Building our new retirement place

[skyking1]

We got it dried in with underlayment at least, and ready for roof metal in two weeks. Windows are ordered and 3 weeks out.

We are rocking interior walls now. I moved the bathroom/powder room wall 8" to give more room in the main ensuite bathroom. That is so much fun to just get a tape measure and the print and do it.

Picture a wall coming across from the end of that wall on the left, with an interior window in it to let light in that bathroom from the cupola beyond. It may be stained glass, art glass, or just clear. it remains to be chosen.

 

[skyking1]

This is so much fun! I've got a couple of different guys working on walls and I'm moving walls around to where I want them. Now's the Time to do it and it's beyond fun.
I was going to have that window feature over the door of The powder room for natural light but it just isn't reaching from the cupola to there very effectively. So we eliminated that window and then I figured out I can put Windows in the wall between the two bathrooms. Just having the light there to look at is what I needed.
Once the chalk lines were snapped on the floor upstairs, I could see a tight spot coming from the stairway into the common area. Took me about a minute to figure out that we're going to angle a wall there and streamline the whole space. It means some custom cutting at the top on two angles for the framers but that's not my problem. I know they'll figure it out.

 

[MC Rider]

Yeah, there is a use for the geometry they taught us in elementary school. Not that they told us that back then. It just seemed useless. Anyway, carry on.

 

[street]

Looks great!! One thing whenever I framed up any outside walls we always sheeted over any windows or door opens to keep weather out till windows where on site and ready to install.

Really simple to cut out the opens once we got windows and doors to install. I'm not telling you that is the way to do it, just an observation how building in our area and how we do that part of construction.

Looks great and thanks for sharing your journey with your dream home.

 

[skyking1]

I appreciate that suggestion, but with 2-ft overhangs we're just not getting any weather. I love the building with big overhangs. I really don't like that look when they don't have any like a salt box.
The idea of rain just being immediately on the siding and looking for a place to get in drives me nuts.

 

[Sunset]

Nice to see some roof underlay on there, protecting the interior from the rain, since it seems so rainy there.

Why not put a skylight on top of the copula, seems to me it would dramatically boost the light.

 

[street]

I appreciate that suggestion, but with 2-ft overhangs we're just not getting any weather. I love the building with big overhangs. I really don't like that look when they don't have any like a salt box.
The idea of rain just being immediately on the siding and looking for a place to get in drives me nuts.

Interesting!

 

[skyking1]

Nice to see some roof underlay on there, protecting the interior from the rain, since it seems so rainy there.

Why not put a skylight on top of the copula, seems to me it would dramatically boost the light.

The whole purpose of the cupola was to avoid skylights. I've installed quite a few over the years and I can make them not leak around the edges but they fail in other ways. So I was just not having one.

 

[skyking1]

That inexpensive camera from Amazon sitting on the bumper of the RV has turned into a fantastic game camera. We have foxes!

 

[skyking1]

zip system sheathing is taped and flashed, ready for windows, doors, and siding.

I picked up the flashing metal from the sheet metal company yesterday and we got the fascia and drip edge on and ready for the roof Thursday.

That is the roof color, parchment. The fascia and barge boards will never need painting.

We started form work for the window well and retaining walls today, and will work on the carport footing tomorrow. Finished up waterproofing the foundation.

 

[skyking1]

The roofing supplier showed up yesterday and ran off the metal.
We have the upper roof done today, the cupola and trim done, and are lacking only the barge and roof peak trims.

My brother and I worked late and got this one about 1/3rd in the bag. If the weather permits, it will be substantially done tomorrow.

 

[check6]

Where do you keep the P-51?

 

[skyking1]

not mine but one of these:

Papa 51 Thunder Mustang - Wikipedia

custom v-12 engine with a sweet sound.

 

[check6]

not mine but one of these:

Papa 51 Thunder Mustang - Wikipedia

custom v-12 engine with a sweet sound.

Similar to the Titan T-51. Great sounding a/c. Unfortunately accident rate has been high with both including the founder of the Titan. Great job on the house! Thanks for sharing your progress with photos.

 

[skyking1]

We got the east barge trimmed.

