A House for Shanks

Inside/Out

2010-10-12T16:55:00.000-05:00

So the exhibition opening went very well. There were a lot of people there and some fairly interesting conversations about the state of architecture in Maine. Probably 2/3 of the people were architects but that still left a fair number of non-architects who were eager to see all the projects. So a virtual round of applause to Carol Wilson, Gavin Engler, and Mary Owen Bibikian for putting this all together. This has been a dream of Carol's and I say job well done. I hope some of you (if any of you are still out there) can check it out. Our model is right in the front window. Also, look for a spread on the show (and our model) in next month's issue of Maine Home + Design. According to Rebecca, the Managing Editor, they gave us ample space.

So some of you have asked for pictures of the interior. Well, it's not quite finished yet but I am posting a few recent photos. Please forgive the quality.

First, here is the proof that Ramona can indeed climb ladders.

The hood is from eBay as is the Miele cooktop. The rear wall hanging apparatus and spice jars are from IKEA. Still missing the countertops but the plan is to put those in this fall.

Skylights. Yes, they need 2 more coats of paint.

The medicine cabinet I built with leftover plywood from the floor and scraps of mahogany from Attila's shop.

The footrest on the futon is not a sculptural statement. That is our feeble attempt to keep Shanks off the futon. It doesn't always work. And besides, there's always the bed.

The inside of the opening is complete. Still working on the area around the deck but still expect to have that finished up this year.

Exhibition

2010-09-27T09:34:00.004-05:00

As promised, a preview of our exhibition boards are below. They include more recent photos that show the completion of the siding. I will get a few more photos up soon on the inside of the opening as well. The only exterior portion remaining is around the bedroom deck.

Only 3 of the 4 boards will be on display. They will be 20" x 20" in size.

I'll post model photos once I get those from Carol. The exhibition opens Friday and will run the entire month of October. Hope some of you are able to get down there.

Maine Modern

2010-09-20T15:34:00.003-05:00

Well we have been woefully behind in making updates. Some work has been happening around the deck area and we will post photos of that shortly. In the meantime, we would like to direct you to the storefront for architecture maine's website. The ? is spearheaded by Falmouth architect Carol Wilson, FAIA and promises to be a great forum for architecture in Maine. Their first exhibition is entitled: Maine Modern: 50 Years of Maine Modern Architecture. Amazingly, our house was chosen as one of 28 projects around the state to take part in this exhibition. We stand humbly in great company, with many great projects. We will try not to disappoint. If you click on the link above you will see photos of three of the projects in the exhibition, including our house!

So we invite all of you that will be in the Portland area to attend the opening on Friday October 1st, which corresponds with First Friday in Portland. The show will run through the month of October and hours for the exhibition space are on sfa's website. Each project will be represented by 3 boards and a model, which is perhaps the most fascinating part of the exhibition. It will interesting to see all of these projects in 3 dimensional representation. Our model was built at a painstaking 1/4" scale and resulted in only minor loss of blood. Anne helped with the construction of the site as well. Look for photos in the upcoming issue of Maine Home + Design. I will post our boards shortly, as soon as I finish them.

So please, stop by and see the show if you are in the neighborhood. My firm, Elliott + Elliott will be represented, as will my former firm Peter Forbes, FAIA Architects.

1500 screws to go!

2010-07-19T07:49:00.010-05:00

Well things have been a little hectic and I've not been lax in updating the blog. But some progress has occurred. The boards are all up on the north side (save 1200-1500 screws that still need to go in). I just need to trim out the horizontal surface of the overhang which is currently wrapped in rubber membrane. As for the east side; I was hoping to have that complete, too, but apparently I cannot add. Well actually it was more of an omission, but nonetheless the result was the same, a shortage of siding. So, the siding will not be all up before Paul and Eliza get here, but it's pretty damn close.

Additionally some work has been done on the bedroom deck, getting it ready for finishing. See photos below. The closet walls have been built, exterior walls sheathed and everything wrapped in Vaproshield. I started putting furring up but still have some more to do.

And Ramona learned a new trick this weekend: how to climb an extension ladder. I wish I had the camera at the time, but Ramona climbed up the ladder, with me on it, walked right by and proceeded to get on the roof. She wandered around on the roof for a while and then climbed back down the ladder. She did it one more time that I know of on Sunday as well. But I couldn't convince her to jump.

The color of the siding is starting to blend in with the ground, just like I was hoping.

This was Saturday, before I got some siding up on the east end.

Sunday.

Here's a picture circa 2008. Up until a few weeks ago, this area did not look too much different. But it's been sheathed, closet walls framed, and partially furred. Almost ready for siding.

Closer

2010-06-14T16:11:00.007-05:00

The penultimate (hopefully) batch of siding went up this weekend. One more shipment should do it. Everything is getting a little harder to reach. But I'm almost there. Still a few hundred screws to put in though...when are you getting here Paul?

We also put in a much needed culvert two weekends ago. While there is still some landscaping to accompany it, it is keeping the water from running over the top of our driveway.

Start of culvert.

Window detail. Board spacing had to be adjusted to make it work but it looks like it will fit.

Chloe surveying the scene.

Fat cat perch in use.

Wood shortage!

2010-06-02T14:15:00.007-05:00

Well I got a little behind where I would like to be at this point. It seems that most South American wood has been diverted to help earthquake victims and cambara is one of those woods. I called around to many places unable to locate 1x6 cambara. In the end I bought 5/4 x 6 and planed it down. I may need to do this for the next couple of months; it is unclear. I now need approximately 550 LF to finish and Attila's planer may get a workout. I am hoping to get the back side done before Paul and Eliza's wedding in July...

Here's where I was at the start of the weekend.

And here's where I ended up. I took some more photos available for view here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cpapadopoli/20100529.

On to the North Side

2010-05-10T15:24:00.009-05:00

A few hundred screws later, one re-cut board and the south side is complete. I used up the rest of the siding on the north side and am ordering some more. Additionally, the handrail for the ramp went in this weekend and the ends of the horizontal members on the ramp were trimmed. I figure I need about 900 lineal feet of decking to complete the south side, or 1 1/2 times the amount it took to finish the west and south sides. Most of it won't be too bad once I get the courses all set up for the windows. Onward...

Lights didn't quite get centered but they are close.

Handrail is made of Spanish Cedar, provided courtesy of Attila.

Close-up of handrail and bracket.

Still have a long way to go...

South side complete! (well, mostly complete)

2010-04-27T15:33:00.005-05:00

Just a quick post: the south side boards are all in place. Essentially. Almost. With the exception of a few hundred screws and a couple of small boards beneath the deck that you can't see, it is essentially done. I will say, of all the boards I've put up so far, these ones at the end of the cantilever were the biggest pain in the ass. Especially using an extension ladder that has to be moved every 10 minutes. And being afraid of heights doesn't help. Some of the boards need to be straightened a little bit which I'll do as I add the missing screws. Next: on to the back side.

More siding

2010-04-19T16:28:00.006-05:00

Got a little further before the rain stopped me. South side is nearly complete. Just have the end over the deck (photos taken before the last few boards went up). It will be slow as I will need to use an extension ladder and move it around as I hang the boards. With a little luck the south side should be complete by the weekend. Then it's on to the north side...

Ignore the guards with chicken wire; they were necessary to get our certificate of occupancy and will be replaced.

Siding and ramps

2010-04-05T14:51:00.007-05:00

Well, work and other things have been keeping us busy but I am finally back working on the house. Some siding arrived last week and went up this weekend. One side of the house is now completely finished! The south side should be following shortly. The rail is up on the ramp though the horizontal pieces need to be trimmed. Neil made some handrail brackets for us and those have been installed, sans handrails. So I'll be plugging away at the siding for hopefully the near future trying to get it complete by the end of the summer. Ignore all the junk on the ground; that's not part of the design.

The west side is now complete. The siding should gray out quickly and assimilate with the rest of the siding within a year, I would guess. The siding has been put up in four installments with as much as 6 months between and has grayed out nicely.

More on the south side, too. We're up to the top of the doors and ready to run the first course over the doors.

The railing is up on the ramp. The horizontal members just need to be trimmed.

Front view of handrail bracket.

The handrail will get mortised onto the brackets and sit flush with the underside of the top horizontal plate.

The Ramp

2009-12-23T09:16:00.004-05:00

Probably the last post before the holidays. Some pictures of the ramp attached along with the handrail brackets. The brackets are aluminum angle made by Ric at Superior Docks. All the brackets for the ramp and deck cost me less that two Maine Deck brackets. The brackets will be sandwiched with 2x4 cambara, which should be cut tonight (hopefully). The electrician is working on a couple of outstanding items as I type: exterior lights and outlets. Hopefully it will be a productive holiday and I'll have more to post after Festivus. Happy holidays.

The guardrail brackets.

Fat Cat Perch

2009-12-21T17:23:00.006-05:00

Well the cat step, or "fat cat perch" went in this weekend before the snow flew. Neil did a great job fabricating it out of a bent piece of 3/16" stainless steel plate. Quite rugged because, as he put it, the cat needs to stay off the kitty treats. The plate is routed in to the back of the siding and lagged into the studs from the front. It can nearly support me (but I probably need to stay off the kitty treats as well). A much better solution than the barrel-on-a-cooler step.

The ramp was trimmed but I didn't get any good shots before it snowed. The brackets have gone on for the deck rails and I hope to get those in in the next two weeks. A few electrical items should be cleaned up this week as well.

Anyone still out there?

2009-11-20T16:02:00.009-05:00

So we have been slow to update. But stuff has been happening.

Ramp:
The ramp is now complete, sans guardrail. Michael came over one day and helped me erect the structure. It took the two of us to move the heavy beams that support each side of the ramps. These are composed of (3) 2x12's and are 18' long each (27 bolts in each as well). The whole ramp structure was built out of leftover wood from various aspects of the project. I then covered it in cambera, to match the existing deck. It just needs a trim and the aforementioned guardrail to wrap it up. The pool table installers were sure glad to see it. It does not feel too steep walking up and is a nice counterpoint to the slope of the roof monitor above.

Kitchen:
The hood is finally in. All that really remains now are the countertops. We may have blown our window for this year and may need to wait for the spring.

Interiors:
Nearly all the trim is now up. It proved to be more time consuming than originally anticipated, with a great deal of planing to get the wood to site against the doors properly. Two more pieces, and some touch up work and it should be done. Also, the two light slots had to be enlarged and are now complete. I wired the last two fixtures. Closing in...

I plan on wrapping up the interior trim and ramp and deck rails this year. With a little luck we may get the wood stove in this year as well. We'll try and update more often, if anyone out there still reads this.

Oh yes, and the pool table was installed yesterday. I'll post pictures next week.

Internet, finally!

2009-06-01T16:10:00.006-05:00

Brief update: we finally have high-speed internet via redZone wireless. To get it, we had to erect a 50' tower near the road, high enough to get over the trees. We have been dealing with dial-up since we moved in and it has been quite frustrating. Cable was going to cost $4,000 and DSL is not available. I was not keen on satellite due to the download limits they enforce (and the high monthly cost). So we went the redZone route. Our neighbors have it and they love it.

The installation was quite a struggle as it was the installers' (Kevin and Mike) first time doing this, and ours as well. The Clarks came over and helped, too. Because the area we chose to erect it in is all ledge, we pinned a concrete pier to the ledge and poured a HDPE tube inside the pier to act as a sleeve. This would help support the base and keep it stable since we had no soil in which to set a stake. The first time we made the mistake of laying the pole out on the ground fully retracted. We then tried to raise it like the flag at Iwo Jima. It took 5 of us to get it in the pier and it was a bear. Fully raised it was flopping around like a reed in the wind. At that point I realized I was going to need more guy wire. Much more.

The installers came back the following week and this time we set the tower in the pier unretracted. We leaned a ladder against a tree and raised it section by section. I set three eye-hooks into trees that were located approximately 120 degrees apart around the pier. we tied the guy wire on to each section raised it and set the next tier of guy wire. When it was fully raised we tensioned off the three tiers and got it pretty straight. Now we have high-speed internet as fast as cable for 1/3 less. Josh configured the router for us and we now have wireless in the house (and out in the woods).

More soon on the ramp.

The tower and base pier.

Marlum enjoying the hole that Anne has dug for the ramp base.

A little more siding

2009-04-21T12:11:00.006-05:00

Here we are nearly 50% done. Just keep chugging along. It's all ladder work from here on out.

Anybody still out there?

2009-04-14T14:52:00.005-05:00

Well this winter represented mostly a hiatus from the project; life (and other stuff intervened). Anne and I just got back from Italy (her first trip) a few weeks ago and the urge to start back on the project finally emerged. This weekend, with the help of my neighbors (including newly minted Eagle Scout Josh), we poured a concrete pier anchored to ledge. This will hopefully become the base for our wireless internet tower.

On Sunday I got back onto the siding. Only 3 courses around before I ran out of screws. Back to it again this weekend if the weather is good. We will run out of siding soon and will need to get some more.

Paul and Eliza will be coming up in a couple of weeks to help with the siding and maybe the countertops. That's right, we still do not have finished countertops. Our intention is still to pour concrete countertops and we hope to get to that soon.

In other news, we are now working with Paul to see if we can finish up the requirements for LEED for Homes. For those unfamiliar with this, it is a program run by the US Green Building Council that certifies sustainable or "green" homes. We think we may qualify for Silver certification but there are a number of hurdles to get past. I will be posting a bit more regularly on that topic as we make our way through the unwieldy process.

More pictures coming soon. In the meantime, I'll post some photos from our recent trip.

A little more

2008-10-06T13:13:00.005-05:00

We progress a little more. Almost 40% complete on the siding. More than halfway done on 3 sides. At this point I can only reach a handful more boards without a ladder or scaffolding. This is where it gets fun.

Only 12 more courses to go.

Working the windows into the coursing has proved tricky. Nothing is perfectly level or at quite the right elevations. I think I have it worked out for two of the windows. I'll let you know.

One issue with all the rain/moisture is that the wood is swelling. My 1/4" gaps are down to 1/16" in some places. This was expected at some level (thus the reason for the 1/4" gaps) but not while I was working on it. It is proving more difficult to get pieces of the same width in one continuous course. The break-up of the boards by windows, doors, and open joints is proving useful at this point. My fear is when I get the next load of wood (we only have enough to do half the siding at this point) is that it will be dry and not as wide.

Paul (and Eliza) Part II

2008-09-22T11:17:00.012-05:00

Well Paul came up again, this time with Eliza, and we managed to get a fair amount done in the short time they were here. Siding is now almost 30% complete. Paul and I established coursing for the next 9 rows which will make our work easier from this point on. We also got all the "down" work done meaning that we will be working up from this point on. Eliza went through a box and a half of screws, diligently fastening the siding to the strapping. We were slowed down a bit with relocating the cat door (originally placed based on 1x4 siding. Oops) and cutting off the strapping that was too long. But things picked up quickly before stopping for dinner.

We then went down to Unity to make a quick stop at the Commonground Fair. All in all, too short a time but hopefully the next time Paul and Eliza come up at Thanksgiving the siding will be complete. Fingers crossed. I sure as hell don't want to be doing this in December.

Photos courtesy of Paul and Eliza.

End of Day 1: Paul inspecting the cat door.

Corner detail.

Eliza intent on the screw at hand.

Day 2: More boards in the morning before heading off to the Fair.

The newly relocated cat door. Ramona still managed to get in the door 36" off the ground by climing up the siding. She's lucky I didn't catch her in action.

Isn't that the cutest bunny you ever saw?

Eliza with the homeowner.

A little further...

2008-09-11T06:54:00.007-05:00

As I have been able to steal time I have been able to get more siding up. It is certainly much easier going up than down, especially when working by yourself. Anne pitched in on Saturday to help get a few boards on and again a little last night so that she could use the driver. We finished getting the first board on the north side and so now have a basepoint on all 4 sides. The tricky part will be working the windows into the equation. I took some quick measurements last night and discovered that the first two windows are very close to the module but for some reason the last two openings are a couple of inches off. So I'll probably spend the next couple of days working out the layout for the boards on the back side before getting any further on the north and west sides. I'll try and post more often...

One board at a time

2008-09-03T11:18:00.010-05:00

Well we managed to get Paul up here, though it was sans Eliza (she is in Aspen) and started on the siding. We also finished up the last bit of decking and cut some trim for the pocket doors. But the siding was the big task.

We ended up using cambera again due to cost issues, this time in 1x6 form (fewer boards, fewer screws, less labor, hopefully). The biggest trick here was establishing a level line on all sides of the building to set the first board. Josh came by and we bought some tubing to make a water level. We ran it around the building and marked several points to measure from. It seemed to work pretty well until we needed to double-check some measurements after a while, in which case we found some discrepancies and re-filled the level. We made some new marks and started with the first board by the bedroom deck. We got 4 boards on before calling it a day.

