Remember the Birches

   I borrowed this photo from FilliQuist Studio since I posted it there first. The reason that I took the birch trees down when I did was to get the wood detached from the ground before it could absorb all of the sap that is pushed out of the roots back into the tree in spring. Avoiding all that sap greatly helps the wood dry by next winter.
   So this year I decided to extract some of the sap from the tree to make beer. The tree easily filled a 10 gallon (25 liter) jug in just under two days (to think the sap runs for 3-4 weeks!) out of a 1/2 (13mm) hole. After boiling and adding all the ingredients it was ready to bottle after 2 weeks. It has a light body and a 7% content. It just needs to sit for a few months and should be ready for midsummer.
You can see the recipe here. It is worth trying! We can't wait to give review's on this homemade brew!

Pool Removal and Landscape Restoration

BEFORE

AFTER

  Pretty simple really.  Pool/No pool. There are plans to have a pool in the future, one that is permanent and will be integrated into the barn on the left. There are no more broken windows or loose shards of glass, old pallets, or a "law suit waiting to happen" deck. For now the neat pile of deck is waiting to be moved and reassembled into a deck for the work studio..... but that is another project.

More crummy weather and hiding inside

  I want to finish stacking wood and disassemble the deck that used to stand next to the pool but the weather just is not cooperating. I generally enjoy working in all types of weather to a certain extent but this..... this weather makes me hide. Seriously! It looks like bird feathers are falling out there!
   So I will hide inside and get the plans for the house drawn up on the computer. Since I don't want to clutter up the page with computer screen shots click to see them after the jump!

Reflections on an Old Pool

    The previous owner was kind enough to leave an above ground pool for us. Being very tired of stacking wood I (Skip) decided to take a break and remove this eye sore.  (The POOL!)

The Remains of the Day

   Just before a stunning sunset photo-op I grabbed a picture of our yard after a day of much trimming, cutting, splitting. As you can see after the jump there was some stacking of wood as well.

      The three large birch that were cut down were not healthy and are also sitting with some other tree trunks in the upper right of the picture above. If everything works out right the wood will be used for furniture and interior paneling!

Restoring a Handöl Wood Stove for our Guest House

   How is this for instant gratification? We bought this Handöl wood stove in bad condition and I spent some time (quite a bit actually) cleaning, polishing, welding, resealing, and reassembling this little classic. It is made of a cast iron frame that holds together many pieces of soapstone and cast iron ports (ash clean out, stoking door, and exhaust port out the back of the stove). More pictures and details of the restoration after the jump.

Dreaming of the Right Kind of Stairs & Avoiding Bad Weather and Work

  So it has been a return winter this week and I've been hiding inside waiting and hoping for spring to return. Feeling guilty about not working directly on the house or property I have been distracting myself with stair ideas. Here is what we have and then our considerations after the jump where you can see some of the options and thoughts that we have for the new stairs.

 Here is a small picture of our current stairs. They are nice and help us get to the second floor. That is about all. Otherwise they are in the wrong place in the house, as seen to the right. The stairs are on the right of that picture. They will be moved to the left foreground of the picture as the space behind the chimney will   become two bedrooms.

 Here is the first idea-

And of course the I saved the best for last.....

The steel and wood combination is a common preference that you will see in the next few pictures. This one is great because the box steel construction is a solid option that will not twist as you run up it.
  This is an often overlooked detail when architects design a stair case and specify a centered "I" beam. Even with extra stabilization of the had rail, while totally safe, the shake and jiggle like jello.