Easiest log building method ever!!. Part 1.
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- čas přidán 13. 04. 2020
- Showing how the Highlander method works.The Highlander method cuts out the heavy lifting, no lifting equipment required.Its much faster, there is less waste & you don't even need any log-building experience or skills. No notches to cut!! Its enough if you can cut a straight line with a chainsaw.
In Part 1 I'll lay out the basics of how this method was developed and how it works as I do a real world build.
amzn.to/3bwaVxu This the mini chainsaw mill that I use
Music:- www.bensound.com/ - Jak na to + styl
My best friend and I built a cabin using this method about 45 years ago in northern British Columbia. He lived there for 10 years.
Thats awsome. How far in northern BC? I live in northern BC
Prince George
How much$$$
really. rent it out for
5-15 + YEARS.
How warm was it in winter
@@jakobkits-goldstein5878 or cold
As a one man in the bush, it's a great way. I am not building a high end log home, just a trappers shack. I will take what you have shown......
The beauty of this system is that you're not limited by the length of the logs. Virtually any size building is possible.
Glad you got that.
The vertical log system looks very similar to the post frame buildings being done with dimensional lumber... Large, sturdy vertical posts that form the backbone of the structure and then these are tied together. Great building methods.
Post and beam, pole barn, timber framed... all the same basic principle. As you've explained, sturdy poles and beams. Superior to stick framing (dimensional) Allows you to build the entire building without walls. Will stand stronger in wind and heavy snow load. Just build walls in between the posts. I look at it like fencing as an easy visual. Capped good neighbor fence, posts, a beam (top plate) across the top, a kick board and beam (floor joist) across the bottom with fence boards (the wall) filling the gap. You can kick the wall down but the structure will still stand
Gotta love any build where a tape measure and a level take a backseat to just eye ballin it!
They didn’t have those tools back in the day.
Excellent
@@thelastrebelshow1627 they used tools that were basically the same, just didn't have the measurements that we use. Water level was common, strings with knots for measurements, plum bob (which some of us still use.) Crude versions of what we use
Some unique and exceptional jointery- I had a friend who built a cabin years ago by nailing 2x 6s to the top and bottom of a row of six inch, vertical logs; the entire wall was then winched into place.
I especially like that you could remove the horizontal logs and build an addition while leaving the vertical logs and their structural stability in place. Now I’ve gotta rescetch my drawing because I love this!
Absolutely! Thanks for watching.
The chicken wants to help, but doesn't know where to start!👀😍👍😎
Yeah, I think she realized at the last second......"Wait, I've got no hands!"
the old Australian homesteads were built using that technique, in Australia it is referred to as 'horizontal slab construction'.
Frenchmen called this style Piece Sur Piece. And to me a very interesting option to the long horizontal or vertical style of construction. You could use most of the cut offs or use trees too gnarly for the typical house.
I like it. Here in Florida we need tulip poplar or Cypress. Both hard to come by
Exactly
We used to build cabins and camps that way back in the old days in the province of Quebec for lumberjacks in the back country.
Don't you folks have cedar in the swamps? I'm under the impression that even though it isn't as strong, it is rot and insect resistant, so if you use bigger logs for the support parts shouldn't it work?
At Fort Robinson in Nebraska, there are some Barracks/Officers Quarters that are built in that way.
A true master, working with one of the best materials on the planet. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Hello from Australia
Thank you very much! Regards from Finland
Thank you for all your hard work and helpful information.
Very informative. I love learning stuff from Masters.
This video has certainly inspired me to make some changes to my current blueprints
The method of building wooden buildings with a traditional timber frame with horizontal plank or log infill has many names, the most common of which are piece sur piece (French. Also used to describe log building), corner post construction, post-and-plank, Ständerbohlenbau (German) and skiftesverk (Swedish). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-and-plank
Interesting. thankyou.
Yep, I used a version of this method for my cabin. Examples in Poland have been dated to before 700 B.C.
@@ProjectHighlander Hello sir, I would like to build a 18X 24 or 18X 32 using this method. It will be easier at my age. So you do not mention insulation between logs and log joints.. do you use insulation and do you use any chinking ?? And where do you use the spikes, or wood dowels, or any rebar ?? I did not hear you mention this in video.. Thankyou so much. I appreciate the help with these questions, the sound on videos could be a few notches higher..be safe, and may God bless you..
