Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Devil indeed. I might actually trade my soul for finished windows and doors just now.
Gattonero - It can be frustrating that some of the building methods in Europe and Asia aren't more affordable here in the US. Wood is our traditional material, and it will take a significant price advantage to drive the industry towards different materials. I don't think the wood we used could be called cheap though! But it was cheaper than some other options we considered in the design process. Not necessarily the cost of materials themselves, but all the other costs - finish grade, transport, installation - plus increased risk of cost overruns due to delays or lack of experience with newer materials among even highly qualified constructors. Wood is local, available, known, and normalized in the house building industry.
And the carpenters we have working on this house are top quality. So wood it is!
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
I've had the same thoughts--what do I think I'd like to do if I built new, versus what makes sense for the builders. Your answer makes sense to me, Jorn. I'm attracted to forest fire country, though, so I'll keep thinking about alternatives to wood.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
There is nothing worse than widows that don’t fit. The problems just multiply from there. Don’t ask me how i know.
Every thing looks amazing Jorn, like Ides, I’ve been wondering when we would get an update.
Mike
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
that looks lovely. in Austria we usually have breeze blocks and wood cladding. The standard of construction and insulation is high compared to the UK. No bears in either place. On the subject of wood we sourced some c100 year old apple, about 3 inches thick, and made 2 side tables. we left the wood irregularly shaped, and the blacksmith who is also an artist made the legs (blackened steel) in a very clever way so initially it looks regular, but after a minute or two you realise it is an optical illusion. We will make a coffee table over the summer with a bigger piece of apple, and do the same thing with a coffee table. Mix of old rustic and rather funky. Good luck with the rest of your project, envious apart from the bears.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mnoble485
There is nothing worse than widows that don’t fit. The problems just multiply from there. Don’t ask me how i know.
Every thing looks amazing Jorn, like Ides, I’ve been wondering when we would get an update.
Mike
Thanks Mike. The corners on the house roof are all rounded as per the design, so after trying a few things onsite to get a smooth curve, the GC called up a cabinet maker who made forms based on the measurements from the architects and steam bent and glued up a custom laminate to achieve the proper shape. Really a shame they are going to get covered over with the roof material and metal edge, but boy are they nice.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by
slwrnu
that looks lovely. in Austria we usually have breeze blocks and wood cladding. The standard of construction and insulation is high compared to the UK. ....
Perhaps anywhere you get an average better house than in UK! :notrust: double-glazing in a flat/house is sold like an absolute premium, rather than been considered a fair standard and a massive improvement against condensation inside the house and reducing the heating bills. You'll probably never seen saggy floor corners and mould inside cupboards and walls, until you've rented a flat in London :sad:
It's not coincidence that where I live -a properly kept place- the landlords are German/Austrian, it seems typical they look after their dwellings
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
I own a small flat in one of those smart stucco fronted squares in Pimlico. The sash windows rattle and I need to heat it a lot. My flat in Austria is much bigger, is at 950 m altitude, and barely needs to be heated at all.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
There you go.
And is likely that you're not allowed to replace them either: a friend in Kentish Town has this problem :notrust:
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
correct, it is listed, no chance of replacing, i have to wedge paper between the window and the frame. But it is a beautiful square, attractive large well maintained communal gardens and a tennis court. Lucky.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by
j44ke
The corners on the house roof are all rounded as per the design, so after trying a few things onsite to get a smooth curve, the GC called up a cabinet maker who made forms based on the measurements from the architects and steam bent and glued up a custom laminate to achieve the proper shape. Really a shame they are going to get covered over with the roof material and metal edge, but boy are they nice.
Jorn...when fabricating the roof drip edge termination bar for your radius framing (not clear about your specific detail), ask the architect and contractor about rolling the metal as opposed to segmenting, which many do to save time and expense. You have time to deal with it which is nice.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rwsaunders
Jorn...when fabricating the roof drip edge termination bar for your radius framing (not clear about your specific detail), ask the architect and contractor about rolling the metal as opposed to segmenting, which many do to save time and expense. You have time to deal with it which is nice.
Thanks. By rounded, I meant no angle corners on the viewed-from-above shape of the roof. Each corner is an arc. But I think your advice makes sense regardless. I'd like as long a piece of metal edge around the roof as possible, especially including the corners. So I will definitely ask by what method will the metal be shaped.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Jorn...here's an idea of what I mentioned before as I should have provided an example. I'm sure that there are other firms that provide the same materials and services. Less likely to have a leak when you roll the edge as opposed to segmenting the edge...just takes some planning. The link should take you to the third image from the left.
