Got the door on the storage building

Another day another dollar... errr another course on the east wall (#5). Alexis and her Mama were here all day today helping me. They got the site picked up and the storage building cleaned out while keeping me in energy drinks and water. I'm getting stronger and was able to work almost 8 hours today although both Alexis and I feel like dish rags as a result. We came back after I got cleaned up and had a pizza picnic on the slab savoring the moment in the woods on our land... thank you, Lord!
David Musser came and helped today and we got the storage building finished except for some trim and a paint job. Alexis and her Mama will start painting it white on Monday. Tomorrow we start moving "stuff" from our Monteagle storage facility to our new storage building now that it is secure.

Slowly but surely

Today I got another course laid on the east wall (course #4) and turned the corner on the north wall like I did on the west wall. I'm hoping that with all the window/door openings on the north wall that it will go relatively fast (less blocks to lay). My St Andrews friend Joseph Mansfield convinced me that I should go up another course so my ceiling will be 8' 8" instead of just 8'. He pointed out that even 8" more would contribute to a feeling of spaciousness in every room. It will cost more but maybe I can turn lemons into lemonade if I think about it a while. Suggestions would be appreciated. As you can see by this picture the south wall is not going to be masonry. It will be a conventional stick built wall because of all the windows and doors for my passive solar design. Using blocks would have been a nightmare with extra long lintels, etc.

Plodding along

Alexis and I had a late morning appointment in Winchester so we didn't get started on the house until 2:00 PM. Even with this late start we got quite a bit done. Maybe it was because my mother-in-law enjoys watching me work... I think this perceived rarity fascinates mothers-in-law. Anyway I got another course bored and glued on the east wall (see below) and all but two or three blocks glued in the 6th course in the west wall. Here is a shot of me cleaning up my block laying tools at the end of the day:

Window frame #1

Well, the pressure was on today... my mother-in-law was at the job site all day so I couldn't slack off. Actually, we got a lot done including the frame for the window in the dining room (see picture, below). The window will end up being about 6" higher than shown but I had to have something to lay the blocks to so I had to put the frame in low for now. With the exception of gluing a few blocks on the west wall, we're up 6 courses and ready to move to the east wall and begin the long run that is the north wall. Alexis and I are starting to get excited... we are building a "very, very fine house" and when we're finished we won't have a MORTGAGE which is the BEST part! From the picture I can see that the second & third blocks from the corner on the 6th course need some adjustment... I'll rasp them down first thing tomorrow and get that corner level.Another view:

We got a late start today

Alexis and I had a lazy morning and didn't get to the building site until about 1 PM. Nevertheless she got some "square foot" gardening done and I got some blocks laid. I've decided to lay 6 courses all the way around first, pour the rebar holes with a concrete slurry and then go on up with the final 6 courses (12 X 8" = 8 foot ceiling). We just barely got the tools and the dogs put away before a deluge hit us. Here is a semi-wet shot as we were leaving. 6 courses on the west wall and "coming around the corner."Canine version of Larry, Mo & Curly (aka L to R: Mosby, Boone & Baxter):Mosby (L)... Buddha (R):

My block laying speed is picking up

Today was Alexis' first day of summer vacation from her teaching job. She was able to help me at the building site and I think her being there made things go smoother. I got courses 4 & 5 laid on the west wall. My work is certainly not pretty but it's REALLY solid. Like I've said before the stucco will cover up the cosmetic uglies. Here are two pictures of today's work (the first picture is looking south from the NW corner of the house) It looks like the first two blocks in course #6 aren't perfectly level so I'll have to rasp them down:
This shot is taken from the SW corner looking north:I'll take my "alligator saw" and cut the end of these buttress blocks off so that this 16" masonry south wall will be plumb (most of the south wall will be a traditional stick-built 6" wall because of all the windows for my passive solar design).

