Photo montage

Sometimes we get to a place where I think the end may be in sight - I've got what I think is a good idea of the tasks left to complete before yurt erection. Then Bill comes in and puts us straight. Today was one of those times. Joists have been a milestone of sorts for us, and having completed almost all the joisting today felt like an accomplishment. The end was in sight!

Not.

There are two sets of stairs to make, with concrete pads underneath. There are rim joists to wrap around the whole perimeter. There is a yurt circle to scribe, decking and fascia to place, 2x4s and insulation to order, flooring, etc., etc., etc., ...

To make up for yesterday, we'll have lots of picts today. Feel free to post uplifting comments to make us feel good about how far we've come.

joists going every which way!


joists, joists, joists


hanging around after work - who needs decking?


eating apples on the job


hardly recognizable from a few weeks ago

Joists; part 2

There are no photos in this post. Just a quick update. We started off unable to find our second tape measure, and then got in a fight over who got to use the one we had. We made up, and then spent the day on joists, and got in to a good rhythm, working till we ran out of screws, then lumber, then screws again. It's frustrating to have to stop work because we're out of supplies and not out of steam.

Joisting is fun, and we're about 2/3 done after today. Not as far as we wanted to get, but we'll blame the lumber order. We've got another delivery coming tomorrow, and will finish up then. We've also ordered extra 2x8s for rim joists, which will go around and mark the perimeter of the deck.

After cleanup, we headed over to the orchard and picked a full basket of apples - Erin has requested apple pie over the usual flour-less chocolate birthday cake, so I'm sure we'll be back to pick more - and then played a couple of innings of apple baseball. The remains of many, many ripe apples are now nothing more than apple mist and apple sauce littered throughout the orchard.

Hasta manana!

Joists; and the Future

Only one hour.

That's how long I was at the property today. It's pathetic, I know, but I will explain. But first, let me just say that the total amount of time I spent on the 'project' was closer to 5 hours. I met with Bill for about 30 minutes this morning, and we went over some particulars for the next steps after joists (which Erin started yesterday). We discussed the actual yurt, which we found out will ship today! Ya hoo! Estimated arrival date is September 18, I believe. So getting more info about exactly what we need to have completed to erect the yurt seemed all-of-a-sudden more important.

Once the joists are completed, we'll do the decking; mom has decided on manufactured decking, which is a wood/plastic composite that doesn't rot, doesn't need staining or refinishing, and looks nothing like wood. Bummer. But I'm definitely on her side with this one - the benefits outweigh the downfalls, in my opinion. Unfortunately, we had originally drawn out and ordered lumber for joists 24 inches apart. Manufactured decking, of course, doesn't follow these rules, but prefers to march to the beat of a different drummer - mainly, a 16" on center drummer. So reworking our lumber list was also on my docket for today. I discovered we'll need an additional 43 twelve foot 2x8s, and 14 sixteen foot 2x8s; added to our original order of 35 twelve footers and 22 sixteen footers. This also includes the additional 153 board feet of 2x8s we'll need for blocking between the joists.

Then, mom, Bill and I discussed the advantages vs. disadvantages of putting the decking on first, or building up the round yurt platform+ floor first. Bill basically left it up to us, and mom and I decided we'll do the decking first. That way, we can leave decking pieces long, extending out into the yurt hole, and then cut them to length with a skillsaw in a perfect 30' circle.

Next step will be laying 2x4s out over the joists (but in the opposite direction) and filling between them with insulation. I calculated we'll need a minimum of 20 - 20 foot long 2x4s. Then we'll put down 3/4" plywood - 26 sheets to be exact. Lastly, the bamboo flooring goes on top of that, and we're ready for erection!


So..... now I'm way ahead of myself. But dang, the whole picture is nice to see! And because Erin unexpectedly went out of town for the day, I didn't make much progress because he'd already started the joist pattern yesterday...and though he made sure to explain it to me before he left town, I got up there and had some major questions. Here's what it looks like:

As we can see, he started laying out and screwing down the joists, and the blocks that run between the joists to hold them in place. He also marked up the girders with convenient pencil lines for me to follow. It is a confusing pattern, with three different places where joists meet up and pass one another, and four different places for blocking. So instead of assuming he'd made a mistake and undoing his work, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed it's all mapped out in his brain and he'll explain it to me in tomorrow morning when he gets home.

So, with nothing more to really do, I wandered through the orchard and ate some apples ~ here are some for you.

Wow - Traditional Mongolian Yurt Doors

This UK company makes traditional Mongolian yurts and sells them wholesale all over the world. I'm especially impressed with the amazing doors! This site also shows photos of the traditional Mongolian Yurt, or Gur, as they are called there. Check out the Sun Covers and the Yurt Furniture as well.

Very impressive and very colorful!

To see yurts in the movies, rent The Cave of the Yellow Dog, a Mongolian film about a girl and her (surprise!) yellow dog. This was one of my favorite movies before mom even bought her yurt. It's definitely a G-rated flick: no action, suspense, or adventure - just my kind of entertainment!

To see yurts in real life, come visit us when we're done!

Saturday, Halfday

Winesong! was fun, weather was gorgeous and the food & drink delicious.

Mom had the truck piled high with trash, so after a quick dump run, we made it up to the property by 3. A quick look around at Erin's handiwork soon gave us to know we had nothing to dread. We spoke not a word but went straight to our work, readied all the tools; and then turned with a jerk....and there came Bess, the friendly neighbor crazy-dog.

And oh my lord. You haven't met a insane dog until you've met Bess.

This is her obstacle course - her gauntlet. She tears straight in at full speed (a good 30 mph) chasing apples Erin throws. Dodging in and out, up and down ... it's hilarious. I can't really do it justice without a video, but unfortunately, she ran into a 2x4 and wisened up before we could catch any decent footage.

Despite canine antics, we finished what Erin started on Friday - bracing. He had braced between the rows of girders, and today we completed the job by bracing along each row, between each 4x4 post. It was fun, and we were definitely in a rhythm; measuring, cutting, placing and screwing down. The resulting patterns were quite pleasing.

We also hung the final 4x8 girder beam - this one at an angle between the third and fourth rows of girders. Because mom wanted a rounded side to her deck to hug the edge of the yurt, we needed additional diagonal support for the overhanging joists that would otherwise be left unsupported.

So a great wrap-up to this week of work. Erin will be back at it on Monday, and I'll be back on Tuesday.

Things we are thankful for....

1. Waterproof, rubproof SPF 50 sunscreen
2. frozen gallons of water
3. the star drive
4. DEET-free bug spray that actually works

Our well-intentioned efforts to be 'up-n-adam' this morning fizzled by 7:35 am, when we learned the lumber delivery trucks from ROSSI's were full and our twelve 20 ft. 2x4s wouldn't be delivered until late afternoon. So we reverted back to a typical work-morning routine of coffee/tea in bed and US Open coverage (great matches this year, btw). With just one quick stop at Mendosas hardware for a $12 bag of star drive screws and another quick stop at mom's for an additional extension cord (more on this later), we made our way up to the property by 10am. Whew.

With only 3 hours to work before I had to be at my other job, I dug right into the pile of lumber and started cutting 3 ft. sections of 2x8s for the gussets. Everywhere two girders meet over a post, we have to fortify the intersection with these 3 ft. 2x8s. I cut while Erin installed. Our efficiency was unparalleled.

We then donned the math caps again and 3-4-5-triangled our way into a chalk line running smack down the center of our four rows of girders. But wait! you say, The girder rows are not all the same length, nor are their centers in line! Ahh, yes, we know, but this chalk line is just a mere reference point for the many, many other points we will be making before we set the joists upon the girders. Don't fret.

This brought us to a stand-still, and with not much more to do than twiddle our thumbs and re-apply sunscreen, we re-stacked the lumber pile and called it a morning.

Time for the other job.

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later...

ROSSI's finally called at 2:30 to announce lumber delivery at 3, so Erin went back up to meet the truck full of 2x4s. With such timely delivery services, we contemplated the possibility of regular ROSSI's deliveries of such essentials as cool bottled water, and snacks. The 2x4s we ordered are meant for bracing this sub-structure we're working on. Bill took the time yesterday to explain bracing patterns to us, but I guess Erin wasn't listening. I haven't yet seen the work Erin finished this afternoon, but we'll keep our fingers crossed. I have full confidence in him. He eventually quit because he ran out of screws.

Tomorrow we're going to Winesong! at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens - we vow not to taste too much wine, or eat too much food - and to work at least 1/2 day!

Girders again

I'll bet you were hoping to read about something more exciting than girders today, but too bad. This is what we've got...





There wasn't much to set us back today, except for extreme heat. We started early (9:30 am - HA!) and it was already time to shed layers and don the sun hats. Bill met us there intending to give a demonstration on how to use the laser level, probably assuming we had no idea what we were doing and that's why we had so many problems yesterday. However, after several demonstrations by both Bill and Erin, and double-checking everything, we all agreed the laser level wasn't actually level at all. We're glad we caught it before we'd set all the posts and girders.

