8/6/19
(Above: Bathroom pedestal, primed and painted.)
Building Summary: Today, my morning was split between Jacobhouse construction, Master Blend maintenance*, helping lift Padre-Studio the rest of the way onto its blocks (did not take long), and a couple brief rides amongst the beefers. By way of Jacobhouse activity, my first task was resanding the naturally-finished lumber and adding a third coat of polyurethane. This was ensued by my applying a coat of white primer to the bathroom pedestal area as well as the underlying mattress plank. Master Blend maintenance and a ride through the beefer pasture allotted the primer enough time to dry, so I was able to finish off the morning by painting the bathroom pedestal turquoise, as well as add some highlights to the mattress plank**.
Commentary: Two outsiders have visited Jacobhouse over the past day, and it is always enjoyable to see their reactions when they enter my future abode. The first visitor was a tire-man who frequently tends to the machinery on my family’s farm. He, unlike many of the visitors to the container home, seemed to appreciate the underlying structure of the dwelling; that is, the fact that it was a refrigerated unit (reefer) with greater insulation than any ordinary home.
The second visitor was one who had dropped by before; a certain Dave Brimage. His primary bit of appreciation was in regard to the sheer amount of progress that had been made since his last stopover (which, according to this blog was back on February 25, 2019 – the day when he made the unforgettable quotes: ‘gotta get a vent in here, or all the air’ll be sucked out!’ and ’living in a tomb!). In that regard, Brimage gave another bit of memorable advice today when Padre commenced to ask him if there was anything that he, as a fellow with near boundless contractor experience, would change. After a pause, I believe the man’s exact words were;
“…finish it. I’d finish it.“***
Final Note: Tomorrow, I plan on adding some trim around the western shelves in the bedroom area, and after that, I will likely add trim along the edges of the bathroom pedestal. The naturally finished lumber will also make its way to Jacobhouse tomorrow, and if all goes well, it will be affixed**** to the bed.
*New beef is arriving tomorrow, so I wanted to clean excess ice out of the freezers. To do this, I used a hacksaw to cut a 6-inch piece of stiff barrel plastic (from a strip we had laying around), and it was with that plastic along with a hammer that I removed the majority of the freezer ice. My fabricated ice-chisel made for quite the handy instrument.
**That I will hardly ever see once the mattress is in place.
*** He also provided some good advice when it comes to making the concrete kitchen countertop. Instead of using melamine to frame the counter, he said I could instead simply lay a tight layer of saran wrap over any sort of 2×4 / plywood frame. This would prevent the need for caulking the frame’s corners and it would keep concrete from sticking to the underlying material.
****I plan on using a combination of wood glue and screws. The screws will only be utilized at the ends, and there, I plan on pre-drilling their holes for a minimal visual impact and less chance of splitting/cracking the 2×8.