MAIN OVERVIEW JOURNAL FORUM LOYOLA CONSTRUCTION WEATHER
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PROJECT JOURNAL
7 May 2008
Kelly's crew from Quality Plumbing installed a temporary hot water heater to the cold water supply lines at the water filter station in the garage. The hot water tank was set to its highest reading and provides hot water that will flush out flux and debris in the cold water lines. It is known that one of the causes of premature copper line failure is localized corrosion caused by flux lining the inside of the pipe. By running hot water through the normally cold water lines the residual flux is melted away from the copper wall.
2 May 2008
The Lutron Sivoia QED shades started to get installed. Each shade is mounted using two end brackets. Each end bracket is mounted to the inside of the enclosure by the same screws that anchor the two items to the wall. To simply the end bracket install, a template was made to make it quick to locate the bracket holes that needed to be drilled in to the enclosure. Once the bracket and enclosure are installed the shade roller is installed on to the end brackets. Then the motor is connected to the power and data signal wire which protrudes from the wall at a strategic location near the motor.
The in-wall multimedia rack got its rack-rails attached. Afterwards each of the components were installed in the rack. The majority of the components required the use of a rack shelve and the gaps will be finished off with a metal trim piece. Heavy and low use items such as the UPS and whole house amplifiers were installed on the bottom of the rack while commonly used items such as the receiver and Blue-ray player were installed at eye level. A rack drawer was added at the mid level to facilitate the storage of manuals and accessories. To finish off the rack a smoked glass door will be added. The smoked glass provides a subdued display of the components while allowing IR signals to pass, however an IR repeater will provide signals to all of the components while the remote is pointed at the display.
The 50" plasma HDTV was installed on the wall using a wall bracket. It was fastened using eight drywall expansion anchors. These anchors required pre-drilling and several were strategically placed to ensure they hit the ICF 1" wide plastic web located every 6" behind the drywall. This plastic is very tough and by hitting several of them it guaranteed that the bracket was securely anchored. The display covered a strategically located two gang box that provides power, a HDMI signal cable, a coax cable and a multiconductor cable for use as an IR repeater and automation signal path.
25 April 2008
The Lutron Sivoia QED shades arrived today by truck. The Sivoia QED shades were used throughout the house. They offer ultra-quiet operation, uniform movement of multiple shades, minimal light gap and convenient one-touch control from the keypads and handheld remote. The system seamlessly integrates with the Lutron HomeWorks lighting control to provide complete control of lighting and privacy, day and night. By leveraging the astronomic clock which knows the position of the sun for any day of the year the shade position can be automated to maximize the efficiency of any room or building. The majority of the shades fit in to the Roller 64 model which is comprised of a 3.5" x 3.5" pocket and operates up to 64 square feet of fabric while maintaining a minimal 3/4" symmetrical light gap on each side of the shade.
8 April 2008
This afternoon Gretchen and I closed on the house today with the Shuttleworth & Ruloff attorney. The construction loan was converted to a permanent loan after two years and 9 months of construction. This significant milestone brought us to the end of a multitude of approvals and inspections. This ends this chapter of the home building process and begins the next chapter with decorating, installing multimedia equipment and some more automation work remaining; the real fun part.
4 April 2008
The furniture arrived today. We used Haynes Furniture company exclusively since they have the largest selection of furniture in the area and worked a great package price for the whole house. Two trucks pulled up and the first backed up to the front door. With a crew of 5 men they started bringing in the pieces. Slowly but surely the house was starting to look like a home. They brought in the kitchen and dining room tables and started to assemble the pieces. After the guest bedroom, living room and family room items were set up they worked their way up to the second floor master bedroom. The day ended with the most challenging items which were the sofa and pieces going in the pool house loft. It took 3 men to carefully lift the sofa up the two ladders that we set up and hand it over to the 2 men receiving it on the loft. With the 5 men pushing and pulling they cleared it over the railing and set it in place. In the end laying down on the new sofa was one of those many fun and cherished moments.
Once they delivery crew left we moved on to more cleaning. The house had already been cleaned several times from top to bottom but having the doors opened throughout the day and the workers coming in and out bringing in the items and removing the wrapping and boxes resulted in having to do more cleaning the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening.
12 March 2008
Today we met the City Inspector for our final inspection. This was the culmination of nearly three years of working on the house and I must admit I was nervous. You never know how challenging the inspection will be and you just want to make it through the first time. In preparation you work extra hard to take care of every detail that you can think of and go down the punch list to make sure that everything had been completed, at least to the point that it will pass the inspector scrutiny.
We started the day early with continued cleaning throughout the house. Frank and his crew were painting and touching up some final areas. There is nothing like a clean house and the smell of fresh paint to give one the ultimate look and feel of newness. After four years of daily inspections at Annapolis and a 25 year Naval career, it gets engrained in you that looking good and attention to detail was fundamental to all inspections. Based on the series of previous inspections we thought that the inspector would show up in the afternoon, but just after 11:00 I was notified that the inspector had just parked in front of the house. I met him at the front door and was told to show him the house and would like to stat at the garages. With that we started a tour of the whole house. With flashlight in hand the inspector inspected every space including under cabinets and closets. We made our way through all three floors and inspected all of the rooms and spaces. After a review of the third floor, he inspected the whole front and rear conditioned attic spaces which paralleled the finished rooms. We then made our way back to the first floor and exited the house for a review of the whole exterior. We walked to the pool house and loft and then to the pool mechanical room. We ended up in front of the pool house porch.
With no comment, he reached into his pocket and started to write on the small white but highly significant inspection form. With a simple check on the OK block on the "Final Inspection" line we were done and we passed our city final inspection! He congratulated me, shook my hand and gave me the ultimate reward when he said that he has been inspecting homes for over 20 years and he had never seen such an incredible home. As I was filled with a wave of pride and emotion and I shook his hand one more time and thanked him for his kind words. We did it! The house was ours to move in. The workers all cheered and congratulated me as they know it was a major achievement after a long and challenging period.
After a brief period while I savored the moment of victory I got back to work, knowing that we still had a couple more inspections to go. We still had Suntrust Bank's final inspection to make sure that all of the contract work was complete. They won't let you close on the loan until they inspect to make sure that there is no more work on the house left to be done. And finally we have to have our final landscape and site inspection by the Indian River Plantation Architectural Committee. They inspect to make sure that what you said you were going to build and landscape was what you did. So we continued on with a multitude of items yet to be finished all important but having a major load taken off by having the final inspection. After lunch I made a quick trip to the city inspectors office and asked for a copy of the Certificate of Occupancy. I needed this to send to Suntrust Bank so that their inspection could be scheduled. After a trip back to the office, a quick scan of the certificate, an e-mail and a phone call the inspection request was made.
City Inspector signs off on our final inspection allowing us to get our certificate of occupancy.
Chasing blue LEDs are tied into the Lutron lighting system and are automated depending on the time of day and the garage door operation.
