Further Fungus Follow-ups

Stefan sent me a informative reply, which I can boil down to:

• Our spots are fungus, caused mostly by exposure to a humid environment
• The jarn vitrol colors the wood but doesn't protect it from fungus, algae, etc.
• The splotches are cosmetic and do not impact the structure of the wood at all
• His own house has a few areas much like mine
• There's a specific product I can use to remove the fungus if I wish
• Stefan provided me the name and phone number of his fungus advisor and I've asked Rutger to give him a call on my behalf

I also received an email from Scott Hedges, a contributor to the LamiDesign blog. His advice was much like Stefan's, and he gave me some specific advice on what kind of paint/stain product I might use.

So the bottom line is that we don't have to do anything at all, the problem is just cosmetic. If we want a different look (other than splotchy), we'll need to paint. We might need to treat the house before painting; that's still an open question. But at least we have a good line to get a final answer on procedures and products.

UPDATE 1: Rutger spoke to one expert today who said it's very hard to tell if we killed the fungus with our previous treatment in September, and in any case, it could well regrow by next spring anyways. We can leave it and see how the house looks next year with no harm, but if we want to paint, we should scrub it again before painting. The good news it's only the one exposure of the house, not the whole thing.

Fungus Update

Time for a little update on the main reason for our trip this weekend: the fungus.

Rutger and I applied the fungicide pretty liberally. We brushed it on all the stained areas and let it set for 15 minutes. I rinsed it off even more liberally with the hose, and we left the house still quite wet the next day. As an experiment on Sunday morning, I applied straight solution with a toothbrush to one dark spot to see if it acted differently than the other areas. 

But I can't say that we really accomplished anything- at least not yet. The dark patches still look darker than the surrounding wood. Does this mean the fungus is dead or not? The goal was to arrest the spread of the fungus; have we done that? Is it safe to paint over all this now? I don't know for sure, and I don't know how to get that answer definitely, short of bringing a fungus expert in. I find that very frustrating.

To make matters worse, my rinsing of the house caused a few watermarks and drip streaks to appear on the interior walls. The good news is that Janne told us lemon juice would remove the marks,so Rutger rescued a lemon from the previous night's gin & tonic, and went after the marks with a Q-tip. Sure enough it worked like a charm. Of course, now I have to go over the walls on my next trip. One step forward, one step back. 

I will be very interested to see how the house looks when we're there next month. I hope that will give me some reassurance and direction going into the winter.  

Fungus redux

When Sooz and I went to the house a few weeks ago, I was anxious to see how well our fungus treatment worked. Would the house look different?

I can report now the house looks exactly the same, even the experimental patch I had scrubbed with a toothbrush and undiluted solution.

This doesn't necessarily mean our work was a failure, though. We could well have killed the fungus, and only the discoloration remains. I looked at the wood very closely, and the dark spots just seem to be colored in, almost as if it had been stained. There's no obvious coating or growth of any kind.

Janne told us about the paint he's using on the stuga he and Tony are building. It comes in two parts, first a primer which is thin and is absorbed by the wood to seal it. The color coat goes over the primer and is very thick and long-wearing, lasting 15 years, according to Janne.

So we've decided to paint, probably next summer. In addition to covering the dark blotches, I think the wood needs to be sealed better; there were a few wet spots inside after I hosed the house in September. This product should do the trick.

However, Rutger is worried about inadvertently painting over live fungus, and sealing in a bigger problem. I can see his point. When I'm out to the house at Christmas, I'll pry off a dark sliver and see if I can take it for analysis, just to be sure we're doing the right thing.

That leaves us for the colour choice, but I'll leave that for another blog post!

Mold

Not Bob, but black. I've written about the dark blotches on the front of the house before. Looking at the photos I've taken over time, the transformation of the house from fresh pine to a dark grey is clear to see. On the front, however, it's not just a nice weathered grey but grey with black mottling.

Margaret wrote me recently they she thought the spots were getting worse. As I posted before, it seems the they're a type of mold or fungus. It's natural they grow only on the most exposed side of the house; moisture is necessary for mold growth.

When we go next week, I plan to use fungus treatment on the wood. Rutger and I bought a solution, as advised by the expert at Bauhaus, and Janne is lending me his power washer. At the moment, Sooz and I plan to brush on the fungus-killer, and then give it a good power rinsing. There's some thought about using bleach and/or soap, but I think I'll be conservative and try this stuff first. We plan to be back in mid-October, and we can be more aggressive then if needed.

I assume this will just kill the mold, not remove its effects altogether.  That being the case, we'll still have to paint at least that exposure of the house next summer, if we can decide on a color!

