Break Metal Work

Break metal work on residential projects is frequently done poorly - there always seems to be something wrong - the gauge is too thin so it “oil cans” (waviness), or it’s some color that clashes with the rest of the colors, or it’s just plain poorly installed!  Curt found what appears to be a very good metal sub contractor, and we’ve been talking through the parapet and fascia details.  The lower roofs are so thick (SIPS + roof curb), that we are attempting to bring the scale down by stepping the metal fascia into three sections.  Jerry of CO Metal Source mocked up a section to review.  We adjusted the top section to better match the parapet above, and stepped it out a little further to help differentiate it with more of a shadow line.  It will be installed some time this week!

Tubs Arrive

The bath tubs arrived yesterday.  These are the first items so far that reflect something “finished” in the house.  Fortunately, they look as good in real life as in all the photos! We love how simple and modern these MTI tubs are.  Check out their web site here:

MTI Whirlpools

Plumbing-Mechanical Rough-In

The mechanical and plumbing sub-contractors have been working on the rough-ins.  It’s amazing how much abuse the studs and floor joists can take with all the holes and drilling -- and still perform!

We have specified a number of interior chases (exterior SIPs walls don’t really work for this) which are quickly filling up.  

Siding Samples

 

For many months we explored combining different materials on the exterior - mostly stucco and cedar.  However, we decided to simplify in order to achieve a subtle more understated look.  Ultimately we selected a simple tongue and groove western red cedar board with a very small exposure - similar to flooring in width.  We will place this horizontally around the entire house.  We purchased this clear smooth cedar from Haida.

The boards have been delivered to a local staining house, and we ended up selecting Sikkens “Natural Light” - the lower right-hand sample above.

Furniture Layouts

I still don’t think there is anyway to completely be sure of a furniture layout until you experience the space in real life - it’s just too easy to convince yourself that the 3D view is correct!  Nancy and I spent some time over the weekend laying out the kitchen island, dining and living room furniture.  Most of it will work, but we will tweak the location of the island a bit to make it more functional.

Foundation is poured!

Benjamin and his crew worked straight through this past weekend on the forms to beat the big cold front and snow storm. It was close - yesterday as they were finishing up, the flurries had started.

I was a little concerned about the cold weather and the curing process, but they have taken the precautions (they mixed in an admixture for cold weather and covered all the forms with tarps), so we shall see when the forms come off...

In commercial projects I’m used to the form system being a metal frame with wood, but for our small residential project, they built it from scratch. Each tattered piece of plywood at a time. The plywood has a really cool patina.

It’s exciting to see all of this coming together so quickly! Yesterday with the cement truck and massive boom on the pumper truck going, it really felt like we are in full speed ahead mode.

Check out the sequence from footings to foundation wall complete in the construction photos here.

Basement Excavation

No matter what the tool, there is an art to using it properly.  Ramone of Medoza has an incredible talent for carving the earth with this massive machine.  The benching (stepping back of the earth to protect against collapse) is superb and precise. 

Windows & Doors - Loewen it is

We were interested in finding windows/doors which were high quality and energy efficient, as well as having a modern look with wood interior/exterior clad. Out of all the options we researched and priced over the past year, it came down to Kolbe & Kolbe, and Loewen.  Both of these window manufacturers make an excellent mid to upper grade window, with Loewen perhaps slightly more refined.  Loewen was a few thousand dollars more overall, but we are fairly certain the quality and finish will be worth it.

Loewen comes standard with a nice vertical grain fir interior and to top it off, we got triple pane glass on the big openings!  It will not help much with solar heat gain, but the insulating value with the Heat Smart Plus System 3 (Loewen’s name for triple pane glazing) is much higher than a base double glazed window or door.

It would have been nice to have the big exterior folding or sliding door packs for the back and front patio, but it seems that they are still out of reach for our budget.

Day One

SClarkson-day-one

Well we started off with a glitch on the very first day. On small urban lots, you are required to install shoring piers so that the neighboring properties don’t cave in during excavation -- and to keep the workers safe too. However, what was to be a straightforward process suddenly proved otherwise. The boring for the shoring piers had to stop due to extremely sandy soils - too much fine grain loose sand at 17 feet to get it out of the hole (and they need to go down 25 feet). So, a casing type boring rig needs to be used, and it’s going to be a more involved process.

The casing is that big pipe in the photo above. They slide it down with the auger and when they hit the sand, it helps to trap it and keep it moving back up out of the hole. When pouring the concrete if the sand continues to cave in, the casing can be used to hold the sides of the hole up while the concrete is poured in. The casing is then eased out of the hole. This is much more involved in that the concrete truck needs to hang around most of the day to be there for each hole as it’s completed.

Let’s hope Tuesday is a better day.

Bathroom Tile

Nancy has spent a lot of time scouting for unique materials for our project. One of the items we have purchased way ahead of time are the floor tiles for the bathrooms upstairs. These tiles are have a steel-like texture and tone - from Porcelanosa. The pallet arrived the other day and I can’t wait to see them go in. (I know, it’s going to be a long wait!.)

Porcelanosa web site