3 March 2008
We passed the final electrical inspection this afternoon. This clears the way for the final inspection which will give us our Certificate of Occupancy. First the carpet need to be installed which will give us the necessary vertical riser spacing on the stairs that get carpeted.
27 February 2008
We passed our final plumbing inspection.
25 February 2008
We passed out final gas inspection.
16 February 2008
The observatory roll off roof was broken down into its three main components; the left and right halves and the frame. We were able to get the two halves up through the house to the 3rd floor and into the observatory. The frame being 8' x 8' was raised up the roof top using ropes and scaffolding placed in from of the adjacent chimney. Originally we were going to use a crane to hoist up the the whole roll-off as a unit but the crane would have had to reached from the street to avoid damaging the walkways and landscaping. After realizing that by breaking the roll-off down into components and that the roll-off halves could make it up the stairs we went forward with the hoisting up the much lighter roll-off frame ourselves.
14 February 2008
We passed our final pool inspection. The fence around the pool had been completed earlier in the week which was the last step that needed to be done for the final inspection. Work continued on the pavers in the main court yard in the front of the house. and along the walkway.
11 February 2008
The 5-channel chasing blue LED wiring harness was laid down along the main entrance driveway and each split going to each f the main garage door was laid down underneath the sand. At each of the five foot intervals the plastic rod was inserted into the 3/8" hole that was drilled in the paver and siliconed in place to keep it from moving. After the pavers were laid down they were compacted down. We wired each of the five channels to a 12 volt battery to test the LEDs and they all worked and looked great. The three main harness leads were routed along the front of the house and into the garage. There they will be connected in to the controller which will get interfaced to the each of the respective two garage doors.
4 February 2008
More of the counter tops arrived and were set in place. At the joints a color matched epoxy was used that make a stronger bond than the granite itself. Once the epoxy sets the surface gets polished to match. Additional doors were also hung and adjusted with just a few left to completion. Landscape work continued outside with the water setting polymeric sand being applied and compacted. Once the sand works itself into the paver gaps and gets wet it will bond and lock in the pavers. Landscape low-voltage lighting wires were laid out throughout the back yard. Individual magnetic transformers which control a zone of lighting will get tied to a Lutron dimmer to provide scene control. Work continued on the fence with the gates getting installed. Once the remaining section goes up along the back deck side entrance effectively closing off of the pool area, the final pool permit will get called for.
31 January 2008
The observatory roll-off roof arrived and preparations began for craning it up in place. Additional work was performed on the fiber optic and LED lighting for the dome below the observatory floor. Lutron will provide five channels of control to the red, green, blue LED lighting levels as well as the fiber optic star illumination. Using a contact closure output channel the star illumination pattern will be controlled and automated.
18 January 2008
The house has had its electrons flowing through its copper veins for several weeks now and today it got its brain. The Lutron HomeWorks processor program got uploaded successfully. As the program uploaded there was a myriad of flickering LEDs across keypads, remote power modules and the processor which settled down once the processor came online having explored its environment and talking to all of the components throughout the house. Now each of the rooms' keypads can control lights, fans, exhaust fans, fireplaces, hot water circulation pumps, energy recovery ventilators and more. What might never end will be the exploration of the near endless possibilities in programming of the keypad buttons and the automation of the system. With its interface with driveway, door, room, passageway and floor sensors the system has the ability to automatically and manually control the home's environment to meet the needs of its occupants however simple or elaborate the desired level of automation and control. Add in astronomical time of day, day of week, calendar and If -Then conditional programming features to the list of features of the HomeWorks system one can start to appreciate the power and flexibility of the system.
After uploading the program each keypad button was tested for operation. With this being the first time a cause and effect got to be realized throughout the house spaces desired changes were documented and made to program revisions. The Lutron program that creates the processor program is intuitive and allows for both quick changes and upload of revisions. A simple and neat feature is having an all-off and all-on button at the garage door. This feature is semi-protected by a required a double tap of the keypad button. This is just one example of the power of the system. The all-on and all-off function will also be incorporated into the keypad by the bed. Having a night mode, day modes, emergency power and alarm modes of operation are some of the presets that will be established.
In the pool house the spiral staircase started to get installed. The all oak staircase kit comes from The Iron Shop. The kit was well packaged and provided all of the hardware that was needed for the project. We added matching railing for the loft to the kit. One aspect of the spiral staircase that was customized to our design was the addition of a toe kick which is attached to the rear of the tread and rises up about 3 inches. The toe-kick is a safety feature that keeps your foot from sliding forward and off of the thread. Initially we started to install the spindles and then realized that it would be quicker and better to stain and finish them prior to assembly. We set up a work bench and started the process of sanding, staining and finishing all of the spindles and posts.
Spiral staircase install starts with anchoring the center base plate.
Once the base plate is anchored the center steel all-thread rod is screwed in to the plate.
Each step is slid down the rod and locked in place with a lock washer and nut.
A big nut call for the use of a bug wrench which is provided with the kit.
Starting to look like a spiral staircase. Note that each spindle is attached to two steps.
31 December 2007
Work continued on many fronts. Outside the wall sconces were being installed. After each zone was connected and 40 watt long life halogen bulbs were installed the zone was powered up at the Lutron panel. Fortunately every one of the remaining exterior zones worked great when we powered them all up. Until the Lutron program is loaded up on the processor all we have is all full on or off as an option. Full on will be a rare setting on the scene setting once the Lutron system is fully programmed conserving power, extending bulb life, minimizing light pollution and glare all the while providing nice illumination.
A final connection had to be made to the Domestic hot water tank with the temperature set point controller. The Tekmar set point controller was mounted directly to the Florida Heat Pump water to water heat pump unit which sits next to the Marathon water heater tank. When the set point controller calls for heat the W-W unit fires with a 24 volt AC signal at the same time the dual circulator pump pack on the geothermal well loop side and the circulator pump on the water tank side also start up. The unit continues to call for hot water generation until the tank reaches the 120 degree set point.
While work progressed through the house a trip was made to the machine shop that was fabricating the aluminum roll-off roof for the telescope observatory. One of the halves of the roof was getting a few finishing welds. Once the halves were completed they were married up to ensure the 6" overlap cleared the inner half. Next the slides will get removed and the two halves get set to be powder coated.
The exterior light fixtures arrived and are being installed. Halogen bulbs were used for high output and low power consumption.
Tekmar's setpoint controller's thermocouple on the domestic hot water tank gets installed on hot supply line.
Tekmar set point controller gets installed right to the Florida Heat Pump Water-to-Water unit that provides domestic hot water heating.
One half of the telescope roll-off roof gets welded. Ribs are for reinforcement.
Using a laser cutter makes easy and very exact work of sheet metal cutting.
27 December 2007
Outside work continued on the pool water solar water heater. A series of 4" posts were set and anchored into the ground with concrete which will provide anchor points for the supporting 2"x4" and 1"x4" panel framework. Each panel is 4' wide and 10 long and the total array will consist of 9 panels providing 360 square feet of solar generating capability. Every square foot of panel received about 90 watts of solar energy which comes out to over 32 kilowatts of energy during a sunny day. The black plastic panel converts the radiant heat to conduction to the circulating pool water in the array. The panel is bypassed by an automatic 3-way valve during cloudy periods and night time to prevent radiant cooling of the pool water.
Inside the pool house the cabinets gets installed. Each cabinet get securely anchored to the wall. Shims and clamps keep the cabinets aligned and held tightly together while they are fastened to each other with wood screws. The under cabinet lighting is interfaced with a Lutron dimmer module and will be controlled along with the rest of the room lighting and fan by the wall keypad.
The flooring in the heated exercise room above the garage was completed. Afterwards work began on the 2nd floor hardwood flooring. First a paper underlayment was laid down then a few flooring boxes were opened and several planks were laid out on the floor. Piece were mixed up to provide a continuous flow in the variation of the wood grain, stain color pattern and plank length. A few planks that were too far from the norm and were discarded. Once a section was dry fitted together the planks were tapped in place and nailed down to the subfloor one at a time. Progress was made carefully since the flooring was being nailed on top of the radiant flooring tubing.
Tile work continued in the master bath with wall and floor tiles getting installed. In the area surrounding the tub the tile work continues up the wall to the ceiling. Holes were drilled in the tile for the Lutron shade control wires at the top of each window.
We had to replumb the radiant floor circulator pump supply and return line so that it fed directly to the face of the Marathon water heater tank trough the electrical element ports. Marathon provides, via special order, an adapter for pipe threads which allows the removal of the electric heating elements and replacing them with pipe fittings. The supply and return lines of the 6-pump circulator panel were connected to the 1" adapters on the face of the tank. Prior to the modification both the radiant circulator pump and the water-to-water circulator pump were feeding into the tank 3/4" cold water supply line and returning by the 3/4" hot water supply line resulting in a flow restriction. After the tank was file back up and the circulators started a significant improvement was made to the flow as indicated by increased flow at the pex manifolds flow indicators.
Pool solar 2"x4" and 1"x4" panel framing gets built upon 4" x 4" posts.
Main 4" x 4" posts get lowered into holes and back filled with concrete.
Pool house cabinets get installed
Office hardwood flooring gets laid out and shuffled to ensure a good mix of wood grain and color variation throughout the floor.
Last few pieces of Bamboo flooring gets installed in the heated Yoga/exercise room above the garage.
Travertine tiles continue up the wall surrounding the tub providing aesthetics and water and moisture resistance.
Corner diamond pattern floor tile getting installed in the master bath.
Marathon heater tank was modified to replace electric elements with radiant heat supply and return lines to improve flow.
22 December 2007
At each Lutron panel the dimming, fan and relay Remote Power Module (RPM) got installed. The Modular Interface board was connected to each of the RPM which provides communication and control back to the processor. Each RPM has a unique address as well as each one of the four loads attached to the RPM. This allows the processor through its programming control of any and all load in the house from anyone or all of the keypads, remotes or time, event or sequence programming. Once each RPM receives its address and the remaining communication wires are connected the panel will be covered.
One of the advantages of a geothermal unit heat pump is that the noisy and sometimes unsightly external fan unit gets replaced with a small quiet circulating pump pack. One item the compressor which is normally in the exterior fan unit does however end up inside the shell of the house. Since the majority of the units are on the third floor an excessive amount of noise was being transmitted to the family room below. The vibration centered around 125 Hz was being transmitted through the bottom of each unit and through the rubber support pads. These vibration pads do very little in the low frequency. To eliminate the conduction of the vibration the pads were replaced with rubber end capped springs. They provide both low and high frequency vibration dampening. To document the change a Gold Line audio spectrum analyzer was used and the before and after spectrum charts were plotted. Once can clearly see that the springs reduced the 125 Hz vibration over 20 dB successfully eliminating the noise from the living room.
Lutron HomeWorks Remote Power Modules (RPMs) get installed.
Each Remote Power Module gets a unique address and controls up to four dimming, fan or relay loads.
Four 100 lbs rated springs are used to dampen 125 Hz noise transmission to the floor below.
Original rubber mounting pads do not provide low frequency vibration isolation and were all replaced with springs.
Gold Line DSP-30 audio spectrum analyzer is used to base line noise spectrum. Reference microphone is on top.
Chart showing a before and after springs depicting a significant reduction of low frequency noise.
21 December 2007
The kitchen ovens were installed into their respective cabinets and wired to the electrical supply. As the kitchen cabinets were getting installed the electricians installed counter receptacles along the sides of the island and peninsulas. There whole house vacuum line in the kitchen was connected to a toe kick assembly which allows one to use their toe to both open and electrically activate the vacuum system. The toe-kick provides a very convenient way to dispose of kitchen floor dirt and crumbs by sweeping the dirt right up to the toe-kick vacuum port and having it all sucked up and disposed into the main vacuum bag located in the garage.
The game room slab floor got cleaned and primed in preparation for the hardwood flooring getting laid down. After the primer dried a self leveler was applied and allowed to dry for three days.
Outside work continued on the driveway entrance wing walls. Provision was made for adding a lantern on the top of each end columns in the future if desired by embedding a PVC line down the center of the column. Becker Enterprises' crew installed the sod around the whole yard. Once the top soil was spread out to a thickness of 4"-6" the rolls of sod applied. They crew worked into the evening and completed the job which looked great. The sprinkler system was run to soak in the sod to help it establish new roots into the top soil.
Bill at Oceanfront Sheet Metal in Virginia Beach finished up the chimney cap and sent it over to be power coated. The cap was designed with two parts, one is the lower cap which get attached to the brick chimney. The external upper cap rises up 2' tall and is attached to the lower cap and provides a 2" gap around the lower cap so that fresh air can easily flow tot eh chimney cap while allowing combustion gases to rise up the large opening on the top of the upper cap.
Kitchen oven cabinet gets two ovens and a warmer drawer installed.
Kitchen cabinets get installed meticulously to ensure proper alignment and fit with adjoining cabinets.
Kitchen cabinets get anchored in slab with 2 1/2" anchor bolts. Multiple 3/4" thick wood pads are anchored to cabinet and slab.
Prior to the kitchen cabinet getting installed the house vacuum line gets connected to a toe-kick for easy kitchen floor cleanup.
Game room floor gets leveling compound on top of green tint concrete slab primer.
First driveway entrance wing wall is nearly complete. Wrought iron railing will connect two columns above arch.
Tall fescue sod gets laid in place on top of 4"-6" of rich top soil.
Sod gets rolled out and then rolled on to ensure a good flat lawn.
Bill at Oceanfront Sheet Metal puts the finishing touches on the upper chimney cap half prior to powder coating.