@@harvdog5669 All of these points are covered in detail in the later videos in this series
Interesting. I’ve seen stockade style builds with all vertical round logs and not thrilled with the visual look. This however looks more visually appealing. Am intrigued to see more
Thanks for uploading! Great video, very interesting tips. I was today years old when I learnt about mini-mills and tomorrow I will get one.
Lovely buildings you build. Thanks
Love it! Thanks! I want to build a log cabin very soon! I typed in “simple easy log cabin and this is the first video that popped up. I believe its a God send for me to discover your method as I also believe God has put it on my heart and mind to build a log cabin not only because I am tired of paying rent but who knows who else may need the motivation by seeing me build one just like I am seeing you build one! God bless! He has used you to help me! Greetings from Kansas!
Yes indeed, all of life's interactions, the ups and the downs are all for a reason, guiding you to where you're meant to be. Don't be discouraged if you find it's not where you thought you were supposed to be 😉. Good luck with your cabin, or wherever your path leads
Hello Brother in Kansas! I hope all is well with you and your family!..I liked your message brother!I have been disabled since about 2013 due to an accident at work.Being a workaholic and all of a sudden, not able to do hardly anything & just went through a divorce prior to the accident, so I was living with family just for a short time,was the plan...but God's plan and our plans dont always come together! lol So after living with family for what I consider way too long. I have been looking and thinking of the (for the lack of a better word) easiest way to build a kinda small log home & this video and another one that someone else has posted, has really got me thinking I,along with a little bit of help from probably my Son.. (the help due to limited ability to lift a lot of heavy things).. I,like yourself think these videos are a God sent and totally blessings#!!! ..I pray and hope things work out for you and may God's Will Be Done!!!,,It really helps to hear comments from people with a great and positive attitude and most of all. Giving God the praise!.. Depression is not an easy thing to deal with & comes along with being disabled a good bit of the time!.. I try very hard to keep my chin up & God has Blessed me so much more than I could have even imagined!..My left leg was temporarily paralyzed due to the accident & now I walk pretty close to normal, with a slight limp. Shoo my eyes are fogging up with happy tears! That's when I can tell God is So Great & one more thing....But if anyone happens to read this and are struggling with health or for what ever reason,and feel like there is no-one that cares,if you may have the feeling of such a deep loneliness, or what ever the struggle is...please just Call Out To God,He Is Always There When No-one Else Is,He may not answer our Prayers in our time, but in his time!. But when he does,the answers sure are worth waiting for! Sorry for getting off subject, and many thanks for posting this and all of your videos Sir....we never know when someone is getting a great Blessing From The Things We Do In This World! May God Forgive Me Of My Sins And Continue To Give Me The Conviction,Wisdom, and Ability To Walk The Straight And Narrow Path Of Righteousness And Please Encourage And Bless Everyone That May Read This Dear Lord And May You Bless Them Where They Need It The Most! To God Be The Glory For Ever And Ever!!! In Jesus Precious And Holy Name I Pray...... Amen.
@@gregratcliff9831 you got that right, sir! Thanks for sharing your story. Prayers are always answered, just usually not in the way we expect or when we expect, because we are only human and we couldn't possibly know or understand God's plan. Just knowing there is a plan and we are part of it is enough for me.
@@jdlflagstone6980 Amen Brother, Could I get you to remember me in your prayers, I do have a situation and really could use all the Prayers I could get! I wont go into details on here,but God Knows All About It! God Bless You And Your Family And Thanks In Advance For The Prayers!!! May everyone have a Blessed Week!!!
Thank you Jesus!!!
Awesome building skills a true Master...thanks for sharing. 🙂
Second time watching this, but I don’t think I left a message. Truly intrigued with this build.
Thank you
I developed the same technique obout the same time you did. However I was diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2017 and haven't been able to move forward with it since. I shared the concept with others at the time but no one ran with it. I'm so excited to see some one working with the same technique.
Many thanks.
I am getting ready to build one like this. Want to use as much of the tree as possible. Love this idea of only needing 6 or 7 feet of straight. Thank you so much. Been looking for awhile for an idea that will work by myself
good luck with your project. Glad this was of some use.
