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It may be the dog days of summer, but we were visited by a mother bear and her cub. Fortunately pictured trotting away . . .
Still struggling with what to do about the pine needle floor. Just can’t accept the offer to shot blast it. So tired of going backwards when all I want to do is go forward.
We did focus on the middle deck that was only a single truck of concrete. You can see that we seeded it with larger aggregate and then gave it the exposed treatment. The pour went super smooth.
For this beam, I reused the wooden fish templates. When we strip the forms, I will fill the fish forms with a darker mud. Then the beam gets a quick grind. If all goes per plan, the beam will project the shadows of the fish.
$85,000 is the bid for a ‘green’ roof. That’s $20 a foot on top of a perfectly good concrete roof. Turned my complexion green, that’s for sure. More on that to come.
Steve
While one crew tediously ties steel for the top level walls, another crew readies the middle level deck for the top layer of exposed aggregate.
We are tying both ends of this deck into the rockeries to help blend the house into the environment.
The pressure treated window bucks show the screws that will be covered in concrete and will then hold the wood tight. Downstairs we used galvanized nails, larger in size, but fewer in quantity. Turns out they didn’t hold very well.
What good’s a wheel, if it can’t be reinvented a time or two.
The Dingo was parked too close to a sprinkler and a leaky gas cap welcomed about a gallon of water to the gas tank. I hadn’t sucked a siphon hose since the gas crisis during Jimmy Carter’s regime. But, hey maybe I could put that talent to some good use in the current gas crisis . . .
To his credit, the head floor polishing guy saw the condition of the bedroom floors and agreed that three were not up to his standard. We are working out a strategy to keep everybody happy. It is refreshing for a contractor to accept responsibility.
Steve
Floor grinding is billed by the number of passes over any given square foot. The number of passes depends on the grit being used and the result being pursued. Even with 11 passes, we are still struggling with the pine needles that were blown into the floor last Fall. One suggestion is to say they resemble small fry, complementing the brass fish upstairs. Hmmm.
The window bucks are going in. this little bit of ‘framing’ is unusually expensive. The wood has to be pressure treated because of concrete contact. Then we wrap the opening with more PT to leave a wide nailing surface for window trim. Downstairs we used vinyl bucks, but finish trim is a concern.
The window buck pictured are just the first row. There is a second row coming. The wall height facing the river is 17’ tall. To guard against blowouts, we are going to pour that in two lifts. There is probably a good reason why most concrete stingers are only 10’ long!
Because of the large window opening, the front wall is more like a series of columns, as evident from the monster vertical rebar and the horizontal wrapping at 4” intervals.
Steve
The devil is in the details. . .
We cut the window openings per the eng plans. And then noticed that the window tops did not align with the tops of the Nana walls. The arch plans show them symmetrical. So, leave ‘em uneven, make the windows taller, or raise the openings by 3”. Details.
I asked the guys to install mesh where we couldn’t before because of the shoring. When I checked back a couple hours later, mesh was being installed where I never planned it. Details.
The electrician showed up a day early, which was appreciated, but we didn’t have on hand enough of the special outlet boxes. Since I took Monday off (mtn biking at Whistler), I didn’t learn of the shortage until Tuesday. Details.
Like Strode said, his Tuesday is my Monday.
Steve
On the bright side of things, the floor coloring on the bedroom level is starting to come together
Flooring Solutions from Seattle provided a color palette by actually applying dyes to the floor. Everybody got to pick room colors.
Those pads might not look like much, but they are embedded with diamonds for cutting the concrete. Debbie says I never buy her diamonds. Ha!
Katie just wants to get moved in so she can sit by her creek with her dog.
Because of the wide openings for the Nana walls, and the 14’ high ceilings, the rebar schedule calls for an intricate web of #5 bar to make columns.
Wall growth is waiting now on the electrician to run conduit for outlets.
Steve
The steel railing guys brought welding equipment to add to the 100+ degree temps. They want vertical spindles, while I want horizontal cables. He calls it a ‘ladder’ for the kids. He also refers to the ATV to the outhouse as the shitter shuttle. My hope is his welds as as smooth as his vocabulary!
I just don’t get the younger generation with pants at half mast. If I forget my belt, I am constantly pulling up. At least I am not in the belt and suspenders group. Are you?
Met with the power guy. Voltage drop is an issue. There was a $5,000 fix, and then, with some conversation, we came up with a free fix. Feel the power.
The USFS came through with an agreed reprieve of the four trees on the inside corner. I paid the $1,310 and the Ranger assured me the money would remain dedicated to my roadway so as to be available if ever needed. Yeah, right. At least that’s done.
Seeing the walls go up gives real definition to the building. Course, now I am stressing about bracing, etc.
Steve
With respect to the Great Communicator (Mr. Gorbachev, tear these walls down), I was glad to finally say, Mr. Strode, build those walls up! These are the first walls since resuming work four months ago. Whew!
We tore away the shoring under the top deck. The cantilevered concrete deck with massive front beam is visually intimidating. And very cool.
Debbie went front door shopping. Seems everybody makes the same generic styles. We are looking for something unique, but complimentary to the theme of the house. Hmmmm.
The three day weekend took its toll. Terry no-showed. The floor grinder guys late showed, and then fiddled with the electrics until very late in the day. Eric was expected but did not appear. I guess the 4th burnt out more then just the fireworks.
Progress nonetheless.
Steve
The big news is our fist media coverage of note. The local paper, the Leavenworth Echo, did a front page feature story on the project emphasizing the green aspect of building. Read it yourself at:
http://www.leavenworthecho.com/main.aspSectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=1013
Some good reviews of the new ‘blog’. If I get all the email readers to subscribe I can start posting higher res photos. also, feel free to post comments.
We are still stacking shoring for reuse. One of the grinders has moved to the master bedroom to work out the pine needle blemishes that were blown in when we poured that floor last Fall.
The grinder guys are frustrated with power limitations. I rented a generator. That was a typical mess. One guy talks amps. The next guy babbles about watts. And the third guy speaks volts. Have we really evolved?
Seeing the saw blades revealed in the garage floor is cool.
The exterior deck has ZERO cracks. I am very pleased with that. Must have been the choice of Sam’s Cola!
Heat is hovering in the mid 90ies.
Steve
It was an anti-climatic start to the week, after the excitement of three pours in three weeks. Shoring is being stripped and stored for re-use when the roof goes up.
Steve Strode contemplates and plots the next four moves. He is the chess player, always thinking ahead. I am more the checkers player, jumping what is right in front of me.
Son Will is making a few bucks working with the grinder guys. Both of them are former Marine Corp and served together in the battle of Fallujah. One brought home a purple heart. Will wants to bring both home to keep!
Strong back Terry, not pictured because of a court appearance today, is also listening to our Marines and has made an appointment with an Army recruiter. Losing Terry to the Army would be a good thing.
We seeded the garage floor with saw blades. The one photo shows them coming to light. Sharp!
One more thing. I have repurposed this written journey as a blog (my first). You can view it at:
http://www.icicleearthhome.blogspot.com/
If you subscribe, I will take you off the email list. Please feel free to share the story!
Steve
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