Pictures by Roger Richard and Larry Gomes
Story by Larry Gomes
It feels really good to have only a handful of items left on the warming hut "to do" list.
The major item on today's work list was installing a door closer. We felt this was needed because we did not want the door being whipped open by the heavy winds that regularly occur up at the warming hut.
Roger started drilling holes into the top of the door and found out pretty quickly that there was nothing to attach the closer too. Even though we had purchased a heavy-duty commercial door, there was only had a small piece of filler at the top of the door and it did not extend down far enough to catch the screws of the door closer.
So Roger had to install a filler block and that turned out to be a major project. Here are some pictures from our work day on December 11, 2011:
Due to the snow, we had packed
our tools onto ATV's for the trip up to the warming hut.
We did not anticipate a major construction project, so we only brought basic
hand tools.
Once Roger figured out there
was no blocking at the top of the door, he built an improvised
jig saw using a pair of vice grips and saw blade to cut out a space at the top
of the door.
After hacking at it for over an
hour, Roger finally was able to fit a 2" x 4" into the top
of the door to be used as blocking.
Roger then glued the blocking in place with adhesive
sealant.
The final step was to install
the door closer.
While
Roger was working on the door closer, Larry cut down several pieces of
firewood that were too long for the wood stove. Larry and Roger had gone
through the pile a couple of week earlier and pulled out the long pieces.
We now
have a measuring stick that we use when cutting firewood for the warming hut.
Once
the door closer was installed, Larry finished applying 2 coats of clear sealer
to all of
the molding that hadn't been done.
Roger installed the desk that will be used for the sign-in book and the donations box.
Roger also fastened
down the kindling box that he had built. One side stores newspapers and
the other side
stores kindling wood. Attached to the wall in the center of the box is a
holder for matches and lighters.
The box keeps all of these items dry from the condensation that builds up when
the warming hut gets cold.
Roger decided the warming hut needed a Christmas tree, so he found one and brought it back.
And then he build a makeshift stand and put it on top of the wood box.
We packed up just as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the mountains.
The following weekend, the only
task that remained was the installation of a fire
extinguisher that was donated by Capital Alarm Systems in Lancaster, NH.
The extinguisher case is protected by a plastic face that can be easily broken
if
there is a fire.
Thanks to everyone who helped out with this
project.
Now we just want people to visit and enjoy the view and their stay.