Week 21.1: an update from Will

12.6.08

Awoke this morning to an email from Green Bottle Will:

…….

hey roy + liane_

have you visited the oc-17 house lately?

the painters plan to work on sunday to re-spray the front steel rafter tails and do touch-ups around the house. monday, they plan on painting the wooden rafter tails. also on monday, the roofers plan to install the master bath roof and have the gutter and side pieces for the dining room installed.

tuesday, the glass installation starts (temporary stops will hold the glass in place until we can trim them out; the installers will also seal the windows from the outside around the frames).

on wednesday, if possible, i would like us all to meet in order to discuss lighting. and, we also have another possible solution for the upper balcony that we’d like to discuss.

that’s all i have for now. let me know if you have any questions.

have a good weekend.

_
w.

…….

So there you have it—a partial agenda for next week.

Today though, busy day ahead…

…which includes a trip to DirectBuy (yuck) to order our appliances (yeah!)… but, perhaps first, a stop by the house to see the latest and greatest… but only after lunch at Pho Que Huong (18A without nuts, please) and checking out that Aldi.

Week 17: Willett, Martin, Pickle & Kohler

"Mr. Pickle, I presume."

Time to fall back. Yes, November 2nd marked the end of another period of Daylight Savings Time. Oddly enough, modern DST was first proposed by a builder—an Englishman by the name of William “Whachootalkinbout” Willett. Mr. Willet’s other claim to fame? If Wikipedia is to be trusted (and why wouldn’t it?), William Willett also holds the (dubious) distinction of being the great-great-grandfather of none other than Coldplay frontman Chris Martin (maybe that’s what “Clocks” is all about).

And why is all this relevant? Well, not much of it is (sorry). Mostly though, to Liane and I (and the few of you following along), the end of DST means no more daily, after-work trips to the house (baaaaaaaahh!!!!).

Yes, until we’re all lit up at 1133 (electrically speaking), there’s not much one can see in the dark. And mornings? Well, they’re usually way too crazy… usually.

Last Friday though, after an early a.m. physical-therapy appointment, I headed over to 1133 with the intention of documenting the most recent of Will and Matthew’s steel activities. Upon my arrival, as luck would have it, I was pleasantly surprised to find Mr. Charles Pickle and his crew fast at work on, arguably, one of 1133’s most essential features…

The tank (aka the giant Lego).

Our septic tank had arrived (joy!).

Having never enjoyed the privilege of being “on septic,” Lou and I aren’t quite sure what to make of this recent addition. On the upside (at least for the time being), it means we’re able to avoid the stink surrounding Jefferson County’s crippling sewer debt. On the downside? Well, to put it politely, let’s just hope that this is the one and only time we’re aware of our septic tank.

Pickle & Co. in the trenches.

Darn these worms!

The Tidy Bowl Man.

With Pickle’s septic services preserved for posterity (one step closer to functioning Persuades!), I proceeded to grab a few snaps of the new steel stuff.

The upstairs balcony wall/handrail now has steel posts for reinforcement (allowing us to lean with confidence)…

Shoring up the handrail.

The glass wall overhang has all of its steel connecting cross-pieces…

A fine point.

Under the overhang.

And, at the front of the house and in the dining room extension, the 2-inch steel spacers that will eventually hold/join our large panels of insulated glass are in as well.

The future glass wall.

Corner with steel spacers.

Steel corner spacers.

The dining room spacer.

[Ed. Note: Will and Matthew were also able to install a great steel I-beam on the interior. The I-beam will project out from the interior east wall and serve as the main support for the staircase. Unfortunately though, it was just a little too dark for the trusty C-Lux to capture it… STILL have to read that manual!]

Week 16: two welders welding

Tanks (for welding).

It’s a week of meetings for the Green Bottle Gang. Plumbers, painters, septic tank installers… all talking, negotiating, planning, and planning, and planning…

But, Will and Matthew manage to find a little bit of time by week’s end to strike up the torches and do a bit more work on the upstairs balcony overhang.

On Saturday—before heading to DirectBuy to order door hardware (we settle on the Schlage S-Series Saturn levers in Satin Chrome finish—very nice, but not our first choice)—we stop by 1133 to check out Friday’s progress…

…and discover that we have some squatters.

Lou looking at ladybugs.

The place is crawling with ladybugs! They’re all over the back of the house… and the upstairs balcony. Lou’s happy. “They’re good luck!”

Looking up at Lou looking left at ladybugs.

Connect the tails, la la ladybugs!

Trees and tails.

Balcony overhang.

Overhang from the back.

Week 15: Steelworkers Local 1133

It’s steel time! The beginning of week 15 sees Will and Matthew breaking out the big guns and setting to work on the steel brows—the heavy steel bands that will hold the steel and galv-alum overhangs (one above the glass wall downstairs, and one above the exterior balcony outside the master bathroom upstairs).

Meister brow.

With eyebrows firmly in place by Tuesday, the rafter tails are next. These long projecting arms continue the language of their wooden counterparts on the west elevation.

Tails below (over the glass wall).

Tails above (over the exterior balcony).

Tails east.

But it wasn’t all steel for Will and Matthew. Putting in the wooden trim for the windows and doors (upstairs and downstairs) rounded out a busy week, cut short by a cold front that brought Friday rain.

What's more, a door.

What's more, another door.

Big window, door, little window.

Friday also brought more visitors…

…on whom, a bit more later.

Week 7: filling in and filling out

I think we may have a few leaks in the roof.

Monday and Tuesday are a wash-out as the rainy remnants of Fay kept us all at bay.

The framers return Wednesday morning and leave at the end of the day with things back on track.

And now that a sizable portion of the structure is up, it’s time to start correcting some of the abrupt downward sloping of the lot. Along with a very substantial bit of red at the far end of the lot, new dirt arrives and the graders, with their trusty Bobcat, get to leveling.

Let's move some dirt.

Hey! What happened to our moat?

Having a bit more ground around the house allows the framers to start on the floating dining room and east side deck area. To this, Liane says: “Yippeeee!” [Ed. note: I think it’s pretty cool too.]

The west side deck (and part of the dining room).

Looking down into the dining room.

We’re also noticing just how nice the view will be from the exterior balcony just outside the master bathroom.

The master bathroom and adjoining exterior balcony.

Much, much accomplished, despite the shortened week. The roof trusses have been specified and ordered; and, what little framing that’s left before those arrive in 2 weeks, will be finished up next week (follow that?).

Grounded.