House update December 2

We haven't shown the house in awhile, but it isn't because we've forgotten about it! Since we last posted pictures, Max (with the help of some friends - thanks guys!) has put up the rest of the exterior insulation and is about half way finished putting up the furring strips that will hold the siding. The furring gives the house a nice European ski chalet look that pleases Max, I think. He's mentioned at least once leaving it this way. Luckily the siding is bought and paid for and waiting in the driveway, otherwise I might have a hard time convincing him that we need siding at all! Notice too that the windows and doors are in...all but one. We're still waiting on the deck door that wasn't quite what we'd ordered the first time. With a little luck we'll be able to say we're closed in by the end of this week. Rachel and I stopped by to check on Max's progress on our way to visit one of the newest arrivals in Fairbanks, Lola Mae, the brand new daughter of friends Andy and Sue. Andy passed along some new dad advice for Max along with a locally-made sausage to pack in his birth center overnight bag...something to keep his strength up. Thanks Andy! What about my strength ;-)


We've got a crew scheduled to start putting up the siding this week so we'll soon see some changes to the outside of the house. This is a sample of the fiber cement board that we've decided to use on the exterior. The finish came out looking very much like stained cedar...very nice. We wanted the look of wood, but this material has the added benefit of being non-combustable. With all the wildfires the interior has seen in the past several years we thought it was worth the extra investment. We'll have our fingers crossed that we'll never need it.

The living room is starting to look like Max's clubhouse with a warm stove, a comfortable chair, and plenty of snacks within easy reach. No wonder I hardly ever see him anymore! We've had a working wood stove for about a month now. We're really happy with this stove we had Shiway and Dave haul up from Anchorage. It's easy to use, puts out a lot of heat, and burns about as cleanly as a catalytic stove.

I think this is what Max is doing much of the time that he's up at the house. There won't be many more pictures of these framed OSB walls...the drywallers are supposed to start on the interior in a week or two. We're hoping we'll be able to start on the floors and install cabinets and bath fixtures by early January.

A man and his wood stove. Maybe this is what Max is doing much of the time he's up at the house?