Woodpiles

[drewmo]

Let's see what you got! The first picture is mine. Not much, but it'll get us through the winter. This is our first year with the stove, and we were a little late in getting our wood. Pictured is 4 stair (a stair is a meter cubed). Next year, a neighbor has invited me to cut wood off his lot. Looking forward to it.

Now, this picture is what I one day hope to have. And, this only shows about 25 percent of what he has. Each split is a meter long.

 

[Jay Shank]

Just wondering what for stove he burns those in. must be a monster stove.
Jay

 

[kevinmoelk]

Wow, cool pictures Drewmo. The first picture (beyond the woodpile) my eye caught the beautiful home. Nice siding, and true functional shutters... a rare find in modern times. How old is the home? Do you have other pictures? I'm an architecture nut, so satisfying my curiosity. The dog on the lower left looks like he/she is having fun in the snow too!

On the second photo, WOW, nice pile! Do you know what the hole is for in the middle?

Also, I've wanted to ask you how you found Hearth. As far as I know, you are the only European member. Are you perhaps from the US originally? It's nice to have you on board to get an international perspective.

-Kevin

 

[jabush]

Nice stack o wood!!
Looks like your neighbor is burning pallets.

 

[Roospike]

Great start for your first year drewmo. First year always seems tuff , before long you'll have a few years ahead .

I'll share with the "Let’s see what you got!" thread.

Pic#1 & #2 "Stocking up" Wood after being split / stacking

 

[Roospike]

Picture #3 , #4 one of the Wood piles stacked and covered < covered for winter > Pictures taken minus 2 cords used this winter.

Pic #5 Another wood pile ready for splitting .

 

[wahoowad]

Awesome house Drewmo! And I'm equally jealous about Roos' wood!

Sadly I'm down to my final stack of seasoned wood and doubt it will get me through February & March. Looks like I'll be on pallet patrol for the next few weeks

He she is:

 

[drewmo]

Thanks to those who've added pictures of their piles. Good, hard, honest work goes into each one of those. Hope to see more. Wahoo, good luck with the remaining wood. I'm sure you'll find what you need.

Wrench, to answer a few of your questions ...
First, that hole in the middle of the other guy's woodpile is actually a window. Creative stacking, and, voila!, let there be light.

I found Hearth.com while searching for a missing part to an old woodstove. Still haven't put my hands on the part, so we had to invest in a new stove. Probably for the better, as I'm sure it's 10x more efficient. I love the forums and find myself here several times a day, time permitting. Yes, I'm an ex-pat (New England native) living here in France. My wife holds dual nationality (her dad is American, mom is French) and her parents run a hotel nearby. We thought it a good opportunity to see what life would be like for us. So far, so good. I'm learning French rather slowly, but fortunately there are many English speakers (mostly Brits) in the area and lots of opportunity for employment. I spend the winters driving skiiers from the airport in Geneva to various ski resorts, and the rest of the year working in the hotel or doing handy man type stuff, mostly for the Brits that have bought second homes in the area. As for our house, er, chalet, it was built in 1970 on a foundation that we believe dates back to about 1900. It was an old barn in it's previous life. The one original, functional piece of the house that dates back to 1900 is a nifty little "cave" that is keeping at a steady 10 degrees Celcius so far this winter. As requested, a couple more pictures (sorry for the links, I haven't quite matered uploading photos to this site) and a blow-by-blow of what it took to get the exterior winter-ready. (Sorry for not exactly staying on subject and giving you more than you asked for.)

The chalet had not been lived in for 12 years before we bought it, and probably had seen a fresh coat of varnish for 30+ years. These pictures are the "before." The wood was so dry that you could scrape off bits with your fingernails and you'll see hail damage in the close up photo:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/DSC03584.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/old1.jpg

In order to properly seal the wood, I had to literally grind down the old wood, exposing new wood. Used one of those angle grinder tools that spin at 13,000 rpm with 80 grit sandpaper attached. What a pain!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/DSC03666.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/DSC03619.jpg

Once down to fresh wood, the fun started. 2 coats of pesticide/fungicide, 2 undercoats and 3 top coats. The result was well worth the effort.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/DSC03831.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/DSC03627.jpg

Now, a top coat every couple of years, and she should never see the likes of a grinder again. Will spend part of the summer refinishing the shutters and the rail that wraps around the porch.

I can't finish this post without giving you one more picture. In my original woodpile photo, you might notice some lettering on the side of the Chalet that reads "Bellevue." I think it's aptly named. The view here is looking north over Lake Geneva into Switzerland. My wife and I are very fortunate to be in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. We count our blessings every day and thank our families who have been incredibly supportive with our decision to move. If anyone finds themselves in this neck of the woods, drop me a line.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/drewmo7/chalet/DSC04109.jpg

 

[Bushfire]

Truely spectacular, both the chalet and the view.

 

[Corie]

Unbelievable chalet and views drewmo. I had to call my girlfriend over to see those pictures, both our jaws were almost on the floor at that view.

 

[MrGriz]

What a beautiful chalet and setting! Your hard work sure paid off, the exterior finish is just fantastic.

Just out of curiosity, what led you to relocating to that area and from where?

 

[Roospike]

beautiful very impressive. very nice of you to share .

*********** ooooooooooooooowww :bug: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh******************

 

[Mo Heat]

You may have already seen my post below containing a photo and movie of my latest (3 cord) holz:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5717/

but here are a couple previously unposted shots of my first (2 cord) and second (3 cord) holz hausens (or holz haufens).

 

[Elderthewelder]

well here is what I got, Keep in mind this is my 1st year with the stove, and i had absolutly no wood when i had it installed. I am working on next years heat, Everything shown has been scrounged thru craigslist.

Red Oak that I just scored, ready to be split

 

[Elderthewelder]

cherry that has been chunked up with the chain saw

maple under the deck that needs split

 

[Elderthewelder]

wood bins

1st bin is 7'Wx4'Dx6'H
2nd bin is 5'Wx4'Dx6'H, will have this one full soon

 

[kevinmoelk]

Drewmo, thanks for sharing the photos. What a beautiful home and view you have. Nice work on the restoration. Does the wood come through on the inside of the home as well?

-Kevin

 

[drewmo]

Drewmo, thanks for sharing the photos. What a beautiful home and view you have. Nice work on the restoration. Does the wood come through on the inside of the home as well?

-Kevin

Unfortunately not. The interior is all done with "tongue and groove" panels. In an attempt to stay on topic, this picture shows our indoor woodpile. The original fireplace is now condemned because it does not meet code, and but the picture gives you a good idea of the panelling that is found throughout the house (exept for the bathroom and parts of the kitchen that we remodelled this summer). The wife wants the old fireplace gone so we can knock out the wall behind to make a grand salon, joining the living room and dining room. I agree with her, although where would I keep my logs then?