Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

We're spending our last week together (before shipping the kids off to college) at the cabin - "Saratoga North" - as it was named.

It's nice having a crew to help with jobs!! Sheryl, John Jr., Sammy and my Mom have all "pulled their weight" on this! (And no complaints having a PM/jerk/whip,smack,lash taskmaster like me running the job! )

We have been taking occasional skiing/tubing breaks, and having fun too...

17 years of MN winters, snow loads, and a design that really wasn't up to the challenge had taken its toll. The wall sections are screwed to the floor through the sole-plates, and they don't move... However the tops of the wall panels are just toe-nailed together, and the rafter sits in a "birds-mouth" and is also toe-nailed. Take this into account, and the fact that the whole thing is made of cedar (no fastener holding power) and it will pull apart.

We wound up using adjustable screw-jack posts around the inner roof ring, and lifting the weight off. Then removed the windows (which got a thorough cleaning). We then sawed through what was left of the existing screws holding 1/2 of the roof & walls together. Using some ratchet straps John & I pulled/squeezed/coaxed the wall sections back together. Some metal tie-plates ("hurricane ties" as they're known down south) were installed and the roof lowered back down. Then move the whole party to the other 1/2 of the structure and repeat.

The roof panels are now back in their dado's, the window openings are square, the doors shut, and (most importantly) the critters can't get in!

Even used a little "Ancient Technology" on the job. I wanted to confirm that the pilings, support posts, and floor was still level. How to do this at 13 different points underneath?? Make a water-level. About 30' of tubing, some water, and food coloring. Worked SLICK!  The floor joists are level within +/- 1/8" all around.

And of course there was "project creep". While the furniture was out, it got a thorough wash-down & cleaning. The window frames/tracks got scrubbed out, 2 screens were repaired/replaced, and the coach lamps got reconditioned.

Just a few more things to do... (My arachnaphobia got a real workout on this too! Still don't like the little buggers, but they're not so bad when armed with a fly-swatter)