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

Trim production begins

Today was another extremely productive day at the worksite. Our crew almost wrapped up the framework for the porch area. The first 80 sacks of cement powder arrived today and the sand will arrive tomorrow for the sculping of the fibdrglass reinforced concrete skin we will put on the house.

I designed and created the first of the routing files which will be used to create the trim which we will route from Precision Board HDU (high density urethane). It is a material that holds paint extremely well and is more stable than wood. HDU is also waterproof. We began production of the one of a kind trim and finished two of the three pieces for the front door. The trim is being fabricated on our CNC router which does the task automatically (after I design the file). They will go up tomorrow.

I can hardly wait!

-grampa dan

Here, there and everywhere!

Today, the sun shone and the temperature finally felt like summer. With the good weather spirits were high. It's the largest crew we've employed in many years and we are having a lot of fun. There are six in all now, Peter, Sarah, Hailey, Brando, Matthew and Michael. They are all in the picture if you look close.

The crew accomplishes a whole lot of work as always. The trees on the front porch are almost done. By tomorrow the mesh on the trees should should be done, along with the walls and beams in the porch and carport area. The crew will start work on the front of the house. It is coming along quickly.

Inside the house there was a lot of action as well. The plumbers were hard at work digging trenches and gluing and laying pipe. 

The first of the plumbing appeared from upstairs as well.

The carpenters finished two of the upstairs dormers and began work on the last two on the west side of the house. The curved roofs look pretty cool! The back patio roof got it's facia board and was prepared for sheeting which will happen tomorrow.

On the inside of the dormers we've decided to take full advantage of the curved ceiling. We'll be framing the inside into a double curved top and then laying a coat of plaster to create a vaulted ceiling. like none I've ever seen previously.

I had great plans for the day but real life intervened. The sewer system for the old house failed, meaning we had to drop everything and spend the afernoon re-routing it to the new septic system. It will stay that way until the new house is done. I'm just glad we made the provision to do it!

Tomorrow it will be all about the new house once more.

-grampa dan