Moving forward with waterworks and paint...

It has been pretty exciting since my last post.  I spent a few days with my good friend Jack Schaffner recently, and have not updated the blog.  Nonetheless, many things have happened which you will see below in pictures and their captions.  

First of all, the painter told my CM that he could work faster if he painted before the bricks and stone were in place.  He does not have to protect them with plastic if they are not there.  He is required to come back and touch-up after the brick and stone are in place.  The nice thing about doing it this way is that the sides of the window frames, which are wooden per the Craftsman style, have a full coat of paint and will more easily resist moisture.  The brick and stone will cover these sides, making them inaccessible later.  By having full, contiguous coverage, we are reducing the maintenance effort significantly.

Secondly, our waterworks are installed: both the water well and the septic system -- incoming and outgoing!  The tubs are still not installed.  The electrical is still going in, and today they started the "low-voltage" electrical, which consists of data, TV, door access, cams, etc.

Last, but not least, the metal door frames have been installed for the double front door and the wine grotto.  They will not hang the doors until the very end (so they get neither banged up nor stolen), but finishing the framing allows the rest of the associated wall/panel to be completed.  On the front door, this means finally installing the window pane which goes above it (though not yet done).

Here are the pictures:

This is the progress perspective of the front.  You will note that the dormers are painted in our colors, as well as the bay
windows and the two-car garage/outdoor recreational place.

This is a close-up of the front porch, and you can better see that the
windows are painted, as well as the cornice.

The back of the house is painted except where brick and stone will cover.
The frames of the mosaic windows really stand out nicely, as does the bay.

This is a picture of the lanai and fireplace, taken from the two-car garage.  It
is perhaps a little easier to see the over-spray on the window frame paint.  The
over-spray area would have to have been covered with plastic to protect the
brick and stone had it been painted afterwards.

La Casita flashes its new colors against a beautiful morning sky.

This is our water well, some 300 feet deep in an aquifer which will yield
80-100 gallons per minute.  It has a 1 1/2 horsepower pump.

The septic system extends from the back corner to the east and through
the back of the property about 200 feet (60m).

This is a closeup of the septic system.

Here is a picture of the front door frame.  One
can see the window on the floor in the back-
ground.  This window will go above the door.

This is the door frame for the wine grotto.  The door will be insulated and
the grotto will have its own cooling system to keep it at 57 degrees
Fahrenheit (13C).

The right (or east) side of the house contains the utilities, as can be seen in
this picture.   It all has to be somewhere.

Going inside, watching the sun

We went out to the property today to check out what has been done.  On Thursday we did our "pre-electrical walk-through".  The walk-through involved validating the placements of outlets, switches, and lights, as well as their positions.  We added a couple of fluorescent lights in the five-car garage, a couple of lights on the corners of the house, and a few critical outlets.  Oh yes, a dedicated 110 volts line for the Christmas tree...we tend to use a few thousand lights on our tree.

The pictures today include some outside shots, and some interesting (I think) geometry shots showing the air-conditioning (A/C) duct-work through the rafters.  The time of the picture-taking was 1:00 PM CDT (13h00) -- more on that later.  Here are the pictures:

A sunny day at Leaning Oak.  I shoot from this perspective so I will have
a constant source of reference as the house construction develops.

The A/C duct-work in the master bedroom.

This is the duct-work in the Great Room.  The bright shining surface in
the right of the picture is a thermal barrier, as it is the portion of the
cathedral ceiling which extends beyond the roof.

The duct-work above the wine grotto, but it is part of the house A/C, and
not that for the wine grotto itself.  That will come later, maybe next week.

This is the Great Room at the time of these pictures.  Note there is plenty of
natural light, but no direct sunlight.

Here is the back of the house around 1PM (13h00).  One can see that the
large window mosaic is already shaded, and appears to get sunlight only
one or two hours per day.  The trees shade the back of the house until
very late in the morning.  Our plethora of windows will not contribute
further heating of the house (as the large windows in front are sheltered
by the porch and the trees in front).