We continued on using the straightest 2x8 we could find in our lumber pile, & our 8 foot level, which served us beautifully, but not quite as beautifully as a perfectly level laser-level (sigh). These two apparatuses spanned the distance between the first row of straight girders we had set and the one we were working on. We completed our last two rows of girders this way. Unfortunately, the 4x8" girders of today were even more twisted than yesterday's, but, as Bill said, "your challenge today is to not get too anal about all this". Point taken.

Bill and Erin walking around

To keep everything parallel, we used a tape measure and measured the distance from the first (and definitely straight) row of girders, to the second, third and fourth rows of girders, thereby assuring us consecutively straight rows. Again, crooked lumber doesn't make this any easier, but we triumphed!

When we place yesterday and today on a scale and weigh them, we realize several things:

1. we placed four rows of girders, two on each day
2. today was more fun than yesterday
3. today was hotter than yesterday
4. today's lunch break existed, yesterday's did not

As you can see, numbers 2 and four are on the side of today. Number three is on yesterday's side. Number 1 is a draw. So....

Today Wins!!

resting after a long, hot day

Crooked, Twisted Girders

Today was long. And hot. And, believe it or not, not as fun as digging holes. Today, we started to lay the girders on the piers, supporting them with 4x4 posts. Our large pile of lumber arrived successfully yesterday, and of course, the girders we needed first were on the bottom of the pile. So our first order of business was attempting to organize the pile.

Since Erin & Bill met without me regarding this next step, I pretty much had to stand around with my hands on my hips for a while, watching Erin and waiting till I understood what the eventual rhythm would be. We started with the front row of piers, and two 20 foot girders, laying the first one right on top of the Northeast corner pier, sans 4x4. This set the level for the entire rest of the girders, as it is the highest-set pier and on top of the slope. We used the 8 foot level to bring the other end up to level, 20 feet away. At this point, we were planning on propping that end up with boards, but Erin's brilliance led us down a different path....

In case you can't tell, that's our car jack under the girder, bringing each end up to exactly the right height. Funny the things you think of when "normal" carpentry isn't your trade.

You might think that lumber is straight and true, allowing your job to be infinitely easy and pleasurable. But you would be horribly mistaken. The pressure treated lumber we received got worse and worse as we worked our way through the pile. These 20 foot girders were quite bowed, and we naturally placed the bow upwards so the pressure of the building will average it out and press down. So we worked with the crooked beams to the best of our ability, cutting each one mid-span about 2/3 up to create more slack over the run. I don't know if this makes sense or not, but if you need more info, let me know. It was about this time that Bill (thankfully) showed up with mom.

mom and bill playing catch in the shade while erin and i toil away

I think we had just pulled out the laser-level Bill lent us, and realized it is infinitely more accurate than our eyes and an 8 ft. level. We asked a lots of questions, discussed the crappy piers that our hardware store insists on carrying, and got on with our business. We used the laser level to cut posts to size for the second row of girders.

So jump forward about 3 hours and we're still in the same place because we're arguing about the elusive and contradictory accuracy of the laser level. I know that Erin's used to dealing in measurements where hundredths and thousandths can mean the difference between success and utter failure. We're learning that precision is relative, and our instincts to make everything perfect can slow us down slightly when our materials aren't so precise. In the end, we agreed to continue on and finish the second row of girders before the mosquitoes drove us back down to town.

We didn't make as much progress as we wanted to today. It was slightly discouraging and difficult to run into so many issues in one day, and to have to deal with so much twisted lumber. We decided that tomorrow we'll take back the really bad stuff to the hardware store and get replacements we can actually work with.


I'll be happy when these girders are laid straight and we can feel good about this part of the process.

Lumber List

The piers are done! And I didn't get to help because I was working at my other job. Erin spent the better part of yesterday completing the mixing of concrete and setting of piers, despite numerous distractions. His brother and his girlfriend came to see what the heck we're working on, and reportedly spent the afternoon playing apple-baseball, lounging under the shade tent, and encouraging Maia to swim in the pond (she refused, right up until it was time for her to get in the car - of course). So all 22 piers are set, and only required an additional order of 300 lbs. of concrete for a grand total of 2060 lbs. (woah buddy).

An 8:30 am meeting today between Bill and Erin was supplemented with coffee made by mom, and muffins made by me, and resulted in a lumber list that I believe should take us through the end of the decking project. That said, Erin spent several hours last night calculating estimates on lumber and drawing joists, girters and headers on our plans in different colored pencil.

Erin's currently at the property waiting for the lumber delivery, and we'll continue work tomorrow.

