From the day clearing of the cabin site began, up to the delivery of the logs and other materials last week, our schedule had been pretty tight. We needed to be sure that everything was ready when the construction crew from Battle Creek Log Homes was scheduled to arrive early this week. Had anything at all not gone according to plan, we wouldn’t have been ready to start construction of the log portion of the cabin on time. With this in mind, George, Eric, Todd and Kris all worked very diligently to keep on schedule. We were thus very relieved when Monday arrived and we were good to go…even the tropical storm ended up not being an issue as it only brought with it a weeks worth of dreary rain. Unfortunately, however, the week has come and gone and we’re still awaiting the arrival of the construction crew. Apparently they’ve been held up at their last job site and we’ve had no word as to when they might be finished. Boo!
Tropical Storm Karen
uh oh
The team from Battle Creek Log Homes is due to arrive at the beginning of next week to start construction on the cabin. But wait a minute, tropical storm Karen is also due to arrive in our area at the beginning of next week. Hmmmm……..do you think that might pose a problem?
lincoln logs, lumber, and windows, oh my!
October 1
We arrived at the lake around 7:30am to find George already there, waiting with his 6000lb all terrain fork-lift, ready to unload the logs once the trucks arrived. The three trucks were due around 8:00am, having driven down from Tennessee, carrying all the supplies from Battle Creek Log Homes that would be needed to construct our log cabin.
Having some time to kill before their arrival, we walked down to the dock to enjoy the view of the lake for a bit.
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- another perfect fall morning on Colemans Lake
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- Waffles and Dave check out the lovely view
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- the leaves are just starting to show their fall colors
We heard the loud sound of diesel engines in the distance and headed up the drive just as the trucks pulled into sight.
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- George jumps onto the truck to have a word with the first truck driver
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- Dave, George and the three drivers discuss how to go about unloading the supplies
It didn’t take much to realize that there was no way the heavy trucks could make it up the driveway. So, as George had somewhat anticipated, the trucks would have to remain in the road and he would have to use the fork-lift to carry all 52 pallets of supplies from there, up the steep driveway to the top of hill, and scatter them around the building site.
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- truck number one
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- George brings down the fork-lift
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- carefully lifts the first pallet
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- lowers the lift and begins the long process of carrying pallets up the drive
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- at the top of the hill
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- George places the pallets in order of building neccessity
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- Dave, riding down to the shed with Waffles close behind
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- cutting two by fours to lay under the pallets
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- bringing the cut boards up to the work site
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- hey Pittsburgh folks, notice that Dave is sporting a Primanti Bros shirt…we happened to be up there last weekend and just might have stuffed ourselves with a couple of their french fry laden sandwiches…yum
Though time consuming, the unloading went smoothly till George picked up a giant pallet containing the heavy timbers for the roof, that didn’t quite fit between the trees that line the driveway. No worries though- it seems that there is no difficulty that George can’t surmount!
Without a word, he lowered the pallet, jumped out of the fork-lift cab and onto his bulldozer. In no time, he had widened the driveway and was able to successfully bring the large pallet to the top of the hill.
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- George runs up to get his bulldozer
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- down go the trees
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- I have to admit, that watching this made me glad I wasn’t there to see the entire home site cleared
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- an image of the Lorax standing on this pile of down trees kept popping into my head
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- George successfully passes through the tight spot
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- yeah, George!
The rest of the unloading went smoothly and seven hours later, they were done.
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- Dave watches to make sure one of the pallets doesn’t fall off the other side of the truck
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- George gets out to take a look
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- SUCCESS, we knew he could do it
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- Dave helps the third bus driver, Dustin (whose last name is also King), load one of the pallets onto the fork-lift
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- Dave and Dustin take a break
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- George and Dave discuss the placement of the pallets around the work site
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- our windows and french doors!!!
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- Using a little extra care, George carefully backs up the driveway with the windows, making sure the oversized crate doesn’t tip forward, off the fork-lift
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- George picks up the last pallet
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- up the drive he goes one last time
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- Dustin and Dave walk up to count the unloaded pallets, Waffles by their side, ever ready to help out if needed
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- pallets…
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- pallets..
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- everywhere, pallets
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- logs….
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- we have lincoln logs!!
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- siding for the second floor
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- railing
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- tongue and groove for the exposed ceiling in the great room
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- timbers that will support the second floor, remaining exposed on the ceiling of the first floor
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- giant 8 x 8 logs that will make up the frame for the wall of windows in the great room
And me? I had three jobs: taking photos, checking the pallet numbers off the list as they were unloaded, and bringing lunch back to the boys while they worked. Two went well, the other, not so much…
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- taking pictures and checking off pallet numbers went well…
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- notice the lug nuts on the front wheel stick our farther that the rest of the truck?
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- I didn’t….coming back with our lunch in Dave’s 4Runner, I was not quite successful in passing the truck on the narrow road…oops
Waffles faired much better. She had a big day chasing after Dave, supervising the work and swimming in the lake. She slept soundly all the way home!
