Idyllwylde Ranch

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United States
Breckenridge, TX
Idyllwylde Ranch

An urban IT guy, working on my dream of a small cabin, nestled in idyllic wild woods on a small lake. For me, my kids, my dogs, and a few friends.

Far away from crowds. With kayaks and boardgames. :)

11/11/2024

It's been a while since I've posted, but we've been doing a lot of painting and moving furniture and tools in and around the inside.

The roof is still not complete, and there is no plumbing, electricity nor gas yet. But we do have several beds and a workable kitchen setup. :)

Was able to get out and clear a bunch of weeds around the foundation, paint more of the trim, and frame in the front door interior.

Found vaccines for the dogs at the Breckenridge TSC (no longer available around Austin), so the dogs hated me for a bit on the ride home... until they got pizza for a treat. LOL

Oh yeah.... and we got a sh***er! :)

11/06/2023

I wasn't onsite today, but Alexis and crew were able to get the decking, ridge, and tar paper installed.

Just in time for more rain on Wed/Thu. :)

11/05/2023

This weekend we were able to move a number of items from storage to the cabin… felt like Jed Clampett. 🙂
We installed the rafters and insulation for the roof, but ran out of daylight, so we have to wait until next trip to install the decking, tarp, and shingles.
I also took advantage of having the SkyTrak to move the security lights higher on the tower.

11/04/2023

Started installing the rafters for the roof today…

10/26/2023

Prickly Pears are in full season right now!
We harvested about 140… 20 by hand, then got smart and started using tongs! 🙂
Soaked them overnight, then rolled them around a colander screen to remove spines, dirt, etc.
Brought to a full boil then let simmer overnight.
Blended the cooked fruit, then strained the pulp.
Filtered through a cheesecloth, added sugar, and canned 6 quarts of syrup (after mixing some for 3 liters of limon-peachy-prickly-cello. :)

10/23/2023

Had a quick weekend back at the ranch; we were able to:
* stain most of the most visible side wall,
* stain the front porch pillars,
* stain all door frames
* stained several windows,
* hung the bathroom door.

Also picked up material to start on the roof decking:
* 26x 4'x8' OSB sheets,
* 35x treated 2"x4"x12',
* 26x 4'x8' insulation boards.
.. had to store the roofing materials inside, as the forecast calls for 3 days of rain this week!

10/09/2023

Last weekend we stained all of the internal doors. This weekend we:
* stained the front wall,
* stained the floor of the loft upstairs,
* stained the front deck
* installed the front door.

Had our first overnight campout in the cabin- the weather was nice and cool!

06/15/2023

Had another quick trip to the ranch last weekend to drop of the trailer, 4x4's and a new front door.

Lost a tire on the trailer on the way, so had very little time for actual work.

So what did we do instead? We took advantage of the low lake level to check out wildflowers, and take a ride with our friends James and Margarita to the far end of the bend to check out a new beach area.
Just before the rain hit. :(
We got soaked, but had a blast anyway! :)
It was Ira's first time on a 4 wheeler too!

06/07/2023

Had to go pick the trailer up from the ranch, so we took the opportunity to put up more of the ceiling slats over the front porch. Alexis with Reyes Construction had some time to join us and raise the last 2 sections of the ROHN tower into place.

05/20/2023

We were able to get more of the ceiling installed the past few days... it now covers all of the interior space. We still have about 6 feet more to install over the porch area.

The next big step is to install rafters and fascia support boards to allow for insulation and wiring under the actual roofing.

We painted the purlins (exposed green rafters) and ceiling planks prior to installation, which is much easier than trying to paint the underside after installation.

Made a huge mistake in painting the main living room wall- forgot to mix the last gallon of stain with the new bucket, and tried to use a roller instead of brush. The end result is a dark textured wall that needs to be stripped and re-stained (target color is a light honey brown that allows the grain to be seen like the ceiling).

05/01/2023

My friend Serhii Mostytski and I finished the installation of the purlins this weekend, then started on painting several interior walls and installing the ceiling slats over the loft.

04/21/2023

Finally have all of the wall, window, and rafter pieces in place. Had to replace one of the very last pieces for the center purlin; It had a crazy warp at the tip that was impossible to correct with tools or process.
We also have 49 of the 240 ceiling slats stained and ready to place.

03/12/2023

Quick trip to the ranch Thursday to get 3 more purlins assembled and put in place in the cabin. Skipped the pre-painting on some parts, as the construction process caused many scrapes and cuts. Thanks to Serhii Mostytskyi for lending a hand- these babies are HEAVY!

02/21/2023

We made another short trip to the ranch Sunday and Monday to install the first purlin, sand and paint more purlins, add some height to the remaining walls, and install the last window up in the loft.
Mom and Dad drove down from Clovis to take a look and join us for dinner. :)

02/13/2023

Took a short trip up to the ranch yesterday to drill, sand and paint the first 2 purlins.
Had quite a bit of sanding due to the kit sitting for several months last summer- the heat, humidity, and mice made a mess!
The first purlin is 2 long sections (PR1, PR2), and runs from the leftside back bedroom over the kitchen, bath, and front porch.
The second purlin has 3 shorter sections (PR8, PR7, PR6), and runs from the rightside back bedroom, then over the living room and front porch.

01/29/2023

Took 3 days this week to get some much needed progress done. Finished the 2 larger side walls, started on the porch, and raised interior walls enough to start on first 4 purlin (2 on each side).
Enjoyed an evening large fire with the dogs and small s'mores. :)

10/08/2022

Finished installing the tongue & groove loft flooring on the rafters over the two back bedrooms today... had to rush to beat the thunderstorms that are due early next week (remnants of Hurricane Ian), so that the boards would not warp sitting in the rain.
I ended up 1/2 board shy; not sure how. :^/

10/01/2022

We were able to get the walls built up over all of the windows and all of the doors except the front entry today.

Tomorrow I am hoping to complete the rafters over the back two bedrooms, and lay the flooring for the loft.

It is so enjoyable to work in this cooler weather… I think the high today was 85°F! :-)

Address

CR 146
Breckenridge, TX
76424

Telephone

+15126599206

Website

http://www.idyllwylde.com/

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Videos

Video of flooring from above.

Walkthrough video from below.

Prepping the support beams to be bound… step 3 is to rotate the beams 90° into their upright position, then core out the cavity made by the basket saw with a paddle bit.

Prepping the support beams to be bound… step 2 is to drill a 1/2” hole all the way through for the carriage bolt.

Prepping the support beams to be bound… step 1 is to cut a cavity for the washer and nut using a basket saw.

Finally had a chance on Saturday to fly the new drone (EXOPro Blackhawk) up and take some video of the construction site...

Finally got around to stitching the photos of capping the old foundation into a time-lapse video...

Today I was able to get the sealant applied to the entire slab, then built up 25 of the 30 cinderblock piers with pavers on top, then started on the support beams. It finally feels like I’m making progress on this project. :-)