The first floor walls having been a breeze to put up, and given that we now had the process down pat, we were certain that we’d finish the second floor walls within a couple of weekends. We were wrong. What we didn’t take into account was the number of angles we’d have to cut due to the slope of the ceilings and number of rafters we’d have to cut around, all of which slowed us down tremendously. As a result, here it is mid-August and we’re still not finished!
We have made progress however and are very nearly done…
the upstairs bathroom-
Mostly done but still need to trim around the window.
the shower walls-
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- my supplies- cement, mesh fiberglass tape, putty knife and a box cutter
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- first I apply a thin layer of cement over the seams
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- next, I place the mesh fiberglass tape over the cement layer
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- another layer of cement goes on top of the mesh tape
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- master shower, done
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- upstairs shower, done
the great room wall-
With our supply of tongue and groove dwindling rapidly, we decided to go ahead and finish off the wall around the windows in the great room next. If our supply ran out with only closets left to finish, it wouldn’t matter whether or not the new supply was an exact match, but we wanted to be sure that what we used around the windows matched the rest of the great room walls.
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- Dave starts placing T & G along the left side of the windows
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- he continues along the left until he reaches the as high as he can before switching ladders
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- left side done, he moves on to the right, using a laser level to be sure both sides are going to match up in the midde
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- glad that’s Dave up there and not me…it’s much higher in person than it looks on camera!!!
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- in goes the last piece and Dave is very happy to be able to move back down to ground level!
sanding the stair-rail and loft support beam-
The following weekend, we made yet another stop at the Petersburg Home Depot to replenish our supply of wood for the window and door trim before heading down to the cabin. Once there, Max and I take on the oh-so monotonous task of sanding the loft support beam and stair-rail while Dave works on some of the more intricate walls in Max’s room.
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- surely we’re pro customers by now!
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- Dave figures out which boards he wants while Max stands ready to help load the cart
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- Dave checks each piece for flaws before handing it off to Max
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- Dave searches through more stacks for the perfect boards while Max loads the cart
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- our supply for the day
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- Max begins the arduous task of sanding the support beam
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- moving along, slowly but surely
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- done!
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- meanwhile, I work at sanding the stair-rail
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- close up of the handrail before sanding
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- handrail, after sanding
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- no, I STILL do not like sanding, Sam I Am!
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- hours later, sanding complete, Dave and Max put the banister back together
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- using long log screws, they attach the sides to the handrail
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- next, they secure the banister in place
finishing Max’s room-
Once the stair-rail was back in place, Max and Dave went back to the task of trying to finish off Max’s room. Unfortunately, we ended up running out of tongue and groove halfway through the final closet wall and had to quit for the day. In initially calculating how much we would need to complete the entire cabin, we hadn’t accounted for the waste that would be created with all the angled pieces we had had to cut. Fortunately, Dave found a place in Petersburg that sells eight inch tongue & groove and the following weekend we were able to pick up more, rather than having to place another order to be shipped from out of state. (Most places locally only carry 6″ boards.)
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- Dave supervises as Max works on the inside wall of his closet
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- Max continues to attach the T & G using the nail gun
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- three walls complete
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- moving right along, Max starts on the final closet wall
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- Dave helps Max mark where to cut the T & G for the air vent
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- uh-oh, we’ve reached the last piece of T & G!!!
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- Dave uses the rubber mallet to place the last piece of T & G
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- Max attaches the board with the nail gun before finishing up for the day
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- treasures to be sealed inside Max’s closet wall…
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- a copy of the Dinwiddie Monitor that we had picked up last month
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- and a 2014 Quarter
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- the following weekend, after picking up more T & G, Dave finishes closing in the closet
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- standing inside the closet, you can see where Dave has boxed in the HVAC
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- nook and closet, done
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- finished knee wall doors and trim
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- window trim and sill, done
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- another view of the finished window in Max’s room
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- close up of the finished knee wall door and latch
on to the guest room-
Having finished Max’s room at last, we moved on to the guest room where we finished up last weekend with all but the knee wall doors and a little trim left to do.
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- Dave, plugging away at the guest room wall
the coleman cabin 
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