Lap Siding Around the House

This week we finished putting the lap siding all the way around the house. Then started with the shake siding above the windows.

I've secured a drywaller, and the material will be delivered on Tuesday, next week. The house portion will be plastered, hopefully for a style that closely matches the style of a Craftsman house. The rest (basement and garage) will be tape and textured.

Monday I will be calling the county for a follow-up inspection on the framing. We will be finishing up the corrections Monday also, so everything will be signed off before the drywallers start on Tuesday.

Siding Continues

We passed the passed the plumbing inspection!!
We passed the mechanical inspection, except for the range vent (that won't be installed until the range (downdraft model) comes in and we have the installation instructions)!!
We need to do some bracing on some of the roof trusses, and install some fire stops. And then the framing inspection will be complete.

We are almost done with the lap portion of the siding. A long week deserved some beer. John, Keith and I had my last Sloughhouse Ale from the Elk Grove Brewery (they close down).

New Window

The replacement window for the kitchen came in Monday, and we installed it today. Now there will be sufficient space in the kitchen for the counter top and backsplash behind the sink.

Today i also called in a request to the county for the framing, plumbing and mechanical inspections. They should be out tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Back At It

No more cast!! Walking around with a pronounced limp, and swollen leg, but we're back to work. I've brought on Keith Potter, who had been working with Josh Simpson while we were framing, and John Norse, who helped me put the water proofing on the basement walls. We are putting on the siding. On the lower portion of the house, up to the top of the windows and doors, we are installing "Hardi-Plank" with a 6" reveal. Above the windows and in the gables, we will be using "Hardi-Shake." The Hardi products are a cement and wood fiber mix that won't burn, insects don't like it, and is supposed to hold paint like a magnet. We'll see.

While I was laid up, we did manage to get the rough-ins complete for the electrical, plumbing, and heating and ventilation. The permit inspection is done and passed for the electrical. The only correction necessary was framing in a covering for the wires that ran on the ceiling of the basement, and Keith took care of that so the electrical is done. Next week, I will be calling on the county for the framing, plumbing and mechanical inspections. Once those inspections are complete, we can start drywalling the inside.

A Roof!!

Eileen and I just got back from Union last night. We went up for an extended weekend, to check on the progress of the house, pay some bills, and we picked up our front door.

The roof is completed, and once the front door and basement window are installed, the house will be completely sealed. Not locked though, all you need is a screwdriver to get in. Found that out because we left our key in Sacramento. Cogent Construction did the roof. I didn't even meet Will, the owner, until after the roof was done. It took his crew less than a 1 1/2 days to do the installation. And all the shingles were hand nailed. Apparently, with the material we chose, Pabco Premier, there is only a 3/4 inch strip available for nailing, otherwise the warranty is voided.

John, with Paul's Electric is still working the electrical rough-in. He should be done is the next couple of days. Paul, the plumber, should be done with his rough-in this week also. And Matt and Jeff have finished the rough-in for the heating and ventilation system. We just need to have Keith do some additional framing (half wall in the master bath and a wall in the stair well) and we will be ready for the inspections. After that siding and wall boarding starts, and this place will really look like a house.

Foot Update. I now have a walking brace for my foot to slowly break in my ankle. Towards to end of the month, I get to take that off and start wearing a strong supporting boot.

A Tardy Update

After months of fighting the winds that blow off the roof felt, next Monday (08/25) the roofer will start installation and should be done by the end of the week. Just in time because Matt Simmons and his partner Jeff will be finishing the installation of the ducting for the heating and air conditioning systems, and we can't let the insulation on the ducts get wet.

Paul Selby is our plumber, and he should be finishing the rough-in this week. Also, Paul's Electric will be starting Monday. They should take a week and a 1/2 to do the electrical rough-in. Eileen and I did a walk-through with Paul locating the light, outlet, tv, data and telephone locations. Hope it doesn't change to much from that.

We also did a walk-through with Jim from Olympic Mountain Millwork for the cabinets. We wanted to make sure the plumbing locations were correct, and get some advice on the master bath layout. We will be shrinking the size of the bathroom entrance to 36" to put in a full sized vanity, and extending a short wall to accommodate a 15" linen cabinet.

Finally, to keep things going, I've hired a part time carpenter, Keith Potter. Keith was working part time with Josh Simpson when we were putting up the panels and framing. He has been working with the plumber setting up chases for the drains and water lines. Also he has installed attic accesses (3 of them), installing roof jacks, and misc. framing.

We have had one set back. Gary was monitoring the plumber's work and noticed that the kitchen window looked to be to low. He was right. Right now, the sill of the window is an inch to low and would be covered by the kitchen counter top. So we get to order a new window that is 6" shorter than the existing one. Life goes, just costs a bit more.

The top picture is Matt Simmons. Seems like the Simmons family loves construction. Matt's dad spends all his time working with Gary rebuilding the cabin, and I buying all the millwork material from his uncle. The next picture is Jeff, Matt's partner. Finally the third is Paul the Plumber. A former So Cal surfer, that hasn't lost his accent.

A Heel's Update

Last week they put a hard cast on my foot. There was a question about the position on my heel bone and weather or not I should have surgery. With a confirming second opinion, it was decided not to operate. I still have to keep any weight off my foot for 3 months. So, 1/4 of the way done now.

Eileen and I are driving back up to Washington on Wednesday and Thursday. It looks like we have a plumber, he should be able to start later next week, and we want to meet with him. Also, its getting close to the time the electrician will start, so we need to walk through his work while we are there.

Eileen has a meeting next week, and I have another appointment with the podiatrist for follow-up xrays, so we will only be up there for a week.