The Masonry Heater: Part III

Here comes the fun part. The core is finished and it's time to add the brick facing. We had hoped to find salvaged (vs new) bricks and Stephen found some for us in Hudson, New York. We don't know what type of building they came from, but they have lots of character.
Below, you can see the first vertical "soldier" course of bricks and the flues on the backside which will evetually be enclosed with bricks.


This is a full view from the front side:


After the courses of brick surround the firebox, a bluestone shelf is added where the heater narrows in dimension:


The cardboard acts as spacer between the facing and the core while the mortar sets. It's important that the core and facing move independently.

Steve works on a decoration with some granite cobbles we aquired.

The workbench:


Next. the chimney is built around the flues:


Here's the chimney going through the second floor.


Staging is set up on the roof where the chimney will break through:


And Steve finishes it with the chimney cap:


The facing and chimney are finished. The next step is to install the doors to the firebox and cook oven.


A bluestone hearth is added:


The heater is complete!






Stephen meets with us today to light the ceremonial first fire. Many small fires must be burned prior to a regular one. This allows the masonry to dry and cure properly.


Ei enjoys the moment (and thinks about someday having a nice cushiony rug where she's sitting):


We love our masonry heater:

Wally World

Another week has quickly flown by. It's Monday morning Nov. 30th. The days are becoming very short and much cooler. Paul arrives ready to help frame the first floor walls with John. Rachel and Fred also help out during the week.

After a tutorial from John, Paul frames one of the walls:


Nice work! (yes, it's a different wall, but you get the idea...)




Sidenote: Paul also builds stone walls. Here's the one he built at his home down the street.



Fred arrived the next day to offer his skills:



And John used his wrassling skills to put this wall where it belonged:


By friday, the first floor walls were sheathed and ready for the second floor beams and joists.

John makes some last minute notes on his PDA for the next workday:

It was bound to happen -- a few inches of snow fell on Saturday night. Sunday morning, Krzy and Eileen shovel the floor decking:

John brushes snow off the top:

We nail MicroLam boards together and create two twelve foot carrying beams. Then Krzy and Eileen nail joist hangers into this very hard wood. We're experts by the time they're all nailed on, and still have all our fingers (we think....it's pretty cold).

Krzy and John then lay the two beams end to end across two thirds of the length. (The last third is a structural wall.) The beams are extremely heavy. These guys ace it:

Later on, Eileen cuts joists for John to put in place. It was a productive day.

Deja-Vu??? No, its footings for the barn. Once the barn foundation is in, trenching for electric power can begin.

The Dance Floor

The sills are finished. Next, John and our neighbor Fred set a heavy "MicroLam beam", (engineered lumber), which will support the floor. This is not a one-person job. Fred's muscle and willingness to help is appreciated. His loaned generator has really helped too.

Here's the MicroLam in place:



And the floor joists:

A few days later, it's the last day of a long Thanksgiving weekend. Many are traveling back home or shuffling through crowded holiday craft fairs looking for that perfect gift. Up at 105, we're about to embark on one of the funnest steps in house building: sheathing the deck.

Eileen cheerfully holds the chalk line to align the first piece of plywood:


Mr. Bean observes Papa Bean hammering a nail:

Now he must try it himself (with Mom's assistance):

Rachel prepares to spread glue on the joists:

And she's got it down:

John marks the plywood:

Then we pound the tongue and groove plywood into place:

Whoa! Rachel traded in the glue gun for the bigger nail gun:

And she's off. She had the entire deck nailed down by day's end:

John's 23 year old nail gun broke about 2 dozen nails short of finishing. Rachel's willing to finish nailing the old fashioned way:

Krzy and Rachel pound the last few nails.

And there are still plenty more left:

The deck is done. Time to put on our dancing shoes! It's really beginning to feel like a house. We spend a while wandering through the rooms before taking our weary selves home. It was a productive and enjoyable family workday.