Imagine some more...

As of this week we are transitioning from framing the house to installing the equiment that will make it operate efficiently. Like the foundation, walls and roof we are not skimping on quality for these new components. This house is built to last a long time and to save us money on utilities over the long term.

The carpenters were busy today putting in bulkheads in the attic space in readiness for the ELEMENT Spray Foam crew who are to begin their work soon.

At the other end of the house they were framing in the wall/head board/shelf unit for the room we call the Christmas room. This room will house friends and family guests when we have lots of company at varipus times of the year including Christmas.

Up in the high ceilings, Marv, our HVAC and air conditioning specialist was busy installing the first of the ductwork and other equipment for the house. 

Janis & I spent the morning with the C and S electrician. I had a can of spray paint while Brad made copius notes in his notepad. We travelled from room to room, discussing the placement of each light fixture, plug and switch in the house. I sprayed marks on the floor and walls to help us remember our decisions.

When we were done it was time to do a little imagining. The SYSTEM 7 sound expert, Steve, was ready to talk about TV and speaker placement. I marked out where the new loveseats would go while he used strings to indicate the placement of our LED TV. Other marks and notes on the plywood backing for the wainscoting indicated where the speakers would be built into the walls. All of the video/audio equipment will be housed remotely in the hall closet instead of being housed in a cabinet under the TV. It will reduce the clutter of the living room in a hurry. No wires will be visible in this room. To get a feel of how things would be I brought out a couple of chairs and Janis and I sat and imagined just how it would look and sound.

The roofing crew continued work on the roof and I am told that in four (work) days the roof will be complete up there. Peter completed the welding on the giant front trees. Tomorrow the mesh will be wrapped up and on Friday the application and sculpting of the fiberlass reinforced concrete will begin at last. I can hardly wait to see this happen!

Around the side of the house the painting crew have been busy. The facia and soffits are now painted. They began the first (of three) coats iof paint on the rocks. We started with a blue color as the undercoat. The rocks will be very bright until we add the speckles and grout colors.

It is an exciting and busy time as the house quickly comes together. Stay tuned...

More progress.

Work continues all around the house. The carpenters were busy wrapping up the framing of the interior walls and putting in all the needed backing for drywall. The soffits are now done and our crew is busy working up to them. Out back Peter was busy welding up the tree fort on the edge of the back patio. The tree is half outside the house and half inside, surrounding  the door to the staircase leading to Phoebe's secret room upstairs.

Out front we managed to cement and sculpt the giant truss. The wall behind it will be plastered tomorrow morning and then Peter will be welding up the top of the last tree on that part of the house. The mudding of the super large front two trees will start in the next few days, changing the look of the house in a very big way in a hurry.

On the east side of the house we are testing paint colors and painting techniques. We've pretty much decided ho the main panels will look but the trim pieces are still in testing. By the end if the week we should be painting down on the rocks with the painted trim going on as a last step in a couple of weeks.

Up on the roof the Penfold's Roofing crew continues to work hard. They finished the first eyebrow today and it looks mighty fine. They should be finished the west half of the roof tomorrow or close to it. I's sure liking the look of these shingles!

This evening the house got a thorough and complete clean in preparation for the arrival of the electricians tomorrow. Janis and I spent considerable time in each room planning out where each light would go and how it will be switched. Tomorrow the plan is to start in on the many plugs throughout the house. Marv, our HVAC and air conditioning installer also begins his ducting work as well.

Progress around the house

Each day I can scarcely follow the progress that happens with the house project. So many people are doing so many things all around the building - all at the same time! While I do my best to do actual physical work, a lot of my time is spent making sure things are going according to the plan that largely lives in my head. Janis and I tour the site a number of times each day to look things over and to discuss changes and modifications, ideally before the project is started.

Up on the roof the Penfold's Roofers are busy nailing on the recycled rubber shinlges. They are doing a great job payng particular attetion to the curved eyebrows. I watched for a while as one of the fellows worked on the curved roof over the entry. He carefully test fit each piece, trimming as necessary and also careful not to put any joints near the valleys of the roof. He explained the why's of everything he was doing. I learned lots! We are confident the roof will serve us well for many, many years into the future!

The carpenters were busy tidying up the various bits of framing of the walls through the house. They also finished the high soffits on the back patio roof. They will be finished this stage of construction in a few days.

Our crew were busy through the day mixing and applying the fiberglass reinforced concrete in many paces around the house exterior. We sculpted the first of the trees in the carport. 

We also mudded the high facia on the front gable. We used a snorkle lift to reach as it was the fastest and safest way to get way up there. 

I get many enquiries about the process we use to do the sculpting of the concrete on our house. We sculpt with a special concrete mix that is called FRC - fiberglass reinforced concrete. It is trowelled on the expanded steel lath about an inch thick and allowed to set up until it is cured enough to carve. This generally takes one to two hours depending on the wind, sunshine and humidity. 

We then use a variety of special tools to carve and sculpt the concrete to the shape and texture we desire. It is important that we carve quickly, at the same rate we applied the concrete, for the open time for carving is very short. It will become rock hard soon!

It was a great day today! Much was done on the house and we are all eager to get goong once again tomorrow. Stay tuned...

-grampa dan