BROKEN OAK HILL(R) Dispatches from the heart of Wisconsin At the Farm
Previous report
Walnuts were falling like crazy and I tried to gather those in the yard to keep them from attracting red squirrels.
The new posts have a nice built in shelf to set your drink on as you admire the scenery. Jim said we may want to put some sealer on them to protect them from stains.
A nice detail is this little peg in the corner with all of the baseboards.
The window frames are simple knotty pine with a little routing around the edges that give them a "country" look.
Here's a sample of one of the "flaws" in the window frames, this on the dining room windows. Once primed and painted, it will just add to the character of the house.
Jim started moving some of the 18 doors into the house on Friday. These are the closet doors for the downstairs bedroom.
The wood flooring was one of the surprises. We got Grade 2 oak, 4 inches wide, and knew it would have some knots in it. We didn't know it would have many boards only about a foot long. But all put together, it really looks great and will add a unique look to the living area.
The vents for the new floor were one of the pleasant surprises of this visit -- made from oak rather than the standard stamped metal insert.
The little oak just northwest of the house is starting to get some color.
Walnuts were falling like crazy and I tried to gather those in the yard to keep them from attracting red squirrels.
The new posts have a nice built in shelf to set your drink on as you admire the scenery. Jim said we may want to put some sealer on them to protect them from stains.
A nice detail is this little peg in the corner with all of the baseboards.
The window frames are simple knotty pine with a little routing around the edges that give them a "country" look.
Here's a sample of one of the "flaws" in the window frames, this on the dining room windows. Once primed and painted, it will just add to the character of the house.
Jim started moving some of the 18 doors into the house on Friday. These are the closet doors for the downstairs bedroom.
The wood flooring was one of the surprises. We got Grade 2 oak, 4 inches wide, and knew it would have some knots in it. We didn't know it would have many boards only about a foot long. But all put together, it really looks great and will add a unique look to the living area.
The vents for the new floor were one of the pleasant surprises of this visit -- made from oak rather than the standard stamped metal insert.
The little oak just northwest of the house is starting to get some color.
Sept. 29-30
OMG! Can we really be getting
this close to the finish line?
We feel safe in saying that on Sept. 30, 2011, probably for the first time in the history of the universe, a dwelling on the last piece of property in the southwest corner of Fountain Township (in what is now Juneau County in the state of Wisconsin, USA) was warmed by central heat.
That same morning a new propane tank was installed and hooked up, and later in the day the tank was filled and the furnace was started. By the time we left Friday afternoon to head home, it had warmed the house from the mid-50s to the mid-60s.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves, because this was a very exciting trip. The question is where to start.
We drove up Thursday through rain of varying intensity. We stopped in Mauston for another visit to McKinney's and looked at carpeting for the downstairs bedroom and the upstairs and found some we liked. It was around 1 p.m. by the time we got to the farm, and were we in for some wonderful surprises.
It took a minute to register, but as soon as we both saw the front porch posts, we were delighted. We've seen the framing go up, another time the roof was on, and for another visit the windows were in, but the posts were sort of a crowning delight. They just set off the house.
We quickly went inside and were overwhelmed to find the oak flooring down. And the windows framed. Switchplates and outlet covers were in place, and there was temporary lighting set up throughout the ho
use. Upstairs, builder Jim Langendorf's right-hand man, Luke, was finishing framing windows and
putting in some baseboards. Subflooring had been put in all of the areas where there is not hardwood flooring -- a step many builders forego these days, but not Jim. It costs a little more, but it makes for a better house and we're glad he did it.
We wandered around in sort of a daze for an hour or so, just soaking it all in and mareveling how fast things had moved since we were there the week before with family. The main purpose of this trip was to be present Friday for the installation of a propane tank and gas line to the house, something the folks at the Camp Douglas co-op said was required for them to do the work.
I had hoped to cut down a walnut tree behind the garage in the area for the propane tank, but the rains continued off and on and the wind was fierce and I was afraid to tackle it. I would have been so much smarter to have done it the previous week when my brother Tom and son Matt were around to lend a hand.
We had also come up to start priming the interior window trim, which was ready to go. But we didn't have time to get any primer before we left home, so we decided to go to the Home Depot in the Dells to get that and some brushes after we checked in to the Super 8 in Mauston and paid a visit to an appliance store to shop for a stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer and dishwasher. It was raining on the way down to Wisconsin Dells, of course, but we got that accomplished and also bought a two-step ladder so we could see the tops of the windows for priming. And we had dinner at the High Rock Cafe (which we recommend) in the downtown Dells before calling it a day.
Friday, Sept. 30
We had no stops to make in Mauston on the way out to the farm, but still didn't get there until almost 9:30, about the time the propane tank was to be installed. Jim was there doing various things, and two men from McKinney's were there to put in the vinyl flooring, but they said it was too cold to do it that day. As the flooring guys were leaving, the two-man crew from the co-op showed
up with the tank and the machinery to get their job done.
