tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49780764752152920842024-02-20T07:34:54.289-08:00Phinney ModernA process blog chronicling our efforts to create a modern home in Seattle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-90377300887951549212011-09-29T15:43:00.000-07:002011-09-29T15:51:48.963-07:00Final PicsOk, unless something newsworthy happens (e.g., a product fails or something blows up), this will probably be my last blog post. It's been fun! PB hired photographer Mel Curtis to take some nice photos of the final result, which you can <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/FinalPics?authuser=0&feat=directlink">view in a web album here</a>. This one's my favorite, but do click through to see all of them:<br /><br /> <a href="http://goo.gl/photos/DbYYCKFqhf" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5aHsrg5o1zI/TjM61uoBskI/AAAAAAAAAj0/EnQQfnUsyTI/s512/PB_Elemental26Jul11_61.jpg"></a><br /><br />Our house has recently gotten some great blog coverage, such at <a href="http://www.contemporist.com/2011/09/02/phinney-modern-by-pb-elemental/">Contemporist</a>, <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/168823/phinney-pb-elemental-architecture/">ArchDaily</a>, <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/09/phinney-modern-by-elemental-architecture/">Dezeen</a>, <a href="http://www.homedsgn.com/2011/09/05/phinney-modern-residence-by-pb-elemental/">HomeDSGN</a>, and a few others; they're also great places to see our final photographs laid out in one page, and read people's snarky comments. I hope my blog helps you in a future project, or at least convince you that it's possible to build affordable modern!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-63129474092052556332011-09-29T14:24:00.000-07:002011-09-29T14:54:53.562-07:00Deck Lighting and Other TipsOk, it's time to finish off the blog with a few more details that I think will be useful to others trying to build affordable modern homes. First, I want to show the completed rooftop deck. As you may recall, our biggest cost overrun came from our decision to extend the roof-top deck out onto the cantilever where the views are best. Well, here is the final result.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/pxhDn6zLOY" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kISHtba24vo/TjiA45yoKjI/AAAAAAAAAmk/6GrvCpvz9s8/s512/small%25252016.jpg"></a><br />[Photo by Mel Curtis]<br /><br />The powder-coated aluminum railings were the most expensive component; cedar decking itself is rather cheap. However, it does require maintenance; we actually had our first re-coat of stain applied just a few months after moving in. Now a night-time shot:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/CJ6kNkWZbo" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KEKY4v3KkSk/ToSrXk8xD-I/AAAAAAAAApE/ZkDfesPxBuw/s512/IMG_8144%252520-%2525202011-09-24%252520at%25252019-40-48.jpg"></a><br /><br />I'm super excited by how the lighting turned out, and it's not a well-known product: they're called <a href="http://www.de-kor.com/dek-dots.html">Dek Dots</a>, made by Dekor. They're very small, low-voltage, LED lights that are installed flush to the surface, resulting in a super-minimal profile that can be walked on! You barely see them when they're not lit (try to find them in the first pic above). We actually stumbled onto this option; the original plans called for standard recessed outdoor lights, but it became clear on-site that cutting into the roofing membrane to install them would be a bad idea. These lights run on landscaping wire, so could be installed directly on the decking. All told, we spent about $350 on 20 of them! Highly recommended, and I wish we had used them for all our outdoor lighting.<br /><br />Ok, now for two random tips that don't merit their own post, but that I wish I had know earlier.<br />1. Recessed lighting trim can be expensive! Our Juno 5" cans call for their 215W-WH trim, which runs about $20 each online. BUT, it turns out Juno has a super-secret "economy" line of trims, called VuLite, that you won't find for sale online or in normal stores; they're generally only sold through electrical supply stores that work with builders/contractors. These run about $7 a trim, and look almost identical to the 215W-WH; they feel a little plasticky, but you certainly won't notice once they're 3 feet above your head! So walk into a local electrical supply store and ask for VuLite trims; they'll give you a surprised look, and you'll save lots of money! <br />2. Our plans called for recessed lights in the ceilings of our closets. This is a bad idea, in part because your clothing isn't that well lit from above, but also because the electrical code calls for lensed trims in closets (just like in showers). These trims are quite expensive, around $50, not including the cost of the can itself! Instead, go for a fluorescent bar mounted just above the closet door; it lights very evenly, is energy efficient, and a 2' fixture costs about $20.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-24165744504409415782011-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:002011-07-07T20:06:00.453-07:00A Little DIYWe've lived in the house for about 3 months, now, and we're loving it! But clearly I've let the blog lapse, and there are a few details that I feel will be useful to others building an affordable modern home, so I'll try to write a few more posts.<br /><br />One of the ways to keep the costs of building a home down is to take on some of the tasks yourself. The benefits of this varies, of course, with how much you value your time, and how handy you are. I'm certainly not that handy, so I kept my DIY tasks to a minimum: laundry room cabinets, and built-in closets.<br /><br />Here is a shot of our laundry room; I picked up and assembled our IKEA laundry room cabinets and countertops. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/UJY12lns8n" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hAHU6thG3dQ/ThZfpsRlutI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/aoz_N_w6ti0/s512/_MG_9036.jpg"></a><br /><br />I had the finish carpenters actually set the cabinets and cut down and install the plinths and counters, since I didn't trust myself to do that well. IKEA cabinets are great and very well priced, but they're only cheap if you assemble them yourself. It's not a small task, as you can see from this stack of boxes I snapped before leaving IKEA. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/WwB3yXsrOR" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-OG7S5c0KSsA/ThZfkCLB_cI/AAAAAAAAAiM/SnyQzj1C0eg/s512/photo.JPG"></a><br /><br />I can only imagine how long it would take to assemble a whole kitchen. We choose the Applad white drawer fronts, and the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70117445#/30117452/">Numerar</a> white laminate countertop with aluminum edging ($99 for 8 ft of counter!). We also hung several IKEA clothes drying racks on the wall. On the left is our amazing Samsung washer and dryer (WF448AAW & DV448AEW). This brings up another tip; if your construction schedule allows, take advantage of Black Friday! These are the top-rated models available, and we picked them up for nearly half of their normal price ($750 each). Even better, we didn't have to brave the insane lines at Sears; we just sent the advertisement to our rep at <a href="http://www.albertleeappliance.com/">Albert Lee</a>, and he matched it. A few days after Black Friday, they were selling again at about $1300 each. <br /><br />Another DIY project was our built-in closets. We originally only had budget for "rod and shelf", but I knew how important storage would be. So we decided to order custom built-in closets from <a href="http://www.easyclosets.com/">easyclosets.com</a>, and install them ourselves (with a little help from our friends). These were a bit more complicated then IKEA cabinets, but well worth the effort. <br /><br />Easyclosets lets you enter the dimensions of your closets in their online planner, and design your own closet arrangements; they then custom cut all components so you can use every inch of closet space available to you. Their planner is surprisingly well-designed, though you can also call an agent and let them design them for you. We tried it both ways, and found their agents did a better job. We also considered the Container Store's popular <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/elfa/index.htm">Elfa</a> system, but found it disappointing; it was much harder to customize to fully utilize our precious closet space (most components can't be cut), and Elfa was actually more expensive (even during their annual sale!). <br /><br />So, we ordered three bedroom closets, a linen closet, and a coat closet. In total, we got over 1400 lbs of custom-cut melamine shelving, drawers, and metal components in over 50 boxes! UPS was a little flabbergasted. It took a solid 5 days with multiple friends to install, but the closets turned out great. Here are some shots.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/XVNZl7BSKA" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fH06cNedodw/ThZfqgCoZWI/AAAAAAAAAiY/KgN8F45aIXk/s512/_MG_9040.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ZU6zgd81Tt" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5S4DdTHul40/ThZfqd6rIdI/AAAAAAAAAiU/598rpMPMWDs/s512/_MG_9042.jpg"></a><br /><br />If I have one negative, it's that I could smell the particleboard off-gassing for a good month or two. Easyclosets <a href="http://www.easyclosets.com/environment.aspx">claim on their site</a> that the particleboard meets the strict California requirements for formaldehyde, but my nose definitely picked up the smell. So, I would suggest clear-coating the exposed edges not covered by melamine with a water-based polyurethane.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-34995119188394024742011-04-26T11:51:00.000-07:002011-04-26T13:28:33.115-07:00Wallpaper and BambooYou all thought this blog was finished? Not at all! I still have 4-5 posts to make, each of which should help those building their own modern houses. I'm just a bit behind schedule, because I seem to spend most of my evenings assembling furniture — one of the downsides of moving into a bigger house!<br /><br />On to the topic of this post. What do bamboo floors and wallpaper have to do with each other? Nothing, but they are both beautifully illustrated in this picture, so I decided to combine the posts.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/RebwUbeZB8" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/Tbcln95pQuI/AAAAAAAAAhM/HP5KdSspl0c/s512/_MG_7714.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Wallpaper</span><br /> <br /> </span></span>Wallpaper has become popular again in modern interiors; brands like <a href="http://www.grahambrown.com/">Graham & Browne</a> and <a href="http://www.flavorleague.com/">FlavorPaper</a> put out patterns that manage to retain a strongly modernist feel. We loved the idea of adding a few pops of strong color and texture to our otherwise very minimalist interior, so we did three accent walls in wallpaper. Above you see a wall in Graham & Browne<a href="http://www.grahambrown.com/us/product/30-418/Majestic%3A+Hot+Pink+Wallpaper/-1"> Majestic, Hot Pink</a>. We also did a wall in our daughter's room (sorry, no link; Elke found the rolls on a sale table in a random kids store in Antwerp, Belgium), and a wall in our family room in <a href="http://www.timorousbeasties.com/products/Wallcoverings/hollandandsherry/17">Thistle by Timorous Beasties</a> out of Scotland (sold locally by <a href="http://www.ornamo.com/">Ornamo</a>). Here are pics.