I’ve spent most of the past few weeks working in my gardens, communing with the chipmunks and birds, but did get a bit accomplished on the build.

Left wall:

I finished bricking, then grouted, aged, and shadowed.  I stained the boathouse door, applied layers of gloss medium to make faux windows, and added a bit of signage. 

A bit of cheesecloth between the layers of the rightmost window made an acceptable spiderweb.

I used bolts, washers, and nuts to fasten the rubber bumper to the bottom of the door opening.  I’m not happy with it, the hardware is too high on the bumper, so I will make corrections, and most likely reduce the fastenings from seven to five.

Because I didn’t want shiny hardware, nor rusty hardware, I used heat to remove the shiny finish.

Right wall:

I decided, as I was gluing a piece of stripwood to the side of the door so it would fit the opening, that I didn’t like the blue I painted the door and window, as it created a focal point in competition with the boathouse door.  I was pondering whether to sand and refinish them, or flip them over and stain the unfinished other side, when I thought to test others from my stash.

I really like the shorter Timberbrook door (bottom left).  I bid on eBay for a matching window in a small lot, but fell asleep a half hour before the auction ended and lost it.  I suppose it was for the best, since I am trying to reduce my stash, not add to it.  I will use the small double-hung window I already have.

The door needs to be moved to the right, and the window hole resized, so I’ll do that this weekend, unless transplanting overgrown ferns from the front to the back garden wears me out. 

I did get the bottom section of the wall painted to look like concrete, then aged, along with the supports the dock posts sit on.  I am not happy with the paint job but I haven’t figured out why yet....too gunked up maybe?  I’m not necessarily unhappy with it either, though.  I’m over-thinking it.  Most likely it won’t matter, because by the time barnacles take it over not much will be visible.

I have plans for a roof edge but have to work out the construction.  I also need to decide on siding.  I stained some thin wood strips already but might use clapboard instead.

The base:

I sanded the edges of the cut-out and painted.  The paint is primarily to seal the MDF, don’t be alarmed by the color :)

During the past few months I’ve been collecting, scavenging, and crafting sea life to fill the tide pool, but I will cover that in its own post, later.

The Peapod:

My friend Bill sent an email suggesting I coat the boat with PC Petrifier.  I should have thought of that, I used it on the edges of the roof of the English Cottage Kitchen.  I still had half a bottle in my supply cupboard, so gave the boat a couple coats.  I haven’t started sanding/filling the inside yet.

Now I’m comfortable.....will grout this weekend.

I have been patiently and thoughtfully bricking the left wall over the last week and a half...I finished yesterday.

I also built most of the door...I have to stain it, fashion windows, and add a rubber coated bottom.  I have no idea if a “soft” bottom is realistic, but it makes sense to me, as boats will be gliding over it.

The bricked in windows and darker bricks around the door are meant to give the wall history, as if the boathouse door were added some time after the building was completed.  I will play with the color of the grout, as well, to make the darker bricked sections look newer.

You may have noticed the coloration of the bricks darkens at the bottom of the wall.  That is deliberate, as it marks the high tide line, where the bottom of the wall will be wet, and the even darker shadow under the dock.  Something you may not have noticed, since it doesn’t photograph well, are the lintels and sills of the bricked up windows...I will need to paint in some shadows to accentuate their depth.

This is what I mean....

I wish I had done the windows differently.  Now is the time to decide if I want to remove bricks to re-do it....before grout.  I will ponder the situation, but your opinion is welcome.

I faired the planks on the outside of the hull, it required hours of careful sanding.  Once that was done I cut the stems from the strong back and removed the boat from the form.

The inside is very scary, because I botched the planking.  Hopefully I can manage to make something of it without causing irreparable damage.

Holding it up to a light accentuates thin spots.

I plan to sand down the high spots and fill the low spots to finish with a smooth surface.  Wish me luck.

I had a productive day yesterday.  In the morning, while I was waiting for the sun to come out, I covered my computer equipment with a doubled over bedsheet, then cut the base board to prep for a pool.  I added supports, then glued on a bottom.

While that was drying I went to the beach to search for weathered sticks to use as pilings, before the city workers remove the debris.

I came home with several possibilities, zebra mussel shells to crush for substrate, and other bits.

These are not rocks, they are, as far as I can tell, chunks of spray-foam.  I picked up as many as I could find, to discard them properly, though I may end up using some in the build.

The afternoon was spent raking leaves off my flower beds.  It was warm, sunny, quiet, and absolutely lovely outside.  I have more outside chores to do today.

In the evening I penciled in the structural components and put the build into dry fit.  I think I have it all worked out, but need to run through the process in my head a few times to make sure I’m not overlooking something before I resume construction.

I am going to work on the build in three sections: left wall, right wall, and base.  I need to document in my notebook the procedural order for each section, as I think through it.  I also need to clear space for two sections to rest as I work on the third, as only one at a time will fit on the cart I’m using as a temporary work surface.

