Masonry Details

I met with Gary the stone guy and the builder this morning to work out details for the outside fireplace.  He started working on it today but mostly just figuring, measuring, and marking things.  He assured me it was going to be beautiful no matter what I decided, but hopefully we got it right.

Plumbing passed inspection. The framing inspection has been requested and will probably happen tomorrow.

The septic system install begins tomorrow.  I've been told they're very fast.

Shim and shave continues.  Insulation and drywall are still set to start next week.  

We're finalizing interior door details and will be choosing light fixtures, door hardware, and cabinet hardware soon.

Shim N Shave

"Shim & shave" has begun!  They check the walls and shave down or build out each stud until it's just right in preparation for drywall.  They also marked all sprinkler heads, recessed can lights, outlet and switch boxes with orange spray paint on the floor to help prevent something getting buried behind the drywall (which has happened to us before).  The crew said this is the squarest, nicest framed house they've worked on in a long time.  That's due to our awesome framer, high quality lumber, and letting it dry out slowly.  It's a solid house.  

The fire sprinkler inspection is complete.  

Plumbing is finished and will be inspected tomorrow or Thursday.  If that goes well they'll call for the framing inspection that would give approval to close up the walls.

Gutters are up.  They'll be painted eventually.  Right now the black downspouts are quite awful looking with the yellow and blue striped siding.

Patio Is Looking Good

The patio is drying out nicely.  The framer finished some odds and ends, including creating a doorway in the back of Viv's closet so we can access the garage attic storage from inside the house.  Propane is connected, the temporary power pole is gone, and more dirt arrived for the front yard.  Lots happening this week to prepare for closing up the walls.

Roofing Day 2

More roofing progress.  And the roof is growing on me.  I don't dislike it as much as I did yesterday.  

The excavator came to smooth out the ruts in the yard and lay a fresh coat of gravel on the driveway.  And the framer must have stopped by because the post base boxes are built.

Framing Week 9 Day 5

The roof is ready!  Even the crickets above the chimneys have been built and there are roof vents in place.  There's a bit more to do, but framing should be officially complete by the end of tomorrow.  Exciting but bittersweet because seeing the house take shape has been so much fun.   

Inside, it looks like we were hit with graffiti but in a good way.  The HVAC layout is all marked.  

Along with roofing next week, the excavator is coming back to bring in fresh gravel for the top of the driveway, smooth out the ruts in the backyard so that starts to dry, and dig the trench for the propane line.

Framing Week 9 Day 4

More roof progress today.  When we left the peak where he's working was almost closed up.  That will leave the area where the primary bedroom roof ties into the living room roof for tomorrow.  Then it's ready for roofing next week!  

There's a new vent pipe in the roof out back. 

 

The extra bracing for the range hood is in too.  

Due to some changes we made to the fireplaces and partly due to a mixup in the estimate, we learned the stone mason estimate was WAY more than we'd planned.  In an efffort to rescue the budget we decided tonight to not put stone on the front two bumpouts as planned.  We think there are enough other interesting elements on the front of the house that it will still look nice.

Framing Week 9 Day 3

I think it was just Mike working today, and he tackled the trickiest part of the roof.  It's all framed in and mostly sheeted.  From underneath you can see the tangled web of framing.  I asked him over the weekend whether the plans made it clear how to tie those multiple rooflines together.  He said they do to a point but eventually you just have to figure out how to pull it together on-site.  I'll see if Mason can take an aerial photo of that spot for me soon.  The roofers start Tues or Wed, and the roof should be nearly or completely finished by the end of the day next Friday!

Framing Week 9 Day 2

We have a chimney!  And they've almost finished the roof sheeting on the side where the chimney comes through.

They put in the bracing for some wall art in the entry and for the closet barn doors in the kids' bedrooms.  Lots of other small framing things happening.  

There are multiple to-do lists all around the house.  In some ways it feels like we're so close to the end of framing.  But there's also a lot left to do before the roofing delivery Monday!  I have no doubt they'll be ready.  

The stone mason came by today to do some cement work at the base of the outdoor fireplace and to deliver supplies. 

 And we had a walk-thru with the builder to talk about locations for all hvac, well equipment, tankless water heaters, etc.  As busy as it's been, things are about to get even crazier.

Framing Week 9 Day 1

They're getting close to wrapping things up!  They've sheeted the face of the big gable end out front and half of the top. 

 

The fireplace is covered with plywood. 

There's a lot of framing odds and ends completed...shower bumpers, attic access, stair rail supports, extra bracing here and there.

 

They finished framing the bastard hip in Viv's ceiling (it's a real term...I promise) and her closet and shower wall were framed in as well.  

There's still quite a bit of tricky roof framing left to do.  This section where 3 different rooflines converge has to be one of the most complicated spots.  Looking forward to seeing how Mike ties it all together.  

 

We're working with the builder on final framing decisions.   Besides finishing the roof, they also need to create the boxes at the bottom of each exterior post to prep for the stone bases.  And there's more bracing to go in the walls for the range hood, barn doors on the closets, and some extra we've requested.  Pretty soon it will just be Mike finishing off the last few items.  The roofing material arrives a week from today and the roofers will probably start Tues or Wed of next week.  

On Saturday Jeremy brought the kids and the grill for a sunny picnic.  I swept and picked up for HOURS, trying to remove as much sawdust as possible.  We need to get this house dry asap, and sawdust traps moisture.