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/iLRQ3F0Ceb" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TbcloRByyeI/AAAAAAAAAhc/NS-zQpnmi5o/s512/IMG_0622.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/BGbSE6DPNC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/Tbcln9B2AfI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/isv1b2DMSoY/s512/_MG_7731-2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bamboo Flooring</span></span><br /><br />For the bedroom level of our house we wanted a warmer feeling floor than the concrete floors we have elsewhere; our goal was the look of hardwood floors, but sustainable, inexpensive, tough to ding or scratch, and minimal off-gassing. We quickly turned to engineered strand woven bamboo; bamboo is sustainable, and strand woven bamboo has more of a natural wood grain than the vertical grain of traditional bamboo flooring (which looks a bit 90's). Strand woven bamboo is also rock-solid, with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test">Janka</a> ratings of around 3000.<br /><br />So, we ordered a bunch of samples of products under $4 per square foot. The samples from <a href="http://www.calibamboo.com/">Cali Bamboo</a> stood out; they were much heavier, thicker, and more solid-feeling than the other products. Cali sells straight to the customer from their web site, which is why they are able to inexpensively sell a similar product to more expensive brands like <a href="http://www.ecotimber.com/">EcoTimber</a>. Their flooring is also formaldehyde-free. So, we choose to order their product (both flooring and stair treads/risers) in the <a href="http://www.calibamboo.com/bamboo-flooring-fossilized-java.html">Java color</a>.<br /><br />Before ordering, I became a "fan" of Cali Bamboo on Facebook. A hint to those building: become fans of every company or product you're thinking of buying, because they often post discounts! Fortunately for me, a 10% discount code for the Monterey Home Show appeared on their Facebook page just before I ordered, and I managed to save around $500. You may loose street cred when your profile page shows that you've become a fan of, say, the Container Store, but it's worth it.<br /><br />After a week or so, a shipment of 3.5 tons (!) of bamboo arrived. Just getting that material into the house was quite a challenge (and, unfortunately, resulted in quite a few billable labor hours). The flooring was installed and beautiful in just one day, though, which was quite different than the efforts required for concrete floors. Here are some closeups:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/5BPkxSdWqb" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/Tbcln1CPHpI/AAAAAAAAAhU/2vJlAiC6oUI/s512/IMG_0614.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/uN7iouYDuh" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TbcloTVqgwI/AAAAAAAAAhY/-DFi0w3lTNs/s512/IMG_0616.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />So I definitely recommend strand woven bamboo flooring from Cali, though there are some things you should be aware of:<br /><ol><li>The stairnose we received from Cali was part of a different production batch, and was dramatically darker than the flooring. Cali made a lot of effort to make it right: they had me send a sample of my flooring to them (at their cost), and they spent weeks going through multiple shipments to color match it. They failed, though, and ended up refunding me the stairnose money. Fortunately, we found a piece of matching stairnose at <a href="http://www.bamboohardwoods.com/">Bamboo Hardwoods</a>. In general, color variance in strand woven bamboo is high, so that's something you might have to deal with.</li><li>Though everyone brags about Janka hardness, note that the easiest way to damage prefinished flooring is to scratch the finish; these scratches don't reach the bamboo that the hardness scale is measuring. Scratches can be removed by re-finishing the floors, but of course this takes time and effort. We've certainly never seen any dings or dents, which is great, but scratches happen.</li><li>We saved money by ordering the flooring ourselves rather than through our flooring sub; however, the story is not that simple. We had to pay Logan's for the hours required to bring the flooring (3.5 tons!) into the second floor of the house, while the sub would have included this in his overall materials + install bid. So, it's easy to overestimate the savings of ordering materials yourself. <br /></li></ol><br />Finally, the fan you see in the all the bedrooms is the <a href="http://www.modernfan.com/ball.html">Ball Fan</a> by the Modern Fan Company.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-77850278567821428772011-03-28T15:56:00.000-07:002011-03-28T16:34:18.726-07:00The Final KitchenI earlier did a work-in-progress post on the kitchen <a href="http://phinneymodern.blogspot.com/2011/01/kitchen-cabinets-and-countertops.html">counters and cabinets</a>; now I'm happy to report the final result! First, a couple photos:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/IJQDimPaFM" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsco66CeI/AAAAAAAAAfc/xs8K2ClcwpY/s512/IMG_0598.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/bYuyWNLtvU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjscg5bblI/AAAAAAAAAfY/ygs3y2USmT4/s512/IMG_0596.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here are the additions since the last post:<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lighting</span>: We choose the <a href="http://www.allmodern.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=FOS1033">Gregg Suspension</a> by Foscarini for the three pendant lights over the island. This was a bit of a splurge for us, but we loved the organic dinosaur egg shape. We choose to have a consistent theme in the house where all our non-recessed fixtures are pure white shapes of glass illuminated from within, without any adornments of any kind. This is also a good opportunity to mention the <a href="http://www.artemide.us/?page=main/flypage&product_id=921">Castore Suspension</a> by Artemide that we put over the nearby dining table. We managed to get a floor model at the Seattle Artemide store half off!<br /></li></ul><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/AqZiNDefH9" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsaT_64fI/AAAAAAAAAes/2tEnV_1cSrI/s512/IMG_0562.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/rV6D6z4f7y" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsaGfn30I/AAAAAAAAAek/Vvd-2P0mtLM/s512/IMG_0565.jpg"></a><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kitchen Faucet</span>: We used the<a href="http://www.faucetdirect.com/hansgrohe-06801-single-handle-pullout-kitchen-faucet-from-the-interaktiv-s-series/p384260"> Interaktiv S</a> by Hansgrohe. This was another fixture that we bought on Ebay at a significant discount; I think Ebay is a good choice for a few key, expensive items, IF you have a good nose for ferreting out dodgy sellers. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Appliances</span>: I already mentioned the BlueStar range and kitchen sink in the earlier post. We then added Bosch appliances: a French door <a href="http://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/refrigeration/refrigeration/freestanding-french-door/B26FT70SNS.html?source=browse">refrigerator</a>, a <a href="http://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/cooking/ovens/combination/HBL8750UC.html?source=browse">combination convection microwave/oven</a>, and a <a href="http://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/dishwashers/dishwashers/concealed-controls/SHX45P05UC.html?source=browse">dishwasher</a>. Choosing a convection oven was key for me, and I'm already loving the browning I can get from it. Since we didn't have room for two ovens, I choose a microwave that can double as an oven. I ideally wanted a microwave that could convection broil, as well, since I often want to hit something with a quick broil while the oven is roasting at a lower temp, but alas, the price bump for this feature was too much for me. For ventilation, we have a Broan <a href="http://www.broan.ca/product-detail.asp?ProductID=100527">internal blower</a> up in the roof and a <a href="http://www.homeeverything.com/web/sitefiles/product.asp?sku=19776">Broan 36" hood</a> above the range. I was hoping for a bigger whoosh of air from the 1,100 CFM, but it works reasonably well none the less.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Backsplash</span>: Behind the cooktop we went with two solid pieces of back-painted tempered glass above and below the upper cabinets. This choice was more expensive than we wanted (almost $30 a sq ft. installed). But, it kept the gray monolithic look of the interior plaster on the other side of the wall, and is very easy to clean (which I've already taken advantage of, since I'm still getting used to the real heat of the Bluestar and caused a mini grease fountain the other day).</li></ul>We also have a large pantry behind the kitchen for additional storage. Anyways, that's the wrap on our design of the kitchen! It turned out great, with one small caveat. The black veneer of the cabinets is easy to ding or scratch, and these show up very easily on the reflective black.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-84331804377812019632011-03-23T16:34:00.000-07:002011-03-23T17:23:24.898-07:00BathroomsHere are some details on the interior design of our bathrooms. We decided to use the same finishes in both full bathrooms, and a different set of finishes for the two powders.<br /><br />As a space-saving measure, our master bathroom is designed to be continuous with our bedroom; it was otherwise challenging to fit three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large master closet in one level of our tight building footprint. Here is the view from our bedroom:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/v7nhoBT6sa" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsbUKPPWI/AAAAAAAAAfE/OtCMHtC1L9s/s512/IMG_0574.jpg"></a><br /><br />As you can see, there's a lot going on in a tight space. At the back are three black Milgard aluminum windows, looking out onto exterior siding (we plan to frost these windows for privacy). Moving from back to front, we have two floating mirrors with <a href="http://www.ylighting.com/itr-cubi-wc.html">Itre Cubi</a> wall lights mounted on them (unfortunately not illuminated in this image). Then, we have the same white Quantra quartz used in our kitchen on the backsplash and counter. The floating cabinets are Pacific Crest <a href="http://amerocabinetcollection.com/">Amero</a> with Metro doors, and the undermount sinks (great for cleaning) are <a href="http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?item=14180402&prod_num=2882">Kohler Verticyl</a>; these are the most rectangular sinks we could find to help maintain our right-angled theme. The faucets are <a href="http://www.groheamerica.com/m/25_7717/page/modules/pn/article.php?part=view&action=view&product=32137G145&offset=0&amount=15">Grohe Essence</a>, which I managed to snag on Ebay for a great deal (a bit scary, but it worked out). The cabinet pulls are Ikea. The black wood-look floor tile is <a href="http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=1630804&prg=2220604">Anne Sacks Xylem</a> in Ebony.