READING ROOM - DAY TWENTY FOUR

PAINTED THE FASCIA AND SOFFITS A RICH BROWN COLOR.

I USED A TRICK MY GRANDFATHER TAUGHT ME: USE A NAIL TO PUNCH HOLES IN THE TOP OF THE CAN, SO THAT PAINT DRAINS BACK INSIDE RATHER THAN STAYING IN THAT GROOVE. MAKES A MESSY JOB A LITTLE CLEANER.

READING ROOM - DAY TWENTY THREE

I FINISHED NAILING ON THE BATTENS ON THE EAST WALL...

...AND THE NORTH WALL. I LIKE HOW THEY CONTINUE 'AROUND THE CORNER'.

THIS STAGE OF THE PROJECT INVOLVES A LOT OF LITTLE DETAILS, LIKE THIS TRIM DETAIL AROUND A CONDUIT. NOT VERY DRAMATIC, BUT NECESSARY.

WENT TO A BIG BOX STORE FOR SOME PAINT, AND FOUND THESE LITTLE BOXES IN THE PARKING LOT.

READING ROOM - DAY TWENTY TWO

KEN FINISHED DRYWALLING AND MUDDING THE BUILT-IN BOOKSHELVES.

HE MASKED OFF THE WOOD SHELVES TO PROTECT THEM. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE RECLAIMED WOOD AND THE PAINTED WALLS.

I STARTED ON THE EXTERIOR TRIM. I CHOSE CEDAR BECAUSE IT'S A GOOD QUALITY WOOD, RESISTS ROT AND IS GROWN LOCALLY. 

I'LL BE PAINTING IT LATER THIS WEEK, BUT IT EVEN LOOKS GOOD 'NATURAL'.

THE HORIZONTAL BOARDS COVER THE GAPS BETWEEN PLYWOOD SHEETS. THEY'LL ALSO BE A GOOD COMPLEMENT TO THE CEDAR SIDING THAT I'LL BE PUTTING AROUND THE DOOR.

READING ROOM - DAY TWENTY ONE

I SIDED THE SOUTH WALL AND PUT IN THE LAST WINDOW.

A VIEW OF THE INTERIOR:

AND THE LONG VIEW:

READING ROOM - DAY TWENTY

MATT DID A FASTER-THAN-LIGHT SANDING JOB ON THE NEW DESK.

LUNCH AT THE FOOD CARTS NEAR MATT'S STUDIO ON KILLINGSWORTH AND GREELEY. I HAD SOME DELICIOUS CHICKEN FROM PDX SIX SEVEN ONE, A CART THAT SPECIALIZES IN GUAM CUISINE.

BACK AT THE READING ROOM, WE PRECISELY CUT THE DESK AND FITTED IT INTO THE ALCOVE.

PUT IN THE PATIO DOORS AND CALLED IT A DAY.

READING ROOM - DAY NINETEEN

WINDOW DELIVERY THIS MORNING.

I PUT IN THE TALL NARROW ONE FIRST. I WAS EXCITED TO SEE HOW IT WOULD LOOK IN THAT SMALL SPACE. I LIKE IT.

FROM THERE, I WENT ON TO INSTALL ALL THE SHELVES. THESE ARE THE RE-MILLED BOARDS FROM THE ORIGINAL CARPORT. 

THEY'RE WESTERN RED CEDAR, AND THE RUSTING NAILS REACTED WITH THE TANNINS IN THE WOOD, CREATING THESE BLACK MARKS. A WHOLE LOTTA CHARACTER IN THESE BOARDS...

I CREATED A NICE BIG MESS IN THIS SMALL SPACE. CLEANUP TOOK A WHILE THIS EVENING.

READING ROOM - DAY EIGHTEEN

STARTED OFF THE DAY WITH A VISIT TO THE ReBUILDNG CENTER FOR SOME LUMBER TO BUILD THE DESK. THIS IS A GREAT SALVAGE YARD WITH A COVERED LUMBERYARD AND A GOOD SELECTION OF BOARDS PULLED FROM OLD HOUSES AROUND PORTLAND.

