Mark came out for a little longer than a week to help build the sauna shed, plus Tom and Scott came up to help out for a couple of days. We started with only footings in the ground and ended with a mostly completed shed, an excellent week!
The above two photos show the start of the project. First, we put up 4 by 4 inch posts (8 ft tall) with the base attached to brackets installed in footings. Next, we put up 2 by 10 inch boards (right photo) to provide support for the roof rafters. It was spindly at first, but stabilized as we proceeded.
As usual, I’m a lously photographer, so my apologies to all who helped. Scott (left), Tom (center), and Mark (right) were the team for two days. Scott and Mark worked together to put up the rafters, and Tom and I worked together on the framing and sheeting.
Much of the work had to be done at altitude, so we drove the pickup into the shed to provide a makeshift scaffold (left photo). Zip boards (4 by 8 ft green sheets) enclosed and stabilized the shed. By taping the seams (black tape), the shed is fairly weather proof.
The Skookum cabin is comfortable and functional. With warmth from the wood stove, we had a dinner of spagetti, fine wine, and Brussel Sprouts and onions in olive oil and fish sauce. It was a rare and wonderful night with all three Swanson brothers plus Tom together.
After Scott and Tom left, Mark and I put the lid on. OSB sheeting (left photo) provided the first layer, followed by peel-and-stick waterproofing, and finally standing seam metal sheets (right photo). All this was done in a single (long) day.
We put in the wood burning sauna stove (left photo) and “almost” completed installing the chimney (right photo). My old drill bits couldn’t penetrate the steel chimney pipe to put in a screw. Still, the chimney feels robust and there are only a few mop-up chores to finish before the snow flies. I don’t know if I can finish the sauna by this winter, but there’s a chance…
We were treated to one of Skookum’s amazing sunrises. Shields valley was covered in fog, the Crazy Mountains cut a sharp profile across the orange horizon. The view just doesn’t get old.