Coffee Rd. house

Coffee Rd. house in winter

2010-03-05T21:44:00.005-05:00

As many here on the east coast already know, the winter of 2009-2010 has been record setting in terms of snow, wind and cold. How has Coffee Rd. house done through all of this?

From Winter 2009-10

Well, the Jotul woodstove has performed remarkably well. The efficiency of this stove means that D is burning much less wood for terrific amounts of heat output. We have been heating nearly exclusively with this source, at least for our first floor which encompasses our day-to-day living space. The February electric bill: about $70.

From Winter 2009-10

Not bad for an all-electric house. Yes, we spent a lot on insulation and geothermal heating up front in the process of building, and the jury is still out on how long it may take to recoup that investment, but meanwhile, it sure is nice to have those low electricity bills.

From Winter 2009-10

And what does one do to occupy oneself during all of this snowy weather, aside from shoveling the driveway? Why, bake No-knead bread, of course!

From Winter 2009-10

On the left, semolina and on the right, whole wheat oatmeal.

Occupied!

2009-06-23T08:13:00.005-04:00

June 13 was our official move-in day. Our Certificate of Occupancy arrived in the mail Saturday afternoon, just in the nick of time. Thanks to Tony for his hard work, strong back, and big biceps in helping with our move! However, we discovered that someone else has already moved in: a flycatcher has built a nest over the range hood exhaust vent at the back of the house. Boy was she surprised to see us, and two cats!

From Moved in

Last week was spent unpacking a large portion of our "stuff", deciding where to store it, then changing my mind and storing it somewhere else. It's now quite a challenge to locate things and I find myself opening and closing drawers, cabinets, and closets in search of a given item.
And if the neighbors have been eyeing the house at all, they will have noted strange patterns of lights going on and off, especially at night, as we attempt to discern the mysterious ways of our electrician, and learn what light switches work which lights.

I oiled the soapstone counter tops for the first time. Here's a "before" photo:

From Kitchen

I felt a little self-conscious purchasing the mineral oil at our local drug store, as it was labeled "intestinal lubricant", and I had to ask for it. (People really ingest this stuff?!) I got the last bottle that they had. I told the clerk that it was for my soapstone. She was nonplussed. Here's an "after" photo:

From Kitchen

The felines, Otis Spunkmeyer and Jackie Manuel, have settled in, although the first 24-48 hours were a little rough on them. Jackie spent most of Saturday hiding behind some boards in the basement. Otis spent most of the day shedding. By Sunday, both were venturing outdoors, collecting ticks, and now it's as if they've always lived here.

From Moved in

It's an unreal feeling to finally be inhabiting the place. My sister aptly describes it as, "Waiting for the real owners to show up and tell us that we have to leave." We both feel as if we are living in a vacation house, only working.
We are still having a few details attended to:
-The outdoor lighting fixtures arrived this week and are pending installation.
-Colin and Carly finished the outdoor shower surround, so we can now use that without fear of alarming passing motorists.
-Sadly, our beautiful maple butcher block island top was marred last week by the locksmiths who mistook it for a workbench and pounded several deep gouges into it. After we discovered this, D was ready to pound some gouges into the locksmiths. It's the first-scratch-on-the-new-car syndrome, although we would feel differently about it if one of us had been the culprit. Windell will have to remove it, have it belt sanded and refinished. In the meantime we will have a lovely plywood replacement for it. I like to think of it as a sort of "shabby chic" look.
-Still need bar stools for the island, but since the top will be MIA for a while, we can wait.
-We will require the services of W.B. to connect, network, and wire all of the AV and computer components. The outdoor speakers for the screened porch also need mounted, but we are waiting for the lights to go up, first.

K's list of top 10 things that we love about our new house:
10.Geothermal heating/cooling rocks! Very quiet.
9. Screened porch overlooking Paige's Pond.
8. Walk-in-closet with lots of open shelves so that D can stack his T-shirts.

From Moved in

7. Large garage with good lighting.

From Moved in

6. Kitchen and pantry (filled this baby up in no time!). Love having all drawers in the base cabinets. No more crawling around on the floor to reach into the rear of the cabinet.

From Moved in

5. Outdoor shower...fabulous!

From Water

4. All of the interior wood details...reclaimed wood for the wainscoting, office, and bathroom vanities and mirrors, black walnut cabinets, locally sourced red oak flooring.

From Moved in

3. Open kitchen, dining, living area.

From Moved in

2. Energy efficiency...Energy Star appliances, LED lights, foam insulation, deep roof overhangs, solar hot water, Jotul wood stove, rainwater catchment.
1. That new house smell!

Finishing Touches

2009-06-07T20:41:00.005-04:00

It's down to the details, now. except for the woodstove installation. That occurred this week, and required 4 strong men to lift and position the 450+ lb. beast. Now all that remains is connecting the fresh air intake.

From Stonework and Fireplace

The big job for D and K has been CLEANING in preparation for moving. After talking with Colin and learning that fees for merely mediocre cleaning crews start around $1200, we decided that maybe we could find the time to do it ourselves. Of course, this translates into D doing most of the work, but armed with a wide mirofiber mop head and duster and a bucket of water, he has completed a once-over of the entire house. We have had to wipe down all of the painted woodwork, clean drywall mud and old sticky adhesive off of the acrylic showers (Avon SkinSoSoft works great!), and run the dust mop over every wall surface to remove the dust left over from the hardwood floor sanding. Now he's working on windows, cleaning more adhesive off the windows and scraping polyurethane spatters from the glass...inside and outside. I've been told that this dust will continue to circulate for the next couple of months! Fortunately, the temperature inside the house has been very comfortable to work in without any climate control turned on. That foam insulation is the Bomb!

Todd has been doing some paint touch-ups and applying stain and polyurethane to the exterior doors. Colin has been doing some caulking that was needed, and he installed the bathroom mirrors that he fashioned out of more of the old barn wood. They look great! Full length beveled mirrors were also installed in the two baths.

Al fired up the solar hot water heater, and the roof temperature today was reading over 140 degrees F, while the temperature in the tank was 130+ degrees. Because the water temperature will vary somewhat during the day, the mix of hot and cold water will have to be adjusted with each use.

The crew finally showed up at the end of last week to install the gutters. They managed to get one long one up on the back of the house, sans downspouts, before the rain cranked up again, so there is still no connection to the cistern and all of this rain is just so much run off.
In other water news, D took the first outdoor shower this week. Never mind that there is no enclosure!
The biggest news this past week, though, is that we had our final inspection on Wednesday and passed!! All that is outstanding is the water quality report, which was supposed to be submitted long ago, but now cannot be located, so we must have it redone. Looks like moving time is fast approaching!!

Power boost

2009-05-25T20:09:00.007-04:00

The kitchen is nearly complete with the installation of the GE ceramic top range this week. Only the microwave is still at large.

