two days after the fire
December 18, almost two years ago, I started this blog to tell you of our terrible fire. Jeffrey’s beloved shop burned taking all of his tools, records and dreams with it. After finishing up other building obligations, he started to work on the new shop this spring (summer) when the rains finally stopped and he was able to get the site preparation done.
After the fire Tim Segualt, who has worked with him on many projects, volunteered to remove the twisted metal remains and drop the burned trees.
In the photo to the left, Jeffrey watches as the last of his once fine tools is loaded into the dump truck. Two of the burned trees that have since been miled are behind Jeff. He is milling all of the wood himself, mainly from trees that we taken down because of fire damage.
He uses his excavator to move the logs and has a Wood Miser saw to do the cutting.
This is the stack of logs in early July. In the lead photo of this post (repeated at the bottom of this page), you can see that only one short one is left (saved for siding). There are other logs from the many wind-downed trees neighbors have volunteered for the project.
The shop is a post and beam building. Besides the framing, Jeffrey milled and then planed the floorboards. The left photo was taken the day the floor was completed. On the right you can see the start of a bay, useful for storage of vehicles and boats. Jeff and his helper, David, have finished the exposed beams with beveled edges and there are other lovely trim details, some possibly visible in the right photo.
Another bay extends to the back, over the area where currently there is a gray tent.
Inside this tent is the 1944 jeep Jeffrey has been restoring in his free time. His jeep was badly damaged in the fire and its restoration is another Phoenix rising from the ashes. (A wheel rimm an been seen behind the smoke in the top photo and another picture of the body is in the Dec 18th 2009 posting.)
The restoration is inside the tent, crouching below the start of roofing the back side of the building.
The tent will come down but Jeffrey will continue to use this bay to work on boats and other projects too big for the shop.
We have had lots of support in tackling this project. The right photo shows a day when it took three to get a beam in place. Little by little, log by log, board by board, friend and helper, it is getting done. A story headed for a satisfying ending.
The interior on the last day of November, as the visquene goes up to keep the weather out until Jeffrey returns.
The exterior showing how the roofing over the two bays doubles the working area.
© Caroline Buchanan, 2011