A Sunday Afternoon in November

Shiny Happy House

For the time being the Minnie House is all shiny white, and it positively gleams in the sun.

By the time I arrived at the site this morning the last set of windows, a huge bank of twelve aluminum panes beyond the dining area, was already framing the big, beautiful cypress tree, and I think I let out an audible 'wow' when I saw it.

Later the crew finished installing the exterior OSB - in fact they ran out, and as you can see they had to use CDX plywood for the last few pieces on the east side of the house - and when I left they were putting the finishing touches to wrapping all four sides in Tyvek.

Hector the Framer also managed to find time to build the wall around which the staircase will wrap, and upon which I will one day hang a framed copy of the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle from Tuesday November 2nd 2010, the day after the San Francisco Giants, finally and gloriously, won the World Series.

It's not all happy happy joy joy. There's something of a backlog of things that need to be done, and each one depends upon something else happening first. Robert the A/V Guy can't do any more wiring until Mike the Electrician runs his Romex wire in the I-joists, which he can't do until the Durafoam roof is sprayed, and that can't happen until the final roof penetrations are cut for the vents, and that won't happen until tomorrow.

The electrician is also awaiting the installation of the sliding doors, which can't go in until the door pans arrive and the deck penetrations are waterproofed, and that won't happen until, well, until it happens.

A Little Bit This and a Little Bit Of That

OK, admittedly, I'm not a builder and I know very little about building, but... it seems to me that you finish the OSB for the whole house, then you wrap the whole house in Tyvek, and then you start installing the Kynar siding.

Or not. Maybe you just add some OSB here, add a little Tyvek there, start on some Kynar siding, and move ahead on all fronts as and when you can... what do I know?

A White Shroud on a Hill

We're in the middle of a busy week. All of the windows at the front of the house are now in, but not without their share of challenging issues. Many of the panels had to be cut and reframed, and the two clerestory windows that frame the porch were 1" too wide for the openings, so the framers had to use some Harry Potter magic spells to make them fit.

The massive sliding doors were supposed to be installed on Monday, but there's a delay: first because we don't have the door pans yet, and then because we need to take care of the flashing/weatherproofing where the deck joists penetrate the house first - and there's still some discussion amongst the wise men about how to best achieve this.

While that debate continued much of the OSB was added to the outside of the house, in preparation for the Tyvek weatherproofing and then the Kynar steel siding.

The plumbers were also busy again, installing the downspouts into the faux wall panels at the back of the house, and then wrapping the bays with Tyvek. I'm not too sure what the story is with the random hole in the wall. Maybe the gopher is back causing trouble again?

Yesterday's weather was strange. It was a little chilly but glorious during the day, then it rained in the afternoon and evening. While it was nice, though, it was really nice, and i was able to get some work done in my new al fresco office suite, which as you can see is not too shabby.

While working I noticed this abstract silhouetted sculpture formed by the DeWalt power drill and the step ladder, which according to one friend looks like an oil rig, although I see a mutant Yorkshire terrier...

And so to today. The house is now eerily wrapped in plastic, lending it the sombre and slightly spooky aspect of one of Dexter Morgan's killing rooms.

Half of the house is now wrapped in white Tyvek, and scaffolding has been erected on the east side, where the large side windows need to go in. The roofers are due to come and spray the foam roof before the end of the week, and with any luck we can get the sliders in before the weekend, although I'm not holding my breath.

In the meantime the house will retain the mysterious aura of a white shroud on a hill.

I Can See For Mile and Miles...

Yesterday was one of the clearest days so far, and I was finally able to get a decent shot of Mt. Tam (on the right, beyond the flagpole, some 25 miles away to the North) from the bedroom. Wonder if I can also see the house from Mt Tam?

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

It rained a lot on Saturday night and Sunday morning (hmm, good title for a novel...), and since the crew didn't use the tarp to cover the roof, we got some mild flooding in the house again, with about an inch of water covering most of the main floor. It's always depressing when there's muddy water everywhere, even if the house is still a construction project, and I'm hoping that the steps we've taken will prevent that from happening again.

The Magical Mystery Tour Redux

The Minnie House Tour from Steve Rapport on Vimeo.

Excuse the re-post of this video, but I only just figured out how to get an HD version onto my blog. Enjoy!

A Roof With a View

Doing the Can Can

Mike the Electrician and his merry men came in today and set the housings for the recessed lights, or cans. Now that there's wiring all over the place and several of the windows have been installed, it truly feels like the house is nearing completion.

All of the clerestory windows went in today, apparently without a hitch, although there were two windows scheduled for installation in the porch area that are 1" too wide for the available space. Looks like a framing problem to me, but what do I know? Either way, Hector the Framer will figure out a way to fix it.

The clerestory windows are two feet high by approximately 7' 6" wide. All of the windows are Jeld-Wen 500 Series, and the massive sliding doors, which will be installed on Monday, are Jeld-Wen Premium Series. The glass is all LowE-366, a fairly new and energy efficient specification which apparently "delivers the ideal balance of solar control and high visibility."

Windows Are The Eyes To The Soul

Before the last rain showers the framers were able to get felt down on the roof, which somehow magically formed a waterproof membrane and protected the inside of the house from the downpour. Since then, the weather has been utterly magnificent (due no doubt to our ragtag Giants setting the Bay Area on fire by finally winning the World Series), and the roof is ready for the guys from DuraFoam to come in and spray white stuff all over it.

This week the contractors sent a second crew to the house, and they added some OSB to the outside (not all of it, they're going to wait until all of the windows are in), and installed the bedroom window. Yes, my very first window! This is yet another in a long list of highlights as the Minnie House moves from myth to reality.

There's also a cleanup crew on the premises removing all of the broken-up concrete and rebar, and the used and abused lumber, and generally making 451 Talbot a happier, prettier place, which of course also makes me happier (and prettier).

This morning Hector added three more of the Jeld-Wen aluminum windows, in the kitchen and the stairwell, and tomorrow he hopes to add all of the remaining windows. The sliding doors will have to wait until Monday because they are as heavy as hell and we need a crew of at least six men to lift and install them.

Robert and the A/V crew have already run wires around the whole house for TVs and speakers. There will be one big screen Panasonic in the living room, another 42" Panasonic in the bedroom, and if I'm feeling particularly decadent (or, more likely, if I can actually afford it, which is doubtful) a 26" in the bathroom.

We're also pre-wiring for another TV in the second bedroom and one in the basement, and laying Cat5 to future proof the place. Additionally, there will be ten pairs of speakers, here there and everywhere, each one with a Sonos amplifier blasting the most brilliant music known to man all over every last inch of The Minnie House.

Oh, and did I mention that my beloved San Francisco Giants won the World Series?