From Kitchen

We opted for sealing the grout on the backsplash in anticipation of possible future accidents with tomato sauce and black raspberry jam. The soapstone is still in its natural state. Oiling will wait until we have moved in and the majority of the dust has settled. Paul has installed all of the desired dimmers on the lights (island pendants, dining area, LEDs in the living room, and the outdoor screened porch), and we await the arrival of the reordered outdoor Hanover Gemini wall sconces.

Outdoors, the Kohler generator (17 KV) is in, along with the propane tank which is buried nearby.

From Exterior

The last 20+ years of country living have taught us that a secondary power source is necessary if you want to flush your toilets during a power outage...the well pump, after all, is powered by electricity. This baby should support most of the critical household functions, and the house is wired accordingly with a separate circuit breaker box which will be activated automatically in the event of loss of power. No more lugging the little ol' Honda generator outside and jerking the starter cord like a madman in a downpour while lightning flashes and thunder roars. Our lives will be just a little less exciting as a consequence.

Colin has just about completed the backfill around the foundation. Now, D has his work cut out for him in terms of planting grass seed and landscaping, all in addition to the already onerous task of tending the vegetable garden and remaining acres of landscape.

From Exterior

Coming up next: gutters and downspouts!

Fired up!

2009-05-17T10:45:00.004-04:00

Well, summer is approaching and you know what that means: time to fire up the woodstove! This week, D broke in the Jotul Oslo woodstove with "burn-ins" in anticipation of its installation.

From Stonework

Inside the house, Paul has installed the Hubbardton Forge Mackintosh pendant in the dining area.

From Lighting

And the grazing lights are in place over the fireplace.

From Lighting

Windell and Trampus's work has been completed on the upstairs closets and the lights are in place.

From Lighting

Out on the screened porch, the ceiling fan is up.

From Deck, Screened porch

We sat out here yesterday and enjoyed a chilled malted beverage. I predict that we will be spending a lot of time out here...really pleasant!
Underneath the screened porch, the stamped concrete has been sealed. The same stamped concrete was used as the deck landing, and at the back door of the garage.

From Exterior

Colin and the crew have been laying the drainage pipes which will channel the rain water from the gutters and downspouts into the cistern tanks. And Todd has painted the foundation parging to match the gables. Here's the house from the northwest corner:

From Exterior

And here's a view from the south side:

From Exterior

Finally, D's garden is undergoing expansion. All of the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are in, and he has planted the second round of corn and green beans. If the strawberries don't all succumb to gray mold, we will have gallons to eat and make into freezer jam. Here's a view of the garden and work area from the second floor window:

From Exterior

Unfortunately, when the Hanover Lantern exterior lights came in, they were not the model that I had expected...slight miscommunication between me and the lighting guy. So, these will have to be returned, after taking about 3 weeks to get here. Still to go in are the vanity lights which arrived last week. I'm looking forward to getting these up because we will then measure for mirrors which we plan to have made from the reclaimed wood.

Lightin' up.

2009-05-06T10:23:00.007-04:00

The first wave of lighting fixtures are in. So far, so good. Making a decision about lighting fixtures based on pictures in a catalog or website is a test of your powers of imagination. Seeing the light in a showroom helps, to some degree, but you still have to consider how that light will look in the environment of your home. The scale of the fixture, the quality and amount of light cast, the way a given light will blend with other elements in a room...all virtual unknowns to me as I tried to make these decisions.
In the kitchen, dining and living room, the recessed lights are Cree LR6 LED's, 2700K, and the island pendants are Besa Mia low-voltage:

From Lighting

Also in the kitchen, we have NSL xenon undercabinet lighting.

From Lighting

Upstairs, the Minka-Lavery hallway pendant and Hubbardton Forge Simple Lines wall sconce are in:

From Lighting

And the Regency ceiling fans are up in the living room and all of the bedrooms:

From Lighting

On the outside, the deck and screened porch are completed.

From Deck, Screened porch

The concrete for the pads outside of the basement door, back garage door, and deck landing was poured last week and stamped and stained to match (sort of) the blue stone on the front porch.

From Deck, Screened porch

The screened porch will have a ceiling fan, as well. Still pending delivery and installation: all of the exterior wall sconces, vanity sconces, and the dining area pendant. Stay tuned!

Making a splash

2009-04-18T10:53:00.009-04:00

The house is really starting to look like someone could live there. Richard worked on the kitchen backsplash this week, until we ran short on field tiles by about 2 or 3 (so close!), so we're on hold pending delivery of another box.

From Kitchen

In the garage, the appliances are staged for installation: refrigerator, range hood, washer, dryer. The slide-in range and microwave still need to be ordered.

From Kitchen

Todd has been very busy painting, including the garage:

From Drywall and Paint

In the bathrooms, all of the towel bars, hooks, and toilet paper holders are up. Here's a shot of the mudroom shower:

From Baths

Now that the hardwood floors are finished, the floor registers have been installed.

From HVAC, Electric

Continuing on the subject of ventilation and heating, the Water Furnace thermostats and ERV control are in, and the Jotul Oslo woodstove was delivered...all 450 pounds of it. Colin used his Bobcat to unload it from the trailer. D plans to have a couple of "burn-ins" outdoors before the actual installation so as to avoid smoke and fumes indoors.

From HVAC, Electric

The smallish back deck is underway now that we've had more ipe delivered. Also, note that the shed dormer has been partially painted.

From Deck, Screened porch

The upright supports for the screened porch and deck railings will be copper pipe and ipe. Colin suggested using copper since the market price has decreased considerably. I suppose that the choice of ipe could be considered one of our "transgressions" with regard to sustainable building techniques since it comes from Brazil. We originally discussed using locust, but local sources are hard to come by, so we elected to use ipe due to its insect and weather resistance, as well as the beauty of the wood. The stuff is heavy! For an outstanding example of the use of ipe on a large deck, visit the Bonsai Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville. That's what inspired our eventual choice of ipe for our small deck and screened porch. At the arboretum, they have allowed the wood to weather naturally, with beautiful results. We plan to use some sort of finish on our ipe, as yet to be determined. Here's the materials lying in wait on the garage floor:

From Deck, Screened porch

Colin has installed concrete well covers over the cistern access points:

From Water

In the coming week, we expect to have some lighting installed, more painting progress, and further work completed on the screened porch and deck.

Final Floor

2009-04-10T21:25:00.006-04:00

After much rejoicing over the outcome of the NCAA tournament, we also had much joy over the final finishing on the hardwood floors (but without the sofa burning or bon fires). As loyal readers may recall, the red oak was sourced from a nearby mill here in Virginia, and the finish is Bona Traffic. This is a low VOC waterborne polyurethane finish. The wood is laid in random 3, 4 and 5 inch widths. We elected not to stain the floors, feeling that it's hard to improve on Mother Nature's work, and the results are beautiful!

