Framing Part 1 - Main Level through Upper Level Floor

Once again I have waited too long to record construction. I am going to break the framing of the last month and a half into several parts. This section will show the framing of the main level up to the upper level floor. Here you can see the walls of the studio space. This is a work space that our whole family will be using. It is always amazing to see the first walls go up. We took a deep breath of relief as we saw a space born before our eyes - there actually is going to be a house here. 

Seeing the front door is also an amazing moment. Here you can see the approach through the garage and workshop.

After the first day of framing, we let the kids run around in the house. There was a lot of enthusiasm. Here you can see the view to the west into the woods.

Here is the main facade facing south. The kitchen comprises the majority of this space. 

Here are some of the beams that will be picking up the upper level floor. 

Both the 2x10's and wood beams will be exposed here.

The mason continued work on some interior block walls that will be painted white and exposed in the house. These help anchor the main living spaces and provide a strong base for the library balcony above.

Here you can see the overhang of the upper level taking shape. This overhanging upper level not only provides a series of great outdoor spaces where we will build porches below, but also allows the center of the house to remain open.

Below you can see the void being left open in the middle of the house for the main living spaces.

There will be two stairs, each providing access to one side of the upper level. This library balcony that overlooks the living area will be the one point of connection on that level.

Here is a glimpse of the exposed plywood and joists that will be visible from the studio.

Ikea Book

The multi-kid drafting table was included in a recent book published in France by Hoebeke on reinventing Ikea products. There is even a thorough tutorial I provided them on how to put the table together, translated into French of course. They kindly sent me a copy that I got in the mail today. It is a beautiful picture book, whether or not you plan on doing any of your own Ikea modifications. Nora was excited to see her drawing displayed in the large feature photo. Now, I just hope they publish an English version.

Foundations.

Since framing has commenced I should probably get caught up on the foundation work that went on at the end of summer. Instead of boring everyone with the details of rebar, drain tile and waterproofing, I thought it might be fun to give a series of snapshots that show how dramatically this phase altered our landscape. Excavating, followed by an extremely rainy summer leaves a site looking something like a war zone. Formwork and half finished concrete walls do little to help this image. However, in the end, after the backfill, there is a sort of peace that is restored, and the remaining pieces of concrete sticking out of the ground assure us that there is a house being built here and it may even eventually have some order to it.