Wrapping the house and drywall

The last week has been when the team is shrouding the house in waterproofing, closing in the roofline, adding flashing and hopefully getting more of the roof on the house. It's pretty dramatic to see it scaffolded although the most dramatic thing I saw was that yesterday the team was drywalling inside the house and was perched across internal scaffolding as they mounted drywall on the roof of the dormer - about 30 feet in the air. Three guys to hold steady while one nails down the drywall - or up as the case may be. All the vaulting which we really like certainly will make finishing a perilous activity.


So the house is almost fully "wrapped".


It's hard to see - but this is the ceiling over the bed area of the master bedroom with our large exposed beam.

Let there be roof!

At long last, the house is getting its roof. We are happy with how the colors are blending and although one of our only sub-contractor has confirmed why we are glad not to have many (and the others are personal friends), he is doing a fine job of laying out the roof.



In addition, the house is scaffolded for the scratch coat of stucco. We actually need to make some final decisions on colors - specifically outdoors. The house will be ready for the garage door and the front door within the next two weeks. Wow. And then we're talking about flooring, trim and walls. Entering the home stretch. Running guess is that it's done right after Thanksgiving. That would be amazing (and on schedule). As long as we are in before 12/26, I am a happy camper. That's the last day on our lease and the less time I throw money away, the better.



By the end of this week, the house will have stucco and be partially drywalled - really fun. We're bracing to think every room is a lot smaller!

100 decisions, made 4 per day

Now that the house is framed and we're getting our inspections, we've entered the zone of making many decisions at the pace of 1-4 per day in as many phone calls or visits. Less happens that's obvious - but I am learning what things like flashing are (the metal that is at the edge of roofs, I think). Deciding how the master shower will be laid out - I learned from my friends Jessica and Aaron that having a seat with controls for the shower on the wall makes for an uncomfortable seat - so we avoided that. We selected our fireplaces for the master bedroom and the media room. It's amazing that in a home in a very mild climate, we have 3 fireplaces. But they are pretty and when we use them, effective for warmth. The one in our bedroom has a remote control - so we can turn it off from the bed. Should be nice.

I'm finalizing the lighting choices for the few sconces and chandeliers we have in the house. I also need to pick the color of the doors outside. Soon, we'll determine the color of the window trim and window interiors. Apparently, we need to select the crown molding too.

We did fix the light in the kitchen problem with a skylight through the garage into the wall near the sink. It's a little different from a design perspective, but the light in the kitchen makes it fully worth it.

So - sorry there's no photo. The roof still isn't on. Not sure who to hold responsible for that since the general contractor didn't quite have every last thing finished for the roofer, but the roofer isn't calling me back and keeping me informed. I really hope he's working diligently tomorrow and Friday since the guys are starting insulation this weekend and drywall on Monday. Wild.

Windows and roof felt

As you can see, the house continues to mature. Inside, we've had heating ducts and fire-sprinklers installed. Outside, we've done more windows and the roof felt. We might even have roof tile - but I don't know yet. Next week, we wire for A/V and security, insulate and dry-wall. Exciting but there is a long way to go.



I had my first disappointment which was that the kitchen and breakfast nook have very little natural light and feel quite dark. Deniz, our builder is working on some ideas to get natural light from the garage ceiling or playroom into the breakfast nook. Hopefully tomorrow, when I visit the job site, we'll have some ideas to discuss.

It was funny - during this visit, one of the master carpenters showed me the roof vents and attic fan. He asked if the roof vents were ok. They're rounded and aluminum. I said as long as they are painted to match the roof and not highly visible, they're fine. Then he asked where I wanted the attic fan. My answer was - in the attic. I have no idea. It looked a little small to visibly cool the house, but we shall see.

Windows

There are times in a remodel where you get a glimpse of the house to come. One is when the framing goes up and you can see the skeleton of the house. Another is when the windows get installed (we used Semco - . Although they arrived weeks ago, they were installed this week everywhere except the turret (save the hardest for last). We also got our roof inspection, so next week, we should have a roof laid on the house. Once the roof is on, stucco and drywall can start. Then the house will start to resemble the finished product. Of course, the details on the inside can take longer than the structure.




The windows will have shutters on both sides, so where they look a little small they are going to look larger with the shutters. The house is quieter (obviously) with the windows, but still very bright.

Stay tuned - next week you'll see the roof!

Finishing the frame

Now that our architect returned from vacation, the framers and he were able to decide how to frame the roof of the turret. Once decided, the turret roof quickly was framed. Our neighbor's 6 year old says they are the only house next to a palace - because we have a two-story turret.