From Flooring

In the past week, we've acquired a Kenmore bottom-freezer refrigerator, an LG front load washer, and an LG dryer. The kitchen backsplash tiles are still "in the mail", but we are hoping for delivery soon, followed by the laying of said tiles, after which the errant range hood may be installed. All of the lights have been finalized and ordered (blogger wipes sweat from brow).
Colin has once again taken up the mantle of cistern designer, and a bit of progress has been made on that front. Here's a photo of Colin and D surveying some additional pipe and fittings, with the pond visible in the background:

From Water

And here's Colin feeding the electrical supply for the pump, and the "water out" line from the cistern to the pressure tank:

From Water

Finally, we'd like to give a big SHOUT OUT to Mark and Dally who will be wedded on April 11, 2009! XOXO

From Mark and Dally

Final Four....months?

2009-03-29T20:51:00.004-04:00

Hello, sportsfans! Between a heavy work schedule and March madness, I have not had much to report on the house. But now that the Tarheels have prevailed and there's a whole week before the Final Four, I have time to catch my breath.
On the exterior, Colin and crew have been working on the screened porch...weather permitting. They installed Miratek T&G for the ceiling and Nichiha siding on the house outside of the basement door. And, much to our delight, Steve was able to provide us with our outdoor shower!

From Exterior

The supports for the front porch are complete, made from Azek.

From Exterior

Colin has made a handrail for the stairs out of the same reclaimed barn oak used for the wainscoting. Once Todd applies the finish, it should match.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

All of the interior doors now have levers.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Windell and Trampus have installed all of the various knobs and pulls for the drawers and cabinets throughout the house.

From Wood, cabinets, counters

In the next week, we hope to have the hardwood floor finishing started, towel bars installed in the baths, a refrigerator and tile for the backsplash delivered, and President Obama's pick for men's NCAA Championship fulfilled.

Finished Wainscoting

2009-03-15T21:52:00.003-04:00

This week, Todd gave the reclaimed barn oak wainscoting a coat of the water-based polyurethane that's been used on all of the natural wood surfaces in the house. It darkened it a bit, and it looks even better!

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Wainscoting

2009-03-07T10:28:00.004-05:00

So, not a lot of substantial progress to report. The main focus has been on installing the wainscoting on the stairway using more of the reclaimed oak.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

The cultured granite vanity with integral sink for the upstairs bath is in place, after drilling the needed additional 2 holes for the faucet (a little mix-up in the ordering process...better not enough holes, than too many!).

From Baths

And the hand-held spray is up in the master bath shower. Cardboard on the floor is optional.

From Baths

Todd the painter has been back at work putting on a second coat of BM Aura on the doors and woodwork. With spring just around the corner, we hope that work can soon resume on the exterior siding and painting.
Windell and Trampus stopped by with some of the knobs and pulls for the cabinets and drawers, and decisions were made regarding their placement.
Lighting decisions are pending, but getting closer.
The saga of the errant kitchen range hood has nearly concluded. Here's the short version: Broan Energy Star undercabinet range hood ordered via the Internet. Range hood shipped via UPS. Tracking the order, range hood languishes in Secaucus, NJ for days after the expected delivery date. Internet vender contacted. Vender promises to contact UPS. One week goes by. UPS calls: "Did you receive your package?" "No." "OH! I am SO sorry! We will contact the vender." A few days later, UPS calls: "Did you receive your package?" "No." "OH! I am SO sorry!" But sure enough, a few days later an email confirmation arrives from the vender that another range hood has been shipped. This time, PRESTO! The hood arrives and despite the aggravation surrounding UPS, I am a satisfied customer. All that remains is installation.
Kitchen backsplash design is in flux, but is linked to range hood installation (see above rant).
D is keen to get the gutters up so that we can begin to collect that rain water in his cistern. That 10 inches of snow last week is viewed as a wasted resource. After attending the Virginia Association of Biological Farming last weekend, he's all fired up to get that garden going. Meanwhile, his digging continues. In other garden news, snow peas were planted 2 weeks ago, but no sign of them yet, even though we did, indeed, have snow.

At last, indoor plumbing!

2009-02-23T20:37:00.007-05:00

We've got toilets.
And a dishwasher.
And faucets.
Here's the white American Standard Cadet 3 "Right Height", 1.6 gal/flush, elongated toilet in the mudroom. After 20+ years of our 6+ gal/flush toilets, these tanks look incredibly small. Bath faucets are Delta C-spout, single handle or wide set. Sink is white Kohler drop-in.

From Baths

The black Bosch diswasher has been installed, and the chrome Grohe Ladylux Pro faucet is in place. Sink is BlancoSupreme drop-in, stainless steel. Here on the south side of the house, this combo might just blind us on sunny days!

From Wood, cabinets, counters

And just briefly, the wainscoting using the reclaimed barn oak has begun on the hallway stairs. The code-required hand rail will be installed on the left side in this view.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Lithomania*, Part Deux.

2009-02-16T21:12:00.009-05:00

*"Litho-": pertaining to stone, from the Greek "lithos".
"Mania" requires no further explanation.
Lithuania: a country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, having nothing to do with soapstone but sounding like Lithomania.
This week, our beautiful soapstone kitchen countertops and bath vanity tops were installed.

From Wood, cabinets, counters

Of course, these photos show the soapstone in it's natural state...not oiled. The jury is still out on whether the countertops will see oil/wax. Right now, we are just enjoying the beauty of the natural stone. The stone is from Alberene Soapstone, "Old Dominion" (naturally!) variety. We have used it in the kitchen, master bath, and mudroom bath. There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about soapstone. For the record, it is not porous, will not stain, does not have to be sealed, and although somewhat soft when compared to granite, any imperfections can be sanded out. This is the stuff that your high school or college chemistry lab bench is made from...for good reason: the stuff is inert and impervious to harsh chemicals. And, it's from Virginia! Perfect for our kitchen and baths!

Although it has not been officially installed, the Blanco Supreme stainless steel sink is sitting in place, awaiting further attention.

From Wood, cabinets, counters

Todd has been applying the finish to the LeMieux stain-grade interior (Doug fir) doors, having set up shop in the basement.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

And the lads have made more progress on the interior trim.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Although not exactly pretty, the geothermal system and the pressure tank for the well have been installed.

From HVAC, Electric

Of course, I'm DELIGHTED to finally have a utility sink in the basement! No more washing flower pots in the kitchen sink.

From HVAC, Electric

And lastly, D has been digging, and digging, and digging to expand his already capacious garden. For the record, the trench in the foreground is for future electrical service, and was done with mechanical means. Here's a photo of the extent of his labors.

From Exterior

Time to plant peas and lettuce!

Island Beauty

2009-02-08T20:46:00.003-05:00

This week, more woodworking in the kitchen. Wendell installed the maple butcher block top for the island.