@@ProjectHighlander thank you. I will put you research and knowledge to good use!
Thank You very much for this series! I think your method of building is genius, especially for someone wanting to do a DIY build. I wish I had your skill with a chainsaw too 😁
The chainsaw skills come by using the chainsaw. So go for it. You can't postpone a project you want to do because you don't have the skills. The skills definitely won't come if you just wait for them. Do the project and you will get the skills.
@@ProjectHighlander Thank You 😁
I'm in Australia on a 50+ ac bush block with some very fine quality trees for building with (red, yellow and grey box). This is some of the most fantastic wood for not only firewood (where it commands a premium of at least $250cubic metre chopped and split) but for building with. They're all termite resistant, great underground and look incredible either rough sawn or furniture grade. Yellow Box is a tall tree so you get long lengths (not true logs because the trunk is generally very broad) but the other two fork about 5m from the ground so their lengths are limited and their trunks are generally very large also, being typically a metre + in mature trees and often far larger.
So at my place there are left overs are from illegal timber harvesting from before I bought the block and others are natural tree fall. Mostly the top quality trees very rarely fall over and die still standing where they stay for about 150+years becoming habitat trees, but the harvesters cut them down at my place and stacked and categorized the logs.
The block got sold (to me) and the cheeky buggers demanded I give them their wood. Needless to say I refused. Nothing came of it because the owner before me was just happy to sell the land to me and wasn't interested in perusing the illegal timber harvesting matter so the thieving bastards got off. All us locals know who they are. It is amazing after decades of this sort of thing they never get caught and they're still bloody at it!
Moving on, I have an idea remarkably similar idea to yours *and yes it is less elegant* than the lovely notches you cut in the vertical timbers.
What my idea is, on the verticals forget notching them. Butt the horizontal logs up to the verticals and bolt with heavy wood screws 75x75mm rough sawn on to the verticals for the horizontals to butt up against, ie create your own notch with 75x75mm either on just one side or both sides of the horizontal logs - so it could be single side or double side notch. This should further cut down on construction time and still look the part.
Alternatively steel Parallel Flange Channel (PFC) could be used and it would rust agreeably and the logs could slide into. For the comparatively small amount you'd need the cost wouldn't be prohibitive but I work in the steel industry so my cost is far lower than retail - just an idea. 100x100mm or 100x150mm angle could also work on one side. Need an oxy or plasma cutter to bore holes in this stuff though. Forget drilling it unless you have one of those magnetic drill machines with a hole saw.
I think I understand your idea, you are obviously working with much bigger logs than I have access to. So you mean you would cut a flat side on your verticle log and bolt/screw a couple of 75x75 posts to it with a gap between them (groove) between which the ends of your horizontals would be sandwiched?... Let me know if I got this right....... II can't immediately see a reason why this would not work although you need to consider that even vertical logs do shrink as they dry, they don't shrink much vertically but the couple of mm they drop per meter can add up if your posts are tall. It could be enough that it compromises your fixing system (heavy wood screws). Consider attaching your 75x75 at the bottom as normal, leave it free in the middle, but at the top use a big bolt and washer not through a round hole in the 75x75 but through a vertical slot (for example a plunge cut with the chainsaw straight through). That'll allow the vertical log to move a bit without breaking/bending any screws.
8:20, that squeaking sound reminds me of my back.
That’s why I love this system you are employing.
I could be totally off base here but it reminds me of wattle-and-daub style (?) but instead of straw/mud/cob the 'filler' is instead fitted logs ...Well whatever it is I like it because you can make use of basically any length of log. Ingenious for its simplicity of construction and conservation of materials. Finding easier/cheaper ways of doing things should always be encouraged. Not everyone has access to or can work with 30-40 foot logs!!! Im not sure what the intended use for your building is but id love to see a small house built with this method.
You have and are creating some really cool structures. I would love to do something like this. Keep up the awesome craftsmanship and thank you for sharing your journey
Thank you very much!
Awesome techniques, thanks for sharing!
the music is fine. cabins are beautiful!
Thankyou very much
This system was used in Eastern Europe for a long time. Never was dominant probably because it required more advanced carpentry, with power tools it might be simper to build.