Day of Rest

Today is Saturday, and I have to get back to my other job for the next few days. So while I drink my tea before work, and listen to Erin critique my first post for not giving enough background, I'll try and give you the set-up.
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At some point, mom decided she wanted a yurt. And at some other point, we decided we wanted to build it for her. And at some other point several months ago, she got her act together and ordered the yurt from Colorado Yurt Company. After consulting with her crew (Erin & me) and her biggest critic (Maddie), she decided on a 30 foot diameter yurt. I'll post more about her color choices and add-ons later. After placing her order with CO Yurts, she discovered that the structure wouldn't be delivered for many weeks - phew - giving us more time to procrastinate and change around decking plans. Estimated shipping date would be August 22. Meanwhile, I asked for an extra day off at work so I could spend more time outside on the construction site, and Erin promised 5 days per week to the project. It will still be a few weeks before I'll actually have 4 days per week to dedicate to the project, but three is good for now.

So August 22 comes and goes, and we get a call from CO Yurts stating they're two weeks behind shipping schedule! They want to know if we have our deck/platform finished yet. Ummmm, almost! we say. Not. And so began Day 1 of work.
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Last night I couldn't sleep - thinking about piers, girters, holes, dirt, plexiglass yurt top-bubbles, mosquitos, concrete and sun burn. So exciting ~ The best thing so far about digging holes, laying lines and mixing concrete is that I am part of the whole process of building something really big! It is a great feeling to know that progress won't be made unless we get our butts up to the property and get to work.

There seems to be a fair amount of 'give-and-take' at this point, according to Bill...we may have dug our holes a few inches too deep, but it just means we'll be using extra concrete and thereby making the yurt platform more stable, strong and secure. The soil isn't all that hard, so the extra concrete will be welcome in the rainy season. The addition of the fourth girter (and resulting extra piers) means more square footage on the ground and will help with any settling of piers in the softer soil. We also haven't scrimped on SQUARE-NESS and PERFECT MEASUREMENTS! Erin's favorite saying is "error multiplies", so the corners of our rectangle are perfectly square (using diagonals and the pythagorean theorem) & our piers perfectly level and plumb (using our trusty bubble level and our friend Plumb-Bob).

Day 2

Funny to begin a blog with "Day 2", however one has to start somewhere.

I am finding this work to be wonderfully fulfilling and even fun. An 8 hour day of digging holes flies by so quickly that I'm sad when the sun drops too far behind the trees and the mosquitoes get so bad we have to wrap up our day of work. Yes, I've enjoyed the last two days immensely.

Here are some of our holes




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We began this whole yurt-building process by meeting up with our "man", Bill, who is a general contractor and has agreed to consult with us on particulars and details. He's also a building inspector, so knows all the "right" answers. He also seems willing to bend certain ideas/rules he has in order to help us along and find our own way. We first met with him for about 1.5 hours as he explained to us how to make a foundation and deck for our yurt, and how to draft detailed plans from which we will be working and creating lumber lists.

I have to admit I had no idea where to begin before this meeting, so it was really exciting to see a plan forming in front of us. The yurt almost seems secondary at this point because there is so much work to be done before the yurt even becomes a factor in our daily plans. Also, from what I've read, the actual erection of the yurt can take only 3 days if we're properly set up, which seems like such a small percentage of the actual labor ahead of us.

So Erin and I spent Wednesday afternoon with our graph paper, calculators and pencils (and copious notes from the meeting with Bill) and drafted a plan. We started with a layout for our girters, strong support beams that run the length of the platform, and quickly decided we'd need four instead of three, due to extreme overhang of our joists on the round side of the yurt platform. Then we planned out the number of concrete piers we'd need to support the girters and decided on 22 after much moving around and contemplation of factors and fractions (real world algebra 101). After that, we decided we were ready to jump in and that the rest of the planning and counting would come later.
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Day 1 Recap:

Our first day on the job donned sunny and HOT - at least 110 degrees (Mendocinian for about 85 degrees). Bill met us up there and showed us how to make batter boards so we would be able to lay straight and square lines of string above the ground. These lines show us where our girters will go, and also where the piers will be placed underneath them. We had grand plans to lay the batter boards and lines and dig all the holes on this Day 1, but alas, we barely finished the lines by 7:30pm.

It was a great day, and we also spent considerable time setting up our construction camp, complete with shade tent, small table, cool water, and every single tool we could find in our collective garages.


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However dirty and sweaty we were after Day 1, we quadrulped it after today. At quitting time this evening, we were both covered from head to toe in a layer-cake coating of SPF 50 sunscreen, bug spray, dirt and concrete. We dug 22 holes, mixed 9 bags of concrete and set 6 piers. We had some logistical questions about the piers that necessitated another visit from Bill in the late afternoon, and discovered our overzealous hole-digging is going to equate to more concrete than we had originally thought. Oh well. We're learning as we go, and okaying everything with Bill.


I can't wait for next week! I'll try and post some interesting information in the sidebar for more background.