<br /><br />Here are some close-ups.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/1TsePAg6gW" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsbssgD8I/AAAAAAAAAfA/hSMNO43PdDY/s512/IMG_0577.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/UVcbXToY9r" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjscCDiasI/AAAAAAAAAfM/x4KF_tO3p7g/s512/IMG_0578.jpg"></a><br /><br />To the right of the double-sink is the shower/tub, which is fully enclosed in glass. We had originally planned on an open shower without a door, but we were worried about splashes and cold drafts. This much shower glass cost quite a bit, unfortunately.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/qFT6k3TWBS" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjscPpWzPI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/HCflreXhTjA/s512/IMG_0588.jpg"></a><br /><br />Inside the enclosure, all of our hardware is from <a href="http://www.danze.com/">Danze</a>, which is an affordable brand with lots of modern options. We have a wall shower, rainhead, and hand shower; each can be on or off, so there is a separate dial to select between the 8 possibilities (maybe not the best interface). The wall tile is <a href="http://www.statementstile.com/Product.aspx?pid=metro_porcelain_tile">Metro</a> by Arizona Tile, sold locally by Statements. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/EBFBg6QaiU" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYqI0dleLJI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/KSjMYpspjW4/s512/IMG_0579.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/oouz3pkHwU" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYqI0s6JRwI/AAAAAAAAAgU/asH54BrlZ3k/s512/IMG_0580.jpg"></a><br /><br />You can see the lack of a floor threshold between the shower and the rest of the bathroom, as well as the <a href="http://phinneymodern.blogspot.com/2010/11/some-small-topics.html">storied</a> linear drain above. It turned out great, but was it worth the extra cost? Hard to say. Finally, within the shower enclosure we have the <a href="http://www.faucetdirect.com/kohler-k-1122-archer-collection-60-drop-in-jetted-bath-tub-with-left-hand-drain/p155864">Kohler Archer</a> jetted tub, with its own filler. This is probably the only affordable and reasonably modern jetted tub available, at least that we could find. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/nb5kup3UQM" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjscS9CLNI/AAAAAAAAAfU/hZIeu4Lcm8M/s512/IMG_0581.jpg"></a><br /><br />We used the same tub, without jets and with an integral apron, in the kids bathroom. We would have preferred a tiled apron rather than plastic, but in yet another oddity of the plumbing world, it turns out that alcove tubs without aprons are remarkably expensive. Getting an alcove-style tub with an integral "tile bead" (basically a raised lip) is important, however, for waterproofing in a combined shower/tub, so we just went with the integral apron.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/NavAPiBst8" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsbOXB16I/AAAAAAAAAfI/rqktEKSmbQw/s512/IMG_0570.jpg"></a><br /><br />To the right of the tub is a <a href="http://www.totousa.com/ProductDetail/tabid/75/Default.aspx?ProductId=022566e1-3617-40b4-a2d6-e832c2604d18">Toto Acquia II</a> dual-flush toilet, which we used in all bathrooms. <br /><br />Finally, the two powder rooms. We used floating countertops of Quantra quartz, but otherwise tried to keep costs low, here. Remarkably, our cheap sinks and faucets turned out higher quality than we expected. The <a href="http://www.faucetdirect.com/kraus-kcv-150-white-square-ceramic-sink-pop-up/p1121270">vessel sink</a> is by Kraus, and the <a href="http://www.faucetdirect.com/vigo-vg01008-single-handle-chrome-lavatory-faucet-with-downward-angled-spout/p1350300">faucet </a>by Vigo. That faucet cost less than a nice dinner, but the quality is surprisingly good!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/KyMMThQpAd" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsdJM-MDI/AAAAAAAAAfo/BtqiV13iElg/s512/IMG_0602.jpg"></a><br /><br />Phew. Bathrooms involve a lot of choices, I almost forgot how many until I wrote this post. Overall, though, we're really happy with how it all turned out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-85723348531455536822011-03-22T11:40:00.000-07:002011-03-22T12:10:58.091-07:00Moved In!We moved in this past wednesday! I apologize for the lack of updates, the last month has been absolutely crazy. Between dealing with all the last minute issues, putting in some sweat equity by installing all the closets myself, and moving, I haven't had the chance to blog. Our house was also featured this past Sunday in the Seattle <a href="http://www.tourofarchitects.com/">Tour of Architects</a>, so we had to be unpacked and clean-looking in fours days! <br /><br />Anyways, I still plan to do careful posts on all the decisions we've made, so don't worry. We've shot some pictures, and you can see a gallery <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/MovedIn#">here</a>.<br /><br />So, for my first post-move post, let's talk about how the concrete floors turned out. First, a couple pictures.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/vLRZpGyWGx" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsaL1qcSI/AAAAAAAAAeo/cWXsanzGGIU/s512/IMG_0556.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/7tE3d215aU" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjsdc2fDmI/AAAAAAAAAfw/-aBLrjQut04/s512/IMG_0603.jpg"></a><br /><br />In the end, they turned out great, but it was quite a saga with several sleepless nights (building a house is stressful!). The bamboo floors were banged out in one day, but concrete is a much more complicated beast. Once we finally took up all the protective coverings, things didn't look so hot. There was a "runway" down the middle of the room caused by the boundaries of the protective paper.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/dfzQ4UnKss" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TYjvBoRdDSI/AAAAAAAAAgA/hGmKgenRDB8/s512/IMG_0629%5B1%5D.JPG"></a><br /><br />There were also long tape marks, and boot marks(!) in the living room. The first hope was that a light sand, at 80 grit, would lift most of it up, but that wasn't the case. Our concrete finisher, <a href="http://www.maverickspecialty.com/">Maverick Specialty</a>, told us that the marks were fairly deep in the concrete. Our options were to sand deeper down, which would expose aggregate and give a pebbly look, or to apply a stain. I was pretty worried about the idea of stain, since most stained concrete floors are a highly variegated brown created by acid staining, rather than a natural concrete look. However, this stain was acrylic, and could be done in a natural gray. We put down two light coats; the result is that you can still see the natural patterns of concrete through the stain, but the offensive marks now blend in and can only be seen if you know what to look for. After staining, we put down a sealer (<a href="http://www.scofield.com/tdbpdf/Selectseal-wTD5-08.pdf">Scofield SelectSeal-W</a>) and several coats of glossy floor wax (<a href="http://www.johnsondiversey.com/Cultures/en-US/OpCo/Products+and+Systems/Products/JWPFCVectra.htm?category=JWP%20FC%20Vinyl%20FF%20Conv%20to%20High%20Speed">Diversey Vectra</a>). The end result looks great.<br /><br />So, what are the lessons from our experience with the concrete floors? There are several:<br /><br />1. Concrete floors always have marks and other patterns which give it a somewhat industrial look (unless you polish the floors, which is a whole different thing, and more expensive). When you see the pictures in Dwell with beautiful minimalist concrete floors, realize that if you looked at them up close you'd probably notice more defects than you can see in the picture.<br />2. I always thought concrete floors were cheap, but that's not really the case. In the end, our strand-woven bamboo floors on the second floor were cheaper. Once you include pouring, prepping, and sealing, you're probably looking $9-$10 a square foot, whereas woven bamboo will run $6 installed (more on that flooring, later). Of course, for the ground floor, if you're already pouring a slab anyways, finishing concrete is cheaper than adding another flooring.<br />3. Get a decorative concrete guy involved early on, so he can make sure the floors are properly protected from other trades. For the first two weeks after pour, nothing should be left on the concrete (objects leave shadows during curing), workers should wear booties, and so on. <br /><br />In the end we're happy with our concrete floors; they're pretty, and have great thermal mass for the radiant heat. But I lost a lot of hair over them!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-22693026645821232402011-02-20T21:47:00.000-08:002011-02-20T21:51:55.645-08:00Stucco, Bookcase, StairsProgress is chugging along, though the schedule has slipped. We're probably looking at another 2-3 weeks before completion. The big excitement of the last couple days is that the exterior scaffolding has come down! Here are some exterior shots.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/4pl9GoUWko" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHviiGzAyI/AAAAAAAAAaM/q4c1IwFHtiQ/s512/IMG_0515-1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/NRjXbbWq7a" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvhyWzy4I/AAAAAAAAAaE/rPH1Sd_w810/s512/IMG_0505-1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/hhyslPlWck" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHviSDZpaI/AAAAAAAAAaI/QwkY506lmw4/s512/IMG_0509-1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/dicSM8giPp" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWH9RNaR9DI/AAAAAAAAAcI/8RPfBy7nEc0/s512/IMG_0511-1.jpg"></a><br /><br />The bad news is that the scaffolding will go back up after the driveway and exterior stairs are poured! The exterior stucco has proved more challenging than expected, since we're using an unusual product that looks more like a concrete skim coat than traditional stucco; it will probably be the last task completed in the house!<br /><br />Two interesting architectural features on the interior are complete; a large bookcase, and interior stucco walls. The two-story bookcase forms one side of the stairs, beginning on the first floor and extending up to the second floor to serve as the guardrail. It's built with painted MDF, and the carpenters did a terrific job; I cannot find a single flaw. On the first floor, the bookcase includes a bench area to sit and put on shoes, and has storage below for boots and shoes.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/eUEQaPCyVQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvi2ZQgyI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/GlsrPmZ6aiY/s512/IMG_0516-1.jpg"></a><br /><br />The bookcase is double-sided, with sections alternately open to one side or the other. Here it is rising up the stairs.