I'm beginning to pick up speed

Today I was able to pick up some speed with my block laying. Since my tools were stolen, I had to go back to the AAC block guy in Ringgold, GA and buy new stuff. Getting a replacement drill bit with a shorter shaft has made all the difference in boring the 3" holes in the block straight and true plus the "alligator" saw that I rented cuts through these concrete blocks almost like butter. Today's bag of glue (adhesive powder) was a little different than the stuff I've been using and REALLY grabs. I'm sure it's stronger than the block itself and barely an 1/8" thick. The following picture is out of focus but you can see the NW corner and west wall that I worked on today (I'll have to be up on scaffolding in a day or two). I've almost got 4 courses out of 12 laid on this west wall. Like I've mentioned before all the "blemishes" will be covered by the stucco.
Boone and Mosby enjoying a dog's life:

I'm believin' I turned a corner today with my block laying

Today was a good day albeit LONG and tiring (I was able to work 7 hours... I'm getting stronger!). I finally got all the blocks laid in the first course of the north wall (56'). I have been putting off finishing that course because I was unsure of exactly where I wanted the front door to be (...and with concrete block your decision gets "set in stone"). That's the beauty of having your house plans drawn on a napkin... they can be changed on another napkin. Anyway, I made a command decision (after all, I am thecommander@ilovedixie.com) and positioned the center of the front door 17' from the NW corner of the house. Additionally, I got the 3rd course of blocks on the west wall ready for glue tomorrow, to wit:Stucco will cover the chipped corner and a multitude of other block laying "sins."

I had a bad hair day... make that a bad block day

Although I got the 2nd course of the west wall laid today, I had a rough time all day as my blocks kept breaking when I tried to bore holes for the rebar... 5 blocks in a row shattered! I also got more of the north wall laid. Now there are only about 5 or 6 blocks to be mortared in on the front (north) wall. Hopefully, if I can figure out this block breaking problem, I can shift into overdrive and get these AAC block walls laid. Here is today's west wall:

A couple of setbacks...

Here is a picture of my toolbox with ALL my block laying stuff inside... skillsaw, reciprocating saw, brand NEW drill, belt sander, grinder, 2 trowels, 3" drill bit, block rasp, new tool bag with assorted hand tools, etc., etc... NO WAIT that is a shot of where my toolbox was AFTER it was STOLEN. Bummer!... everything spirited away in the dark of night with Baxter, Boone & Mosby in a kennel 20 feet away. Should I fire our pooches!? Like a Mennonite friend said when someone didn't pay him for a job, "if he can live with it... I can live without it."
On Thursday of last week I started having a tooth ache and went in Friday for a root canal which ended up being an extraction as they couldn't save the tooth (you oughta see my Arkansas smile!). I was in bed the rest of the day feeling kinda rough so with rain during the first part of the week I got very few blocks laid last week... then came the theft.
Having replaced some of the essential tools yesterday I was able to get back after it today and got the second course laid/glued on the east wall. I also prepared the blocks on the west wall for gluing tomorrow if I don't get rained out. My block laying is not pretty but very solid... and I am getting faster... here's a shot of the east wall having been glued today.
The Reverend Franklin Sanders, a dear friend & Alexis' distant cousin, wrote a novel 20+ years ago where he told of trespassers ignoring the traditional "POSTED, Keep Out" signs. The problem was solved when the signs were replaced with the warning: "EXTREME Danger Beyond This Point." What danger, you ask? Each potential trespasser/thief/vandal conjured up their own worst fear (rabid dogs, quick sand, nuclear waste, HIV syringes, crazed Amazon warriors with PMS... each villain's guilty mind customized their own poison?). The thieving in the novel stopped. My "EXTREME Danger" sign goes up tomorrow.

Starting the second course

I'm almost finished with mortaring/gluing the first course of the long north wall (56'). To speed things up for tomorrow I glued in three of the four second course corners (no more mortar required... just glue/adhesive). I would have put in all four corners but I ran out of goo (= glue... I didn't feel like mixing up any more today... I was pooped). With the corners "set in stone" I should be able to fill in from corner to corner much faster than I've been going heretofore.
Here's block #1 in my second course:

Two steps forward... one step back

Unfortunately I had to tear out all the work I did Wednesday on the north wall... It just wasn't close to being level like I had thought... so I got out the 10# sledge hammer and pounded it out. It was a big disappointment but I'm learning the tricks and I hope that I'll have the first course completed tomorrow... Monday at the latest. The following picture includes the pile of rubble (on the right) which had been the north wall before I tore it out. I haven't mortared these blocks yet but it should go pretty fast now that they are drilled, etc.We still have trim, siding for the gables and a door to put on our storage building (320 sq. feet) but it is dried in and pretty much ready to receive our "stuff" from the container and the building in Monteagle ($130/month savings... YEAH!). If you'll look closely at the right side of the building (which is the south side), you'll see a panel which is clear plastic that will serve as a small "greenhouse" to grow vegetables.

