Our goal of hitting the ground running with drywall work this week turned into wishful thinking when we learned of a mishap with the crew that was scheduled to begin on Monday. Even so, this work began in earnest on Thursday, with a significant portion of the main level wall area covered by this afternoon. Even at this early stage it's quite a great feeling to see the transformation to living space begin!
Outdoors, all but a few trim pieces of the metal roof work was completed, and good progress was made on the front and rear staircases. The latter has been quite the engineering project, but it's finally taking shape and should get us from point A to point B just fine! The front staircase itself is straightforward, but is incorporated under and within the porch structure, so clearances are tight, and some trial-and-error has been part of the process here, as well...
Other exterior details like framing for the garage door openings, and construction of our monster-sized platform for the air conditioning units and emergency power generator, were in progress when we visited the project (that's builder-talk!) today. Like most everything else, these units must be raised above "base flood elevation", so the finished platform will more or less be at the same level as the main floor of the home, or about 17 feet above sea level!
Next week we expect all drywall will be in place and the "mud work" to begin by week's end. If all goes as planned the crew will also install cement-backer materials in the areas to be tiled. Most of the exterior trim carpentry should be completed, too, and if we're lucky the stucco guys will begin the process of finishing the concrete piers.
On the planning front everything is going well, but we need to make a few short-term decisions, like how we'll trim the outdoor fireplace. We've decided the chase will be finished in tabby stucco (an oyster shell surface), but hadn't thought about the transition from this surface to the metal fireplace surround. Details, details!!
Last, Bonnie is working with our designer to line up a furniture-shopping trip to Atlanta in May, so that's something to look forward to(?)
That's it for this week... hope you enjoyed our update!
Ron & Bonnie
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| The first eight feet of wall height has been covered throughout most of the main level. Ceilings will be sheathed before the remaining wall space is covered. |
Outdoors, all but a few trim pieces of the metal roof work was completed, and good progress was made on the front and rear staircases. The latter has been quite the engineering project, but it's finally taking shape and should get us from point A to point B just fine! The front staircase itself is straightforward, but is incorporated under and within the porch structure, so clearances are tight, and some trial-and-error has been part of the process here, as well...
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| Staircase to rear porch is admittedly more complicated than necessary! |
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| Here you see how the front staircase flows up to the porch. With the porch being eight feet deep, space is a little tight alongside the staircase as you move from front porch to side (piazza!) |
Other exterior details like framing for the garage door openings, and construction of our monster-sized platform for the air conditioning units and emergency power generator, were in progress when we visited the project (that's builder-talk!) today. Like most everything else, these units must be raised above "base flood elevation", so the finished platform will more or less be at the same level as the main floor of the home, or about 17 feet above sea level!
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| This elevated platform is 16' long, designed to provide a solid (and dry!) base for two HVAC units and a natural gas -powered generator. The structure will be finished with louvered walls to match the rest of the ground level trim |
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| First garage opening is framed. As you can see the garage door will be set back somewhat from the outer face of the house. |
Next week we expect all drywall will be in place and the "mud work" to begin by week's end. If all goes as planned the crew will also install cement-backer materials in the areas to be tiled. Most of the exterior trim carpentry should be completed, too, and if we're lucky the stucco guys will begin the process of finishing the concrete piers.
On the planning front everything is going well, but we need to make a few short-term decisions, like how we'll trim the outdoor fireplace. We've decided the chase will be finished in tabby stucco (an oyster shell surface), but hadn't thought about the transition from this surface to the metal fireplace surround. Details, details!!
Last, Bonnie is working with our designer to line up a furniture-shopping trip to Atlanta in May, so that's something to look forward to(?)
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| Two geese have taken up residence out back, despite the noise and distractions of construction. We hope they'll stick around a while. Ron named them Thanksgiving (L) and Next Easter! |
That's it for this week... hope you enjoyed our update!
Ron & Bonnie
It looks so different already! Emmy is super excited to see it in person again :)
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