From Wood, cabinets

Full of bravado before I saw the actual butcher block, I declared that this would be a working surface for cutting and chopping. Then I saw the real thing. I could no more chop on this beauty than I could on the teak dining table. Guess I'll be buying some more cutting boards. I'm really pleased with the look of the maple and the contrast of the black walnut. It will be a welcome place to sit and socialize.

Colin and crew have been hanging the interior doors. Upstairs the doors are paint-grade.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

And downstairs the doors are all Doug fir stain grade.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

The ThermaTru front door has had the protective plastic covering removed in preparation for staining.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Coming soon (I hope)...soapstone counters!

"Nuts" about black walnut

2009-02-02T21:47:00.009-05:00

I'm in love...with cabinet doors! The black walnut has been transformed into fabulous doors for the kitchen cabinets and the entertainment center. These photos don't do it justice. In real life, the wood has a depth and vibrancy that is just gorgeous!

From Wood, cabinets

Wendell and Trampus have added the extension to the kitchen island for the seating area.

From Wood, cabinets

The doors have also been installed on all of the vanities. Here's the mudroom vanity:

From Wood, cabinets

The character of the reclaimed wood is wonderful: knots and little worm holes and all! Here's a close-up:

From Wood, cabinets

The thing that is most exciting is that we have had the kitchen and bath vanity counter tops templated for the soapstone:

From Wood, cabinets

and the "Old Dominion" has been picked up at Alberene Soapstone by Colin and delivered to the fabricators.
Colin has finalized our plans for the wainscoting in the stairway, and he has cut the reclaimed barn wood which is awaiting installation.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

And finally, here's a photo of the NEW color for the Nichiha shakes (rough coat). It's much darker, with greater contrast.

From Exterior

Black (Walnut) Magic

2009-01-25T21:05:00.005-05:00

BIG milestone: kitchen cabinets!! Wendell and Trampus installed the cabinets, drawers and island last week, minus the doors which are pending fabrication by another local guy.
Here's a photo of the raw materials:

From Wood, cabinets

And here's the finished product:

From Wood, cabinets

Can't wait to see the doors in place!

Chillin'

2009-01-18T21:42:00.005-05:00

Cold, cold weather has meant that only interior work can be done. The main focus over the past two weeks has been trim: windows and baseboards. The baseboard style is very simple--plain five and one-half inch painted wood with flat top edge. Regarding the shoe molding, the jury is still out. The window trim is similarly simple in design, with just a slightly "proud" top trim on the frame.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Wendell's work on the walk-in-closet continues. The shelves and pull-outs have been painted and are in place.

From WIC, pantry, storage

Colin has used the red cedar that D had milled and used it to line the hanging clothes areas. Mmmm...smells great! Reminds me of my pet hamsters when I was a kid.

From WIC, pantry, storage

And the black walnut mantel has been placed. No finish on it yet, but it is a stunning piece of wood!

From Stonework

Poky Holidays!

2009-01-01T20:30:00.006-05:00

With the holidays upon us, work has slowed, although we've had a little progress. Last week, Dave and Dub, the masons, completed their work on the retaining walls, the capstones on the porch column supports, and the fireplace interior.

From Stonework

The crew has begun work on the interior trim for the windows, with baseboards not far behind. Below is a photo of the trim boards poised for application.

From Doors, Windows, Trim

Here's hoping for more progress to report in January 2009, and some good appliance sales!

New life for the old barn.

2008-12-21T12:24:00.007-05:00

This week, it's all about Wendell. As loyal readers may recall, the old barn on the house site was demolished in the summer of 2007 by D. The salvageable wood was then kiln dried (a process which reportedly yielded a 5 gallon bucket of beetles, termites and other assorted invertebrates) and planed for future use. Wendell has crafted this oak into 3 bathroom vanities, a linen closet for the master bath, and a built-in desk and cabinets for the office.

From Wood, cabinets

Despite the liberal use of this reclaimed wood, Colin thinks that we'll still have sufficient supply to do wainscoting on the stairwell to the second floor. We're also thinking about having a small bench/coat rack made for the mudroom.

A couple of years ago, we had some big black walnut trees near the driveway cut down and milled into lumber. The first use of the black walnut was the ceiling beam seen in previous posts with the fireplace. Now, the lumber has been transformed into a sizable bookshelf and entertainment center for the living room. The bottom portion will be cabinets, not the open shelves as shown. The doors just have not been hung, yet.

From Wood, cabinets

This same wood will make an appearance in later posts as kitchen cabinets and island. Wendell reports that in the process of constructing the bookshelves, he found an old lead bullet deep in the wood, leading to speculation about the age and origin of this artifact, but no way to know.

The tile in the kitchen/dining room areas has been completed. It's still coated in post-grouting film, but I'm really happy with how it compliments the stone. We'll use the same tile for the hearth under the woodstove, inside the fireplace.

From Flooring

And the garage doors have been installed. This photo also shows a bit of the exterior paint colors. The color on the shakes did not meet expectations, so the next coat will be a slightly darker shade.

From Exterior

Here's a picture of our 2008 red cedar Xmas tree. You can't get much more "sustainable" than this!

From Exterior

Lastly, we're so sorry that we missed this at the local Ruritan club. We would have asked for some fire and brimstone for the woodstove. Now that would be some sustainable energy!

From Exterior

More flooring: inside and out

2008-12-11T17:04:00.005-05:00

Wendell the cabinet guy has installed the "bones" of the walk-in closet, and Todd has primed the various and sundry drawers and pull-outs. Colin plans to use the red cedar lumber in some manner inside the walk-in closet...maybe lining the hanging clothes portions.

From WIC, pantry, storage

Richard the tile guy has started laying the porcelain CeramicaMagica Palace "Vista Blue" 18x18 inch tile. Below is the master bath with the completed layout.

From Flooring

The first tiles are being laid in the kitchen/dining area (bad photo due to some glitches with the digital camera).

From Flooring

And here's the 12x12 inch green ceramic Brazos Dal-tile in the upstairs "guest" bath. The pattern is running bond in all layouts, and so far we're very happy with the results.

From Flooring

For the front porch, the choice is Bluestone, after also considering slate, but the dark contrast seemed too great with the existing stonework. The goal was to achieve a complementary, not contrasting look.

From Stonework

And here's the preliminary layout of the front porch. I can already imagine a swing or a couple of rocking chairs here...once the weather warms a bit!

From Stonework

It's been quite surprising that with temperatures in the 30's and 40's, and only a small electric plug-in radiator for heat, the house is quite warm. Now, maybe not enough to warrent lounging around in your knickers, but certainly comfortable. That woodstove might just roast us right out of the place once we get it cranking. I hope that with hot weather we will experience similar indoor climate comfort. The extra attention to insulation and building practices would thus be vindicated.

