August 16th - Installed the Largest Ridge Beam

First ridge beams were installed:

View from the studio roof:

Planning for the largest ridge beam:  27' x 6" x 16"

August 16th - Fireplace is Framed

We decided to put the fireplace in the corner of the great room:

This is the fireplace concept from a segment on HGTV.  It has to be modified to work with our raised hearth.



August 15th - Preparing the Outside East Wall

Just beyond the gate on the east side of the house is the bedroom and bathroom we saved from the original house.  The door in this picture was added so we could go in and out of the bedroom and bathroom during the construction.  The opening will become a window in the final plan.

This is the temporary window Gerry built in the remodeled bathroom 15 years ago.  It opens from the top into the bathroom so the screen could be on the outside (my request):

Bathroom from inside:

The bedroom and bathroom windows had to be removed so the framers could work on their outside walls.  The clothes inside the bedroom had to be moved away from the window and the electrical outlet removed from the bedroom ceiling.

Unfortunately, the original framing bowed approximately 1" from the south side of the bathroom across the bedroom window.  Gerry used a saws-all and planer to remove the excess wood so the sheeting will be flush with the rest of the east wall.  Gerry said it wouldn't have made much difference if we were going to stucco the outside, but since we are planning to use siding, the bow in the wall would have been noticeable.

And as luck would have it, the belt on the planer broke at about 6:30 PM.  A replacement is only available by mail order--one week--or at a Sears Repair Center....the closest being in Lakewood and it closed at 5:00 PM.

By the late evening....what a mess inside the bedroom and bathroom!



August 15th - Ceiling Joists Installed

The ceiling joists were installed today:

The framers lifted the heavy beams with brute-strength and their shoulders:

View of ceiling joists from the roof of the garage:

View of the great room toward back of the house:

View from the great room toward the front door:

View from the great room toward my closet in the master bedroom:

August 13th - Windows Are Installed In The Studio

We've decided the shop feels more like a studio, so we're changing the name!

Gerry installed the two Pella transom windows (from Habitat) on the west wall of the shop.  Open, they are perfect for letting in the cool afternoon breeze:

Installed a Pella casement window (also from Habitat) on the east side of the shop.  It has a neat, roll-up screen hidden in the top of the frame:

Time for Uncle Gerry to take the neighbor's dogs, Shadow and Bella, for a walk while they are away for the weekend:

August 12th - More Framing

The dining room pop-out window and the front bedroom window area are sheeted:

The garage is sheeted:

East side (back) of the garage along the neighbor's driveway:

Even though the shop has lots of the stuff I moved from the garage, there is still more stuff (Gerry's) in the garage:

The master suite (east side) is sheeted from the back forward as far as Gerry's closet:

August 11th - More Walls.

The dining room pop-out window is framed:

Here we're trying to visualize the height and the size of the fireplace opening:

The west and south sides of the house are now sheeted on the exterior:

South wall, back of the house and great room:

West wall from inside the great room: