We have a big hole in the gound!

Well, we have a nice big hole in the ground. 

The basement was dug Oct. 28 and as all of 2020 has been so far, this is another typical 2020 crazy thing.

The company that dug the hole is excellent, no complaints there but our contractor...well.....

He didn't tell us until we got out there that he was contracting out the cement work.

We set this up in July 2020 and patiently waited until the builder was ready to begin, finally the middle of October he told us he's ready, we packed up, got out there asap.

After the hole was dug we had 6 maybe 7 days of 60 degree weather and no freezing temps at night, we thought how lucky are we!! We waited 5 days after the hole was dug, no one showed up. Only to find out, evidently, no one was prearranged to do the concrete. By then the temperatures we going downhill in a few more days, a lot of extra expense for warming blankets, extra labor, etc. and still no word from the concrete people. So why didn't the contractor set up the concrete work for July, August even September before freezing temps since they knew they were not doing it themselves, the concrete walls can sit there for months until the contractor is ready. 

My husband then told the contractor to call us when he hears from his concrete man, 3 weeks later...nothing.

Oh well...maybe 2021 will be a better year (ha ha not holding my breath!)

Anyway, it's interesting to walk into the dirt hole and see the different layers of stones and calcified 'something', from floods long ago. I wish we knew someone who understood what we are looking at on those dirt walls.

The view is still pretty and when I walk on top of that dirt mound I can see approximately where the 2nd floor will be and even more beautiful views of the mountains and valley.

 

Building up date and testing out how blogger has changed

 Blogger has changed, it's been so long since I have used it so this post will be a test to see what happens.

We are still set to start building in Wyoming only scaled down a bit, no thanks to the pain in the back virus screwing up everyone lives.

Everything got pushed back so this Fall will just be the basement. Hoping 2021 won't be so insane as 2020 and we will continue with the house.

I'll take pics and post here, should be about 2 more weeks if all goes well.

Planning to start building this Fall

Gosh, I forgot how this all works, it's been so long!

Sometime in Sept/Oct I'll start posting the beginning of the new house, hopefully if all goes as planned...I say it with hesitation because so many times, for years, we were ready to start but then something came up like housing crashing, insane health insurance prices now the damn virus is messing us up but we are going to start anyway and slowly. The house may not be actually built until next spring but we can start this fall with a basement and see how things go. (The house was slotted for this May 2020 but thanks to the virus it had to be postponed....again. 2020 has been a rotten year all around)

So stay turned!!!

One more year and the fun begins!

Kitchen Cabinets

We're slow but we're back at it again. Finally the kitchen cabinets.

Update

We're still working out west. I haven't been posting because first off I didn't have a 'safe' computer to use online and second it's just been super busy. Way too many irons in the fire!

I won't go into detail but we do have the majority of the bunkhouse finished. 

It getting closer, the husband plans to retire this coming year, we plan to start getting our house in order so we can put it up for sale and get ourselves moved to Wyoming for good! It's going to be a lot of work, 30 years of stuff to pack, and we're definitely not as young as we were when we started this, we sure can tell a huge difference, this year especially. Then we'll need to find a builder...a reliable one this time...and get started on building a house. We have a few suggestions, still need to talk to them. We know exactly what we want for a house but are afraid it will look a little out of place. On the other hand we have such awesome views that how can you not take advantage of that!  It's one of the reasons we bought the property in the first place, and also that the longest side borders BLM land with endless trails and roads. We want porches, lots of porches, that will make the house look huge even though it's not but seriously I could spend all day out on a porch and when the sun sets and rises some times every direction is beautiful! 

Next summer I'll try to be better at posting.

Sure beats two years ago!

Yes, it's been a while since my last post here. 

We are here and have been working steadily on this place but I haven't had the time to post about it.

Today's cooler rainy weather reminds me so much of 2 years ago, on this same date, the husband was heading back here but had to wait out the big snow storm in South Dakota because the freeway was closed.

I remember only too well sitting in the little trailer, on a very dreary day about this same time, wondering where the hired help was and if this bunkhouse would ever get finished.

I posted a pretty sad post that day.