The next day Jim Robinson came by with his laser level. He established new marks for us to work from. We snapped some lines and stretched some string to continue that 1st board around on all 4 sides. We did find that the marks from the laser level and water level were within 1/8" of each other at most, and so that helped justify some of our efforts the previous day. Paul and I got the first board run on the south and west sides. When we went to check the east side we discovered that the east side deck dropped quite a bit from one corner to the other, about 3/4" over 14'. However, we think this 3/4" will be less noticeable on the north side when spread over 68'. We'll see...

All in all we got a little over 6% of the siding up and the deck finished off. It should move faster from here now that we have something to work from. Hopefully Paul will return again with Eliza in a couple of weeks and we'll cruise through some more cambera. In the meantime I'll plug away at it while there is still daylight.

Paul admiring his hand work. Time for a break.

Day 2: The first board under the doors. More time consuming than one would think.

The first board around the corner.

The deck needs a haircut.

These boards will be fun to put in. Well let's get started. Paul? Paul? Where did you go?

Clipped deck. Things mostly aligned.

Found out the wall bowed at the east end. Unfortunately not until after the deck had been trimmed off. That's the problem with striking a line and then cutting in the dark. Not too noticeable from the ground though.

Our Newest Delegate!

2008-06-09T15:07:00.004-05:00

This is not a building related post. It's main purpose is to congratulate Anne on becoming a national delegate for Barack Obama to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. For those that do not know already, Anne fabricated a dress out of Obama stickers to help secure her election. The competition was stiff with people form all around the state vying for a few spots to the national convention. There were posters, signs, pamphlets, speeches, etc. Anne's only campaign promise was to make a better dress for the National Convention. Be sure to watch for her in August. You can also see her at the following links:

http://www.politickerme.com/jessicaalaimo/1686/delegate-hopeful-makes-obama-dress
http://www.turnmaineblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1224
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/1/18139/98043
http://politicker.com/taxonomy/term/16967

Quick Update

2008-05-23T08:44:00.004-05:00

Well the cantilever is fixed. Tobin's crew did it in about two days which was much faster than I thought it would take. The corner looks much better without a supporting 2x.

And many Ibuprofen and 1508 screws later the first deck is complete. Almost. I still need to cut off the ends of the joists to make them all the same length. Unfortunately we had some waviness in the joists. I am not sure if this is due to the quality of the lumber or the angled cut at the end of the joists. But the wood is down and we can now officially call it a deck. Now for the next one...

Cats and Decking

2008-05-14T15:36:00.010-05:00

Well we've not gotten as much done as hoped. Our first decking weekend resulted in 14 boards going down before we succumbed to rain. Last weekend was bit more successful and the long deck is now nearly complete. I have been trying to work out the numbers on this and it doesn't look good. I have been averaging 8 lineal feet every 10-12 minutes. At that rate we should be done with the siding sometime next year. We might need some help on this.

I knew I never should have left the camera lying around.

The boards were in long lengths which was good but the longer they were the more like spaghetti. Every board needed to be straightened which was quite time consuming. At least there's only 4 times as much siding as decking. Bad knees + bad back + decking = very bad combination.

We also got the cat door installed which has prevented Anne from throttling Marlum. He now comes and goes as he pleases without the melodic meow that would inevitably arise in the middle of the night. The downside is that he likes to bring his food into the house - and play with it. I don't know how we resolve that one.

We were not sure if Ramona was going to make it through the hole. Proportionally she looks like a tennis ball perched on a basketball. But she manages to suck it in and squeeze herself through.

Come on, suck it in.

Can you believe that cat fit through that door? This is her skinny side.

On a down note, we had been fostering a cat from the SPCA where Anne volunteers, Chloe. She had been diagnosed with cancer and they removed a tumor but had no idea how much time she had left. She was the perfect lap cat, never cried. Unfortunately she passed on last week and so we said goodbye. Rest in peace.

What's next

2008-05-01T16:57:00.010-05:00

Well we've got a few things on our list for the coming weeks. Decking arrives tomorrow so we will get a start on that this weekend. Hopefully we will be repairing the cantilever next week. For those of you that missed this story the steel was undersized at the roof overhang. We need to add a 3/4" x 11" piece of steel on to the flitch beam in place. It will be fun work.

We also need to make another IKEA run and are gearing up for that (when do those tax rebate checks arrive?). Once we get the cantilever fixed it will be on to siding. And there's still the clearing, interior trim, tile, painting, and so on. The list seems to grow longer the more we do. The most immediate task: the cat door. For everyone's sanity.

Hopefully next week we will have some new photos to post.

How many pounds of screws did you say?

Ahh...the Maine dooryard detritis.

I kind of like it black let's leave it. Ow, ow, ow - alright we'll side it.

The cantilever in need of support.

No, that is not decking.

We know, we know

2008-04-29T07:40:00.003-05:00

We've been pretty bad about updating this blog. There's probably no one out there still checking it. But if there are we will be posting pictures soon. No, we are not complete; still a lot to do. We've mainly been doing some interior work: trim, kitchen, paint, etc. We've been gearing up to get going on the outside putting in some missing deck joists, Simpson hangers, furring strips, etc. Anne has been busy cutting down trees and digging up stumps.

Although the IKEA cabinets have caused us much frustration we do like them and will be making another IKEA run soon to finish out the cabinets in the main space. Right now the next goal on our list is to get that cat door installed to shut up that damn cat.

More soon...

December 1st = the new September 1st

2007-12-12T16:49:00.000-05:00

It's official - the house is habitable!!! We have finally joined the felines and have moved into our house, a day after Corey's back surgery. He's doing great (see rare picture for proof), but is sad that he can't help Anne move all of our stuff. But not as sad as Anne is about that. Luckily we have friends. Angela helped move in a bunch of stuff and Eric, JT, and John came this past weekend to help insulate the crawlspace. Sadly, Corey decided to save money and get the fiberglass insulation for the crawlspace, thereby sacrificing Anne's lungs. From that exercise Anne also learned that sunglasses are not a good substitute for safety goggles. Luckily, we are surrounded by plenty of outdoors, so fresh-ish air is not a problem.

And the recent snowstorm has transformed our home into a beautiful winter wonderland:

Shanks has a most ideal life here. His favorite activities include romping around the neighborhood with Daisy and eating copious amounts of snow.

Thanksgiving is Thursday?!

2007-11-20T08:16:00.001-05:00

Well we are very close now and getting ready for Paul and Eliza's trip up for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately my camera battery is dead and I can't find the charger at the moment (somewhere between here and there) so no pictures to post. But here's where we are:

Light monitor is all clad in Galvalume;
Heat is up and running and working nicely;
Plumbing is all in place with only the kitchen sink remaining to be hooked up;
All appliances operational except the oven which will be hooked up tomorrow;
Kitchen cabinets essentially finished.

Of course the more we get done the longer the punch list seems to grow. We had a scare with the refrigerator two weeks ago. When we tried to move it off the palette a panel was loose and caused a crimp in one of the lines running from the compressor. I had many long and painful calls to Fisher & Paykel but in the end Brown's Appliances was able to fix it and it is running nicely.

The kitchen cabinets took much longer than anticipated. They are finally all leveled, screwed together and attached to the walls. All hardware is in place. The upper cabinets are all in as well. There are a few minor issues left and some undercabinet lighting but otherwise it is good to finally have that behind us. We have set some particleboard countertops which will serve as a base for the concrete countertops we intend to create.

We actually spent the night there last night and it was like sleeping in the trees. The only problem was the cats. They got a little restless in the night and nearly drove me crazy. They need to stay inside for a few more days to adjust to their new home but I can't wait to let them out.

So we are getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Paul and Eliza will be here Wednesday night and this will be the 6th Thanksgiving for Paul and me. I hope to be baking the lasagna in the oven soon. Oh and I think since I will have them trapped up here we can eliminate a few of the items on that punch list...

Are we getting closer or running in place?

2007-11-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

It seems like we are getting closer but that only seems to emphasize the that which we still have left to do. The Galvalume is nearly complete on the light monitor and should be wrapped up this week. We have attached the base cabinets to the wall but need to exchange some upper cabinets for wider units. Another trip to IKEA, sigh. The plaster in the bathroom is finished and we sealed it this weekend. It is ready for plumbing. Theoretically, by the end of this week we should have the following complete:

Electrical devices in;
Plumbing hooked up;
Heat;
Sub-tops on cabinets with sink and cooktop set, ready to receive concrete;
Galvalume completed on the light monitor;
Tall cabinets in place.

We'll see how we do. My back made it hard to work this weekend so Anne did all the heavy lifting.

The bathroom is rather difficult to photograph.

Still nice light in late afternoon.

It felt good to rip the plastic off.

Cabinets

2007-10-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

Well we got all the base cabinets together this weekend and one upper cabinet. All in all the installation was relatively easy, if you follow the directions. The directions tend to be diagrammatic and so you have to read ahead to make sure you get the various pieces in the right locations. Other than that they go together fairly easily. We did find that they sent us the wrong panels for the corner unit which is frustrating as it has to be re-ordered. Oh well.

Plaster finishes up today so we should hopefully be able to seal it this weekend. We should have the semblances of a bathroom next week. Not too many pictures to add as the camera battery died. We'll try and get some more up as the plaster finishes and the cabinetry progresses.

The protective plastic is still on the cabinets so they look darker than they actually are.

This is a tough space to photograph, especially when the scaffolding is in the way. We were contemplating leaving the scaffolding. It could become a nice steam room when someone is taking a hot shower down below. The skylight still needs finish paint.

The photos don't quite do justice to the skill of Peter and Jamie. The work is very nice.

Back and Forth

2007-10-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

This weekend we spent most of our time finishing the floor. Unfortunately this was a come-and-go process. We put down three coats of Zip Guard (I'll post a link to the right) water-based "environmental" finish. It went on easily and dried very quickly. One end was starting to dry by the time we got to the other. We started out by sweeping off the wood and rubbing it down with alcohol to remove as much of the dust and footprints as possible. The first coat went on and we came back in an hour and it was dry. We sanded it down (by hand which made Anne wonder why we hadn't rented a machine) and then applied the second coat. We came back another hour later, sand and repeat. It was very low odor and on their website it claims that it out-wears "polyurethane, varnishes and lacquer finishes 2-1." I'm not sure I buy that and we will subject it to very heavy wear (i.e. Shanks) but the flooring is made to be replaced.

On Sunday we came back and sanded again and I put on a fourth coat. I let this one sit for a few hours this time (and the Patriots game was basically over by halftime) and then went back to finish putting in the screws. As there are about 50 screws per sheet it took a while. I put in all the fasteners but those along the edges which will require a 90-degree gun. We'll let the finish cure for a few days and start the cabinet installation this weekend.

Skylight ready for plaster.

Flooring and Plaster

2007-10-19T15:46:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd post a couple of quick photos (not very good ones) of the flooring and the plaster. Peter St. Germain and his assistant Jamie have been laying up lath and KalKore for the plaster. Tobin, meanwhile, has been laying out the floor. For flooring we are using birch plywood just screwed down. The plywood is PureBond (click on the link to the right) and has no added formaldehyde. If we don't like it or if a sheet gets damaged (i.e. the dog destroys it) I figure we can easily replace it.

Shower niches.

