Everything is going according to plan though. The metal doors got removed, a wall with sliding doors and huge windows got put up in its place. David spent weeks hauling in huge logs and building 40 foot stringers to provide support over the open area. Walls had to be taken down and put back up to get it all in( nothing easy about any of this). Looking at the scope of the job, I would have said it was impossible to do, but he made it happen with brute strength, lots of coffee and a small winch. There were a few scary moments when wall supports came crashing down around his head, but other than a few knocks of his hard noggin, all came out alright.
Next he put braces in between all the stringers and laid plywood flooring over top. He had an opportunity to get the bottom of the house spray foamed so pulled the house up onto shore, ripped all the flooring back up and spent a few tense days worrying whether it would split in half from all the force on it. The tides finally cooperated and Jeff was able to get his equipment down to the house. It took several days to complete but the huge support logs got a good pressure washing to remove tons of mud and the whole bottom got sprayed with foam. The house now has lots of floatation and is sitting much higher in the water.
The floors were replaced and furniture rearranged in the new living space. By this time we were getting into the rainy season, so the attention turned to the roof. It was leaking quite badly from all the stress of when it was on shore, so days were spent applying sealant, tarps and plastic to waterproof things. The walls were insullated with free styrofoam blocks salvaged from a roof demolition. Plastic vapour barrier was stapled over that to keep out the drafts.
The temperture was continuing to drop, so he ripped down the chimney and hauled the woodstove into the middle of the house. The chimney was rebuilt in the new location and a wall framed in and vapour barriered around the stove and main living area to provide some warmth. Some days were then spent chopping firewood to feed the beast. Alot of it came from cutting up a stack of pallets that had been lying around here, the rest floats down to us on the river.
The work is now focused on getting a bathroom and kitchen installed. David had to go back and redo the floors from the area that had been open, to the old apartment.Everything had to be raised to make the floor level from one end to the other. More stringers, more walls removed and replaced, more plastic and floor laying and it was finally done. He had dragged down all his huge heavy tools from the garage and they were weighing down the front of the house putting more stress on it. The old apartment area has been made smaller and will be the workshop area. All the tools and spare wood etc were dragged back into the shop.The house is now sitting staight and the stage is set for the rest of the job.
David was given a natural gas water heater that he wants to convert to propane. Some parts are required for this but we cant seem to get a straight answer as to what exactly is involved. The last few days have been spent laying out the plumbing and pipes to get it all hooked up.Tile was considered for the bathroom floor but there is so much cutting involved, so going with linolium instead.
David found a free stove on Craigslist that runs on both wood or propane. Its a cool old beast that will be nice to have. Power down here is limited and sketchy at best so the more off the grid he can get , the better. There are some old kitchen cabinets at my old house that we will drag over here when the time is right. He wants to cover the tops with the tile he got.
The house is coming along beautifully. Its been a ton of work, 12-16 hours a day every day of the week. All of this was accomplished with many other distractions. David was building docks, rearranging his huge piles of material constantly, helping me with my boat, working at a welding job, fending off wildlife that wanted to move in with him and working on trying to get his new tugboat running. Its been frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. I had forgotten how much he has accomplished until I went back and looked at the pictures in the previous post. Way to go Superman, dont give up now, your almost there!!
