Stucco

While the sheetrock taping on the inside continues to stall, at least the stucco work is getting done.  These are some pictures of the scratch coat going on the exterior walls.  A final colored topcoat will go on after this first layer.  It is coming along! 

Sheetrock Is Up and On the Walls

The sheetrock is finally up and on the walls!  What a relief.  Again, the space looks different as another layer is imposed on the structure.  I think it looks great.  Love the full white-out effect too.  This is a view looking into the living room with the fireplace on the left side.

This is a photo looking into the kitchen.  On the left side will be a bank of high cabinets and on the right side will be a U-shaped bank of cabinets with the sink centered under the windows on the right. 

This is a photo of the laundry room area and the mechanical room at the end of the hall.  Looks like they did a good job on the sheetrocking.  The taping and mudding will be the critical work.  Holding my breath that it will all go well.

Sheetrocking - No Show

Well, we have run into another snag in the progress.  The sheetrock guy hasn't showed up for two weeks now.  Already gave him half his money and no show.  The slithering pace of waiting and waiting is starting to wear on me. 

Interior Insulation

We finally got the insualation in for the cabin walls!  The walls are all 2x6 construction which allow for additional insulation.  In order to maximize the efficiency of the the insulation, we went with 1" closed cell sprayed in polyurethan foam for all the interior walls.  After the foam was sprayed in, they filled the rest of the wall cavity with R-19 batten insulation for a total insulation factor of R-33.  The ceiling has 2" sprayed in foam with batten insulation for a total insulation factor of R-43.  I think it looks pretty good.  You can definitely feel the difference in space with the walls filled in, but the rooms still seem spacious enough.

Exterior Foam Wrap

The exterior of the cabin was wrapped with 1" foam boards for extra insulation factor. The exterior insulation was installed as part of the prep work for the stucco.  I think it is looking like a pretty tight and efficient building envelope.  Hope it all saves us some money on heating and cooling. The two black flexible pipes coming out of the wall are for hooking up the Mitsubishi H2i heat pumps that will be installed just before occupancy.  You can also see that the metal facia on the porch and roof lines is already rusting for a nice look.



 

Tongue and Groove Cedar for Porch Overhangs

Mitch was a finish carpenter before he decided to start building houses.  You can see his talent and attention to detail on the installation of tongue and groove cedar panels under the roof canopy and porch overhangs.  This was another project we thought would wait until later, but it provided for a more finished look to do before the exterior insulation and stucco was put on.  I think they look amazing.  He also combined two different wood stain colors to get the right match to the cedar lintels over the windows.  Nice.

This is a good comparison to see what the overhangs looked like before the cedar panels.  Having them enclosed and finished off makes a big different.

Winter

I like this picture of the cabin shrouded in snow.  Waiting for warmer days.  And a finished cabin!  This photo was taken by the solar installer after final connections were made.  The panels are all hooked up.  Just need the snow to melt off of them.

Metal Trim for Front Door

We needed to add a little design element to the front and side entry facades, so we had the builder install some corrugated metal panels around the entryways.  This is the front door view.  The corrugated metal is the same metal used for the porch roofs.  Eventually it will rust.  The installer did a great job framing the metal panels, doors and light fixtures with matching cedar wood. 

Solar Panels

We designed the building angle and south facing roof slope to accommodate future solar panel installation.  We ended up qualifying for the Rocky Mountain Solar Incentive for 2013 and decided to go ahead and put the solar panels in sooner rather than later.  We hired Marc Staker from Sunlight Solar to design and install the system and he was amazing.  Very responsive, knowledgeable and all-around great guy.  Plus, he has a rat terrier (you can see her in the photo by the truck)!  Anyway, he installed a beautiful 2kw system with the high-tech black glass panels made here in the USA. 

 

 

 

Windows

We went with Marvin Integrity Ultrex fiberglass composite windows with LoE-366 glass with argon.  In the desert heat you cannot use vinyl windows because they warp.  We couldn't afford full wooden windows and the fiberglass composite windows actually have a better energy star rating than the wooden ones.  In the end, with the extra "mistake" window in the bedroom and the "late addition" window on the west wall in the kitchen, we ended up with 16 windows in our little 1,000 sq.ft. cabin.  Wow.

Metal Roof

The metal roof has been installed.  It took longer than expected because the manufacturer cut the trim pieces incorrectly.  And you can't put the roof on until the trim pieces are in.  So, that was a couple week delay.  We also had to install a standing metal seam roof instead of a corrugated rusted metal roof (that I really wanted) because the solar panels could not be attached securely to the rusted metal roof.  I think the standing seam metal looks fine.  The roof material on the porches is still the corrugated rusted metal.

Porch Overhangs

The porch overhangs are in!  I love how these add some visual detail to the elevations.

 

This photo also shows the rusted metal fascia trim along the roof line and porches.  There are two windows on the left side (bedroom) since the first one wasn't in the right place.  Instead of covering up the "mistake" window, we left them both in and ordered another window:)

 

 

 

Castle Valley Drive

The cabin is located along a charming country road.  This is a picture looking from the property towards the La Sal Mountains.  It was a little smokey today from all the summer fires.

This is a shot of the cabin and from Castle Valley Drive.  Still looks like a construction site.  I like the meandering driveway.

