~ 2002 ~
Winter Solstice and a Solar Heating Update
Winter Solstice and a Solar Heating Update Chickadees, juncos and finches know, Time has come for winter’s new snow. Days are short and the nights are long, Quiet are the woods, devoid of...
Bloody Leaky Solar Heating Pumps
Bloody Leaky Solar Heating Pumps As I reported in the last journal, I discovered that the heating system was thermosyphoning from time to time. The fluid in the pipes is only suppose to go in one...
Mason by Day, Geek by Night
Mason by Day, Geek by Night (Click here to see a full-sized image from on top of our bluff.) With pocket protector and slide rule (Slide rule?…What’s that?) in hand, I went to...
Interior Cedar Posts
Interior Cedar Posts Work has now shifted back into construction mode now that the heating systems are up and running. Having the luxury of indoor heat will allow me to do some cordwood work over...
Is Renewable Energy a Joke?
Is Renewable Energy a Joke? After many weeks of wondering if I would ever get the house ready for winter, I can now say that goal has been met. And since Murphy’s Law runs rampant at...
The Answer My Friend is Blowin’ in the Cellulose
The Answer My Friend is Blowin’ in the Cellulose The Answer My Friend is Blowin’ in the Cellulose How many bags must be blown in an attic Before you call it R-60? Yes, ‘n’...
Running the Electric Line to the House
Running the Electric Line to the House This has been quite an event for me the last couple of days. I officially moved my living quarters from my little cabin to the wide expanses of the house on...
Foam Installation
Foam Installation Before I get started discussing this week’s foam installation, I thought it might be wise to reflect on what our intentions have been for this house since we started dreaming...
Foam Prep Work
Foam Prep Work Another week has gone by and although the temperatures are warm today, there’s a a cold front on the way that will definitely put a chill in the air by tomorrow. As typical...
Calculating the Cost of Gas Vs. Electric Heating
Calculating the Cost of Gas Vs. Electric Heating The trees are just starting to turn and with it my thoughts turn to figuring out how to heat the house before icicles start hanging from my nose....
Foam Update and Fun Times
Foam Update and Fun Times I’m still working on the paneling for the ceiling and I imagine I will be doing this for weeks to come. The good news is that I’m getting closer to getting the...
Ceiling Prep Work
Ceiling Prep Work The weather has finally cooled off this week after a 94 degree day on Monday. Since this is September, I would hope that the trend in cooler temperatures continues. Working in the...
Sealing the Ceiling
Sealing the Ceiling Now that the exterior walls are done, it’s time to start sealing up the house and insulating it for winter. The walls are still drying, so the next step is the attic space....
Major Milestone: The Last (Outside) Wall is Completed
Major Milestone: The Last (Outside) Wall is Completed It seems like it took years to get to this point…hmmm…I guess it did. On August 15th at 15:53 CDT, wall number 32 was completed....
The Big Dipper was Already Taken
The Big Dipper was Already Taken Ed McAllen beat me to it. When Ed built his beautiful cordwood house he used glass bottles to display the Big Dipper. I really liked his idea, but I just...
Tales From a Flatlander
Tales From a Flatlander Living most of my life in Illinois has left me “hill challenged” and I proved that point just this week. Here’s my tale: The weather was mighty hot until...
Soy Insulation Update – 3 Walls Left
Soy Insulation Update – 3 Walls Left Another week has gone by and right on schedule wall #29 has been completed. I know now that it takes approximately 20 batches of PEM (Paper Enhanced...
T-Minus 4 Walls and Counting
T-Minus 4 Walls and Counting I can see light at the end of the tunnel! The question is: Is it a freight train? Granted it is only the outside walls, but when they are done it will be a moral victory...
Snap, Crackle and Pop Revisited
Snap, Crackle and Pop Revisited The One That Got Away I’m tellin’ ya it was at least four to five feet long! You hear these stories all the time about the fish that got away and...
Insulation Update
Insulation Update Things are taking shape at the ol’ homestead this week as the last window frame is put into place in what will be the guest room. We have affectionately called the room...
Cordwood Aficionados Meet at MREA Fair
Cordwood Aficionados Meet at MREA Fair MREA’s acronym was changed from Midwest Renewable Energy Association to Muddy Road Eats Automobiles after heavy rains on Friday and Saturday morning. Six...
How Many Hours to Complete a Wall
How Many Hours to Complete a Wall Aren’t you done with the house yet? Haven’t you finished the walls yet? When will the house be completed? How long is it going to take? I get those...
Wall Number 22 Completed
Wall Number 22 Completed Moonfest is over now and things have returned back to normal at Day Creek. Wall number 22 was completed this week, even though I had a late start. Monday was a day to relax...
Moonfest 2002
Moonfest 2002 Sandwiched in between the frostbitten winds of spring and deer fly-biting summer comes Moonfest. The trick to Moonfest is to find a weekend that our friends can get together, pick a...
Everyone Knows It’s Windy
Everyone Knows It’s Windy Driving back from Kansas on Sunday found me cruising along Interstate 35 in Iowa. As I was approaching the Minnesota border, I noticed something out of the corner of...
The Tom Rauk Wall
The Tom Rauk Wall Well, it’s another soggy weekend up at the homestead. Weather can be quite frustrating this time of year and this year is no exception. For those who are estimating how long...
Waiting Out the Weather
Waiting Out the Weather It’s a rainy night, so I thought I would do some writing. The past two weeks have been rather punky, weather-wise. After the week of very warm weather, it has snowed...
90° Heat, then Snow?
90° Heat, then Snow? April can be a month of extremes and the last two weeks have been quite a roller coaster ride. Last week when I arrived, there were still some patches of snow on the ground and...
Solar Heating System Bursts into Spring
Solar Heating System Bursts into Spring I hope this comes out legible as I am writing this after a very long work day. It is only Wednesday, but it feels like I’ve been up here for more than...
April Fools
April Fools Foolishly, my plans were to drive up this weekend with my father and my wife Jo to kickoff the building season. The idea was for me to stay up for the week, while Jo and my dad were to...