Posts
Using an "unauthorized" network card in a ThinkPad
I recently decided to replace the Intel Wimax/WiFi Link 5350 card in a ThinkPad X200s, because the WiMax part of the card seemed to be flaking out and causing Linux kernel errors and hangs. I found a generic (non-Lenovo branded) Intel 5300 card, which is just a WiFi adapter (no WiMax). But I got an unpleasant surprise when I powered on the X200s: the BIOS gave an error message: “1802: Unauthorized network card is plugged in - Power off and remove the miniPCI network card” and then refused to boot.
October 26, 2012
First siding boards are up
After a week and half of part-time work, we now have about 25 feet of siding boards put up.
October 25, 2012
Doors
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve installed the four exterior doors. There are two doors in the walkout basement wall, and two up on the main floor. Now that the wind doesn’t blow through the house, it stays a lot warmer inside, which makes it more pleasant to do interior work.
October 23, 2012
Stain and siding
We started working on the siding today, after spending more time than we expected on deciding what kind and color of stain to use on the wood. The siding is 1x8 pine shiplap (made in Vermont) that is rough on the outward facing side. We wanted to find a semi-transparent stain that looked like real wood with a slightly reddish tinge. But most of the stains we tried didn’t quite achieve that effect.
October 12, 2012
Roofing is done
Last week we had two mornings when it wasn’t raining, so we used those times to finish installing the metal roofing. There wasn’t a lot left, but the last bits were tricky and dangerous to install, because they were at the end of the one story section that has a very large drop, and because it was no longer possible to climb back down on the strapping once the last piece was up.
October 10, 2012
Stairs, windows, and roofing
The last three weeks have been pretty busy and we have made quite a bit of progress. At first things seemed to go slowly and frustratingly. Putting the foam up on the walls and nailing it down with strapping would seem to be a quick, straightforward job at first sight. But with so many windows in this house (35 total) the task becomes quite tedious, with lots of cutting of foam, test placing, trimming, replacing, etc. The worst part is putting up the triangular pieces. Sometimes the 3-4-5 triangle rule seems to work, and sometimes not quite.
September 24, 2012
First stages of Roofing
We’ve spent the past two weeks working on getting the roof up on the house. We started on the two story section. First, we sheathed the roof, using the same boards we used to sheath the walls. These boards become the high ceilings in the one story section and in the second floor of the two story section. We placed the boards so that the beveled edges face the inside, the opposite of what we did with the wall sheathing. We first put up seven rows of sheathing, which gave us enough support for the first row of foam (which comes in 4 foot wide sheets), tacked down the Typar housewrap, then nailed down the foam with the strapping boards on top.
August 30, 2012
One story rafter raising
At the beginning of last week, we spent a couple of days raising the rafter goal posts for the one story section of the house. We’d already built the components (posts and rafters) over the previous week or two. Raising the one story rafters is a bit like raising the goal posts for the two story section: nail the rafters to the posts flat on the deck, then raise the assembled units and drop them into the post holes along the edge of the deck. We had two or three helpers each day. It’s best to have two people on each side as you walk the rather top-heavy assembly along the deck to the post holes. We raised the first three with only three people, though, by using a rope tied to the collar tie and a person on the second floor pulling on the rope.
August 19, 2012
Sheathing
We are now more than half way through installing the sheathing on the two story section. The sheathing is made up of 1x8 tongue and groove pine boards that are nailed to the outside of the posts. This part is fun because it goes up quickly, and because it isn’t quite as fiddly as decking. That’s because the joints are going to be hidden under insulation and siding, so the lengths don’t have to be precise.
August 3, 2012
Rafters
After decking the second floor, we now have all the rafters for the two story section assembled and raised. This was the most difficult step so far. Each rafter is assembled from four 9-foot long 2x8 boards, with four 2x4s and a 2x8 collar tie sandwiched in between. The cuts on these boards are tricky, with angles like 36 and 54 and 16 degrees at various points. So getting the boards cut and assembled cleanly was very frustrating at times, due to slight variations in angles caused by imperfectly straight cut lines, and twists and bows in some boards. This was probably another case where our attempt at perfection went a bit too far.
July 23, 2012