Windows!

So we had ordered windows and the original plan was to have my Nick, Nate & Joe come back to install them but they are pretty busy (Good for them!) and Tom was just itching to install them. Since we are just a*little* bit smarter from the whole Tyvek experience, we decided to rent a boom lift again and we can install the windows and get the trim boards up at the same time. Piece o' cake, right?

We set up a painting station in the garage to spray the trim boards. Neighbor, Austin, came over to help run the saw.

And this is what the finished windows and trim look like on the craftroom windows! We decided on the 6" trim over the 4" that had originally been spec'd. I'm really happy with how they turned out.

It's hard to tell with just the tyvek on but when we get the contrast of the siding, that trim is going to pop!

Here is the front of the house with the trim done on all the upper windows while we had the lift.

Now let me tell you about 84 square feet of windows... The three upper windows in the living room are 4' wide by 7' tall. That's 28 square feet per window. Double paned and heavy as hell! I'm sure that I can speak for Tom when I say that we are most proud of those. I was sure that first one was going to crash on the ground 20 feet below us. But we figured it out and the other 2 went in much easier. I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment when I look at those windows.

Fabulous friends and family...

Alright, I seem to be having some major problems with my computer but I've gotten even more major grief for not posting so here is the post that has been giving me fits since SEPTEMBER! I can't move the pictures at all or add to them but here it is as of the end of September...

Ok, let me first give a big ol' shout out to our wonderful helpers. First, nephew Matt came out on Saturday with his beautiful 4 month old daughter, Aubrey. The girls and I had a great time playing with the baby while Tom and Matt got the first row of Tyvek in place.

Aubrey Lynn Brown. Isn't she beautiful???

9' x150' rolls of Tyvek cover quite a bit of real estate! We figured the ladders would be sufficient for putting up Tyvek since it's light, right?

So the next day, Sunday, my mom & dad, brother Matt & Andria, friends: Jeff, Tami, Allie & Karson all came to put up the rest of the house wrap. It was the rainiest day of the weekend. We had to keep going in to wait out the downpours. I send out my heartiest and most sincere thanks for all your help. The guys legs were shaking after being at the top of 24-28' ladders and we were all getting gray hairs worrying about them. But they got the bulk of the house wrap up and secured. Tami came back out on Monday (Labor Day) to help hammer the cap nails in.

Roofing & House Wrap

So James and his buddy, Josh, finished up the final touches on the roof Monday evening. It looks fabulous from my perspective. I guess the real test will be next time it rains. Shouldn't have too long to wait around here... The next step is house wrap(Tyvek). That's where you come in... :-) We would like to invite any and all of you who would like to swing a hammer stapler to come help us put on the vapor barrier on the weekend of September 5 & 6 and also the following weekend of September 12 & 13. Please drop us a line if you can make it!

Front porch roof.

End of garage. Long roof in left of picture is over front porch.

North end of house. Window is in master bath.

The backside party zone. woo-hoo!

End of the Rainbow

I KNEW this was what I'd find at the end of the rainbow! Look! Both ends!!

Tom & Titan, then & now

Oh my goodness, came across this picture from May 30, 2009 of Tom and Titan...

And this one from this morning, August 26, 2009. What a difference 3 months makes!

Backpacking with Dad

So I suppose I should let Tom and/or Amanda recount their tales of adventure from Amanda's first overnight backpacking trip but I was taking pix off the camera and had to share! They can fill you in on the details when they have time. I did hear that Titan was a very good boy though...Amanda & Titan. I think I would kill to have legs that long...

Tom & Amanda on the trail!

BREAK

The weather is pleasant, and I made a promise to Amanda that I have to keep before school starts. So Sandi and Hailey are going shopping, and Amanda and I are going on a short back pack trip in the North Cascades. Just one night, and no plumbing along the trail. I'll get back on it after the weekend, I promise!

Roofer

James the Roofer came out today, a bit frustrated that he couldn't work on it today but I had to chat with him about the work. So we went over it and he will correct the few issues. He says he'll be done by Saturday. Cool.

No more progress on plumbing. Killed weeds instead.

I'm in the market for a surface planer, if you know of anyone getting rid of one.

Update: Plumbers Are People Too

But first, the roof....

Being the "GC", you have to stay on top of the subs. This week we're driving both the plumbing contractor and the roofing installer. James has been great, though we've met a number of his buddies and co-workers. By and large a diverse set of guys, and now I noticed a diverse set of values and/or experience. One guy is off the job and James will be out tomorrow to look at the minor problems I've noticed. I'm glad I got up on the roof today. I found some underlayment cut short and some crooked cuts. But to James' credit, he responded quickly and takes full responsibility. That's a good thing.

