Turning straight into curves

Tomorrow I'll turn Peter and the crew loose on the sculpting of the outside of the house. I have to get busy planning and cutting of the hundreds of curved pieces we will need to convert the straight lines of the ceiling trusses and joists into the curves we want when we are done. This is done by fastening curved plywood pieces to the trusses, and then screwing strips of wood to those. Once the wooden armature is in place we'll then staple on the lath and apply a coat of fiberglass reinforced concrete to a smooth curved finish. It is the best and fastest way to get the compound surfaces we desire.

There are a number of areas we will be starting with. The first are the two bonus rooms upstairs. The dormers are across from each other and they will be blended together in a compund curve to hide the beam overhead. The red marks on the photos show the shapes I need to design.

The next area is the curved ceiling that is high over the living/dining room area. It will feature a cross arch over the bridge that bisects the big barrel ceiling perfectly. A heavy crown molding will circle the room at the eight foot level with LED lighting that splashes across the ceiling in a dramatic fashion.

Downstairs an arched ceiling will begin in the entry hallway and go through the house, under the brindge and into the bedroom hallway. LED lighting will also illuminate this archway.

Other arches will be formed over the main bath tub, in the ensuite bathroom, up the stairs and in other smaller areas of the house. It is a lot of work but the effect will be one of the things that define this unique house and separate it from the rest.

Years ago when we did this kind of work the drawing was done by hand, largely by eye. Once I had a pattern piece we would trace out more and use the jigsaw to cut them out. Now of course, things have changed. I design on the computer and then send the cutting files to our CNC router. ALmost as fast as I can load the machine it cuts sheet after sheet of plywood perfectly. It works many times faster than we could ever do it the old way - by hand.The machine can follow the unseen line perfectly - something I always had a great deal of trouble with. 

While many wish for the good old days, I love the modern ways of doing things!

-grampa dan

Instant trees (almost)

Today was a relatively quiet day on the jobsite. The trades were all off for the weekend. Our crew was limited to Peter, Hailey and myself. Bec came to help when we were in a hurry to carve the mud and Janis poked by regularly to help us make decisions about how we would do things.

Today's project was to sculpt the first of the trees for the porch area. We dragged out our old paddle mixer, dubbed the 'PURPLE PEOPLE EATER' on account of the vicious blades that whirl to mix the concrete. Peter and I took turns mixing the grey concoction and we both applied a heavy coat of mud to two trees that flanked the round entry doorway. As always we weren't content to merely do one sample tree. I took one side while Peter tackled the other. In a constant (but friendly) game of one upmanship the surrounding walls got a coat of mud as well and before we were done the whole west wall of the house had gotten the treatment, save for some rockwork at the bottom. By lunchtime the mud was applied and it was time to begin the sculpting.

We worked the theme of hearts into the cut ends of the tree branches just for fun. It's subtle but there for those who look.

The trees changed the look of the entry, making it instantly magic. 

The trees and beams lining the porch will have to wait until the soffits are in place a couple of weeks from now. I can hardly wait!

As we admire the new look of the house this evening it was a little hard to believe it was only a few short weeks ago we were paintling lines on the lawn and imagining how the house would look. Now, at last it is taking shape!

-grampa dan

Cake is done - time for some icing!

With the completion of the welding and attachment of the expanded lath in the porch area it is time for the next stages of construction. The ceiling sheeting on the porch is in place and the lath is started there. Tomorrow we apply the fiberglass reinforced concrete to the first of the trees and then do the sculpting. This first tree will set the style for everything that is to follow and there will be tons of concrete to come!

The ceiling panels are all fastened up into the carport area as well. 

Today the first piece of trim was permanently fastened in place. The concrete will be sculpted right up to the edge of the routed high density urethane. By the time we are done it will be impossible to tell where one material leaves off and the other begins. 

The trim features layered hearts as an insert. This same detail will go through all the exterior trim pieces around the house along with a few more surprises of course. 

The icing on the cake is about to begin!

-grampa dan