• Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!

Spot for a cabin, delayed for 5 years, maybe this year.

Nice progress. There's an awful lot of leveling and measuring involved in setting that lot out, I reckon.

What's going to end up living underneath your floor? Do you have snakes? Foxes?
 
That's a nice lake Scott. I most thoroughly agree with you, "no sale" to your neighbour. That view - and the tranquility it must imbue - are priceless.
I once spent an hour, just sitting, in the wilderness of Glen Affric, soaking up the solitude and peace and it has remained a life-long habit. No hoomans, none of their constructions, just peace and quiet. Magic.
 
Nice progress. There's an awful lot of leveling and measuring involved in setting that lot out, I reckon.

What's going to end up living underneath your floor? Do you have snakes? Foxes?
It didn't take me long Mike, I went to town for materials at 2 pm. and finished at 7 pm.
The sandy gravel was in a pile at the top of the hill which was covered in vegetation.
All the blocks are squared up within a 1/4". Next I will build the platform/deck.
I will be leaving the underside open for the time being and maybe enclose it next year.
 
Great Scott, (sorry that was unintended) I shall soon see I’m sure what the indentations on the pyramids are for but apart from the two in line in the middle the orientation appears to be random?
In some ways it would be wonderful to surprise your wife with a finished cabin, but probably more sensible to have her input, has she seen the final position and view?
 
Great Scott, (sorry that was unintended) I shall soon see I’m sure what the indentations on the pyramids are for but apart from the two in line in the middle the orientation appears to be random?
Looks like they're cast to take either a 4x4 or 6x6 post standing on end, or a 2-inch or 4-inch timber spanning horizontally. If they're being used for posts, then the orientation of the horizontal section doesn't matter much.
 
Great Scott, (sorry that was unintended) I shall soon see I’m sure what the indentations on the pyramids are for but apart from the two in line in the middle the orientation appears to be random?
In some ways it would be wonderful to surprise your wife with a finished cabin, but probably more sensible to have her input, has she seen the final position and view?
The orientation of the blocks I will adjust to make my mind at peace. Will be using 6x6 PT centred on the blocks to support the deck perimeter.
She knows the area but can't remember too clearly where it is etc.
I wanted to surprise her, it's hard to explain why l'm down at the lake so long. She is excited and is asking for more details as to what the inside will look like. De facto project manager :unsure:
 
Nice progress. There's an awful lot of leveling and measuring involved in setting that lot out, I reckon.

What's going to end up living underneath your floor? Do you have snakes? Foxes?
We have snakes, nothing to be worried about. Foxes I don't think will be a problem either but raccoons can be a problem.
 
A thunderbox!! Brings back memories of the outside inconvenience at at least one Scottish bothy...no drop or hole, just a seat over a beheaded small oil drum with that had to be emptied....at this point, dear reader, a veil descends....

P.S..the usual subriquet is "m'Khasi" from Swahili....there are apparently some plonkers wot fink it's Cockney innit, from the older word "carsey" or privy.
 
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I think they're called joist blocks or deck blocks or something similar over here. I bought some last year, but ended up selling them on.
 
Ah, we have such "outhouses" up North here in Sweden too. Twice a year I pull out the collector underneath, pour kerosene on it and burn whatever's in it. Works like a charm, but it's not always as nice in winter when it is -20°C.
 
From the "Platoon" re-enactment Society?

Nope. It just is easier that way. Beats digging a latrine or burying all that s**t (pun intended). You just pull the steel box out with a rope and pour over kerosene. I've been told the stuff that's left after the burning used to be used as fertiliser in the past. Not sure if that is true, or if it would be wise to do so. What about traces of medicines and such? I wouldn't do that.
 
horizontal cladding

I share your preference for option B.

You mention "cladding", which suggests thinner planks. And I suspect you have thought about rot prevention more than I have, but just to be sure I'll mention it anyway. I've always been told it is better for durability to orient the planks vertically and to let them overlap (I hope that's correct English). The lower ends are sawn at a slight angle to let the water run off better. When I see horizontal lines, then it usually is with logs or very thick planks. Just ignore me if this does not apply in your situation.
 
