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!