Well I can happily say I'm in the bunkhouse on this cool wet day!

Nice and warm and toasty with the heat on as warm as I want it to be.

And even better...looking out my windows at the mountains! NOT at an unfinished bunkhouse!!!!

It didn't snow very much last night up there but there does appear to be a light dusting to the left, lower down and below the bottom of the clouds. The forecast is for more snow tonight and cooler temps but then later in the day it will clear up and be back in the high 60's and low 70's all week.

Hard to believe I put my feet in Shell Creek (running out of the mountains) to cool them off just last Saturday. We went for a ride that day, it was hot...98 in Greybull just about 37 miles to the south, today it's about 52 here.

We've done a lot but it still never feels like enough. We did put down more plywood 'plank' flooring.

I absolutely love how it's turning out! I wasn't sure but it far surpasses what I was even hoping to accomplish. It really looks like 6" wide pine plank flooring!

This next week I plan to stain and poly as many 'planks' as possible. We had hoped to finish the entire building but there were so many other things that needed attention. We started with the kitchen so that the husband can install the kitchen cabinets next summer, we have the vintage stove and vintage fridge, just need the sink and faucet. We have a cool vintage farm sink that was in the little barn when we bought the place but I forgot about it when they put in the plumbing...still asking the husband if he can make it work. Right now we have 2 banquet tables set up in the kitchen with everything piled on top including 2 hot plates, I do the dishes outside on the porch but it works and I don't mind it one bit because I have HOT WATER! What a treat after doing dishes in the trailer!

No trim around the doors and windows yet, I still need to poly the windows. I'd rather get the flooring all done so I can start moving in the rest of the furniture.

I did convince the husband to put up the curtain rods so I could hang the curtains because of the echo in here. I used the Pinterest painters drop cloths and I like it. I didn't even take the time to press them, the wrinkles don't bother me...I did wash them because I don't care for the funny smell straight out of the package. Maybe next year when we take them down to add the trim I'll give them a light press.

I'll take pictures and eventually post them, I just want to get as much done as possible while here.

A tiny bit of decorating the bunkhouse

I just couldn't help it, I'm dying to get the furniture in here and fixed up all nice and cozy but there's no sense in bringing in too much since we still have the wood floors to put down.

But I did need a dresser so there was my chance to do something fun!

Sort of a shabby chic cowgirl look.

I'm mixing vintage shabby, crochet lace, cowhides, skulls and cowgirl country...go with what I like most, right?

 I sew a lot so a button shade seemed fitting (in case you're wondering what the heck is on that lamp!) the link to a DIY on my vintage blog is HERE

Thanks for stopping!

Painting and a day off in Cody

This was taken last week in the evening when it started to snow. 

A view off our front porch, the sun was setting, it was snowing and the snow looked pink.

The next morning we decided to go to Cody and I snapped a few pictures while he was driving.

And here he is spray painting the final color called Timeless Ivory.

Every room is that color except for the bathroom which is a little more white, called Italian Lace by Valspar.

The entire place is painted and we have moved in.

We're using hot plates to cook on and the bathroom sink to wash dishes.

I have a complete bathroom but it still needs a few minor details.

I stained the interior doors today, we used 6 panel solid pine doors in keeping with the pine trim to be done next year along with continuing the plywood plank floor which I totally LOVE! I can hardly wait to see the floors finished.

We plan to install kitchen cabinets next year along with my vintage stove, refrigerator and we have an authentic old farm house sink that was in the old barn when we bought the place.

My biggest decision now? What do I decide on for cabinets???

Do I go with white and stay with the vintage 40's/50's look of the stove and fridge or do I go rustic and use something like Hickory?

I will have the plywood plank floor in the kitchen.

Another idea was to buy unfinished but they are oak and sort of plain...I like oak only it doesn't seem to fit in here but I was thinking I could have the husband makes me several branding irons and burn some brands into the wood?

Any ideas?

Chief Joseph Highway Wyoming

Things are still happening here at the bunkhouse in Wyoming but we took a road trip over a week ago and I'm just now finally getting some time to do a quick post.

