gonzo and jan chan build a log cabin

“after several years of planning, false starts, and revisions, we now have a log cabin under construction....

check out our progress at:

www.jananddenis.myphotoalbum.com”

“Gonzo! Good to see ya! Are you guys out working in this gawdforsaken heat?”

“we are out in the heat, out in the rain....whatever comes along....

probably will still be out in the snow....”

“Hey Gonzo! Great cabin. What company supplied the logs? Is that Permachink products you are using for stain and chinking? Are you guys doing all the chinking and staining yourselves?”

“we chose hearthstone of dandridge, tennessee to provide our logs....

http://hearthstonehomes.com/

we are using permachink products for our staining and chinking....we have been planning to stain and chink ourselves, but after receiving the 54 five gallon containers of stain and chinking material, we are negotiating with the crew that is erecting the logs to also provide this service.....”

“Hey gonzo great to see ya!

Glad that you all are able to finally start this project, I know its been a dream for quite some time. Enjoy”

“The LOGS! =D Congratulations to you two. Very happy for you and glad we get to watch the progress! Thanks for sharing Dennis.”

“I've seen them before in Log Home Living Magazine. Looks like a great product.

Good choice to have them do it. The chinking is like caulking and there's a lot of art to doing it right. How will the stain be applied, spray and brush?

Will you apply a borate solution (shell guard) before staining?”

“adventurist....
we will be applying a borate solution to the logs.... it is supposed to dry for three days before we begin to stain the logs....

we plan to spray and back-brush the stain....two coats of stone gray on the exterior and one coat of dark natural on the interior with stone (natural) colored chinking....”

“That is awesome, Gonzo! Looks like a lot of work and a lot of fun. :)”

“msdoolittle, i think you may be right....”

“Sounds great! Best of luck!”

“gonzo - I hope you don't try to use this little project as an excuse to keep you from backpacking with us!

Looks wonderful!! I am sure you will enjoy it when it is finished!!”

“Great cabin! Thanks for the pictures. Where is the cabin being built?”

“thanks phil.... i promise!! no excuses!!

tango... we (will) live just outside the village of st. paris (in nigal's ohio)”

“our construction crew has set the timber frame beams and rafters into place....all this wood will be exposed to the inside....tomorrow they will be starting to install the 2x6 tongue and groove to the outside of these beams....

i'm glad i didn't have to figure out the angles and cut some of these beams and supports!!”

“Kewl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“very nice gonzo! when is the planned move in date?”

“There's a 10 day school for log building just out side the Boundary Waters in Ely, Mn that houses, feeds and teaches you for $1050. I've thought of signing up, but need someone to torch this old farmhouse. Any takers?”

“buddha bear....

there are so many variables involved that it is very difficult to predict a move-in date at this time....we are hoping for sometime this winter (fingers crossed)

nimblefoot....

maybe you should wait to torch the farmhouse until after the log cabin is built??”

“No (GRIN), I only work when the pressure's on. Besides, I can use the insurance money toward construction. I figure if I flame enough people on here, someone will come up and burn me out.”

“Enjoying the new photos! Looks great!”

“Our cabin is now under roof….the porch and front decks are completed….windows have been installed….chimney is framed in….foundations built for the sunroom and garage on the back side of the cabin….

Ready now to shingle the roof, and get the garage and sunroom built and under roof so that we can get inside this winter and finish things up….

Might be done by april??”

“Hi Gonzo! I'd love to see your progress if you have time to share some pictures with us.
Nice to see you around.”

“looking good!!! gotta love the substantial porch!

I really like the windows you went with.”

“oh, just out of curiosity.. how much does the crane cost per day?”

“sass….
good to hear from you….you can check out our progress (or lack thereof, sometimes) at

www.jananddenis.myphotoalbum.com

adventurist….

we used pella pro-line windows in the cabin….not the best windows made, but a really good value for the money….
The crane was on site for about six weeks while the log construction crew was here setting logs….it was included with the
negotiated price for erecting the log shell, although we did end up contracting for some extra work to be done (staining all the
logs, inside and outside) and they charged me $120/hour for four men and the crane, which I thought was a pretty good deal
considering how fast these guys work….the crane that is shown (week 13) while they were erecting the chimney was rented
locally for $50/hour (I think….the contractor is paying for that)….”

“Wow, gonzo! The cabin is looking great!

I can't wait to see the finished product. :)”

“Gorgeous Gonzo! I've bookmarked the site now. Just beautiful. What kind of floor plan have you got inside?”

“I was wondering that myself. Which floorplan is this modeled from? Is it one of the fast-track plans?

Ugh.. now you got me started planning again!”

“sass and adventurist....

i designed the house....it is a composite of all the cabins that we have looked at over the years....we designed it with our(rapidly approaching) old age in mind.... we can drive into the garage, park the car, and walk into the house with no steps to climb....there are 36" doors to accomodate wheelchairs (if necessary)....we can live entirely on the ground floor and only use the second floor and basement for guests and/or children who might be staying with us.... laundry and showers are handicapped accessible....

my next door neighbor said it best.... "you will need wheelchair access to the garage because you will still be going to work when you are 85 to pay for the place!!"

oh well!!”

“Wow, your home is beautiful! I look forward to watching the progress!”