May 2 - The chimney is now two sections (each section is a foot) higher. This is the finished height of the chimney (less the cap). The masons are laying brick on it right now. The tallest ridge is in place also.
May 2 - The dormers have sheeting on the sides and rafters. The window openings are not cut out yet.
May 2 - The Brays Room has a roof. The close wall has plywood on it. There will be a chimney on the far side of the plywood wall close to the door. The plywood on the wall has not been trimmed yet.
May 2 - From the Guest House screened porch, the peak of the Main House is visible. The Jr. Master Screened Porch has rafters and ceiling joists also.
May 2 - This is the Brays Room as seen from the woods near the water. The top ridge is visible on the left side of the photo.
May 2 - An access door has been cut to access under the Brays Room. The board running horizontally along the top of the blocks is a form board and will be removed tomorrow.
May 2 - Framing has been built around the chimney. The finish on the chimney inside will be wood.
May 2 - Electrical rough in work has begun (about 30 minutes ago) in the garage.
May 3 - More detail is being added to the framing. The barge rafters have been added to the two gables. They extend from the wall of the house. Sub fascias (the board at the end of the rafters) has also been added.
May 3 - The mason got the Isokern to its finished height. He also started laying bricks. Yesterday, he was stopped by rain.
May 3 - The barge rafters are obvious from this angle. The sub fascia is also visible on the gable roof and the front porch shed roof.
May 3 - The Master Screened Porch is being framed. The columns are not in place yet, but the beam, ceiling joists and rafters are in place.
May 3 - More plywood is being nailed on the Brays Room. The bottom of the windows are framed. The window openings are not cut out yet, so it is not obvious how large the windows are.
May 3 - The Front Porch of the Guest House is having more columns installed. The sixth (and last one) is laying beside the porch.
May 3 - The roof of the Main House is pretty complex. This view is from in front of the Guest House. The high ridge is in place. It will continue on the other side of the chimney.
May 3 - Framers are starting to tie the Main House down with steel rods. This is one way to meet the code requirement wind loads.
May 3 - The rough in wiring is continuing in the garage. It should be complete in the next day or two.
May 4 - The Guest House Front Porch has six columns now. (Two are hidden by other columns.) The nailing inspection is scheduled for tomorrow.
May 4 - The Rear Screened Porch of the Guest House also has its columns in place (along with a temporary brace that has not been removed yet). The Guest House Foundation will get 4 inch concrete blocks around it and then stucco on them.
May 4 - Plywood is going on the roof of the Main House. About half of the roof is covered now. (One of the two 6 foot tall stacks of plywood is now on the house.) The object on the roof in front of the center dormer is a small, temporary rest where the roofers can cut plywood.
May 4 - A good portion of the roof on the right side of the Main House has plywood on it. The Garage is in the far left of the photo. There will be a covered breezeway connecting the Main House and Garage.
May 4 - Another plywood cutting stand is visible on the roof. Much of the roof plywood on this side of the house is in place. The guest house is in the distance on the right edge of the photo.
May 4 - The back of the house continues to progress. The chimney is due to be finished in the next day or so.
May 5 - More progress was made on the roof today. This is a large roof - about 1/6 Acre (7,400 square feet).
May 5 - From a distance, it is obvious much of the roof is covered with plywood.
May 5 - From the Master bedroom end, you can see three ridges of the house.
May 5 - The tall ridge is framed now. The roof should be completed in the next day or two.
May 5 - This is a view of the water side of the house. There are large window facing this direction.
May 5 - The house appears to be high overlooking the water view.
May 5 - Guest House rear columns are in place. The plywood is cut out for windows on the back side of the house.
May 6 - The framers began working on the Main House on April 14. That was 22 calendar days ago, or 17 weekdays. They lost a day or two of the 17 weekdays to rain. Look at the progress. Also notice most of the framing lumber is now out of the yard.
May 6 - The front dormers take a bit of complicated framing. Compare the dormer left to the one on the right.
May 6 - This is the screened porch outside the Kitchen and Master Bedroom. It does not have a roof on it yet.
May 6 - The Kitchen Screen Porch is on the left. Notice the high gable. The gable has not been framed yet.
