We continue to add perlite to the wall cavity as the structure grows.
Preparing the window sills for concrete.
Concrete is in place and the sills are now ready for flagstone. This will make a great place to sit and read a book.
John Ford working on details above the great room window. There are a series of four clearstory windows (facing due South) that will span 18' above this window allowing excellent passive solar access.
This is the kitchen entry and window on the west wall. It is ready for the bond beam forms. The blocks of wood are called "gringo blocks" and will be used to fasten the forms for the bond beam. There will be an 11' Portal off the kitchen. A nice place for outside dining.
This is the view from the east we have used throughout the building process to date as a reference. The lintels are in place over the master bedroom french doors and the pass-through to the master bath soaking tub. This side will also have a portal and patio area.
The fall colors have been spreading across the hills at an amazing pace. What a treat to spend my days in such a place.
Perlite
We continue to add perlite to the walls as they go up. It is a dusty material and the particles have sharp edges which often wind up in our eyes. Fortunately, they float out easily on their own as our eyes water. We try to do this work when the crew is not on-site as the dust goes everywhere.
Window sills
We began forming the window sills and pouring concrete. The exterior of each window sill will have a 7" flagstone sill sloped at 5 degrees and the interior will have a 16 inch flagstone window seat which will give us a great place to soak up the winter sun.
Lintels
On September 2nd a truck load of 8" x 12" rough sawn timbers were delivered to the site. I began cutting them to lengths needed to span the top of window and door openings. The lintels are 8" high by 24" wide and extend beyond the openings by a foot on each side. John Ford pinned two lengths of this beam material together using #4 rebar and then capped the ends with half -inch plywood which were glued and screwed in place. The crew then assembled and lifted these monsters into place. With the lintels in place, the mass of the structure is becoming more evident. The views from the windows are now fully framed and the timing couldn't be more perfect. It is now September 24th and the fall colors are the best we have witnessed here in the Gulch. Every day the oaks, willows and cottonwoods become more brilliant. The view changes all day long as the sun moves across the sky. It is hard to stay focused with such a wonderful display across the valley.
On September 2nd a truck load of 8" x 12" rough sawn timbers were delivered to the site. I began cutting them to lengths needed to span the top of window and door openings. The lintels are 8" high by 24" wide and extend beyond the openings by a foot on each side. John Ford pinned two lengths of this beam material together using #4 rebar and then capped the ends with half -inch plywood which were glued and screwed in place. The crew then assembled and lifted these monsters into place. With the lintels in place, the mass of the structure is becoming more evident. The views from the windows are now fully framed and the timing couldn't be more perfect. It is now September 24th and the fall colors are the best we have witnessed here in the Gulch. Every day the oaks, willows and cottonwoods become more brilliant. The view changes all day long as the sun moves across the sky. It is hard to stay focused with such a wonderful display across the valley.
