The Oppenheimer Report 6/27/07

Transporting logs from British Columbia is not without its share of complications. The most recent delay was a quality control problem from at the log supplier, requiring that their plant be shut down for several days while they addressed the problem. As well, last week, our log load number four was supposed to arrive in Katrine, Ontario, but there was yet another problem with transport. On its way to pick up our load of logs in Kamloops, B.C., our truck hit a bear, ripping off its fuel tank and severely damaging the vehicle. You should have seen the bear. Because that was the only truck available for our load out west, our logs will not even begin their journey East until the middle of this week ... just before a big long weekend. I think it is optimistic to assume that those logs will show up on Friday as scheduled, because the highways will be jammed with Canada Day and Fourth of July holiday travelers… not to mention the inevitable road construction delays.

Last Friday was a momentous day, as we watched two large sections of the first floor ceiling laid down on the log floor joists. The builder had already stained the tongue and groove ceiling before it was laid down, so we were able to see for the first time how the stain we’d chosen will look on the house. As with any color choice, it’s impossible to make a determination based on a small color chip. Until one sees it on a wall or ceiling, one is never really sure. I’m happy with our choice.

As I write this, the first vertical logs on the lake side of the house are being fastened to the wall. This procedure was not without its own complications, and some adjustments were required to ensure a proper fit. Someone with whom we recently spoke was astounded that this project will take 8-10 months to complete, but having observed the first 35+ days, I can easily see why it will take that long. Our builder explained that log homes are the most difficult to build, because every round log, no matter how straight and true, is a little different. Field cuts and adjustments are often required, and add considerably to the time required for stacking. I’ve watched many high rises going up in Toronto and, in my 25 year career in industrial real estate, I’ve seen quite a lot of construction. I don’t think I have ever been so interested in the construction process as I have been with this house. Granted I am not a disinterested party, but log home construction is fascinating to watch.

I flipped on the tube last night and was amused by the nonstop media pre-occupation with Paris Hilton’s release from prison (after what, 23 days?!). Will she go out and party on the town right away, or spend an intimate first night of freedom, alone with her immediate family, gorging on cupcakes and champagne? Yikes!I’m sure that every generation has had its share of celebrity nonsense over which to obsess, but the cameras and the coverage seem to be growing like weeds. How about a little hard news, like the growing Republican opposition to the war in Iraq, or the increasing likelihood that Hillary Clinton could be our next President? And what happened to Rock Star Obama … I figured an endorsement by Oprah was money in the bank? I guess one needs to be careful about admitting to past drug use. It’s difficult to say you “didn’t inhale” when the drug was cocaine. – Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c 2007 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report 6/4/07 - Happy 97th Dad!

Today is my dad’s 97th birthday and I will start this report by wishing him a happy, healthy birthday. My dad has a disarming sense of humor, and that humor hasn’t failed him well into his nineties. We took him out for dinner to a fancy wood oven pizza place last year for his 96th, and he ordered a pizza with fresh basil as one of the toppings. When the pizza came, it was piled high with fresh green basil, and he said to the waitress who served him, with his typical dry sense of humor, “I ordered a pizza, not a G-D salad!” He’s slowing down a bit, but he’s still pretty sharp, and he can still make me laugh.

On the log home front, we have had a few minor setbacks. There was a potentially serious, (but luckily not serious) mishap off-loading the second shipment of logs, we noticed some mysterious black marks on some of the logs (traced back to a Bobcat loader in B.C.) which will need to be removed, and a downed telephone line, caused by a piece of construction equipment, cut off service to our next door neighbor for about a day. Hopefully, last week was just a speed bump, but I’m guessing there will be many more surprises in store for us. Building a custom log home is not for the faint of heart, and Shauna and I have had to make some quick and irreversible decisions. We spent a good deal of our anniversary last week on the first floor of our new home, with the builder’s designer, in the hot sun, resizing many of the first floor windows. What looked adequate on the plans needed adjustment once we saw the house going up. Log homes require much larger cuts, or “rough openings”, for windows than do stick frame homes, and therein lies the problem. We thought we were being clear about how large we wanted our windows to be, but something got lost in the translation. Our builder would likely have avoided this problem, had he known about it before we finished designing the home. Unfortunately, we hired him after the house was designed, and after our first builder dropped the ball. Another complication in log home construction is that all electrical outlets and switches need to be pre-drilled for wire. Once the logs are stacked, there is no turning back. As of this week, the first floor logs are almost completely stacked, and some of the vertical logs will begin to go up soon… that is, if weather permits. As I write this, our jobsite is a quagmire of sand and mud, and at present, the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees F. The temperature dropped almost 50 degrees in one night and there have been frost warnings for Southern Ontario.

About our trailer … It includes most of the comforts of home, and we have our builder to thank for allowing us to remain on site for much of the construction process. We are still on generator power, and our water supply is a stream near the trailer, from which we pump water into a holding tank. That needs to be filled every three or four days. As well, we are beginning to become accustomed to the periodic stench which occurs whenever our sewage holding tank is pumped out. The first time this happened was a rude awakening. Now, whenever the pump truck shows up, Shauna and I scamper out of the trailer like a couple of roaches avoiding Raid. Living here is decidedly more taxing on Shauna than it is on me, but the trade off is well worth it – we are able to watch our new home take shape.
- Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2007 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED