Saturday's bike ride....

[Skinny Tire AH]

I was up at my Cabin over the 4th. I'm south of Flagstaff some. I always bring my MTB along and sometimes my Road Bike. I normally get up early and get my ride in as not to take time away from my family, who love to sleep in.

Saturday, I decided to ride to the Sedona Lookout. (Schnebly Hill Lookout). Its on Schnebly hills road or FS226. It takes me about 1.5 hours to get there. Its just a rocky 2-track FS road, no biggy.

Great view, very picturesque. As a matter of fact @lake p.a.l. proposed to his wife there.

So, I was heading back from there and my phone rings. It's the wife......"Just where in the FUCK, are you?" Uhhh, I'm on my bike and heading home, why? " I was sitting on the couch and a bat started dive bombing me." No shit, a bat?. "Yes, a bat, I'm locking me and Brian in his room, come home, NOW." OK....

SO, I get back into our community and see the contractor that "assembled" my Cabin working on another house hes building. I decide to stop there and enlist some help, I have no experience at removing bats.

"Joe" listens to my story and says he'll come by and see whats up. I get home, change out of my bike clothes and look around for a bat. These things are super small when roosting, about the size of a racketball? I cant see it, so I grab my spotlight. I finally found it. It was roosting up in the hallway into Brian's room, its dark there.

To be continued.

 

[monkeyswrench]

Big game hunting?
Those little boogers are quick!

 

[Gelcoater]

This is going to be epic

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

How does a bat get inside you may ask. Well, my cabin is whats called a Full Scribe, Handcrafted Log home. Its made 100% from Western Red Cedar with very large diameters, up to 30". these logs come from coastal British Columbia. The house was assembled on Vancouver Island. The cabin when done, was disassembled and shipped to Arizona on 7 flatbeds.

This construction type has no chinking. Chinking is what seals the log to log contact on most milled log homes. I wanted what I wanted, I love the look. The only problem is, there is no seal between the logs, other than the log above or below it and the skill of the "logsmith" that cut it. All work is done by hand, with chainsaws.

The result is a home with gaps. As the logs shrink, settle and twist, gaps can and do open up. Its 4.5 years old now and most of the movement is behind us. Its not a big deal, we've fought off hordes of wasps, had Yellowjackets build a nest inside, lizards in our beds and mice are a constant. But its beautiful, warm and we absolutely love using it. We've yet to have bats. (inside)

This is the back of the home

 

[monkeyswrench]

I don't care if it has bats, wasps, lizards....hell, dragons....that's beautiful!

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Annnyyyway... Joe shows up and I have a moving blanked hung in the entrance to the hallway to keep the bat where it was.

I asked Joe as we walked in together, Just how do we get a bat outta here? His answer, word for word..."Fuck if I know, I just wanted to watch"

I showed Joe where it was, he said, I'll be damned. We discuss...Net? I don't have one....Pellet gun?? Nope, just a Browning Hi-Power and an AR15. (Nope) Now, Joe's brother Mike lives here as well. So, he calls his brother looking for a net, a gun or an Idea. Mike has nothing useful. But Mike added..."don't do anything, I'm coming over to watch."

Great, Now I have one Rancher and one GC sitting on my kitchen island thinking this is fun. My wife called, still exiled in Brian's room, and asked me who is here? I tell her and she just wants the bat gone.

The three of us discuss this and the best way to get him gone. If he starts to fly around, that's a low percentage activity. Wife's busy packing Brian's clothes, cuz we're leaving.

as we discussed how to remove the bat, I said, "Hey, how about my Shop-Vac?" Silence... Hey, That may work.

We go out to my garage and fetch a ladder and my Shop-Vac with two 36" rigid extensions.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Now we set up the ladder, bat is still there. Mike says, he won't move at all, don't worry. (I'm still worried) The Shop-vac hose wont reach the ceiling so Joe holds up the Vac, Mike holds the spotlight and I ascend the ladder.

Joe, says, "you ready?" Yup, lets have it. Joe flips on the vac, I move it the rest of the way to the bat and...Slllluuuurrrrrpppp, I felt the bat go down the hose. Joe said, "You got him!!".

