Saturday, December 8, 2012

Fireplace(s)

Upstairs fireplace with cement board substrate. Final stone surround TBD.
Firepit downstairs with barnwood bookshelves to either side and token pooch in the foreground. Fireplace surround to be river rock collected from creek on the property.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Geo-thermal

We opted for a geo-thermal heat pump for the HVAC system.  Here is a short video with the concepts of geo-thermal heating and cooling explained.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Floating Stair Update

The initial balance test

C-Channels cantilevered from concrete wall with epoxy anchors
4x12 Cedar treads routed to accept C-Channel

A proud (and relieved crew)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

It's getting hot in here....




I made a short site visit over the Fourth to check on the status.  Unfortunately I timed the visit in the height of the heat wave scorching the Midwest and it was a balmy 103 F!  It had been over 6 weeks since my previous check-in and a lot has been completed.  The standing seam metal roof/wall are both installed.  A majority of exterior wood siding is complete with a prime coat of stain/sealer.  The final coat will be slightly darker.  The glazing system is all installed as noted in a previous post.

Interior Panorama from Kitchen

2x6 tongue and groove plank floor over 4x12 beams
View looking back from the Master Bedroom
View from Master Bedroom

On the interior, the first floor has been laid.  All-in-all it went down well and the 2x6 t&g planks seem to provide a sturdy floor with very little spring.  We are also diligently laying the exterior deck floor with care to align the boards with the interior floor to create a seamless transition from interior to exterior.  We are using blind deck fasteners to alleviate board upheaval and nail pops.



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Sliders

The sliders were finally installed this week.  To go along with the install of the metal roof the week prior, we are now weather-tight.




Sunday, June 17, 2012

Standing seam metal roof

The standing seam metal roof was installed this week.  We choose a commercial grade snap-together standing seam system with a 1 3/4" seam by McElroy Metal.  This provided the greatest performance and weather tightness with a factory applied sealant placed at seams, although we did have to make a few compromises on trim details.  We had hoped to "wrap" the back eave where the roof folds into the vertical wall with a seamless transition (w/ mitred ribs) to enhance the aesthetic of a folded plate.  Unfortunately because of concerns over metal expansion and the risk of water infiltration at this point, we opted for the safer detail of a continuous eave cap, but made sure this piece was as narrow as functionally possible to create a crisp and narrow line at the transition.

Vertical panels

Custom trim profiles at eaves and clerestory windows

Standing seams wrapped at eave