Dan and I debated on wether or not to use the old chimney for the wood stove or if we should install a new one. We finally decided to tear down the original brick chimney. I asked for Dan’s advice on how I should tear it down and as a result he ended up doing it himself.

When Dan had removed the first bricks it was evident that we had made the right choice. The chimney was packed full of straw from bird nests.

The chimney in the main room had frame-work holding the brick up and when we opened it we found the handle for lifting the burner plates on the old cookstove. I wonder how long Billy looked for that handle.

After the chimney was removed I inserted 2″x6″ boards around the inside of the hole and put a piece of plywood to fill in the hole in the attic floor. (Didn’t want mom falling through the floor when she went to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic.)

I was left with a decent sized pile of bricks to clean up when Dan came up with the idea to clean them up and reuse them for the wall behind the wood stove. I really liked the idea.

I loaded them up in the pickup hauled them to the wood shop and cleaned them using a couple of chisels, hammer, oscillating tool and, a wire brush. I then hauled them back to the studio.

It was january when I finally had gotten the to the point I could install the brick. We had to first install the chimney so I could get the studio warm enough to cure the mortar on the bricks. To give me enough room to work on the brick we had to put a crazy looking stove-pipe on it. It worked I only burned my elbow once. We had built a wooden structure to put the brick against. We left room between it and the wall and left space underneath as an air exchange. I’ve never used mortar before so the mortar turned out a little rough but with the recycled bricks it added to the rustic charm.

The windows on the studio have had little upkeep over the years. The windows were in desperate need to be replaced. I replaced the windows on the main part because the ad-on  will be removed.  I started with the West window. The window frames were rotten along with the sill.

When I removed the old window and the window frame I found the 2″x6″s on the sides and the log  below the window were also rotten.

I had to remove some of the siding to figure out how big of a log I needed in order to replace the rotten portion. The rot went a little pass the corner of the window and I wanted to remove part of the log pass each corner of the window anyway so if water got in then there wouldn’t be a seam right at the corner for the water to run into.

Dan and I went found a beetle killed log on the ranch that worked perfect. We drug it out and cut a log to length. What we didn’t use for the project we cut up and used for firewood.  This is the point Dan took over because I’m still a novice when it comes to using a chainsaw.

We got the log home Dan attached a straight edge to the log put an attachment on the chainsaw that fit the straight edge. He cut off all of the rounded edges and made it the size we needed.

Dan cut out the rotten log out at an angle. When he got the log out we discovered the log below was also rotten.

He ended up cutting out the chunk that was rotten on the second log. Luckily he cut the new log longer that what we needed just in case.

Dan mitered the edges on the new log and put into place attached it with liquid nails and screws.

I went back to the wood shop and made new window frames for the new windows to sit in. I made the new window frames using the old ones for reference.

I removed the remaining three windows and window frames. I put the new window frames in the openings and put in the new windows. After all the new windows were in place I put spray foam insulation around the windows to help keep air from seeping around the edges.

I then made the trim and painted it green. I  put caulking around the windows and put the trim up. I do have more work to do on the inside of the windows. I had to take the inside trim off because it was holding the window in. When I took the trim off the plaster around the window fell from the wall. My next project will be taking the rest of the siding down on the west side and put up new siding.

I will be converting an old homesteader’s house into a temporary studio. The house originally belonged to a man named Billy  Johnson.  He immigrated  to the United States from Sweden in 1909. It took Billy five years to prove up on his homestead. Billy and his brother Axel eventually built the house I am converting into a studio.  Billy also dug a well and built his sheds and raised sheep. He mortgaged his farm many times and took various jobs to make ends meet. He took a few jobs doing carpentry and he hauled gravel in his truck for the gym in Judith Gap.  Billy always managed to pay off the mortgage. He never married. In the spring of 1960 he sold his ranch to Henry Lode, my grandfather.

In 1978 my parents moved their trailer house from Colorado and placed it on Billy’s old homestead. The photo above shows my parents’ trailer and the original buildings that Billy built. Billy’s house is circled in the photo.

This is what the place looks like today from the same view-point again Billy’s house is circled in red. My parents worked hard through the years raising livestock adding to the homestead and raising a family.

The Current Condition of Billy’s House

Billy’s House has been used for storage from the time my grandparents had purchased it in 1960.  The house has had some minor upkeep. It’s been painted and the roof  on the main part has been repaired. The roof on the addition hasn’t had any repairs and now the addition is falling from the building, It will eventually be removed.

On the north side of the house the root cellar is collapsing in and there is a rotten beam. We will be replacing the beam eventually and the house will be moved from its current location. The four windows on the main part of the house will also need to be replaced.

There are two rooms in the main part. The east room is the largest. I have to remove some of the items that are being stored in it. The plaster is cracking on the walls and ceiling and there’s a place where the plaster has fallen off of the ceiling. I will be attempting to repair the plaster. I will also have to install a wood stove for heat.