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/73RwF8sjSR" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvyA8hLzI/AAAAAAAAAag/JzVC6kfGo_E/s512/IMG_0519-1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/OEwjhhjsct" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvyW6Hc2I/AAAAAAAAAak/5F8SWXFjrl4/s512/IMG_0524-1.jpg"></a><br /><br />And from the second-floor hallway.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/qDER8h5yBo" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvyVHC0RI/AAAAAAAAAao/n5z8MvLBFFA/s512/IMG_0527-1.jpg"></a><br /><br />This photo also shows the interior stucco, which was an addition to the original plan. The stairs scissor around this wall, and the wall is sometimes indoors and sometimes indoors, so we we decided to extend the exterior stucco finish to the indoors to make the indoor/outdoor transition more seamless.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/eJK524qscV" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvynwp9pI/AAAAAAAAAas/bKy_syU5gyE/s512/IMG_0531.jpg"></a><br /><br />You can also see the floating stair treads with windows below leading to the third floor. It was a sunny day so the image really highlights the light. The stair treads have an <a href="http://www.ilevel.com/floors/f_MicrollamLVL_beams.aspx">LVL</a> structural core, and are wrapped in strand-woven cross-laminated <a href="http://www.bamboohardwoods.com/items.asp?Cc=STRAND_WOV_PLY">bamboo plywood</a> from Bamboo Hardwoods. The pieces are mitered together to give the appearance of one thick, solid piece; the treads are attached to the wall using hidden <a href="http://www.strongtie.com/">Simpson</a> hardware.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-16583653216810887402011-02-20T21:23:00.000-08:002011-02-20T21:41:44.618-08:00Concrete Floors and DecksOur house has concrete floors on both the first and third floors. They're not yet complete, but concrete floors are a complex beast so I thought I would post on the story so far. Our goal is to have smooth, subtly reflective, gray concrete floors. We like natural concrete; we're not going for a highly reflective polish, or a sanded look that reveals pebbles and aggregate in the concrete. The first floor slab already looks pretty good, it just needs construction soiling, tape adhesive, etc., cleaned off before applying a penetrating sealer (probably <a href="http://www.consolideck.com/product_detail.aspx?key=D7DF365D-82D3-4CC1-B520-E8355E0F5EB5">Consolideck LS</a>). <br /><br />The third floor is three-inch-thick lightweight concrete. Most parts look great, like this:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/tAUVXF7UYO" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHwOSp1ksI/AAAAAAAAAbI/yVGZCB0Gmls/s512/IMG_0535.jpg"></a><br /><br />There are some black splotches, though:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/MzHc4a1Urs" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHvy88K5LI/AAAAAAAAAaw/j9uDeVWMz18/s512/IMG_0534.jpg"></a><br /><br />These could be hand troweling marks, or entrapped moisture from the curing process. We're getting some expert opinions, but solutions can include grinding the areas down, or using vinegar to lighten the areas. Once they're resolved, we'll seal the floors and apply some sort of floor wax to protect the finish.<br /><br />Another notorious aspect of concrete is cracking; contractors will tell you that cracks cannot be completely avoided. We're fortunate to have only hairline cracks, that you can't even feel when you run your finger over them. Here's the biggest one, though it looks much smaller in person.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/C6gHO7VGtY" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHxClXuxkI/AAAAAAAAAbo/eJwvJAWbTkE/s512/IMG_0550.jpg"></a><br /><br />Moving on to decks. Our biggest addition is that we extended the rooftop deck out on the cantilever. It looks incredible. There's a whole lot of deck up there, which is important since we have a very small yard.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/yF1AV9iGTh" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHwQIlWs_I/AAAAAAAAAbU/JY0lx-7LJD0/s512/IMG_0542.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/O71HlMQYpH" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHwQbyk8AI/AAAAAAAAAbY/ztL-BOcAqEA/s512/IMG_0546.jpg"></a><br /><br />Next week the metal railings will go in, so it won't look quite as open. But it will be much more safe.<br /><br />We also have a deck off the kitchen. Between the cedar siding and cedar decking, it feels like a cozy wood lodge up there.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/vfLJguBlAH" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHwO4Izo7I/AAAAAAAAAbM/pKCzRdHp_2Q/s512/IMG_0537.jpg"></a><br /><br />The downside of all this cedar is that it has to be maintained; sanded and stained every 1-2 years. We're using a <a href="http://www.sikkens.com">Sikkens</a> stain. But it looks incredible so far, as did the view today!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ueMLtyJMRV" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TWHxC5WKvGI/AAAAAAAAAbw/VAMyo9AmdUw/s512/photo.JPG"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-6061707042269519972011-01-29T14:37:00.000-08:002011-01-29T15:13:06.183-08:00Kitchen Cabinets and CountertopsI've given up waiting for pristine conditions to shoot photographs; dust and protective brown paper and plastic are just a fact of construction. Clean and bright photos probably won't happen until after final cleanup, so here's a post on cabinets and countertops.<br /><br />To me, the kitchen is the central component of the home, so it merits lots of attention. Options for modern cabinetry are plentiful. At the high end there is a multitude of drool-worthy cabinets from Italian companies like <a href="http://www.poliform.it/index_en.html">Poliform</a>, <a href="http://www.arclinea.it/eng/index.php">ArcLinea</a>, and <a href="http://www.scavolini.us/">Scavolini</a>, <a href="http://www.en.bulthaup.com/">Bulthaup</a> in Germany, and <a href="http://henrybuilt.com/">HenryBuilt</a> here in Seattle. Locally-made custom cabinets, such as those by Seattle's <a href="http://specialprojectsdivisionllc.com/?cat=20">Build</a> or <a href="http://kerfdesign.com/category/portfolio/kitchens/">Kerf</a> can also be modern and minimal and beautiful. However, all these options will run you $30k-$60k in cabinets alone. At the low end, <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen">IKEA</a> makes terrific kitchen cabinets, despite what many contractors will tell you. However, they have a limited range of finishes, and the sizes can't be easily customized. Also, note that IKEA cabinets are only cheap if you pick up the boxes and assemble them yourself; otherwise the labor hours rack up too quickly. We choose this option for our laundry cabinets, and just had Logan's set the already assembled boxes. (There will be another blog post on this little round of sweat equity.)<br /><br />In between these options are semi-custom cabinets, such as the <a href="http://amerocabinetcollection.com">Amero</a> line from <a href="http://www.pacificcrestindustries.com">Pacific Crest</a>. They have a huge range of doors/finishes, boxes can be customized to the half-inch, and prices are low; we spent around $8k for our kitchen and two bathrooms. (Though we have a below-average number of kitchen cabinets, since we have a huge walk-in pantry just behind the kitchen.) We choose the <a href="http://amerocabinetcollection.com/styles.html?productId=300#">Metro</a> door in black-stained Red Oak for the lowers, and the <a href="http://amerocabinetcollection.com/styles.html?productId=299">Jazz</a> door in white gloss for the uppers, wrapped in Oak finish panels. All the lowers are soft-close full-extension drawers, which are much easier to use than lower cabinets. Notice that the uppers actually cantilever out; the boxes are attached to a support beam that was then wrapped in finish panels to hide it (try to do that with IKEA!). Behind the uppers is a staircase to the lower floors. The kitchen island counters extend an extra foot to form a bar.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/6XPp5ZXe9A" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TUSbz74zO9I/AAAAAAAAAZk/1hS7nwBdDPI/s512/photo2.JPG"></a><br /><br />Along the back wall and wrapped in protective plastic is a floor-to-ceiling bank of cabinets and finish panels that will house the oven/microwave and refrigerator. This bank was supposed to be 30" deep so that it can hold a full-depth fridge; however, it was accidentally built 24" deep. This will be fixed in the next couple weeks.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/AJhvIoT5vK" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TUSa4k9hV6I/AAAAAAAAAY4/4rV4VQgkYZQ/s512/IMG_0479.jpg"></a><br /><br />Cabinet hardware is another easy way to get spendy; <a href="http://www.omniaindustries.com/">Omnia</a> and <a href="http://www.linnea-home.com/">Linnea</a> make great options. We instead went with IKEA hardware; heavy and long <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70116931">Tyda</a> handles for the lowers and minimal <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60116700">Strecket</a> handles for the uppers.<br /><br />The other huge choice to be made in kitchens is the countertops; we wanted solid counters as white and textureless as possible, but without the plastic-y feeling of acrylics like <a href="http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/index.html">Corian</a>. The natural choice is Quartz composite, made using the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_stone">Breton process</a>. Here in Seattle <a href="http://www.caesarstoneus.com/">Caesarstone</a> and Pental <a href="http://www.pentalonline.com/chromaquartz/">Chroma</a> are the most common; however, their whitest options still have a fair amount of texture when viewed closely, and we were afraid our extremely white uppers would make this texture even more obvious by reference. We got a tip that <a href="http://quantra.in/">Quantra</a> counters, a new product from India sold locally by <a href="http://www.metamarbleandgranite.com/quantraslab.html">Meta Marble</a>, had the whitest Quartz available, and indeed you can see that they're very white! Surprisingly, it wasn't any cheaper than more established brands, probably because it comes in a 3cm thickness rather than the standard 2cm. We're thrilled with how it turned out, though, especially the waterfall pieces extending to the floor!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/6LqKiWpwHO" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TUSa41SEFiI/AAAAAAAAAY8/5xxycoMOcS8/s512/IMG_0482.jpg"></a><br /><br />As an aside, getting these huge 8' slabs up to our third floor was quite a challenge. They ended up renting a lift, and it took six guys to wrestle the pieces. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/HygT8ZEqBZ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TUSbzllD3UI/AAAAAAAAAZg/6sRMpZSFZto/s512/photo.JPG"></a> <br /><br />Our cooktop is a 36" drop-in from <a href="http://www.bluestarcooking.com/bluestar-product-drop-in-cooktops.html">BlueStar</a> (well-known in foodie circles as providing the highest BTUs available in a consumer product), and the sink is a double-bowl zero-radius stainless steel model by <a href="http://www.faucetdirect.com/vigo-vg3219a-32-undermount-stainless-steel-16-gauge-double-bowl-kitchen-sink/p1350753">Vigo</a> (remarkably inexpensive compared to the more common <a href="http://www.frankeksd.com/sinks.php?cat=1&node=10">Franke</a> version, which can run in the $1000s). <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/7BNmD6b6KC" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TUSa5FSCGkI/AAAAAAAAAZE/za-iq2s2G2k/s512/IMG_0484.jpg"></a> <br /><br />The rest of the appliances, kitchen faucet, and island pendant lighting still need to be installed to complete the look and function, but overall I think we managed to create a totally hot and modern kitchen on a pretty constrained budget! I will return to the kitchen once it is complete with another post.