April 1 - The walls are starting to go up on the Guest House. Even with the threat of rain and a tornado watch nearby, framing has begun.
April 1 - The large openings are for windows. The closest room is one of the bedrooms. The center part is the great room and the far room is a second bedroom.
April 1 - Note the different wall heights. Even though the Guest House is small, it has several ceiling heights and some complicated framing.
April 4 - About 8:30 this morning the first load of concrete was poured for the main house. Pouring continued until about 1:30 pm.
April 4 - The main house slab is poured except for the front porch, the master porch and the outdoor living area. The last load will pour the two porches.
April 4 - The slab is being troweled with a power trowel. The tie down bolts have been placed around the perimeter.
April 4 - The main house slab is big. It will take close to 70 cubic yards (140 tons) of concrete.
April 4 - This is the great room in the guest house looking towards the front door. The diagonal braces are temporary and used to insure the walls remain plumb until the plywood sheathing is nailed.
April 4 - This is the screened porch off bedroom #1 and off the great room.
April 4 - This is the view from the front door across the kitchen and great room. Obviously, the far wall has not been erected yet.
April 4 - This is the front of the guest house. The front door opening has been cut into the plywood sheathing. Some of the windows still need to be opened. The main house and garage are to the left.
April 5 - The guest house now has ceiling joists in place. Next will be the roof.
April 5 - This is looking in the bedroom #2 window. The ceiling joists are clearly visible. The door on the far side of the room goes to the great room.
April 5 - The ceiling is flat over the kitchen area of the great room. The close end of the great room will have a vaulted ceiling. If physical space allows, the HVAC air handler will be installed over the kitchen.
April 5 - The spade truck is running again. Trees are being transplanted.
April 6 - The roof is being constructed. It is complete over bedroom 2. Work is proceeding on Bedroom 1. If you look carefully on the right side, you will see porch beams being put in place.
April 6 - Here is another view of the roofs. Beams on the back porch are also being erected.
April 6 - The ceiling joists (horizontal lumber) are tied together at the top with a 'cat walk' to insure the joists stay plumb. The hose is an air hose for the framer's pneumatic nail guns.
April 7 - More plywood sheathing is in place. The rafters for the back bedroom are cut and installed.
April 7 - The rear porch beam is up, but the columns are not in place yet. The front porch beams are in place also, but not visible in these photos.
April 8 - Rafters are on the great room of the guest house.
April 8 - Plywood sheathing is on most of the walls. The front porch columns are not in place yet. The dark colored plywood is pressure treated to resist termites and rot.
April 8 - The back screened porch has the rafters over it. The columns will be installed soon.
April 8 - This is how the guest house will look from the breezeway connecting the garage and main house.
April 8 - The fireplace liner for the main house has been delivered. It will begin going up in the next few days. The main house gets two fireplaces. The guest house will have one.
April 11 - The roof framing is complete and sheathing is being put on the roof of the guest house. The main house slab is visible on the left side of the photo.
April 11 - Looking over the main house, you can see the back side of the guest house. Note the end of the great room is now closed and sheathed. The window openings aren't cut out yet.
April 11 - The back porch roof is framed. The dark plywood around the bottom of the walls is pressure treated to minimize any rot or termite problems. The house is high enough that code does not require it, but we like to be cautious.
April 11 - The front porch gable is covered. The porch columns are not installed yet. They are on site, so they will be placed soon.
April 11 - The flat ceiling over the camera is the kitchen area of the guest house. The far end (where the worker is) is the vaulted ceiling in the living room area.
April 11 - This is the back bedroom. The opening on the extreme left is the doorway to the screened porch. The porch is also visible out the window opening.
April 12 - Roof sheathing is going on the guest house. Hurricane tie down rods are also being installed. The framers worked through the light rain this morning.
April 12 - The firebox of the guest house fireplace is being erected. The fireplace will have a brick chimney and face.
April 12 - The materials for all three fireplaces (one in the guest house and two in the main house) are on site. They will be erected in the next few weeks.
April 12 - From the road, the guest house looks surprisingly large. Once the spring leaves grow on the trees, it will be difficult to see the guest house. The dark rectangle on the left edge is the job dumpster.
April 12 - Lumber for the main house walls is on site and waiting for the framers. They should begin within a few days.
April 12 - The view from the outdoor living area is very nice. Of course when the trees fill out in the summer, the view will be restricted somewhat.
April 12 - The main house fireplace and bricks are on site and waiting for the masons to finish (or get to a good stopping point) on the guest house fireplace.
April 12 - The materials for the main house wall framing are ready for the framers. Work on the main house should begin within a few days. The guest house roof sheathing progress is visible in the background.
April 13 - Much of the roof now has Ice and Water underlayment on it. Often felt (tar paper) is used as an underlayment, but the Ice & Water Shield is much better, so we use it. Notice two of the porch columns are also in place.