A documentary sighting

Ronnie sent us a message about a documentary he recently watched on SVT. It's called "Den Nya Tiden" and the program guide says: "What choices do we make in our daily lives? We follow seven people in Sweden for some years. They live side by side, but their lives are completely different. Does the new age of choice really give greater freedom for the individual?"

The most interesting part of the film for us was a sighting of an X-House. The movie's available online until December 7; scroll ahead to the 32 minute mark to see the segment with the house. I've added a shot from the movie. It does look a lot like ours, that's pretty fun to see!

Watching the film, though, was a bit worrying. As best as Sooz could tell, the homeowner was saying she loved her house but was annoyed by having to deal with fungus. Fungus! I called Stefan right away.

He was aware of the movie, and said the fungus mentioned in the film was like the spots we had on our roof panels. It's just cosmetic, and in our case, the spots were covered by boards on the overhang. We did get to talking about the discoloration we have on the front of our house. Stefan asked for some photos and said he'd consult an expert.

I emailed him a chronology and also made a webgallery out of a dozen photos over two years. I'll be sure to report back what Stefan says!

Painting Part 1

I've posted many times, as recently as a month ago, about the discoloration on the front of our house, and our desire to treat it. We thought for a while that it was fungus or mold of some sort, althought without an expert chemical analysis it was hard to tell for sure. Rutger and I put a chemical treatment on the house almost two years ago, and the spots have not changed appreciably since.

We thought about painting, and had spoken to one of the archipelago's painters, Krister, about using the traditional slamfärg on the spotty front exposure, in a color that matched the nice silvering along the rest of our house.

However, after some investigating, Krister felt it wouldn't be a good idea to paint over our the järnvitriol we put on the house three years ago. So we were back to square one: it probably isn't mold or fungus (or it it was, it was inert now), and it didn't seem we could paint over it, so we would have to just let it be for the time being.

We headed to the house this summer, resigned to just ignore the discolorations and get on with it. However, like a thoughtful neighbor (and a great builder and handyman), Olle told me he did some investigating about painting over jarnvitriol. He felt it was quite possible to do, so Sooz and I started thinking and googling on the subject once again.

We found a number of interesting things, which we'll save for further posts, as this one is getting a little long!

A similar pattern....

With what appears to be turning into a habit, immediately after returning to London yesterday, I started to look at going back to Aspö. We still plan to visit for a week in October, but I really want to get that fungus treated before the winter sets in. Before I can do that, I need a hose hooked up so I can have enough water to rinse the house.

Enter Rutger to the rescue. First, I had been talking to Anders, who had been talking to Micke the plumber about installing a garden hose. Rutger is going to cut out the middlemen and just talk to Micke directly to ensure the right thing gets installed. Secondly, I've just bought a ticket to Stockholm the weekend of September 18-19. Rutger and I will go up Saturday morning and back Sunday noon. We'll do the fungus treatment, give the hose a good test, and Rutger wants to cook a nice steak on the grill.

Cloudy Monday evening

It's been a mixed day in a number of respects. The weather has been mostly cloudy although the sun poked out here and there, and it's breezy, too. But the temperature is perfect.

Our main goal was to apply the fungus treatment, and that was only a partial success. I had borrowed Janne's power washer but failed to realise I needed a hose to provide the water. Not having a hose, I tried to siphon out of a bucket but that didn't provide enough pressure. So I ran a few trips to the well and we splashed buckets of water on the house to rinse after applying the fungicide.

It worked OK but it wasn't sustainable. We stopped after doing perhaps a fifth of the house. To do the job, we really need a hose with a whole lot more water. I talked to Anders about the possibility of Micke, the plumber, coming back to run a spigot off our tank. That's a prerequisite for fungus removal, I think. If I can get a hose installed soon, I might come back for a quickie September weekend to do the rest.

The good news is the area we completed looks lighter after the treatment. And we made productive use of our freed-up time; Sooz put Cuprinol on all of the trim and the deck. I fixed up a few more window blinds and literally spent the whole day puttering. Bliss.

Tonight it's "Mad Men", plucked from the ether on my MacBook Air, snuggled with Sooz on our IKEA couch, which wasn't plucked, but instead carried on my back through the woods. But I digress.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the wasp's nest I stumbled across. I was looking at Micke's work in my well-insulation box and pulled up the lid to find myself literally nose-to-nose with a big ol' nest. Usain Bolt had nothing on my first 10 steps! Sheesh.

House colors

I've posted a lot about the issue of the black splotches on the front of our house and our desire to deal with them.

We know now that we don't have mold or fungus, but instead it seems the spots are just iron oxide from the jarn vitrol we applied. It looks like a lot of it can be brushed off, which we'll work on this summer.

