Shingles on the house.

One of our ongoing projects is to cover the house with shingles. The front was done a number of years ago when my parents were visiting. It's one of those jobs that is quite satisfying as it moves along fast and you can soon see results!
Those shingles, on the front, were bought. They were a good product but not overly big.
As we had the saw mill we decided to cut our own and successfully made enough to cover one end of the house. Some of ours were over 18 inches wide so you didn't need many to do a row.

Shake/Shingle blocks are a by product of logging. After trees are felled and the logs taken away, shake cutters move in and can cut blocks from the stumps and ends of logs left on the site. We gather logs that are floating around and so cut fire wood or lumber logs saving pieces that are clear (no knots) for shingles.

Shakes usually go on roofs and shingles as siding. Shakes are bigger and thicker.

This side of the house is nice and straight with only the one window to work round. It is covered in tar paper as a barrier and then you start at the bottom with one row of shingles. The second row goes directly over the top but the third and consequent rows are staggered to cover the joins.
Shingles are tapered so you have one end thicker than the other. The thin end is upper most so any water will run down and away from the wall.

The nice thing about working with cedar shingles is they can be cut easily to fit whatever size. To keep the rows straight we used a chalk line. There is about a 2/3  1/3 overlap and the nails are in the top third so are covered all the time.
The round vent you can see is into the roof space.

The finishing touch is a window box that is now overflowing with geraniums.
We still have some shingles left to start on the other end of the house and eventually we will get round to the back too. The back will be a longer process as there are 5 windows and 1 door to work round! 
We have been in this house for 14 years and we have done 2 sides! So at that rate we should be done by the time we hit retirement age!!

Fleet addition!

We have been thinking of getting a new boat for some time now. But like most things it gets put off and you sometimes wonder if it is ever going to happen!!
Well last summer it all fell into place......after a few minor hiccups!!

Our requirements are not too demanding and we knew that a converted fish boat or similar would do the job. Better accommodation, hold space and a nice galley were high up on the list.

Like car buying there can be some ' tire kicking' but this boat fitted the requirements it was only the money that held things up. It had been on the market for over 2 years. Initially over priced so they halved the asking price but still no takers! Robin put in a 'neusence' offer which was turned down. He returned home as he had a job to go to, and then heard from the brokerage that it was accepted!!

The logistics of getting the boat back home were discussed and eventually we bought her home in the fall of 2013.

Overall she is 40 feet. An ex troller that has been used as a cruiser for the last 15 years or so. Powered by an Isuzu Diesel she has all the space we need and after some TLC will be a useful addition to the fleet!!

As with all fish boats they have a large hold which is approx. in the middle of the boat. This one allows for just under standing room and comes complete with a small freezer. Lots of space for transporting all our groceries etc and far better than having them stacked in the cabin as with the other boat!! Large fuel tanks (if we can afford to fill them!) and hot and cold running water are all added luxuries.

The main cabin is spacious and very light with lots of big windows. This boat is much higher out of the water than our other one and visibility is great now!
The galley area has a fridge under the counter, a propane stove and top, sink, counter and cupboard space. The dining table seats 4 comfortably and will also fold down for extra bunk space if needed.
There are two seats, one for the Captain and one for the co-pilot!!

Down below in the foc'sle there are three bunks. An oil stove for heat and a 'head' with shower.

Heading home!!  Behind Table Island, Smith Inlet.

As is usual with any 'Cooper' purchases it needs work! The first thing is to take the side of the cabin off and replace the windows. The wood holding the old windows in is rotten and so allowing water to leak in.....and with leakages the water travels all over before appearing somewhere completely different!! The new windows are en route as I write so a little time, some good weather and we will be starting on the first major project.
She is quite usable right now and we have taken trips to the beach and towed a few logs to see how she performs.
Eventually she will replace the 'Tasu III' and will be much better for Robin as he spends many days on board during DFO Fisheries.

Oh and her name is 'Palma G'      but that might change!!

New Wood Stove

We had a few projects on the go in 2013 so I will post details and photos, not in any particular order!!

One project which we had wanted to do was replace the wood stove. This is quite a big job and has to be coordinated just right as it is not only our only form of cooking but also heats the house and produces the hot water!!  Therefore we were not going to do it in the midst of winter!!

A few years a go we were given an old stove from friends in Bella Coola. It has been kept in a barn for the last 30 years or so, so the tops were not too rusted and considering it's age the enamel was in good condition. First job was to strip it down. The 'shiny' bits were all taken off and we had them re nickel plated. The fire box was re built and the tops ground down. The enamel had been painted over the years so after some gentle scrubbing and scraping we got down to the original finish.

The Old stove waiting to be removed.

The old stove was taken out and was VERY heavy even though the fire bricks had been removed!! good job we had some help handy!!

 

This new stove is Circa 1920!! So not really new, but new to us. After all the modifications it looks pretty sharp. People often ask if we keep it going all through the summer too and the answer is yes! You get quite good at knowing when to put wood in to gain what temperature you need and although we sometimes have some very hot weather in the summer we certainly don't get over heated!

Wood heat is quite different and we love it! Cooking can be a challenge when the wood doesn't want to burn as it should but my philosophy is it will cook eventually.....so what if dinner is a little late!!

 

 

 

 

Spring 2014

Hello All, 
 Sorry I have not been posting for a while but I am hoping to catch you all up with the activities of the Inlet and our adventures.

If you are reading this you will be aware that the address is slightly different. Seems 'Blogger' didn't want me to post anymore on the old site! (Don't you just love the internet?)

I will endeavour to post on a regular basis and keep you up to date.

Sarah