May 6 - The Screen Room outside the Jr. Master Bedroom. is getting the roof installed on it.
May 6 - There is a lot of complicated framing here. This is looking through the window on Bedroom #3. The diagonal lumber is temporary bracing.
May 6 - The top room here is a storage area over the Kitchen (bottom). The framing on the right edge of the photo is the pass through fireplace.
May 6 - This is the over the kitchen storage area as viewed from the Master Bedroom.
May 6 - This is the Master Bedroom. It has a door to the Screened Porch on the right side and two windows.
May 6 - This is the Master Bath as viewed from what will be the shower. The drain pipe for the lavatories is visible in the lower left and lower right of the photo.
May 6 - The Breezeway walk will have bricks on the sides and a row of bricks down each edge.
May 9 - Ice and water shield is being applied to the roof. This is a very heavy underlayment and is waterproof (unlike felt paper). The Ice and Water Shield provides an excellent second line of defense in case the roofing materials should leak.
May 9 - The last of the plywood is being nailed to the rafters in the back of the house. Some of the back already has Ice and Water Shield on it.
May 9 - Much of the temporary bracing has been removed from inside the house now that the plywood walls are in place. This is the Study as seen from the Bar. The Garage is visible through the window.
May 9 - With the bracing removed in most places, the size of the rooms is becoming apparent. This is how the Foyer (foreground), Great Room (with chimney), and Brays Room (background) look from the front porch. The opening is where the front door will be installed.
May 9 - This is the Great Room and Kitchen (on the other side of the chimney). Above the kitchen is a storage area. The bright light in the attic area is where the plywood roof sheathing is being installed.
May 9 - Some temporary bracing is still in place in the Brays Room. Mahogany doors will be installed where the openings are in the foreground. Doors are ordered and should be here before too long.
May 9 - The Jr. Master Bedroom Screened Porch now has a column supporting the corner. Note the steel tie down rods on the right side of the doorway.
May 9 - The Brays Room is large -- 33 feet long, over 13 feet wide and about 20 feet high at the peak. The far wall will have a chimney soon. There are doors on each end which open into Screened Porches.
May 9 - The scaffolding is in the Jr. Master Bedroom. The Jr. Master WIC (Walk in Closet) is beyond the scaffold and beyond that is a hallway and the Jr. Master Bath.
May 9 - The beam in the middle of the photo separates the Great Room (right) from the Foyer (left). One dormer is visible on the left side. The roof of the Foyer will be flat at the top of the dormers.
May 10 - The Main House roof is now covered with Ice and Water Shield. Final framing work is being done. By the end of next week, framing should be pretty well finished.
May 10 - The 70 foot long hallway is once again open. Temporary bracing has been removed. The hall runs from the Master Suite to the Jr. Master Suite.
May 10 - The peaked ceiling is in the Master Bedroom. The wall in the foreground is between the Kitchen and the Master Bedroom.
May 10 - The southern end of the house is where the Jr. Master Bedroom is located (peaked ceiling on the left). Notice the huge attic over the Jr. Master Walk in Closet (straight ahead).
May 10 - The Guest House is being house wrapped. This will help protect it from the elements.
May 10 - The ceiling of the Brays Room is also a tall, peaked ceiling. It has a window in the gable end.
May 10 - From the road, all three buildings are visible. The Guest House is on the right. It is white because of the house wrap. The Garage is on the far left. The Main House is in the center. It is not wrapped yet.
May 11 - Walls that have vertical boards on them have to be blocked with horizontal wood from stud to stud. There are a number of walls in the Main and Guest Houses that are being blocked. Note down the hallway, blocking is in place.
May 11 - The large beam that separated the Foyer from the Great Room is being built out so it will be hidden behind the wall covering.
May 11 - The water table (short horizontal roof) is being built on the Brays Room gable.
May 11 - This is how the front of the Main House appears when standing in the Garage pedestrian door.
May 11 - This is looking in the front door. The first beam is the porch beam. The second horizontal beam is over the front doors. The third is the beam between the Foyer and Great Room. The fourth is the doorway between the Great Room and the Brays Room. The final one is the Brays Room windows.
May 11 - The three front dormers are detailed.
