Building Our Upland Dream Home - Part 4
Dated: February 1, 2017
This staircase, likely over a century old, was salvaged from an old camp on Skaneateles Lake. It’s now a treasured part of our Upland dream home.
This post continues the story of how my wife and I built our small “Upland” dream home back in 1983. (Click Here to revisit Part 1 of this series).
Having framed the deck and two walls (as detailed in the previous post), I hired two teenagers from our church, Scott and Larry, to help me frame the rest of the house during my week-long vacation. My goal was ambitious, and I pushed both myself and the boys, who had no prior carpentry experience, beyond our limits.
That week remains a blur, characterized by relentless work from dawn till dusk in a bid to get the house framed and weather-sealed. I transformed from the easygoing church acquaintance they knew into a demanding taskmaster.
In this photo, you can see the first-floor end walls framed and us installing the floor joists. I’d specifically ordered high-grade 2x12 Douglas Fir joists for their superior strength compared to the standard pine or spruce. However, when they arrived at the lumberyard, I was dismayed to find them riddled with knots. After I voiced my concerns to Henry Wild, the owner, he agreed and promptly ordered a replacement batch of beautiful, knot-free joists.
Marlene’s father, Jay W. Myers, a retired dairy farmer, is pictured observing the construction from the first floor. Jay, a self-made man who started with nothing during the Great Depression, was known for his frugality. Nonetheless, he generously loaned us $10,000 to realize our dream home. He took a keen interest in the project, likely appreciating our hard work and dedication.
At the time, Marlene and I were living with Jay and Evelyn, who graciously provided us with room and board, only asking us to cover the electricity bill when they wintered in Florida. We remain deeply grateful for their generosity and the example they set during those early years.
The two concrete piers in the foreground mark the planned location for a 10’ x 10’ addition off the back of the house. This addition, however, didn’t materialize during that initial week of frantic construction.
The Ford LTD in the photo belonged to Jay. Notice the absence of a driveway? A proper driveway remained a luxury for many years. This wasn’t a significant issue except for a few weeks each spring when the ground softened, forcing us to park our vehicles by the road.
This photo of Marlene, beautifully lit with striking shadows, remains a favorite.
The house framing involved a combination of post-and-beam for the back wall and balloon framing for the front. Despite my limited building experience at the time, I was determined to build a sturdy house with substantial, well-supported roof overhangs.
The photo above showcases the cantilevered gable overhang framing extending back to an inside roof rafter. This uncommon, more time-consuming method, which I adopted from a book, ensures incredibly strong overhangs. It’s a technique I would definitely use again.
In this picture, my friend Kenny Pearsall, a fellow builder, lends a hand by passing up a sheet of plywood roof sheathing. Kenny, a tireless worker, arrived after his workday, offering much-needed assistance as Scott and Larry were often exhausted by the afternoon. I was incredibly grateful for his help.
This final photo shows the progress made on the house during that single week. We didn’t achieve as much as I’d hoped. The experience left me physically and emotionally drained. I apologized to Scott and Larry for my impatience, acknowledging their hard work, and compensated them generously. I hope they look back on that week 34 years ago with fondness. Marlene and I left the church in Whitney Point a year or so later, and I’ve often wondered what became of them.
CLICK HERE to continue to Part 5 of this series