~ DayCreek Journal~
There’s A Bathroom on the Right
It’s hard to believe sometimes how rapidly weather can change. I arrived on March 8th with temperatures struggling to get into the teens (F) and exactly one week later, temperatures nearly...
Cost of Commuting
Yes, I am still alive. It’s been a couple of weeks since since I have been up at the house. As a matter of fact, I just arrived this afternoon. Between bad travel weather, family commitments...
Bathroom Taking Shape
We seem to go from one weather extreme to another around here. The bitter cold that had been entrenched in the upper Midwest for the last month broke this past week with temperatures reaching 54°F...
Brown Well Water
If this is El Niño weather, I’ll take La Niña instead. The past month has found temperatures well below normal. The good news is the cold weather has brought brilliant sunshine for the past...
Solar Heating Update
I was recently asked if I was disappointed in the solar heating system considering that the temperatures in the house were rarely in the 70’s. I would imagine that anyone monitoring the...
Happiness is a Warm Toilet Seat
Remember those warm weather days just a few weeks ago? I guess I never should have bragged about all that warm weather! Temperatures dropped below zero this week for the first time in ten...
Greetings from Tropical Minnesota!
I will probably be deported from Minnesota for letting the cat out of the bag, but I’m here to tell you that the vision planted in everyone’s head of Minnesota being a frozen wasteland...
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 song. Ask the coyote, hawk, fox and deer, They...
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 direction: from the solar...
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 work this week writing a...
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 the winter months,...
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 Day Creek, it will probably be...
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’ how many logs must be mudded into a wall Before you call...
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 Saturday and it sure is a heck of a lot...
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 about it. Our...
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 with most autumns,...
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. Panic has no t set in as of yet, but time sure...
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 foam insulation applied to...
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 attic space is not...
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. At the Midwest...
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. This is a major milestone for the project with all of the...
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 couldn’t have another Big Dipper—it...
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 Thursday afternoon when...
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 Mortar) to complete a full wall now, so it makes...
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 for sure. Work has been...
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 I’m here to tell you that my story...
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 “Eileen’s...
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 inches of rain fell over the period...
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 questions every week it seems. I think...
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 a bit. I didn’t get...