The cabinet maker came to measure the front door, breakfront and master vanity. He's also going to do some work in the library/office. Ultimately it's going to be a terrific escape for Neal and I, upstairs in the library. Of course, it may be years before we can afford to finish it, but that's ok. We're also thinking that we won't open up the ceiling in the kitchen so much - but then we lose natural light in the kitchen - so I think we're going to keep that ceiling open.

I also checked and the cobalt blue of the Aga Legacy 36" is a true cobalt (not very purple at all) and will look great with the flooring. We're going to order the appliances so that they arrive by October, when we'll need to install them. Everyone is telling us it's going to go very fast now that it's framed. We'll see. The roof should start to go on in a week and the windows will go in by the end of the next week - so it really starts to look like a house. Amazing.

More is coming together...

Stopped by the project today...it's funny because when I showed up unexpected, the foreman was really glad I was there so we could discuss some issues. Guess it's good that I randomly show up. They're putting the sheeting on the outside of the house - and have about another week. They've framed the new wall and breakfast nook and it looks quite sizable. The closet in the former master bedroom looks sizable still - although not quite as big as it was, obviously.

One of the questions was how to do the interior of the dormers. Since there is so much volume in the house, the foreman was concerned that making the dormers volume interiors would be overkill, plus, he didn't really have enough space to insulate them properly if we did. So, I was pretty easily convinced that the dormers didn't need to be peaked on the inside. They'll look plenty pretty as is.

They've also started sheeting the turret. This part is a pain in the neck for the carpenters because they have to bend the plywood. You just have to be patient with it. They bend it around the turret and will cut out the windows when they need to.



One more week of framing, but they start electric and plumbing tomorrow. We're going to do an electrical placement walkthrough on Tuesday morning. Deniz, the General Contractor, is eager to get the finish guys started and the exterior guys started - the framing was more complicated than he thought. Oh well - the house is looking great, no?

coming together

Framing is very exciting - and roof framing is like a final frontier. You can see the entire house - in skeleton form. The builders are doing a great job and really thinking through every connection to make the house beautiful and well constructed. I appreciate their care.

The sun rises to the right of the house so its hard to get great pictures - but you can see the full roof in these shots and hopefully start to envision the finished house. They expect to close it in within two weeks and start working the interior as well as exterior in parallel. That means they need to do the garage, turret and plywood in the next two weeks. Plus the electricians and plumbers are starting their work. It will be great to have new plumbing throughout (under) the house - perhaps we'll get water pressure and faster hot water. Who knows.





I also started talking wtih a color consultant about the walls because we'd like the house to reflect our personalities - bold and perhaps a little eclectic. I also think I found flooring for the kids playroom - Fiberfloor. It's highly recommended but I want to see it in person. Exciting news was that our stove - the Aga Legacy 36" - is now available in Cobalt Blue - the accent color of the whole kitchen. I think it will be gorgeous. I may have to return to cooking. Wouldn't that be wild. I wonder if it will inspire Neal to cook again too. Our boys like to cook - perhaps it will become a weekend activity for our family. Fun.

Enjoy.

Roof Rafters

Roof rafters are pretty impressive - as are the guys that install them. They are walking on thin rails as they stand 2.5 stories above the ground. In any case, the ceilings on the second floor will be 10 feet high and the dining room ceiling will have 30 feet of height. Incredible. Check out the archway into the office (the room with the upper turret).

Master roof and the second story

Today's visit highlights that the master bedroom has a roof frame and the second floor is really forming. The boys and I are standing at the doorway to the mastersuite. The breakfast nook is getting it's floor and the wall to the master bedroom (old one) is gone and getting rebuilt.

Enjoy the photos and Happy 4th of July.

Second floor floorboards

By last Saturday, we were able to walk on our second floor. Pretty wild. You can see that the turret is taking shape and the house is starting to show what it will look like finished. Next week, rough plumbing starts and rough electrical already has. Really an amazing transformation...Look - you can see Neal and the boys standing on what will be the second floor landing from the stairs.

Tile selections

No pictures today - but I did visit the site. Tomorrow we will have stairs - to nowhere since the second floor isn't framed yet. Progress is a bit slower now - lots of work getting done, but it's highly incremental. The first floor boards for the second floor were installed over Benjamin's room this week and the guys are putting in the shear walls where necessary. Oh - many windows were removed as well so the house is well air conditioned right now.

Over the weekend, Neal and I were given almost a full day by my parents so that we could shop for tile. This is necessary for the kitchen and bathrooms (3). We knew what we wanted for the master bathroom - greenish slate tiles (made of porcelain for easier maintenance) on the floor and cream on the walls. Rustic. We found what we wanted. We also found accent tiles to tie the room together.