I come off the ladder, Shop Vac stays on till I get down. I put my hand over the end to keep him inside. The three of us go outside, anxious to take the top off the Shop-Vac. I roved the top, no bat. Joe and Mike, remove, wand and hose looking for the bat. Nope, can't find it. I looked inside the Vacuum inlet and could see veins in there. We surmised the bat is stuck in the turbine or whatever that's called.

I decided to leave the Vacuum outside my garage the remainder of our stay.

And that's my Saturday bike ride.

 

[Gelcoater]

Bat Lives Matter visit in 3..2..1

 

[TrollerDave]

Now we set up the ladder, bat is still there. Mike says, he won't move at all, don't worry. (I'm still worried) The Shop-vac hose wont reach the ceiling so Joe holds up the Vac, Mike holds the spotlight and I ascend the ladder.

Joe, says, "you ready?" Yup, lets have it. Joe flips on the vac, I move it the rest of the way to the bat and...Slllluuuurrrrrpppp, I felt the bat go down the hose. Joe said, "You got him!!".

I come off the ladder, Shop Vac stays on till I get down. I put my hand over the end to keep him inside. The three of us go outside, anxious to take the top off the Shop-Vac. I roved the top, no bat. Joe and Mike, remove, wand and hose looking for the bat. Nope, can't find it. I looked inside the Vacuum inlet and could see veins in there. We surmised the bat is stuck in the turbine or whatever that's called.

I decided to leave the Vacuum outside my garage the remainder of our stay.

And that's my Saturday bike ride.



View attachment 1133341

Was it screaming “Mayday” by midnight?

Thanks for sharing the story
Very nice place, by the way.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Was it screaming “Mayday” by midnight?

Thanks for sharing the story
Very nice place, by the way.

Hahahaha! Yup, pretty much that.

 

[Duramax]

I most like the part when your wife called......"where the FUCK are you!?" =)

 

[v6toy4x]

You got some s**t happening

love the "cabin" hand cut and fit is a special kinda deal!

I had a coworker retire to Montana and he had one brought down, wife didnt like the drafts so they sheet rocked most of the inside

 

[steamin rice]

So, time for a new shop vac or are you gonna try to fish out the bat and clean it up?

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Great Bat Tech.

 

[monkeyswrench]

Next time, we want video!
At least you didn't go flying off the ladder, spooked by the bat!

 

[500bbc]

Just an FYI, the vac works on bee and wasp swarms as well, just not as entertaining.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

So, time for a new shop vac or are you gonna try to fish out the bat and clean it up?

I’m gonna wait and see if it stinks first. There’s not much to these things.

 

[steamin rice]

About 10 years ago I had a bad smell in the garage but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, even after cleaning up things. Long story short, it ended up coming from my shop vac. A small mouse had climbed into the shop vac through the end of the hose and was trapped inside until it died. By the time I figured it out and opened the vacuum to look inside, it was one of the nastiest smells ever.

 

[rivrrts429]

This story is bat shit crazy lol

 

[Angler]

Where's the video? There has to be one...

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Where's the video? There has to be one...

Nope. Never thought about it.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

You got some s**t happening

love the "cabin" hand cut and fit is a special kinda deal!

I had a coworker retire to Montana and he had one brought down, wife didnt like the drafts so they sheet rocked most of the inside

It’s really pretty tight. I spent many hours finding air leak. Fill them with backer rod.

The walls are far too beautiful to cover up.

 

[v6toy4x]

It’s really pretty tight. I spent many hours finding air leak. Fill them with backer rod.

The walls are far too beautiful to cover up.

They are beautiful, my co worker did his own pad and had significant settlement issues. It never stopped moving up and down??

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

They are beautiful, my co worker did his own pad and had significant settlement issues. It never stopped moving up and down??

Yep, when we built it we had some “constants” that gave us a steady point to measure the settling. If it goes down 3/4” you need to adjust down, all the vertical members that amount.

On a full scribe log home, every vertical has a large screw on it with an adjustment nut.

We haven’t moved it in about 18 months. I’ll try to find some pictures that show the screws

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

This is the “Family Tree” that supports all the roof timbers and ridge-poles. Under the trim pieces is a 1-1/2 screw jack. It lowers the roof at the same rate that the house settles. It’s done moving now.