May 12 - House wrap is being placed on the Main House. This is the Front Porch (center), Study (left) and Bedroom #3 (right). The dormers are open into the Foyer which is just inside the front doors.
May 12 - In the background, a forklift is visible. This will be used by the exterior trim contractor. He is getting materials and equipment ready for his Monday start.
May 12 - Willis is standing in front of the Brays Room windows. Willis is 6 feet tall to give you an idea of the window size.
May 12 - The stairs are being constructed. Obviously, they will be trimmed. The stairs lead to attic storage and no habitable rooms.
May 12 - The stairs are constrained enough the landing has to be split into a step. There is only so much horizontal distance from the bottom of the steps to the top. The height of each step is set by code as is the depth. By adding a 'winder' on the landing we are able to get another rise and make the steps work.
May 13 - Treated lumber is being nailed and glued to the concrete floor throughout the main house. A plywood subfloor will be nailed and glued to the sleepers (the treated lumber on the concrete). Then the finished floor will go down on the plywood.
May 13 - This is the foyer. Notice the blocking in the walls in preparation for vertical boards.
May 13 - Sleepers are put down ever 16-in to provide solid support for the 3/4-in tongue and groove plywood subfloor.
May 13 - The exterior trim contractor is getting ready to get started. He has his ladder trailer, tool trailer and a forklift on the job site.
May 13 - The first main house chimney is through the roof. The bishop's cap has been set, but the forms are not removed yet. (You can see the plywood form on the end of the cap.
May 13 - The lower portion (to the first attic level) of stairs are roughed in now. Sleepers are visible in the distance.
May 13 - This is the view from the first attic level (over the Kitchen) down the stairs. The split landing is visible if you look closely.
May 13 - This is how the upper attic (over the Great Room) looks. The chimney for the pass through fireplace penetrates this attic space. The brick ledge is visible near the rafters. This is where the bricks on the chimney begin and go upward. The opening into this upper attic will have stairs (near where the ladder is leaning).
May 16 - The house wrap is now on the Main House. The subfloor plywood is stacked on the porch. The framers are sitting on some of the exterior trim material having lunch. Notice the lack of framing material in the yard. Most of it has been used.
May 16 - The Guest House soffits are being built. The soffits are not vented because the roof will have spray foam insulation. This makes the attic conditioned space. The HVAC air handler is in the conditioned attic so it is much more efficient.
May 16 - This is the view from the Laundry sink area. The stairs are visible. The gray conduits are where power will enter the house. Note the blocking and sleepers on the floor.
May 16 - The wall between the Great Room and the Brays Room has three double French doors and two stationary single French doors.
May 16 - The trim subs have scaffold in place to trim the garage.
May 16 - Many of the 200 (or so) twist straps have been nailed in place. Each end requires 7 nails. The twist straps help secure the roof in case of high winds.
May 16 - There is a surprising amount of steel hardware installed by the framers. On the left is a joist hanger. These support the joist (ceiling joists, in this case). Each joist that is not resting on another structure needs a hanger. Next are two twist straps. On the right, you can see two of the steel 1/2-in tie down rods. The tiedown rods hold the top plate (the double horizontal 2x6) to the foundation.
May 16 - This is the Foyer ceiling. There are three dormers lighting the Foyer. The ceiling has been flattened as you can see. The Foyer ceiling is about 20 feet above the floor.
May 17 - The weather was overcast, but no rain until about noon. Then we had a real cloudburst. Notice the water beside the breezeway and at the foot of the ladder. The photos are dark because it is very overcast.
May 17 - The exterior trim carpenters made good progress this morning. The house end of the garage has soffits and fascia. Once this is installed, we will be able to install the roof drip and start working on the roof.
May 17 - The tall gable of the garage over the breezeway is trimmed. The frieze (board along the top of the wall just under the soffit) has not been installed yet.
May 17 - The back of the garage also has the soffit and fascia on it.
May 17 - Another crew is working on the trim of the guest house.
May 17 - This is the gable over the front porch. The front porch beam will be trimmed when large Hardie panels arrive (tomorrow).
May 17 - The masons have begun work on the Brays Room fireplace.
May 17 - The framers are working on walls for the stairwell and attic rooms.
