5/29/09 - Gettin' Slabby wit it

A slab appears! The garage has the first finished floor in the entire house.

More plumbing was done upstairs in the master bath as well.

5/28/09 - Plumbin'

The plumber was here! The majority of the rough-in plumbing was done today. Quite impressive, really. They are using a type of PVC water piping that has become very popular over the last few years called Wirsbo. It's really neat stuff - durable, quick to install and flexible enough to require few angles and unions.

5/27/09 - Training wheels are off!

Most of the bracing for the shearwalls was removed today. The garage has some framing. It looks like they're almost ready to pour the slab!

There is a banister that they framed up erroneously. Geoff assures me it will be gone in the next few days. We're having a banister installed there instead.

05/26/09 - Blink and you'll miss it!

Wow! We took a few days off and TA DA! Here's what's happened since last we updated:

• Windows started going in! In fact, they put 3 or 4 in during the 20 minutes I was there. Whoa!
• The fireplace has been rough framed in. At this point, we haven't really decided how this is going to work yet.
• The header on the Garage is in. That's a tall door!
• Sheeting on all roof surfaces has been roughed in.
  
• Skylight openings have been framed.
• Attic space entry roughed in (though it's in the wrong place - Geoff is going to have it moved).

More taking shape! The house next door is should be getting it's foundation poured in the next few days, judging by the forms that showed up over the last few days.

5/22/09 - Drawing on the floor...

The contractor was out today to draw where various cabinets are to go on the floor and walls. The exterior is looking nice, too.

5/21/09 - All Trussed Up

The trusses are in. Check out the vault in the master bedroom!

The remaining framing on the upstairs is done now. There are a few adjustments to be made to the upstairs framing. Notably, the master closet will grow a little thanks to the 90% efficient furnace that's being installed. It doesn't require a flue to run vertically, so the mechanical chase can shrink quite a bit.

Our contractor says the windows and doors go in soon so they can start working on plumbing, wiring and other items that are a little more costly and likely to be stolen off of an unsecured site.

5/20/09 - Second Story

We took a few days off while I was out of town from taking pictures. Here's what's changed in a week.

WE HAVE A SECOND STORY!!!

The downstairs walls are sheeted on the exterior in their entirety, though the framer still has a few window holes (known as 'Fenestrations' in the 'biz) to cut (structure is there, but the sheeting just goes up quicker if you cover everything and then cut out holes).

Upstairs is a bit dangerous at the moment - no upper railing has been framed yet and there are some areas that haven't been sheeted over yet. You can start to see the beginnings of some rooms.

The wrap-around porch is starting to take shape, too. I didn't realize how MASSIVE the structure was intended to be. Those are some incredibly large pressure treated posts. Now, I have to admit - I'm not crazy about the posts sitting directly on top of the concrete pads - I would much rather they were elevated and held by some sort of galvanized hardware, but I don't think they were thinking about that when they poured the pads. Pressure treated wood is an amazing thing. I doubt it will have any issues in this installation method.

5/11/09 - Walls rise to the occasion

The sheeting and walls started taking shape. The main purpose of the sheeting that's down now is for structural stability of the first floor. The walls are assembled down on the ground and then tilted into place. This is a heck of a lot quicker and easier than trying to build them in place.

This whole house is quite solid. We've told the contractor at this point to take their time. No rush. We want to see it done right rather than quickly. It's starting to show.

Already, we're starting to see how things are going to shape up when the 2nd floor goes on.

The guy in the picture walking around is my Father in law, Gary. He stopped by this afternoon on his motor scooter to check out the progress.

5/7/09 - Gas and HVAC

The gas flex and furance base was installed. The gas flex runs between where the stove and fireplace will go back to the furnace base. This will be the termination and distribution point for the gas line coming into the house, which will penetrate the east side of the garage from the meter (not installed yet).

I got some better shots of the air ducts this visit. I braved it and walked out on to the beams (carefully). I wish I had pictures of me taking pictures of the site. It seems like I'm always in my work suit when I'm out there. The neighbors must think I'm nuts!

5/6/09 - Level 1 - Going up!

After that rain delay, I was sure things would be stalled for a bit. Boy, was I wrong! Up went the vapor barrier and first floor post and beam in 1 day! It's unbelievable how fast these guys work. The first floor air ducts, waste lines and water lines went in.

Rumor is that sewer will be connected shortly. The lateral is under the sidewalk (or where the sidewalk was).

5/4/09 - Rain Delay

It rained last night, making the lot muddy. Gravel was put down from the sidewalk to the garage. We now have a better sense of where the height of the driveway is going to be. This is going to be one tall garage!

5/1/09 - A naked foundation appears

All the boards have come off! The foundation now stands on its own. This must be quick dry concrete. It's amazing how quickly it set!

At this point, it's starting to make sense and look more like a house and less like a mess of materials dumped in a hole in the ground. An interesting detail I noticed immediately was the fact that the two vertical concrete walls flanking the garage opening have embedded pressure treated lumber. I suspect this is for both expansion (it is well above grade) and for attaching framing to later on.