20 December 2007
Work continued throughout the house with many trades onsite. The electricians completed the wiring for the kitchen and bar dishwashers, island receptacles. They also completed the final wiring for the elevator and generator. Darryl with the trim company and his assistant continued to install the door jams and casing. After completing the majority of the jams and casings on the first floor they were able to hang two of the doors which are absolutely beautiful. The traditional cherry stain with a gloss finish on cherry makes a great looking door. Allegheny door company was able to even make up the 15" wide jams in the two passages through an interior ICF wall. The casings were a custom fluted pattern with a milling knife made to order used to create the surface pattern. The plumbers installed the toilets in the kids bathrooms. They now wait to install the sink fixtures while the granite gets cut and polished. Atlantic Elevators were onsite finalizing the cab after installing the hoist track assembly the previous day. We went to the four stops and marked each of the call button panels to the right height and distance from the door casing for each particular wall. William Becker and his crew continued to work on the landscaping with three Magnolia trees getting set in the back yard along with additional shrubs along the front porch. Adrian worked on the elevator access hatch to the electrical panel and motor assembly which is used for servicing. Its a two part hatch one being the ceiling directly above the motor assemble and the top cover which has a lock for safety. Lewis installed the Lutron SeeTouch key pads on the second floor. One more day of hook up and we will be able to power up the processor and load in the lighting program.
The prefinished doors, jams and casing arrive from Allegheny Door Co in four crates.
The elevator rails get lag bolted into a reinforced wall from floor to ceiling.
The electric motor and controller get chain hoisted in place and bolted to the top of the rails. Power, telephone and lighting are provided behind the hoist.
Several 15 pound weights get installed at the end of the chin and become the counter weight for the cab.
Once the counter weights are installed the cab is constructed on the hoist one panel at a time.
To prevent and minimize the well water rust stain potential around the house drip lines were used near the house walls.
14 December 2007
The second floor exterior security cameras got installed. They are a dual mode camera with both low light color and full night black and white imaging capability. Located around the perimeter of the home a complete view of the yard and doors will be able to be seen from any television and they get interfaced with the home alarm system. In the master bath work continued around the whirlpool surround and walls. After covering the radiant PEX tubing with a dry-pack concrete mixture the surface got a coating of a waterproofing membrane to ensure that water can't migrate down to the wooden sub-floor.
Along the walls of the tub bump-out the travertine tiles were cut and set in place with mortar. The 5 sided wall gets covered all the way to the ceiling line and into the window recesses caused by the ICF exterior walls. The geometric shape of the walls at this point make for one of the strongest areas of the home and provide ample room for plants or ornaments on the deep window sills surrounding the tub area. In order to keep the interior as clean and dry as possible all of the wet saw is done outside using an IMER diamond wet saw.
Exterior down lights get turned on and checked as well as the security cameras get installed around the home.
All wet areas in the bathroom get a coat of a waterproofing membrane prior to tiles.
Marble and ceramic tiles get cut on an IMER diamond wet saw.
Tiles go up the walls 4 feet in all of the baths that have a shower to keep the walls as dry as possible.
11 December 2007
The Sonance speakers arrived and got spread out throughout the home. Sonance makes a great sounding speaker systems and they have a wide range of speakers that fit all types of locations including exterior, interior high fidelity and up to fully THX certified home theater surround sound speakers. They will be powered with an AMX Matrix audio distribution system which has 6 audio inputs that any of which can be selected from any audio keypad. By having a "maxtrix" system on can listen to Jimmy Buffet out by the pool while a bit of classical music is playing in the dining room and yes, even elevator music is piped into the elevator. The Sonance speakers make for a very easy and solid install with their intermediate latches which greatly help in the install. Once the latches catch the speaker is pushed up flush to the ceiling and a screwdriver is used to fastened them with the four rotating screw latches.
Sonance speakers arrive and get staged throughout the house.
Four Sonance Virtuoso V834DR 8" speakers will provide plenty of high fidelity stereo sound in the formal living room.
Dual spring connections make for a very easy and secure electrical connection.
The metal cover grills provide a great clean finish to the ceiling speakers.
7 December 2007
The site plan never called for a sidewalk but the convenience to be able to walk in the neighborhood while staying out of the street called for having one put in. After laying out the path the top soil was excavated out and the sides were formed with wood and stakes. Compacted crush and run was applied to provide a solid base for the concrete. At a few points along the sidewalk PVC pipes were installed which will provide pathways for low voltage lighting and sprinkler heads.
In the back yard the pool edging gets installed. After forming up the perimeter with stakes and flexible edging inner face get formed up with pre-contoured Styrofoam that acts as the mold for the rounded bull-nose coping. Once the forms were complete the concrete was poured the next day.
Sidewalk gets installed.
Pool surround pad concrete get poured. The PVC pipe in the foreground get removed and holes provide for the handrail.
The next day the Styrofoam gets removed revealing the bull-nose coping.
6 December 2007
Ceiling fans and light fixtures get installed throughout the house. Ceiling fans are the best fixture that can used to circulate air in the summer providing convention cooling to your skin and bring down heat that rises in the winter. Their low power consumption, slow speed and large blades make an efficient air circulator and an aesthetic addition to every room. Both the fan motor and light kit are controlled by the Lutron HomeWorks system which provides for full fan speed and light dimming control.
The window sills and their trim were completed and painting followed shortly. In the office and game room stain wood will be used on the sills to match the higher use of wood used in the room. Outside plating trees along the property line continued to eventually provide full privacy after a few years of plant growth. The Ditch Witch made easy work of removing the dirt to make room for the tree root ball. The walkway to the back porch along the right side of the house was lined with several Crape Myrtles and shrubs which look great now and will look even better when they are in full bloom in the spring time with pink and soft white flowers.
Ceiling fans and light fixtures get installed throughout the house.
As the window sills get mounted and trimmed by the trim crew the caulking, pudding and painting crew is right behind them.
All the holes have been dug along the rear of the house and are ready for the trees..
Ditch Witch makes easy work of digging holes for tree.
Trees get planted along property line.
Right side walkway toward back porch get lined with Crape Myrtle trees.
21 November 2007
A lot of activity with numerous trades working on all areas of the project have been going on for the past several days. The cabinets arrived and were staged throughout the house. The first ones that started to get installed were the kitchen cabinets. Hardwood Concepts provided some of the most talented craftsmen I have seen yet to install the cabinets. Their attention to detail in getting everything aligned to the normal wall, floor and ceiling variations was outstanding. Each of the cabinets has an associated detailed drawing. The kitchen cabinets came ready for the upper and lower low voltage halogen accent lighting. Their power supplies are plugged into receptacles which are in turn controlled and dimmed by the Lutron system.
The circular stair railings got installed over the past four days. StairWorld sent two of their craftsmen from Canada to do an excellent job in fitting in the cast iron spindles and the hardwood handrails along the stairs and the balconies. Once the tile work is finished which is currently creating the most amount of dust on the project and we clean up the area real good, the stairs will get a light sanding, stained and protected with a few coats of polyurethane.
There was tile work going on throughout the house. In the bathroom the risers of the steps were tiles using mesh mounted mosaic cut marble which allows the curvature of the face of the risers to be made. This same pattern will be used in the shower floor to allow for the compound slopes for the shower drain. Outside the back porch and the balcony got a layer of floor leveler to ensure that both surfaces were smooth and were slopped away from the house since driving rain could reach the balcony and porch areas.
Trim work continued inside and out with base molding being cut and nailed along the base of walls that did not have a door. Outside a finishing piece of molding was applied the curved walkway which required the use of a flexible piece of crown that is able to fit into the double compound inside curvature of the soffit.
Finish cabinets arrive sparsely packed for maximum protection.
Kitchen cabinet parts get fitted together aligned and mounted in place. Cabinets were staged in the family room in the background.
Cabinet CAD drawings ensure eveything will fit and provides a clear picture of the design.
Handrail base gets drilled to accept the cast iron spindles.
The balcony cast iron spindles and handrails are completed and ready for stain and finish.
Circular staircase railings get installed. Straps keep railing in place while spindle epoxy sets up.
Front porch tiles get set.
Cast stone front steps get dry set in place for fit.
A very tough diamond saw cut was made to a step match the column contour. Gaps will get filled in with grout.
Front steps ready for grout.
Front steps get finishing grout.
Master bath step riser gets their mesh mounted mosaic tiles installed.
Back porch self leveling compound is used to ensure slop is towards the steps and the floor is smooth prior to tiling.
Master bedroom balcony gets self leveling compound applied to slop it towards the front.
Back porch ceiling beams get painted. Central electrical wire is for exterior ceiling fans.
Flexible crown molding is used in this inside curve which causes a compound curve in the trim.
16 November 2007
The Generator arrived today and was set on its concrete pad. The pad has three electrical lines that come up from underneath which will provide the electrical supply lines to the transfer switch as well as an electrical supply for battery charging and generator electrical control lines. A grounding rod was also driven in to the ground and will provide an earth ground for the generator.
On the flat roof the finishing metal flashing was added to the perimeter which was heat sealed to the existing IB Roof 80 mill membrane. The metal flashing has a bonded PVC face which allows it to be completed heat welded to a PVC overlap strip after it gets mechanically attached using wood screws. The seams first get a strip of metal foil tape and then is covered with a strip of heat welded PVC membrane. The open tile scallops underneath the flashing overhang get filled with the colored tile mortar to provide a clean finished look.
Metal foil covers the metal cladding joint and allows for thermal expansion prior to heat welded membrane cover.
Heat welding a metal cladding joint.
IB Roof metal cladding gets mechanically attached to the flat roof perimeter. Heat welded cover strip is next.
IB Roof PVC strip get heat welded to clad metal and roof membrane.
The Generac 45 Kilowatt Natural Gas generator arrived and was attached to the concrete pad.
12 November 2007
Outside Becker Landscaping continued installing the sprinkler system. Several zones are used to match the water production capability of the well pump to the area. The yard was divided into two main areas each with several zones feeding off of the well pump. Various types of sprinkler heads and drip tubes are used. The drip tubing is used anywhere near the house structure to prevent staining from any iron in the well water. Long throw programmable pattern sprinkler heads are used in the grass and tree areas. The multi zone timer and rain sensor controls the whole system.
While the sprinklers were being installed the fiber optic illuminator was being set around the perimeter of the pool. The fiber optics plastic strands are enclosed in plastic tubing and is routed to the programmable multi-color illuminator. By combining pool wall LED lighting, fiber optic perimeter and waterfall LED lights a kaleidoscope of colors can be achieved.
Pool fiber optic illumination gets installed along pool upper perimeter.
Fiber optic tubing gets routed towards programmable illuminator.
Sprinkler system maze get installed.
One of the sprinkler manifolds with individual zone solenoids. Each gets activated by the programmable zone controller. Supply line is on the right.
7 November 2007
The trim carpenters continued to install trim along the walls. To allow for the bullnose plasterboard the baseboard outside corners are cut with an extra piece that helps to conform to the bullnose radius. Caulking will fill in the small remaining gap at the top making a great looking baseboard.
Tile work continued in the kitchen. Marble being a natural stone is challenging to ensure a well blended look with smooth natural transitions between the tiles. First several boxes are opened and the tiles are graded and sorted by their texture and shade. During the application adjoining tiles are selected from similar stacks to ensure the finish product looks integrated and smooth. To get a good perspective one needs to step back and see the whole picture as the tiles are selected. A watchful eye from a site foreman goes a long way to ensuring a great final look.
Outside the flowerbeds were laid out and then formed and graded using topsoil and then mulched.
6 November 2007
The sauna liner and tile were installed. A sauna uses dry heat but water is added to create steam. To keep any spilled water from seeping below the flooring a liner in used. The smooth riverbed rock tile gets installed on top of the liner. After grouting the cedar walls and seat of the sauna get installed.
In the third floor mechanical room the wiring for the solar panel inverter gets installed to the exterior AC disconnect. Next the inverter will get installed between the AC and DC disconnects.
5 November 2007
Outside the porch tiles were getting installed. Firs the porch was slightly sloped using a leveling compound to ensure any driving rain water would flow away from the house. The the tiles were installed in an attractive staggered brick pattern. Inside the interior columns were set in place using construction adhesive at the base and screwing the capital tops to the supported arch. As the columns final position were set the tile was cut to the column base by first making a cardboard template then cutting the tile.
3 November 2007
The hole for the dome above the whirlpool was cut. A piece of wood was temporarily installed in the partial opening and a screw was set in the center. Using a tape measure the cut line for the dome was marked. Using a Rotozip the circular cut was made around the circle then the dome was lifted in place and anchored using countersunk woodscrews.
2 November 2007
The Geothermal heat Pumps were fired up one by one. They all worked great. We tested them in both heating and cooling modes and ran all of them at the same time to see if the 16 wells could support the thermodynamic load. In either the heating or cooling modes the return water temperature rose during cooling and dropped during heating about 4 to 5 degrees then stabilized. Within a few minutes the units turned off after the thermostats detected that the room temperature reached the set point. You can tell that thanks to the ultra efficient design of the Insulated Concrete Form construction as well as the sealed attic space that the units will easily heat and cool the home efficiently.
Outside the sprinkler well was installed using a submersible pump that is lowered down 60 feet into the well. The 220VAC pump will be powered by the sprinkler system controller using an relay.
30 October 2007
The electrical connection to each of the circulation pumps was completed. Each pump is powered by paralleling off of its respective geothermal HVAC unit's main compressor relay. By using 220 VAC circulation pumps they can be connected directly to the 220 VAC compressor relay using spade lugs.
29 October 2007
With all of the geothermal circulation pumps connected to the well field the line must be purged to eliminate the trapped air and remove any loose material. During the cutting and welding there is a significant amount of plastic shavings that get trapped in the lines that mush be removed to keep it out of getting into the circulation pumps' impeller. The process involves connecting a supply and return line to a purge kit. The purge kit consists of a separate circulation pump, a water tank and a fresh water supply line. With the hoses connected to the well field supply and return line the purge tank is filled with water. Once the tank is full the circulation pump is turned on which forces water into the supply hose and into the 3" main line. As the water travels down the lines trapped air is forced out through the return line which is connected to the first of three partitions in the purge kit tank. The process is repeated until the lines are full of water and all of the air is purged from the system. First the 3" line to and from the circulation pumps and their supply lines are filled and purged then the well field is filled and purged. To facilitate the removal of the trapped air 4 wells are connected together and they have a separate supply cutoff valve ball valve. Each 4-well cluster is filled and purged until all four clusters are purged.
Tile work continued in the bath rooms and in the first floor hallway and living room.
28 October 2007
The final connections to the geothermal circulation pumps were made. Each pump gets connected to the main well field 3" supply and return lines via an reducing T to 1". A 1" line then gets heat welded tot eh T and is then connected to a 1" rubber hose which is significantly more flexible and facilitates the connection to the pump pack. The hose is connected to the bronze adaptor that connects to the circulation pump pack.
20 October 2007
The foyer ceiling dome was installed. The opening was marked on the ceiling after locating the center of the framed opening and then the ceiling plasterboard was cut using a Rotozip. The framing had been originally been laid out using the dome manufacture's CAD drawing which showed dimensions and mounting locations. The 7' wide dome was cut at the apex to allow the chandelier lift mechanism electrical connection box to fit through. Using the lift cable and motor the dome was slowly raised into position and screwed in place using countersunk wood screws. Next the light cove was marked and predrilled to allow for the countersunk mounting screws using the same spacing as the dome mounting screws. By rotating the cove light the screw pattern missed the dome screws. This was repeated for the final trim piece which was installed using small trim screws. The next day Frank will putty, caulk and paint the trim and the dome. All that is left to do is to install the tri-color cove lighting.
17 October 2007
The ceiling fans started to get installed. They are in practically every room since they are both visually pleasing and very efficient in the cooling they provide. Fans are also used on the porches since they provide cooling as well as will help keep bugs away when your sitting outside.
13 October 2007
The roof hatch was installed which will provide easy and safe access to the solar panel array as well as facilitate any inspection and maintenance to the flat roof. The aluminum hatch has an insulated double layer and weather sealed hatch cover which provides energy efficiency as well as sound dampening during rain storms. The lower stair mechanism is also weather sealed in the closed position further adding tot he efficiency by trapping air. For installation the ceiling was marked and then cut using a Rotozip. removing the plasterboard exposed the spray insulation between the joists and the roof sheeting. Using a long drill the four corners were drilled marking the corners on the roof. Drawing lines between the four holes a circular saw and then a reciprocating saw were used to cut out the roof section for the stairs. An allowance was made for the sloped staircase which extended beyond the ceiling opening. Once the roof section was removed weather stripping was used to seal the perimeter of the opening once the staircase section is lowered into the opening. The lower section was first wrapped with insulation and then lowered, leveled with shims. The upper hatch assembly was placed on top of the lowered assembly flange which had weather stripping attached to seal between the two. Holes were then drilled around the perimeter of the flange and the two pieces were screwed into the 3/4" roof sheathing and upper wooden joist 2"x 4" flanges. Once the mechanical installation of the hatch was completed the IB Roof PVC membrane was glued to the exterior vertical faces of the hatch and heat welded to the existing roof membrane permanently sealing the hatch.
10 October 2007
With most of the walls and ceilings now painted the interior recessed can trim and bulbs started to get installed. As we did the circuit breakers were turned on one by one lighting up the whole house. The views are spectacular especially in the formal living room with the double arched ceiling and columns along the main hallway. We continued to use lower wattage halogen lamps which provide crisp white light when needed and are dimmable for a softer and more energy efficient illumination.
William and his crew from Becker Enterprises continued with the landscaping along the area surrounding the pool. To provide for drainage around the pool and flower beds a series of drainage pipes were laid down which were covered with a fine mesh sock to keep them from getting clogged. They were then covered with gravel and the area covered with the black mesh underlayment and crush and run. With the back yard area graded and compacted the area is ready for the pavers.
8 October 2007
The exterior trim received its final and second coat of paint. This leads the way for the installation of the recessed trim kits and bulbs. We are using low wattage halogen bulbs which are more efficient and last longer then regular bulbs. They also produce a beautiful white light for times that maximum visibility is desired and also produce a soft glow when dimmed.
After the sun set we turned on the exterior lights and the house looked great. It has come alive with wonderful lines and shadows along all of the windows, arches, columns and porches. Its a very rewarding moment after so much work over the past two years to see the house lit up.
Work continued on the tile work in the bathrooms and kitchen while the painters concentrated on prepping the exterior columns for paint.
Woody from Kelly's Plumbing worked on tying in the desuperheater section of the geothermal system in the pool equipment room to the pool house hot water tank. This system provides waste heat to the domestic hot water tank during the cooling season which is also sent to the geothermal wells. Inside the heat recovery off of two of the largest geothermal units got tied into the domestic hot water tanks.
29 September 2007
The third floor ceilings got painted a flat white color which will be extended throughout all of the ceilings. While the ceilings were being painted touch up work continued on the walls to ensure they were smooth and ready for painting.
Some of the tile arrived today and preparations began on the bathroom floors. Chalk lines were laid down which define the starting cross points in each room. In the bathroom the goals are to have full solid tiles by the bath tubs and entrances as well as center up a full tile at the door. These are all goals with compromises being made to accomplish all of them as much as possible. Aesthetically having a solid tile going into the bathroom at the center of the door or at least a grout line get balanced with having a solid tile meet at the edge of the bath tub. The tile is also being brought up the walls to four feet in the baths that have showers for better water resistance.
26 September 2007
The painting began with several paint samples being painted throughout the house. The paint swaths just don't do justice to the real thing on the walls. With a few square feet of painted walls one can appreciate the true color of the paint. Another important note is that you must apply two coats to get the full impact of the samples. Some of the earth tones shades really changed after the second coat. Over the next few days final color selection will be made and each room will get painted. The exterior paint colors were selected and work began on the first coat in the front porch ceiling and beams.
The garage doors get installed. To meet the 120 mile per hour wind loading the doors have galvanized reinforcement beams attached to the backs of the panels that are a bit thicker and wider than normal. Also to take full advantage of the available ceiling height a double track system was chosen which minimizes the height loss of the door opener mechanism. All three doors were installed in a day and were tested by plugging them into an extension cord one by one. It might seem trivial but standing outside with the three way remote control opening and closing the newly installed garage doors was rewarding. Each safety mechanism was also tested to ensure the door stopped when the optical safety beam was broken by a person or object in the way of the closing door. The exterior trim will get installed at a letter date after the garage door side trim panels get painted.