But we're still thinking about painting, and thanks to a friend with photoshop skills, I've been able to simulate what the house might look like from the test patches we painted last year.

I rather like the middle grey myself; Sooz likes it lighter. Comments from our readership on this issue would be most appreciated!

Time to go. Sigh.

It's been a lazy day. I've decided not to do any more fungus work until I can get a hose hooked up so we've mostly chilled today. This is pretty much a first for me here, and I have enjoyed it.

We did cover the deck lumber with a tarp as Janne suggested it'd be best, more for sun protection than waterproofing. I did a bunch of measuring for future projects, went up and down the ladder for exercise, and tried to figure out how to drain the washing machine for next winter.

Sooz picked a bunch of plums and especially wild raspberries (not strawberries), which were the most delicious I ever tasted! They were especially tasty at breakfast.

She also finished "Män som hatar kvinnor"; a Swedish island is an appropriate place to read that, I think.

Now for a taxi boat, the drive from Stavsnäs, and the late flight on British Airways. Back in October for sure, earlier if I can swing it.

UPDATE: A few more photos have been posted on the webgallery.

A few updates

I head over in two weeks for a quick trip out with Rutger to finish the fungus treatment. As I had posted, we need a hose to be able to rinse the house. Rutger called me today with the news he was able to reach Micke the plumber, so we should have a hose connection installed in time for our visit! That's great to know.

I also talked to Janne today, he said it was raining hard but that was fine with him as he wasn't working outside. He'll be on Aspö when Rutger and I are there, so we'll have a boys dinner on Saturday night. Rutger's a good cook so I'm looking forward to it!

On the boat home

Apologies for not posting before. Rutger and I have been pretty busy these past 24 hours. We managed to apply the fungus treatment. Not sure how much it helped, the house is still pretty wet and therefore dark, Micke's hose connection was perfect so we sprayed a lot of water. We also burned all the scrap wood and branches from the past year in a huge bonfire.

Rutger made a great meal for Janne and I, and the three of us got through most of a bottle of gin. (A small bottle, I should add.)

Today's election day and the whole country is buzzing. I'm sorry to be leaving, I'd love to watch the election results tonight.

More info and photos over the next few days, but all in all, a successful trip, and a fun time with my buddy Rutger!

Travel logistics

With only a 4-day weekend to work with, we're trying a few different things with our travel plans. First off is that we're getting to Marcia & Rutger's without our usual chauffeur service, i.e. Marcia or Rutger. There are express buses and trains to the city center, but that's way out of the way for travel to the suburbs. (There is an airport bus that brings us to within 50 feet of Margaret and Janne's place in St. Eriksplan, which is a real luxury).

Checking the sl.se website, we found a local train from the airport, which connects to the commuter train line, which connects to the train to Barkaby. The whole trip should take 55 minutes and brings us within walking distance to the Wilhelmis. We've never tried this before, but it's a good test for us.

We will be spending Saturday evening as guests at their neighborhood barbecue, and then up and out Sunday morning to Aspö. The local grocery at the Barkaby station is open at 9, and the train to Slussen leaves at 9:37. So we'll shop for a few provisions and hop on the train to connect to the Stavsnäs bus.

We'll catch the 11:00 Waxholms boat (there aren't many boats to the islands on a Sunday) so we'll be at our house by lunchtime.

Going home Tuesday evening is more straightforward. We'll take a 5:30 taxi boat, and then bus to Stockholm and another bus to Arlanda for the late BA flight.

The weather looks wet for Sunday morning but better for the rest of our stay. I hope I'll be able to do both the fungus treatment and the Cuprinol on the deck. Stay tuned for updates!

We couldn't wait to get back...

...and so Sooz and I found a decent price on air tickets for a 4-day weekend, August 14-17. We're going to attend the Wilhelmi's annual barbecue on Saturday, so we'll end up with about 2½ days 'on-island', so to speak.

I want to apply the fungus solution on the front of the house, and also another coat of stain on the deck, weather permitting. But that won't take too long to do, so maybe I'll get somewhere with that 'relaxing' thing I've been meaning to try!

Mold

When I was at the house last Christmas, I pried off a few of the darkest slivers of its exterior. My thought was that Rutger could get the wood tested for mold.

Recently, I saw this family-friendly testing kit during one of my many visits to the local Texan home-improvement store. I gave Marcia a ring and she graciously mailed me the ziploc bag with its little shards intact.

The kit was simple to use; I put the special solution into the petri dish, tweezed in the bits of wood (mold side down), and waited.