As for the plumber, he's pretty much an ass so we leave him alone in the crawl space.

A small sampling of some in-wall stuff, this is the laundry area. The system of drains and vents actually requires a bit of math, although you plumbers out there may or may not have completed 2nd grade. Probably, because foresight and critical thinking are just as important as adding fixture units and matching to a pipe-size chart (yes, I have a book "How to Plumb a House". If you want it when I'm done, it's yours). I did have the pleasure of realizing I had missed a shower drain, after I had transversed the area with a 3" pipe in tight conditions. Oh well, ABS plastic is pretty easy to work with. Iron would be harder, more expensive and quieter but we make our "sacrafices". So we're pretty much done with the 1st and 2nd floors and roof vents, and now I'm under the house on the mainline.

Now is when I am absolutely appreciative of the crawl space we didn't fully plan for. Nipple height when I stand in the access hole, and a minor stoop to move about. I do much or most of the work from my knees, but it's currently dirt so it's not too bad.

This is looking "uphill" from near the garage towards the master bath which is the furthest plumbing in the system. We need to maintain about 1/4" of fall per foot, and as you may recall from earlier discussion the elevation of the house was based entirely on the plumbing and septic tank elevation. We don't have to pump the poop.

The pipes sticking down on the right are just marking right now for the kitchen sink.

So I am working in zones, as that is how it falls from above. First, I put in a string and layed a route with hangars. Then the 4" main goes in rough, anticipating fittings as appropriate to collect from above. And even though most vents happen from the fixture on up, there are a couple below so I have to plan that in the layout as well. The peninsula and island sinks both have no wall above, so it is routed down and laterally to another wall. Vents, even though they are primarily for air, need also to maintain the 1/4" rise in their travels to the roof. This allows rain or overflow and clogs to still route down to the drain regardless of which direction they go.

Here's the end of the line, still unfinished. This section serves three toilets, a bathtub and five sinks. Oops, just made me wonder if I need a drain for the refridgerator. Probably not. If it melts all the ice we can just use all the nice towels to sop it up. From here, the drain leaves the house under the front deck and will run about another 30' to the septic tank connection. I won't make that until after plumbing inspection for two reasons. One is that it's much easier to test the system with it disconnected (we have to fill it with air or water and let it sit awhile). The other is because the line will run along the current surface of the ground which we plan to armor and cover with pit-run, which is a driveway-building project and not in the time/money budget right now.

So people ask from time-to-time when they can help, and I don't really have firm plans yet for "work parties". That said, you are welcome to stop by anytime to either throw in someplace or just to say hi. I have several more hours of plumbing underneath. I tell you, if it turns 100 again that's the place to be. It never got above about 75. And no, I won't admit to taking any naps there during the heat wave!

Roofing Materials - at last!!

Let's start off with an updated picture of Titan. Isn't he just the cutest???? He's sure found his way into our hearts anyway. His coloring is definitely changing as he gets older. Still don't really know what his lineage is but I love the bleached out fuzz on the top of his head and ears. He's really turning out to be a great addition to the family. Now if we could just find a way to make him not smell like a dog...Tada! Roofing bundles!!! The roofers are coming this weekend and will hopefully get them all in their rightful places. I will breathe a big sigh of relief when all that expensive wood is protected from the elements. Next stop: windows & doors. Then house wrap. *tee hee*

Moving Forward

Tuesday, July 14th. Since our last post Sandi has had a birthday (27 I think), the kids had a week away with grandma, I put in the cold water backbone and much of the plumbing DWV got done. I know I should post more often, especially as we have had *technical* progress and Sandi says I should babble on about stuff to keep you, our loyal readers, interested and informed (and cautioned, if you will).

I'm not going too deep right now, but was motivated to get this back up because today we are taking delivery of the roofing materials. I had to get up on top and put in some jacks to stack material against, and Sandi actually came up at least to the lower roof level to hand stuff up. We both don't really care for the ankle-bending, mind-freaking and death-defying pitch and altitude of this monster.

Our roofer, a chap named James, is due out tonight to finalize our deal and get going. It's a side job for him, so I don't know how long it will take but we'll be sure to stay on him (and keep $$ out to motivate to completion).

The DWV is virtually complete on the first and second floor, and one of three vents are through the roof. I'll finish those this weekend. The rest is under the floor, which I think I'll hold off on until most or all of the plumbing and electric lines are pulled as the plumbing drains will get in the way of movement around the crawl space. I'm anxious to get it closed and tested, to see how badly I messed it up, but I'll stay strong and work smart (there's a first for everything!).

