framing

In Summer-y: Innovative Storage, Stunning Screens, and Exciting Construction

July 18, 2024

Since Pig Roast, we’ve been working hard to finalize the design of our storage cube and screen, order and acquire materials, and start the construction process.

Woman removing screws from plywood on a ladder — Taking it all down

Woman removing wooden boards from a wall — Taking it all down

More than just a place to store

To achieve our goal of a continuous pinup surface while maintaining the functionality of the storage cube, our team has been deep diving into door design. As a result, we decided the doors will be the full height of the cube walls, and will be mounted using center pivot hinges to allow them to remain flush with the wall when closed. These hinges will be mounted into the concrete of the slab at the base, and then their tops will be held by a sturdy steel plate that wraps around the top of the wall and down the southern side.

A woman presenting drawings to others — Wheel(er)ing in the details

Two women presenting to others — Wheel(er)ing in the details

Holy Moly, A Screen!

Additionally, we’ve also been working on the details of our screen. After hanging strings at several test heights, we discovered the final height of the screen should be 14 feet. Then, we decided it will be mounted to the exterior face of the columns using a Unistrut channel.

We considered many different perforation patterns and colors for the metal of the screen. In the end, we decided on a 7.2″ ribbed profile in midnight black perforated with 1/8” diameter holes spaced 3/8” apart on center. This pattern will give us a good balance of transparency, glare protection, and rain protection.

Drawing of the Screen and the Storage Core

Construction Zone

Two weeks ago, our team officially began construction. We began by gathering our building materials and setting up our construction zone on the Fabrication Pavilion slab. Then, we removed the white oak from the eastern shear wall, carefully cataloging each piece so they can be put back on the wall in the right order after construction ends. We marked out the placement of our walls on the ground, confirming that our corners were square, and then began constructing the walls.

Woman cutting plywood with circular saw — Chop chop construction girl

Man carrying wooden boards — Chop chop construction girl

As of now, the northern and southern walls are in place and braced against the shear wall, and the two end columns of the east and west sides have been attached. Next, we will be making a large header beam from 2″ x 12″ lumber to span the entire length of the east and west sides and make room for doors in the future.

Woman and Man screwing a framing wall together — Hello down there!!

Woman measuring a piece of wood — Hello down there!!

Hope to see you next month for our end-of-summer construction update!

Tags: construction, danwheeler, Fabrication Pavilion, framing, rs5thyears

Topped Out, Drying In

December 13, 2023

The second half of the fall semester has flown by for the 18×18 House team!

Jake, Julie, Meagan, and Naomi have been flying through framing. Watching the house take shape from the second-floor walls, the gables, and the stair has kept the entire process exciting.

To build the house, the team had to design a couple of special elements to help with construction. As they moved up through the floors, they had to build temporary wall and floor structures. These gave the team platforms to stand and work on, and also helped support the habitable attic before the roof was framed.

Of course, framing the roof meant lifting the ridge beam into place! Naturally, a celebration was in order for the topping-out of the 18×18 House. But no time to slow down! Now come the dormer walls and rafters. Building the dormer was icing on the cake, something the team has been excited (and nervous?) about for a long time. But with it built, the house finally looks like they imagined!

Next comes sheathing. The 18×18 House is well on its way to being dried in for the holidays. The team isn’t losing steam as the semester ends, and the new year will bring new milestones! Watch out for the next 18×18 blog to see where 2024 takes them!

Tags: 18x18house, designbuild, dormer, framing, roofframing, rsleftovers, zipsheathing

Leveled Up

November 10, 2023

Last time we saw the 18×18 House team, they were putting shovels into the ground for the first time. Three months later, the project has leveled up!

The team first got their formwork ready for the concrete pour. This started with them digging their turndowns and trenches and then pulling strings, setting up formwork, and setting the plumbing pipes and electrical conduit.

The next step was putting down gravel, vapor barrier, and rebar. Then came the day everybody had been waiting for—the concrete pour! The team watched as Meagan cried tears of happiness when the slab was finally in place.