Here you have a good example of how they did it; czcams.com/video/RV7pmE4MC-I/video.html&ab_channel=Northmen
Thank you for sharing your methods! Really enjoyed the video
You are so welcome!
Very interesting technique!
Thanks 4 sharing. 😁🐒😁
I absolutely love that you eyeball stuff & say nothing has to be perfect!
Thanks.
This is ecactly the type of cabin structure building i have been searching for. Im limited to 8 foot logs. This looks like it will work well for me. Definetly following and usinf these techniques. Thanks for sharing.
Always nice to hear that someone can benefit from these videos. Many thanks!
I hope I can save this, for later.. Without CZcams taking it down later..
Thank you, I enjoyed it very much..
the cabins you build are exactly what i envision when i think of an off-grid log cabin
Yep. me too :)
Shed,playhould/ chicken cop or a living place.
Kids 20 years ago wanted to built these.
Todays kids don't have the go or know how.
Great method and tangible for most. We can survive with some effort. Thanks for sharing.
Thanx. next project started, first part being edited....
Building a cabin solo this spring and will absolutely be using this method
Let me know how it goes! I'd love to see photos/video.
I like that technique, time savings, ease of construction, and look.
Thankyou Sir.
I wonder if you might beable to use a swingsawmill to help with some of the longer straighter cuts.at least in prefab.
Yes, it would be good for making the posts but no good for any horizontals.
Thank you for showing me in not crazy. I flippin knew this way for building would work. Thanks so much. You do great work.
You have an awesome skill set thank you for sharing!🙏
Do you use a ripping chain or a cross cut chain on your saw?
Just a normal chain!
Man has some chainsaw skills.
Absolutely.....
Great information. Thank you for the videos.
Using vertical posts indeed makes the building much stronger and stable, compared to small log cabin stacking wood method.
Quick, simple and not complicated?? I diagree very much. this is the most complex way to build a cabin i have ever seen. but nicely done.
I agree with you.
From what I have seen, the Butt and Pass method is the simplest way to build a log cabin. You don't even have to cut notches.
Legend in your own mind.
Ur a great carpenter, that’s coming from a carpenter of 20yrs! Great job man
Then I take that as a great compliment. Thank you Sir.
Cheers, I just learnt sumthing
Not spelling i hope. Only kidding. I'll drink to that. Lol
That's a very good wall design I just say. I like it a lot. The fact that you build it on your site then take it apart and build on customers site is sweet. With two half decent carpenters ,looks like it would be fairly easy. Good video my friend,thanks for sharing. Stay busy man. Peace
I'm staying busy. believe me.
This was really cool. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Enjoyed that. Interesting.
Well thank you very much.
the people that are critiquing you have never even cut a tree down, let alone built a log structure
How do you know...? lol
i dunno, this looks like a lot of work compared to the finnish method
I'm guessing pelka is the same as hewed. Where we use our axes to square the two faces of the log.
Yes. that's correct.
absolutely love this thank you!
You're so welcome!
Your buildings are gorgeous...great method..thank you for posting.
Glad you like them!
Thank you for sharing your expertise. I'm studying to build my own cabin. Your cabins are beautiful and they look really solid.
You can do it!
Let’s build together!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and Passion. I am going to try to do one of these Cabins. I will link your series if I post it
I look forward to seeing your project!
Beautiful cabin!!
Hi, really interested in your method. Were these vertical logs freshly cut or were they dried? If they were dried, then for how long? If these vertical logs twist, bend or crack, does the strength of the structure gets compromised or not?
Which trees do these vertical logs come from? It looks like pine or spruce.
I will be very thankful if you can answer these questions please.
Hi. Actually I used both fresh pine (back wall) and dried hewn logs (front wall) the front posts are actually the same stuff I used for the wall sections (so 300 years old....should be dry by now). Now obviously I should have made all the posts from similar wood. I don't think its going to be a problem with this little building though. You asked IF the verticles twist or crack...they will certainly crack as they dry but no, that won't cause any problems, They may twist a bit but the toungue & groove should resist that a bit and again, this is such a small building that I can't imagine it would have any detrimental effect. If I were to build a larger building with longer verticle posts (greater potential degree of twist) I would be looking for really well dried logs.
It’s basically a post/beam build using logs instead of milled wood. Brilliant
Love it. Inspired me. Awesome technique .Educational.