This was on Sunday Sept. 7

This is a view of Heart Mountain's west side (looking east) as we climbed the pass.

Just north of Cody

Up on top, Dead Indian Hill and you can see the winding road going down the other side. We are heading north towards Cooke City, Montana (photo below)

This was a trail used by the Nez Perce Indians while being chased by the U.S. Cavalry in 1877

Further north now and a view of The Beartooth (photo below)

Not terribly exciting here but this is a shot of Cooke City famous for snowmobiles in the winter

We have officially moved into the bunkhouse.

I have a full bathroom, a furnace and air conditioning. A make shift kitchen for now but it sure beats a 20 foot camping trailer and an outhouse!

More soon.....

Plywood "Plank" Fooring

I discovered plywood plank flooring on Pinterest several months ago. 

We decided to give it a try.

We hand picked through the plywood sheets for what we thought would look the best cut into 'boards'.

The husband carefully measured and made a guide that he could clamp down in order to cut boards all the exact same width.

Then I brushed on the sanding sealer to prevent the pine from soaking up the satin unevenly.

I used Minnwax Golden Pecan for the windows and I like it but I wanted the floor to be a tad bit darker so I added drops of Minnwax Special Walnut followed with 1 coat of Polycrylic.

They have the same coloring as the Douglas Fir siding and I'm very happy with it.

We thought we should try it out in the bathroom first to see IF we are really going to like it

We're both very happy with the result so we will continue this flooring throughout the bunkhouse.

Gives it a rustic look that I'm looking for at a fraction of the price of wood  boards.

We're placing it randomly and using ring shank nails and face nailing the planks, surprisingly I can't even see them in the photo!

He has a small area left to do but the base trim is dry and I'm just a little anxious to get that toilet back in there so that's what he's doing now while I do this quick post.

I'll brush on another coat of Polycrylic when the floor is finished to help seal the edges and the nail heads.

The new construction outfit finished up. We had to give in and go with textured walls because the guy that did the sheet rock last year did such a poor job. Now that the new people have explained the correct way to install it, I understand. Last year I didn't have a clue and the guy doing it evidently didn't either...which boils down to the original carpenter (that we let go) contracted that guy to sheet rock. Either the previous carpenter didn't know how to install sheet rock or he just didn't care to take time to explain it to the the man doing it.

But that's water under the bridge now.

The new people (Alotta Cronstruction) spent extra days here trying to fix the mistakes and really wanted to give me smooth walls until finally they just had to give in and break the news to me. They did a nice job of a light texture and knock down so I'm okay with it...I have to be!

Then they spray primed for us so we can get on with our work.

And take breaks and enjoy lunch on the front porch with this view.

I will be back shortly with a finished bathroom...it will be the only completely finished room in the bunkhouse as we continue to work on the other rooms!

It's finally REALLY happening!!!!

What a difference from last September!

We have new people...professional people!

They know what they are doing, they show up when they say they will, they

are getting the job done!

The inside really started to look different yesterday,

they plan to be finished today. 

3 days!

They'll spray texture the ceilings and spray prime everything.

I wanted smooth walls and was told by the last outfit that it can't be done...well it CAN be done when you have people who know how to do it!

These guys are great! It's a father daughter team, he's been doing this for 30 years.

How we found them? My friend, Joan, just happened to see them in a parade in town.

She knew we were desperate to find someone to finish the job so we called and they could work with our time slot so we decided to give them a try. I was worried because of the last guy who caused me to more or less not trust anyone but these people proved to me that there are trustworthy people still out there that can do the work and do it right.

There were a lot of previous mistakes that they had to fix but they didn't complain, they just did what needed doing!

Next post will be finished walls and all primed and ready to go. The husband bought a paint sprayer and he will spray paint everything. He'll be here soon.

As soon as they are finished I'll roller paint the bathroom so that it's ready for flooring and finishing.

I can't wait to show you what we do for the floors!

I think I'm going to love it and it's super cheap!

Only 3 more weeks....

So here it is, almost time to head west and see what happens this year.

Here's the bunkhouse as we left it last fall. You can see the front end of our small trailer to the right, that is what we have used for the last several years. Not that I don't appreciate it but it would be a really nice to move into the bunkhouse.