I'm starting work on the material list for the hot/cold distribution, and once we assemble the materials we'll schedule an actual work party and invite you over for a pipe-pulling BBQ to beat no other.

And when Sandi finds MY camera, maybe more pictures will show up!

Update

My how time flies when in overload. We're slow in posting now the progress is slowed down, coupled by my forgetting to bring home the charging cable for the camera so no photo updates are available. We're painting the eves and fascia, which is a pain in the ass without a lift. I have a 28' extension ladder fully extended at which point I can only get about 5' shot before I become paralyzed with fear and hence immobile. OK, I'm exaggerating. I get 6' shot before I freeze up. One more high peak and then I can do the high roof extensions so when I fall, at least I'll bounce a few times on a lower roof before hurtling to my death.

God Rest Ron Schaevitz, a real client of ours who fell to his untimely death in his own foyer, putting the final touches on he and his wife's dream home. How morbid I am.

The trim looks great, and we're itching for a roof. All about the buck right now, but still plenty to do before they start. I will put in a catwalk in the (large) attic, providing access through one or two gable hatches I need to construct. This will allow roof access via the attic, eliminating the need for a tall ladder or roof flashing. We did this in the shop and it has proven quite handy on the ocassional need to get out there. I also will install a system of safety anchors as it's pretty steep and unforgiving of a fall. Ask my nephew Matt what happens when you slip off of a two-story roof (let's just say he got his first helicopter ride that day).

Man, the rocks. There are so damn many rocks in the "soil" I'm about to give up hope of ever having a plush lawn to mow. We'll just have to settle for a field, and I'll keep rallying Sandi for goats, alpacas or a steer. I'll let you know how that goes.

Plumbing is stalled for these other projects. I need to try real hard to stay on task and get each done. That may help my stress level. Problem is, Sandi refuses to wear the blindfold I gave her and helps "motivate" me to each project. It's my turn to "motivate" her to "motivate" me to finish something! Actually, this phase of the plumbing (DWV) has to get done before the roof gets too far, as there are pipes that need to project through the roof.

OSO lumber picked up the return pile, but we have not received our credit yet. Always hot to make a COD delivery, the close-out of this phase is starting to drag. I offered to write a nice referral letter, but I guess they don't want one. And all we want to do with a credit is spend it with them, I don't see how hard that could be?!

Work is hell right now. We're moving our offices and business is tough and THAT needs focus too! Can Sandi and I borrow somebody's cloning machine? Please?

Oh, and Titan is completely awesome. You gotta meet him sometime, alright?

Needed: Dandelion Seeds

Dang, I missed the Dandelion Planting. If I had scraped the yard a few weeks earlier, we would have dandelions automatically sown for us by the millions. Oh well, ryegrass and fescue will have to suffice, along with whatever else organically appears. We'll take anything that'll keep the dust down.

No plumbing done in three days, but that's cool. It's nice to change the pace sometimes, I guess, when my Dear Wife motivates me in that way only she knows. We're about to get the roof going, so there's other things I have to do such as the front bonus window/roof change. Oh, and plumbing vents. Damn, so much for putting that off....

Flora, Fauna and other assorted animals..

Just so you don't think we are completely one-dimensional about this house. Here's a new neighbor that came to visit the other day. The owl didn't seem to scare him too much... Sorry it's a little fuzzy, Tom had to zoom in from the real house. He was pretty excited to see a buck in our yard. They are beautiful.

Apparently, Titan didn't want to have his picture taken...

And here's another picture of Titan. He's pooped from running with the neighbor's golden retriever most of the morning. He can't quite hang with the big dogs yet...

And our Amanda looking sweet and demure in the window of the master bedroom. She's growing up so fast!

And here is the ever busy Hailey having a moment of down time just hangin' in the grass. I love my girls!

Motivation comes in many forms

So Tom and I were enjoying a cup of coffee on the upper deck of the new house yesterday morning (Saturday) and surveying what used to be our back yard. After it got completely dug up for the geo-thermal field and the large dirt mountains from the foundation excavation, our back yard was no place for fun anymore. With the torrential rains that we've had since starting this project, the ground has been too squishy to do anything with it. Well, it's dry now and the grass/weeds are starting to grow out there in the hilly dirt field. I suggested that we work on that while the weather is nice, the ground is firm and we have the whole summer for the grass to fill back in. Sooo... I called around and found a rock rake to rent for our tractor and arranged to pick it up.

