The Most Exciting Moment has Arrived

From selecting a lot to designing a unique home there are many highlights but the one that is most exciting for me as a designer is putting up the roof. There are many reasons....a custom home is something that starts with a floor plan - which is relatively easy compared to getting it to look great (the elevation) and actually work for all the bearing loads....that's when I send it off to the engineers. Sometimes the design needs to be altered...but most often it is the magic of engineered beams and trusses that take the vision and makes it possible. That is why today's homes can have so much drama....engineered lumber and trusses. We end up selecting a few bearing points in the custom floor plan and then give those load points additional foundation support. The truss plans will often have girder trusses that combine several trusses for additional strength. The truss company apply plates that actually use the regular lumber and thereby make it structural. SO THE BEST PART is getting the trusses delivered and then having a good sized crew ready for the arrival of the crane. In just a matter of hours the roof trusses are placed and the home takes shape. Now you can walk inside and get a feel for the space. For some reason as the home closes up the rooms get bigger! I think its a matter of perspective...as you go from feeling you are outside to being inside. There is still a LOT OF WORK to do. The roof can take as much time or more than the walls. This roof is quite complicated as it has living space and dormers etc. It will be several weeks before we are ready for the roofing shingles and windows...at which time the home will be "dried in" ...that's the goal...so the weather will no longer be a factor. Enjoy.

The Barn Raising

Now the real fun begins....framing. All the exterior and a few interior walls... all of which are bearing loads (where weight comes down from the roof and upper floor through a wall to the foundation) are constructed and raised into place. The exterior walls first have a foam gasket placed under the bottom "plate" or sill plate. All of the wood that is in contact with the concrete is "treated" as it needs to resist water absorption. The locations of all windows and doors are determine where the structural 2x10 or equivalent headers are placed. The lower sill plate is drilled to fit over the anchor bolts that have been placed in the concrete. This secures the wall in place. The walls are squared and leveled and plumbed. The corners are framed to accept maximum insulation. Insulation board is placed between the two ply headers to act as a thermal break. Studs are placed 16" on center. A second top plate is nailed down to bring the wall height up to it's target (9' 1.5") and also serves to tie all the walls together. The walls are braced and then sheathed with 7/16" osb. The roof trusses are ordered, engineered and factory built. That's next!

The Foundation is DONE

It's always a great day when the slab is poured. Foundations are the most difficult to predict for scheduling as the weather is such a big factor when working on the soil. Once the foundation is done things can move quite quickly as you will see. The plumber replaced the stone after compacting the soil he disturbed and then the areas that were to get thickened slabs were marked as well as the elevator shaft prepared. The decks were prepared for a monolithic slab (the footer and the slab are poured at the same time)...steel placed and vapor barrier in place. County inspection of the slab completed we call in the pump truck and concrete is poured and then finished. It took 48 yards of concrete (4+ inches deep). We put fiber mesh in the concrete so it is stronger. The finishers put on a slick finish with their whirly bird machines and then we seal the areas that are not going to get a floor covering. The anchor bolts are placed every 6 ft or so as per code around the perimeter and the walls will be drilled and placed over the bolts so they are tied to the concrete. That's coming up next.

Block, Stone, Insulation, Rough Plumbing

After the concrete footer cures for a day the corners are reset and readied for the masons. Delivery of block, sand and mortar comes next and then the masons arrive with their transit. They set up the corners and then pull distances to check set the two courses of block. One block is below grade and the other 8" block is to be filled with 4" of washed 3/4 " gravel. Three truckloads spread evenly to the 4" depth; checked with strings pulled tight from the top of block to block. After the stone is done the pluming locations are carefully marked. The plumber lays down tarps and digs to put in all the drain lines that connect to the sleeve under the footer on its way to the sewer. After putting pressure on the lines with a gauge in place, a request for in slab plumbing inspection is ordered.

We beat the Rain!

After a successful dig and inspection, we got ready for the pour first thing Wednesday morning. The calculation for concrete is generally very accurate....measure the avg length x width x height and you get cubic yards to order. The trucks can hold 10 yards but it is better to bring no more than 7 to minimize stress on the roads etc....so two trucks for 11 yards. It has become the standard to use a pump truck to take the concrete from the truck and pass it through a pump which allows the pump guys to walk around (not that easy) and drag the hose and fill the holes.....much easier than doing it by the wheel barrel! They charge $75/hr plus $4 per yard....and the mix is made special for the pumping. The pump went easy. We follow them around with a rake or hoe and pat down the top of the concrete to help level it and check it is to the top of the steel pegs that set the correct depth and level (the level is the important thing)....THEN when it's done (4 hours or so) it can rain ...and so it did. Tomorrow it will be set up enough to restring and mark the corners with nails....those marks will be what the mason uses to start his corners...Tomorrow the block is delivered and then the mason will do his work.

Getting Ready for the pour

The footers are dug and the steel in place. Tomorrow we call for inspection and then pump/pour in the afternoon. The inspector will be looking for the height of the footer to be poured. He will see from the top of the steel pegs to the dirt that there will be sufficient concrete. He will look to see that the ditches are clean of debris and loose dirt and that there are no roots etc. in the ditch. He will take a probe and check the soil for compaction. Of course we are digging in virgin ground so there is no question about compaction. No fill dirt or organic material. The footers will measure at least 9" high x 18" wide as we are only placing 8" block ; 2 courses high. If we were building an 8 or 9 ft high foundation wall it would be 12" x 24". We place 1/2 " steel with two rows and set them on chairs to raise it into the concrete pour. This is what really gives concrete additional strength; although it is not a code requirement.

I have added the plans and elevations slide show to the right. This week the engineering for the roof will be completed. The applications for permits will be submitted next week. The material lists are being compiled. Upon getting the permit approvals the schedule of events are as follows: 1. stake out for the dig 2. dig and prepare footers with steel 3. concrete pour the footers 4. stake out for block work 5. place 2 courses of block 4. plumbing for all the drain lines 5. spreading stone, plastic, perimeter insulation 6. set grade pegs for concrete slab and finally pour and seal the slab. Then we will be ready to start framing!