We have a guy who promises he will start on August 26. I plan to leave a few days earlier so I can get a few things done before he gets there.

We have a cement floor in the back room which will be a storage room for me but will serve as a bedroom for now. I need to clean that floor and paint it before we start working with more mud. It will make cleaning up a lot easier after the texture is finished. Plus I have to haul out all the scraps of sheetrock so we can work in there.

Hopefully this will be almost finished!

The plan is to hire him to finish the taping, sand and spray texture the ceilings and he says he can finish the same week he starts 

(that's the way the previous workers should have done it last year...grrrr!)

The husband will drive out the following weekend.

We will take over then and texture the walls with a Mission style.

I enjoy texturing, not sure if we can actually get it all done ourselves but we will see. 

We need to try to keep costs down after last years problems. Frankly we are out of budget to finish so we really need to pinch pennies.

(basically we are paying to finish the taping and sanding twice)

The husband plans to spray prime everything and hopefully spray paint too.

The very first thing we'll finish is the bathroom...floor, walls and all the fixtures.

Actually I'm dying to get my transformed buffet to vanity in there and see how it looks.

The husband is a licensed electrician so he will finish the electrical and hang lights.

The gas company came in last year after we left and buried the gas line so we will have heat! Just need to hook up to the furnace.

No floors this year other than the bathroom. The plan is to get to the point this year, where we were supposed to be last year. The last carpenters lack of following through set us back an entire year.

I'm really crossing my fingers and holding my breath as I write this... that the new guy will work out, if he does there is a ton of others projects for him in the future.

I'll be back after August 26th with an update...good or bad!

Big Horn Lake

It won't be long and we'll be back out in Wonderful Wyoming.

I can't wait to see this view again, hopefully the reservoir is high this year.

There will be no whining this year. 

Things will go as planned. 

This year we work alone, things are far enough along that we don't need help (well maybe a little...we have someone in mind so we can get the job done this year). 

Normally we do most of the work ourselves but with full time jobs we had to hire help due to the short amount of time we can be there.

Plans are to texture the bunkhouse walls and paint. The bathroom will be completely finished from floor to ceiling, we'll even have a bathroom door!!!

The husband will work in his pole barn, he needs to get going on the floor in there.

And....we plan to take off a lot and have fun this year.

It's going to be back to normal this year, like it was a couple of years ago.

I can't wait!

Time to leave the bunkhouse

It was a better day today and late yesterday. Most everyone is gone (the workers) and having some peace and quiet has been very welcomed.

I stood back and took a picture of the front. It looks crooked but that was the person holding the camera...me.

You can't see it well here but the view from the inside is just beautiful both to the east and west and even the small mountain to the south.

Taping is still not finished and will have to wait until next year. Could be we will have to finish it ourselves but I'm trying not to think of it and all the disappointments we had this year.

It's over and time to go home.

The husband is on the way here. He needs to pump out the water in the water heater in the crawlspace because we have to shut off everything and leave it without heat. It's the first time leaving it after getting the plumbing inside.

He got stuck behind the road closures from the blizzard in South Dakota and Wyoming.

He spent a lot of the day waiting for the freeway to open in South Dakota.

He's just on the other side of the mountain and luckily that road has reopened. It always closes for the winter in a couple of weeks.

It has been so pretty yesterday and today, the sky is clear and crisp.

I got out the zoom lens and zoomed up on the mountains to the west.

A few neighbors stopped by today and said goodbye, they are so good about keeping an eye on the place for us.

Tomorrow will be one hectic day draining and winterizing the house and the trailer.

I packed as much as I could today and started to fill up the truck with stuff.

I have mixed feelings, sad to leave but glad this is over, it has been too long and too stressful. 

I think I have a lot more grey hair from this ordeal and next year will be better.

It has to be!!!

But I still can't understand why the carpenter doesn't get it!

I guess we will never know what he was thinking....or NOT thinking!

But I wanted to end on a happy note instead of all of this negative weird stuff that happened with pretty pictures and views of the mountains.

