November 17, 2012 editor1 Construction, Homestead

November update

I cannot believe it has been more than a month since I posted an update… suffice it to say that we have not stopped working and been laying about!

In the past month, the exterior of the house has been almost finished, including:

Stucco
Caulking and Painting Exterior Trim (soffits and fascia)
Exterior Door installation
Chimney
Roofing
Installation of Garage Doors
Gravel placed on drive and on road
Exterior Light fixture installation

We hired a subcontractor for the stucco. While they worked on stucco, I kept up (barely) with painting and caulking all the soffits and fascia. We used the elastomeric stucco that is well-suited to our dry climate. I know that in some parts of the country the tight seal the synthetic stucco provides brings potential problems. Here in the dry southwest, it works very well.

We did our own installation of all doors, including the garage doors. This allowed us to secure the house while we are away from home and also cuts down on the dust and dirt inside. Since the garage doors were installed, we were able to move all the tools and building materials over to the new house garage and give ourselves a bit more space in the workshop. Exterior light fixtures have also been put into place.

The roof is a metal roof, installed by a local contractor. We chose a somewhat unusual color — simple galvalume. The reasons we decided on that color are that 1) the unpainted metal surface has the highest reflectivity of any of the metal roof materials, and 2) it is also the least expensive. We think it goes well with the territorial-style of our home and will last virtually forever. Low maintenance, baby.

Finally, as the winter weather approaches, we put down a layer of gravel on our formerly dirt road. During the driest parts of the summer, the caliche in the area causes the dust to build up several inches deep on the road. Driving on our road at that time raises a veritable cloud of dust. The roads are also very nearly impassable after heavy rains. So… laying several inches of gravel has vastly improved the road. Heck, I may even wash the car…

See some photos of the exterior:

Garage — Synthetic rock trim delivered and ready to install...

September 18, 2012 editor1 Construction, Framing

Bonus Room Framing

As G.N. Construction continues working on the roof decking and soffits, they are also continuing with the framing of the bonus room above the garage (in case you’ve forgotten, it is really the future home of the WWII Museum and Research Center). The progress is moving along well as we continue to complete small jobs around the house while they work. Most of the bracing from the interior of the house has been removed, so you can safely navigate without fear of head-bonking. Also, Oz finished building the water heater platform and has been working on the plans for the woodburning stove installation and chimney. We also bought paint to begin painting the soffits before the roof flashing is installed.

Additionally, we got our exterior door for the kitchen ordered, windows on order and have gotten word that our interior doors have arrived and are ready to be delivered. After the roof decking is in place, the roof will be wrapped with Titanium 30 to keep out future rain. That will be a very happy day! Here are a few photos showing current progress:

September 11, 2012 editor1 Construction, Framing

The Trusses and Decking Take Shape

As the work continues on setting the trusses, the shape of the house and how the roofline will look is becoming more clear. I was surprised that they were decking the portion of the roof that will have rafters above, but that provides extra stability and provides structure for setting those rafters. I took a few photos:

The work of setting trusses, decking the roof and framing the bonus room above the garage is being done by G.N. Construction, LLC. Freddy and his crew have been doing a great job here. You can contact them for work in the region by phone at (575) 914-0018 or (575) 420-3194.

September 5, 2012 editor1 Construction, Framing

Setting Trusses – Work Begins

At a little after 3 pm the work is finally begun on setting trusses. I was amazed to see one of the framers walking around the top of the framing like a balance beam… quite a good balancing act. He was walking along the top plates marking truss locations. The wind has kicked up a bit and it would make me more than a little nervous.