This one is out back, you can see the gap under it. The screw jack is there, just can’t see it.

 

[Riverryder]

wow!!!! what a story but holy shit that cabin is sick!!

trying to bounce ideas of other people how to get out of or thru a situation is the best haha.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

This is the top of the family tree, showing all the pieces it supports

 

[monkeyswrench]

View attachment 1133398
This is the “Family Tree” that supports all the roof timbers and ridge-poles. Under the trim pieces is a 1-1/2 screw jack. It lowers the roof at the same rate that the house settles. It’s done moving now.

View attachment 1133399

This one is out back, you can see the gap under it. The screw jack is there, just can’t see it.

Looking at log cabins to me is like looking at nice cabinetry. It's an art form I envy!

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

wow!!!! what a story but holy shit that cabin is sick!!

trying to bounce ideas of other people how to get out of or thru a situation is the best haha.

We had some laughs doing it.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Looking at log cabins to me is like looking at nice cabinetry. It's an art form I envy!

Many years ago there was a show on called Timber Kings. It was about building these type cabins.

There are two big builders on Vancouver island, Pioneer and Summit Log and Timber homes.

We went with Summit

I got the bug and finally decided to just do it

 

[Riverryder]

im going to have to read about these house tomorrow at work to kill time.
i have always wondered how cabins like this were done. always thought the cut and stack them and fill the gaps.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Here’s a quick video from Summit my builder. Shows the skill of their logcrafters.

 

[Singleton]

The family log cabin in Forest County WI. My great grandfather built it in 1913. Was one of the first 5 homes on Lake Lucerne. Last year, my mom and I sold our 50% ownership to my middle cousin. My uncle owned the other 50%. My cousin never believed what an ass his dad was when it came to the cabin. A few months after the deal closed, my cousin called and said my mom and I were correct, his dad is a complete PIA and never helps when it comes to paying for upkeep (logs have to be oiled annually) or maintenance,

 

[was thatguy]

Was it screaming “Mayday” by midnight?

Thanks for sharing the story
Very nice place, by the way.

Lol
When Steve texted me this that’s the first thing I asked him!
“Shades of the great outdoor!

 

[MooreMoney]

You have some nice stuff! I always enjoy when you post.

 

[Sherpa]

cabin.

"cabin" you say...... hmmm... ""Cabin"".......

okay, cabin it is........

(My little house is 1100 sq and I have 3 daughters, the wife, and the MIL for over 15 years.... this is a 2bedroom house with 1 bathroom.

cabin you say.....

--Sherpa

looks like a neat place...........

 

[monkeyswrench]

cabin.

"cabin" you say...... hmmm... ""Cabin"".......

okay, cabin it is........

(My little house is 1100 sq and I have 3 daughters, the wife, and the MIL for over 15 years.... this is a 2bedroom house with 1 bathroom.

cabin you say.....

--Sherpa

looks like a neat place...........

If you watch the video, looks like a guy handy with a chainsaw could make a room addition
If you live near a forest, get to it! I only have grass land...so straw bales it is!

 

[propcheck]

Well you faired better than I we had a bat in the cabin one trip as well but I went full jack ass with a corn broom trying to get it out. It was movie worthy ridiculous. I kept going till my wife fell of the couch laughing at me then I just stopped and laughed. It was a funny memory ultimately we just made cocktails and sat watching it till it ultimately just dive-bombed and bailed out the open door. If phones had cameras back then I would be YouTube famous

 

[500bbc]

It’s really pretty tight. I spent many hours finding air leak. Fill them with backer rod.

The walls are far too beautiful to cover up.

My brother had a log house built with Nowegian Scribe. The fit was amazing and built to shrink. Beautiful in person.

 

[SBMech]

You can't just use RTV Caulking to seal the gaps?

I actually built a small cabin in Alaska once using the tried and true "chinking" method....it's a fuck ton of work!

Beautiful place man!

PS...is the first pic of the vista shot taken from another place? It looks much closer to the valley IMO. Amazing area to cruise around in!

 

[lbhsbz]

Reminded me of this…

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

You can't just use RTV Caulking to seal the gaps?