And guess what? Nothing happened. There was no growth at all. Sooz thinks maybe the mold didn't survive the rigors of its trip, but I think sitting outside in Aspö right now is even more harsh on a fungus than a baggie in Marcia's dresser.

I'll bring along another kit and we can test for mold in situ this May.

In the Arlanda departure lounge

It's about 3PM on yet another beautiful day (apparently it's raining in London. Ugh.)

Sooz and Grant just left on SAS and I'm a half-hour behind on BA as I cashed in a mileage ticket. Rutger and I went to Bauhaus this morning and showed photos of our splotched front of house to their paint expert. He diagnosed fungus, and we bought a solution to treat the wood. We will have to do that anyways even if we want to paint later, and who knows, that might clear up the spots and make painting unnecessary.

I plan to apply the stuff this August when we hope to come back for a 3-4 day trip. Then we can let it take effect over the next few months. I also got a roller blind at IKEA for the window over the couch.

The bus ride from Stavsnäs yesterday was a bear. Hot, slow, and crowded. I am coming in line with Margaret's dislike for that ride. She takes the longer (but more civilised) Saltsjöbaden boat whenever she can.

Anyways, we'll be in home sweet home soon. We will pick up Ollie on our way from the airport so I'll make one last post of that to close out our holiday.

Moving away

I've tried very hard to keep this blog focused on building and living in a Swedish summer cabin. I think I've been successful to a large degree. Out of the 750 posts so far, about 15 of them have been off-topic, and almost all of those have been about Ollie or Manchester City.

I say this as a warning that I'm about to go way off-topic. If you're looking for building tips or observations on island life, you'd best skip ahead.

Regular readers know that we moved to London from Texas almost 12 years ago. That's a huge hunk of time. Grant has changed from a little boy into a university student; Sooz and I have gone from being thirtysomething well into middle age. When we left, Bill Clinton was president, and the big worry was the Y2K bug. I could fill paragraphs with how the America we left was comically ancient, but I won't belabor the point.

Over this past decade, people have often asked us, "when are we moving back"? As time has passed, I found it a harder question to answer, as I didn't really feel a "back" anymore. We've worked hard to make a comfortable life in the UK, and we put down roots in Sweden. Asking when we're moving "back" implies, to me at least, that we're away from where we should be: "Yankee Go Home".

We made a conscious decision to stay put until Grant graduated from school. I was hoping he'd choose a university in the UK or Europe, but he wanted to go to the US. I got over my disappointment and now realize why he wanted to, as his perspective is that of a kid who grew up in England and wants to experience American life in all its technicolor glory. And who wouldn't want to do that?

Now that he is away at school, though, Sooz and I found ourselves at a bit of a crossroads. Do we make changes here in London, perhaps sell our Texas house and all those left-behind possessions, and really commit to being Brits? That's an appealing prospect, to be sure. We're close to our stuga, and our friends here, and we get to stay with the way of life we've become used to and enjoy so much.

On the flip side, there are a lot of advantages to moving "back". I haven't done my career any favors being away from our headquarters for so long. Readers of this blog know I'm 51. If I was 61, it'd be easy to leave the career ladder and stay in my London job. But I'm a little too young, I think, to do that.

Practically speaking, I'd be a lot better off financially in the US. Recent and impending changes to UK tax law aren't in my favor, especially considering I have a college tuition bill priced in dollars! Plus, our parents aren't getting any younger, and it would be nice to be nearer to them, not to mention to our stateside college student. And we still have lots of friends in Texas, not to mention our house and the Shelby.

So it should come as no surprise at this point in my missive to report that I have taken a job "back" in Texas, in our headquarters, a very good and exciting job I'm happy to have. I'll start soon, and Sooz and Ollie will move just after the New Year. We will all still go to Sweden this Christmas, with the Wilhelmis again, and we'll go out to the stuga for at least a day visit. But after that, we're Americans again.

What does this mean about our summer house? Sooz and I have talked about this a lot over the years, even before we decided to build. Basically, our plan is to take fewer, but longer, trips to Aspö. We can't go for a weekend, obviously, and even a week will be a bit of a stretch. But the Texas summers are brutally hot, and the archipelago weather during July and August is quite appealing to us! I have 6 weeks of vacation every year, so spending 4 weeks on Aspö in a couple of chunks sounds good to me. Remember too, that I work in the airline business, so air travel is a bit easier for us.    

It's not going to be a easy transition. We've been away a long time, and lots has changed. Re-engaging with American life is going to take some work, and there will be high points and low points along the way. I'm thinking about writing on this process, perhaps on a separate blog, so I can continue to keep this one focused on the details of Swedish island life.

That's it. If you've managed to read this far, don't worry. The next blog post is on fungus!