It's still decoration day to guys my age. This is another loose ends trip. I have a trailer load of steel studs to unload and an air conditining compressor to install. I found some ready made trusses at habitat for humanities that will really work on the west side so I have to bring the trailer home again.
If you can picture this: the "taco bell tower" will be a 20'x20' two story structure at the West end of the courtyard and will join with a 14' shed roof along the West side of the Bunker. The tower will be a living room and the rest will be a bath and an office/bedroom. The shed roof will be tile as the mansard on the bunker and the roof of the tower will be flat. Big ideas, huh? So far the frame and roof trusses are less than 1k and the walls, which will be 8" sip panels, will add about 3k. My labor, which is worth zip, will bring the total to 6k for the addition. Stay tuned.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Phase One Finished
It was 1,303 miles in two days but the load of studs is home. We left Austin at 6:00 on Sat morning, reaching Farmersville (35 miles NE of Dallas) at 10:00. Terry's kids were home from college so it only took an hour to load all the studs. On the road by 11:30. Eight hours later we were in Pecos where we had to make up our minds to stay the night or drive in the dark for a couple of hours. The thought of our own bed at the bunker won, at 10:00 PM we pulled into the driveway.
The load came off easy and Barbara finished her work in the bunker so by 10:00 we were on the road again (that would make a good song title...Oh, wait). What to do for Mothers day, food always works so we pulled off interstate 10 at Iraann and headed for Coopers Bar-B-Que at Llano. Without a doubt it is the best in Texas, a state with a LOT of B-B-Q. Be sure to put a drool guard on your keyboard before you click on the link. We had an early dinner and were home by six. Next I will take the trailer from here out to the bunker and the frame for the courtyard and the addition will be ready to build.
The load came off easy and Barbara finished her work in the bunker so by 10:00 we were on the road again (that would make a good song title...Oh, wait). What to do for Mothers day, food always works so we pulled off interstate 10 at Iraann and headed for Coopers Bar-B-Que at Llano. Without a doubt it is the best in Texas, a state with a LOT of B-B-Q. Be sure to put a drool guard on your keyboard before you click on the link. We had an early dinner and were home by six. Next I will take the trailer from here out to the bunker and the frame for the courtyard and the addition will be ready to build.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Stud watch
Not what you think. I found some metal studs on e-bay that will frame the addition and several other things around the place. I had to go to Dallas to pick them up and it turned out that there were many more than I thought. I loaded my trailer to the limit and stacked some on the top of the truck and will still have to go back for another load. I left about 100 2x8x20's and 50 2x6x14's an a ton of connectors and stuff. They are really heavy too, 14 and 16 ga. A logistics nightmare. The full trailer sits here in Austin and I have to rent a trailer to go to Dallas, then to Ft Davis, unload, and back, then the trailer from here to Ft Davis where I'll leave it for a while. I had planned to make the addition 14x45 but with all these 20'ers I will make it bigger. There are enough to build a freestanding garage, too, so the bunker will look more like a compound.
Monday, April 24, 2006
The Gate
Below is a bad photoshop rendering of the front gate at the courtyard. This wall is to be constructed from the large concrete blocks that were cut for windows and door. They are many and are in the way so this is the best thing I could think of to do with them. They will be "dry stacked" and trimmed to square. Each course will be pinned with rebar drilled through and leveled, if required, with a shovel of mortar. The beam will be peeled cedar like the porch posts and will serve to give lateral support for the weight of the gates. The gates will be built from cedar tongue and grove and have a 32" door on one side for access to the courtyard.
The Corner Post Footings are Ready
Working with the tractor and moving LOTS of rocks gave me this nice flat
courtyard. The pavers are there and ready to be laid. The cornerpost and
the bunker side of the gate will be next.
courtyard. The pavers are there and ready to be laid. The cornerpost and
the bunker side of the gate will be next.
