Her Side Funnies

This post follows “Slipforming, part 7 – Murphy’s Law, a constant companion.”  For a complete list of links to all slipforming posts on this blog, click here.

Any time one tries something brand new, it is unreasonable to expect only glowing success, but I did anyway.  Bolstered by the fact that I had read every article I could lay my hands upon, I was, after all, an expert.  (Heavy sarcasm here.)  Of course, the laws of the universe always have some humility lessons to offer.  And my rock laying was no different. 

I had (mostly) overcome doubt, hand pain, gravel quarry funny-men loading my truck to near un-drive-ability, and the lack of bathrooms.  I had successfully built some outstanding forms, and even layed my first rocks in cement.  The problem?  Well, I really had no idea how close to set the rocks to each other.  Tom Elpel mentioned in his book that one should grout the joints at some later point.  I went to neighboring rock buildings in the area, probably done a hundred years ago by masons who actually knew what they were doing, and they had small joints less than an inch in width.  The only way I could figure to achieve that end was to mash the rocks up very close to each other and then grout over the gaps.  That is probably one way to do it.  Fortunately, that is not the only way, and with hindsight, I do not believe it is the best way.  For our project, as I progressed, I got “looser” with the rocks.  I would leave bigger gaps between them and found that the result, to me, was both more eye-pleasing and much easier to clean.  (more…)

This post follows “Slipforming, part 6 – The latest project.”    For a complete list of links to all slipforming posts on this blog, click here.

So, we’ve covered that my biggest hurdle was overcoming doubt. Then, everything around me began to die, and then Dad’s added his initial view of the project admitting that he was not proud to confess that the entire work crew consisted of one 73-year-old man and two women in their early 30s (one pregnant, but thankfully not me). Out of this amazing work crew, none had built a home before. What was he thinking? (He was thinking it would last one week. That’s what he was thinking!) Happily for me, disappointingly for my father, I did not quit after one week.

We had dealt with the ugly reality that we were building a home without a plan – justifying this decision because I’d never built a home before, and didn’t know if it would be one floor or two, mindful of the ever-present possibility that I might beg to quit mid-way through the project. We needed flexibility, and that was solved by just not putting the floor in.

What would not putting in a floor have to do with it?

Well, by stubbing the water, gas and electric under the foundation, and leaving them inside, we could run them anywhere we chose. That decision freed me up to continue working on the rock walls while the weather was nice, and during the winter months I could obsess over where everything would go. I am quite aware this is not an ideal situation, nor am I advising it, but it was the only solution that fit our needs. Ken wanted in-floor heat and that decision required a more serious knowledge of the layout, which was dependent on knowing if we could add a second floor. (more…)

This post follows “Slipforming, part 5 - Dad’s initial view.”  For a complete list of links to all slipforming posts on this blog, click here.

Whenever cement was delivered for sidewalks, or a stairway, it always seems that there was cement left over.  In one case, the cement company had a full yard of extra cement that they would give me, if I could take it.  Of course I would take it, I said.  This meant quickly slapping together forms in a variety of places where cement would not be a regrettable addition.  Consequently, I ended up with an odd extra outbuilding that had cement walls around the exterior up to approximately five foot high.  The walls were ugly, as we were in a hurry to pour the cement and always had the other “original” project, which needed finishing with fresh cement, too.  No problem, I thought, I’ll just cover it with rock later. 

Well, later has arrived.  This spring, we had MRA Construction put a roof on the building and I am very, very pleased with it.  Milan, the owner, was also my drum instructor in high school, so he knew what to expect and was exceedingly patient as I explained that I wanted a special roof line.  We have double glass doors that view this shed, and I did not want to be looking out at an albatross every time I passed those doors.  The extra curve in the roof adds a whimsical detail that I am thrilled to see.  It was definitely worth the small bit of extra labor and materials. (more…)

This post follows Slipforming, part 4 – Death and destruction.  For a complete list of links to all slipforming posts on this blog, click here.  This particular post was written by my father, William P. Lemoine, and is reprinted here with his permission.

© Copyright by William P. Lemoine 09/20/09

Driving home, I look with eager anticipation to cross the bridge, the boundary to my property, look up, and get the first view of my daughters “humble” house. This was a project that I had dreamed of, encouraged, but never really expected that it would turn out as it did.

In the early 1970s I retired early, to move my family from the hustle of the Washington D.C. area, to a part of the country where my wife and I had our roots.  We wanted the values we learned as children to be passed on to our own three.

Unfortunately, from our viewpoint, two had already been indoctrinated in a life where the high school had well over a thousand students, and the philosophy was “do your own thing”, and “If it feels good, do it.” Our third child, a daughter, was ten years younger and showed an inclination toward what we thought was a healthier lifestyle, morally and physically.

A neighbor bought his teenage daughter a horse, and our four year old became truly fascinated with the idea that she, someday also would have such a beautiful animal.

Within months, I sought out, and purchased, a relatively small farm in a valley I was familiar with, in the West Elk Mountains of western Colorado; and, moved my family there. In comparison to our previous lifestyle, living on the new farm, in an area where the main activity was declining agriculture and coal mining, was a “culture shock” and a challenge.

Dani, the youngest daughter, was finally in her element. I had promised her early on that when we got the farm, she would have a pony of her very own. And so she did. She got a pony that had obviously raised many children before, and was not particularly interested in taking on the task again. He didn’t however realize that he was dealing with a personality, not only stronger than his, but much younger to the extent that she could outlast him. He could be stubborn but she could be more so. He tried all the ugly pony tricks he knew, but he couldn’t intimidate her one bit.

The two elder children were not as excited about farm living as Dani. While we had no worry that the other two would eventually return to city life, with Dani it was different.  We thought, “What are we going to do? That kid is never going to leave home. When the appropriate time comes, we are going to have to set her luggage out by the mailbox, and lock the gate!” (more…)

This post follows “Slipforming, part 3 – The biggest obstacle.” For a complete list of my other articles on this project, click here.

It is not that doubt vanished when we began the house, it was just bound and gagged for the time being. Ken knew that we had some successful real estate remodeling projects under our belts. Whatever confidence that afforded him was removed when he realized we were beginning to build a house and had no plan.

I hate plans. Even today, I avoid planning whenever possible because some hotshot always manages to divulge critical data right after you complete your plan thus requiring you to change it, which becomes a teeth-gnashing experience. Perhaps subconsciously, I figured if I did not have a plan, no one could plot to wreck it and I could remain nimble about necessary changes. At any rate, regardless of the lack of a complete house plan, I knew I would need the slipforms, so I started building them that summer.

I also went to every auction possible where I found all sorts of treasurers like the house lights, shown at left. Auctions are a great source of unique finds that add character to your house. I got four of these wonderful lights (perfect for the castle theme) for a song!

Ken and I went to the site and stomped around. We bought string and stakes and measured the approximate size of our house. I found this process challenging. Trying to determine how big a house you want, is like asking yourself how much dessert you will eat. “I don’t know. Enough, but not too much…unless it’s really good. Then, too much is better.” I finally called the insurance agency and asking them how they determined the rates for insuring a home,figuring this would shed some light on the problem.

“How many corners does it have?” the lady asked. “More corners, more money.” So, not wanting a triangular house, I opted for a four-corner house. Then, I had to decide how wide and long. I ended up driving the cars up next to each other, opening all doors, leaving enough room to navigate between the cars, and some extra for a work bench for Ken, and that measured 32′ (interior diameter). Now, we had the width figured out. On to figuring out the length. (more…)