can run the stairs in that area and add two steps making each step a little less rise.

Dan checks to make sure that the first stringer is correct then cuts three more.

With the back of the closet wall removed for now and the header relocated a skirt board was installed.

Dan had a bit of a mishap with the ladder and ruptured a bursa sac in his elbow and knocked his noggin, so he is slowed down a little.

With both skirt boards sanded, stained, and installed he is ready for the next step.

A cleat is added under the skirt boards to fully support the side stringers.

And once both side stringers are attached......

the bottom cleat is attached to the floor and the other two stringers are added.

Then it is time for risers and treads. Using a new tool (what fun is a project if you can't get a new tool), Dan sets the gauge for the board needed.

Then transfers it to a riser board.

Using a jig he made he can make a precise cut at a 5-degree bevel.

The holes in the jig allow him to see his line.

The five degree bevel gives room for the glue to be without squeeze out on the face of the stairs.

The procedure is repeated for the treads.

Several risers are installed first.

Making progress!!!

And before you know it, we're at the top!

I have applied multiple coats of finish to bring out the beauty of the wood and Dan's craftmanship.

We have carpet treads to attach after curing. It seems a shame to cover even a part of them but I think travel up and down will be loud and perhaps slippery. And with four dogs the wood will wear better and the carpet treads can be replaced.

Now the hardest part. Keeping off of them while the finish cures.

Poor Trevor! The nail gun scares him so! (Actually all loud tools). Usually he can be downstairs while we work upstairs or vise versa but work on the stairs has him running for cover.

After a little bit of a rough settle in period, Loretta is finding her spot in our doggie pack.