Glad to be of service...
That’s impressive that u came up w the design, doing it urself is just insane. It’s really cool to watch to see this.
Thanks!
Great project
Wow. Wowee. Zowee. Fantastic build.
thanks. hope you get something out of this...
Hello to Finland. Can I ask how do you secure the standing logs to the floor? And what is according to your experience the minimum thickness of the wood logs if you do not want to use any insulation? Thank you and greatings from Ireland !
The standing logs are not 'attached' to the floor, they are just notched to lock onto that 2x4 frame that's attached to the floor. Log thickness......its really up to you, how warm you want to keep it, if you have a heat source inside, what your local temperatures are. Around here a hewn log is usually about 15cm thick.
First building constructed in 1821...this is 2021. The trees were 100 yrs old when cut down... do the math. Wow! Great video.
Never said I was good at maths!
Awesome building techniques, I'm taking notes 👍
Glad that something I am doing could be useful to you!
Piece-en-piece construction was a common method used for log building in Europe for hundreds of years before being brought to Canada by the French explorers in the 1700's. By using short lengths of log or timber they were able to build relatively large structures under human power.
Thanks for that. Yes, that is perhaps the biggest advantage.
Very nice! Thanks.
hello and thank you for such an instructional video series. i definitely want to use this application in Alaska for my cabin build. couple questions, 1st question is , what is an alternative way for corner posts if you don't have large enough logs to support the notching of them(aka small trees in my area)? 2nd question, i know your camera died for the building of the floor, what if and did you use for insulation of the floor and underside or is it just over open ground? 3rd question, what type of windows and or window material would you recommend for a very cold weather application? thank you in advance. love to see more "Easier way" videos like this very awesome!
**edit- have 1 more question :) what's the name and type of the roll insulation your using between the logs? thanks
Hey Mike! Ok I don't know just how small the logs are where you are but you could consider just flattening the sides of your post and fixing a 2x2 to the side, so the post has the 'toungue' and then you put the 'groove' in the ends of your horizontal logs. If you watch the whole video series you will see my tips on doing it that way. No insulation under the floor of this cabin. Just put down a ground sheet, pressure treated logs, notched in the floor supports then floorboards straight ontop. The windows I used I got 2nd hand, tough sturdy frames and triple glass sealed units. The insulation is flax fibre made by a company called Isolinna. www.isolina.com/gb/
@@ProjectHighlander thank you for the super fast reply, I've watched the whole series ill go back and re-watch for that information. Much appreciated, thanks again 🙏
Love those chickens.
I'd just recommend making your footings go below the frost line. Ultimately, yall are all adults and make your own decisions, but I just leveled a house where the perimeter had a concrete perimeter that went down 2-3 feet. The rest of the house was built on blocks directly on dirt. That was done in 1990 and I moved parts of that house up 5 inches. Seriously I'd recommend putting some sort of stone footing. Digging is a pain but so worth it. It's way cheaper to do it right solid the first go around. I had to cut up and waste so much good plywood. Just a waste to cut corners. This was in southern Wisconsin where our frost line is about 4ish feet. Even the concrete perimeter moved at 2 feet deep. Get into that clay.
No clay there. This site is a hillside of free draining sand. There is a log building further down the hill that has not moved in over 100 years that has foundation stones that go just a half meter deep (frost line here 1m+). Everything was taken into account. Thanks for your concern.
💗💗💗 THANKS FOR SHARING
Thank you! This was exactly what I needed!
Glad it was helpful!
Nice. To the critics: please link to your log building vids...🤔
Childish comment... lol
Intuitive comment. ThankYou
While you criticize the critics. Criticism is how we learn and grow.
But he's right, it's easier to sit and criticize rather than do it yourself
I found this entire series very interesting, a treasure trove of interesting information done by a true craftsman. I offer no criticisms having experience with this type of work. My compliments Sir...
Many thanks. You will be interested in my Spring 2021 log building project. I will be combining several log building methods together on a really interesting and challenging project.
@@ProjectHighlander I look forward to it with great anticipation and expectation.
@@ProjectHighlanderha
ndhewcabins to i
@@ProjectHighlander And are the 2x4,s at corner notched the exact same shape the logs need to be notched on end to bring corner together ?? You did not show those notches before you put Them together..thanks
@@ProjectHighlander On the notches, are they a 2 inch notches or what size notch is recommended. Thankyou
I'd like to have a cabin like this someday.