I decided that lack of a worktable shouldn’t keep me from working on the contest kit.  I chose some small tasks, starting with the rear wall.

I added height, blocked the window, and filled in the groove where the loft piece, or whatever you want to call it, is supposed to go.  I also put a thin coat of wood filler over the outside of the boat, to fill the slight gaps between a few of the planks, so I can start sanding.

While I was waiting for the filler to dry I steam bent some wood strips for the arched door of the boathouse.

It was much easier than I expected.

Now I can make the rest of the door, then once that’s glued in place I can start bricking the wall.

It’s been a month since my Governor issued a stay-at-home order.  I am fortunate enough to be able to work full-time from home, but the only suitable location to do so is my studio, so I haven’t been working on the contest build.

I very much enjoy working from home as compared to the office, primarily because I have a loud coworker who narrates her day.  The only auditory disturbances here are the blue jay’s morning staff meeting and the afternoon chipmunk territorial disputes.  It is calming, and so much easier to concentrate and stay focused. 

My husband is not working, so is cooking elaborate meals, washing dishes, growing a beard, napping, and talking about cleaning the garage.  Ester loves having a daytime napping companion.

As you are, we are limiting trips out of the house, enjoying some outside time when weather permits (it hasn’t much), and trying to watch some news, to stay informed, but not too much news, because many other human’s behaviors are terrifying.  Mostly I watch the birds through my windows, and am appreciative that I fortuitously stocked up on seed before the pandemic.

Thankfully all our loved ones are healthy, and I hope they remain so, though I worry, of course, about the future.  I hope all of you are safe and healthy too. 

I LOVE THIS FLOOR.

I constructed it with authentic used bricks, grouted with spackle, put on some gray grunginess, then sealed it with a matte varnish.  It did not take as long as I suspected it would.  The only thing I wish I had done differently is stir a little gray paint into the spackle before I grouted.

Because I knew I would want to manage the randomness I made a decision to not look at any brick I grabbed from the bag.  It was a great opportunity to practice self-discipline.  Even when I grabbed the sixth (gulp!) light brick in a row, I just glued it down next to the previous one.  I am quite proud of myself.

Because the walls panels in the conservatory are made from MDF I cut down and glued in coffee stir sticks to create an all wood surface that will take stain. Once the glue was dry I applied a coat of a new product to me, Unicorn Spit, which I like, so far, though the finish was very chalky feeling when dry.  That meant it was easier to sand it back off places I didn’t want it, but it did have to be sealed.  I used an ivory colored finishing wax.

I may have to wax the exterior side of the walls too, they pick up every speck of sanding dust off my table and cling to it. 

When I buffed the wax some areas on the windows wiped back down to bare wood, which is okay with me, I deliberately left imperfections on the walls to ‘age’ them.  Because of the manufacturing imperfections (gaps and glue smears) this is never going to be a pristinely finished build.

The roof is meant to be removable, but since my frame is wobbly I am going to glue it in place. I think I clamped it too tightly during assembly. I am leaving the back wall removable, so won’t need access through the top too.

Next to my to-do list is to ink the rest of the roof pieces, cut a new floor from thinner wood, and figure out which glue to secure the windows in place with.

After a brief rant about how stupid the windows are I flipped them over to discover the panes fit into a recess on the other side.  Duh.  There is no trim, but if I glue carefully and sparingly with the right product I may be able to avoid both discoloring the panes and trimming.  Silicone, perhaps?

I am planning a brick floor, so need to determine glue and grout for that as well.  Tacky glue should do the trick there, and if I don’t have grout in the mosaic supplies I haven’t touched in a decade and a half then I’ll probably use spackle.  I need to figure out spacers as well, for when I glue the bricks down, I’m not so good at eyeballing things.  

Lots to do, lots to do, but my husband has been ill the past few days and I woke up this morning with a cough, so...

My original plan for the conservatory involved an oceanfront pier/dock.  Now that I’m using the contest kit for the dock I am reimagining the conservatory slightly.  I am going to build the conservatory and the contest kit simultaneously so I can landscape...seascape?...them at the same time.

I set the builds on my shelf, determining where I want which, since they’ll be pieces of a cohesive whole.

I did a quick dry fit of the conservatory, to jog my memory, then glued the roof frame together...

I’ve been playing around with the seascaping items I have so far....barnacles I made last year, some octopi, and teeny shells.  I have more shells, including limpets, on order, and Nancy is making me some rocks.  I’m in no hurry, I want to make sure it’s exactly how I want it before I pour water.  I’m also letting Nancy pour her water first, so I can learn from her process. :)  

I made a couple unsuccessful attempts at crafting sea anemone last weekend.  I have an idea to make closed instead of open ones, which will fit better anyway, since my seascape is going to be set in low tide.

It feels really, really, good to be engaged with a project again!