April 13 - The main house slab is wet from the light rain. It was swept off this morning to begin putting down sills, but rain has hampered this. Now framers are concentrating on the guest house.
April 13 - The great room ceiling is being dropped a small amount to allow for HVAC ducts to pass into each of the bedroom wings.
April 13 - The fireplace chimney is going on up. It is nearly through the roof. Rain may prohibit much more work on the chimney today.
April 14 - The Main House walls have been laid out on the slab. If you look closely, you may see the red chalk lines on the concrete. Some wall framing has begun.
April 14 - Guest House framing is being finished. When the architect visited Tuesday, he made some door height changes and ceiling changes. We are incorporating them now. Now the three doorways (two doors and one cased opening) in the small hall off each bathroom are 7' tall.
April 14 - The ceiling in the guest house great room has been framed. By dropping the ceiling, we have room to get HVAC ducts to both bedrooms and to the living room end of the great room.
April 14 - The ceilings are being flattened and dropped in the small hallway off the baths. The punch list on the guest house is going well.
April 15 - Walls are going up on both ends of the Main House. The master wing is on the left. The Jr. Master Wing is on the right side.
April 15 - This is the Jr. Master Suite end of the house. The leftmost room is the Walk In Closet. The hallway is next then the bath and closet near bedroom #3. Bedroom #3 will be farther right.
April 15 - The Master Wing is being framed. The room on the right is the master bath. The large opening on the far wall will be a window.
April 15 - This is a close up of the Master Bath area. The large pipe on the left is for the toilet. The dirt place in the floor is for the shower drain. The lavatory drain is in the far wall. The opening on the left wall is to the Walk In Closet. Notice the wet slab. It has been lightly raining off and on today, but work is continuing.
April 15 - This is the laundry room. The recessed area on the right is the location of the pet shower. The washer drain is in the wall near the center of the photo.
April 15 - Guest house framing is nearing completion. If you look closely, you'll see some of the front porch columns. You will also see the chimney peaking up above the roof just to the right of the end gable.
April 15 - Around back, the chimney is more visible. It will be several feet taller than this when it is finished. Since the weather is rainy, the masons are working inside today.
April 15 - These are chimney components. The inside liner is assembled then the outer module is laid. The joints are staggered to minimize any possible leakage. Each module is about one foot tall.
April 15 - Fire brick is being cut and laid in a herringbone pattern in the firebox. The sides will be laid soon. This is a good rainy day activity for the masons.
April 15 - The large component on the chimney is a brick ledge. Brick will be laid on it and on up through the roof to the Bishop's cap at the top.
April 18 - The Guest House firebox is built. Most of the firebrick have been laid in the firebox. At this time, the masons are working on laying bricks on the chimney.
April 18 - Look closely and you'll see the bricks on the chimney at the Guest House.
April 18 - This is the Master Bedroom. The large opening is a triple window that overlooks the water. The wall on the right has not been constructed yet.
April 18 - This view is from the pedestrian doorway of the Garage. There will be a covered breezeway from the Garage pedestrian door to the Owner's Entry (outlined in red) of the Main House.
April 18 - This is where the triple window will be installed in the Master Bedroom. The doorway on the right goes to a screened porch.
April 18 - This a look down the 70 foot long hallway towards the Junior Master wing of the house.
April 18 - The opening on the left is where a door will go connecting the Kitchen (foreground) to a Screened Porch. The large opening on the right is the location of a triple window over the sink counter top in the Kitchen.
April 18 - Two studs have been erected for the Great Room. The far wall (by the Kitchen windows) is 11 feet 3 inches tall.
April 18 - This photo was taken from the driveway. The Guest House is visible on the right side. Part of the main house is on the left.
April 18 - This is how the Guest House and Main House look from the center auto bay of the Garage. Note the lumber piles in front of the main house are decreasing.
April 19 - The Guest House chimney is about finished. The Bishop's Cap has been built on the fireplace. The forms are still in place. Once the mortar sets, the forms will be removed.
April 19 - The chimney brick has been laid. Once the mortar sets, the scaffolding will be removed.
April 19 - The tall walls for the Great Room are being erected. The scaffolding on the right of the wall is where the Outdoor Living room is located.
April 19 - This is the material for the pass through fireplace. It will be erected starting this afternoon. The pass through fireplace is in the Great Room.
April 19 - Framing for the Great Room is being built. The wall is 17 feet, 9 inches high.
April 19 - From the front of the home, the far wall of the Great Room is visible. The Outdoor Living area is beyond the far wall.
April 19 - From the driveway, the height of the Great Room is obvious. The front wall of the Great Room is being framed this afternoon.
