The subs have started

Lots of progress over the last several weeks. Today was a big day at the house since we met with the architect and one of his associates, a landscape architect, and the electrician. Also, the crew had a Cinqo de Mayo bbq. At the peak, there were 14 cars parked at the site.

Wall separating the common areas from the rest of the house is now complete.

Hallway at the back of the common areas.

View out to the covered patio. Exterior sheet rock complete and Rumford fireplace construction about to start.

Pool area is now taking shape.

Now that the framing is complete, the subcontractors have started their work. Since we live in an area with high fire danger, we decided to add a layer of sheet rock to the outside. This is a code requirement for commercial buildings but isn't usually done on residences. (The material is not traditional sheet rock since it is rated for exposure to rain for several weeks; it looks more like cement board.) Like most sheet rockers, this crew works incredibly fast.

The roof has been "dried in" with a layer of waterproof material applied. This material is similar to the stuff used in the east to prevent ice dams from causing leaks. We are using it over the entire roof underneath the final steel layer. This results in basically a 2 roof system that is virtually leak proof.

You can see in the pictures that the house really sticks out now with the plywood covered with either sheetrock or the roofing material. Eventually, a bronze covered steel roof and darkened redwood siding will allow the house to blend in with the site much better.

View of the house from the far side of the land. It'll only be an eyesore until the roof and siding goes on.

The plumbers will finish their work next week then the fire sprinkler installers will do their work. Fire is a real concern in this area. In addition to the layer of sheetrock and sprinklers, we also have a steel roof and 5 fire hydrants fed by our 6000 gallons of stored water. (I've tried using a 2 1/2" fire hose with our hydrants and it was a challenge to control.) We'll have remotely monitored smoke detectors so the fire department will eventually show up. Hopefully, all they'll have to do is turn off the water to the sprinklers.

We went over the lighting plan for the house last week in anticipation of the electrician starting his work. We switched a couple more fixtures to fluorescent to be more energy efficient. A lot of the accent lights are low voltage and are more efficient than normal incandescent but not nearly as efficient as fluorescent. I have always been amazed at how expensive lights are; the simplest ones always seem to be the most expensive.

The plan for network, phone, audio, and video wiring is finally coming together. I found a structured wiring consultant and he has come up with a preliminary plan. It goes beyond what we need but it should be easy to prune. (I did the specification of where network and video connections were but there is a whole lot more detail that needed to be worked out.

The mechanical plan is also coming together. We decided a long time ago to use solar for heating the pool. Recently, we expanded the solar capacity to handle all the hot water needs of the house. (There will be a conventional water heater for backup.) There will also be a solar electric system but the plan for that is still in the early stages.

The first window delivery is next week. By the time we go up next Friday, there should already be a couple installed. Some are absolutely huge; I think it might be too nerve wracking to watch them being installed.

Susan has been looking for a landscape architect and we met with one at the house on Friday. He was recommended by our architect and they seemed to work well together. The goal is to have the landscaping completed at about the same time as the house. I'll post more about the landscaping after we decide on an architect and get some firm plans.