Shades of Gray

2007-10-15T08:51:00.000-05:00

Well the drywall was hung before lunch on Monday and the first coat of tape and mud on by the end of the day. It was sanded and primed by Friday afternoon. Anne and I struggled a bit with what colors to paint the wall and ceilings. Because the kitchen cabinets will be such a strong presence in the house as they will be a gloss red, we wanted something that would not compete with these. At the same time we felt that (Anne in particular) the walls did not need to be white. So we ended up moving towards a cool gray. We decided to keep the ceiling white to keep it as light as possible. We looked at numerous color chips and finally settled on one. The woman at the paint counter at EBS said that Benjamin Moore's Regal Matte in such a light color would probably cover in one coat over the primer. I decided to take her word for it, figuring we could always mix more if it felt too thin. In the end one coat was sufficient and gave us good coverage and the ceiling had been primed so thickly we felt it didn't need any more. We did not paint the doors as three of the panels need to be replaced and we want to wait until they have been replaced so we can paint them all at once.

After priming.

Window reveal.

Two gallons of paint later...

Denim-sulation

2007-10-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

I hope that people are checking in still. There haven't been any comments in a while and we still haven't heard from Lucas. We hope he's alive - Tobin and Ander are looking for him. Something about rough openings??

So we finished up the insulation for the main space on Friday aside from a few bays requiring plumbing and electrical work. The cotton is great to work with in that you don't need gloves or masks; though when it gets torn apart I would definitely recommend wearing a mask. I nearly coughed up a sock when I was done. But otherwise great to work with. We shot down to Boston on Saturday to get the rest of the cabinet fronts and see Paul and Eliza. We returned Sunday after racing through a corn maze in Haverhill. The plumbing and electrical rough-in work was finished on Monday and the inspections for both on Monday afternoon. After we got the thumbs-up from Angie I proceeded to finish the insulation in the main space and move on to the skylight while Tobin did the rest of the prep work for the drywall crew. Anne showed up to prime the windows and hand (actually throw would be a better description) insulation up to me so I could finish insulating around the skylights.

Drywall started at 6 this morning and when I left at 8:30 they had all the walls and ceiling hung with the exception of the slots in the ceiling. They should have the first coat of mud on by the end of the day. Should look very different when we get home...

Monday night.

Shanks resting after a long day.

Last Week

2007-10-01T14:57:00.001-05:00

Just another quick update. We now have a plumbing permit and this week we are planning on finishing rough-in work for both electrical and plumbing. We hope to have them inspected simultaneously. Drywall is slated to arrive on Friday and hanging start on Monday which means Anne and I will be busy insulating the walls this weekend. The cotton batts should be here on Wednesday. Ceiling framing is complete and otherwise we are in a holding pattern. So today I am just posting some exterior and interior shots from last week. We will probably not post anything further this week unless something major happens.

We had some issues with our sliding doors and had the Andersen rep out to take a look. It turns out that 3 panels will have to be replaced.

Wood stove framing with log storage below.

The bathroom gets light even on a foggy afternoon.

(en)Closure

2007-09-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

Brief update for those still following along. We've been taking process photos but the film has not been developed yet (our digital cameras were MIA). Below are a few more recent images and we hope to supplement them with some more in-between shots a little later on. For now, the house is enclosed. All doors are in and interior framing is essentially done. The roof is insulated and spray-foamed. There's some miscellaneous framing still left on the exterior. We even have kitchen cabinets fresh from IKEA on site, though it will be a couple of weeks before we are ready for them.

The doors are covered with "protective" films inside and out which Andersen boasts will help keep the windows protected and make painting easier. The problem is that the film stops 1/4" from the frame meaning that painting is no easier; unless you want a 1/4" wide paint strip around your windows.

Morning light in the shower.

The ceiling is complete. The cutout running perpendicular to the ceiling joists will be a recessed light trough.

Radiant tubing.

General Update

2007-09-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

No pictures to accommodate this post. Not because progress hasn't occurred but because we have been a little scatterbrained over the past couple of weeks. First, a brief update on construction. Photos to follow hopefully in the next couple of days. The house is fully wrapped in the WallShield and the windows are all in. Skylights are in and watertight and the roof is finished except for final trimming and flashing. It's rained and there have been no leaks so far for those concerned. We had a brief setback on Friday in that the door rough openings were tight at the head so all r.o.'s had to be enlarged. Anne and I ripped rigid insulation down for the ceiling this weekend and got a little over half the ceiling stuffed before we ran out of foam. When that is complete we will have another inch or so of spray foam added to it for the air and vapor barrier. The roof over the bedroom deck has been mostly framed. That is where we are as of yesterday. But yes, August 31st came and we are still not in our house yet. But we're closer.

In other news, we have been moving all over the place and are now settled in at Richard and Lorraine's house to which we owe them a huge thanks for putting us up. The dog loves it up there and the cat will join us this afternoon. To get to this point...

Our lease was up August 31st and the moving frenzy started on Wednesday. A moving van was unavailable until Friday afternoon (and it was an hour-and-a-half away) so we could only move stuff using Anne's father's pick-up which he was kind enough to let us borrow for a while. Anne returned on Wednesday and we made a few trips on Thursday. We continued to pack stuff but it was a gargantuan task. I drove to Bangor to get the van and we started loading it. Around 7:00 the Collins' and Rob and May Krieg showed up to help us move. We finished loading the van but couldn't quite get everything in so Rob, Josh, Kari and I drove over to the storage sheds to unload it. Everyone else continued to clean our house. We got back around 10 pm and everyone was pretty tired. The house was half clean but there was still some stuff left to move plus the trash and stuff for the dump. We pushed the old sofa off the deck and loaded it into the truck. We sent everyone home at that point as it was getting late. We owe all that helped a huge thanks as we never would have pulled it off without them. Anne continued to clean and I continued to load. Henry showed up and helped us load the truck with stuff for the dump. We had three cars and did the shuffle to get one to the place we were cat-sitting for the weekend. We went back and I took the trash and dumped it and took the van to the storage sheds to unload then drove it back to Bangor. I returned back to Bar Harbor at 7 am and Anne had just finished cleaning. We got a little sleep then Anne drove the cat to Brewer to be boarded and I drove the truck to the dump to toss a lot of stuff.