April 20 - Framing is nearly complete on the Guest House. The chimney is laid. Columns have to be placed on the front and rear porches.
April 20 - Work continues on the pass through fireplace in the Great Room. The damper was installed today. Scaffolding is in place to go up with the chimney.
April 20 - From the kitchen sink area, the fireplace is visible and the far wall of the Great Room. The diagonal boards are bracing the walls to keep them vertical and straight.
April 20 - The steel decking has arrived for the Outdoor Living area floor. Rain is expected on Friday, so concrete will be poured on Monday or Tuesday if all goes well. The concrete companies are very busy, so sometimes there are delays in delivery.
April 20 - The Breezeway will be formed today. It will be poured when the Outdoor Living deck is poured. The Breezeway goes straight out from the house, makes a turn then heads straight to the garage. It will have a brick border and a roof.
April 20 - Plywood is being nailed to the main house. The dark sheets are treated for termites and rot.
April 21 - The form has been removed from the Bishop's cap on the guest house chimney.
April 21 - Plywood sheathing is on Bedroom #3 and the Laundry area. There is no plywood at the front because there is a gable here and the plywood will tie the gable to the walls.
April 21 - The pass through fireplace is going on up. The masons can only lay a certain number of modules before they have to stop and let the thinset cure.
April 21 - The breezeway foundation has been dug and forms are in place. The pour will be Monday if all goes well.
April 21 - This is a bird's eye view of the ceiling joists. The tall room on the right is Bedroom #3.
April 21 - This is the ceiling over the master bathroom and master walk in closet area.
April 21 - Here is another view of the guest house chimney. The masons will be taking down their scaffold soon.
April 21 - This is looking down on the foyer. The front porch roof has not been built yet. The garage is visible in the upper right corner.
April 21 - The foundation subs are preparing to pour the Outdoor Living floor. The dirt has been leveled. The access hole has been cut. Bracing is in place to support the steel decking that will serve as a form for the concrete floor.
April 22 - The gable roofs over the Study (left) and Bedroom #3 (right) are taking shape. Plywood has been put on the front door wall (between gabled rooms). A roof will be framed on the porch soon.
April 22 - The rafters are more obvious when looking from the side. This is the view near the pedestrian door of the garage.
April 22 - The roof over the Master Suite is beginning to be framed. The plywood covered area is the master bath and master walk in closet. Window openings are probably larger than can be seen here. Excess plywood will be trimmed soon.
April 22 - The front door wall is visible here. There will be a front porch (note the concrete floor). with a shed roof.
April 22 - Here, you can see the front gables and the one over the master suite. The chimney is about half as tall as it will be.
April 22 - The chimney is about 20' tall now. When it is finished, it will be about 34 feet tall plus the 3-1/2 foot cap. That means, the chimney is about half as high as the finished product.
April 25 - The attic floor over the great room is being framed. The great room has a vaulted ceiling with a flat center which is defined by the bottom of the ceiling joists. What is not visible in this photo is a large beam that supports the close wall supporting the ceiling joists.
April 25 - The footers for the breezeway walk are dug. They are deep so they have a brick ledge to support a brick veneer on the sides. The walk will be concrete with a brick row lock on each side.
April 25 - Because several pipes and conduits have to go under the Breezeway, we have installed three large PVC pipes to hold them.
April 25 - A few days ago, a temporary irrigation system was put in place. It consists of PVC pipe above ground and sprinklers. Although the pipe might get damaged, it is inexpensive and easy to repair (much easier that trying to find a leak underground).
April 25 - The kitchen ceiling joists can be viewed from the Master Bedroom. The kitchen attic has been decked. That is why it appears so dark where the joists are located.
April 25 - This is a view of the bottom of the kitchen attic floor. The decking can be seen in the upper left corner.
April 25 - This photo was taken standing about where the kitchen island will be located. The beam mentioned in the first photo today is visible on the upper right side of the photo. The ceiling will be vaulted with a flat spot in the center.
April 25 - Here is the large beam. it separates the Foyer and the Great Room. The Great Room ceiling joists are visible in the upper left corner.
April 25 - The Outdoor Living Area deck is prepped for concrete. It will be inspected tomorrow and poured as soon as we are able.
April 25 - This is on the Kitchen Attic looking at the Great Room ceiling trusses. The chimney is visible near the center. Work will resume on the chimney in a day or two when the decking is installed on these trusses and the masons can work off it.
April 25 - The breezeway footings are visible from the Owner's Entry. The pipe sleeves are visible here.
April 26 - Work on the roof continues. The roofline is about 28 feet above the floor. The roof to the right (towards the chimney) will be six feet higher. If you look closely, you'll see the chimney above the Great Room attic floor. The chimney will go up another 12 or so feet. work on it will resume tomorrow (weather permitting).
