Word - Framing

It took a while of back and forth to decide what the roof of the connector was going to be constructed from, antique beams or lumber that we cut ourselves. Of course we knew that we would save money if we could cut the lumber ourselves or have it cut at the local lumber yard but could we achieve the look we wanted and match the exising antique log cabin that everything has been built around. After several test of lumber scraps and solutions to make the timber look older we decided we wanted to do it ourselves. That allowed the most flexibility and I think the end result was perfect. The color matched the existing log cabin exactly and the look is exactly what we were going for in that it looked like it was built years ago from the materials that were available with local materials. I decided to leave the natural edge on the bottom to give the beams a more authentic look.

09/28/2011

10/06/2011

Word - Windows

The windows were delivered and installed and true to many other aspects of this job, it wasn't easy. The driver of the truck got stuck before he even made it to the site and then he had to park the truck at the gate of the clients drive. The drive is approx. 800' long, going up a steep incline and then back down to the house site. The hill was too steep for his truck which was not four wheel drive. We had to have my brother there with the flatbed truck to load the windows from the box truck onto the flat bed, haul them to the house and then unload them across a 3' wide walking plank from the drive into the house. The greatroom window was by far the heaviest window and the most scary to manuver over the maze of obstacles. The myriad of potential outcomes that run through my mind the night before is what keeps me up at night. Luckily I work with crews that understand the obstacles and realize how important it is to go slow and treat the materials with care.

09/28/2011

Kurnick - Septic install

We started to install the septic field today. It's good to get the septic field in first because it's on the far side of the house so once the foundations are in the path to the side of the house for the septic get's more difficult to access. Thankfully, no hidden surprises of rock so all is well and the septic field and setting of the tank goes in like clockwork. The field and tank need to be inspected by the Jackson County Department of Environmental Health before covering up to ensure all is installed properly

9/28/2011

Komara - Framing

Setting the glulam beams that support the roof. I used a structural roof support system called perlins. Perlins support the roof, not at the ridge but down lower on the rafter length which requires two beams instead just one ridge. In this case we were unable to use one ridge because the span was so great to size one ridge beam would have been impossible. The perlins were sized by my supplier's in house engineer. I often feel they over estimate the size of beams like this but if you factor in the cost an engineer charges to size the beam and sign off on the paperwork, the cost difference could be minimal. If the size of the larger beam is a problem then I would suggest getting an engineer to size it because they will likely be more accurate as to what is needed for your specific application.

A crane was used to set the perlin beams. The site is very tight, trees around the house and a narrow drive. There wasn't much room in front of the house to stage the crane and the beams on the truck but we are used to working in difficult circumstances so everyone works together to get the job done and making sure no one gets hurt.

Komara - Framing

The exterior stud walls and interior stud walls are going up and properly braced in case we get some heavy winds. The exterior walls are 2x6 studs with 1/2 osb sheathing. All window openings are in with proper headers. We build our headers by sandwiching (2)2x's with sheets of blue board or rigid insulation in the middle. That helps cold air from being able to transfer easily through a solid wood header.

09/14/2011

Recession Depression - Material problems

I just got off the phone with my building supplier/engineer, who is sizing some beams for the roof of one of my projects, and he informed me that because of the size of the beams that I need and the lack of production I might have problems getting the beam.  The beam is sold by the foot and they have one coming in that is 60' but I don't need 60' I only need 45'.  That means I would be paying for 15' that I don't need and the likelihood of getting the beam in size I need quickly is just not going to happen.  So, I have to be creative and come up with another alternative or my client will end up spending more money on some beam that they don't need.  I miss the days when you could get just about anything you wanted when you wanted it.  Today, a contractor has to be even more on top of the job to get things done on time and on budget.

Komara - Framing

Monday was Labor Day and Tuesday rained almost all day so this has been a short week at the Komara job.  Despite that the main floor framing is completed and by the end of the week, so is the main level back pressure treated deck.  Everything is looking clean and organized.

9/8/2011

9/8/2011

Word - Framing

The crew is continuing to install the fake rafter tails around both structures while we wait on the antique timbers which, are due in next week.  The process is time consuming but things are moving along.  The bedroom wing is nearly completely protected by felt paper and almost ready for window installation.

 9/08/2011

An inside view of what is the living room and the dormer that will let in much needed light. 