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-68636378837122520442011-01-20T20:10:00.000-08:002011-01-20T20:21:19.255-08:00Moving along, but nothing to see!Dear readers: much to my chagrin, it's been almost a month since I've posted. There has been great progress, but this is a challenging period in construction to blog about. Unfortunately, I can never get photos of completed work because it gets covered up almost as soon as I see it, for protection! The stranded bamboo floors are in, and look beautiful, but were covered up within hours of install. The concrete floor on the 3rd level is poured, but they kept it initially covered by wet curing blankets, and now by brown paper because the walls are being painted (I'm very curious to see what, if any, cracking we have). The floating stairs were being installed today, but there is sawdust everywhere so I didn't take pictures. The kids bathroom is tiled, and the master bathroom is partially tiled. The kitchen and bathroom cabinets are in, but there are some issues with the kitchen cabinets that will get fixed before I shoot the pics. <br /><br />They're painting this week and next, so the house is sheathed in plastic. But be ready for a fast burst of posts on interior finishes right after that!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-46314365587273023122010-12-21T20:48:00.000-08:002010-12-21T20:51:35.534-08:00Exterior almost completeProgress has been fast and furious. On the exterior, nearly all the siding except for the final stucco coat and some panels between the windows are on. The underside of the cantilever soffit is now wrapped in white metal, which I think gives it a really luminous and lighter look than before.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/tblegUpbnO" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TRGBH5GSaBI/AAAAAAAAAX0/bKL_E73bA-s/s512/IMG_0466.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/BGyvOPfJbq" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TRGBIj3PveI/AAAAAAAAAX4/om6YV-L9lOI/s512/IMG_0467.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/PmoibpcU5R" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TRGBHD1bSdI/AAAAAAAAAXw/pec6JPZXJSM/s512/IMG_0463.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br />All the cedar strip siding is on, as well. Between the black aluminum windows we'll be adding black-painted MDO panels, and between the wood windows we'll add panels of fir.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/1SUWqbdPAi" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TRGBJb5e-OI/AAAAAAAAAX8/v6b_sh06I9c/s512/IMG_0470.jpg"></a><br /><br />There has also been lots of progress on the inside, but pictures will have to wait since most of the finishes are covered up. A coat of primer has been sprayed on all the drywall, and the second floor stranded bamboo flooring and staircase is installed, but covered by protective cardboard. The third floor concrete floors are poured, and are looking great, but they're still covered by wet curing blankets as they continue to cure. Finally, the kitchen cabinets are being installed! So, lots of action, but pictures won't come until after the holidays. Happy holidays!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-10371703127713705402010-12-04T20:39:00.001-08:002010-12-04T20:56:48.922-08:00Drywall & SlidersOur sliding doors have finally arrived and been installed, so we are officially "dried-in." The doors' arrival unblocked a logjam, and progress is now fast. Today was sunny in Seattle, so we managed to get some great pictures. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/vwzFEmdeib" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsVwjHkK7I/AAAAAAAAAVw/2xq16hHFvxQ/s512/IMG_0424.jpg"></a><br /><br />As you can see, the cedar rainscreen siding is now partially installed. We expected the factory-applied stain that we choose ("teak") to be darker, but we are none the less happy with how it looks. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/36VOxljscn" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsVyPY6ROI/AAAAAAAAAV4/XBboeNpOkD4/s512/IMG_0432.jpg"></a><br /><br />You can see one of the sliding doors in the lower left. The biggest slider is 14 ft long and 8 ft high, and was carried perilously up this ramp.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/IZxL9XhvZ1" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsVyr67k3I/AAAAAAAAAV8/cYpNc8AAr2A/s512/IMG_0435.jpg"></a><br /><br />A view from the inside of the long sliding door.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/dvMBKYL39O" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsV_L0m67I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/1esliX936EY/s512/IMG_0453.jpg"></a><br /><br />Drywall installation has started, and will finish next week.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/UUYHHTZWAz" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsV-kgY56I/AAAAAAAAAWI/hHIAgQSn5eI/s512/IMG_0449.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/FCceszGa0a" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsVysxzAAI/AAAAAAAAAWA/fHPOGfUYJQw/s512/IMG_0438.jpg"></a><br /><br />The sun was out so we could get a peak of the Olympic mountains from the living room.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/bHygtdEy6T" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsV-pO-L2I/AAAAAAAAAWE/5M6ARRsgZus/s512/IMG_0439.jpg"></a><br /><br />While the house is certainly looking great, a few small things have gone wrong. The Lindal windows are good quality but their hardware is quite outdated.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/lp4zmUEx6D" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsV_KYGqEI/AAAAAAAAAWU/KxJcj5Rvl4I/s512/IMG_0460.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/9nq7nx3ZWh" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsWHborFGI/AAAAAAAAAWc/0TOatHjoeVY/s512/IMG_0461.jpg"></a><br /><br />Brass? Seriously? While the brass door lock is easy to replace, the black plastic handles are looking more challenging to change. We're waiting to hear more after our superintendent looks at them more closely, and calls Lindal.<br /><br />The garage door also arrived, but the pattern of glass mullions was incorrect; it was supposed to match the pattern in the window wall above. The garage door company went ahead and installed it temporarily, and will swap it out once new ones are made.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/46GfcSLMda" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TPsWHjkRBFI/AAAAAAAAAWg/ZdR_nf6N2_8/s512/IMG_0462.jpg"></a><br /><br />The house is really starting to feel real. Once drywall is finished, they'll start on flooring and trim. Since almost none of our interior finishes are custom, it's all going to come together really fast!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-52125648057379976342010-11-22T20:56:00.001-08:002010-11-22T21:10:51.144-08:00Wood windows, Stucco, InsulationI'm long overdue for an update. The white aluminum siding is almost entirely on, except for the area under the cantilever. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/rRja6IlRNX" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOtI-v0JU9I/AAAAAAAAAVU/ra5NRpRJmyM/s512/IMG_0423.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ZBXLrBPazO" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOtIf_vT8YI/AAAAAAAAAU0/ur0NPUfN3lA/s512/IMG_0404.jpg"></a><br /><br />The first two coats of the labor-intensive, three coat stucco process is applied. The final coat must wait thirty days for the second coat to dry and set. What you see now is called the "brown" coat, but the color isn't that far from what we want.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/qIlYB29hB9" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOcDKywWlbI/AAAAAAAAAUI/T4BuoXxH1kA/s512/IMG_0391.jpg"></a><br /><br />Finally, the wood windows from <a href="http://www.lindal.com">Lindal</a> are installed. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/DVLDFI47Nv" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOtI85BI9GI/AAAAAAAAAVM/OrbFXXTPFjM/s512/IMG_0417.jpg"></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, the wood sliding doors have yet to arrive, which explains the bubbled and boarded-over areas on the west side of the house. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/V8T17egDdH" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOtI-ApP5HI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/DAaB9mHNoyI/s512/IMG_0418.jpg"></a><br /><br />Lindal makes great windows, but they've consistently over-promised and under-delivered when it comes to scheduling; they've yet to actually deliver their product on the day that they promised. Oh well. The newest schedule is that we'll receive the sliding doors Monday.<br /><br />Finally, insulation is installed. We ended up going with standard fiberglass batts, though I had my superintendent walk through the house with the sub-contractors and foam anywhere he saw daylight. So, hopefully we're a little more air-tight than usual.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/yswbMhNQEC" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOtIhgLi8yI/AAAAAAAAAVA/cZQOfwwlnjw/s512/IMG_0413.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/6QBiNPARm4" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TOtI8aiF5xI/AAAAAAAAAVI/bZ1LUTFxbsg/s512/IMG_0414.jpg"></a><br /><br />Drywall has been delivered. We've passed framing and insulation inspections. Once the sliders are installed and drywall is finished, the fun of interior finishes begin! I'm also looking forward to the wood siding, which should warm up the exterior.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-80314126853530157062010-11-12T15:21:00.000-08:002010-11-15T10:24:27.909-08:00Some Small TopicsI'll have another progress update soon with pictures, but I want to make sure I occasionally write about some of the smaller decisions and topics that have come up recently. When it comes to building a house, the devil is in the details! So here are a few small topics.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The $500 Shower Drain</span><br />Shower drains are not typically noteworthy objects worth much thought. So how did I end up spending $500 on one? Here's the story.<br /><br />We fell in love with the <a href="http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=1630804&prg=2220604">Xylem tile</a> in Ebony from Ann Sacks, and plan to use it on the floor in both full bathrooms. These tiles are huge at 9" x 36", and have a subtle wood-grain texture; the black version looks a bit like board-formed cement. For the Master bathroom, I really wanted to continue the tile right into the shower, without any curb, for a truly minimalist look; also, the texture on the tile is great for avoiding shower slips on a wet floor. However, the traditional tiled shower slopes radially towards a center-drain, so small mosaic tiles are usually used to adapt to the non-planar slope. How does one achieve a curb-less shower with large-format tiles? A linear shower drain, like this example from a <a href="http://www.quartzbyaco.com/">vendor</a> that makes them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://agarwala.org/random/gallery0022.