The real discovery was walking through the tile shop and looking down and discovering the most interesting tile for the kitchen floor. It has six patterns of cobalt blue and yellow that is antiqued - very french and fits the house. We decided on subway tile for the other two bathrooms with glass trim. Clean and inexpensive.

But having found cool tile for the kitchen (and I've been asked if we are going to ambient heat that area - something I wasn't considering, but perhaps should as we love it in the master bath), we wanted to do the backsplash. We found that our first tile shop didn't have something that caught our eye. Because the kitchen doesn't have any eye level windows, I wanted to bring some light into the kitchen - with a mural behind the stove. The tile shop directed us to another that had the things we wanted - on travertine which has the rustic look we like. So we put together our mural, added some whimsical tiles of hot air balloons and set off on our way - 5 hours after starting. But at least it's done!

Pictures coming on Friday.

First framing and ordering more stuff

One of the practices we're trying to do with the re-model is have a schedule of dependencies so that we know the materials arrive when the professionals are supposed to use them. An example is that it was recommended that we select and purchase our plumbing fixtures before rough in so that the plumber knows exactly what to do - how long to make pipes for the best connection. So - today we ordered fixtures. Going to order the bathtub and toilet too. Now that we are all using low-flow toilets, there's quite a bit of opinion out there about the best one - Toto Ultramax wins handsdown. So, we'll be getting that for the master bath. Amazing how strongly people (plumbers and bloggers) feel about that. :-)

Today we visited the site to see the start of framing. Our massive skylight has grown and now unveils 80% of the house. It's really quite a sensation to see the sky from virtually every room. There's something to camping, isn't there? We're just happy it's not rainy season and hoping we don't get unseasonable rain. They've started putting up what I think are called floor joists for the second floor - you can see them over the kids rooms.




So far, they're saving our precious handprints in the nursey. I don't have a lot of hope (and I do have good pictures), but just maybe they'll survive the project.

Mom and Dad Gropper came with me and walked through the open house. You can see them in the dining room staring out into the family room. We do have nice trees and blue skies. I'm thankful for both. I suspect that over the next week or two, the house will begin to take shape and that will be very exciting. Stay tuned.

Demolition

Creation is coupled with destruction...in order to add onto the house, we have to demolish part of it. Because we really like the flow of the existing floorplant, we minimized changes to the first floor. We're expanding the living room and creating a foyer - hence the turret and the front entry change. The only other change is that the garage is about 4 feet lower than the house and the stairs to it were inside the house - consuming valuable space adjacent to the kitchen. By moving the stairs into the garage itself, we are able to create both a breakfast nook and a laundry room/Costco closet/spare fridge on the same level as the house and adjacent to the kitchen. Although the whole plan is great - this particular improvement in space use really makes me happy.



So - in the pictures you can see the giant skylight in our living room - it's roofless. And the ditch is the former home of the stairs. If you look in the windows you can see Neal and the boys in the bay window (say goodbye to it - the entire wall is going away).




Tomorrow- creation resumes and the framing begins on the new foundation. Ordered windows (Semco) and roofing materials (FireFree Quarry Slate) at as well as the new garage doors (roll-up carriage doors, insulated steel with paint-grade redwood outside). Need to order plumbing fixtures next as well as the front door. Perhaps tomorrow!

Forms

Forms are the nice word for the trenches dug to hold the rebar and concrete that supports the entire house. We're native Northeasterners, so the whole concept of earthquakes is disproportionately scary. And the city insists on Richter 8+ quality foundation - so these are deep and fully reinforced. And that makes us very happy.

Our design called for very little expansion of the footprint of the house - only the turret, front entry and garage creep forward. Here you can see the forms for the turret and the front entry. The chimney is going to slide forward and get out of the way of the front door (thankfully - it's been in the way for years).

2 years to start the remodel

Never been one to rush into things...so we started the process of considering the remodel of our Peninsula 3:2 by finding an architect and creating plans. The house started as a perfectly lovely 3 bedroom, 2 bath on a great lot (for the Peninsula). But with two boys and two careers and a family that lives mostly on the other coast, we wanted more space to work and host.

Then we fell in love with what we designed and wanted to build it. So, after two years of refining the plan, we decided to start building. Which actually means, start digging and demolishing. The end goal is a French Country Eclectic two story home that can accomodate our growing family, our extended family (when they visit) and our lifestyle for the foreseeable future. The first step was to demolish the front steps and reinforce the foundation under the existing house. Our terrific General Contractor (Golden Gate Contractors) had guys under the house chipping away at our rat proof (read: cement) foundation until the forms were dug and ready to pour - the day before we moved out.




Here are the first photos of demolition.