Floored!

2008-11-16T21:01:00.004-05:00

The red oak flooring installation has begun. The wood is locally sourced and milled, and we have selected 3,4, and 5 inch widths. Along with the red oak, the first BM Powell Buff has gone up on the walls.

From Flooring

Colin and Dan have placed the huge black walnut beam next to the fireplace, and Todd has sealed it with a coat of polyurethane which really brings out the beauty of the wood.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

Finally, the fireplace has been completed, as can be seen in this photo. All we are lacking now is the black walnut mantel and the woodstove.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

The first shakes are going up on the shed dormer, and the initial coat of paint is in progress on the exterior. More photos soon!

From Exterior

(Ba)Rock ON!

2008-11-02T10:55:00.005-05:00

From Exterior

The past two weeks have seen progress inside and out. The crew continues the application of the Nichiha shakes and siding, and they have nearly completed 3 sides of the house. We're hoping for warming trends in November so that Todd can get some paint on the pre-primed siding. For the shakes, we'll be doing Sherwin-Williams "Duration" exterior paint in a dark beige, with a lighter beige for the siding, and repeating the darker color for the foundation.

From Drywall

Meanwhile, indoors, Todd has been painting. Now that all of the finished drywall has been primed, he has started on the color. Above is a photo of Benjamin Moore Aura "Silver Sage" matte finish in the master bedroom. We'll use this color in all three bedrooms, and the two downstairs baths. All the rest...the foyer, kitchen, dining, living room, etc., will be BM Aura "Powell Buff" with "Paper Mache" for the trim.
The loudest indoor activity has been the work of the masons, who started on the fireplace about a week ago. Stone chips are flying, and had Dan not propped up pieces of drywall and plywood around the work area, the little projectiles would be embedded in the finished drywall. My dining room looks like the aftermath of a feeding frenzy with rocks as the main dish.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

Colin found an old "antique?" register that he installed over the fireplace vent. My siblings may recognize this as a floor fixture that we all remember from our childhood home with the coal furnace.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

And the support stones for the mantel are now in place. These are some seriously sized stones, folks.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

Finally, I can't resist one more photo of that retaining wall.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

A few odds and ends: the electrical service/meter was installed last week, and Paul has installed all of the switches and receptacles. Tile and hardwood flooring choices are now wrapped up. The flooring will have to go down before we can get the cabinets in. We took a field trip to Wendell's cabinet shop a few days ago, and he has completed and primed all of the units for the pantry and the walk-in-closet. The kitchen cabinet door design has been finalized and Wendell's plan is to work on construction of the vanities next. The upcoming items on our "to do" list include choosing interior doors and deciding on a paint color inside the garage.

Great Shakes

2008-10-17T22:31:00.008-04:00

From Exterior

The first Nichiha shakes have gone up on the garage gable. Here's Pete and Dan on the scaffolding, while Colin and D collaborate in the foreground. Right now, the color you see is the primer coat on the fiber cement siding and shakes. One of the many tasks needing attention in the next week or so is deciding on the color for the house exterior. Last week I trooped on in to the BM paint store with a bag of rocks which I arrayed on the table by the paint chips. Henry was very nice in trying to assist me with paint choices, inspite of my barking out, "Too green!", "Too dark!", "Not enough contrast!", until he finally said, "You just take your time, and I'll be over here if you need anything." Bless his heart.

The drywall has been hung, and the finishers are hard at work. The difference in the amount of interior light is remarkable. Here's a photo of the fireplace before the drywall:

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

And here's a photo from roughly the same vantage point after drywall:

From Drywall

The stone masons continue to progress on the retaining wall.

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

We opted to have some lights placed in the wall to illuminate the driveway, and these can be seen in the photo above. Initially, the choice was to use CFL, but D found a local source for LED lights so that's what we chose. The dealer also carries LR6 LED lights for recessed cans, and after checking out the showroom display, we're considering this for the kitchen and living areas, as well. They are dimmable, have good color rendition (2700K), no heat output, low energy usage, and supposedly last for years. Of course, they are pricier than your standard halogen lamps, too, but after standing in a kitchen recently with lots of recessed lights, and feeling the heat coming off of those babies, it might be worth it.

And while we're talking about energy savings, below is a photo of our solar hot water collector on the roof over the garage:

From Water

We now have a water tank in the basement, where the heated water will be stored, and which will serve as a back-up if our demands exceed the solar collector capacity.

Next on the decision list: hardwood flooring for the living room and bedrooms, tile flooring for the dining room, kitchen and mudroom, exterior siding and trim colors, and style of doors for the kitchen cabinets (who knew there were so many!?).

"Stone walled"

2008-10-10T19:44:00.006-04:00

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

Work has begun on the rock facing for the front porch. The masons are doing a "dry stack" look, but the rock is, indeed, mortared, and we're very pleased with the results. Dave, the mason, is an artist! The yellow sheathing on the Typar is the rainscreen, which will be covered with the Nichiha fiber-cement siding.

In the past two days, the drywall hangers have swooped down upon the house and completed their work. What a difference in the interior light! The BluWood just seemed to swallow the light, but now that the (white) drywall is up, the house is much brighter, and the rooms seem larger. The task for D and me this coming weekend is to cover all of the windows with plastic so that the drywall finishers can begin applying the "mud"...without simultaneously muddying the Douglas fir on the interior of the windows.

From Drywall

D and Colin retrieved the kiln-dried salvaged barn wood this week. The estimate is about 900 board-feet...mostly oak (this is in addition to the approximate 1000 board-feet of black walnut from the felled trees on the property). Also in the pile of wood are the cherry and cedar boards that have been milled from trees on the farm. The cedar looks fabulous, and the scent is divine! The thought is to try to use this in some role for the walk-in-closet. As for the salvaged barn wood, we're still weighing our options with regard to using it in some fashion in the house.

From Wood, cabinets

And one more photo from the basement of the circuit breaker boxes and the PEX manifold for the water distribution to the rest of the house. With my OC personality, I find the symmetry and organization very satisfying!

From HVAC, Electric

Pop Quiz

2008-10-07T20:04:00.003-04:00

From Exterior

Alright, boys and girls. Put on your thinking caps and pick up your #2 pencils. Can you find Coffee Rd. house in the photos? Here's a hint: it has a RED ROOF.

From Exterior

Insulation!

2008-10-02T21:39:00.007-04:00

From Insulation

Endlich (Finally)!! We have insulation. The crew showed up on Tuesday, Sept. 30. D has asked for full fill on the exterior envelope to maximize the insulation effect of the open cell spray foam insulation. We're using Demilec Sealection 500. (I had mistakenly posted a different product, earlier, until D corrected me...oops.) In addition to the exterior envelope, we are also spraying the bathroom walls for "noise reduction".

