Architectural Wizard

Our friend John is an amazing float cabin construction engineer. Right now he's building Cabin #5 here on Powell Lake. Wayne and I know the workmanship and care John takes because we live almost full time in his Cabin #3.

John can see things in his head and make them come to reality. But he also gets a lot of help from his dad Ed. You can see how the talent for float cabin construction runs in the family.

Ed's a wizard at architectural designs. He spends hours on his computer creating the plans needed to construct Cabin #5 in precision detail. When he can, Ed comes out to the construction site with his binder of drawings to not only supervise, but lend an experienced hand.

In addition to his detailed plans, Ed also created an animated video of the construction process. I have uploaded that video to YouTube.



Thanks Ed for letting me share your exceptional work. You can see more about the construction of Cabin #5 by clicking here. -- Margy

Woodstove Smoke Blow Back Solution

November is very windy here in Coastal BC. Storms tune up in the Gulf of Alaska and march down the coast with very little respite in between. One blustery evening, Wayne and I were talking about improvements to our float cabin that have increased our quality of life. Little surprise, the top two relate to storms. One is the shock absorber system John invented for our anchor cables. The other is our wood stove chimney cap.

Last December, I shared a solution to our wood stove smoke blow back and downdraft problems. Our friend John found a wind protection chimney cap at RONA. As long as the wind was less than 15 kph (9 mph), our wood stove worked fine. But if a stiff breeze came up, especially a southeast wind, smoke was forced back down the chimney and into the cabin. It sometimes got so bad we had to stop using the stove (hard to do if there was wood burning) and start up our Big Buddy propane heater.

The solution was a GW Metal (Item #90142) 6" Revolving Weather Cap. GW Metal is a Canadian company and the Rona shelf name is Cap B Vent High Wind. The cost is $51.99 CAD plus taxes. Check your local home hardware store for a similar version.

Last week we had strong 24 kt (47 kph/29 mph) winds during a passing weather system. The result was much different than our previous chimney cap. After about six hours of strong, gusty winds, there was only one small blow back of smoke through the wood stove door. Here's a video of our new chimney cap in action.



The only problem we've encountered is some smoke escaping from the stove while lighting a fire during light breezes. Sometimes we use a long pole to manually move the cap to point into the wind. If it's a very light breeze, burning a twisted piece of newspaper under the smoke shelf before lighting the kindling is enough to start a draw up the chimney pipe. That usually does the trick.

So, if you are looking for a solution to a smokey wood stove, try a new Revolving Weather Cap. -- Margy

Running Wire

We are in the process of installing a brand new electrical generator at our float cabin on Powell Lake. So far we have several solar panels working alone and on two separate battery bank systems. We also have an AirX wind generator, but that only works when we have a storm system moving through. So our new thermoelectric generator system by TEGPower.com that works with our wood stove seems to be a perfect solution.

The first step to get ready for the system was to run electrical cable from the front of the cabin where the wood stove is located to the back of the cabin where the electrical panel and battery bank are located. Because we don't know much about electricity, our good friend John came over to give us a hand. Fortunately the weather isn't freezing yet.

We had some heavy duty cable left over from our wind generator installation, so that was perfect for the job. We don't have a basement, but there is a crawl space under the float deck that serves a similar purpose. After running the wire underneath, John prepared the two ends for connections. He also tied the cable up under the deck flooring for additional protection from the elements.

In the cabin, we had to drill a hole in the floor. Once the installation is complete, we'll seal the hole to keep out our resident mice. I'm sure they would love to come in where it's nice and warm. Now all we need is to get the rest of the generator components and get in installed. Stay tuned. -- Margy

Rock Me Gently

It's November, the windy time of year. The fjord nature of Powell Lake makes a natural funnel to increase its speed and change its direction. We are fairly protected in Hole in the Wall, but we do get our share. The cliff to the north usually protects us from clearing northwest winds, but not the incoming storms from the southeast. Those winds squeeze through First Narrows, hit the high rock wall, then split off eastward to hit our cabin.

Float cabins are anchored to shore with either heavy ropes or steel cables. In our case, it's steel cables. When the wind hits the cabin, it acts like a sail and we are blown backwards to the full extent of the cables to a jerky stop. Then comes the rebound, back into the face of the wind and it starts all over. This puts lots of stress on the cables and their connections.

During my first solo trip to the cabin in November 2001 (Up the Lake Chapter 4), I lost two connections. After that, our friend John installed double cables. Those lasted for five years, until another nasty winter storm. After that, John devised a whole new new system.

What he came up with is a shock dampening system using old car tires. Instead of connecting the 7/8 inch steel cables from the rock wall directly to the float, he placed a car tire in the middle. The new system has made a huge difference. Instead of roughly jerking the cabin as before, the tires rise out of the water and gently pull the cabin back in place, rocking us gently in the "breeze." Here is a video clip of the shock dampening system in action.

The new system is a huge success thanks to John and his ingenuity. -- Margy

John On a Cold Wet Roof

Last April I shared pictures of our neighbour Jess putting a roof on his new cabin. I called it "Jess On a Hot Tin Roof." This fall, John has been working hard to get the roof on his new cabin. While a few days were sunny and "warm," none of them were hot. In fact, some were downright rainy, windy and cold. Still, John kept at it to get his hard work covered and protected before the onslaught of winter.