With the temporary electrical power turned on and the pool electrical inspection completed the pool was filled to the skimmer level and the filtration pump turned on. We are using an Aqua Logic controller for the spa and pool. It has all the necessary programming and control features to handle a single geothermal heat pump with solar panels and separate circulation pumps and filters for the pool and spa.
22 September 2007
We had 6 workers today working on the final sanding and wall touchup work in preparation of the primer getting sprayed on the walls and ceiling on Monday. Due to the flex bead that was used on the arches, Bondo was used to smooth out the gaps along the length of the rounded corner bead. The only way to ensure you get a smooth finish along the flexible bead is to use Bondo and then sand once it is applied and hardens. If you use plaster compound it sands down just a bit further than the plastic corner bead segments causing a visible railroad pattern even with the lightest of touch. The Bondo is a tough finish and sands perfectly down to the level of the plastic bead leaving a very smooth finish. Throughout the rest of the house sandpaper, sanding poles, and orbital sanders were being used to smooth out imperfections. A flashlight is held parallel to the wall to highlight any high or low spots; each corrected with sanding or a touch of wall compound.
17 September 2007
We passed both the gas pressure test and the temporary electrical release. In a few days Dominion Power will be installing the electrical meter and we get to turn on the power to the house by switching on the 800 amp circuit breaker. For the next few weeks we will be banking electrical credits once we have the solar panels installed and connected.
The baseboard arrived and Frank set up the garage as a temporary paint shop and applied the first coat of finish paint to the moldings. After the pieced dry the trim carpenters will began cutting the pieces to fit to the wall sections and nailing them in place.
15 September 2007
The copper gas line was run from where the meter is to be installed to both the BBQ shelter as the outside fire pit. The copper line was laid down into the 18" deep trench that was made. With one end capped and the other with a pressure gauge the pressure was brought up to 15 psi with air. If this holds we will schedule the gas pressure test inspection then we can cover up the trench.
Inside work continued with the plaster work and sanding the walls and corner beads. The finishing coat on the double barrel hallway was installed and it came out great. After it sets up a light sanding will get it ready for primer paint.
11 September 2007
The whirlpool was installed alongside of the pool. All of the light fixtures, metal wall reinforcement sections and metal ladder sockets were bonded with a No 8 AWG bare copper grounding line. The grounding line gets run back to the pool house equipment room and also attaches to the pool electrical panel.
Pool structure is complete and gets partial filled while two vacuum pumps keep liner tight along sides.
Multi-color LED light fixture gets electrical bonding wire which grounds all metallic components including pool reinforcement walls..
31 August 2007
Now that the pool floor has hardened the steel walls were covered with a layer of foam plastic which is attached using an adhesive spray. After the wall and seats got covered the vinyl liner got installed. The foam plastic accomplishes both making the walls soft and protecting the vinyl liner. Having grown up in Miami Florida and being on a swim team and swimming in commercial concrete pools that have rock hard surfaces, a softer surface will be welcomed. A concrete pool wall and floor will eventually give you a raw elbow or sore toes with any kind of extended time in the pool or water sport activity.
Metal reinforcement walls get lined with thin foam padding which both protects liner and gives the pool a skin friendly soft feel.
Inside plaster work continued throughout the house at various stages. The third floor was completed and the focus is on the second floor finish coat and the first floor scratch coat which covers the tape joints.
Formal living room second floor plaster work is nearly complete
Second floor main hall plaster work is nearly complete. Two inner columns can bee seen which are wrapped to protect them. They were installed early since they surround structural steel column supports. Having to join split columns is avoided if at all possible.
Finish coat of plaster gets installed on the ceiling in the Game Room. Plaster scratch coat is visible on the walls. Concrete floor slab is protected from plaster using 15 pound tar paper. The thicker paper also provides good traction for workers on stilts.
29 August 2007
The pool structure was completed and the floor covered with a thick layer of a semi dry-pack cement and sand mixture and smoothed.
Dry pack concrete is used to create pool floor.
Concrete is poured around perimeter of pool locking in turn-buckles and metal wall footers.
Sight level is used to ensure the pool walls are level prior to concrete pour around the perimeter.
Steps are supported with section of glued on PVC pipes with end caps that will be anchored in concrete footer.
Pool wall sections made up of metal reinforcement get laid out per the plans and bolted together.
Work continued inside of the house with plaster work continuing in the kitchen and family room areas.
Tyrone and his crew from University Plastering working on plastering kitchen roof.
23 August 2007
The Pool got dug out today. First step was laying out the design using flags and paint to mark the perimeter. The position of the pool was adjusted to align the enter circular part of the pool with the view from the front door through the back arches and columns. Once the centerline was established, distances to the corners of the pool from the back wall of the house were measured and marked. The distance from the closest point of the pool which is the whirlpool to back steps was kept at a minimum distance of 8 feet. Once this was set then the four corners were laid out. Then the whole pool was laid out using marker paint and one final walk around and views from several directions were made to ensure the placement was correct. Then a 3 foot buffer was marked around the perimeter of the pool and digging began right up to the outer buffer. This will give the installers sufficient room to install the walls and pour the concrete footer that will lock in the forms.
After laying out the pool perimeter with flags and marker paint the digging began.
The stucco on the BBQ shelter got a trim detail which bridges the gap between the brick and the stucco. Anytime you have two dissimilar surfaces coming together its best to have some trim detail to bridge the two surfaces. In this case a rounded 4.5" tall x 1/2" thick stucco border was added. The first step was to tape up the area to be worked on. Then the styrofoam was cut, shaped, adhered and mechanically fastened to the existing wall. A mesh goes over the top of the styrofoam and a coat of cement covers the two. After its dry the stucco mixture gets applied.
BBQ shelter gets a stucco trim detail.
The final sections of the main hall double barrel ceiling were completed and taping began in preparation for the plaster work. The second floor kids room got plastered as well as the master bath. One more day of plaster work on the second floor and it will be ready for its primer coat of paint.
Installing powder room ceiling plasterboard. Curved ceiling line is from foyer circular stairs.
20 August 2007
With the plaster hung and tapped, the plaster work was completed in the formal living room ceiling and upper walls. The scaffolding will now be taken down and the lower wall section will get plastered. The master bedroom plasterboard seem taping was completed and the plaster was applied. The vaulted ceiling will get a cove light detail added around the perimeter during the trimming phase.
Master bedroom get its plaster coat.
Bullnose corner bead get attached with an adhesive spray and secured with a few nails.
Durock, a fiberglass mesh reinforced cementitious backer board which is essentially concrete was installed in the first 4 feet of the bathroom walls. Durock is designed to hold tile up since tile will be used to cover both the floors and the lower walls in all of the bathrooms.
Water resistant Durock or Permabase are used on the first four feet of the bathroom walls. They will provide a base for wall tiles.