Tom called me an INSTIGATOR! I prefer MOTIVATOR. Our neighbor was kind enough to let us borrow his dozer to spread out what little was left of the dirt pile and Tom also removed the rotten tree stump in the middle of the backyard.

I can't wait for the grass to grow now! We'll pick up rocks and finish smoothing it out today and hopefully can scatter grass seed by this evening!

As promised...

Well, sort of. I guess I said I'd get it the next day and that didn't quite happen but I'm here now! It's Friday night and I really want to do plumbing, but I just don't know how!! Very frustrating. Tom is figuring it out. I hope. :-)

And without further ado, the house as it stands now!

And I couldn't resist taking a shot from my beautiful iris'. Two of my very favorite things in the same picture!
I guess I'd better get working on it instead of just taking pictures of it...

They've Spotted Me...

The people at Lowe's, that is. I've been in there now three days out of four, buying a myriad of plumbing fittings. This happens because I will get started running pipe, then quickly find I don't have something. So down to the store, get what I need X3 and then an additional assortment of fittings in the hope that I can make some progress. I've dropped about $600 in DWV stuff so far, and am counting on being able to return all of the unused pieces. Just don't lose the receipts!

I know I need to get you some pictures, perhaps this weekend. I should probably ask Gene to come out to make sure I'm not screwing anything up too badly!

On another note, I got a call this morning from the building inspector. He had been out the other day for a shearwall inspection, and had noted only one interior wall that needed to be sheated. He called to say we can move ahead without a re-inspect, as he is far too busy and it's a low priority. It seems that the other day the County took in over $1,000,000 worth of new construction permits applications. One day! But for them that means that they are getting very busy and are not re-hiring. For me (and you) it means that money is flowing and people are getting busy and maybe, just maybe this recession can itself recede to a fuzzy memory.

Have a great weekend!

Plumb and Square

I feel like I'm just getting warmed up. That is, the DWV is started barely but not really going yet. It's a puzzle. A mulitiplicity of pieces you don't know you need until you need them, and as it takes time (and patience) to go to the Big Box Home Store I decided to count on the liberal return policies and get a selection of parts. So I just spent $200 on a variety of 1-1/2" and 2" elbows, wyes, traps, cleanouts, 45's, 22-1/2's, T's and the like in hopes of having a particular item when I need it. I got a few 3" and 4" things, though that is mostly for in the crawl space. My focus right now is to get lines in the 2nd floor, tied to or pass through the 1st floor and stubbed into the crawl space before I go and tie it all together to the main drain.

It's funny, I've had about 15 people volunteer for the electrical wiring phase, but nobody for the plumbing. I guess I don't hang out with the right crowd. But I'm also aware that I'll be able to manage whatever size crew we have for the electrical party as that's what I know. This plumbing stuff however, while not "kicking my ass", is taxing my brain in the new territory that it is.

More whining to come, bear with me and eventually we'll get to the really fun stuff!

How hard can it be?

Payday is on Friday, poop goes downhill, and belts are optional. That seems pretty easy, that is until you actually have to DO it! Sandi wants me to put together a work party, with actual people over who would help us to "bang it out". The problem is, I don't know what I'm doing! I have a book, some limited experience and a line to my buddy Gene who does it for a living. He's pretty busy, so I'll try not to bug him too much. 1/4" per foot drop, gotta remember that, and venting. The venting is what's starting to demand my brain. I can flow water downhill, but keeping the vents and drains separate but together is interesting. I'm hoping I have the right pipe sizes for the application, but I think I'm using bigger than necessary in most cases so it should be fine. The biggest challenge so far has been fighting the Man Eating Drill, my trusty Hole Hawg. I already snapped off a heavy duty holw saw arbor, though I'm happy that broke not the motor shaft of my drill. Also Sandi had given me a gift of a framing nailer in anticipation of building the house, then we hired a crew to frame it so it is with great joy that I broke out the new nail gun and shot some nails, built some stuff. And it's happening; I may have mentioned in the past this "problem" I have. I started plumbing, but needed to know where to run the island pipes so I stop and start on layout of counters and other things, all of course with the design to meet again in some sort of finished product.

This is going to take awhile!

It was a good weekend, lots of BBQ, yard getting spiffed up and progress on the house. Now it's Sunday night and work mode is hovering in my brain, ready to take me hostage again.

It's so totally worth it!

Plumbing starts!