Roof is done, primer applied

The transformation continues, our future abode morphing from sticks to walls to roofing, nd looks more like our dream house with each passing day.  The pictures I took today show the progress on the exterior, though much progress has been made on the plumbing as well.  The tubs should be in this week, and electrical begin next week.

As can be seen in this picture, the roof is now complete and primer is being
applied to all the wood trim.  The primer is applied in advance to ensure all
wood is protected prior to the masonry.

This is the area of the porte-cochere showing the siding has primer applied.

The back of the house has also received primer, and they were starting
on the lanai while I was there.  The roof was completed since my last visit.

The is La Casita (the little house) which is attached to the five-car garage. It
has 10-feet deep porches just like the main house.

Here is a 'panoramic' shot of the house, just to give a little more context.

Roofing almost complete

It is a big roof, "mucho grande" according to the hard-working men installing it.  A disparate set of activities await the upcoming week: pre-electrical walk-through, air-conditioning rough-in (including the wine grotto), air-conditioning ductwork, and tubs.  I'll tell the rest in pictures...

Our stone arrived, a little ahead of schedule, but at least it will be here when
we are ready for it.  The load was 43,000 pounds (21.5 tons; 19,500 kg).

The roofing is almost complete on the main house, and work as been done
on the five-car garage and casita (apartment for my father-in-law)

The cornice has been added in many places, though not all, yet.  This one
is from the left side of the porch and two ceiling fans will be added for
outdoor comfort

The cornices are done, windows are framed and siding completed on the 
back of the house.  The stone and brick await their opportunity.

Rapidly looking like a house...

Lots of pictures, as windows are installed, framed, much of the siding is up, and the roof is tar-papered with some shingles.  The roof will finish this week, the cornice will be completed, also.  The stone and brick were delivered today, though it will be a couple of weeks before we are ready for it.  The A/C will be roughed in this week, and early next week, we will do the pre-electrical walk-through.

Enough talking, on with the pics:

Sunday: The roof decking is complete and most of the windows and doors
are installed 

Sunday: The main window mosaic in the Great Room with all windows in place

Sunday: the "five car garage" which is combined with the casita.  Only
four cars will park here, the fifth slot being reserved for lawn equipment.

Sunday:  The rear of the house with windows installed.

Today: All windows are framed and siding added.

Sunday: looking from the South corner of the Great Room through the
kitchen area and breakfast nook (bay window)

Sunday: The entrance to the casita through the truss-works.  The garage portion
is to the left where the three windows are.

Today: The tar paper is down on the roof and shingling has begun.  All
windows are now installed and trimmed.

Today: A close-up of the truss-works in front of the main house and the
shingles added thus far.

Today: The windows of the dining room installed and trimmed.  The roofing
above is the covered porch.

Today: A peek through the trees near the property's namesake, the
leaning oak seen in the left of the photo.

The wrapping advances...

The wrapping team is making quick work of their tasks.  The pictures which follow show the progress since Monday morning at about 10:30.  These pictures were taken by my wife, Pam.  Here they are:

The front of the house is completely wrapped, and is beginning to look like a house instead of a bunch of sticks.  The
porch finally begins to show some depth, and its columns stand out nicely.  The columns will be covered by stone from
the base of the porch.  The stone will match that used on the rest of the house.

These are the windows on the five-car garage
which face the main house, or at least, inside
the campus.

These are the windows will comprise the large
picture window in the Great Room.  The
kitchen sink window can be seen on the left.

These are the windows of the conservatory, and there are matching windows in its partner,
the dining room.  One can see the porch with the overhang and columns.  The house is
designed for a lot of windows, but they are shaded by porches or trees to minimize radiated heat.

This is a view of the covered lanai from the entrance to the casita.  One can see the corner
fireplace of the lanai.  Not only will the lanai be shaded, but it will have a ceiling fan, too.

Wrapping, and it is not even Christmas!

