Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

House Party

Image
Time to celebrate!   October 2017 marked the end of construction.  Everyone enjoyed a house party to share, say thanks, and enjoy our new home with Jay, Tim Smith and the crew from Big Valley Builders and their families, and our neighbors and friends.  We have enjoyed many small and a few large gatherings since finishing the house.   Over time, whether just the two of us, or with a group, we have appreciated that everything we had hoped for in this build was accomplished.
Read more

Framing

Image
The foundation and rough floor were completed in early October.  Later in the month the weather turned wet and cold as framing started.  The goal was to be weather tight and have the finish roof on before the snow came.   Extra time was taken during truss design to make sure the truss contact points aligned with the weight bearing walls and would meet snow load engineering specs.   This was a collaborative effort that included designer Jay, builder Tim, engineer Fred Cooley, and Louws truss fabrication.  For the most part we made our schedule including having the trusses delivered before the snow came.  Ice guard was applied to the roof deck before the snow came, but Tim's crew did have to shovel snow and manage the technical challenges of getting metal roll forming equipment on site for the finish roof.  In the end--it worked out just fine.   ...
Read more

exterior trim and finish

Image
The exterior detail for Balsam Hill House focused on materials that mated well with a contemporary design.  Materials selected were at a reasonable price point, gave a clean and uncluttered look, and were fire resistant.   Our final choices included corrugated metal and cement board siding with extruded metal trims, metal clad Sierra Pacific windows and doors, and continuous run metal roofing.  In keeping with firewise program recommendations metal soffit screens and concrete hardscapes were chosen.  Landscaping focused on creating a defendable space against fire through the use of rock, low growth plantings, and drought resistant fescue grasses.  To create a defendable  perimeter, brush was cleared and trees were limbed while on two sides the access road and driveway provide a fire break.  We were very thankful that during the Crescent mountain fire we had a site visit from the  wildland fire contract crew to make sure the house had a reaso...
Read more