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- Waffles waits ever so patiently by Dave’s side
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- “that’s right George, ease it down gently…”
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- “hey George, George, where ya puttin’ that one George?”
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- Waffles picks up a scent
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- “this lake water is the BEST ever”
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- “sure was thirsty Mom”
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- pooped baby, slept all the way home
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- still exhausted once she got home, Waffles snuggles with Max and almost falls off the couch
the pouring of the concrete…
Enter Kris Cutler, the other half of C & L Excavation.
We had met Kris, what seems like forever ago, when we first met with George Lewis and Eric Riley, and walked the property with the three of them, discussing our proposed homesite, well and septic field, and getting their ideas for the driveway and what would be involved in clearing the land and laying the foundation. Eric was already on site when we pulled up that morning, his pick up truck parked near the shed. We introduced ourselves to him and were making small talk when we heard the distinct sound of a motorcycle approaching. We were all three somewhat surprised when a Harley Davidson pulled into the parking area and off jumped Kris Cutler. Not the usual means of transport for a contractor!
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- Kris Cutler, sporting his most awesome Harley Davidson jacket
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- Dave with Kris, who was not thrilled to be having his photo taken… 🙂
As George Lewis handles the excavation side of the business, and Kris the construction end, once excavation began we didn’t see him again until it was time for the concrete slab to be poured. When we arrived Thursday morning, the process was well underway and we found Kris on site along with the concrete team from Cowling Bros Building Supplies who had driven up from Waverly, Va to pour our basement slab. They were just finishing pouring the second truckload of concrete when we pulled up. A third arrived shortly there after to finish the job.
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- Max finds a nice log to hang out on
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- guess who
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- waiting for the third truck to show
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- Dave and Max watch as the last of the concrete for the slab is poured
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- Max, supervising the workers
Meanwhile, Todd Hawkes had arrived, as well as Lacey Palmore from Southside Electric Cooperative. They were meeting to discuss how and where the electric line would be brought in. We had initially intended to have temporary power brought in for the log crew to use during construction, but after finding out that it was no longer a minimal fee, we decided it would be cheaper just to by a generator for them to use. Probably not a bad thing to have around when you live in the woods anyway so not a huge deal to have to spend the extra money on one.
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- Kris, Todd, Lacey and Dave
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- Todd, Dave and Lacey discuss how to bring in temporary power before the line is run
After the slab was poured, the crew unloaded a piece of equipment that looked somewhat like a cross between a giant fan and a hovercraft, and began to run it across the mostly dry slab.
While a few of the crew continued to smooth out the slab, the others began to work on the post supports for the deck.
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- using a laser level to check the depth
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- Max finds a quiet corner out of the sun where he can escape the bees and play his iPad
Once the deck supports were done, the truck pulled around to the front to pour the front porch supports.
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- the truck drives around to the front
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- Kris and Dave discussing the rebar grid at the bottom of the post holes
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- pouring the first porch support
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- pouring the last post support
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By the time the last post support was poured, the slab had mostly dried. We decided at the last minute that it would be fun to leave our handprints in our future basement floor and were happy to find a shaded area that was still just wet enough.
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- Dave writes out the check to pay for the three truck loads of concrete
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- I lay down the first handprint
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- Max is next
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- and finally, Dave
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yep, another successful day at the coleman cabin
foundation approved, time for the slab prep
Thanks to a fantastic job by Eric Riley and his crew from Superior Walls, as well as a termite treatment by Brown Exterminating Company, and of course, George Lewis of C & L Excavation, our new foundation has passed inspection!
Dinwiddie County gives their stamp of approval. Hooray!
Next step, the slab prep…
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- holes for back deck support posts
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- holes for front porch support posts
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- slab, support post and stair prep
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- George has regraded the back (lake side) so there is a gradual slope out onto the old road
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- rocks from the foundation dig placed along the old road for erosion control
a structure arises…
Dave arrived bright and early Friday morning, did a little fishing and awaited the arrival of Eric Riley and his crew from Superior Walls Foundations. Although overcast, it was a beautiful morning on the lake, the early fall air cool and quiet. I stayed behind to get Max off to school then headed down, not wanting to miss out in witnessing the first level of our log home being put into place.
The crew arrived at 7:20 to prep the ground before the amazing production began.
The crane and two trucks carrying our foundation walls arrived soon after.
The crane made it safely up the steep drive, but now it was time to get the heavy trucks, weighed down by the heavy concrete walls, up top to the home site.
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- Eric and George discuss how to get the trucks up the hill
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- Eric watches as the truck tries to back onto the drive
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- and tries again…
After several attempts, it was clear that the heavy truck was not going to make it up the hill. All seemed lost for a moment. But wait…
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- what’s that I see in the distance…it’s….it’s….it’s GEORGE, come to save the day on his mighty bulldozer!
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- never fear, GEORGE is here!
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- one of the crew pulls the tow chain from the bulldozer to hook up to the truck
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- Eric helps secure the tow chain
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- I think I can…
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- I think I can…
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- I think I can…
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- I KNOW I can…
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- I KNOW I can!
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- Eric supervises as the truck successfully makes the steep turn in the drive
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Todd Hawkes, who had previously put in the ATV trails for us, popped by to watch. We had yet to meet him in person so we were very happy to finally meet him face to face. He will be taking over as contractor for the mechanicals so we will be seeing a lot more of him in the coming weeks! It was much fun having our three trusty contractors all on site at the same time.
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- Dave with Todd Hawkes
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- Todd and Eric head up to the work site
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- Todd and Eric deep in discussion
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- Eric and George…
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- Dave and Todd
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- and George…
Having successfully pulled the trucks to the top of the hill, George takes off and Eric Riley and his team from Superior Walls take over the production.
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- Eric and his crane operator discuss where the crane should be set
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- the crane is put in place
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- we brought chairs to sit in but were too excited to sit down most of the time
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- the first wall is put into place
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- Dave takes a break from watching and checks in with his office
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- the last wall is lowered
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- and, the outer walls are in place!
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- Eric watches, pleased at the progress
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While Eric and his team were busy putting our foundation in place, we received a call that our port-a-john had arrived. Hooray, no more potty tent for us!
Meanwhile, Eric’s crew puts in the fireplace foundation.
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- the final wall is lifted
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- one of the crew members draws the short straw and has to stay on the inside as the last wall comes down
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- nope, wouldn’t want to be him
The last wall in place, we head inside to check out our new basement!
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- Eric and Dave check out the completed foundation
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- meanwhile, the crew member that had been sealed into the fireplace chase, finds his way out
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- me, standing infront of what will be french doors leading out onto the old road
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- our breakfast room will be on the floor above this spot so we should have a beautiful view of the lake from there!
Three hours from start to finish, our foundation is complete and Eric and his crew, take off.
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- Eric poses for one last photo with Dave
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- the crew load up their gear and take off down the old road toward the dam
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- Dave demonstrates what the walls will eventually look like once we cover them with stone
As usual, I couldn’t resist taking a few more photos of the lake before we left for the day. The cloud cover had lifted, leaving a beautiful deep blue sky overhead…
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- have I mentioned how much I love this place?
in which George encounters rock…
It seemed to be fairly smooth sailing for George for the first seven days, (at least from our perspective!) and then, on the eighth day….
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- halfway through the final wall of the dig, he hit a rock wall…because of the huge rock bluff on the other side of the property, before excavation began we had discussed the possibility that the entire area was resting on one huge rock formation
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- we were all much relieved up to this point that George had encountered no such problem…till he hit this wall that is
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- but never fear, with the right tools, anything can be accomplished and a few hours later, George had broken through the rock and completed the dig for the foundation
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- and here I am, checking out the cool rock formation
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- looking towards the lake with the rock wall to the left
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- we had much fun watching as he moved the boulders off the site
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- a few of the giant boulders he pulled out
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- rocks…
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- rocks….
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- and more rocks!
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- the smaller rocks were placed along the edge of the old road for erosion control
Somehow, I had assumed that George had a team of workers helping him with the excavation and didn’t realize till yesterday that he’s been doing this entire project himself. I didn’t think I could be anymore impressed with him than I was before, but I was mistaken. George Lewis, you are AWESOME!!!
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- George, after playing in the dirt all day
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- we’ve just told George we’re posting his picture on our blog. 🙂
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- surveying his line
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- since he works be himself, every time he checks his line he has to prop the pole against one of his oversized tonka toys
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- Dave happily steps in to lend a hand
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- Dave and George discussing what comes next
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- George has all the best toys…
By Wednesday evening, George had cleared the land, put in the driveway, completed the excavation, and prepped the ground for the foundation and concrete slab. We are sufficiently impressed!
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- George rakes out the gravel before finishing for the eveing
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- all prepped and ready for the foundation
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- looking down the old road toward the dam
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- the view of the lake from the work site
And tomorrow, the building begins….
go, George, go!
Sept 16
George wasted no time and by Monday evening had finished clearing the site and begun the foundation dig.
Here’s a little video of George in action digging out the basement and prepping the site for the foundation…
The excavator is resting on the old road with the lake to the right and cabin site to the left. Notice that the shelf that was along the road to the left is now gone. Fortunately George didn’t encounter a huge slab of rock, as we had feared, given that the giant rock bluff that we call Waffles Ridge is just to the left of the cabin site!
it’s official, we can build…
Dave had gone into Dinwiddie, Sept 5th, in order to fill out the necessary paperwork for our building permit appliction, taking with him several sets of engineered plans, property title, site sketch as well as the various other items required by the county. The entire process was only supposed to take a week to ten days and we were really hoping for no hang ups since we had already arranged for the foundation to be put in on the 20th. Fortunately, we lucked out… there were no issues and our permit was issued yesterday! We can now legally build AND we have our very own official address for the cabin!!!
before & after
a few comparison photos….
the coleman cabin 
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