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 533px;" src="http://agarwala.org/random/small.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I love the look! For a linear drain, the whole shower floor is planar and tilts towards the drain at a shallow angle. You need to plan carefully in advance, so you can recess the shower area into the floor to accommodate the slope. We actually had our structural engineer include this recess in the framing plans (fortunately, the shower is above the coat closet on the lower floor, so losing a few inches of ceiling height didn't matter). Linear shower drains are quite common in Europe and Australia, but unfortunately, they're considered luxury items in the US and are quite expensive. They're also tricky to buy, with lots of middlemen in the acquisition chain, which I always find distasteful. Fortunately, I found an online shop, <a href="http://www.myshowergrateshop.com/">myshowergrateshop.com</a>, which custom fabricates them in Canada using a CNC machine and ships them out next day! I spent about about $500, which is actually cheap for a linear drain. Furthermore, our architects at PB loved the idea and went to town making sure the drain would run flush from edge to edge of the shower. They made a <a href="http://agarwala.org/random/drain.pdf">crazy drawing</a> to figure out that the drain needed to be exactly 51.375"; I assure you this amount of thought and energy has never gone into a shower drain in a spec house! So, the drain has arrived and once tile work is finished I'll be sure to report back on how it works out.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The $45 Light Bulb</span><br />Along the same vein, how did I become the proud owner of three light bulbs costing $45 each? Well, about a week ago the electrician installed three recessed lights in the bottom of the cantilever; they will illuminate our front driveway and yard. These lights are about 20 feet off sloping ground; how will I ever change burned-out light bulbs? I remembered recently hearing that the newer LED bulbs last much longer than regular bulbs or even CFLs; I looked them up, and indeed Home Depot has an <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xgl/R-202324426/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">LED flood light bulb</a> that they claim lasts up to 46 years!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" http://agarwala.org/random/bulb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src=" http://agarwala.org/random/bulb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />That should do. The downside is that they cost $45 each. In my scenario I decided that it's worth it, though honestly I can't imagine any other scenario where a $45 light bulb makes economic sense. I picked three up; they are heavy, engineering marvels, and work great!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >$600 and Three Inches</span><br />A minor annoyance that came up during framing cost us $600 and three inches of ceiling height on the bedroom level. The horizontal steel beam that supports the cantilever lives in the ceiling of the second floor; the beam is 16" high, whereas typical floor joists are 12" high. So, plans were made long ago to "fur down" the ceiling height to cover the bottom of the beam; however; no one thought about the bolts connecting the vertical and horizontal beams that protrude out even further from the bottom of the horizontal beam! Oops.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/6YKXe6mtLD" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TNyRjHM3NJI/AAAAAAAAATw/34GvXLejvcM/s512/bolt.jpg"></a><br /><br />So, after the ceiling was already dropped by 4", we had to drop them another 3" to cover the bolts, at a cost of $600. Not a big deal, but definitely a snafu. Why wasn't this anticipated? Apparently, steel beams are fairly uncommon in residential construction, and when they are used there are typically only wood beam / steel beam connections. When there are steel-to-steel connections, they are typically welded. Bolted steel-to-steel connections, while common in high-rises, are rather foreign to houses, so no one thought about the bolts. Oh well; we've had more positive surprises than bad, and there will always be surprises in construction.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Friends</span><br />On a final note, two of our close friends who were similarly frustrated with the available houses in Seattle decided to also design modern houses with PB Elemental! <a href="http://www.pbelemental.com/pbinternational_boards.html">One</a> is in framing, and <a href="http://www.pbelemental.com/pbinternational_boards4.html">the other</a> in permitting. I helped to instigate the first three houses on PB's <a href="http://www.pbelemental.com/pbinternational_boards6.html">in-progress</a> page! I wonder what our kids will think as we shuttle them back and forth to BBQs at three crazy modern houses surrounded by seas of Craftsmans!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-74823271726814227022010-10-28T17:10:00.000-07:002010-10-28T20:06:14.047-07:00Aluminum siding & windowsI've been remiss in posting once again, but progress has been good since framing completed. As you can see from this first picture, most of the white aluminum panel siding (done in a <a href="http://blog.buildllc.com/2008/03/rainscreens/">rainscreen</a> application over <a href="http://www.vaproshield.com/">Vaproshield</a>) is on. The wrapped siding under the cantilever has to wait until insulation has been applied. The lower volume will have stucco, and the first stage of wrapping the sides in two layers of tar paper is complete. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/mmVm7vBsad" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMikbE7GfBI/AAAAAAAAASc/Ed7x8TCXfHk/s512/IMG_0215.jpg"></a><br /><br />The windows in the lower volume are all black <a href="http://www.milgard.com/">Milgard </a>aluminum. I love the graphic pop of the black windows against the white siding.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/MgregAxSmc" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMik8cTKLvI/AAAAAAAAATQ/KDo5cpaPzkU/s512/IMG_0250.jpg"></a><br /><br /> We decided to delay ordering the windows until framing was complete, because most of our windows are floor-to-ceiling and we wanted to make sure the windows fit the rough openings perfectly. Unfortunately, this choice is causing about a month of delay, and the wood <a href="http://lindal.com/windows/">Lindal </a>windows have not arrived, yet. <br /><br />The master bedroom window was too large to be built as one unit, so it was split into three pieces separated by 2x6's that will later be encased in black metal to make it look more like one.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/nlBw1JSGPM" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMikud--b8I/AAAAAAAAAS8/Jnh2Tvy7vbo/s512/IMG_0233.jpg"></a><br /><br />The TPO roofing is also in, and can be seen on the 2nd floor deck, here. Sleepers and cedar decking will go on top.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/Cb2E4Eg4EB" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMik8ZRM-VI/AAAAAAAAATM/UwDR8ABXlQE/s512/IMG_0248.jpg"></a><br /><br />Electrical and plumbing rough-ins are also mostly complete. Radiant heating on the first and third floors are embedded in concrete, but the second floor will be heated by tubes running in the joists, with heat transfer aided by aluminum <a href="http://www.ultra-fin.com/">ultra-fin</a>s attached to the tubes.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/OilwtJHVDW" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMiktp7DnyI/AAAAAAAAASs/EO7FvJUPfno/s512/IMG_0227.jpg"></a><br /><br />The windows under the floating stair are in, and look super cool; the stair treads themselves are temporary. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/jJhNXNxvam" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMik8Fa_n8I/AAAAAAAAATE/GXa9WUaZXG0/s512/IMG_0234.jpg"></a><br /><br />Finally, the front door and side windows are installed; the door is 8-ft tall and runs floor to ceiling. We plan to paint it bright red.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/l1gzET3bvc" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TMikt6kxAcI/AAAAAAAAASw/5ytpuDEJtdo/s512/IMG_0228.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br />The wood Lindal windows are arriving today, but the Lindal sliding doors will take another two weeks. So the plan is to bubble in the remaining openings and turn on the heat to completely dry the wood out; after that, we can install insulation and start drywall, which can take two weeks. Then the more fun finishes, such as tile and flooring and cabinets, can start!<br /><br />One slightly annoying issue is our gas line. We thought gas was stubbed to the property, but <a href="http://www.pse.com">Puget Sound Energy</a> didn't like the stub, for some reason. At first, they told me that it would cost $3k-$4k to run gas from the street. Then, it went down to $2k plus $0.17 per therm for the next 5 years, which should add up to less. After that, our superintendent at Logan's Hammer called them, and the up-front cost went down to $848! So, now we have gas and an unsightly patch in the road, which they say will eventually be replaced. But fortunately the cost wasn't so bad.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-22292540328993652752010-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:002010-09-20T15:37:44.833-07:00Framing complete!The framing of our house was completed this past week (minus a few small details which must wait for scaffolding). You can see a complete <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/FramingComplete#">album of photo</a>s, but here are a few choice images.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/KSq3" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TJe7FwNjVII/AAAAAAAAAQw/ZmjXNIyDlBU/s512/IMG_0169.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/01WJ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TJe7GPnES4I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Jae7UGZAohU/s512/IMG_0173.jpg"></a><br /><br />We were also able to get up on the roof and see the views from the top. They are indeed great! We can see the Olympic mountains, the Ballard bridge and port, and the Puget Sound. The mountain tops are obscured by clouds in the images below, but you can get the picture. The second image is a panorama of the whole thing; it's a big image so the details are small. As usual, it's more impressive in person.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ZhOa" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TJe7PNrWOtI/AAAAAAAAARE/Q_E4aIrT5Kk/s512/IMG_0176.