So far you've seen John raise his ridge pole and add the rafters. Now it's time for the metal roof to go up. Because the panels were heavy, Wayne and I towed our raft down to the marina to pick up the load. Fortunately, Rona's truck delivered everything right to the raft.

First came a sheet of tar paper followed by the metal panel. Strip by strip up it went, drilled and screwed into place by John. Now the rest of the work will be somewhat protected from the harsh elements. -- Margy

Rafters, Battens and Collar Ties

OK, I'm getting into dangerous territory here. I'm definitely not a construction expert. I'm not even a construction wannabe. But I did watch John as he put his new cabin roof up stage by stage. His last cabin had a barn style roof. This time, he chose a gable design. First, all the lumber had to be moved up the lake. Our bowrider Campion came in handy for that task.

After the center beam was in place, John started adding the rafters. To make their placement easier, prior to raising the side walls, he installed the metal brackets that would hold each rafter in place. Raising the rafters was definitely not a one man job. John's brother Rick and his dad Ed were there to lend helping hands all along the way.

John took care of the high work. He went up the extension ladder to accept the upper end of the rafter already cut to the correct angle thanks to Ed's design work. His assistant made sure the bottom of the rafter was snug in the bracket.










Before the lower ends of the rafters could be nailed into place, John had to make sure all of the measurements lined up and the walls were straight. To make some final adjustments, it took several ropes and lots of muscle to get it right.

Next came the battens, the cross supports on the outside of the rafters. Nailing the battens onto the rafters was like building a ladder. As each batten was added, John climbed the roof to nail the next one in place.

The weight of the roof presses down, trying to spread the rafters and walls, constantly trying to push them outwards. To take some of the stress out, collar ties are added. These sturdy cross members help stop this destructive process.

This post is not meant to be a DIY how-to about roof construction. It's a tribute to an amazing man with a very supportive family. I'm always in awe of their accomplishments. -- Margy

Beam Me Up, Johnny

Our good friend John has been working steadily on his new cabin this month. So far, you've seen a little bit about the float assembly and raising the cabin walls. Much of the construction has been done by John himself, but when it came to the high work he got helping hands from his dad Ed, his brother Rick and my husband Wayne. The extent of my assistance has been moral support, ladder holding and photo journaling.

I missed the day that the front and back wall extensions went into place, but looking at the pictures Ed took I can imagine the exciting event. A tall pole was used to hold a block and tackle assembly. Then the framed peak was lifted and nailed in place. Once the back was done, the front came next.










Each peak was notched to accept the heavy ridge pole. John went up the ladder while Wayne and Ed helped raise the end of the pole up to him. John used the front wall and window cross beams to inch the pole up a bit at a time up and finally into the slot in the front peak. It was a manhandling feat! I was on ladder holding duty for this part, so there are no pictures. But here is a short video clip of the other end going into the center support.

The back half of the beam was glued and nailed in place, but that was a lot easier because the guys could stand on the loft. Ed sure seems happy to have this part of the project done doesn't he? He's a great dad and a good friend to us as well. -- Margy

Float Cabin Raising

Yesterday, Wayne and I helped our good friend John "raise" his new float cabin. John's been working for over a year in preparation for this day. First he had to find a logging company willing to sell him the large cedar logs he needed to build his floating foundation. That was no easy task. Once he had the logs, they had to be lashed together. That process was almost like sewing the logs together, only using 3/4" steel cables rather than thread.

Next, John had to build a raised deck and floor foundation on top of the float logs. Short walls (pony walls) constructed of 2X4's raised the decking and cabin flooring well above the floating logs. A small space between the floor boards and decking allows for drainage. It also allows for the replacement of deck boards, if needed, in the future without disturbing the cabin's foundation.

Then on the completed deck, John framed the four cabin walls. His dad, Ed, helped with architectural designs for the cabin. Using the printed diagrams, John cut and nailed the 2X4 wall frames to match. Today, it all came together. The following video will take you through the amazing process of cabin raising. For "cityfolk" like Wayne and I, it was amazing to watch and "help."



John, you are amazing. And Ed, your hard work on the design has come into being. What a team! -- Margy

Jess On a Hot Tin Roof

Fall and winter have been quiet times up the lake. Most cabin owners secure their dwellings for the long cold months and don't return until spring or summer sunshine warms the scene. An exception to this rule (not counting Wayne and I) is our friend across the Hole named Jess. That's what we call him, but others know him by his given name, Justin.

All winter, Jess has been rebuilding his tiny 8X10 (pretty as a picture he says) cabin into a larger version with a loft. He's almost done, but this spring he has switched his efforts to a new structure on a separate float. It has gone up amazingly fast, especially with some prefabrication he did in town.

Jess has a skookum (strong) barge-like boat that is perfect for transporting building materials and supplies up the lake. Wayne and I have had fun watching Jess and his assistants raise the building from ground up (theoretically speaking, actually float up). Today Jess was up on his roof giving it some finishing touches.

It amazes me how talented people are here in Powell River. My sheltered city upbringing has made me a specialist rather than a generalist. Goes to show, what is an advantage in one setting can be an overall disadvantage. Wayne and I are learning to be more self reliant, but it's slow and hard work. In the meantime, we watch and learn from locals like our good friend John and our neighbor Jess. -- Margy