Most likely I won't post again until next year, if you want to see what I do with the rest of my time I have another blog called Wild Rose Vintage, you are welcome to stop by and visit anytime!

P.S. click on any image and you will get a much larger view.

Also, in case you were wondering, the ceiling beam did NOT go up. The carpenter started it at midnight Friday and it looked iffy to me, plus he was exhausted. He needed 3 men to do it but only had 1 helper, said he'd be back at 8 am the next day and didn't show up till 1:00 pm.

I cancelled out after waiting for 5 hours plus it was time to start packing to leave, he pushed it off for so long that now it was too late. I did not like how he was going about it Friday night and had no trust that it was going to stay in place. It was hokey and when I explained to my husband how he was going about it, my husband said no way! 

We will come up with something different next year and do it ourselves.

My bathroom vanity is not in because everything is so far behind.

Next year will be different.

Fresh Snow on the Mountain

A couple of days of cloudy weather and look what happens!

It cleared off last night, woke up to frost and 35 degrees and snow on the mountains this morning.

There was more snow earlier, quite a bit has already melted from the sun.

You can barely see it here way up on top, if you click on the picture to enlarge it it might show up better.

I have 2 big beams on the saw horses, they are supposed to go up at the peak of the vaulted ceiling...I have learned this year not to expect anything to be finished.

I just don't want them to sit on the porch for another year.

I have 1 coat of polyurethane on them and still need to do one more coat.

One person I can count on is myself!

Yes ME! I am using the Bobcat to move the dirt pile. It's hard to see here but I have moved away quite a lot of it. 

All sheet rock is done in the main room, the bathroom and a sort of hallway/storage place

You can see the peak where the beam will be...maybe...or will it become firewood?

The small room to the right will be a small kitchen and through the door on the left is the hallway/storage area which leads into the small bathroom. Off of the hallway/storage is another room that will be my storage room once it becomes my workshop. Until then it will be used as a bedroom.

He has very little sheet rock left to do.

He could have been finished a week ago but a few things came up and having to deal with the twisted wood has not helped.

That is why sheet rock should go up shortly after the house is built.

If not the wood tends to twist as it dries out. 

That was the plan but it didn't happen last winter or spring or summer...9 months to get it done.

I have also learned do not leave when they are here working...if I do, chances are they will be gone when I get back. Never leave a job and expect they will work while you are away!

He still plans to start the mud and taping today and if all goes well maybe the texture will get done. I am not holding my breath on any of it.

It has to all be finished by next Friday night including hanging the beam....it's anyone's guess if it will happen.

I'm betting it will not happen and we will have to texture the ceiling and walls next year.

THAT was supposed to be done 2 weeks ago.

I just want to come back next year and NOT have to count on anyone else.

We will just do the rest ourselves.

I have yelled and screamed and threatened, the husband has yelled and threatened, about every few days we have to kick up a fuss...why? I have no idea. It works a for a couple of days and then they slack off again.

I have never had so much trouble with anyone in my life. We built our house in Minnesota 25 years ago and we were the contractors. It's a whole house, 2 stories and a basement! We didn't have a fraction of the trouble with that as we have with this little bunkhouse.

Last year it all went so smoothly, this year it is the complete opposite and has been a total nightmare and we are working with the exact same people as last year...what happened???

And yes, we pay our bills on time so what's up?

Sad little house... maybe it will be finished next summer

I am not normally a depressed person and if you don't want to read any further then stop here.

(Where are the mountains? It's raining down here and snowing up there.)

I'm fed up! 

My husband had to go back home to get back to work, I'm stuck here trying to get work done....nothing is happening...I mean NOTHING!!!!

It's raining, dreary and cold in my old little trailer.

It's 46 degrees right now, it will be down to the low 30's the next 3 nights.

I was supposed to be able to move into the bunkhouse by now.

No, it does not have heat yet but with the good insulation and tight walls a couple of electric heaters would keep it toasty and warm easily.

I could be painting the walls.

But NO...I am sitting here in the cold trailer wondering what's going to get finished....or IF anything will get finished!

My husband asked the carpenter to come over and help the man doing the sheet rock for just a few hours so that he can get it done...he says he will but he doesn't do it.

