The Roof
It's been quite a while since the last update. We've been going up every week and taking lots of pictures but I decided to hold off the next entry until the roof framing tied everything together. On Monday, 4 massive steel and wood composite beams were bolted and welded in place. These beams support the roof and its long cantilever over the covered patio. The 2 sections of the house, the main part and the shop/garage/pool, are now united under a continuous roof.
Framing has continued throughout the house and many areas are ready for windows. As things took shape, we made some changes and had a couple glitches. When we saw the relative sizes of the library/media room and Susan's project room, decided to move a wall to add space to the library/media room at the expense of her project room. Due to a conflict between a room beam placement and the fireplace flue, the flue had to be redesigned.
Windows arrive the first week of May and installation should start immediately. The subcontractors will also begin their work, starting with the plumber and fire sprinklers followed by the wiring. Due to the home network, distributed audio and video, and phone system, we will end up with miles of cat 5e and coax cable throughout the house.
Fire safety is of prime importance in California. In addition to automatic sprinklers, the house will have a layer of sheetrock between the outside plywood panels and finish siding. The pool has a dry hydrant which allows the fire department to draw water from the pool directly. Between the dry hydrant and 6,000 gallons of water in tanks, we will have enough water to fight any fire. (The local fire chief said that if they used all the available water and the fire still isn't out, there probably is little left anyway.) Since most fires start on the roof, our roof is steel with few gutters.
We are also working on the specifics of the house mechanicals. We hope to generate all our hot water during the warmer months via solar panels. (The days of big old clunky solar heater panels are long gone. See www.heliodyne.com.) The pool will have a backup propane heater but most of its heat should come from solar panels and its dark color. We are waiting for a proposal for a basic but easily extended photovoltaic system that would provide enough power for just Susan and me. (No battery storage until that technology improves.)
Due to the amount of wildlife in the area, we need a fence that can keep out both deer and pigs. Two weeks ago we met with the fence builder and marked out the path. The fence was finished today and it came in at 2350' long. There are lots of gates, some small for humans and others larger for a utility vehicle.
I've posted a new walkthrough video. Even though it started out in high def, the quality is pretty poor by the time it makes it through google video. If you are interested, and your email server accepts big files, I can send you a higher quality one directly.
View into the common areas from the covered patio.
View onto the covered patio from inside.
View from above the house.
View from the covered patio.
Steel and composite roof beam.
Framing has continued throughout the house and many areas are ready for windows. As things took shape, we made some changes and had a couple glitches. When we saw the relative sizes of the library/media room and Susan's project room, decided to move a wall to add space to the library/media room at the expense of her project room. Due to a conflict between a room beam placement and the fireplace flue, the flue had to be redesigned.
Windows arrive the first week of May and installation should start immediately. The subcontractors will also begin their work, starting with the plumber and fire sprinklers followed by the wiring. Due to the home network, distributed audio and video, and phone system, we will end up with miles of cat 5e and coax cable throughout the house.
Southwest side of the house. Large opening is for the sliding door panels leading to a deck.
Fire safety is of prime importance in California. In addition to automatic sprinklers, the house will have a layer of sheetrock between the outside plywood panels and finish siding. The pool has a dry hydrant which allows the fire department to draw water from the pool directly. Between the dry hydrant and 6,000 gallons of water in tanks, we will have enough water to fight any fire. (The local fire chief said that if they used all the available water and the fire still isn't out, there probably is little left anyway.) Since most fires start on the roof, our roof is steel with few gutters.
We are also working on the specifics of the house mechanicals. We hope to generate all our hot water during the warmer months via solar panels. (The days of big old clunky solar heater panels are long gone. See www.heliodyne.com.) The pool will have a backup propane heater but most of its heat should come from solar panels and its dark color. We are waiting for a proposal for a basic but easily extended photovoltaic system that would provide enough power for just Susan and me. (No battery storage until that technology improves.)
Due to the amount of wildlife in the area, we need a fence that can keep out both deer and pigs. Two weeks ago we met with the fence builder and marked out the path. The fence was finished today and it came in at 2350' long. There are lots of gates, some small for humans and others larger for a utility vehicle.
I've posted a new walkthrough video. Even though it started out in high def, the quality is pretty poor by the time it makes it through google video. If you are interested, and your email server accepts big files, I can send you a higher quality one directly.
posted by Jim Barstow at
9:41 PM
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