Sunday, January 28, 2007

A Cabin in the Forest Part 4 (Well,Well)

(Reminder to self) Never, ever leave a circular saw and lumber around Saoirse and Andara. When I arrived on the job site this A.M., there was an old fashion rope and bucket"Well" sitting on the front porch.



The girls seemed to take great pride in the fact that they had built and painted the well themselves. They said that if I had not informed them about nail heads,(See: A Cabin in the Forest Part 2), they might not have been able to complete it, as they ran out of nails for one of the sides. They had however discovered that if they threw the remaining nails in the air, some of them "magically" came down with the heads on the right end, and thus they were able to complete the well. Being woods raised Pixies, they had no trouble verifying that there was water under the house, but wanted Mr. Thorne to pinpoint the best location to actually dig the shaft.





Please bear in mind that this "well" structure was built by Saoirse and Andara. I offered to rebuild it in a more professional manner. The Pixies said that "it fit in with the rustic feel of the house and was just fine the way it was". I may have to put a big sign on it saying "Not Built By Pixielated Builders", just to protect my reputation in the construction industry.



Mr. Thorne arrived just after lunch, and set to work, devining the best location for the well.


He is a very knowledgable Pixie, and soon had "devined" the best location. After the shaft was dug, he helped me place the well over it.


The carpet I had ordered for the loft bedrooms arrived later that afternoon, and I am planning on installing it tommorrow morning.


(Scientific News: Baldness is not caused by genetics, IT'S CAUSED BY PIXIES)!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

A Cabin in the Forest Part 3 (No Pixie Dust needed)

The weather forecast had been correct. Since there was an abundance of sunshine my clients did some "outdoorsy" things, and pretty much left me to work on the front porch with few interruptions.

When I finished the porch, there had been just the standard wood floor. That of course would have been normal, but did not fit these two Pixies. Once again Andara and Saoirse felt that modifications were needed. I discovered the next morning, that the porch now had a dirt floor!



They explained that there were no wood floors in the forest and they did not want their new home to make them home sick for the woods. They were busily installing a "dirt floor" (a must in the house) that would go better with the tree in the middle of the living room. Since the girls go around barefooted all the time, this would also prevent them getting slivers. They did make a concession, and agreed that "carpet" would be nice in the loft bedrooms. Something in a nice "foresty" color, they said, so I have ordered a nice leaf green shag for the loft.



The mystery of access to the loft bedrooms was also solved. Who but forest living Pixies would have thought of vine and twig ladders. Apparently they had used these in the woods and feel quite comfortable climbing them.





Rather ingeniously they had devised a way to pull them up, out of the way when they were not in use. I suspect that their "Grandmothers" must have taught them these skills, as the ladders contain a lot of "Granny Knots", (Yuck, Yuck).


Saoirse thinks they also make a great toy.



You can bet that the next time I build a "Pixie" home (IF EVER), I'll be asking a lot more questions , before I start. I may be removing my business ad from "Modern Home and Pixie" magazine.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

A Cabin in the Forest Part 2 (Tools and Trials)

This has been an adventure. Since Saoirse and Andara have never had their own house, they are taking quite an interest in the construction process. The what's this and the why that's are driving me crazy. I am getting use to them being underfoot, and have found ways to keep them busy. When they were "helpfully" handing me nails the other day, I took the time to explain that some of the nails had the heads on the wrong end. When they started throwing those nails away, it became necessary to explain that those nails were for the opposite wall, and should be saved. I got a lot done that afternoon, as they busily sorted nails into North, South, East and West stacks.





I'm actually getting to like these young ladies, but if intelligent "brightness" were measured in wattage, Andara would probably be a 25 watt bulb, Saoirse not more that a 7 1/2 watt night light.




When I started to install the stairs going to the second floor, Andara informed me that they were not necessary. Her response to how she and Saoirse were going to get to their bedrooms, was a shrug and "we'll take care of it". Maybe they're going to use "Pixie Dust" and fly, I don't know. In the construction business the customer is always right, especially if they won't listen to reason. I'm just glad they let me know before the stairway was completely installed, as I hate to tear out newly completed work.


Apparently my little under studies have learn a thing or two about construction. During the night they had removed the riser supporting the loft and replaced it with of all things a "tree"!They felt the tree gave their home a more "foresty" feeling than a bare post.



Structurally they had done an excellent job with the replacement, and I had little grounds for protesting what they had done, other than I requested that they check with me when they wanted to make future structural changes.

The weather reports are favorable, warm and sunny. I think that I'll work on the front porch for the next few days.

Friday, January 5, 2007

A Cabin in the Forest Part 1

Shortly after the completion of Ariel's Alpine Farmhouse, Devika (an acquaintance of Ariel)approached me about building a home for two of her close friends. Their names are Saoirse and Andara (they are the two with no shoes). They had come to visit Devika and were now planning on staying in this area permanently.


I must admit that they were an unusual couple of young ladies. They did not mention exactly where they had lived previously, but my impression was that it had a milder climate then Colorado. Without trying to pry to much, I did determine that they had lived "semi-wild" in the woods, and their preference was to go around "Le Naturale". Devika's had suggested that this was not a good idea, but they still refused to wear shoes. While they enjoyed living outdoors, the rapid climate changes here, did make them see the need for some form of shelter. Another tour of Norms Dollhouse, caused the issuance of building permit 121706-002, for an Adirondack Log Cabin.

I have quickly learned that each pixie habituate requires "customization". First change to the Log Cabin was conversion of the second floor to a loft. I could not get Saoirse to understand there is a difference between lightning and electricity, and her fear of loud noise and flashing light meant their new home would have to be "Rustic". Oil lanterns and candles would the order of the day. This was just the start!

Construction began on Dec. 17, and is going well.







Thursday, January 4, 2007

How to become Pixielated

Last Oct. I was contacted by a Ms. Ariel P. Ixie, about the possibility of building her a house. I was somewhat surprised, as I had not built a house in over 25 years, and had not even thought of doing so, until her call. Ms. Ixie is also a pixie and was sure that I was the ideal builder for her new home. We set up a luncheon meeting, to discuss the matter.




The only word I can think of to describe Ms. Ariel is “sophisticated”. When we first met, she reminded me a lot of Za Za Gabor, without the accent and attitude. When asked why she did not just use Pixie Magic to produce a house, she explained that those things magically produced, are not necessarily what they appear to be. Also, since she had a tendency to move quite often, it needed to be more solidly constructed then magic allowed. Reluctantly, I agreed to accompany Ms. Ixie to “Norms Dollhouses”, and see what might be available.


The result of that trip was Building Permit 231006-001 for an Alpine Farmhouse. Two rooms and two stories, provided “roominess” without “largeness”. By keeping the interior walls to basic white, Ariel’s artistic decorating talents could be expressed. The Alpine construction provided the sturdiness that was required, for easy moving.






Construction began on Oct 23rd and the title was passed on the 17th of Dec. Since that time several more pixies have called about housing. If this continues, I may have to hire some assistants.