I WAS SEARCHING FOR SOME OLD-GROWTH STUFF, FROM BACK WHEN A 2X4 WAS REALLY TWO INCHES BY FOUR.

BEFORE THINGS GOT DUSTY, MATT McCALMONT AND I WENT FOR LUNCH.

AFTERWARDS, MATT USED A METAL DETECTOR TO FIND THE NAILS EMBEDDED IN THE WOOD.

AND I REMOVED THEM.

THEN MATT GEARED UP AND TRIMMED THE EDGES.

WE GLUED THEM TOGETHER AND LEFT THEM OVERNIGHT.

READING ROOM - DAY SEVENTEEN

KEN PUT UP ALL THE SHEETROCK, AND ON DAYS EIGHTEEN, NINETEEN AND TWENTY, I CONSTRUCTED THE 'SKELETON' FOR THE BUILT-IN BOOKSHELVES.

THESE SHELVES ATE 50 2X4s. FIFTY! I CALCULATED IT BEFORE I STARTED, BUT COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WOULD TAKE THAT MUCH MATERIAL...

THE SHELVES ARE ABOUT 8 FEET LONG, WITHOUT A MID-SPAN SUPPORT, SO THEY HAD TO BE A LITTLE OVER-BUILT.

ALONG THE BACK WALL, THE TWO SHELVES CREATE AN ALCOVE FOR THE BUILT-IN DESK.

READING ROOM - DAY FIFTEEN

AND DAY SIXTEEN. THE CEILING AND WALLS WERE INSULATED...

...AND THEN WE WERE READY TO ROCK!

KEN ROMERO MOVED SO FAST THAT HE WAS A BLUR. HE'S QUICK AND SKILLED, SMOOTHING OUT ALL THE WALLS AND CEILING WITH A THIN COAT OF PLASTER. IT'S GOING TO LOOK GREAT.

READING ROOM - DAY FOURTEEN

FINISHED ALL THE SOFFITS AND PUT THE EXTERIOR SIDING ON THE BACK WALL. 

THIS WAS A SHORT DAY. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, THERE WERE SOME BIG OLD BLUEBERRY BUSHES WAITING.

THEY'RE ABOUT 30 YEARS OLD, AND WILL PRODUCE FRUIT THIS SUMMER. I MULCHED THEM WITH PINE NEEDLES, PINE CONES AND SMALL BRANCHES. THAT'S WHAT THEY LIKE,  APPARENTLY.

READING ROOM - DAY THIRTEEN

I CONTINUED TO 'WATERPROOF' THE STRUCTURE, WRAPPING IT WITH A MOISTURE BARRIER.

KEPT TRYING TO THINK OF SOME PUN THAT INVOLVED THE WORD 'HOUSE' AND 'WRAP' BUT COULDN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING GOOD...

I NAILED UP THE SOFFITS, USING SOME OLD CARPENTER'S TRICKS TO HOLD THE SHEETS OF PLYWOOD OVERHEAD WHILE I NAILED THEM OFF. (ONE SECTION IS PRE-PRIMED. THE REST ARE PLAIN WOOD.)

WITH THE SOFFITS BOXED IN, IT'S STARTING TO HAVE SOME VISUAL 'WEIGHT'.

READING ROOM - DAY TWELVE

THE FORECAST CALLED FOR RAIN, BUT IT WAS A  SUNNY SPRING DAY, SO TED LEACH WAS ABLE TO ROLL OUT THE 'TORCH-DOWN' ROOF.

IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A BACKYARD LIBRARY...

READING ROOM - DAY ELEVEN

...AND DAYS SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE AND TEN. (SORRY, IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET A NEW CAMERA.) OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, I FINISHED THE SOUTH WALL.

AND THE WEST WALL. AND THE LITTLE CONNECTOR WALL WITH ITS NARROW WINDOW.

I PUT UP THE ROOF JOISTS.

AND TODAY I NAILED DOWN THE ROOFING PLY. NOW ALL SIX SIDES OF THE CUBE ARE COMPLETE!