We then moved to Dan and Nancy's cabin in Trenton on the water. A lovely spot with beautiful sunsets; thank you very much Dan and Nancy. We spent a week there before shifting to Angela and Kenny's for a couple of days and then moving into Richard and Lorraine's place where we shall stay until the beginning of October when we will move into our house. We are deeply indebted to all that helped us either moving/cleaning or providing a place for us to stay. Thank you.

3/4 Roof

2007-08-25T14:07:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post yesterday but had to take Anne to the airport in Portland as she is flying down to Maryland today. She won't be back until Wednesday, hopefully with a truckload of IKEA cabinets.

Friday we got the rest of the north wall sheathing up and Tobin and Lucas got the V-bracing set. Lucas also complained that my Sketchup renderings did not properly show the Ipe siding and that I had lamely used the Sketchup dark wood flooring. I will be sending my Sketchup model to Lucas so he can touch it up for me.

The sloped insulation also went down but the hanger for the Parallam did not arrive so the remaining portion of the roof could not be sheathed. We got as far as we could for John on Saturday. But the WallShield did arrive. Since we are using an open joint rainscreen, we need a UV stable and waterproof housewrap. I elected to go with Vaproshield's black WallShield which is waterproof yet breathable, basically like Gore-Tex. This will go on next week.

Tobin, admiring his handiwork.

Lucas finagling the second rod in place.

Connection of the right brace at the foundation wall.
Ready for the left V-brace.

This is a diagram of the WallShield.

As per Jeremy's request, the floor plan (I even placed the couch for you).

Genesis of a Light Monitor

2007-08-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

Quick update: Today Tobin, Lucas, and Ander got most of the light monitor on and some more sheathing and walls. They got as many rafters as they could yesterday as we are waiting on a hanger for the parallam at the end. The flitch beam went up, with much difficulty, and the remaining post. The rest of the light monitor should go on tomorrow and hopefully the rest of the sheathing. It's beginning to take shape and starting to look like that Sketchup model...

The magic flitch beam that will support the roof over the bedroom deck.

This is the strut that will tie the V-bracing to the foundation. It will be concealed when construction is done though the V-bracing will be exposed.

Looking up at the light monitor sans skylights.

The roof garden (sometime in the not too distant future).

Weekend Work

2007-08-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday
Well we had plenty of help this weekend: Paul and Eliza came up from Boston for the two days; and the Collins' chipped in on Saturday (and Josh on Sunday, too) to help out. The day started out raining and leaving us with doubts as to what we could get done. Tobin had given us a long list and so we had a lot to do. But the rain let up and we got out there right after lunch. After clearing off the rain-soaked tarp we proceeded to get setup. Anne and Eliza picked up hammers and Corey and Paul went to work trying to set the last roof joists over the utility room. Bob, Paige, Josh and Kari showed up shortly thereafter. Bob and Josh jumped on the north wall setting blocks to plumb it up. Kari went to help put set the z clips at the south deck. And away we went.

Bob and Josh managed to get 3/4 of the wall plumbed up and braced but the last section was proving stubborn. Out by 1/2" we needed to pull it in a bit. Paul, Corey and Josh tugged on the rope while Bob tried to set the kicker. Needless to say with the tension applied to the line this did not end well and we found ourselves on the ground with 2 pieces of rope. And so it was time to quit and try and figure out some way to pull the wall in.

Sunday
So we managed to acquire a come along from Rhavi and strung together 2 chains, a rope and a strap all anchored around a tree. It sure as hell looked jury rigged but it proved to be a hell of a lot easier than tugging on a rope. We managed to plumb up the wall set the braces (three this time) and got on our way. Corey and Josh put in the last roof joists over the utility room and we then moved the scaffolding over to set the second 25' long microllam. After a great deal of effort we managed to get in place (this time with the help of our neighbor Bob who happened to come along at an opportune time for us, not so for him), only to realize that it was the wrong one. Getting it down proved to be easier but getting the second one up was just as hard. Finally with that in place we could start setting joist brackets. But the two mircollams were so cupped (so much for the wonders of engineered wood) that we ended up setting 3 - 3 1/2" RSS screws every 16" just to tie them together. But tie them we did and got back to nailing before calling it a day and seeing Paul and Eliza off to Boston.

We didn't get as much done as we hoped but we did make some headway. 12 days to go...
They look happy now but wait until they see how many holes are in those Simpson straps.
"How many joists are there again?"

"Is it time for lunch yet?

What can you do with a rope, two chains, a come along...

a strap, and one red pine? Straighten a building out.

Even the dog has had enough.

Thanks to everyone who contributed this weekend, even Sage who helped hold the tape measure.

Walls

2007-08-16T05:43:00.001-05:00

Tobin and Lucas got some walls started yesterday and the deck joists for the side deck are on. Finally starting to take shape.

Homework

2007-08-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

We did some work this weekend in preparation for the spray-foam insulation on Monday. The floor still needed to be filled with rigid insulation and the Maine deck brackets needed to go on. We also nailed down the Simpson straps. Then we tarped over the floor to protect it from potential thunder showers tonight. Hopefully it stays dry and it can be insulated in the morning. Any moisture that gets in there will hopefully evaporate out when they spray-foam at 120 degrees.

Start of the day.

Anne hard at work.

Finished product.

Bay nearly ready for spray foam.

Floor Framing

2007-08-12T08:16:00.001-05:00

Tobin and Ander got the floor framing up last week and Corey went to help put up the cementboard on the underside of the house on Friday. We also got some rigid insulation in on Friday and got the Parallams anchored down to the foundation. Tobin gave us some homework to do over the weekend to prepare for the spray-foam insulation on Monday. Basically our floor will be insulated with several inches of rigid insulation topped off with 1" of spray foam. The spray foam will give us a complete air and vapor barrier and therefore better thermal performance and using the rigid as a base saves us money.

