MONDAY NOVEMBER 04, 2024 (blogging from our Lion’s Head rental house) — Alright, the weather is going foul here on the peninsula, so we’re doing a NO GO on the bunkie assembly for today. SB and PN may go to the property tomorrow to attempt some work (edit = nope, raining harder). TS will rejoin us midweek.
She has the gift of directing people and visualizing what gets built where. I’m also VERY proud of her ability to firmly suggest alternative actions to our semi-retired carpenter. That takes courage to stand up to an expert. What PN finds amazing is how TS can give corrections without being an asshole about it. Unfortunately, PN can fall prey to his own mental limitations and snarl at TS. We are finely attuned to each others’ non-verbal communication. A misplaced ear-flick here. A bottle-brush fluffed out tail there. And then a snit is on.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 05/24 — Example: yesterday afternoon, we received a text from our construction manager. They wanted us to pull out the dishwasher from the shipping container and move it into the house. Our plumber was on-site and could add this installation onto his workday. It was pouring rain outside. By 3 p.m., the light here on the Bruce Peninsula was failing fast (it can get twilight by 5-6 p.m.). PN & TS snarled at each other. PN didn’t want to drop everything and drive up to the farm in the rain and move shit around in an unlit sea-can. TS saw yet another time loss manifesting itself on our project. The painters, plumber, and tiler were working on top of each other. We finally agreed that such actions risk damaging the appliances. And how the ever-loving-hell were we going to do that activity without disturbing the interior painting (with drip-cloths on the floors). We had already taken the outer protective boxes apart to inspect the contents (last year, when we purchased replacement appliances for our condominium-under-renovation & hadn’t done that [bad decision]). No. Just no. Yes, we will have to now pay for a separate dishwasher installation (or risk a DIY job). PN and TS vetoed the manager’s instruction. And Evolve Builders Group acquiesced.
NOVEMBER 5TH — TS is hammering away at that contract course upstairs. I’m enjoying a 2nd day not mucking around on the property (I spent several hours on Monday receiving additional building materials for our bunkie assembly & re-covering blown-away tarps). Tomorrow, we will order about twenty 40 pound bags of wood pellets in order to run our boiler at full tilt (unless a supplier will come up here and blow free-flowing pellets into our hopper).
I’ve gathered Minnesota suffered a drought and hot temperatures since the summer. Now, they’re dealing with flash floods. Extreme weather events are now the norm, climate-change-deniers.
hard lessons ts & pn learned about bunkie kits
Lesson #1. If one buys a kit, carefully read its assembly guide and prepare oneself to get specialty tools. Example: step-ladders, at least 2 extra people to help one maneuver boards around, flooring clamps (at least 10 foot spans), cordless drill & several batteries, plastic sheet for vapour barriers, LED task lights, extension cords.
Lesson #2. The kit is only as stable as its foundation. God help anyone who tries to skimp on the foundation. Don’t be cheap about it. Unless you are building on a level gravel parking lot, prepare the substrate.
Lesson #3. Don’t be cheap about your roof. Asphalt shingles are cheap. Corrugated tar paper is worse! We went metal.
Lesson #4. Use insulation and vapour barrier systems for your subflooring and under the roof.
Lesson #5. Install insect and vermin barriers. This bunkie is a mass of delicious, kiln-baked pine, wrapped in a predator-resistant wrap from the factory. After the bunkie’s assembled, landscaping fabric (galvanized metal mesh, ~0.5 cm squares) and flashing will be added as a skirt. Learn more about carpenter ants here! 🙂
Lesson #6. Buy your kit and then assemble it. Do not do any layaway plan. We saved money by buying our kit on sale (clearance), and having it sit in the factory’s yard. Bad move. This kit is one oversized hydrophilic sponge. Boards warped. Insects made a home inside it, despite it being stored off the ground and on gravel. Lesson #7 saved us from a nuclear snit.
Lesson #7. Don’t be a stubborn S.O.B. Ask for help. If we hadn’t hired a friend with carpentry and renovation experience, TS and PN would have abandoned the kit until the Spring.
BCB&B, neemtree, bdb, and blog 