Once the slab was set, it was time to get to work. The team ordered and organized on-site to help them work as efficiently as possible.

Before the walls went up, the team laid down, some the termite flashing and sill gaskets to reduce air infiltration between the slab and the pressure-treated base plates.

After just two days, the exterior walls of the first floor were up and braced, then the team began to build and tilt up the interior walls from inside the house—a task that required lots of careful maneuvering due to its size.

They moved some scaffolding to the site and set it up around the house as to prepare to move upward.

Now the team is working on framing the second floor and building the stair. The joists have already been installed, and the team is gluing and nailing down the subfloor.

With the second floor platform installed, the team got a great view of the sunset down the hill, and they can’t wait to see that view from the very top. Stay tuned to see what the 18×18 House team does next!

Tags: 18x18house, concrete, framing, rsleftovers

Beginning the Enclosure

July 8, 2021

Rendering of Reverend Walkers Home from the Street — Rev Walkers Home

My my, dear reader, it has been some time hasn’t it? Welcome to my latest journal recounting the design and progress of Reverend Walker’s Home. I can assure you the silence has not been due to any lack of activity, rather the opposite. Upon completion of the large pavilion structure, my crew has moved underneath to begin constructing the enclosed volumes that inhabit the space between slab and roof. You can be sure that they are grateful for the sheltered workspace that defends them from rain and sun. They have no excuse to not be working. Myself, I have found it a most suitable location for napping. There’s much to catch you up on, dear reader, so let’s begin with a recap of the design of the Reverend’s Home.

The Home

Reverend Walker’s Home is a response to the rural phenomena of home addition, which you can read about in an earlier journal. It aims to provide a forgiving space on a strong foundation to facilitate successful addition. The home is a kit of three parts: a slab, a roof, and two enclosed volumes. One volume is the main living block with all necessary program. The smaller volume is a partially unfinished space furnished with utility stub-outs.

The intentionally disparate items are intended to imply a process of addition… first the slab, second the roof, third the enclosure, and so on and so forth. Although the home encourages clients to design and extend the enclosure according to their lifestyle, it is completely livable as-built. Crew member Paul likens the Reverend’s Home to a “hook to hang one’s hat on”. Ultimately, it is built as a minimal enclosure with a luxury of porch space. The porch could exist as outdoor living, or be infilled.

As of now, the roof and slab are done. The only piece of the kit left is the enclosure.

Slab Seal

As a part of our vapor barrier system, we used a DOT approved slab seal to ensure that moisture can neither seep into the slab or move up through it into the home. Before sealing, the slab was pressure washed and left to dry for 48 hours. This stuff is very hydrophobic and water now squeegees right off.

Mock-up

Before diving into framing the units underneath the roof, we needed to ensure that our details were going to work. We do this by building 1:1 mockups. In ours, we tested framing and flashing details, as well as a full-scale mockup of our custom window design. You might recall that our team has designed a window system made of a fixed glass pane and an operable ventilation hatch. By doing the mock-up we were able to refine details and systems which will make a better final product.

Floor

Satisfied with our details, we’ve moved on. To make things easier in the future, we decided to go ahead and attach our treated sill-plates to the slab and build the sub-floor. We used powder-actuated and pneumatic tools for the plates. The sub-floor is r-7.5 rigid insulation between sleepers with plywood on top. Following the installation of the floor, we were ready to frame.

Framing

rafters

There you have it, dear reader, the current state of Reverend Walker’s Home. It’s certainly beginning to take shape. With my thoughtful leadership, I have brought us to this point and will continue to ask my crew to go above and beyond. I am confident they will not disappoint me. My next order will be for them to put up sheathing and wrap the house, after which I will banish them to the woodshop to build all the windows and doors. Alas, I could go on forever, dear reader, if only it wasn’t my nap hour. For now, I must retire to the captain’s table and rest my weary paws.

Fondly,

Taterhead

Tags: concrete, framing, pavilion, polebarn, ruralstudio