It is just a pure rush to go onto the jobsite these days. There were 20 vehicles and more than 30 guys on the site yesterday--we haven't had that many since we poured foundation walls back in January. Things are moving so fast I can't even take it in. It is a tribute to Leon and his team that this thing looks like a well choreographed dance and doesn't just implode on itself. Finish and detail work is beginning and it is so exciting. Not being familiar with residential construction, one of the biggest surprises for me has been the amount of finish carpentry work that this project requires. You can't swing a cat without hitting a trim carpenter at the moment.
There are now 6 in addition to the 5 framing carpenters that have been working since the beginning of the project. Door trim, pocket door installation, stairs, window sills and trim, closet shelving, and base trim are all happening simultaneaously. All of these guys bring intellectual rigor to how wood goes together. A couple of posts back I talked about how Mark was doing such a killer job on the guest pod stairs. He has now moved on to the main stairs which are much more intricate. He has been holed up in the project gallery for the last three days assembling the treads and risers and sanding them to perfection.
We were a little anxious about how the unusual stair tread extension design would work but I think it looks fabulous.
There is going to be some tricky drywall work here.
The much talked about decorative cedar ceiling is finally getting built and Steve and Dwayne have outdone themselves. They are starting at the project gallery (East) end of the house.
They took a break to put the ipe on the screened porch and Ellen and I finally had a picnic dinner on our real porch and not on a precarious stack of plywood.
I am not sure exactly who has been working on the trapezoidal base trim but I think it is Scott and David or Kindon. I was afraid that it would be too subtle to notice but it turned out to be a great detail particularly at the corners.
Even the simple rectilinear trim in the guest pod has some tricky details.
Holly and Corey are busy on doors and door trim.
David has done a beautiful job on the wood cap and headboard shelf in the sleeping loft.
He also worked with Scott on the beautiful interior cedar trim pieces that go floor to ceiling in a single run in the corners of the double high spaces in both pods.
Our millwork guys Doug and Patrick continue to work on the stair object installation and have just completed the North Wall.
The panels are maple with a cherry reveal.
Chuck and Tyson from Prescott Stone arrived to template for the granite countertops.
(would you trust this man with your granite countertops?)
I sent Chuck some images of a knife edge I was trying to achieve (Boffi ad at left) and he made some wood mockups to show what they could do. Ellen, Chuck and I worked through it and think we have something that will look great. He still needs to make a drawing to see if all of the faucets etc have good clearance around the raised bar section of the counter and that we have all of the backsplashes (mixture of tile and granite) worked out. Chuck is a hoot to work with. He is more sarcastic than I am which is saying something. He gets high marks for sweating the details.
Tyson makes the templates out of glued up slats of wood.
Tile work continues with the floor and shower of the guest and lower bath complete and most of the wall in the master bath done. The Corten tile looks fabulous. I love the small mosaics.
Ellen and I held round 3 of the Finish Olympics this past weekend with an entire afternoon of grout color selections. Medalists include Magnolia, Pale Umber, Mocha, Charcoal, and Bone.
The standing seam metal roof on the bridge got underway. I'm going to have to get used to the wacky fins on the roof.
Last but not least, Fripp and Siberry are happy to know that we are looking out for their needs. Scott is working on the cat door in the laundry room where their litter box will live.
They have a very tough gig.
There is nothing so mysterious as a fact clearly described.
--Garry Winogrand
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