 8/31/2011

I met with two engineers at the site concerning the concrete retaining wall for the driveway.  It's been a little bit of a hurdle but I think we are on our way to a resolution and hopefully we can start to form the concrete walls this coming week.

Word - Framing

We are about to hit a stopping point or a bottle neck.  When working with antique timbers you have to be ahead of the game when determining what you need to order because finding antique timbers and getting them to the site to install is not a task that happens like ordering studs from the local lumber yard.  We have a couple of sources that we work with but it seems that speedy response time is not a characteristic common in the antique lumber business.  So we are trying to get our timbers for the connector porch and the porch off the kitchen but more importantly then both of those is the tie-logs that the client has decided to add to the inside of the timber structure.  Those have to be installed before the final roof goes in so we can use the structure to help pull the timbers into place.


In the meantime we are trying to coordinate the final foundation retaining walls for the driveway.  The site is so tight it's hard to coordinate lumber deliveries and getting work done around the excavation work that is needed to pour the last wall, not to mention the dreaded engineering that is needed.

Weather - Tropical storm

Tropical storm Lee hit Sunday and rained clear through Tuesday night.  I don't want to complain because we certainly needed the rain, everything was so dry.  The rain also hit on a holiday weekend so that was good for work but maybe the tourist won't agree.  The temperature did drop after the rain and I think Tuesday night the temperature was in the 50's.  That makes me think of what is around the corner...WINTER.  I'm thinking we need to get these houses "shelled" in as soon as possible.

Komara - Framing

The new floor deck is installed using 14" TJI's and Advantec. The new pressure treated deck is built from 2x10's and bolted to the house every 16". That is more than is required by code but we want to make sure that this deck will withstand any party the client wants to have. The walls are constructed from 2x6 studs and 1/2" osb with house wrap. Soon we will be on to the next level, things are moving along quickly.

Komara - Foundations

The new foundation required engineering because the existing foundation consisted of a continuous footer of approximately 4" x 16" and a 6" block wall that did not have the cores filled. I'm always amazed when I see how houses were constructed many years ago and consider the myrid of changes that have occured over the years in order to build a better house, unfortunately it also means a more expensive house.

With engineering we had to dig pier pads around the house, digging under the existing footer and below the frost line, that was reinforced as a column was formed over each pad, all cores were poured solid and a continuous bond beam with rebar was formed around the entire block perimeter. Part of the old wall was torn down because it was not level or plumb and replaced with a poured concrete wall.

Komara - Demo

Starting the demolition on the existing structure. All of the demolition was done by hand which takes longer. I've been told that in larger cities there are groups of people that will do the demo for you and recycle the materials, using them for habitat house. I think that is a great idea. I wish that we had the ability to do that in our town but our habitat drop-off closed this year.

All that is left is the existing foundation and existing fireplace with chimney. We had to keep some part of the existing structure so that we could continue to use the existing septic system. The new house was designed to retain the existing footprint and keep the same number of bedrooms, otherwise we would have had to install a new septic field.

Kurnick - Septic evaluation

I'm starting to build a new project today. To begin, I visited the lot with the health department employee to evaluate the lot and determine if the current three bedroom septic system that was originally permitted for the lot can be increased to a four bedroom septic field. To give you a little history, the lots were divided up and evaluated for a standard three bedroom septic field in order for the developer to sell the lot but my client's house plan is for a four bedroom septic field so the evaluation needed to be redone. We were lucky in that my clients soil conditions and lot size were perfect for allowing an increase in the septic field size.

Kurnick - Design

I started a new design project. It started out that the client had a plan that was designed by an architect but after the client sent the plan to bid, they quickly realized the plan was not fitting into their budget. What I find often happens when working with some architects or designers is that they do not know the cost of building and the plan quickly get's out of control. It is difficult when the client has a long list of desires but I always assume that when a client tells me what their budget is, that is the number they want to use as a guide. It is important to always keep that number in mind when designing because certain aspects of the house like complicated rooflines, areas of the house that require too much foundation work, too much square footage, certain framing techniques all create additional cost that could be eliminated with a different design. I try to find the right combination of clients desires, budget constrants, asthetics, flow of the space, lot layout and development requirements in order to create the perfect plan for each client. It's a lot to keep in mind but every item is important and all of those goals must be met in the end. I redesigned the clients plan and now we are ready to move forward.