April 26 - We passed inspection today so we are cleared to pour the Breezeway slab and the Outdoor Living Slab. That will happen in a day or two (depending on the weather).
April 26 - The southwestern end of the house now has sheathing. The window openings have not been cut yet. The small rectangular room on the right will have a hip roof.
April 26 - From the west, the roof over part of the kitchen and pantries is visible. The ladder on the left is leaning against what will be the Outdoor Living area. It will be enclosed and conditioned.
April 26 - The floor has been laid over the Great Room. The diagonal board is temporary bracing.
April 26 - From the northern end of the Great Room, the dropped ceiling in the Kitchen is visible. The chimney is offset so it goes through the ridge of the highest roof.
April 26 - From the Guest House back porch, the Great Room outline can be clearly seen. The closest room, the Junior Master Bedroom, does not have very many walls up yet. The wall on the right is where the exterior doors will go to separate the bedroom from the screened porch.
April 26 - From the driveway, the new roof section over the Kitchen and Pantry is visible. Notice all of the bracing near the center of the photo.
April 27 - This is the first of the concrete for the Outdoor Living area. As soon as this concrete cures (in a few days), work will begin on this room.
April 27 - Right after the rear deck was poured, the mixers poured the Breezeway connecting the Owner's Entry of the house to the Pedestrian door of the Garage. The Breezeway will have a brick rowlock on either side and a roof.
April 27 - The front porch now has ceiling joists and a beam. Columns will be installed within a few days.
April 27 - The Outdoor Living Area Floor is poured and will be finished when it begins to set. This is the view from the Jr. Master Bedroom. The lower right corner is the Screened Porch outside the Bedroom.
April 27 - The Breezeway will also be troweled when it cures a bit. The doorway is the Owner's Entry.
April 27 - From the Jr. Master Bedroom, three bucks of scaffolding (5' high each) is set up to move chimney parts up to the Great Room Attic floor.
April 27 - The roof over the Jr. Master Suite is symmetric with the one over the left side of the house. Notice the Great Room 'rectangle'.
April 27 - Rafters are going up on the hip roof of the Master Bath and Master Walk In Closet. They are to the left of the top of the ladder.
April 27 - The front view shows the roof line. The center roof will be about 6 feet higher than either of the side roofs.
April 27 - The chimney is about 7 feet above the Great Room Attic floor in this photo. It will go up to about 10 feet then a brick ledge will be added. The overall height to the top of the Bishop's Cap will be about 19 feet above the attic floor.
April 27 - In the Guest House, blocking (short horizontal pieces of wood) is being added. This is needed for the wood that will go on the walls.
April 28 - Framing on the center, high part of the roof continues. The hip roof on the left (over the Laundry, Master Walk In Closet and Bath) also has rafters.
April 28 - Note the dormers in the front of the main house are being framed today.
April 28 - You can see the hip roof on the left as well as the Breezeway walk.
April 28 - The right side of the home is also taking shape.
April 28 - The view from the Screened Porch of the Guest House shows more framing. The slab on the right will be a screened porch off the Junior Master Suite.
April 28 - The Breezeway walk is curing. Forms will be removed in a day or so.
April 28 - The Main House as seen from behind the Garage. The Guest House is in the distance on the right side of the Main House.
April 28 - This is the right front corner of the main house. The chimney height is obvious from here. Work on the chimney has stopped for a day or two to let the framers get the roof built around it.
April 28 - The rear deck is covered with plastic to keep it from drying before it cures. This minimizes cracks. The Breezeway was not in the sun nearly as much as the Brays Room (Outdoor Living Area) slab and was much thicker on the edges so it was not covered.
April 29 - The Main House is taking shape. The front dormers are peaking out behind the Study (aka Bedroom #3) roof. The chimney is about where the ridge of the center portion of the roof will be.
April 29 - The gable end towards the Guest House now has plywood on it. (Photo taken from Guest House Screened Porch). Notice framing for the Screened Porch off the Jr. Master Suite has begun on the right edge of the photo.
April 29 - From the back, the Screened Porch beam is visible. The Guest House is on the left edge of the photo.
April 29 - The Brays Room (aka Outdoor Living Area) wall framing has begun.
April 29 - The Brays Room wall will have a chimney on the far side to the left of the door. The deck between the ladder and the Brays Room will be a screened porch for the Master Suite.
April 29 - The chimney seems very high from the Master Suite corner. The center portion of the roof will be approximately this high once it is framed. The chimney will go up another few feet once the roof is framed (for bracing).
April 29 - The room in the center is the Master Bathroom. The Garage is in the distance.
April 29 - The front dormers are framed and have rafters.
April 29 - The masons will be back out to finish the chimney when the center portion of the roof is framed. They will also lay brick on the chimney. Once that is done, they will turn their attention to the Brays Island Room Chimney.