board and battens and steel studs ------ OH MY

we covered the floor with heavy paper to try and protect the finish.   then we started installing steel studs for all the interior walls.   it took a bit to learn how to use these things.

now that we are done with the studs i am glad we used then ,  they are arrow straight and once figured out they go up pretty fast.   after the studs were installed the bathroom fans were installed and plumbed to the outside of the house and the plumbing venting went in.   with the use of steel studs wood blocking was used to have places to mount mirrors , towel racks and so on.                                                                                                                     

at the same time we were getting our juniper boards from central oregon. the boards and battens were air dried on site for the summer before installing. we banded the stack in a tight pile for about 2 weeks. then we restacked the pile with stickers between each layer to maintain an air gap around each board. this pile was re- banded and allowed to dry. the idea was to let the boards dry slowly and minize twisting and cupping.
     
so now that we picked up our juniper boards from central oregon for the board and battens siding it was time to mount the manlift on the trailer and start learning about installing this style of siding.  all the board are oiled before deck screwing them to the wall,  we are only fastening them in the center so the boards are allowed to move during the different seasons.   this is the first area so we have a long way to go , we are very happy with the look it gives the house.

lastly we had the stove in the chimney opening and it just didn't look right without some sort of hearth for the stove facia to sit on.  so i talked with the stone mason and came up with chipping out some of the stone  and installing corbles  made from steel beam off an early plow i wrecked out.   stone will fill in around the corbles then a hearth stone will span across them to give a hearth for the stove to sit on.

chimney completed and the stucco is going on !

after a little more than a year the last piece of stone went on the chimney and the stove is slid into place ,  still need to add the surround on the front of the stove .  The outside of the chimney is now flashed and the remaining stone put on.  
   We have been working on the stucco on the rastra block on the outside of the house.  the stone mason set me up with a recipe for the old style stucco with mason sand, portland cement and lime plus a bit of dye to add some color.   we are going for three coats of stucco and we have been adding dye as we go to see if this color works for us.  the last coat should be a bit smoother but we will see.  i get about 8 foot of running wall done a morning then in the afternoons i am installing the track for the steel studs inside the house.  these walls are all non bearing (no load)  so all they need to do is hold the sheet rock.
      the last photo is of the radiant floor heat zones coming into the mechanical room along with the ground source heat pump tubes from outside.  lots more to install in the mech. room.  

Concrete Floors are Stained and Waxed

Hi Everyone,

The concrete floors are now done.  After the concrete was poured we had to wait for 30- 45 day for it to cure.  During this time we stayed completely off the floors.  When the floor was cured we buffed it to get it completely clean. Then we picked out our stain color.  The acid stain was applied with a hand sprayer and then left to dry.  Stain was re- applied in the areas that were light or did not take the stain the first time.  The stain was left over night on the floor. The next day we washed the floor with backing soda and water to neutralize the acid.  Then we washed and dried the floor by hand. Then applied a sealer  to protect to the stain. This was two coats of  sealer. After the sealer was dry we applied two coats of wax to protect the sealer.  For future maintenance we will be applying wax one a year.   Below are pictures of the completed floor.

concrete floor pour

lots of prep work with all the floor tubing and plumbing .   we passed our county inspection so now for the concrete pour.   this week our concrete crew came and poured our floor and hard troweled by it hand,  for  a smooth finish.  the crew came back a few days after the pour and cut a few expansion joints in the concrete to allow for expansion and contraction.    we kept the cutting to a minimum so it will be likely some cracking will appear over time , but for us it gives the floor a very clean look.   thirty days or so of curing with no one on it so it stays clean for the acid staining and then sealing it.   at that time it will be our finished floor.  we are very happy with the floor so far and know it will crack here and there. it is a hand finish so the trowel marks show and as far as staining goes it is more art  or craft work .  we will post again as soon as it gets finished in the mean time no one in or out so i am looking at working on the stucco work if possible.

preping for the stained concrete pour

Getting things ready to pour the four inch concrete floor.   This will be a suspended floor so, there is a crawl space under it.  Many things had to be done before the floor gets poured .    First , with help of friends we installed all the under floor sanitary and grey water plumbing.  Only the toilets flush to the septic tank, all other waters from the house, washing machine, showers , sinks etc will go to a grey water tank . This will keep all the soaps and grease out of the septic tank and drain field.   This approach, should make pumping of the septic tank and replacement of the drain field 40 years out or more.   The bathroom wall will not be completed until after the floor is poured so the in wall  plumbing is stubbed out above the floor.  Also, stub outs are in the floor for the fresh water plumbing which will be completed after the floor pour and the walls go up.   Electrical sub outs were done at the time. These are located around the exterior walls, interior walls and in the middle of the floor. We put 4 in floor outlets in the house.  Our heating system consist of radiant floor heat and forced air heat and cooling .  For the forced air delivery side we installed all metal duct work through out the house and made all the penetrations thru the floor.   The furnace returns were scattered through the house and will return the air thru the floor and into the crawl space and back to the furnace with no duct work.   So, we do not have any crawl space vent to the outside and our crawlspace will be conditioned ,  meaning it will be the same temp as the room in the house.    The  wood floor had to be covered with heavy plastic before pouring to keep the cement separate from the wood.   Next it was time to install 3000 foot of half inch pex tubing for the radiant floor heat.   Roughly every 6.5 inches on center.  then the tubes went back thru the floor to the underfloor manifolds.  There will be one inch pex from these manifolds back to the mechanical room to the pumps  and zone solenoids .

Floor with pentrations /plastic/  and tubing for radiant floor heat. 

Under the floor, Duct work/  plumbing.

One of  3 manifolds for radiant floor heat

Standing in great room looking to loft area.

Standing in Loft area looking down into great room.

The loft area.

Starting to seal up the house

Roofing is now complete. Also, have plumbing vents and kitchen stove vent in place thru the roofing.   Installed firing 2x12s around the cement openings for the windows: complete with sealant and window flashing tape.  Windows are being installed. Almost all the windows installed, including in the clear story.  The windows are recessed in from the outside of the house by about 2 inches. All the time we spent to get the window opening square and true really paid off. The was very little shimming to do when we installed the firing and the windows. We also, oiled the wood that is exposed under the eaves and I am working on sanding and oiling the wood post and beams on the porches.  Another task has been stapling the paper to the plywood that the siding will be nailed to, we are trying to keep the house dry. Having windows in the house makes a big difference in the air flow.  Below are some current pictures.

Enjoy