The wrapping of the house finally began two days ago.  We lost last week due to both a lack of crew and a lot of rain.  The wrapping of the house applies only to the exterior walls and involves sheathing (for structural support) and the air infiltration barrier.  An insulation crew is next, followed by a drywall crew, and then the exterior veneer is added by yet another crew.  Four different crews are needed to complete the walls of a house.  Below you will find pictures from the first day of wrapping, as well a final framing shot.

This is the right side of the front.  One can see that the dormers are
wrapped, as well as the bay window of what will be the exercise room.  Note
the Douglas fir columns which replaced the previous constructed columns.

A zoom of the dormers, showing the wrapping and the exterior siding.

This is from within the exercise room mentioned above.

Very excited to see our outside fireplace on the lanai!

Looking through the rear picture window(s) to the forest, with the window
seat partially framed.  I doubt we will grow weary of this view

Framing is completed

The framing of the house is now completed.  This week begins the "wrapping" of the house.  "Wrapping" means to envelope the house in plywood.   Other activities will include installation of doors, windows, and the first stage of plumbing.

The pictures of the finished framing are courtesy of my older daughter Michelle.  She took time out of her busy schedule (mother of a 7-year-old and 4-year-old automatically certifies your time as "busy") to take pictures while we were on the road the last two weeks.

My beautiful grandchildren in front of the finished framing.  At the time
of this photo, one dormer is not quite finished. but was finished later.

This is a 'zoom' of the front entrance to the house.  The opening in the rear
of the house is the 14-feet-high picture window which opens to our little
forest.  Entering the house, the woods will be the first thing a person sees.

The rear of the house at the completion of framing shows the picture
window (middle, and actually a grouping of windows).  To the right is the
covered lanai (my two grandchildren are exploring), and to the left is the
small porch extending from the utility room and master bedroom.

Reaching higher and higher

Even though we are on a road trip, progress continues at the house.  My older daughter is kind enough to take the 20 minutes drive to the property with her family to take photos for us, and so the photos you will see today are from her efforts over the last couple of days (Thanks, Michelle!):

Grandchildren in the foreground right, and the roof lines are beginning to
show as the framing of stage 2 marches on.

The structural challenge of blending the ceiling joist
patterns of the casita have been resolved.

The back of the house is taking shape, as the cathedral ceiling has been
framed, as well as the large picture window mosaic.  Note also the completion
of the bay window (breakfast nook) and the porch of the utility room (far
left in the photo).  The window mosaic is perhaps the most important
architectural element of the house so far as connecting the house and
property as a seamless design.

Standing in the foyer, looking out the front door.  My son-in-law
Taylor is standing in the Great Room where it meets the kitchen area, and
his presence gives one a sense of scale.

Standing in the foyer, near the 'left corner' of the Great Room, one gets
an impression of what our window mosaic will do to bring our private
forest into the home.  This will be what one will see upon entering the
front door of the house.

Frame Stage 1 continues...

The extra time it takes to cut and mount the ceiling and roof joists makes the progress slow compared to the wall framing.  It is almost a shame that the craftsmanship involved is only visible for a short while, then covered forever.  Nonetheless, the completion of the house is dependent upon this masterful work being hidden from view.  I am just glad I got a chance to appreciate it.

Pam and I are on the road right now, traveling to Bloomington, Illinois (nephew's wedding) by way of Portland, Maine.  Here are the most recent pictures we took from our site visit yesterday:

This is a picture from the driveway.  We are trying to save the fenced tree
and hope to bring the driveway around it CCW.

This view is of the rear of the house, and the one thing
missing is the cathedral ceiling which should be in the
middle where you see the pony walls.

The trusses on the casita are done, as is about 95% of the roof joists.  The
entrance creates a bit of a tight turn for the roof at the intersection to the
left of the entrance.

This is Google's enhancement of a photo taken from near the casita
entrance toward the porte-cochere joining the main house (left)
and the two-car garage/rec room (right).  Again, such geometries are
visually interesting to me.