We had some rain this week, so we missed a couple work days on the homestead. We still managed to finish the interior portion of our wall tent frame and put down some carpet inside.
On Monday, we installed rafters inside our tent. While I was working on the tent frame, Grace and Bonnie-Jean worked on taking down our summer camp and moving things over to our new campsite.
Since most of the weight of the roof is supported by the guy lines, the rafters’ main purpose is to stabilize the ridge pole and side walls.
Our dad and brother Levi did most of the actual work on the rafters. I helped with the design ahead of time. During the actual project, I held drills, ran for screws and levels, and generally assisted wherever I could. Once the rafters were up, the tent looked great.
On Thursday, we put down the carpet. I began by mopping the tent several times. It had been quite muddy several of the days we were working on the interior frame. Then, Grace and I laid out the carpet padding.
Then we rolled out the indoor/outdoor carpet we purchased. Our Dad helped us to secure the edges with carpet tacks. We cut out a hole for the center post and trimmed the sides where the carpet was too big.
Since this is just a tent, we did not take a perfectionist approach to the carpet laying. Because the vinyl underlayment had some ripples, the carpet does, too. But since the tent will be almost wall-to-wall beds and a table, we aren’t too worried about imperfections. The carpet will keep us warmer, and that is what matters most.
At this point, our interior frame is done. If we had the time and resources, I’d love to paint the walls and make it more “cute” inside the tent. But since the tent is temporary, we want to get back to working on our bunk house foundation as soon as we can.
This next week, we will be breaking down the rest of our summer camp and work on installing the wood stove. Christmas is just around the corner, and we look forward to plenty of baking and a little recreation during this festive time of year!
HOMESTEAD SISSIES 