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

More late-breaking news...the first delivery of stone for the retaining wall and fireplace has arrived (above photo). This is our first look, and we'll be coordinating the paint color of the siding with the stone. Here's a photo of the beginning of the primed Nichiha smooth siding application on the south wall of the garage:

From Exterior

The extra thickness of the siding creates a more emphatic shadow effect that we like, a lot. We'll be using Nichiha shakes on the shed dormers and second floor gables.

Fire and Rain

2008-09-29T20:56:00.005-04:00

From Retaining wall, Fireplace

So, the concrete block hearth surround for the woodstove has been completed. Included in the floor of the firebox is an inlet for fresh air from the exterior into the woodstove. The idea with the masonry surround is to have a thermal mass that will absorb heat from the woodstove, and then slowly dissipate that heat into the room. However, after seeing the hearth, the mason suggested that we add a little ducting from above the hearth and into the air return upstairs. Running the HVAC fan will then result in circulation of this warmed air throughout the house. Otherwise, the mason fears that we may just burn ourselves out of the living room once that woodstove gets cranking. The concrete block will be covered with stone and the mason is expected to begin within the next week or so. Of course, the insulation was expected to begin about 2 weeks ago (and be done by now), and we are still waiting for Buddy to show up with his spray guns blazing. Maybe tomorrow? At this rate, the mortgage crisis will be over, we'll be able to sell our current house, solar power will be cheap and affordable, and Jesus will be here, again.
Now...we have to have the foam insulation sprayed before the drywall can go up, most importantly the exterior walls, but the guys have hung the first bit on the wall between the living room and the master bath. It can be seen in the photo above. Surprisingly, the addition of the fireplace and drywall has now made the living room seem larger.

From HVAC

The ERV (Energy Recovery Vehicle) has been installed in the basement..see above. This unit will increase the efficiency of our HVAC system by providing a heat exchange interface for both heating and cooling modalities.

From Exterior

And on the exterior, application of the Azek corner boards and window trim has begun. The yellow sheathing that is seen in this photo is Benjamin Obdyke's Homeslicker rainscreen. This product is designed to provide drainage of any moisture that might penetrate the siding, and serves as a defense against mold and mildew. This might be wishful thinking on our part: that we should be so lucky as to have to worry about too much rain, considering the serious drought conditions that exist and the pond still down about 4 feet...that's over one meter for our European friends (Hello Acki, Julia, Jojo, Hermann, Gisela, Florian, Mirka, Dagmar, Lubo, Misko!) Send rain, please!!

More Red!

2008-09-06T20:25:00.015-04:00

The red theme continues with installation and flashing of the red windows, application of parging, and installation of the front door this week. The photo above shows the rough coating on the foundation in preparation for the final smooth parge coat, shown below.

We discussed adding color to this, but Colin's experience with this was that it resulted in a rather uneven color distribution, so we plan to paint it a complementary color. Leon and Milton have done a beautiful job on the parging!

Now, all of the Loewen windows have been placed. Here are a few photos of the flashing details.

The ThermaTru energy star front door is in. We still have not had the Loewen french doors to the screened porch and back deck installed...maybe next week.
William has been busy with the security system, fire/smoke/CO alarms, and LAN/audio systems. I elected to have in-ceiling speakers (Precision Audio) placed in the kitchen for a little jammin' while cooking and cleaning. He is working on this as well as wiring for the speakers on the screened porch. He has also put in most of the central vacuum conduit.
Steve tested the plumbing last week, and found a leak in the laundry room which he has remedied, and the cultured marble sheets and shower pan have arrived for the master bathroom. Today I found that the upstairs bathtub was filled with water (!?)...apparently a requirement for inspection.

Red Roof, Part Deux

2008-08-26T19:15:00.006-04:00

The remainder of the roof is nearly complete, and fears about the impact of all of that RED have been put to rest. We love it! We've decided on Nichiha Sierra premium fiber cement combination of shake and smooth siding for the exterior. This product is a full 1/2 inch thick, compared to competitors with 5/16 inch thickness, and will create a more dramatic shadow line.
The chimney for the wood stove has been installed (barely visible just to the right of the shed dormer, on the back side of the peak), and the cement base for the stove has been poured. The cement footings for the small back door deck were done, as well. Colin also had concrete sills poured for the basement windows.
Some drywall has been delivered. The bathrooms will be dry walled first, so that the various showers and tubs can be installed and the open-cell foam insulation blown in to the outside walls before the major portion of the drywall is done.
Still no rain, and the pond is down at least 4 or 5 feet. Most people agree that this is the most severe drought in recent memory. I'm beginning to think that D's "Big Dig" for the three 1700 gallon cistern tanks is not so crazy after all!

Red Roof

2008-08-14T21:32:00.009-04:00

Finally, some color (besides BluWood)! All those people who drive by the house and gawk will really have something eye-catching, now. This week the steel metal roofing began. The rear (south) facing roof has nearly been completed, and work has begun on the front (north) facing roof which is a bit more complicated in design.
The process involves a machine on-site that forms the Kynar-coated steel into the standing-seam metal sheets which are then applied to the roof (see photo in the Picasa "Roof" album).

In other news, Paul the electrician has started working on the circuit-breaker box, and Steve and Blake the plumbers have begun installing the manifold for the PEX "home run" plumbing system...both in the basement. And, the central vacuum system has been mapped out, with one VacPan planned for the kitchen. We've also had a guy consult on mapping out the LAN for the house/entertainment systems. We'll have dual Coax cables for each TV location, CAT6 for computer access and connectivity to the PC for streaming audio/video feeds to TV's, and again a "home run" configuration. Contingency plans have been made for future technological advances (?fiber optics) by including conduit to these locations, as well. He will also install the security system for the house. In about 3 weeks, we expect the stone mason to start on the retaining wall, support columns for the front and screened porches, and the fireplace/wood stove-surround.

On Wednesday, D and Colin took the salvaged barn boards to the kiln, picked up the now finished black walnut and delivered over 900 board-feet to Wendell the cabinet maker. We met with Wendell last week to finalize the plans for the kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, office, walk-in closet, laundry storage, pantry, and entertainment center. Word has it that the black walnut is stunning, and we hope to use it for the bathroom vanities, kitchen cabinets, and entertainment cabinets/shelving. The pantry, walk-in closet, and laundry storage will be painted wood...and possibly the office cabinets. Wendell has suggested using the barn wood for the counter top in the office. It is gratifying to think that some of the trees that grew on the farm can be incorporated into our house.

Fixing a hole

2008-07-28T21:35:00.012-04:00

We've had progress over the past 2 weeks on several fronts. Excavation has been completed for both the septic field and the geothermal system (first photo). The geothermal unit will be a 3 ton Waterfurnace with 2 speeds and a 350 foot loop. Here's a photo of the trenching in progress.