I actually built a small cabin in Alaska once using the tried and true "chinking" method....it's a fuck ton of work!

Beautiful place man!

PS...is the first pic of the vista shot taken from another place? It looks much closer to the valley IMO. Amazing area to cruise around in!

The Schnebly hill overlook is part of the Mogollon Rim precipice. It runs several hundred miles I think?

The vegetation really changes at this point and below. My house is ~6500 feet and 100% Ponderosa Pine. The cedars start at the lookout and continue below to Sedona.

The gaps, we typically stuff in backer rod then use Silicone that is the same color and you really can’t see it.

Problem is, the gaps are very hard to detect. There can be an opening in a wall outside and the entry point inside the house could be 15-20’ down the log.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

My brother had a log house built with Nowegian Scribe. The fit was amazing and built to shrink. Beautiful in person.

That’s the same process I believe. This style came from the Scandinavian countries. It gets stronger and tighter as it settles.

 

[v6toy4x]

View attachment 1133400
This is the top of the family tree, showing all the pieces it supports

Such engineering and craftsmanship in one package!
you need to start a "cabin" thread

 

[Badchoices03]

Lol...had a bat come in one night while the wife and I had the patio doors open to enjoy the fresh air....my wife did about the same thing as yours, ran and locked herself in a room and said she is not coming out until I got that thing out of the house...I grabbed my fishing net and thought no problem...man those things are fkn fast...LMAO...it took a bit of time to get it done, but eventually I caught it and set it free outside...I contemplated on seeing how long my wife would actually stay in the room, and I am pretty sure she would still be in there if I didn't eventually tell her it was gone....LOL

 

[ford 4x429]

How does a bat get inside you may ask. Well, my cabin is whats called a Full Scribe, Handcrafted Log home. Its made 100% from Western Red Cedar with very large diameters, up to 30". these logs come from coastal British Columbia. The house was assembled on Vancouver Island. The cabin when done, was disassembled and shipped to Arizona on 7 flatbeds.

This construction type has no chinking. Chinking is what seals the log to log contact on most milled log homes. I wanted what I wanted, I love the look. The only problem is, there is no seal between the logs, other than the log above or below it and the skill of the "logsmith" that cut it. All work is done by hand, with chainsaws.

The result is a home with gaps. As the logs shrink, settle and twist, gaps can and do open up. Its 4.5 years old now and most of the movement is behind us. Its not a big deal, we've fought off hordes of wasps, had Yellowjackets build a nest inside, lizards in our beds and mice are a constant. But its beautiful, warm and we absolutely love using it. We've yet to have bats. (inside)

View attachment 1133327

View attachment 1133328

This is the back of the home

Norse Log Homes in Lantsville Bc?

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Norse Log Homes in Lantsville Bc?

Summit Log & Timber Homes, Principle lives in Boise, built on Vancouver Island.

 

[Singleton]

Summit Log & Timber Homes, Principle lives in Boise, built on Vancouver Island.

Do you own anything that is not also considered a piece of art
Awesome craftsmanship in your cabin

 

[ford 4x429]

Sorry I hadn’t read the post. I used to live in Parksville BC where this piece of craftsmanship was built. The place I had mentioned is approximately 20 minute farther to the south before Nanaimo Bc. In the mid 80’s early 90’s I did all the roof for Norse Log homes. They shipped small units to japan in the day. My partner went over to make sure roofs were installed correctly . The quality and craftsmanship has come off the charts for some of these units. Very nice unit you have.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Sorry I hadn’t read the post. I used to live in Parksville BC where this piece of craftsmanship was built. The place I had mentioned is approximately 20 minute farther to the south before Nanaimo Bc. In the mid 80’s early 90’s I did all the roof for Norse Log homes. They shipped small units to japan in the day. My partner went over to make sure roofs were installed correctly . The quality and craftsmanship has come off the charts for some of these units. Very nice unit you have.

Yep Namaimo. We went over when the house was about 75% done. The craftsmanship and skill set these guys have is amazing.

We really enjoyed that trip. The ferry trip We stayed at a super rustic cabin place with an Indian type name I’ve forgotten.