Corey and Ander spent nearly 5 hours on their backs putting up this cementboard with Corey wondering the whole time why he put gravel down here...

82*

2007-08-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

So we attempted to get a house number to appease the gods over at Verizon who refuse to come hook up our telephone until we have a physical number. We spoke with Jai over at the Bar Harbor Fire Department and he agreed to go out and measure. He called us back and said that we were number 122. Since Bob and Paige are number 97 and they are the lot just beyond ours (and on the same side of the road) that didn't make any sense. But he was certain that 122 was correct and the other numbers had been done incorrectly. Additionally Sylvan Way forks, with our house being to the left and the Clarks to the right. Therefore, to avoid confusion on 911 calls, Jai said one of the branches would have to be renamed. While Anne was excited at the prospect of naming a road (Quidditch Way came to mind), Corey did not think the other people on the road would be too pleased. However, Jai called Corey two days later and said he had been back up there to re-measure and he realized his initial measurement was off by a 1000 feet! We should actually be number 82. And the road would not have to be renamed. Not wanting to push the issue of why we were even and Bob and Paige were odd (though we could come up with an explanation of why Bob is odd) we left it alone.

Foundation Finally, Part II

2007-07-27T14:11:00.000-05:00

Now that the piers were in we could start excavation for the frost wall and crawl space. This began on July 12th but was brought to an abrupt halt when Jay chipped a tooth off the excavator. Gotta love that ledge. He started up again the next day with the tooth welded back on. The footings were poured and erection of the formwork began the next day, July 16th.

Look at all the room in that crawl space! (Well it's more room than I gave Tobin to work in at Richard and Lorraine's.)

Anne and Kelly had to leave their marks, practicing for the day when they get that long-awaited call from Grauman's Chinese Theatre...

And the completed photos of the foundation neatly stripped. On Monday they will start backfilling and running utility lines with framing to follow. There should be a flurry of activity over the next month since our lease is up the end of August. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Foundation Finally, Part I

2007-07-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

So I think we got a little complacent here but we are back - and progress has occurred. This post will therefore span about a week's time as we try and catch up.

The septic field and relocated tank went in on Friday and Saturday July 6th and 7th. The tank was lower and indiscernible from the field, the way it was supposed to be. Unfortunately Corey was away in CT and unable to see the field until he returned and it was covered up - some photos below. But at least it was there.

Tobin and Corey laid out the corners of the building on site on Sunday July 8th and excavation for the piers began on Tuesday. And surprise, surprise: we hit ledge. As if we didn't know we had actually purchased part of a big rock it became quite apparent when the earth was scraped away.

Don't be fooled by what looks like dirt, it's not.

At least we know we will have a strong foundation. On July 11th the rock was drilled and the pier forms were set except for one. The piers were poured the following day. All was proceeding nicely.

The black rebar will tie the pier to the ledge. The threaded rods represent a portion of the system that will prevent the building from blowing over in 30 mile hour winds - part of a complex V-bracing system that was a last minute change (first of many) that had Dan, Tobin, and Corey scratching their heads for a while. Let's hope it works.

Gravity (and a little steel never hurt) should keep the building in place...

Getting started - again

2007-06-28T12:21:00.001-05:00

No pictures for today's post as there is nothing new to show. But we did get the revised septic field drawings and brought them down to the Town Office where they initially threatened to charge another fee. Now that that has all been worked out (with only some loud discussion necessary), we will get started again on Saturday with the relocation of the field. Hopefully we will have soemthing to report this weekend.

Water, water everywhere

2007-06-22T12:03:00.001-05:00

Well not much happened this week but we did get water. Rob and Anne found a good spot and by the time I got there this morning they had hit water.

This is what does all the work.

Rob and John and the last 10 feet.

Water!

175 feet later and 5 gallons per minute and we are done.

Pulling pipe.

The magic drill bit.

Lowering the rig.

A Tale of Two Septic Fields

2007-06-17T18:34:00.001-05:00

Well the site has been cleared and the septic field and tank installed. Below are some photos after the clearing. So far the process has been a little slower than anticipated. We are still hopeful on being in the house August 31st (at least Corey is hopeful, Anne is doubtful).

We are hoping Rahvi can come by and get these red pines for future use.

This is the site of for the septic field.

Unfortunately, ledge was uncovered when the septic field was being installed and the tank was shifted erroneously to another spot.

Jay and Tobin standing on the tank surveying the damage. The proximity to the tree and height of the tank are both unfortunate as the last thing we want to be looking at while sitting on our deck is the septic tank. Now we have to shift the field a bit and the tank to get the tank away from the trees and much lower in the ground. So nothing will be done this week. Sigh...

However, Rob taught Anne to dowse this weekend and she found water! (Well in all fairness, Rob found the vein first). Nonetheless, we have discovered a new talent of Anne's. We are hoping to get the well drilled this week while we wait for the revised septic approval...

Before the storm...

2007-05-23T16:29:00.000-05:00

This is our first posting; pictures to follow shortly. Everything seems lined up and ready to go. Trees have been flagged, Rob has doused for water, and Tobin's crew is ready to go. Clearing should start imminently (right Tobin?) with the septic field to go in first. We'll try and keep you updated as we go. Hopefully construction moves quicker than the lending process. In the meantime, here are some quick images to give you an idea of where we are starting from, pool table not included.

This is the view from the trees. Yes, for all of you wondering, it will have a flat roof which we hope to "green" one day. The skylights fall over the bathroom and face east.

The bedroom deck which faces east and south.

The view from the septic field.

And finally, the bedroom at about 6:30 am September 1st. Hopefully we get to experience this this year...