May 18 - Here is trim on the Garage near the doors. The drip and flashing (board along the bottom) are in place. The outside corner is in place. A mock up is done for the garage door casing and jamb so the carpenters will know how it goes.
May 18 - The Garage has the soffit and fascia in place. The inside corner boards are also installed. This is a work in progress, so all of the trim is not up yet.
May 18 - The Guest House soffit and fascia are being installed.
May 18 - The Guest House is also getting drip around the perimeter.
May 19 - The form has been removed from the chimney bishop cap and scaffolding has been taken down from the high ridge. There will be a second chimney near the location of the existing scaffolding.
May 19 - Trim work continued on the garage in spite of the weather. By early afternoon everyone gave up and left for the day. The corner boards are installed as is the drip, soffits and fascia.
May 19 - The exterior trim is starting to make the Garage look good. Doors and windows are due to arrive in about one week.
May 19 - Note the scaffolding near the chimney is not removed. In the next few days, the dormers will be trimmed and flashed.
May 19 - The center of the front of the Garage will have brick. The remainder of the garage is Artisan siding. Work on the siding will begin in the next few days.
May 20 - The framing material is about gone now. What is in the front yard is exterior trim materials and the Artisan siding. Exterior trim is being finished on the Garage and Guest House. It will be started on the Main House in a few days.
May 20 - If you look closely, you'll notice the frieze (board on the very top of the wall) is built out from the wall in the center portion of the Garage. This is to align it with the brick veneer the jut out gets.
May 20 - The Garage is the close structure. The view is from the road. Screening will be planted behind the garage once the construction is complete.
May 20 - The window openings are covered with house wrap to keep rain out of the garage until the windows are installed. The windows are scheduled to arrive this coming week (approximately May 26).
May 20 - A bit more framing material is in the yard. This is primarily to do blocking in preparation for vertically installed wood walls and for framing the stairwell and attic spaces. The plywood on the front porch will be installed once the floor dries a bit. With the rain and the house not being totally water tight (the chimneys are not flashed and the windows and doors are not installed), the floor has gotten wet.
May 20 - This is the view from the driveway. Exterior trim will begin on the main house in the next few days.
May 21 - Notice the tree with the red ribbon. It is leaning over the garage. When we cut it, we had a surprise. (see next photo)
May 21 - This is the stump. Notice it is rotting which means before too long, the tree would have come down on its own. It is a good thing we removed it.
May 21 - A bucket truck was used to lift the tree trimmer so he could cut limbs and lower them to the ground. Several trees were over the buildings.
May 21 - Look carefully to the left of the chimney. The white square is the bucket. The tree trimmer is cutting limbs off and lowering them to the ground.
May 21 - The building materials were moved from under the trees to give the tree crew room to work and fell the trees.
May 21 - The trees were cut in about 6 foot lengths and dropped to the ground. By cutting the tree into smaller pieces, it was possible to control the fall.
May 21 - A number of the limbs under about 8 inches in diameter were chipped. Notice the stream of chips being blown out of the shoot into the back of the truck.
May 21 - Once a number of limbs are removed, the tree is topped.
May 21 - Behind the house, the water oak which was leaning over the house is gone as are the two very tall pines (aka lightning rods).
May 21 - The courtyard is now light. The taller four stumps will be dug in the next few weeks. The two stumps on the left, near the garage, will be ground as will a number of the other stumps. If there is any danger digging a stump would damage a foundation, the stump will be ground (on Monday -- weather permitting).
May 21 - From the Road the drive area is now open. Notice the fence on the right to keep vehicles away from valuable trees.
May 23 - The trim crew is moving around the Guest House with trim work. As soon as windows and doors arrive and are installed, siding can begin.
May 23 - The Guest House is beginning to look finished with the trim work.
May 23 - These stumps will be dug. Stumps that are close to foundations will be ground so there is no chance of damaging structures.
May 23 - The two stumps near the Garage and Breezeway have been ground. The ground will be leveled in the next day or so.
May 23 - The water oak that was leaning over the house is gone as are the two very tall pines. The stumps have been ground, so there is little visible evidence they were here.
May 23 - Exterior trim carpenters are working their way around the Main House roof. The materials in the yard are trim materials and Artisan siding.
May 24 - Trim continues to go around the Guest House roof. The trim is Hardie (cement fiber) material.
