Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 5:46 PM #1

Alan Young
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Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

Alan Young

The new roof went on the barn last week- 6-8 people crawling all over it with no restraining ropes, and only ladders to access the building. Top ridge is I'm guessing about 20 feet high.

We had some warm weather the first three days this week so I was able to paint the two "short sides"

Clint Eastwood says in some movie "A man's gotta know his limitations".My limitations ended at the top of the Window on the "peak" sides..

20+ years ago I managed to "man-up" and climb all the way to the top on a ladder and actually paint the entire trim, and siding. But even with this scaffolding and a ladder- the best my balance neurons would allow is the line just at the top of the window.....If the weather warms back up later this month I hope to finish up from that level down...

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 6:41 PM #2

Yonak
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Looks great, Alan

Yonak

The woodchucks are gonna love it !

I have to admire a guy who can carry a 4 X 8 sheet up a ladder.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 9:15 PM #3

Tim Greif - West of Chicago
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Curious about that raised portion

Tim Greif - West of Chicago

I'm curious about that raised portion of the shingles about 5 rows up from the bottom. What is that?

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 9:32 PM #4

JL
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Nice color!!

JL

Pops right out.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 9:38 PM #5

David Yoho
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limitations

David Yoho

It's looking great, Alan.

The Eastwood movie you referred to was Magnum Force

- - -

I live in Mechanicsville, VA (not far from Richmond) and I've been building furniture and cabinetry for well over 20 years now. It all started with my frustration of not being able to cut a straight line with a hand saw. About this same time, a guy named Norm appeared on my local PBS station. The more I watched, the more I learned. I also started thinking, "Hey, I can do that"! And so, I began with small projects and soon found myself moving up to increasingly advanced work. Word of mouth started the ball rolling and before I knew it, I was building all kinds of things for people. While this is not what I do to pay the bills, it has provided me with a means of equipping my shop over the years. The main downside to all of this is when my wife looks at a finished project and says, "I want one of those" and I know I don't have the time to make that happen right then. I take advantage of any slack time between commissions to work on things we want and this seems to keep her "on my side". She even surprised me one day with a new Tormek sharpening system. Sometimes it pays to leave that tool catalog lying around open! For me, woodworking is a type of therapy. I can go out to the shop and totally forget about the world outside. There have been days when I get out there early and before I know it, it's dark outside and I have no idea where the time went! I also enjoy challenging my skills and learning new things. Most of the time, since the majority of my work tends to be custom pieces, I'm working on projects I�ve never built before. While this takes me longer than if I were doing production work, I find it more appealing because there's always something new to learn. I haven't had any formal training in woodworking. My teachers have been experience, the many books and magazines I've read, WoodCentral, and of course, a guy named Norm.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 9:57 PM #6

Alan Young
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Re: Curious about that raised portion

Alan Young

Tim- That is a lower ridge of vents. There is a ridge vent across the top. I wanted to create a full venting path if I ever wanted/could afford to finish of the upstairs.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 9:58 PM #7

Alan Young
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Re: limitations

Alan Young

Ha! I'll have to look it up-In my limited time!

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 10:02 PM #8

Alan Young
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Thanks!

Alan Young

Mrs. Young picked out the colors when we had the house painted in 2015.

Im not sure if all the colors will show up on the "Hotel"

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 10:03 PM #9

Alan Young
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Re: Looks great, Alan

Alan Young

No Kidding! The whole crew walked around with ease!

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/12/20, 11:11 PM #10

Tom Norton
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Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Paintin

Tom Norton

I have taken to renting a lift from the local tool rental. I get all the high work done and some tree trimming at the same time!

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/13/20, 2:06 PM #11

Kneale Brownson
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Re: Curious about that raised portion

kneale brownson

Standard ridge vents installed flat? Substitute for a soffit vent? I've never heard of that, but sounds like a reasonable solution.