There was one little glitch...rock was encountered at one point and the path of the loop had to be modified, but not a big deal. The big deal was D getting to operate the Cat 953 for about an hour. Very steep learning curve, apparently!

And then, there's the cistern, D's pet project. The tanks have been sunk in the ground and ganged in sequence. The plan is for the front of the metal roof to drain into the first tank, the rear roof into the last tank, and the middle tank for storage/overflow which will be shunted to the pond. D has done the calculations for harvesting rainwater from the roof (and we'll have a lot of roof) and it's a lot of water...that is, if it ever rains again. The pond is down about 3 feet, and we still have August to endure. All the more reason to sequester as much water as we can for the garden and pond.

Steve the Plumber guy has been busy installing PEX, and Bob the Ducting guy has been doing what he does best. New on the scene is Paul the Electrical guy, and he's been installing the recessed cans, wiring, fixture and fan mounts, receptacle and switch boxes. The next hurdle will be choosing the decorative lighting fixtures and fans. Lori the Lighting lady has happily supplied us with about 47 catalogues of fixtures and fans, each weighing about 10 pounds. With thousands of fixtures to choose from, I still cannot seem to find the "perfect" light for over the dining table. I have, however, found a low-voltage halogen minipendant that I like for over the island...Clay 1 from LBL Lighting. I'll take 3, please.

In other news, the roof over the front porch has been completed, work on the screened porch has begun, and the guys continue to work on the soffits for the roof.

Water and Walls

2008-07-05T07:10:00.008-04:00

The past 2 weeks have seen progress on our water systems: drinking water from the well and garden water from the cistern. The lines from the well to the house were trenched, and the three 1700 gallon (yes, 1700 gal. each) tanks for storing water from the roof/cistern have been delivered. These will be buried below the house and equipped with a pump for getting the water to the garden. Inside the house, plumbing has been "roughed-in" for drains.

In other news...the concrete block for the retaining wall above the driveway has been installed. This will eventually be faced with stone, along with the column supports for the front porch and the screened porch (not yet built). The front porch concrete has been poured and the roof for the porch will go on next.

Scott the Geothermal guy and his brother, Bob the Duct guy have been out to scope out the project and they have done some preliminary planning of the ducting to the second floor which unfortunately resulted in the loss of a small linen closet/shelf in the mudroom bath. This was partly due to Steve the Plumber guy getting there first and placing the laundry room drain pipes in such a way as to limit the space for future HVAC ducting in that area. Oh well. It's not as if this house won't have adequate closet and storage space. We'll still have cabinets above the washer and dryer, as well as the small closet in the mudroom.

And finally, the latest sub-contractor, Buddy the Spray Foam Insulation guy stopped by for a closer look and a revised estimate which turned out to be lower than the original estimate. The spray foam insulation will cover the roof rafters, floor between the basement and main living area, and all exterior walls so as to create an "envelope" of insulation for the house.

Colin has ordered the 3 Panasonic WhisperQuiet ceiling fans for the baths. We'll be planning the placement of outlets for the central vacuum and beginning the layout of the lighting with Fred the Electrical guy.

Choices, first hurdle

2008-06-15T21:50:00.032-04:00

A few words about "Choices", timing, and the daunting task of selecting the items that you think you want to live with for the next 20 or 30 years. Last week we received the tub/shower enclosure for the upstairs bath, and the shower enclosure for the mudroom bath. These are your basic white and were a relatively easy decision. Due to size considerations, these must be installed during the framing process. Toilets will be American Standard Cadet 3 in white, this choice being based largely on the Maximum Performance Testing of popular toilet models. The master bath will be a 48x48 inch cultured marble surround in a white with gray swirl to coordinate with the anticipated soapstone vanity top. Since this material comes in sheets, installation can be done at a later date.

The Loewen windows and doors are here. We chose a simple casement style for most windows, with a few awning windows in selected places, such as the north wall of the master suite. The exterior is extruded aluminum, clad in cranberry. The interior is Douglas fir. Hardware consists of standard dark finish metal cranks which can be folded flat. Despite its Deutsche name, Loewen is a Canadian manufacturer that produces a high quality low E2 window. The double french doors to the screened porch, as well as the triple french doors in the dining area are Loewen, as well.
The bath faucets are Delta CSpout in either single handle (mudroom bath) or widespread for the upstairs and master baths.

From Coffee Rd. house

The upstairs vanity will be cultured granite in Biscotti (below) with integrated white sink.

For the kitchen faucet, Grohe Ladylux Pro in Starlight Chrome was chosen, after much soul-searching. Who knew that choosing a kitchen faucet could be such a difficult decision?
The Ladylux Pro features a pull-down spray and single hole installation. Love those simple lines and single handle operation!

And for the roof...Englert standing seam metal roof in Dark Red. This will (I sincerely hope) coordinate with the cranberry window exteriors. Here's an example of a house with a red metal roof that inspired this choice.
The front door and garage entry door are Therma-Tru fiberglass doors that are stained to resemble wood. These are EnergyStar rated, and will have bilateral side lights in clear glass.

And the choice for the wood stove is shown below, in a hearth setting similar to how we envision it. This is a Jotul non-catalytic stove. The masonry surround will probably be stone, with a ceramic/porcelain tile hearth flooring, or possibly soapstone tiles from Alberene.
And the fantasy mantle is a beefy chunk of black walnut, milled from trees on the property. This same black walnut also figures prominently in the planning for kitchen cabinets, and/or built-in shelving in the living room...we hope.

Richtfest

2008-05-23T09:24:00.003-04:00

Richtfest is an old German tradition marking the successful construction of a new building including the framing of the roof. We held a very small Richtfest on Thursday, May 22. D read the "Richtspruch", giving thanks that no one has been injured in the construction process (so far...wait till next week when they begin sheathing that 12x12 roof). The cast and crew than enjoyed a few brewskies and Bretzeln (soft pretzels), though the traditional breaking of drinking glasses ("Scherben bringen Gluck") was discouraged by the owners as they were also the clean-up crew.

Raise high the roof beam, carpenters.

2008-05-14T20:43:00.005-04:00

This week saw the first roof rafters installed. D has been doing some fancy I-beam walking. He says that putting up the ridge support was pretty challenging. The open space will be the second floor shed dormer on the south aspect of the house. Another shed dormer will be built on the north side.

And here's a shot from Day 2, taken from the front of the house. Garage to the left, then main entrance with future front porch, and master suite to right. Whoo-hoo! Really starting to look like a house. We anticipate "Richtfest" soon!

First floor framing

2008-05-03T22:24:00.005-04:00

Excitement...major progress on the framing with the first floor skeleton largely done, and the support beams for the second floor in place. D will vouch as to the weight of each and every one of the 40 beams here, but they can't compare to the OSB support beam in the garage. That had to be lifted and fitted into place with the Bobcat. Next, work on the second floor.