May 24 - The south end of the Main House is also being trimmed.
May 24 - Columns are going up on the Breezeway. They will have a brick rowlock laid under the outer edge of them. The Breezeway will have a total of eight columns. It connects the Garage and the Main House.
May 24 - This is the Junior Master Suite Screened Porch. The ceiling will be painted V-Groove pine. The ceiling will be installed in a few days.
May 24 - The Master Screened Porch will also have a painted pine V-Groove ceiling. The scaffolding is for the masons who are erecting the Brays Room fireplace and chimney.
May 25 - Breezeway framing is underway. The eight columns and beams have been erected. Rafters are in place. The Breezeway roof will be standing seam like the Garage, Guest House and selected portions of the Main House. Notice the trees are gone.
May 25 - Siding has been installed on the Guest House Front Porch gable. It will also be installed in areas that are accessed by being on the roof (such as the dormers). Once the windows and exterior doors are installed, siding will be installed in all appropriate locations.
May 25 - The breezeway slope is not obvious from the Guest House. The front yard is much more open with the trees removed. It is always sad to remove trees, but when the trees are not healthy and threaten people and buildings, it is best to remove them.
May 25 - Trim on the South end of the Main House is installed. The custom cove molding has not arrived yet, so still needs to be installed. There will be a window in the high gable. These walls will be brick. The Jr. Master Suite Screened Porch is on the right edge of the photo.
May 25 - This is how the Breezeway looks from the north side. The Garage is on the right and the Main House on the left. The walkboard in the Breezeway is obviously temporary.
May 26 - The painter is here painting sample areas with the selected color for ARB approval.
May 26 - The soffit trim is pretty well done on south end of the house. The masons have set up scaffolding to work on the Brays chimney.
May 26 - The Jr. Master Screen porch is being trimmed. The ceiling will be painted pine V-Groove.
May 26 - Trim on the Guest House is moving along. A hole has been cut where one of the windows will go for ventilation. The temperature here is in the 90s.
May 26 - The Breezeway has the roof sheathing on. It provides protection from rain for going between the Owner's Entry and the Garage.
May 26 - The windows arrived today. Installation will begin in the next day or two.
May 26 - The Brays fireplace chimney is through the roof.
May 26 - Plywood is on the Breezeway roof. It will also have a ceiling.
May 26 - The Guest House fireplace is ready for the mantle and hearth.
May 27 - This is the view from the attic over the Kitchen down to the winding landing.
May 27 - The scaffolding is on the roof so the masons can finish the Brays Chimney, the last of the chimneys.
May 27 - The attic over the Great Room is large. The entrance stairway is at the far end.
May 27 - These are the steps from the Great Room attic to the Kitchen Attic.
May 27 - More trim is being installed on the buildings and the material piles in the yard are getting smaller.
May 27 - The dormers are open into the Foyer. They are over the Entry Porch. The Entry Porch beam is trimmed as are the dormers.
May 27 - Here is another view of the mason's scaffold. More trim is visible. A window goes in the Brays Room gable (to the left of the scaffold).
May 27 - The roof of the Main House is complex. Much of the cornice trim is finished.
May 27 - This is how the Attic over the Great Room looks from the entrance stairway.
May 27 - The Integrity doors arrived. The only remaining exterior doors are the mahogany doors on the entrance and between the Great Room and the Brays Room. They are still about 3 weeks out.
May 27 - The windows are visible from the attic.
May 27 - This is how the steps to the Great Room Attic storage look.
May 31 - Siding has been installed on the Garage end of the main house. We are installing siding and trim that is over a roof and then painting it so workers don't have to walk on the final roofing material. This keeps any inadvertent roof damage (scratches, etc.) to a minimum.
May 31 - The fork lift is a great aid to getting materials to the roof top. This reduces damaged materials and speeds the job.
May 31 - The fake louver is in place. Since the attic is sealed with the roof insulated, louvers are not needed. They are often included for aesthetics, however.
May 31 - Installing siding in tight places is tedious.
May 31 - This shows the rear of the Garage and the north end of the Main House. A small portion of the Breezeway is visible.
May 31 - The upper window of the Brays Room has been installed in preparation for siding this gable.