10-50-90 Rule

So in the last post we were closing in, and we showed some pics of the window installations. Thence ushered in a period of interior work as winter set in.

But it looks like a pretty snug place to work in, right? This was taken in January 2012.

Much of the next...maybe...6 weeks was spent finishing most of the interior framing. The load bearing interior framing had already been done (seen in an earlier post). So this was just partitions bearing no load.

Here you see the arch over the stair--this was actually Jeb's idea, when we were sitting around wondering how to cut this out of the SIP so we'd stop bumping our heads on it.

This is a little farther along. About 85% of the interior framing is done--the partition walls--and so begins what I would come to term the "10-50-90 Rule". Much of the next year would be devoted to the fine work of installing wiring (Julie shown admiring our work in the master bath here), plumbing, and cabling for network, TV, etc. What's the rule? It goes like this: these installations are 10% of the mass of the house, 50% of the cost, and 90% of the time!

Of course, that's not all we did for the next year, and in coming posts we'll document other things we did to move the house closer to being a house we can live in.



Closing In!

So, onward...
Closing in the is process of getting all the holes closed--doors and windows--ans wrapping the house in a moisture barrier. This is essentially a raincoat made of Tyvek. We looked at the less expensive version available at Lowes and other hardware stores. This is like a "plastic burlap"-type woven material. But we went with the more expensive Tyvek because it seemed stronger, and because it's a true moisture barrier. There are no pores, because it's a sheet; it's not like a woven fabric. (This would really matter later, since it has taken us a lot longer than we expected to get siding on the house.) This stuff comes in rolls of 5', 8' and 10' widths. Our first floor is 10' high, the second 8', and of course you need an overlap. (Overlaps on any part of the outside of the house should be fashioned to shed water, like shingles.) So we went with 10'. You can see in the previous blog that the roofers took some sheets of this and applied it to the gables--this really saved us some effort later, since those gables are up to 26' off the ground!

We lost some shots from my phone, but here's the finished job. If I seem exaltant it's because I am! This was December. Working at heights of up to 20' on ladders while trying to steady a 40 pound roll of Tyvek, in the cold, while stretching it as tightly as possible...well, let's just say we don't want to do this again. We thank Jeb and Pat Baxter for their help with this. Sometimes it took up to 4 people to get this done. Start by striking level chalklines at the base and squaring the roll's edge on a corner, then just work...well, here, counterclockwise, as you can see by the upside-down logos.

The windows came around Thanksgiving. We're trying to save money wherever we can, but we wanted really good windows. These are Pella Pro-Lines, which have an aluminum exterior frame, and pine interior frames. They look great, and every professional that's been over to the house has said "Hmm, you got good windows!"

Here we are in early January. Notice on the left we've installed a 2nd floor window, but the larger rough opening for the big master bedroom window is to the right. This would end up being one of the last windows we installed, just because of the weight and height above ground.

And here, you can see the size of the living room window. Both the patio door and living room window here took 4 people to set and install.

I'd show more detail about installation, but the manufacturer's instructions are very clear if you decide to tackle this on your own. The most important thing is getting the frame square. Having really square rough openings cut by the SIP manufacturer really helped here.

Roofing.
So yes, we had professionals put up the trusses and sheathing. A wise move by the builders supervising us at this stage. What we've learned is that you have to pick your battles with things. However, in our effort to save money and do as much as we can ourselves, we did finish the roof.

Note the Tyvek attached by the roofers before the trusses went up. Smart. The "lookouts" (overhangs at the gables) were part of our original design. We think it gives the house a better look, more architectural.

Also note the single garage-roof truss attached to the north-east side of the house. This is so that later we can map out the garage lines when we add that this spring (2013).

As you can see, it's been raining. It's late October at this point, and getting the shingles on is top priority. (Those ripple-y bumps on the roof are warping roofing paper.)

My brother Patrick and I loaded the shingles onto the roof. They have a truck with a conveyor belt lift and you just keep on humpin' really heavy bundles of shingles as fast as you can, spreading them about for use later. The boards along the edge were placed by the roofers. You pull those up as you go.

Robin from Bridlewood Builders giving us tips on the use of step-flashing and roof jacks.

Here you can see how we've placed roof jacks as we work our way up. It's around November 6 of 2011.

Next: as the winter approaches, we jam on "Closing In"!

2012

Okay...so we haven't been so good about blogging. This is because doing it has absorbed so much of our time outside of work that we don't have time to write about it. But those who wish to see the story continue. Here's some activity since October 2012...




The view from the 2nd floor as the decking went up.

Completed 2nd floor. Then...2 weeks later...

ROOFERS! Do not attempt this without professional supervision. Very slick, this was just 8 hrs after they started. The next 2 days had the sheathing and base covering (tar paper & ice shield) in place.

Well that's enough for tonight. Want to publish, so will be back soon (promise this time!)



August 20th & 21st

Here's the first floor going up. The deck...

September 2011

Unfortunately Eric lost some pictures from his phone, but these will give one an idea of how the 2nd floor decking was done as a "hanging floor system". These are some joist hangers nailed to the beam over Julie's studio. And then a long shot showing the joists in their hangers.

Here, the deck is coming together. This is Sept 17th. We work on weekends and a few hours here and there when we aren't at our jobs. Believe it or not, a lot of this was done by one person, especially with the shorter joists.





Looking thru the joists...

On the left is the opening to the living room which will have a cathedral ceiling. In the foreground is an opening in the srairwell for light and air.

Here, the decking is in place and the first floor is starting to get some shelter from the sun and rain. This was the wettest September on record, so it was difficult to find the time to get things done, but we did.



The View

This is the view from the living room window.

It's important to stop and just admire!

...before the next tasks: to plate the top of the walls, backfill the French drain on the southeast side, and add some load-bearing walls to the interior so that we can set the beams.