Rebirth

2008-04-14T21:36:00.004-04:00

Spring is most assuredly here. The daffodils that have been on the homestead for decades are especially thick and thriving, particularly where they have been undisturbed, around the old gravestones. Here's a shot of one of the CSA (Confederate States of America, for those of you all who live outside the South) headstones near the gigantic boxwoods in the old family graveyard on the property.

Blu, blu, my wood is blu.

2008-04-13T14:13:00.005-04:00

The next big thing...framing commenced Tuesday, April 8. D is acting as owner/laborer, putting in some long days toting BluWood boards around, and pounding a few nails into headers. Between that and the mammoth mulching job of all of the pine trees, we're hoping that his back holds up!

Lithomania

2008-04-08T16:32:00.008-04:00

Alberene Soapstone was established over 100 years ago. Located just south of Charlottesville, VA, they have been quarrying from a belt of stone that cuts across more than 45 miles of the state. We undertook a fact-finding trip to Alberene in early April, in a quest to find a source of soapstone for kitchen counters, hearth surround, and ?other applications. While we did not pick out any slabs on this visit, I thought that I'd share a few photos of the place because it is very unique.

Above is one of the old buildings that are built of soapstone. And below is a photo of some of the many slabs and more soapstone buildings.

And here's D scoping out some of the slabs.

You can view a few more photos in the "Soapstone" album at Picasa, through the Old Barn link.

S.L.A.B.

2008-03-09T10:41:00.008-04:00

Slow, low and bumpin' --- we finally have a slab for the foundation and garage. Poured on Monday, March 3, the temperature and prediction of rain for the following day made for favorable "cure" conditions. Underneath the slab, the passive radon mitigation system has been included, and on top of the gravel, 2 inch pink styrofoam sheets were placed to insulate the floor. This was topped with a plastic moisture barrier, and the concrete was then poured on top of that. A small area in the garage required some rebar due to backfill. Sealant was applied to the finished concrete to provide some semblance of stain resistance to our lovely red soil and various and sundry other substances.
Another delivery of BluWood has also arrived. Framing to commence shortly, relatively speaking.
Click on the "old barn" link to the right for more photos and a link to the Picasa web album, then click on "My photos" in the upper left for a complete list of albums.

Garage walls

2008-02-03T21:20:00.001-05:00

We've had a little more progress this week. The garage walls have been poured, as well as the footings for the front porch.
There's good news, and bad news: the good news is that we've had enough rain to finally refill the pond; the bad news is that the Canadian geese are back!

STONED...man vs god

2008-01-06T17:47:00.002-05:00

Well, we've not had much progress over the holidays, other than a bit of back-filling and some block laid for the front porch footings. To make use of some time off, D and I have been visiting stone yards in an effort to make a decision about what we will use on the retaining wall, porch columns, and maybe the fireplace/hearth. Colin needs to know what the material will be so that they can construct the footings for these structures. We had a glancing romance with manufactured stone, but after more consideration, we decided that it conjured up flashbacks of old Star Trek episodes...you know, where all of the rocks on the alien planet look like they're made of paper mache...and we got some reports of the stuff not weathering very well and losing its color after a few years. So we went in search of the Real Thing. One dealer kept referring to it as "god-made stone", though he did not elaborate as to which deity may have been responsible. We also visited a really high-end dealership, where we were offered espresso or bottled water, and shown some selections in semi-precious stones for countertops. Beautiful!! But I had not planned on spending $30K for my backsplash. Then D found a knowledgeable, open-minded local guy with great selection, just before Colin told us that the mason he uses supplies his own stone. Oh, well. Now we know what's available. Colin gave us a couple of references for local examples of this guy's work, and it's stunning!

Foundation

2007-12-14T20:04:00.003-05:00

The forms for the foundation were constructed and we now have basement walls. The cement was poured Dec. 11. Lots of photos! Take a look at the latest slideshow. Also, the first BluWood has been delivered. This is a borate treated (in Greensboro, NC) lumber that is purported to be resistant to termites, mold, and moisture. Great (Carolina blue) color!

Footings, Part 1

2007-11-06T20:10:00.001-05:00

Well, the track hoe was not able to break up the rock that we encountered in the back corner of the basement near the end of the excavation, so the footprint of the house will be moved about 2 feet closer to the pond. I feel fortunate that we did not run into more rock than we did...lots of it around.
This week, work is proceeding on constructing the forms for the footings, which must be inspected prior to being poured. Included in the footings is the support for the masonry hearth surrounding the future wood stove. We will have the passive radon mitigation system and the termite treatment done before the slab is poured.

...Go!!!

2007-10-29T19:39:00.002-04:00

Yipee!! We're now the proud owners of a big hole in the ground. We broke ground today and they nearly finished the excavation in a day. Unfortunately, the track hoe ran into some rock in the far corner...just as D and I were congratulating ourselves on not hitting any significant rock. The good news from today's event is that we seem to have enough dirt to eliminate one or two retaining walls at the front of the house which had been configured by the architect, thus saving some $$, leaving more of the basement underground, and creating better insulation of the basement. Next...footings!

Set...

2007-10-10T19:12:00.001-04:00

The building permit has been issued! And another milestone...the well was drilled today and amazingly produced an estimated 8 gal/min after about 100 ft. on the first bore. The final depth is 400 ft., which should give us plenty of storage. If the flow estimate is true, that's impressive considering the extremely dry conditions. I suppose that by tomorrow the creek will be dry, or one of the neighbor's wells will sh*t the bed, and we'll be given credit, even though we're not using any water, yet.
(Post-script: Sure enough, the day following the well drilling, one of the neighbors dropped by and announced to D that his well had just gone dry. Related? Maybe...but could a more likely explanation be because we haven't had rain in 3 months!? And why did this guy even bother to address this with D? What kind of reaction did he expect? "Oh, OK. We'll just have the well drillers come back and undo it.")
Next step, a construction hook-up on the well and installation of temporary electrical service for the builder.

Ready...

2007-09-25T20:15:00.000-04:00

A major milestone...septic/well permit arrived today in the mail! Next step...building permit, and get the well drilled in the middle of the great drought of 2007.

Prologue

2007-09-23T15:18:00.001-04:00

After half-heartedly talking for the past 3 years about building a house, we are finally ready for action. Our building site is an old farm homestead on approximately 100 acres. The old barn is shown below right, and our site selection required demolition of this structure. Toiling through the month of August in 90+ degree heat and humidity, D accomplished the task with only minor injuries. The result is shown in the next picture. He was able to salvage some of the lumber which we hope to use inside the new construction in some manner. Here's a video of the big demolition...

We are now at the mercy of the whims of our state health department in issuing a well/septic permit, so that we can pursue the well-drilling and building permit. After kicking around this project for the past few years, I now find it nearly intolerable to wait a few weeks for this next step!