Foundation Veneer in Scarborough

  It must be close to a month now we have been working on the foundation on the Scarborough guest house.  Damon and I, Danny Harrington, Richard Ware, and Randy Edgecomb.  The veneer is coming to a close and we will soon be working on the chimney veneer.

   Here is the rear of the house with Chimney Builder Steve Welton's staging climbing up the side.

Are You Going To Scarborough Job?

  So, we finally started the big Scarborough job.  We didn't waste any time getting our tent-shanties set up and heated.  I overheard one of the carpenters saying, "Man, they've got a whole little city set up in there."

  And indeed, we do. Complete with chiseling tables, rock shelves, microwaves, grinding boxes with exhaust fans, propane heaters, and kegs of beer.  Well, no beer, but everything else.  Here Richard Ware(wolf) is hammering away at one the tables I built.  I made his a bit taller than the rest, as he is like eight feet tall.

  And of course, there is Danny Harrington:

  And Damon:

  As you can see, we are doing a stone veneer on the foundation, so everyone is working on their knees for awhile.  I have been out back putting together a mock-up for the chimney, so the owners can check it out when they come in next week.

  The edges will have to be softened and "tweaked" before the stones are mortared in, but that is the basic idea.

Up On The Roof (Again)

  It was nice to finish up the inside work and let the owners' get back to some semblance of a normal dust-free existence. I imagine they will be cleaning up the fallout dust from our demolition for weeks. Emma the cat, who greeted us daily and kept a wary eye on our progress, will be happy to have a little privacy, too.

  Anyway, up through the roof and away...

  And what a view from up there, looking out over Casco Bay.

  I have said it before, working on the coast of Maine, we are blessed with having these amazing views on almost every jobsite.

    We finished up just as the sun went down.  In fact, I had to grab these shots before it got dark and I wasn't even done setting the flu.

  We still have to go back in a week or so, after the fireplace insert is installed, to do the cap and wash.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop in Freeport at the owner's yarn and needlework shop: Grace Robinson & Company. www.yarnandneedlepoint.com. I hear it's one of the best in the state.

Ready To Head Back Up

  Well, we tore the existing chimney down to the first floor and jack-hammered through the floor slab.  Now, eleven thousand pounds of removed material later, we are ready to start rebuilding.  The new fireplace insert has been ordered and we can prep for its arrival.

Damon really gets into his work...

Foreside Fireside

  Damon and I started tearing down an existing chimney and fireplace in lovely Falmouth Foreside two days ago for a rebuild that we will start on Monday.  Another job with Dan Ucci of Ledge Hill Creations, that he is doing with his brother-in-law, Chris Grenlaw of the Dovetail Group. (207-415-8604).

  Chimney demolition is always enjoyable, albeit strenuous; but this one was a bit tougher, as it had only been built four months ago!  There was nothing structurally wrong it, but the design was wrong for the space and the brick bump-out in the living room just consumed too much square footage.

Sheep Meadow Farm

  Damon and I spent last week at Sheep Meadow Farm on the island of North Haven, doing a job for Dan Ucci of Ledge Hill Creations.  As some of you may know, we were out there last year for about seven months, and it was nice to come back. The isolation of the place really bothers some people, but I find it hard to leave.
 Anyway, we went out to Sheep Meadow and built a circular patio with a 15-foot diameter out of what is commonly referred to as stand-up blue stone. That doesn't mean it is stone with sound moral and ethical standards, but blue-stone that is actually stood up on edge on the pallets, so as to make for difficult and unwieldy transport.  Here are a few shots of the farm and estate:

  The caretakers Doug and Kenny pretty much had the spot dug out for us and prepped when we arrived.  They removed yards of wet clay, put in drainage, and covered it with compacting sand.  So all we had to do was fire up the compactor and run circles around it for an hour.

  We spent the next few days laying out the stones, cutting and chiseling joints a half to two inches.  We worked till dark every day and spent the evenings relaxing and reading in the comfortably furnished guest apartment.  We finished on Friday and drew our radius, with Damon on the center point and me at the other end of a 7 and a half foot string, drawing a perfect circle, which we then cut out with the saw.

  Just in time to catch the next ferry home, which made Damon very happy.

Finished On Barter's Island

  Ran down to the island for a day to wrap up the job there with Dan and Richard and Randy. The patio looked good and we spread some polymeric sand in the joints and sprayed it down.  For those who haven't used polymeric sand, it really is a miracle. The time it saves in jointing is unbelievable. Of course, it isn't the right product for every application, but when it can be used, it is a major time-saver. Honestly, you just sweep it in the joints and spray it down with water (in four or five steps) and you are done.  It's pretty rugged, too, and able to withstand Maine's drastic temperature changes.

  While Damon and I did our chimney rebuild last week, Richard came down and jointed in our cultured stone. 

What I Do It For

  It isn't about the craft, or the money, or the exercise, or the comradeship.  I just do it for the cookies.  Alice made these for us down on Barter's Island yesterday. Fantastic!

 

  This is the patio we have been building for Frank and Alice.  We hope they like it as much as we like the cookies.

Cultured Stone On Barter's Island

  Here are some shots of a couple hundred square feet of cultured stone we installed on a home in Barter's Island. The customers are friendly--A. actually made us chocolate chip/zucchini cupcakes yesterday-- and the view is amazing.  I am fond of this particular style of cultured stone we are using, as far as c.s. goes, and the installation has been relatively pain-free, when it isn't raining.

East Boothbay Wall

  Here are a few images of the wall we did for Jeff at East Boothbay Landscaping.  These were actually taken a few weeks ago and I haven't got back to take any of the finished product.  This was a fun wall to built--the rectilinear stones made for easy building, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, and everyone involved in the project was happy.  If only every job could be so straightforward and rewarding.

East Boothbay Retaining Wall

  Here are some shots of the wall Damon and I have been helping Dan Ucci of Ledge Hill Creations with:

  Joel Oyer on the left and Danny Harrington in the center. Damon, of course, on the right.

  Working on the cap...

  Randy Edgecomb back-building, one of the most integral and unappreciated aspects of wall building. The back of the wall must be constructed as sturdily as the front, the center packed tightly with stones, and the whole thing being interlocked with stones extending throughout the structure. None of this is ever seen once the wall is back-filled with soil, and the tender's work is hidden for all time.

Pratt's Island

  Congratulations to Dan Ucci, owner of Ledge Hill Creations, on the completion of one hell of a big three-year stone project. The landscapers, stonemasons, carpenters, and designers were all there last week putting on the finishing touches before the Down East Magazine shoot on Monday, so I sneaked in for a few shots of my own. I only worked there for a few winters--the majority of the credit goes to Dan's full-time crew; Danny Harrington, Richard Ware, Lance Carlezon, Joel Oyer, Jesse Casas--but I felt privileged to have the hand in it that I did.

   Richard Ware

   And Danny Harrington