- - -

I’m a fairly spry 82-year-old who had been a reader/participant at WoodCentral since the demise of Badger Pond. I started visiting BP to learn something about finish for a project I’d completed and became hooked on internet forums as a way of increasing my knowledge about all sorts of topics. I have been a moderator for a couple other forums on subjects I enjoy. My interest in woodworking began in the early 1970’s when my wife and I had contractors add to our house near Traverse City, MI, and I ended up doing the trim work to reduce mounting costs. I had no tools. I bought a P-C skilsaw, hammer, screwdrivers and one of those wooden miter boxes with a backsaw. I made trim for windows and doors from one-by lumber and started my woodworking career. At the same time, I started a 50-year career as a ski instructor. I got onto the night shift at a mental hospital so I could ski days, and spent my 30s and 40s with that schedule. I eventually replaced the PC-upside-down-in-a-board with a real table saw and began the purchase of enough equipment to fill a jam-packed 40-foot shipping container we used after we sold our property in Michigan. The ski instructing had taken us to Colorado and we were spending too much on maintaining utilities for two homes. A couple years ago, the dozen years spent at 10,000 feet of elevation was making my body produce too many red blood cells, so we had to leave my “forever” home in the mountains and we moved back to Michigan. Now I have to find myself a shop space for all those tools in the container.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/13/20, 2:10 PM #12

Kneale Brownson
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Wall ties for the scaffolding?

kneale brownson

Stabilizing scaffolding with wall ties might make putting the planks on the top more comfortable.

- - -

I’m a fairly spry 82-year-old who had been a reader/participant at WoodCentral since the demise of Badger Pond. I started visiting BP to learn something about finish for a project I’d completed and became hooked on internet forums as a way of increasing my knowledge about all sorts of topics. I have been a moderator for a couple other forums on subjects I enjoy. My interest in woodworking began in the early 1970’s when my wife and I had contractors add to our house near Traverse City, MI, and I ended up doing the trim work to reduce mounting costs. I had no tools. I bought a P-C skilsaw, hammer, screwdrivers and one of those wooden miter boxes with a backsaw. I made trim for windows and doors from one-by lumber and started my woodworking career. At the same time, I started a 50-year career as a ski instructor. I got onto the night shift at a mental hospital so I could ski days, and spent my 30s and 40s with that schedule. I eventually replaced the PC-upside-down-in-a-board with a real table saw and began the purchase of enough equipment to fill a jam-packed 40-foot shipping container we used after we sold our property in Michigan. The ski instructing had taken us to Colorado and we were spending too much on maintaining utilities for two homes. A couple years ago, the dozen years spent at 10,000 feet of elevation was making my body produce too many red blood cells, so we had to leave my “forever” home in the mountains and we moved back to Michigan. Now I have to find myself a shop space for all those tools in the container.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/13/20, 2:37 PM #13

Brad Chenoweth
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Re: Curious about that raised portion

Brad Chenoweth

Alan,

Is that just the standard Cobra vent material covered by a course of shingles? I would have never thought of that. Seems like it would serve the purpose you describe, at least in theory. The building looks great, by the way!

Brad

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/15/20, 5:25 PM #14

Ellis Walentine
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Incredible

Ellis Walentine

You have so much more ambition than me, Alan. Thank you for chronicling this amazing transformation of your property over the past several years. The Woodchuck Hotel is the crowning touch. What's the big plan for the interior? Are you going to use it as a garage? Shop? Man cave?

Waiting for the next installment....

Ellis

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/17/20, 1:27 PM #15

Alan Young
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Re: Curious about that raised portion

Alan Young

Brad- I don't really know what the specific method/materials are. I have more painting to try and squeeze in if the weather warms later this week- I'll try and snap a few close ups of the roofing.

-Alan

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/17/20, 1:44 PM #16

Alan Young
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Re: Incredible

Alan Young

Hi Ellis-

It's been an unexpected "quick" fix. Originally I was going to repair one section of this structure by myself. Then I figured I could do one other section. After laying form boards for one corner my wife decided I needed "help" In the end 95% of the work was contracted out to my friend John H.

There are several buildings in our historic neighborhood that he has done work on. We were fortunate to contact him early on last summer. He said "I'm the guy they call when no one else will do the job" John is 76 years old and I had a challenge keeping up with him on the days I helped out-digging out the foundation trenches/pouring concrete and raising that center beam.

As far as the "future" ideally-my shop will move out here from the basement:

But there is much to be done for that to happen-included installing a complete wiring job, interior insulation and heating...but for now at least we can use this for storage.

Re: Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

11/18/20, 1:13 PM #17

Brad Chenoweth
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Re: Curious about that raised portion

Brad Chenoweth

Alan,

I filed the idea away for future reference. I hope you get warm enough weather for your painting. Great job on the building restoration!

I have to borrow my son's drywall lift this weekend for a small job. I'll think of your Dad when I use it. :>)

Brad

Update on Woodchuck Hotel-New Roof and Painting

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