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Preparing to Build — Part 4
Log Home Diary Entry #14
In telling a story like this, it is at times difficult to keep the timeline on different events in proper sequence because the building process does not flow in a nice, orderly, predictable pace, regardless of how organized we think we are. A prime example was the building-permit process discussed in Entry 12. That started before the log-package delivery and continued long afterward. As a result, our log package sat for months on our future septic field site. This is mentioned so as to not leave the impression that we experienced a smooth sequential process. It has been anything but that.
We have no gripe with rules for permits. But we do have gripes with rules that change “on the fly” and seemingly at the whim of individuals who have the “power” to add rules as they see fit and when they see fit. In the end, it is just one of life’s unpleasant bureaucratic experiences. It certainly doesn’t make us unique.
With the permit delays, our concern over the security of our log-home package came to the forefront. What are we going to do about protecting the material from weather or theft? Although all material came wrapped on pallets, it was not intended for long-term outdoor storage. To handle the first concern, we simply bought boxes of heavy contractor rolls of plastic and covered every pallet, while firmly attaching the plastic with a staple gun. Given the length of time that passed, this relieved our anxiety over deterioration. An early winter and unusually cold weather assured us our time was well spent. As we finished the job of gift wrapping our pallets, which was far too much like “work,” our future neighbors took pity on us and invited us for a glass of wine. This turned what seemed like work into an enjoyable afternoon.
What about the other issue, theft? OK, we’ll admit that there may have been a bit of mutual paranoia going on here. The facts are that (1) there is little crime in this rural area; (2) there was no history of construction theft that we were aware of; (3) our storage site is somewhat hidden from the main road; and (4) our site is located near the end of a peninsula, and with only one way out, a smart thief — is that an oxymoron? — would likely not choose our building material.
Although the odds were against any theft problem, we had a lot of money in building materials just sitting there on the grounds. For protection, we had large logs from trees we had cut placed around the building material so no trucks could get close for loading. And then to minimize our concern, we bought one of those motion detector outdoor wildlife cameras. This isn’t going to stop a thief, of course, but it could very well help to track down a culprit. In the end, the only thing we captured were hundreds of pictures of the most boring outdoor images you could possibly imagine. And you know, sometimes boring is good!
Back to Lakefront Building Diary
Related posts:
- Lakefront Log Home Project: Log Home Diary Entry #13, Preparing to Build Pt. 3
- Lakefront Log Home Project: Log Home Diary Entry #11, Preparing to Build Pt. 2
- Lakefront Log Home Project: Log Home Diary Entry #10, Preparing to Build Pt. 1
- Lakefront Log Home Project: Log Home Diary Entry #5, Choosing the Builder
- Lakefront Log Home Project: Log Home Diary Entry #2, Did We Put the Cart Before the Horse?
We are baby boomers looking for small, cottage -like, energy efficient log cabin with great room, fireplace in kitchen and possible loft. Boomers want to get back to basics with no frills. Preparing for future economic collapse. Thanks!