What are we doing anyway?

Don't know if you noticed, but I added a little button in the upper right corner.........I thought it would be fun to clue everyone into the process a little more.  The list below is a condensed list of some of the general contractor items I have on my agenda for the next month.  I will update and check things off from time to time.  Just click on the button on the right or check out my page marked "checklist" at the top below the title.  There are so many items to remember and it's starting to get overwhelming, so this will help me and might be fun for you!! 

 

 



Finding Happy Medium

Problem solved, and new windows have been ordered.  Things happen, I knew they would, nothing can go perfectly, but it gets the best of your nerves some of the time.  Truth be told, I'm kind of relieved that I got to go back to the drawing board.  I was forced to look at the overall picture again and really think about the pros's and con's to vinyl vs fiberglass/wood and I found my happy medium for the first time since researching windows for this project.  I found a new line that just came out in January that Milguard (a local and large business that should stay in business for a long time, lets hope) made, I'm still using a vinyl window however they now offer 4 new colors that have been tested to resist heat/cold/humidity etc. with a life time guarantee warranty.  One of my struggles this entire time was only having A or B to choose from. It is very limiting when your attempting to build a high end custom house on a track house budget..  All these decisions will effect the second phase of the project which is the main house.  

For anyone new reading this, I'm starting with this Guesthouse/ Garage as a starter project to get my feet wet in general contracting, after we have completed the Treehouse as I call it we will be tearing down a 1400 sq. ft. house and building a 2100 sq. ft. custom main house with similar design but a much larger budget.  (Lets hope!!)

I wasn't thrilled with white vinyl windows for the main house, but was going to make do. However with the discovery of the new vinyl color options I also found a new line that Milguard just came out with. It is a higher end wood interior window that has a color selection that matches the vinyl perfectly.  So from the outside everything will look the same, and from the inside you never notice the difference from one space to the next.  Things happen for a reason, and yes I lucked out and now my only setback is waiting an extra 2 weeks.  I think I can handle that, don't you?

Lets hope my luck continues, my rough in plumbing is done, and have a final inspection today, wish me luck!!

Spiraling down the rabit hole

Well folks...the saga continues.......yesterday my windows were scheduled to be delivered.  They didn't show up I got concerned and found out that the company decided to close there doors instead. They are a good company but with all the economical setbacks they just cant stay open.   I just can't win with these darn windows I'm so frustrated, pissed, scatterbrained, annoyed.......HAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! So what to do, what to do...............

They were made and ready to ship, now they are lost in distribution never to be seen again.  Fortunately, I haven't paid a penny towards them, so I can walk away with only frustration.  Now I'm debating on slashing vinyl windows forever and re-evaluating everything all over again.

Oh boy..........

I wish I didn't feel so strongly about windows...

Windows...........I have some big dam windows.  Most modern houses use aluminum windows for there clean simple lines and sleek modern edgy look. After much research my selections for my budget is limited. There are really NO options when most window's energy codes don't meet your areas standards.  For example: Milguard (which is a company I can afford)  makes an affordable aluminum window and interestingly enough is produced locally near Tacoma WA.  However, my energy efficiency codes for Jefferson County will not allow me to specify them.  They don't pass code even though they are produced in the state.........strange huh.

My options are:

1. High end residential commercial grade aluminum windows with triple pane glass and extra argon gas to meet energy standards.  ($$$ way out of budget.)

2. Fiberglass windows meet my energy codes and there price is average, however the frame size compared to a aluminum frame is double so the design profile is compromised. ($$ in budget.)

3. Vinyl windows also meet my codes and there prices are very reasonable, the same issues come up with frame size as fiberglass. ($ meets budget and would save money.)

Most of the time I shrug decisions like this off and find something that I can live with, but this one had me stumped.  Windows are a huge deal to me, I need something efficient both cost and heat loss/gain but  modern and simple.  Well, I decided to go the with number 3 route. I weighed the pros and cons and there was no way I could afford option 1 so if your going to have the same look and code requirements why pay more right? The windows are on there way and there is no going back.  Hope I made the right choice, you win some and loose some, it still has me bummed .

Someone out there needs to bridge the gap......come on window gods make more options!!

Rain rain go away...

