Category Archives: News

Front side Soffit

October 13, 2022Newsroofbkrijger

The last remaining paper wasp nest openings were under the roof at the front of the house.

Today soffit boards were installed to close off these gaps.

The paper wasps were definitely looking for their front door. I have seen many in a state of confusion finding what used to be their front door is now blocked by the soffit.

Any small gaps were filled with transparent silicon (now showing white as it’s still drying)

I almost got stung by a paper wasp, but managed to make my way down the scaffolding before it could sting.

With all likely nest spots filled, Ozuye should no longer have a wasp issue.

En-suite bathroom toilet

October 11, 2022Bathroom, Newsbkrijger

The last unfinished room is the upstairs en-suite bathroom. This one has some practical challenges, as it’s on a single layer wooden floor with the kitchen beneath it. Obviously I don’t want sewage pipes showing over the stove. So I opted for a toilet that can be built into the wall. The toilet exhaust will go down at an angle, then straight for a bit, before going vertically down to the main sewage pipe under the house.

This pipe goes through the log wall, which is solid and thick, but with some long drills, chisels and reciprocal saw I managed to get a pipe through the wall.
All pipes here are temporary and unglued, as I also need to connect the shower pan to this pipe. The shower will be to the right of the toilet.

To prevent toilet water going to the shower pan, the pan will be elevated from the floor, which is also needed to be able to add a water lock to prevent sewage smells coming into the bathroom through the shower pan.

West side soffit

October 11, 2022Newsroofbkrijger

Since the top two boards of the west side were already put in with the help of my friends, I could now easily and safely finish the lower boards on that side. Just in time, as I could see 3 paper wasps looking for the front door which I had just blocked with boards.

As they landed, I could shoot them with the anti-wasp spray. Vengeance is mine 🐝🤠

For those of you unfamiliar with paper wasps; above is a picture of one, with a 9V battery for size reference. They’re roughly twice the size of European wasps. Everything is bigger in Texas.

Soffit 1 ready

October 8, 2022Newsroofbkrijger

It’s not an easy job, as it’s two stories up, but thanks to the help of my friends, the first soffit (the area under the roof on the outside of the home) is now in place

On the other side, the top two boards are in, so the rest will be reachable from the scaffolding without a ladder. We took as many safety measures as possible; fixing the scaffolding to the wall and a bracket around the ladder to prevent it from tipping over. Climbing gear and rope ensured that in the unlikely case of a fall, it would not lead to injuries.

Other than for staining, I won’t have to go up the ladder on the scaffolding anymore.

Prepping soffits

October 5, 2022Newsroofbkrijger

The roof still needs a finishing touch so we are making preparations to do this safely; a mounting point for a rope is installed at the top.

Safety first when working at high altitudes.

Practical and comfortable

May 24, 2022NewsDeckbkrijger

Eating outside sometimes means no table and holding up the plate you eat from with one hand, trying to eat with the other hand.

The Adirondack chairs function as a table too; my plate is on the left arm rest and my beer on the right, and I can still put my arms on the arm rests.

All the good things in life in one chair 🤠

Everyone is enjoying the hot tub deck

May 24, 2022Newshot tubbkrijger

Not sure if I disturbed them, but they seemed to be enjoying the hot tub deck 😊

And then there were four

May 21, 2022NewsDeckbkrijger

Although currently, I don’t rent out Ozuye to more than two people, in October I hope to get a visit from three friends. So instead of two, I made 4 Adirondack chairs.

I also ran into pillows at Target, so now they are comfortable. The brown one is stained, matching the logs. The other three will be grey, like one already is.

They all have 4 wheels at the back legs, so you can move them easily by lifting the front and then rolling them. The two wheels per leg prevents a wheel going into the gap between the deck boards.

Once painted, I will move two to the hot tub deck, and keep two on the main deck.

No longer unplugged

May 19, 2022Newswindowsbkrijger

The logs that were cut for windows and doors are held together by 9″ bolts, sunken into a 1.5″ hole. Those did not look very pretty;

Frank helped me in Schagerbrug (Holland) to make wooden plugs on his turning lathe that cover these up, so afterwards it looks like this;

I took 100 of them through customs in my hand luggage and now am plugging all holes.

Canyon Lake

May 18, 2022Newstodobkrijger

Only 10 minutes from Ozuye is Canyon Lake, a large lake for recreation and a source for drinking water. Canyon Lake has gone viral on TikTok, where someone shows that the water is crystal clear. Click on the image to see the video

Ozuye Lodge

B's log home