I had this metal built to spec to cover the fascia, barge boards, and the soffit plywood. It comes together nicely at the corner. We set the hook edge 1/4" out so the gutter can slip up behind it. I picture the gutter about an inch past the end.

We got a few more panels on the roof before we got snowed out. Once it started sticking to the metal we were off there.

 

[starry night]

This is so much fun! I've got a couple of different guys working on walls and I'm moving walls around to where I want them. Now's the Time to do it and it's beyond fun.
I was going to have that window feature over the door of The powder room for natural light but it just isn't reaching from the cupola to there very effectively. So we eliminated that window and then I figured out I can put Windows in the wall between the two bathrooms. Just having the light there to look at is what I needed.
Once the chalk lines were snapped on the floor upstairs, I could see a tight spot coming from the stairway into the common area. Took me about a minute to figure out that we're going to angle a wall there and streamline the whole space. It means some custom cutting at the top on two angles for the framers but that's not my problem. I know they'll figure it out.

We got the east barge trimmed.
View attachment 54170

I had this metal built to spec to cover the fascia, barge boards, and the soffit plywood. It comes together nicely at the corner. We set the hook edge 1/4" out so the gutter can slip up behind it. I picture the gutter about an inch past the end.
View attachment 54171

We got a few more panels on the roof before we got snowed out. Once it started sticking to the metal we were off there.

So happy that you and SkyQueen1 are moving along so well. Looks like it is fast fulfilling the dream. Springboard Notch

 

[skyking1]

we got a chunk of the windows up today.

 

[skyking1]

The rest of the windows ( that we could do) today.

Tomorrow we will start on that south roof, and hopefully the north roof will melt off. It is not good tonight.

 

[Fermion]

Are you doing your own sheetrock work? I am hating it...I'd rather shingle 4 more roofs than do 1 more room.

 

[skyking1]

nah. I'd rather do flooring than drywall. I might farm both out.

 

[old medic]

I hate doing sheetrock. I was here sitting in a walker while friend's hung it, but then started on the finishing hobbling around on crutches. talk about taking forever.

 

[Ronstar]

nah. I'd rather do flooring than drywall. I might farm both out.

Flooring is fun! (as long as it's wood) And drywall is no fun at all.

 

[skyking1]

I stopped by to talk to my building inspector the other morning. I have been blessed in that regard.
He said that since I had mentioned PV panels in my first application, he would just add them to this permit with no additional fee, and turn them around in a day when I send in the submittals. I do not need any engineering or a wet stamp on it. I will have to pull an additional electrical permit next week.
I ordered 36 Mission solar panels yesterday, made in Texas. I spoke to my electrical vendor that we have an account with through the company. She can get all the rails, clips, mounting hardware, and the Rapid Shut Down (RSD) units for me and has them in stock in the company somewhere, so no shipping.
I will be able to install all the rails before the panels get here and we can put them on the roof with the forklift.
Then I can get that off rent!
I am most likely using a Midnite Solar All In One (AIO) 15K unit.

They have a 16KWh battery unit that integrates with it.

The ATX low voltage lighting can be powered directly from that battery with no converter.
That means I will never use grid power for lighting, nor rely on it.
I can place a "Ready @ Rough" light in the fixture and have lighting in the house long before they bring the grid power to my location. That is due at the end of summer.
Read about that here if you are interested in these things.
PDF Link
The upshot of this path is, that 11.4Kw backup inverter in the AIO is sufficient for our needs, since the lighting is no longer a part of that calculation.
I can make a smallish critical loads panel that gets backed up on an outage, but I would not put the clothes dryer or electric range or water heater on it. I can put the 4 ton Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) on it so we'd have lights and heat and no food spoilage.
One of the byproducts of the water to water GSHP is domestic water heating. It will produce 105 F water when it is working, so the electric water heater only lifts it another 25 to 130F.

 

[Fermion]

BTW, your house is HUGE. Is it something like 4000 sq-ft? You are in the perfect area of Washington though, not too hot and not too cold, it is the goldilocks area.

 

[skyking1]

2720 finished in the two framed floors.
~1500 unfinished basement.
They allowed me to discount from the 1632 footprint for the 13 and 1/2-in thick walls in the basement.