Tractor work
Not buying a tractor is one of the best moves I have made. For two hundred bucks I was able to rent a back-hoe (as opposed to just a 6th street one) and move all the dirt and rocks that I could stand. The West side was leveled and a large hole filled where the sewer exited the slab. The courtyard was dressed and leveled and all of the concrete blocks that came out of the door and windows were moved in preparation for stacking up and making one side of the courtyard.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Easter
Time for this months assault on the mountain. I have reserved a tractor/backhoe and now the fun will begin. First I will use the bucket to mow the weeds and pick up the rocks that are everywhere. There is a large hole on the West side where the sewer comes out of the bunker and I will level this side before moving on to the digging.
Footings are next, both for the courtyard wall and the false front that will be the West wall. Should take most of the day Saturday and even part of Sunday if I find rocks. All the rolling stock gets relocated and the place will begin to look like mountain top villa, which it is, and the outdoor structures will start up.
Barbara is assigned the job of painting the spiral stairs. I think she plans to sit in a bucker of paint and slide down the handrail. Anyhow that will make it look great.
This trip Pepi will go with us. G'maw dosen't let her go normally so we are taking them both. I'll have plenty of pictures to post after this trip.
Footings are next, both for the courtyard wall and the false front that will be the West wall. Should take most of the day Saturday and even part of Sunday if I find rocks. All the rolling stock gets relocated and the place will begin to look like mountain top villa, which it is, and the outdoor structures will start up.
Barbara is assigned the job of painting the spiral stairs. I think she plans to sit in a bucker of paint and slide down the handrail. Anyhow that will make it look great.
This trip Pepi will go with us. G'maw dosen't let her go normally so we are taking them both. I'll have plenty of pictures to post after this trip.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Texas Flag
This picture was taken toward the stair entrance. The metal is covering the frame for the tile roof and dresses up the view. The flagpole is on the top of the tunnel that runs from the bunker to the clif and the picture below was taken with my back to the pole.
Stairs
The stairs are up. The wall had to be cut to clear two stair treads but it looks really good. The concrete pad that the stairs set on forms the first step and it fits. All in all when I finish at the top landing it will the first step in the courtyard design. The top of the tunnel forms a sidewalk that runs 20' to the rock wall on top of the clif and the flagpole sits at the end.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Courtyard wall
Line drawing example: This will be the NW wall of the courtyard. The right side is made from the blocks that were cut out for the windows. These blocks will form a "L" shaped corner and a gate will run to the bunker. The gate in the picture will be mostly for looks but it will provide access to the flag pole which will be behind the Kiva and outside the wall. On the left will stand a wall that will be fourteen ft tall and look just like the front of a spanish villa. This wall will provide shelter from the wind and when the addition is started will be incorporated into the construction.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
The Big 65
Birthday, today. This is the biggie, that's what "they" say but somehow I don't feel any change at all.
Work on the bunker is all but finished. It will be nice to just enjoy it for a few trips. I know, I know, just being here will cause both of us to work on something. Now that the heat is all ducted in it's looking like summer and I will have to hook up the AC. The carpet is down and the floor really looks good. I think I'll start planning the courtyard.
Work on the bunker is all but finished. It will be nice to just enjoy it for a few trips. I know, I know, just being here will cause both of us to work on something. Now that the heat is all ducted in it's looking like summer and I will have to hook up the AC. The carpet is down and the floor really looks good. I think I'll start planning the courtyard.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Valentines Day
Happy Valentine Day. This blog is the best place for that wish. Valentine is the only other town in Jeff Davis county. Each year the post office gets inundated with cards to stamp and send all over the world. Neat post mark, eh. As for Barb and I, we are as much in love as ever and we are way ahead of the day because we have a "date" each Wed for lunch. And this bunker has been an on going work of love too. One of these days we will be able to spend more time here and that will be a great day.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Texas Roadhouse
May have to change the name of the bunker. These neons came from a B-B-Q joint that was undergoing transformation to a Madam Mam's. If there is Anything that is as good as Texas B-B-Q it's Viet/Thai from the madam. I think I'll place the neon pieces where you can see them from the highway. It'll be too far away to read them but it will make everyone wonder.
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