In the mean time, in the shop, I have begun to make some doors for the sauna.I still glue up the stave cores myself, and I took a couple pictures of that process and the result.These will be simple plank style doors, but I still need a good solid core.

The framing oges up next. Here we have the walls framed and the roof framing has just begun.It’s fun to work on small projects, occasionally, that go together fast.We’ve been having plenty of rain, but not a lot of hot weather. It is another disappointing year for blueberries, I don’t know if that is because … Read more

Once the old building has been removed, we pour a concrete slab. The new building will measure 16’x8′. The slab is 6″ bigger all around to support a rock veneer that will go about 26″ high all around the building.

A new little project getting started here. This old sauna building is coming down to make way for a new one. It is a small building, 16’x8′. The piece of property is on a lake in St’ Louis County. The ordinance allows us to build a sauna of this size as close as 75′ from … Read more

A finishing touch on a basement bar, a brushed stainless steel foot rail. On a side note, I felt it was an interesting coincidence that my 11 year old son, in his interest to find Hugh Laurie in “pre-House” life, came upon this video just a couple days ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJW_yTbYGoI I know it might seem … Read more

We are getting the staining of the outside of the building done now. The above photo shows the screen porch framed and ready for the screen, but we decided to do the staining at this point rather than try to cover the screens. Someone sent me this the other day and asked what i think … Read more

…working on the elevator shaft in our current project. This is a quick shot looking up from the main level. The elevator offers an easy way to get from the basement level all the way to the loft.Otherwise, elsewhere in the house, we are ready to give it a good cleanup and start on the … Read more

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to set up a pool table for one of my clients. This was the second one I had done in my life and I find the task to be an enjoyable and rewarding one. Here is a picture of it in the basement of the home we … Read more

Another cold morning. 32 degrees when I got up at 5:00. There was frost on the roofs. It is very sunny now and looks like it will be a beautiful day.

…continuing work on the interior railing. Here is a close-up shot of the railing going up the stairs with the spindles installed: It was a beautiful day here in Ely today. It started off a little cool, but later became clear and temps touched about 70 degrees. It ended up being a great night for … Read more