The main driveway entrance location on the right side location was finalized by driving down and back a few times to get a good easily driven flow to the driveway. Once finalized the area soil was cut down about 6 inches to get to solid earth. It was then covered with the mesh underlayment. Tomorrow morning we have additional crush & run being delivered which will be laid down, graded and compacted on top of the driveway underlayment mesh.
A vibrating rolling compactor ensures that the foundation for the pavers does not settle and is able to hold up to vehicular traffic.
Courtyard driveway gets final layer of crush and run.
Courtyard driveway mesh getting installed.
Mesh gets covered with compacted crush and run and finally sand which will make up the bed for the driveway pavers.
Permeable mesh gets staked in place on top of compacted soil.
At 20 and 30 feet from the driveway entrances 2" PVC lines were laid across the driveway and buried. These will provide the tube that the dual driveway magnetic sensors will be inserted which will communicate with the Lutron HomeWorks system. The dual sensors sense changes in the magnetic field caused by a vehicle entering or exiting the driveway and will in turn turn on or off the driveway and landscape lighting depending on the direction of travel.
A small trench is made for a rain runoff drain line, landscape lighting supply lines, driveway vehicular sensors.
The pool parts arrived in two truckloads. The pool uses preformed galvanized steel and fiberglass components which get anchored with a concrete footer. The interior of the pool is made up using a vinyl liner. UV resistant and colorful vinyl was chosen over a concrete pool due to several reasons. Concrete pools have a rougher finish texture. During extended usage of a concrete pool you can get some roughened toes and elbows especially if water sports are involved. The UV resistant vinyl is soft, looks great, is less expensive, easier to install, last for over a decade and is relatively easily replaced at a much lower cost than resurfacing a concrete pool would be. Along with the structural components the pumps, filters, lights and mechanical cleaner were offloaded and stored onsite while the hole gets dug.
Superior Pool delivers the pool kit.
Five man team offloads and inventories all of the pool components.
18 August 2007
Plaster work continued in the formal living room at the second floor level along with the bedrooms on the second floor. One the first floor the plasterboard continued to be installed along with edge trim and seam tape. The arches get a special bull nose corner bead that has slits cut into it every inch which makes if flexible and can be contoured to the shape of the arch.
Plaster is being applied to seams and edges in the second floor level of the formal living room
Arch flexible corner bead gets its first coat of plaster
The BBQ shelter speaker wires were run from the Pool house speakers down to a 1 1/2" PVC line in the mechanical room. The pipe will eventually snake its way around the pool once it is installed. Two other pipes will provide the power to the lights and ceiling fan all controlled from the Lutron dimming panel inside the mechanical room in the pool house.
Now that all of the brick work has been completed and the walls and windows have been cleaned the gap between the cast stone and the windows were professionally caulked. Various diameter foam backer rods were used to fill the gaps and then caulking was applied and spread smooth. A white caulk was used to match the white PVC window frames. Once smoothed the acid washed brick and cast stone, cleaned window and fresh caulking looks great. This is the first area of the house that is truly finished. It makes a great presentation and is very rewarding to see it completed. The remaining garage doors and galvanized steel utility and mechanical room doors will be installed next.
First step is to fill void with foam backer rod creating a base for the caulking.
Caulking is sucked up into a professional applicator then plastic tip is screwed on.
After applying the bead of caulk it is troweled smoothed.
17 August 2007
We passed our sewer inspection this morning. That allows the 4" drain leading from the side of the house and the pool house to be covered and compacted. To provide some protection to the pipe fill sand was ordered and spread into the trench. It was then compacted and graded. Along with the sewer drain line the water supply line was pressurized. It will eventually be connected to the water meter near the street.
Unfortunately the last few feet prior to the street caused a delay when three unmarked lines were dug up with the backhoe. Prior to digging Miss Utility was called out and they marked all of the underground lines for us. Between two of the marked lines we dug up a red plastic line which at first it was thought to be a gas line. A call to Miss Utility to inform them of the accident initiated a response by Virginia Natural gas company as well as the Fire Department. After closer inspection they told us it was not gas but they did not know what it was. Fortunately, after also responding, the telephone company told us it was an abandoned fiber optic line along with two other abandoned telephone lines. It's never a dull moment on a construction site.
Originally believed dug up gas line caused a Fire Department response.
The third floor plaster work was completed three days ago which gave it plenty of time to dry up which allowed the primer coat to be applied. After it dried it looked great. One thing that the primer does is that it highlights any imperfections in the plasterwork. After a walk through with the plasterer the crew got to work sanding out a few bumps and filling in indentations which resulted in a perfectly smooth mirror like surface that is quite the sight to see.
14 August 2007
The application for the natural gas service from Virginia Natural Gas was submitted. It was verified that the service will come up towards the house near the property line and then turn towards the side of the house where the meter will be located.
The last of the plasterboard on the third floor was installed along with the trapping of the seams. Shortly there afterwards 3 plasterers got right to work in spreading and smoothing the white plaster which transformed the dark gray walls to bright white ones. It was a very rewarding moment to see the rooms on the third floor in their near final appearance. It was quite the transformation to see the walls go from studs with wiring, pipes and insulation to walls with gray boards to smooth white walls.
Outside work continued on installing the back porch skylights. They have a high wind rating and are impact resistant to keep inline with the structural specifications of the house. After the edge flashing was installed the skylight is lowered onto the curb and attached with stainless steel screws along the perimeter.
Final skylight gets installed.
The speakers on the Pool house porch ceiling were cut out. The wires had been previously run and will remain in the overhead until the speakers get installed after the ceiling gets painted.
Cutting out a hole for porch speaker using a Roto-zip.
Work began on running the sewer and water supply lines from the house and pool house to the street connection. A backhoe was used to trench to the street. A 1/8" slope per foot was maintained for the sewer connection and the PVC lines were installed. Every 60 to 100' a clean out was installed which provides for line access at several points in case of a blockage.
Backhoe trenches out soil for the sewer and water supply.
PVC water supply and and sewer lines get installed.
8 August 2007
The 4 man crew of plasterboard hangers has been working seven days a week and making great progress getting the 4x12 foot boards up. The third floor has been completed and work has begun on the second floor. We had to have constant vigilance on all of the many protrusion into the plasterboard such as electrical boxes, lighting fixtures and wiring for speakers, sensors, alarms and thermostats to name a few since it was very easy to move or even cover up a wire, accidentally sliding a fixture over messing up the alignment or even go as far as to cover up an electrical box by mistake. So we kept an close eye on the plasterboard hangers while they did their work while we knocked out several last minute small changes that resulted from finally seeing the walls go up and wanting to improve the final location of an item. Lines of site, balance, alignment, and centering are all factors that are constantly being looked at to ensure that the final location of all wall and ceiling items are correct. Its a lot of work to get everything just right but it will pay off in the end with great looking walls and ceilings. Nothing worse than having a row of light only to have one of them to be off center by a half inch. No one will probably ever notice, but you will and it will constantly remind you of it so putting forth the extra effort to get it just right is wor