Flying the windows into the house

Today was an exciting day. My friend John Wishlow arrived with his crane truck to fly the big windows into place. They were large pieces measuring a litle more than thirteen feet in diameter. One would be on the front of the house in the living room, the other directly across from iti n the dining room.

First up was the dining room window with the french door opening.

Once the first was secured in place we fetched the second for the front of the house.

The windows were in place in short order, then it was time to begin assembling LOGIX block once more. By the end the the day the walls were almost to the top. More pictures will follow tomorrow...

-grampa dan

Last of the window bucks

Today we built the last of the window bucks for the new house. Harold's contracting crew was busy placing most of the ones we built previously as well and laying down course after course of LOGIX ICF blocks into place. It is really starting to look like a house now at last.

I thrhought I'd show a couple of closeups today to show just how these window bucks were made and fit into the wall. The window shapes were routed slightly oversiaze. Then these shapes served as forms to build layers of treated plywood, glued and screwed, layer after layer to form the bucks. These were set into the foam wall forms. Concrete will be poured into the ICF blocks locking the bucks into place. The windows will be mounted flush to the inside of the wall. This means the windows will be deeply insiet into the walls on the outside leaving us plenty of creative options for theme work.

Tomorrow the crane truck arrives to set the last two big window bucks in place. They were just too heavy to handle with man power alone.

Stay tuned for more pics as they go in...

-dan

Some assembly required.

Today Harold's Contracting crew was back on the job. They first set the first row of LOGIX ICF (insulated concrete forms) block into plce, fastening them to the row below to make things secure and level. Once the rebar was set in place for that row it was time to begin the fun stuff. We hauled the window and door bucks from the shop out back and placed them through the house. These bucks or forms will be placed into the walls and then the LOGIX blocks will be stacked around them. These bucks which are made from treated wood will stay in place after the next pour. The plywood inserts will be removed to make way for the windows and doors.

The first buck to get set into place was for the front door. To interpret what you are seeing, the front door actually will have a rounded top. On each side of the eight foot tall door there are windows top and bottom.

Two more bucks for windows were set in place by quitting time.

Tomorrow the LOGIX blocks should be a lot higher and most of the windows will be in place. Wednesday morning the real big window bucks will be lifted into place by crane. It is fun to watch as things finally come together!

-grampa dan