Walls for the Wind...

The walls are going up despite the cold temperatures (30's) It is amazing how quickly and expertly they put them up. The logs are 6" x 12" white pine flat/flat with dovetail corners. The surface of both sides of the log is very smooth...looks like we won't have to sand much at all.

Logs at Last...Continued

Scott worked hard to coordinate the efforts of all who helped unload the logs today. They unloaded the logs on pallets in front of the house. Once the subfloor was finished (later that day) they scooped up all the packages of logs and placed them directly on the subfloor. This keeps them off the ground and makes them more accessible for James and his gang as they build.

Logs at Last!

We can't believe the logs are finally here! After what seems like months and months of planning, they arrived today, Monday, March 9! The drivers drove straight through from Boone, North Carolina arriving around 9:30am. We were concerned they wouldn't be able to get in and up the driveway, but they had no difficulty at all. We were so fortunate to have help unloading the logs! We had two forklifts-one had an extendable boom. Mark and James skillfully unloaded in about 30 minutes.

Room to Grow

Although we hadn't planned to finish the basement in the near future, it's now become our favorite room in the house...maybe because it's the only room in the house:) The first photo shows the windows in the future bedroom down there. It will have lots of natural light.

This photo shows the recreation room. Two French/garden doors will lead out to the patio. It will be a great place to capture the view of the future lake and wildlife while allowing lots of natural light to filter into the basement. We opted for 9' ceilings as well. It is very spacious down there! We know it will soon become a favorite hang out for all our kids and their significant others when they come to visit!

James and the Gang

Respectfully speaking, James and the Gang (Andy, Bob, Brian, and Jim) have arrived! They got right to work Friday and Saturday despite the strong winds. These photos show them finishing up the walkout side of the basement and starting on girders and floor joists. There are 5 men on this crew. They are extremely hard working and diligent. James has built over 100 log homes for many log home companies located across the nation. He has experience building in precarious locations such as the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Colorado...elevation above 10,000 feet.

More Concrete and Backfill

The basement floor was poured on Monday, March 2. From this vantage point, it looks like an ice rink!





These two pictures show a before/after shot of the retaining wall. Note the before picture shows the weather proofing tar and drain tile. No backfill yet. Below shows the same area a few days later after Miracle Mark worked his magic to backfill next to it. Although it's a work in progress, pictures like these really make us appreciate all the hard work and effort going into this project!

Our building crew is coming from Nashville, Tennessee. They left on Tuesday,
March 3, and had a breakdown on the Kentucky line. It took a day to fix it and
another to get back on the road to Missouri.