King of the Wilderness

They installed the main sewage pipe, the red and blue PEX water supply pipes, and covered all the pipes with thick insulation sleeves.

Meanwhile, Old George, Stan, Hank, and Barton were responsible for precisely filling the gaps between all the beams with packages of 30-centimeter-thick rock wool insulation.

After completing all this, they began installing the secondary beams.

Old George and Stan were responsible for fastening the U-shaped beam hangers to the inside of the main beams at intervals of 40 centimeters using impact drivers.

Lin Yu’an, Cody, and two others were in charge of precisely inserting each processed secondary beam into the hangers and securing them with structural screws.

The framework of the entire platform quickly became visibly fuller and more solid!

Soon all six people knelt on the beam framework and began laying those heavy tongue-and-groove plywood sheets.

Lin Yu’an and Cody operated the professional nail guns connected to air compressors.

”Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!...”

Accompanied by the rhythmic and powerful nail gun sounds, the other four were responsible for the transportation, alignment, and tightening of the plywood.

After another two long workdays lasting over ten hours each in the polar day, when the final nail was driven in, a solid, flat, completely elevated large ”L”-shaped platform was declared completed!

From processing the first main beam to the final formation of the platform, the entire process took a little over a week.

Standing on the platform they had built with their own hands, everyone was exhausted, but their faces were beaming with great satisfaction!

Old George’s voice echoed across the expansive construction site: ”Guys, although we’ve tackled the first tough challenge, there are several more challenges ahead.”

”Before laying any wood, we have two tasks to prepare for.”

”First, waterproofing the platform. Second, treating the foundation wood for anti-corrosion.”

Everyone immediately sprang into action, with Pilot Hank and Mechanician Cody handling the finer work.

They flung open a roll of massive waterproof material, resembling a black carpet, and cut it open using sharp utility knives.

Then, under Old George’s guidance, they evenly applied a bucket of thick, pungent asphalt glue along the outer edges of the foundational platform using a scraper.

Subsequently, they carefully placed the waterproof material down and rolled it repeatedly with rubber rollers to ensure no bubbles existed between the material and plywood, forming a 40-centimeter-wide ”waterproof isolation strip.”

Meanwhile, Stan and Hunter Barton, the two stout men, were responsible for handling the hefty ”foundation wood.”

They hoisted the planed logs onto sawhorses, and using wide wool brushes dipped in another bucket of asphalt preservative coating, they began carefully brushing.

They applied the coating with extreme diligence, allowing the texture of every inch of wood to be penetrated and encapsulated by the coating.

Lin Yu’an, together with Old George, performed the most crucial task of ”string lining.”

They did not draw directly on the waterproof material because it could easily wear off.

Old George took out a chalk reel, saturating its line with ink. He stood at one end of the platform, while Lin Yu’an walked to the other, pulling the line tautly straight along the inner edge of the waterproof material.

”Alright! Release!” Old George commanded.

Lin Yu’an lightly flicked his fingers.

With a crisp ”snap,” a straight, dark ink line instantly appeared on the waterproof material.

This line is vital for ensuring the absolute perpendicularity of the first layer of wall.

Half a day later, all preparations were complete, enabling the start of lifting operations.

Lin Yu’an activated the Xu Gong XC760K loader to securely lift the first 12-meter-long foundation wood.

At both ends of the platform, Old George and Stan directed and positioned the piece.

”A half-inch to the left!... Good! Stop!... Forward just a bit... Just a bit!”

Hank, Barton, and Cody assisted in the middle of the log, using crowbars and their hands to prevent any unnecessary movement of the massive log.

When the enormous log, under the coordination of six people, perfectly aligned its inner edge with the dark ink line, Lin Yu’an gently set it down.

With a muffled ”thump,” the entire platform seemed to tremble slightly.

The first foundation wood found its home!

With the successful securing of the first, and longest, foundation wood, the team’s morale soared.

”Alright! The first piece of wood is in place!”

Old George shouted, ”Guys, don’t stop! Following this standard, lay all the foundation woods for me!”

In the subsequent half-day, they used the same method to hoist and secure all the foundation woods in direct contact with the platform, forming a complete ”L”-shaped lower outline.

”Lin, the corner wood for the second layer!” Old George directed.

Lin Yu’an operated the Xu Gong loader to lift a processed wall log.

But before placing it, he performed a delicate operation—creating a saddle-shaped notch.

He set the log steadily on the sawhorse, then took out a slot cutter resembling a giant compass, setting its distance to the radius of the foundation wood below.

First, on the bottom end of the log, he used the slot cutter to precisely draw a perfect semicircle, then activated his Stihl chainsaw.

In a manner akin to carving, he carefully followed the drawn line with the chainsaw’s tip, cutting out the rough outline of the notch.

Then, he switched to a special wood-forming curved chisel and a mallet to proceed with manual fine-tuning.

”Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Amidst crisp striking sounds, curved wood shavings were chiseled off, and under his skilled hands, the originally rough cut turned into a perfectly smooth and round notch.

When he lifted the processed corner wood onto the corner of the foundation wood, it seamlessly fitted as expected!

The saddle-shaped notch clicked snugly onto the vertical foundation wood below, forming a strong and aesthetically pleasing interlocking structure.

”Beautiful!”

Old George couldn’t help but cheer loudly upon seeing the perfect interface: ”Beautiful! Kid, your workmanship is just like a lumberjack with several years of experience!”

”Alright! The first corner is up! Barton, Cody! Bring the long wall wood for the second layer! Hank, lay the seal!”

Hunter Barton promptly jumped onto the loader, and under Lin Yu’an’s guidance, was already able to conduct some simple lifting operations.

He lifted a 12-meter-long log and gently moved it toward the wall.

Below on the foundation wood, Hank and Cody had already laid two parallel professional sealing strips along the ink line.

”Move a bit to the left! Line it up!” Stan loudly directed from the other end.

”Thud!”

Accompanied by a heavy thud, the second layer’s long wall log steadily fell onto the foundation wood, pressing down onto the soft sealing strips!

Next, they began laying the second layer of wall logs.

Before placing each log, Hank and Cody would lay two parallel professional sealing strips on the lower layer of logs.

When the second layer of logs was placed, David brought up a critical question: ”George, I’ve always wondered, you say wood shrinks, so once the house is built, wouldn’t the wall become shorter, leaving gaps everywhere?”

Old George laughed and pointed to the large screw they were installing: ”Good question, kid! The secret lies in this, the through-bolt system.”

He picked up an uninstalled bolt, showing David its special bottom structure.

”See here, there’s a special washer with a strong spring.”

”We will use it to string together all the wall logs from top to bottom.”

”Over the coming years, as the wood dries and shrinks, the wall height might decrease by over ten centimeters.”

”At that time, the pressure from these springs will automatically and continually tighten the upper nut, ensuring the entire wall remains compressed from top to bottom, never creating gaps.”

”We will only need to check and suitably tighten these nuts annually to complete all settlement maintenance.”

This clever mechanical structure enlightened David, and he was once again impressed by the professional building technology.

”Alright! Stop chatting!”

Old George’s urging voice sounded: ”Lin! Cody! Drill holes! Lock these two layers for me!”

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(Thank you to all shareholders for propelling me to daily voting champion yesterday! Apart from praising your vigor, words fail me!)