Shunpike Road

Well, it has been almost three months since my last entry. That's not because work stopped -- it did not. But I've been busy and a lot of the work wasn't easy to photograph without being in the way (during the day, while work was in progress) or couldn't be photographed (at night, without light in the house).

We did loose sometime due to the weather, unfortunately. We had hoped to pour the concrete for the garage floor and front porch but that did not happen due to the multiple blizzards and ice storms. And we lost a few days as everyone was busy digging themselves out of the storm, or Victor had to get the job site dug out so everyone else had access again. They did finish the Duradek patio in front and back (though no railings are up) but I never got a chance to take a picture before it got buried in snow.

The rough HVAC work (supply & return ducts, and the equipment) is installed and pictures will follow soon. The drilling for the geothermal wells could happen as soon as this week. The rough plumbing is virtually complete and the rough electric has begun. Fire sprinklers will hopefully start this week as will the low voltage work (fire & security system, whole house audio, and conduit for future data, telephone & television wiring).

But, the stucco installers persevered. On the days before it got very cold, the installed the foam trim pieces and basecoat of the stucco. Then, when it got cold, they tarped the whole house and setup propane heaters under the tarp to keep things warm. I'm told that, on the upper levels of the scaffolding, you would still be sweating while wearing just a T-shirt, even if it was below freezing outside.


I have to admit - I kinda liked the blue house better than the finished product. It covered up all the pesky windows the architects added.

The framers are back. Only five guys (or so - I didn't actually count) but they were working quickly to frame the eaves (below) as well as the garage (pictures to follow). They are from Double Hammer Construction, by the way.





Victor and Chrispin (from Conquest Builders) had previously added some wood to the vinyl window bucks so that we can set the windows towards the outside of the house instead of inside. Makes the house look a bit more "normal" but also gives us some extra space on the inside because of the depth of the ICF walls.

Sorry, Marco (Integrity Remodeling) - you were on the roof while I was on the ground taking a few pictures. You didn't know who this nut snooping around your job site was until you called Victor. But (at least from the ground) it looks like you do good work. On the other hand, we might need to get you a new sign for your truck.

I've been remiss. Lots of work done but I haven't had time to take the pictures or post updates. The second floor walls were poured, the basement floor was poured, the second floor interior walls and attic floor were built and here you can see that the roof was framed and sheated as well.

Work on the last of the insulated concrete forms continues - we're almost ready for the last of the walls to be poured.


The steel plate was welded to the steel beam and both were lifted into place above the front door/under the front porch. Then the LVL was put up against the beam and steel bolts were used to hold them together. Finally, the joist hangers were mounted to the LVL to hold up the floor.

If you've been following, you've seen the Big Beams made of wood. A few of them in various places around the house, more than just the pictures you've seen. But some places, wood just doesn't do the job. So, today we got some steel.

There's one big (32 ft. 2 in, W10x26) steel beam for the garage.

Up until now, it was just one big first floor. But now we have the studs up for all the first floor walls so its easier to picture what the house will look like when it is done. (Easier - not easy. And worse in 2D pictures where depth perception is much more difficult.)

Here's a view from inside the first floor office space.

The first floor walls have been poured. Don't have any pictures of the process itself and it doesn't look much different afterwards, unless you look down into the wall cavity which is hard to photograph.

Some wondered how you get concrete down underneath the window bucks. The answer is simple: put a hole in it. As they do everywhere, a concrete vibrator is used to make sure the concrete flows into all the nooks and crannies but you have to get it down into the wall first.



Also, before the poured the walls, holes are cut and PVC or sheet metal sleeves are put in place for all the bigger penetrations (bathroom fans, kitchen exhaust fan, electrical service entrance, etc.) If its a small hole (under two inches in diameter), they'll just use a hammer drill later on. Here we have penetrations for two bathroom fans and one dryer exhaust fan.



Wood is good for lots of things on a construction site. One use is to cut it to size and then use it to verify your measurements. In this case, a note on the board indicates it is being used to make sure there is 8 ft. 4 in. between the top of the footer and the bottom of the floor joists. Add 4" of the concrete slab and we have 8 ft. ceilings in the basement.

We're ready for a basement floor. We had the walls, then the stone. Now we have a vapor barrier and metal mesh to reinforce the 4" concrete floor.

We're almost ready to pour the first floor walls.






And, if you were wondering (I was), they extended at least the one footer I could see.