Lord i wish i could build one of those. Unfortunately my physical health isn't what it used to be. That would be sweet to be able to build one for an off grid property.
Rig up pullies and use like a drill winch, this is my idea since I don’t have great upper body strength
The most important thing is to use the brain, not the muscles. You will be amazed what you can lift if you just stand back and think about it. I move and lift logs that weigh much more than I do without lifting equipment. You just have to take it slowly, think about the point of balance, consider friction etc.
@@ProjectHighlander yeah. But I'm in a wheelchair. So not building much
I would love to see more info on the project with the big windows you mentioned around the 2 minute mark. subbed!
That one was built way before I had a CZcams channel. Maybe I'll visit there sometime and do a video..You are not the first to ask.
@@ProjectHighlander that would be awesome. you could even just do a slideshow and discuss some of the details. A lot of people would click on a thumbnail like that!
Yes , absolutely Perfect with the windows wrapped full-front along with the single pitched roofline. Very appealing!A great way to hermitize yourself.
You're obviously a talented and hardworking man. They're all beautiful, 'specially the first finished cabin photo that you'd shown. Thankyou for showing us your skills. Lisa,England 🏴 😎😎
I appreciate that!
Love the "unusual" cabin @ the 2:00 minute mark! How can I find out more on how to build one of those?
Did that project before I was on youtube. You are not the first to remark on it. I may have to revisit it, I don't have video footage but I have loads of photos of the build. I am working on a project now but maybe in the dark depths of this winter I could put something together on that project.....
That VW DOKA makes a beautiful background
Glad the chicken got a quick cameo in during the intro
Thank you for your great videos and tutorials Project Highlander.
I'm wondering if green aspen/ popular could be used in this method?
(After being pressure washed of course ;) )
Cheers!
yes, absolutely.
@@ProjectHighlander that's great news. We have some standing poplars that need to be removed and put to good use here. For some reason I always assumed the logs needed to be dried and seasoned before construction.
Thank you for your knowledge and inspiration. All the best to you.
Cheers from bc canada
Much appreciated
Very cool 👍👍
Looks like a Hudson Bay fort wall :-)
Wow! Your builds are true works of art. Impressive to say the least.
Very nice work....I am looking to watching the series.
Thank you ProjectHighlander :)
Welcome!
Wow. I am very impressed with your chainsaw skills. I'd like to start moving into this sort of construction. I'm a carpenter in Australia, the standard of construction is appalling. I wouldn't buy a new house and would only look to buy a house older then 90's as it seems that's when standards dropped off a cliff.
Yes, we had the same drop in standards here about the same time but they also started using plastic in the walls, sealing everything, and then trying to compensate by adding motorized ventilation. They are still building that way even though hundreds of 10 & 20 year old houses are now being ripped down as they are full of mould!
Great technique. Going to try and use this method for my new cabin. Are you in Finland? What chainsaw are you using? All the best.
Main saw is my ten year old Shindaiwa 452s. I use an Echo CS-350 for detail stuff and an electric (battery) saw Echo 58v. Plus a corded electric Echo CS-2400. Many thanks.
Good info.
Pretty cool, Tongue & Groove / Mortice & Tennon. I wonder if you could build a Giant Router & Jig. "The notch ripper" it could work. lol or Daito Blade.
Humans have the uncanny ability to gravitate towards the simple and elegant. That is how the expression "Great minds think alike" came about. An example is the Huns & Turks using almost the same designs and construction for bows and other archery gear as the Inuit. It's also why we see cultures all over developing very similar methods for constructing log homes. Very cool take on the concept, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comment!
Does using a chainsaw like a mini mill do a number on the blades and motor? Seems like an awesome way to mill my own lumber I'm just wondering how safe I would be doing that constantly to a chainsaw?
Edit: This was amazing to watch by the way. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.
You need a saw with enough power. It does not seem to have a detrimental effect on the saw. In terms of safety, there should actually be a guard on the mini mill which I have removed.
Nice method! Thanks for sharing your hard work. I wish you and your family all the best. Love from Denmark :)
Thank you for your kind wishes. All the best to you and yours.