Framing
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Feb. 2, 2005. It has turned into a tough winter, but the framing phase of construction is officially declared complete. Whew! On to systems installation and exterior finishing...
Jan. 19. Rear decks under construction.
Jan. 19. Composite pan of east side arches.
Jan. 14. Detail of northwest arch.
Jan. 14. The lower level arches. Nice work!
Jan. 14, 2005. The front elevation with lower level arches.
Dec. 29, 2004. The stairway to the top deck. An open railing will go where the plywood barrier is temporarily
Dec. 29. The flower boxes outside the turret are framed. These will have fiberglass liners for pots.
Dec. 23. My attic space under the rear hip roof is fully framed & sheathed.
Dec. 23. The roof top deck has been framed & sheathed.
Dec. 23. The mini-hip roof over the stair tower is framed. By town code, the *middle* of the slope must adhere to the height limit, so a small roof also ends up with a peak at a lower elevation.
Dec. 15. The front view now includes the full roof framing.
Dec. 15. The kitchen window dormer framing is complete, ready for the sheathing.
Dec. 15. A composite photo of the top deck, looking west and north. This deck offers the best views.
Dec. 15. The overhead kitchen framing is very complicated
Dec. 15. Mark & Jeff attach the pole jacks. It's windy and cold up there.
Dec. 15. Pole jacks are set up for the next stages.
Dec. 8. The new rafters and the kitchen dormer are visible from the boulevard.
Dec. 8. Up top, Mark & Jeff cut and place the turret rafters. Cutting these properly is a challenging job.
Dec. 8. Fred has put down steel reinforcing mesh for the poured concrete slab.
Dec. 2. Meanwhile, at ground level Fred the mason has prepared the sandy base for the concrete slab to be poured.
Dec. 2. The I-joists are hung on the giant yellow LVL (foreground). The I-joists provide the flat base for the top-level deck above the living room.
Dec. 2. The kitchen window moves a little closer to completion. Rough plumbing for the sink is in.
Dec. 2. To access the attic, one will use this hatchway in one of the closet ceilings. It's a slight squeeze to get in because I didn't want to locate the hatch in the center of the master suite.
Dec. 2. A closer look at the hip roof. I've provided for access to this space so that it can serve as a small attic.
Dec. 2. The hip roof over the rear section has been added.
Nov. 22. With the sheathing up, but without the windows, the West side looks like a blank wall.
Nov. 22. I-Joists attach to the LVL (left background), providing the base for the top deck.
Nov. 22. A three-LVL sandwich beam (visible in background) will support the roof deck above the living area.
Nov. 22. Rather than wait another day for a boom that can lift the large (18") LVL beams to the second floor, they get hoisted up by hand. Look out below! Also, see the video version here.
Nov. 21. The main kitchen windows over the sink will go here. There will be a view of the bay from here.
Nov. 21. The front shows some progress on the sheathing.
Nov. 17. Joists for the 2nd floor front deck are in place.
Nov. 16. West side elevation with 2nd floor stud walls.
Nov. 16. The 2nd floor stud walls are erected..
Nov. 16. Panorama composite of east side.
Nov. 10. Jeff is setting the joists for the 2nd floor front deck.
Nov. 10. Materials & tools are moved to the 2nd floor for stud walls.
Nov. 6. Another placement of my CAD model into the picture.
Nov. 4. The front elevation shapes up with sheathing.. The weather has been good, but that's about to change.
Nov. 3. The main entry is now clear and the space we have for landscaping can be seen.
Nov. 3. The narrow west side porch is attacked by another set of fast-growing native pines.
Nov. 3. The garages and the first floor front deck.
Nov. 3. Composite panorama of the lower level.
Nov. 3. Mark (above) and Jeff (below) placing joists for 2nd floor. These particular joists will span east all the way over the entry.
Nov. 3. The plywood sheathing has been put up on the first floor stud walls in the last week. Window gaps have not been cut as snow is expected soon.
Oct. 27. The walls for the lower level are actually hung from the first floor girders rather than built up. This is standard practice on this kind of construction.
Oct. 27. Just a few more feet... The view starts to develop.
Oct. 26. New fill has been added at grade level to meet town spec. The concrete slab will be poured much later.
Oct. 26. Front elevation view.
Oct. 26. View from just east on East Lee Ave.
Oct. 26. Northerly view of 1st floor framing
Oct. 26. The typically-used 3/4-inch floor ply is for wimps. We are using 9/8-inch for most of the floors.
Oct. 26. The first floor den, looking northeast.
Oct. 26. A view of the stair tower.
Oct. 26. The dumbwaiter shaft. The floor will be cut out later.
Oct. 26. I trimmed off the branches with a pole saw. Some were 5" diameter. Hours later, I am tired and sore and it's too dark to take a picture.
Oct. 26. Pine trees were encroaching the rear. They've got to go before the decks are worked on.
Oct. 26. A view from the boulevard.
Oct. 26. A panoramic composite from east side.
Oct. 22. Now I can place my CAD model in a photo of the site to get a idea of the house 6 months forward.
Oct. 21. The deck of the 1st floor provides a first opportunity to imagine the rooms.
Oct. 20. Jeff & Mark snap chalk lines onto the 1st floor to guide the wall frames.
Oct. 13. The joists go up quickly. At least it seems quick to someone not doing the lifting.
Oct. 12. The weather has been ideal for days.
Oct. 12. Jeff & his dad maneuver the 2 X 10 joists onto the girders.
Oct. 12. Framing is a muscle-intensive phase of the job. No cranes or other heavy equipment are used.
Oct. 11. The round piles have been "notched" at their tops with a chain saw to accept the girders. Bolts anchor the LVL girders in the notches.
Oct. 11, 2004. LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) girders and 2 X 10 joists to support the 1st floor on the piles have been delivered.