Rounded ceilings

With everyone gone on the weekend it is muy chance to do a little work - uninterrupted. I decided it was the perfect time to climb a scaffold and do the arched ceilings in the living room and upper hallway. The arched ceilings in those two areas intersect at the crown of the ceiling. Making it work required lots of head scratching and measuring. Once I had everything figured out it was simply a matter of putting up one piece at a time until the job was done. In two days I managed to do the living room and the bridge hallway ceilings. The dining room ceiling will have to wait for another day.

The balance of the strapping will have to wait until after the insulation is sprayed. That crew will need as much room as possible in order to get at every corner of the area.

Another tree grows

As we build the house we are re-thinking everything about the property. I had fabricated a (fake) puzzle lock on the driveway gate years ago when we built the studio/shop. It matched the one on our giant shop doors.

Now with the building of the house with a different but complimentary theme it was time for a change. One obvoious theme of the house is the trees. This same theme is echoed elsewhere on the property. The studio door is built of welded steel and features a similar tree. We decided to remove the puzzle lock and build a small bonsai style tree in it's place. 

With the house looking cooler and more intreguing every day it is getting to be time to put the gates back up soon. Peter began work on the gates yesterday. By welding row after row cose together on the tree trunks the welding beads look a lot like bark. Like the shop doors it will be allowed to aquire a rust patina over time.

I'll post some more pictures when the gate goes back up.

-grampa dan

More details

This morning the skies were grey and dark. The crews stararted work but the skies opened up and it quickly became wet. The roofers came off the roof for safety's sake. After an hour of waiting they decided to return tomorrow and try again. One carpenter team could work under the eaves on the soffits and made great progress. The soffits look fabulous, especially on the curved eyebrows. The guys are doing a great job!

The other carpenter team worked on laying out the inside walls. It is looking a whole lot more like a house. The entry, pantry, kitchen, and back mud room are now defined with stud walls. We are loving the space that will soon be our home.

Peter began welding up the framework for the large tree that will flank one side of the patio. It is to house a playhouse for our grand daughter Phoebe. On the inside of the house the large, hollow tree will surround the staircase to the upstairs bonus rooms. She toured the framework and declared it perfect.

The poor weather does not stop progress but rather changes the focus of our efforts. Next week the weatherman is promising more sunshine.

-grampa dan