"Gravel stop edge metal is custom fabricated to any
measurements and it usually measures 10' in length
but can also be bent in 12' lengths. We also
manufacture radius gravel stop metal, in which the
gravel stop itself is slightly different, and can match any profile."
Gravel Stop Edge Metal for Roofing - Straight and Radius
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Yes to what has been said above, and to emphasize how important this detail will be. If it is not a constant radius it will be a source of perpetual disappointment. There is a building along the West Side Highway some world class architect designed, and they fudged the parapet, which makes the rest of it look like hell. From the photos it appears they framing is very well done, but the edge must be perfect.
There are other materials that might be easier to work with. Metal is very unforgiving.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Moving along. First slowly and now daily. Starting to look like a house missing its windows rather than a gas station. The design of the house as an arrangement of boxes sandwiched between the floor and roof is becoming readily apparent. And pleasing. The pop-up room, also known as the 2nd floor (or is that vice versa) is going to be very cool, except that with the plastic it is very hot so nice that the windows will open completely (and be screened.) Plastic sheeting up elsewhere also. Electrical roughs for lights and outlets going in, strapping for hanging sheetrock installed, plumbing is coming next and some other things I can't remember...because jet lag is a beach, and I'm still on it. I should have my head cleared by this next weekend when we'll get an on-site progress report. Then later in August we'll meet with our third landscape designer. So far, the two previous candidates have just confirmed various stereotypes about landscape designers - "First, cut down all the pine trees!" or "Let me tell you what you want to do" - but we're hopeful with this one because she 1.) sent us a questionnaire before the meeting asking us several questions about land use, types of activities, aesthetic preferences, things we like, things we don't like - in short, what we want! and 2.) we've seen several of her past projects and they look great. So we'll see. We did say "nothing that needs mowing." That's for sure.
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Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Looks amazing.
What is all the (capped) rebar coming out of the slab going to be used for?
I am also surprised rough plumbing and electric are going in before glass/wall/windows (house is sealed).
And make sure the electrician seals - with tape - those holes put into the outer plastic protective layer (last picture) when the outdoor electrical boxes are installed (I assume). Electricians and plumbers can be "rough" when roughing-in the wires/pipes/systems they install.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
House will be more sealed up than it is now. That’s how we are skipping a step to avoid losing too much time. Normally windows would go in first, but the windows were delayed by a number of things, not least of which being they are 80% of the exterior walls which has caused no shortage of measurement anxiety - completely understandable. But we are go now on the windows and they’ll be arriving end of August. So in the meantime the guys are trying to work around the delay.
Rebar will be part of the porch floor reinforcement structure when that is poured. The tracks for the windows (once installed and concrete is poured) will be flush with floor (interior) and porch (exterior) and porch will be graded away from the house for drainage.
Thanks on the tape suggestion. I’ll mention it. That hole is for the AC hoses.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
That looks really amazing so far! Progress indeed, very cool to see something like this come to life, i'm sure much more so from your perspective. Cheers to you!
Oh, and to NYCfixies point above, you probably already know this but any time you and the contractor spend now sealing, caulking, wire-wooling etc will pay off. A place out in the country like that - field mice WILL want in and if it's not triple sealed, they'll find a way!
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AngryScientist
That looks really amazing so far! Progress indeed, very cool to see something like this come to life, i'm sure much more so from your perspective. Cheers to you!
Oh, and to NYCfixies point above, you probably already know this but any time you and the contractor spend now sealing, caulking, wire-wooling etc will pay off. A place out in the country like that - field mice WILL want in and if it's not triple sealed, they'll find a way!
I am hoping a bobcat and/or a coyote family will take up residence. Along with some owls. We are in fact putting up screech owl nest boxes next year. But yeah definitely - I'll talk to the GC about sealing up against varmints.
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Jorn, I may have missed it earlier but why the furred out interior plywood walls in lieu of typical stud walls?
Bruce
Re: Finally Bought Some Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bking
Jorn, I may have missed it earlier but why the furred out interior plywood walls in lieu of typical stud walls?
Bruce
There aren’t really any walls per se. The roof is supported by vertical steel columns and by a series of boxes. Those boxes are different sizes - the two largest hold the bathrooms and the smallest is a closet. And then the exterior gaps between the boxes is filled in by windows. The framing is there - it is inside the boxes - but attaching plywood increases lateral strength over sheetrock so the boxes don’t deflect under the roof load. There is an outside surface and an inside surface to each box. The outside gets plywood and the inside gets Sheetrock. So in other words, strength. Since the framing of each box also has to support the roof, they need to be stiffer laterally to prevent deflection. And I can imagine this also helps maintain the fit for the windows.