Just kidding......the rain actually hasn't been that bad this winter.  Coming from a desert "dry" environment you would think I would be depressed and all miserable, but we are doing just fine, a little cold...... but fine.  We have started our first phase in taking over the project (by this I mean my husband and I are getting our hands dirty and taking some things over)  We are BIG do it yourselfers and this is a great middle ground to save some budget costs and learn some new skills.  So........ we begin by waterproofing the exterior siding. 

You know what FedEx packages that you receive in the mail are made of???? Tyvek......Strange to think that we wrap our houses in the same material but it basically acts as a water barrier keeping moisture out.  By completing this step it allows us some time to "dry" in the house so that windows, electrical, plumbing and sheet rock can begin inside.  Being that it is winter time right now, painting and siding are better spring time projects, so the tyvek can act as a temporary exterior protector for a couple of months till things warm up.

We started on the first floor and then worked our way up.  Each roll was roughly 150' x 9'. It was extremely awkward at first having such a large size to stretch across the sheeting.  The material is rolled out, stretched and tightened as much as possible, then stapled in place.  All windows are wrapped and seams are taped to prevent water penetration. 

Here's some interesting shots of us figuring it out as we go........I just want to note, that I have the most amazing husband who without him nun of this would be possible.  Thanks honey!!!!

Most times we used ladders to get to hard to reach places, however sometime you need to use body parts to hold you in place when both hands are needed.....I guess that's what happens when your married to a rock climber.......

I'm not sure that hanging out of windows and blocking up ladders on stairs with wood is OSHA approved safely standards but..........say la vie.....



Checking out the view 20 feet up........I admit it makes your stomach twist a little........

 All in all it took us approximately 3 days to complete.  Not to bad for 2 novice Tyvek hangers!!!

The BIG Picture

Hope everyone had a great weekend.......I have been busy busy  and will show you a little later on this week what we were up to.  I have exciting news to share..........I have completed my first milestone, my framing is complete! There are a couple little odds and ends to wrap up, but now the majority of work will begin inside.

Front of Treehouse looking from street. Garage entry at main level, with staircase leading to living quarters.

Back side of Treehouse looking at second garage door on ground floor and green living roof, with living room behind.

To start off my week, I wanted to show you all the big picture!! From exterior to interior here is my Treehouse.  Some of the interior photos might look a little confusing, but its the beginnings!!!!
Happy Monday everyone!

Main living area, will be temporary living space while main house is built.  Then will become guest house for visitors.



The Tandem garage was designed to allow people to "drive thru" instead of pulling in and backing out.  The narrow site provided some driveway challenges, so I built a new road and created a loop to make a better flow for traffic.



Bedroom area



From left to right: Bathroom entrance from kitchen, green living roof looking into living room. living room from kitchen/entry.

Kitchen area

Salvage Sucess!!

Never, ever ever listen to people...........well I guess that's a little harsh but sometimes you have to trust your gut even if you don't know what the outcome will be. Most times people are usually uncomfortable with something "different", something that is not typical.  Its gets them out of there comfort zones I guess but that is my favorite place to be.  It causes me to think outside the box, to try ideas out and expand my abilities. So I put my "out of the box" thinking to the test and bought these metal stairs for my entry. 

The story goes like this with my construction crew.  "Hey guys, I'm thinking about buying some commercial metal stairs at this salvage yard in Seattle, they're really cool, something different, what do you think?"  Well, Terra your going to have lots of problems, they probably wont fit and metal stairs,........hummm I don't know seems like alot of trouble".  I figured this was the reaction I would get, so I thought it over for a couple of days and decided that I would make them work no matter what.  So my husband, myself and our utility trailer headed off to go purchase my used/ salvaged staircase and even got it for half price!!!!!

A couple of months have passed since my purchase of the staircase and most times I get a curious look from people and questions like how are you going to attach those?  My framer has been putting it off till now, so today was the day to attach the stairs to the landing.  We started measuring the stairs rise and run and low and behold they fit, perfectly........ "Well what do you know, you aren't going to have to cut off the bottoms" was my first comment from my crew.  A wrench, four bolts and a half an hour later they were up in place with no problems at all! I even got a "there actually really nice, I had no idea they would fit!"

I have some stair railings to modify, a concrete pad to pour and some metal paint to apply and there done! They are recycled, extremely low maintenance and cheaper then wood.  So the moral of this story is don't give in when people look at you like your crazy, because if I did then I would have always looked back and wondered what it could have been and not what it is.