The man doing the sheet rock spent yesterday in the hospital while his son had surgery on his knee from a recent football injury, I can accept that but he said he can't be here today either, I understand that too but why can't the carpenter step in and offer some help considering the circumstances.

The carpenter stopped by yesterday to pick up his drill. I asked him if he can really do the texture and spray prime before I leave (the first weekend in October) and he firmly said yes. BUT the sheet rock needs to be finished!!!

The carpenter says he can start on  Monday and that I should tell the sheet rocker that. 

Why me??? He's the contractor.

Am I near tears...YES!

All we have done since we got here 4 weeks ago is wait for people to do their job.

If the insulation had been  done by the person who was originally going to do it, it would have been done right and it would have been finished before we got here.

THAT is what put all of this behind!

IF he (the carpenter) had this sheet rocker set up to do the work before we left it would be done by now.

Instead we got a referral for a man that said yes, I can do it, but when we got here he decided he didn't want to do it so we had to waste a week looking for someone else.

This all should have been done by now!

Why can't they understand it from our side. We planned for 1 year to come out here for only 3 weeks. We set this all up 2 months before we got here with the promise that it would get done. It's 4 weeks now and I'm still sitting here in the cold trailer looking out the window at my sad little empty bunkhouse wondering WHY! 

Will it get finished in the next 9 days?

Or should I pack up and leave!

Could be that I'll have to come back earlier next year and finish the job myself.

Taping and texturing is NOT rocket science!

I can do it if I have to!

We could save a lot of money too.

Braces and Rock

The porch braces are up!

The braces really add to the bunkhouse and I am so happy they are up!

Love it!

It looks finished now!

Sheet rock is going up...

There's a lot more done, this is a picture from a couple of days ago.

The heating/air conditioning will be done of Friday.

I have my toilet!!!! A genuine flush toilet! No more outhouse!!!

Sheet rock and taping should be done the end of next week and then he'll do the texture and spray primer.

The husband had to go home to work so I'm here roughing it but do I mind?...not at all!

Some puffy clouds over the Big Horn Mountains

Morning sunrise over the bunkhouse

The moon tonight, couldn't decide which picture to post so I did both

I'm having too much fun! I was out moving a dirt pile with the Bobcat this evening.

I looked over my shoulder and there was the moon just coming up over the mountain.

The air is crisp and clean, we've had a lot of rain which is unusual for here. Almost an inch on Saturday plus it's rained almost every day but it's spotty so there is always some blue sky somewhere. The farmers are going to have a muddy time getting the sugar beets out.

It's getting chilly at night too!

More pics soon!

Things are gettin' done!

Things are much better here at the ranch!

Yesterday we took a day off work and drove to Cody. 

We stopped for lunch at Bubba's. Every year we are out here on my birthday and normally we come into town for my birthday, I love their pulled pork sandwich.

But because of the work we had to do it took us a week and a half to finally go to Cody.

Bubba's

I always like to take a walk through the Irma Hotel. It still has that feel of the olden days. All the original wood paneled walls, the original huge old bar in the restaurant, the big stone fireplace in the bar.

Then we went for a ride up Wapiti Valley for a short distance and past the Buffalo Bill Dam and reservoir.

This is at the end of the 'lake'. There is a bridge crossing the Shoshone River which flows out of Yellowstone. We were only 40 miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone Park when we turned around.

The view looking up the river towards Yellowstone Park.

The Reservoir heading east back to Cody

The sheet rock is going up with a minor glitch yesterday.

Still waiting for the plumber to deliver the toilet but he has stopped by late in the day in the past so maybe...just maybe...he will still come here.

The heating guy was here all day doing his custom work in his portable shop.

The husband is still working on the electricity.

It's starting to look like a real home.

More pictures tomorrow....

(Click on the pictures and you almost feel like you are there!)

Another cool thing, everyone and I mean EVERYONE has an American flag outside their home whether it be out here in the country next to their mailbox or in town because of 9/11. I have never seen a more patriotic area in my life!

We bought one today and hung it on the bunkhouse.