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.

Industry Pendant Lamp

Gigantic!

When Will at Green Bottle asked us to consider CB2’s Industry Pendant Lamps as part of our kitchen lighting set-up, consider we did… for all of two seconds… before deciding that they were exactly what we’d been searching for.

They’re big (20.25″ D. x 23″ H.)! They’re black (although this may change once we start nailing down color schemes)! They’re steel! They’re affordable…

…and, right now, they’re shipping for FREE!

From the CB2 site: “The really big one. Over the top, hi-gloss black steel warehouse lamp rimmed in delustered metal replicates its big union predecessors at a minimum wage price. Frosted glass diffuses the beam. Retro black cloth cord tandems with metal cable for strong suspension. Professional hardwire installation recommended; hardware and ceiling plate included.”

So, we’ll be getting two of these bad boys to go above our kitchen island (should go real good with our Real Goods). And with our left-over-wedding-booty Crate and Barrel gift cards and FREE shipping, we’re hoping to pay only pennies.

Week 19.3: a series of tubes

Rub-a-dub-dub… it's the upstairs tub!

Ah, plumbing. That time-honored trade of working with pipes, tubing and fixtures for drinking water systems and the drainage of (ahem) waste. From the Latin plumbum for lead…

…but we’re having none of that.

Yes, plumbing (of course).

But no lead… or copper… or steel… or any other metal-ly thing.

Unlike Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate, we’re gonna heed Mr. McGuire’s “just one word” of advice:

“Plastics.”

It’s CPVC for 1133.

Unlike metal, CPVC plumbing systems are more environmentally friendly and resist corrosion. The pipes themselves are also much easier to handle and install than metal, comply with most building code standards, and, best of all, within our budget.

Durability and affordability? There is a great future in that.

CPVC in the wall.

So, with tubing (and tubbing) in tow, our “Green Bottle Certified” plumbers began what is commonly called the “rough-in.” We hope that the process of creating what will become the backbone of our plumbing system will be a much more precise endeavor than “rough-in” seems to imply. After all, it’s going to take 2 weeks and some change to do.

Behind the headboard.

Judging from their handiwork thus far (which has included the installation of our American Standard Jetted Tubs!), it’s looking like we’re in very capable hands (as usual).

And, what’s that shiny something snaking through the rafters?

Air!

The end of week 19 also saw a start on the installation of our HVAC ductwork. When it’s all said and done, we’ll have two separate HVAC systems (one for each floor). While they’re at it, the HVAC fellas will also be installing the ductwork for the ventilation hood that goes over our kitchen stove (speaking of, it may just about be time to order those… and the rest of our appliances).

Rural Studio Tour: gimme shelter

Vaulted.

Just over a 15-minute drive from Newbern is Greensboro, Alabama (pop. 2,731) and site of the next stop on our Hale-oween Rural Studio tour (and Liane’s second favorite RS project)—The Hale County Animal Shelter.

The 2005–2006 thesis project of students Jeff Bazzell, Julieta Collart, Lana Farkas, Connely Farr, the “Dog Pound”, as it’s sometimes called, was conceived and constructed to help underfunded Hale County fulfill a state-mandated legal obligation calling for an animal shelter in each county.

The back.

Vault and the box.

With assistance from consulting structural engineer Joe Farruggia, the team of four (each, with no previous construction experience) utilized a lamella roof for the overarching, open-ended shelter structure. This large sweeping span sits slightly off-the-ground on steel legs rooted in concrete, and is constructed of conventional off-the-shelf 2x8s connected in a diamond pattern and sheathed in 1x4s and sheets of corrugated galvinized aluminum.

Galvinized perspective.

Diamond ribs.

Steel feet.

Galv-alum with Plexi band.

Three Plexiglas bands—at the top and either side—are carefully placed to keep furry tenants coolly shaded during the summer and comfortably warmed by direct sunlight during the winter.

Back of the box.

Underneath this shimmery arc, the kennel structure is a modernist box comprised of 16 open-air pens (with under-floor heating to warm the animals during the winter), bookended by two enclosed air-conditioned spaces for kennel workers and the treatment of ill or injured animals.

Lou looking for pups.

Looking back.

Dead end.

The late Sambo Mockbee once said: “Everybody wants the same thing, rich or poor… not only a warm, dry room, but a shelter for the soul.”

The “Dog Pound” is a shelter for the soul… an expression of compassion and respect for all living things… another shining example of the Rural Studio ethos.

[Ed. note: Just a week prior to our visit, the Animal Shelter was shortlisted and highly commended in the Civic Category at the inaugural World Architecture Festival in Barcelona.]

1133 | Rural Studio
Beneath the roses
Fire!
Outside the Red Barn

Week 17: ep-I-logue

I-beam (step on).

As promised, pics of the aforementioned I-beam (for what they’re worth… STILL need to read that C-Lux manual) that Will and Matthew put in during week 17.

The I-beam will project out from the interior east wall and serve as the main support for the staircase, thus freeing up the space underneath the stairs (no column). This means that the I-beam will be visible in the finished house… a design detail.

The I-beam under the stairs.

Under the beam.

Lou would like to leave it as it currently is, in all its steel-y glory. Depending on what we do with color on the inside of the house, though, I could see painting it a bright color… like International Orange… our nod to Ben Kelly. Or better yet, black and yellow diagonal warning stripes… sort of a Haçienda South… at least until we get the furniture in.

Can anyone convince New Order to get back together?

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.