I share your preference for option B.

You mention "cladding", which suggests thinner planks. And I suspect you have thought about rot prevention more than I have, but just to be sure I'll mention it anyway. I've always been told it is better for durability to orient the planks vertically and to let them overlap (I hope that's correct English). The lower ends are sawn at a slight angle to let the water run off better. When I see horizontal lines, then it usually is with logs or very thick planks. Just ignore me if this does not apply in your situation.
Overlaped boards for sure.
 
Definitely the second version with a pitched roof, I do so like board and batten vertical planking, I’m going to use it on the end wall of my workshop but with a 4” wide Horizontal beam protruding at the 8 ft high level. Just too tall without a break I think.
Those blocks look so much better noe Scott.
 
A thunderbox!! Brings back memories of the outside inconvenience at at least one Scottish bothy...no drop or hole, just a seat over a beheaded small oil drum with that had to be emptied....at this point, dear reader, a veil descends....

P.S..the usual subriquet is "m'Khasi" from Swahili....there are apparently some plonkers wot fink it's Cockney innit, from the older word "carsey" or privy.
We usually just say an outhouse.
 
How are you getting along with your shop renos?
It’s all taken a pause I’m sorry to say, relations visiting coupled with dog and Niece sitting, the pool equipment has been moved though so I’ll be able to do a bit before travelling South again for the move North proper in October.
It will be getting cold before any appreciable work starts though grrrrr.
 
Surely with the amount of snow, I imagine, you get there an angle roof would be not only necessary but compulsory.
Brings back memories of the outside inconvenience at at least one Scottish bothy...no drop or hole, just a seat over a beheaded small oil drum with that had to be emptied....
Where are these bothies with such luxury? The ones I visited ( paid up member of the MBA during the 80’s) were very much in “wild county turnout” territory.
 
Glen Affric. 8 miles east of Glen Shiel. It - allegedly - had been the Youth Hostel, on the site of old Sheppard's House.
And yes, I do remember prospecting with a trowel, or entrenching tool if you were lucky; praying not to strike the site of a recently previous 'interment'.
It was about that time that the Yanks started prosthelitising about 'smearing it on rocks so the bacteria get nuked by U.V.' 😲p
My then M.L. tutor was quite direct:

"we do it like puddy tats and the sod that doesn't bury his had better watch out on that arete tomorrow"...
 
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Glen Affric. 8 miles west of Glen Shiel. It - allegedly - had been the Youth Hostel, on the site of old Sheppard's House.
And yes, I do remember prospecting with a trowel, or entrenching tool if you were lucky; praying not to strike the site of a recently previous 'interment'.
It was about that time that the Yanks started prosthelitising about 'smearing it on rocks so the bacteria get nuked by U.V.' 😲p
My then M.L. tutor was quite direct:

"we do it like puddy tats and the sod that doesn't bury his had better watch out on that arete tomorrow"...
At the risk of boring everyone else to tears, when we traversed the munros on the south glen sheil ridge we stayed in the pub at the end, or head, of the glen. I do not think I’ve ever been to glen affric. Favourite bothy of mine must be the one in Glen Fleshie where we discovered to my horror that I had posted home all the maps for the onward part of our journey.
One of the rules of bothy visits was to leave the place tidier than you found it. A practice I continue when renting properties to this day.
 
The Five Sisters. Good day out.

The Claunie Inn? Ahh...that tartan carpet!!

The rules also used to include replacing the wood you had burned overnight with 'fresh' stuff...😳...after some years, "fresh stuff" was an awfully long way from any bothy. Heather just doesn't cut it....
 
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Surely with the amount of snow, I imagine, you get there an angle roof would be not only necessary but compulsory.

Where are these bothies with such luxury? The ones I visited ( paid up member of the MBA during the 80’s) were very much in “wild county turnout” territory.
The benefit of a steel roof is that the snow when built up will slide off. Most likely the roof pitch will be a 4/12.
 
Next year I plan on a screened in porch, not sure if it will be full length. Once the schell is done I can better visualize the proportions. For this year just steps leading to the entrance. But if it goes up quicker than I think then possible a porch this year.
 
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