More framing

We were told when we started this project that progress would be slow while the foundation was built then fast during framing. Even though we expected this, we have been surprised how fast the house is now taking shape. Since the last update, the lower guest bedrooms and baths have been framed, the floors have been laid, and the stairs constructed. The next step is to frame in the rooms on the main floor and master suite. The shop, exercise room, and pool bath also have to be framed.

View from covered patio into the main part of the house.

In the picture above, you are looking in from the covered patio across the dining room/kitchen. The raised floor to the right is where the library/media room and Susan’s project room are located. The short stair at the far end leads to the master suite and my office. The lower section at the far end is where the guest rooms are located.

View back to dining room and kitchen.

The kitchen, dining room, and living room are all open to each other and share a wall of windows. In the picture above, the first window bay basically defines the dining room. The second defines the kitchen, and the third and fourth define the living room.

View to the living room.

The living room is the largest space in the common area. The end of the living room opens on to a deck that should be shady in the afternoon. The door to the deck (like the door from the covered patio) has 3 very large sliding glass panels. They slide into a cavity in the wall so they disappear completely. The effect will be to open up both ends of the common space to the outside.

View from one of the guest rooms.

The 2 guest rooms are on the bottom level. The picture above is from the largest guest room which has 2 windows in the corner. The other guest room is smaller but makes up for its reduced size by having an outside terrace that looks into the garden.

Shop, exercise room, pool patio, and pool.

This picture shows the end of the shop, the exercise room, the pool patio, and pool. The exercise room will have a concrete floor and the pool patio will be covered. The space uphill from the pool will be filled and have a level garden. The lower section will also be graded.

Susan in the deep end of the pool.

View across the pool patio, exercise room, and shop back to the main part of the house.

Pool and framing

Lots of progress since the last update.

We had thought the pool wouldn’t be gunited until the end of the rainy season in late spring but things worked out differently and the gunite was applied today. The process is fascinating to watch so I have included links to 2 videos I shot. The process starts with a large truck loaded with dry concrete and sand. A mechanism delivers the correct ratio of materials to a conveyer belt that runs underneath the truck. This conveyer belt runs out the back into an auger that thoroughly mixes the material then dumps it into a hopper that feeds it to another truck. The second truck has equipment that sends the dry mixture down a hose via a large volume of high pressure air. Water is added at the nozzle and the resulting almost dry mix sprayed on at high velocity and with a lot of noise. Why is it done this way? Not sure except that gunite isn’t supposed to sag or slump so it is perfect for forming into the curved shapes of a pool.


When I first saw the process, my first reaction was to wonder why the crew wasn’t wearing masks or hearing protectors. I asked the foreman about this during a break and he said they had all the equipment on the truck but the young, male crew refused to use it.

At this stage, the gunite is applied and shaped to final form. The pool will then sit until the house is near completion. Plaster, tile, automatic cover and all the finish details will then be added.

Here are links to the videos. Unfortunately, the resolution is reduced when viewed via Google video. The original QuickTime movie files are much clearer. If you’d like to see higher quality video and have an email system than can accept large (10-30 MB) files, email me (jb@mdli.com) and I’ll send them to you.

Gunite video #1
Gunite video #2

A lot more progress has also been made on the framing. Floor joists are in for the main floor of the house and the shop. Subfloors were supposed to go down this afternoon. As I’ve watched the framing go up, I’ve noticed how little normal dimensional lumber is being used. All the floor joins are wooden i-beams which don’t shrink or warp and provide for a much stiffer floor. All the rim joints (the pieces that the joists are anchored to and that runs perpendicular to the joists) are some engineered composite as are the headers over large openings. In fact, about the only dimensional lumber are the 6” wall studs.


Here is a link to a walkthrough. As I mentioned above, I can send a much higher quality video if your email system supports it.

Walkthrough

We met with a local landscape designer last week. They come highly recommended and we like the work they’ve done elsewhere. When we get a plan, I’ll post it.

Click on the picture below to see a panorama taken from below.