Here is a progress shot of the house. It's a few days old so it's actually changed AGAIN but it's too dark for me to get a picture tonight. Something to look forward to tomorrow. :-)

The first plumbing pipe is in place! I also set the flanges for the toilets in the house today. tee-hee! Who know plumbing would be so much fun?!? Also laying out the kitchen cabinets to block for gypcrete and also to know where to drill for plumbing. Got a shot of those sexy legs in the background too. Back off, Ladies. He's mine. ;-) The shape in the middle is going to be the island.
And these bold little creatures thought they could move into my house before we do! I don't THINK so!

Newest Addition

Well, I was getting bored with all the free time I've had on my hands between work, kids, Tom, building a house, stamping, cats, chickens.... so we decided to get a puppy! Meet Titan.

We found him at NOAH of Stanwood. It's a no-kill shelter. They estimate he's about 2-3 months old and is an Australian Shephard mix. Isn't he just as cute as he can be??? He will also sit on command already and is not a wanderer! He loves to hang with his people. The girls just love him.

Decks are framed

I'm sorry, I've been remiss in my postings here. I'm spending most of my energy at work, though now with the weather improved the weeds are growing madly and the mowing/whacking is underway in earnest.

The deck structures are in, which pretty much completes the exterior framing work. Nick made a modification to the rear deck, to accommodate a roof line that extended into the deck walkway space. Man, is that deck high! Raising the house (remember the plumbing issue?) has impacted us yet again, this time in the stair that will be needed to the upper deck. Plan "A" was to have a straight stair, but that would put it sticking out past the garage by 7 or 8 feet. We're thinking it'll have to have a landing and then a 90 degree turn. We're talking 21 steps to get 13 feet up from grade! Nick is not including the stairs, but I can handle that. Stay tuned.

This weekend we'll be cleaning up around the house, picking scraps and stacking salvage materials. I'll also start laying out the plumbing drains and vents, and likely start drilling holes and making my material list for that and the gas piping and the venting. It'll be good to get started on systems, to keep making progress.

OK, I'm done, I'm going to bed. Hope to see y'all sometime!

I have not "given up" posting.

So there.

More Dormers

It appears that Tom has given up posting to the blog. Hmmm... after chastising me for not posting before there was anything interesting to write, he quits when there's SO much cool stuff going on. Oh well, on to the pictures!

This is the front of the house with all the dormers in place. It will change again next week when they get the covered front porch up. The porch will span the entire front of the main house. Stay tuned for more updates!

Another view...

And now a tour of the inside... Here is a view of the stairs from the top. You can see the slight arc to the bottom treads a little better. It's truly stunning in person. (Thank you, Nick!)

Here is a view from the upstairs hall down into the living room. There will be a railing on most of the hallway so you will still be able to see down into the living room after it's finished.This is the kids' loft area. If you stand in the same position as the picture above only turn slightly right, this is the view. The door to the right leads into the bonus space over the garage, AKA the Craft Loft. The big opening on the left will be french doors that lead out to a 10x10 covered deck. (Yes, for those of you with kids, the door will be triple alarmed and set to go off instantly if anyone tries to come in - or go out - those doors) Ah yes, preparing for teenagers... And now on to our main attraction... Drumroll please... The Craftroom! Here's a view from the inside door. There will be an outside door also. It's to the left (out of sight) in this picture This is from the corner looking back towards the house. The door to the right leads outside to the deck and stairs.And Nate has been the unsung hero of this build. He's been here every day, rain or shine, and with the help of Joe (and Nick & Matt for extra muscle on the tall walls) has made our dream a reality. Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to us.

Oh what a difference a dormer makes...

So I learned a new thing yesterday. It's called 'barge board'. Heard of it? Yeah, me neither until yesterday that is. Barge board is the white boards that go on the edge of the gable ends. You can paint them any color you like, but they start out as primed white. And apparently there are a lot of options in the world of barge board. Who knew?!? I'll tell you who. Nick knew! So Nick patiently walked us through and showed us the finer points of picking out barge board. We ended up going with a 3-layered barge with a keystone at the peak. Nick, the original master at MasterWorks Construction, along with Joe, a master in his own right, put it up along the house end on the garage side and oh my goodness, it took it from non-descript to a real focal point. I can hardly believe that this will actually be our house that we get to live in someday. I'm blown away at all the beautiful details and can't wait to have you all over for a barbecue! (Bring your drills, 'cause you'll be pulling wire for your supper! lol)

This is what just the 12" bottom layer of barge board looks like:

This is the house with the dormer on the front. Really changed the appearance of the front, eh? Wait 'til they get the other 3 smaller dormers up and the rest of that fabulous barge board!