Placing the tank went pretty well, not in the original location I had thought of but at least down the hill a little and not sitting right out in the yard. It is sort of hidden by the garage, and we can plant a lilac or something there next spring to hide it from view a little more. We had a nice conversation with Jim about various things like the flooring and the rest of the schedule and then got organized and started our priming while he went about tying up some loose ends on caulking and other things and the co-op guys got busy trenching. That proved to be more of a job that expected, because the yard has so many rocks in it.
The esti
mate for the trenching and hookup was two hours, but it took over three hours and the crew was there through the lunch hour. Jim had left by then, but when they finally wound up and tested the pressure, it was early afternoon and we were still trying to reach someone from the furnace company (BTU in Mauston) to see if they could come out today and start the furnace. About an hour later, someone showed up to do the final hookup and Scot from the co-op came back and filled up the tank, and the furnace was up and running.
We primed trim a while longer but wrapped up around 4 so we could go back into town and get an estimate on appliances from the store in Mauston. We also stopped at the Home Depot again and paid for two storm doors to pick up next week on our way back up. There will be plenty of painting and other things to keep us busy.
Scot from the Camp Douglas Co-op fills our new 320-gallon propane tank at the end of the day Friday.
OMG! Can we really be getting
this close to the finish line?
We feel safe in saying that on Sept. 30, 2011, probably for the first time in the history of the universe, a dwelling on the last piece of property in the southwest corner of Fountain Township (in what is now Juneau County in the state of Wisconsin, USA) was warmed by central heat.That same morning a new propane tank was installed and hooked up, and later in the day the tank was filled and the furnace was started. By the time we left Friday afternoon to head home, it had warmed the house from the mid-50s to the mid-60s.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves, because this was a very exciting trip. The question is where to start.
We drove up Thursday through rain of varying intensity. We stopped in Mauston for another visit to McKinney's and looked at carpeting for the downstairs bedroom and the upstairs and found some we liked. It was around 1 p.m. by the time we got to the farm, and were we in for some wonderful surprises.
It took a minute to register, but as soon as we both saw the front porch posts, we were delighted. We've seen the framing go up, another time the roof was on, and for another visit the windows were in, but the posts were sort of a crowning delight. They just set off the house.
We quickly went inside and were overwhelmed to find the oak flooring down. And the windows framed. Switchplates and outlet covers were in place, and there was temporary lighting set up throughout the ho
use. Upstairs, builder Jim Langendorf's right-hand man, Luke, was finishing framing windows and putting in some baseboards. Subflooring had been put in all of the areas where there is not hardwood flooring -- a step many builders forego these days, but not Jim. It costs a little more, but it makes for a better house and we're glad he did it.
We wandered around in sort of a daze for an hour or so, just soaking it all in and mareveling how fast things had moved since we were there the week before with family. The main purpose of this trip was to be present Friday for the installation of a propane tank and gas line to the house, something the folks at the Camp Douglas co-op said was required for them to do the work.
I had hoped to cut down a walnut tree behind the garage in the area for the propane tank, but the rains continued off and on and the wind was fierce and I was afraid to tackle it. I would have been so much smarter to have done it the previous week when my brother Tom and son Matt were around to lend a hand. We had also come up to start priming the interior window trim, which was ready to go. But we didn't have time to get any primer before we left home, so we decided to go to the Home Depot in the Dells to get that and some brushes after we checked in to the Super 8 in Mauston and paid a visit to an appliance store to shop for a stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer and dishwasher. It was raining on the way down to Wisconsin Dells, of course, but we got that accomplished and also bought a two-step ladder so we could see the tops of the windows for priming. And we had dinner at the High Rock Cafe (which we recommend) in the downtown Dells before calling it a day.
Friday, Sept. 30
We had no stops to make in Mauston on the way out to the farm, but still didn't get there until almost 9:30, about the time the propane tank was to be installed. Jim was there doing various things, and two men from McKinney's were there to put in the vinyl flooring, but they said it was too cold to do it that day. As the flooring guys were leaving, the two-man crew from the co-op showed
up with the tank and the machinery to get their job done. Placing the tank went pretty well, not in the original location I had thought of but at least down the hill a little and not sitting right out in the yard. It is sort of hidden by the garage, and we can plant a lilac or something there next spring to hide it from view a little more. We had a nice conversation with Jim about various things like the flooring and the rest of the schedule and then got organized and started our priming while he went about tying up some loose ends on caulking and other things and the co-op guys got busy trenching. That proved to be more of a job that expected, because the yard has so many rocks in it.
The esti
mate for the trenching and hookup was two hours, but it took over three hours and the crew was there through the lunch hour. Jim had left by then, but when they finally wound up and tested the pressure, it was early afternoon and we were still trying to reach someone from the furnace company (BTU in Mauston) to see if they could come out today and start the furnace. About an hour later, someone showed up to do the final hookup and Scot from the co-op came back and filled up the tank, and the furnace was up and running. We primed trim a while longer but wrapped up around 4 so we could go back into town and get an estimate on appliances from the store in Mauston. We also stopped at the Home Depot again and paid for two storm doors to pick up next week on our way back up. There will be plenty of painting and other things to keep us busy.
Scot from the Camp Douglas Co-op fills our new 320-gallon propane tank at the end of the day Friday.