Working on getting the twains to meet...

Today I started the north wall (56' east-to-west and includes our front door and 5 windows)... it was slow going at first because I had problems with my blocks breaking because my rebar hole was too close to the outside wall of the block. As the day progressed, however, I figured out how to overcome the problem. I will have to do some tweaking to get the first course perfectly level but David Musser, my helper, is going to loan me his grinder which will speed up the process. When I'm level and ready for the second course, I really do think it will go MUCH faster than what I've experienced to date. David Musser told me I should fire my block mason (ME) because I am so slow... he said I worked at the speed of a NYC union worker with lots of seniority.

In the background of this picture you can see the 16' X 20' storage building that will be dried in tomorrow by noon. This will allow us to consolidate our storage needs into this building and save us $130/month.

East is east & west is west... tomorrow the twain shall meet

Well, today I got the east wall laid in mortar with adhesive on the butt joints... the wall still needs a little tweaking, but progress is being made... slowly but surely. I'm even more confident now that when I start the second course that the whole process will go much faster. I'm learning how to lay the block and course 2 and above only require the polymer adhesive not mortar AND the adhesive. Physically this is VERY demanding but I can tell I'm getting a little stronger every day... YEAH!
Tomorrow I have to join the east wall with the west wall... then we'll be rockin' & rollin'.

I finally made some progress laying block... slow but sure

It was a BEAUTIFUL day here on our Tennessee mountain... a GREAT day to be alive for sure! This was my first day of actual corner-to-corner-fill-in-the-blocks block laying. I'm making progress although it is slow... getting the first course level is so critical but I expect to pick up some steam as I continue to lay & learn. This is a picture of the first course on the west wall that I laid today... I am pleased with it being straight and level... more laying tomorrow if I can drag my sore 61 year old body out of bed tomorrow morning.

It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon, but we didn't get much done

It rained this morning but the afternoon was spectacular. Alas, we didn't get much done except to tear out the kennel we had built here at the apartment for our three boys last winter. It's warm now and they don't have to be inside with us... they can stay across the road in their fenced area. Speaking of "the boys" here are pictures of our three sweet guys:

This is Alexis and our lovable lug, Baxter (aka "Mr B," "Big B," "Baxter Boo")
Here is Mosby rescued 2 years ago from starving... possibly the world's worst hunter (aka "Mose-Bose"... "nobody knows where Mose-Bose goes?")

Boone (aka "Boone-Dog," "Boone-Hoone") is terminally happy... NOT the sharpest knife in the drawer but ALWAYS happy!

Painfully slow progress

These blocks are not set in mortar... they are cut and drilled ready to be set tomorrow if it doesn't rain. I think once I get this first course in that the rest will go up relatively easily and quickly. The learning curve is steep here in the beginning and then there's the matter of me not being physically able to work a full 8 hour day yet.

Can you spell STUPID... I can!

One thing I have come to admire about the good old boys here in Tennessee is their down home country common sense. They think before they act and rarely have to repeat a motion unlike me. Today I realized that I hadn't checked the diagonal on the completed slab to verify it was square so necessary adjustments could be made if necessary. In the meantime I had had the guy that delivered the AAC block put pallets of block anywhere it was convenient for him on the slab. A good old boy would have anticipated this sort of thing and would have specified better placement of the pallets so they would not have to be moved until they were laid. Unfortunately I hadn't considered this and the haphazard placement of the pallets obstructed the clear view and I couldn't measure from corner to corner to check the squareness of the slab. I moved 3 or 4 pallets by hand before running out of gas and still had 2 pallets to move. I did what any tuckered out city/college boy would do... I got a bigger hammer. To be specific I got a ten pound sledge hammer and busted 3 blocks out of one pallet to create a clear shot from corner to corner (see picture, below). This is not the recommended method but I wasn't up to moving the blocks by hand and I had to know if I was still square. Happily, I was... 61' 9" both ways. After my demolition derby, I got the 4th corner block laid so tomorrow I should be able to "turn and burn"... well maybe not "turn and burn" but I should be able to get a number of the first course blocks laid in mortar and ready to glue the other 12 courses.

After a "minor" adjustment with my 10# sledge hammer I can measure from corner to corner... this method is NOT recommended.