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/xpY7" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TJe7fdgDJmI/AAAAAAAAARo/SriT13YcyqU/s512/pano.jpg"></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, the very best views are out on the cantilever, where we weren't originally planning to have deck. Now we are considering adding some more deck out on the cantilever, though the cost could be substantial. Here are some images of the roof as it stands now. <br /><br />The cantilever part:<br /> <a href="http://goo.gl/photos/JhiR" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TJe7QKm8oVI/AAAAAAAAARQ/8qosBeKjcW4/s512/IMG_0196.jpg"></a><br /><br />The current deck area (with part blocked out for skylights and an in-line blower for the cooktop hood):<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/gyvy" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TJe7PaygoHI/AAAAAAAAARI/JhTcxqfd_gA/s512/IMG_0194.jpg"></a><br /><br />Also, it looks like the construction rock stars at Logan's are coming in under budget in a few areas, so we might have a little room to upgrade. Probably the extra deck area and railings will blow any extra funds, but other possibilities include upgrading the insulation and/or adding some exterior motorized shades for the third floor. I'd love to upgrade the insulation, but the options are dizzying (open or closed cell spray foam, blown-in cellulose, flash and batt, or extra airtightness like the "advanced drywall approach"), and the bids are coming in high.<br /><br />One slightly unfortunate turn of events is the location of the electrical meter, which is visible at the front of the house. We didn't want it along the entryway to the front door, which isn't that wide to begin with, and code didn't allow us to put it behind the front door. So, we did what we had to do.<br /><br />It poured rain this last weekend before they managed to get the roof on, so the images show some water. We spent an hour each day this past weekend brushing water out, but the roof is going on today so that phase should be over. Plumbing and electrical rough-ins are in progress! Pretty soon I'll start listing some of our finish choices.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-32131870394300478152010-08-29T20:38:00.000-07:002010-08-29T20:49:58.382-07:00Third level floor is upA quick update with some <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/ThirdFloorStarts#">pictures of the floor</a> of our third level.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/Ddw1" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/THbi4Q7Q0UI/AAAAAAAAAP0/-1oa8rtxQy4/s512/IMG_0161.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/grqQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/THbi7ak_FJI/AAAAAAAAAP4/2vLyHZz36WM/s512/IMG_0163.jpg"></a><br /><br />We were able to stand on the third floor, which will contain our living & dining room and kitchen, and see the views. They are more screened than we had hoped, but still very open feeling (felt a bit like a tree house). The roof-top deck will more likely have killer views. Here is a panorama of the views (stitched using my own technology shipped in Adobe Photoshop), and a close-up of the Ballard bridge that can been seen from a corner of our living room (unfortunately captured on a cloudy day).<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/e9Vo" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/THbi3o5-gDI/AAAAAAAAAPk/fuQsrDqVZjg/s512/panoweb.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/iBuG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/THbi4bdgduI/AAAAAAAAAPw/48S-9wpIptk/s512/IMG_0141.jpg"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-41257030158431900632010-08-19T10:57:00.000-07:002010-08-19T11:04:09.135-07:00Holy cantilever!This past Tuesday Logan's Hammer shut down the street, brought in a big crane, and placed the large steel and wood beams that support the cantilevered third floor. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/XnKb" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TG1t8gegYgI/AAAAAAAAAOg/xn7EesWVVPA/s512/IMG_0119.jpg"></a><br /><br />The first two floors, plus the support beams of the third floor, are mostly framed up! Here are a couple good images of the gravity defiance:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/bZMa" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TG1uDEw0KXI/AAAAAAAAAOw/k5naslyMfL0/s512/IMG_0124.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/IMf7" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TG1t81hU4VI/AAAAAAAAAOk/xD0AFgeqI78/s512/IMG_0120.jpg"></a><br /><br />And the overall framing status:<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/KFeN" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TG1t8bul-VI/AAAAAAAAAOY/8hyq0Awkj1Y/s512/IMG_0117.jpg"></a><br /><br />It was pretty surreal to walk through some of the rooms and feel their size! Everything seems just the right size; not too small, but not big enough to waste space/money. I guess that's the benefit of working with experienced architects. You can see more framing pictures in the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/FramingContinues#">web gallery</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-52697574669098860892010-08-13T15:48:00.000-07:002010-08-13T15:56:01.848-07:00Framing Starts!Our house is going up fast. These <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/FramingStarts#">photos</a> are from 8/10/2010 and show the state after the first day of framing, but today I actually walked through the first 2 floors of our house! Photos of that next week.<br /><br />The first photo shows the front concrete walls with our house number. The stairs will be poured to the right of this wall towards the end of construction, to avoid finish damage. As you can see, this area of concrete is quite different from the rendering above; it was redesigned both during permitting and again after the grade surprise. I think the new wall and straight-run staircase is an improvement. There will be plants in the area in front of the house numbers.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/J747" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TGXLcU6ImlI/AAAAAAAAANs/RVqpG8mPY-I/s512/IMG_0107.jpg"></a><br /><br />The stairs will run straight up the incline in this photo.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/Lw2H" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TGXLckr9ONI/AAAAAAAAANw/LbujZ62PzS0/s512/IMG_0115.jpg"></a><br /><br />Here's a good shoot of the rest of the first-floor framing. So far so good!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/utah" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TGXLdPoy-VI/AAAAAAAAAN4/CpH6C2umRYE/s512/IMG_0111.jpg"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-18872674323152547922010-08-06T11:49:00.000-07:002010-08-06T11:53:23.964-07:00Concrete floors!This post is already out of date, I'm afraid, my blogging isn't keeping up with construction! But for the last week or so we've had the slab of our ground floor! <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/EszQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TFjlIMOBUBI/AAAAAAAAAMo/eqYhqRSAv4Y/s512/IMG_0099-1.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/gpyX" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TFjlInS5ksI/AAAAAAAAAM0/H17tVq32PB4/s512/IMG_0103-1.jpg"></a><br /><br />There is radiant heat tubing in the floor, as well, but I was out of town and couldn't get the images before they were covered. You can see the end of the pex tubes, though.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/5fth" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TFjlNev5YkI/AAAAAAAAAM8/EZ83YRncglQ/s512/IMG_0105-1.jpg"></a><br /><br />I'll post more photos, soon, but they've already poured all the other site walls, and framing starts Monday!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-43609963209313742332010-07-26T19:09:00.000-07:002010-07-26T19:13:22.486-07:00Concrete walls!The house earthwork and foundation are progressing well. Below is one image of our new concrete walls, and you can also visit a full <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/ConcreteWalls#">web gallery</a> of photos. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/AsL4" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TEIcP125lII/AAAAAAAAAL0/3biikE69m4A/s512/IMG_0094.jpg"></a><br /><br />These photos are actually 10 days old, as I've just been too busy to post them! I'll take new photos at the end of the week to show the additional progress.<br /><br />On the news front, the surprisingly different grade than the survey indicated continues to challenge us, though our team has been great at adapting to the situation and making lemonade from lemons. We've changed the site plan a bit by removing retaining walls along the west side of the property, and adding one to the east side. We also are going to use some of the rocks from the rockery at the front of the property to create a new rockery wall in our backyard. The rocks will retain the grade change along the north property line, so that we can still have a level backyard. <br /><br />Finally, with the change to expand the basement level there was a miscommunication, and a bit of extra wall was poured full-height that wasn't originally intended to be full height (in the upper-right corner of the above photograph). However, given the grade along this area of the property, our architect felt it was a lucky accident since some sort of wall is needed in that area to retain the taller grade, anyways. So, he did some small modifications to the laundry/storage area to incorporate it, and we're happy with the new design. I will post the new floorplan early next week.<br /><br />One more surprise is that when we unearthed the sewer out line, we found that it was 3' higher than the slab level. This means $900 will need to be spent on a sewage pump and installation, since gravity won't pull water up from basement fixtures. We've now spent about 25% of our contingency budget; apparently most of the surprises occur during this phase of construction, however, so I've been assured we're doing well on budget. The next stage is to pour the slab with radiant heat, and create the retaining walls and hardscape along the south and east sides of the property.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-81029693860212952922010-07-08T11:41:00.000-07:002010-07-08T11:52:29.580-07:00We have a big hole and footers!We broke ground on July 29, 2010, and there has already been lots of progress and surprises. First thing's first; here is the state of the lot after about one day of digging.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/6AkA" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TDYRL9YyizI/AAAAAAAAAKk/kHVFhzE4qr4/s512/_MG_5576.jpg"></a><br />And here are pictures as of today, July 8. The footers are poured, and the outline of the building foundation has been poured, as well. For the first time, we can see the shape of the building on the lot!<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/b88q" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TDYPPSfNgbI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/lpTOagCRHJ8/s512/IMG_0085.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/TDY0" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TDYPOjLBu4I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/z0QvgTaY_kE/s512/IMG_0082.jpg"></a><br />A full web album can be seen <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/aseemagarwala/FirstPour#">here</a>.