More Home Renovations

My roof was shot. Six layers of shingles were not enough to keep the rain and snow out. The rafters and decking were rotten and moldy. I have had this dream of building a second story onto my house, but being so close to the Rio De Flag ( our storm water drainage system) I wasn't confident the city would let me. When I inquired about building a second story, they squirmed and listed a number of items that would have to be addressed before a permit would be considered. They did say, however, they could not deny me a new roof. My dad and I put our heads together and came up with a plan to add a new truss system, and incorporate dormers. I could then have a roof, and potentiallly more space. We sumbitted the plans and waited. It was approved, with few changes. We discussed and made lists, and set a date for June 1st to begin. This date conincides with our dry season in Flagstaff. This dry season only lasts for about a month before our monsoon rainy season begins, so we had to move quickly. I took off two weeks of work, and ordered the trusses and lumber. Below is a picture of the house before.

And here is a teaser of what is to come. This picture was actually taken by my neighbour with his new Canon 40D

Rez Rides

Grand Falls

This spring is showing the effects of our snowy winter. Grand Falls, just out side of Flagstaff on the Navajo Reservation, was flowing at peak levels.

View from the Bottom

Colorado River New Years Eve

It was crowded this year, but we were able to find a prime camping spot at the Sauna Cave.


We spent the New Year's Weekend between Gold Strike Hot Springs and the dam.

I even got a pic of a beaver!


We had to gather firewood. Fortunately in some canyons the Tamarisk was plentiful.

Christmas

We spent Christmas at the last place we would have thought. At the end of a 40 mile jeep road deep into the desert wilderness. Winter solstice with the cactus and Verde River. There were reports that there was a hot spring there, which was true, but had been overgrown by bull rushes. We hiked and camped and celebrated.

Big Snow

Here are some pictures of the house under the big snow we just got!

House Update

Here are the pictures of the nearly completed house. It was a lot of work. Kristi was a huge help, I couldn't have done it with out her. We installed the tile ourselves, with a little mosaic in the middle of each room. The floor is recycled using the best wood removed from the floor from around the house. We barely had enough to finish the job. We planed, sanded, and wood filled and sanded, and filled, and poly coated, and sanded, and poly coated for 4 days straight. We recycled the old trim from around the old windows and used it for baseboards. The French door to the bedroom was from a local recycler as well. We saved a bunch of money by buying pre-made un-finished cabinets in the kitchen. I custom made the cabinet next to the fridge to match, saving me about $500. Paint and caulk finished it off.