<br /><br />Now on to the surprises. On the positive side, we were able to recover a significant amount of storage space in the mechanical room in the northeast corner of the building. We originally stepped the foundation in this area to avoid the permitting issues of cutting too deep along the property line. However, our geotech PanGeo was able to make the call in the field that the soil could handle a straight cut, which is easier to do and gave us more storage space!<br /><br />On the negative side, the survey was surprisingly off, and the slope of the lot was more than expected. This photo includes a person, which gives a good height reference of how deep we dug at the back of the lot.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/Hrpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TDYOUjHigOI/AAAAAAAAAJc/-I9QvgQwZCw/s512/IMG_0078.jpg"></a><br />There are a number of consequences:<br />* More dirt had to be dug out.<br />* The change in grade from our entryway to the neighboring property is more than expected. This means we need to do more than planned to manage the grade, and depending on the cost, we're considering pouring a concrete retaining wall on the east side. <br />* The window in the studio/office will have to start higher than expected to be above grade, so it will be just two feet tall ending at the ceiling. This means it won't be an egress window, so the office can never be considered a bedroom.<br />* The foundation is lower than we visualized when originally looking at the lot, so the view from the third floor might be more screened than expected.<br />* The driveway will be more tilted than expected. Because of this, permeable pavers won't work as well, and we have to switch to a poured driveway that can be more carefully contoured. <br /><br />All of this is handleable, though, and Logan's Hammer and our architect are being great in adapting to the changing conditions.<br /><br />Finally, I plan to include all of my product choices in this blog, so here is the first that will be installed. We needed four recessed outdoor lights to be installed in the concrete stairs. I ordered this very simple, inexpensive black light from <a href="http://lightingdirect.com">lightingdirect.com</a>, with the added benefit of 12% <a href="http://www.bing.com/cashback/">Bing cashback</a>! I'm going to try and order as much as possible before the Bing cashback program ends July 30.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/DI1h" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TDYbr6T_ZlI/AAAAAAAAAK0/h7VO-TAlq9Y/s512/light.jpg"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-86124693784531205642010-06-25T20:22:00.000-07:002010-07-01T15:01:26.601-07:00We have a permit! Ground-breaking in 3 days.Though I am late in posting this news, we received final permit approval from Seattle this past Monday, and should break ground this coming Monday! Permitting took about three months, and required two rounds of corrections. The biggest issues were in the ECA (environmentally critical areas) slide review; they wanted to make sure we wouldn't cause a landslide or disturbances to neighboring properties. The city had two sources of concern. The first was that digging our foundation required somewhat deep cuts near the property line. The second was that we planned to remove the rockery wall at the front of the property and replace it with a concrete wall and steps, but we needed to convince the city we could do so without disturbing the rockery on the neighboring property. <br /><br />As a consequence, we had to make some small changes to the design of the front stairs and concrete wall, though I think the changes are improvements. More unfortunately, the city required us to get a soils test of the property and a geotechnical review from an expert certifying that our plans would likely not cause a landslide. While our geotechnical firm <a href="http://pangeoinc.com">PanGeo</a> is great and well-priced, it was a several thousand dollar expense that we had hoped to avoid. The city is also requiring us to contract PanGeo to monitor the construction, which is an additional cost. <br /><br />Today, our GC and the city of Seattle had a required "Pre-Construction" meeting at the site, to go over various requirements imposed by the city inspectors. Because our building is near the height limits, they will require a surveyor to verify that we don't exceed our allowed height (yay, more costs). They also want us to re-submit a stormwater drainage plan, since we have postponed the green roof due to cost. Clearly they're not looking to make our lives easy. I'll conclude the post with one bonus image: the first sign of activity at our site. Our GC built a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silt_fence">silt fence</a>, as required by the city prior to the pre-construction meeting, which helps to control erosion and sediment caused by construction activity. On Monday they'll start digging!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AIp44W0GQzQmH8F1LOlddQ?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TCV1D9bhDtI/AAAAAAAAAI0/zr4js7djQuo/s512/IMG_2306.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i_bFNVL4uE55xMTyksLNdA?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TCV1Dg-nQDI/AAAAAAAAAIw/tFffbbPsj30/s512/IMG_2303.jpg"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978076475215292084.post-19460928247261346752010-06-02T16:20:00.000-07:002010-06-02T16:58:02.405-07:00The design!Now to the fun stuff: the design of our house! The house was designed within the context of both our family’s needs and the strong constraints presented by the combination of an odd lot and Seattle city codes. We presented PB with a big list of needs and wants, along with a collection of images of houses that we love. The highlights of our “program” (which is the architectural term for the client’s needs):<br /><ul><li>Between 2000-2500 sq ft in size.</li><br /><li>Three bedrooms plus a home office.</li><br /><li>Smooth integration between outdoor and indoor entertaining spaces.</li><br /><li>Open spaces, minimalist and modern finishes.</li></ul><br />Beyond our program, the site presented unusual challenges and opportunities.<br /><ul><li>The buildable part of the lot is small and sloped by about 20 degrees.</li><br /><li>The setbacks (i.e., the boundaries of the buildable region specified by the city) are diagonal across the lot.</li><br /><li>There is a driveway through the middle of the lot.</li><br /><li>There is the possibility of great Western views, but only from high up since there are houses and trees blocking the exposure.</li></ul><br />I think the design PB came up with in this context is genius. The most striking aspect, obviously, is the diagonal cantilever sticking out of the front. Here are some images. The first is a rendering, and the rest are Google Sketchup captures; note that the terrain is actually smooth, but the survey data is discretized:<br /><style type="text/css">.nobrtable br { display: none }</style><br /><div class="nobrtable"><br /><table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rmrRC2kkehJQ78SOkgEy3w?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S-yijl1IFCI/AAAAAAAAADo/bu_EOOyJRzg/s512/adjusted.png"></a> <br /></td><br /><td><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TwvZGrWvmnOev6COmw8wGw?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOLyio5II/AAAAAAAAAHU/f-TGBSnmIZA/s512/sketch1.png"></a><br /></td><br /><td><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Pyc_urARvDC8CSvZ9AMg2Q?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOMJE2s5I/AAAAAAAAAHY/d41wEXHAO5U/s512/sketch2.png"></a><br /></td><br /></tr><tr><br /><td><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JFJWCWKIDR-nVtAbrDSSMw?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOMVHoj6I/AAAAAAAAAHc/Y9XeWVzWoaI/s512/sketch3.png"></a><br /></td><br /><td><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nbPfok1keNjxPq27uCiNjQ?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOMpzxC3I/AAAAAAAAAHg/_Q_GALGKsTw/s512/sketch4.png"></a><br /></td><br /><td><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RcvTzbZumR-iM1Tl6Udisg?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOMwr5uhI/AAAAAAAAAHk/gVHuMjANSAU/s512/sketch5.png"></a><br /></td><br /></tr><tr><br /><td><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lkj2foEmnIG4d5GImPxR7w?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=150 border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nORNE1giI/AAAAAAAAAHs/hScpAkxuaRY/s512/sketch6.png"></a><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></table><br /></div><br />The diagonal cantilever doesn’t exist just to be cool (though it is pretty cool). The diagonal jog is parallel to and right up against the diagonal setback specified by the city. The cantilever allows us to extend beyond the small buildable area and use more of the lot, without sacrificing the small backyard play area. Finally, only the third floor is cantilevered because Seattle requires a 16’5” clearance over driveway easements (we originally planned to cantilever two floors before finding this out). Thee city even has a helpful diagram for this seemingly unusual situation :) <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WMk14Le8NfILas0DcLzjlA?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=250 border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/TAbk6N1wLrI/AAAAAAAAAII/8NdkKmEpGlk/s512/easement.gif"></a><br />Another unusual feature of the design is that the living/kitchen areas are on the third floor. The downside of this is the need to carry groceries up two flights of stairs; however, it allows us to capture Western views in the living room. Also, the primary and most spacious outdoor areas are on top of the building (the rooftop deck and third-floor deck), so we wanted the kitchen to be next to these areas for entertaining. The floating staircase, with windows underneath it, is designed to make the experience of ascending to the third floor a little less tedious. We’re also excited that the living room features 11 feet ceilings! Finally, here are a simplified version of the floor plans, from the bottom up.<br /><style type="text/css">.nobrtable br { display: none }</style><br /><div class="nobrtable"><br /><table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zqgI10JiAvqgMFVcHApLyQ?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" style=><img height=350 border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOD28g50I/AAAAAAAAAHE/tOCWI3CZEDw/s512/floor1.png"></a><br /></td><br /><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/75Uynq2MeDvqn0vhBJ6aGA?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=350 border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOEM5SELI/AAAAAAAAAHI/hn8oo_KXP94/s512/floor2.png"></a> </td><br /><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nxk3TUzRUqCukdIXtDzZaw?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=350 border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOERzkyaI/AAAAAAAAAHM/APYCjaACA_Y/s512/floor3.png"></a> </td><br /></tr><tr><br /><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tQukmNwIz3bIKpz4jjREuw?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" ><img height=350 border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LJ1_ajVKBZQ/S_nOEkw0HYI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/p9035Ar2t8o/s512/rooftop.png"></a> </td><br /></tr><br /></table><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5