 

Framed In

By the end of September, the cabin is all framed in!!  It looks great and I love all the windows.  This is a view of the South elevation and the row of windows from the bedroom.

Mary and the Dogs in the living room.

Me standing in the front door.

 

 

Framing

 

Wow!!  After a summer of being very patient and trying not to bug Mitch about how the construction was going -- we were pleasantly surprised to receive some pictures of the progress so far.  I can't believe the walls are up already!!  It is amazing to see something come to life that we just dreamed up on paper.  After a year or so working on two dimensional drawings, it is exhilarating to see the real deal.  Some things are different than imagined, but overall, the structure looks great and is living up to the Vision.  I am so excited!  I just wish we could get down there to see it in person.  Hopefully soon.  I think the windows and the corresponding doors look great and give it a really open feel.

 

Concrete Sealer

The concrete floors were sealed with W.R. Meadows Sealtight Seal Cure CS-309-25.  Seal Cure is a styrene acrylic polymer which cures, seals and hardens newly cured concrete.  We plan to use the concrete floors as the finished floor material for a few years.  Eventually, I'm planning to add another product to give the floors a high-gloss "wet" look.  Looking into SuperSeal 2000 made by a local Utah company called Concrete Coatings.  SuperSeal 2000 is also an acrylic-based clear sealer.

Concrete Slab

The concrete slab was poured today!  We now officially have a floor.  Here are some pictures from the builder showing the process.  Looks like they did a great job.  

Solar Incentive

We applied for the Rocky Mountain Solar Incentive Program which provides incentives - in the form of cash-o-la - to residents and businesses to install solar systems.  We didn't win the lottery straight away, but we were fourth on the waiting list.  We just heard this week that we have moved into an eligible spot and can get up to $3,100 from the power company to install a 2kw system on the cabin!!  We designed the cabin to face south with a down sloping roof so that the solar panels can be installed directly on the roof.  We'll have it pre-wired during the framing process and then the panels will be installed on the roof after the roof is complete.  We are working with Marc Staker from Sunlight Solar and he is awesome!

Here is Marc's Website:  http://sunlightsolar.pro/

Getting Close to Pouring Slab

Just got an email update from Mitch on the concrete pour.  Sounds like the big day is imminent.  Holding my breath with excitement.  Here is the email thread from Mitch: 

Hey Lisa, Things are going well, I have had my laborer working on getting compaction. Your house site is an alluvial slough and mostly sand. I have had to fill up the trench with water, let it soak and consolidate, then run the tamper again. We are getting there. About 90% compaction. Meanwhile the batter boards are set and the plumbers are lined up to come in with a machine and trench for the under ground sewer, water, and radon lines, and electrical stub out Monday.  The way we are pouring this is that we are pouring the footers stemwall and slab in one pour. Every thing needs to be in place. 

Footings

The trenches have been dug for the footings and foundation.  You can really get a sense of the location and size of the cabin now with its footprint essentially outline in the ground.  I have to say at this stage 1,000 square feet looks pretty small.  I have been told that it will start to look bigger once the walls go up and the strucutre starts to take form.

Septic System

The septic system has been installed!  With 5 acre lots, everyone in Castle Valley uses a septic tank with leach fields to control sewage.  I'm not sure I love the idea of dealing with our own sewage onsite, but this is the way it is done.  From what I have read, we also have a bit of a learning curve on how to keep the septic system happy.  No vegetables, no powdered dishwasher soap, etc.  The only evidence of the system is the disturbed surface area for installing the tank and trenches, and two very small stop-and-waste caps.  Hopefully, it will function as designed -- out of sight -- out of mind.

Rock Retaining Wall

We tried to locate the cabin site on the highest point on the lot, but in order to meet setback requirements, there is still a bit of elevation gain above the cabin site.  Flooding and sheet flow are very real dangers on this side of the valley as the natural drainage course of the water flows from the sheer cliff walls of the rim down and across the valley to the low point.  We have already seen 100 year flood levels of water gush down Pope Lane in a torrent and flow across the lower half of our lot with incredible force depositing small boulders and debris in its wake.  As the cabin pad was being built, it became apparent that the pad would have to be pretty high to avoid potential sheet flooding from the high side of the valley.  Instead of building the pad site up even higher, a rock wall was constructed to essentially protect the cabin from flooding by redirecting any flood waters out and away from either side of the cabin.  It is best described as an "eyebrow" around the backside of the cabin.  I am not a big fan of retaining walls or other artificial berming, but I have to say that this wall looks pretty cool.  The workmanship is spectacular and I think it will actually give us some privacy off the backside of the house.

Grading for Cabin Site

Since we are building slab on grade, the cabin site had to built up a bit to create a flat building site. A few loads of clean red dirt fill were brought in and graded and compacted to perfection. Since the winter was so mild this year, we were able to get the building site ready for construction a lot sooner than we thought. We now have all the infrastructure in and building site ready for the foundation.

Culvert on Castle Valley Drive

In compliance with the Castle Valley Culvert Ordinance, we had a two foot wide culvert put in at the driveway entrance from Castle Valley Drive. Water drainage is an issue in the valley, as the water sheets off of the rim and down the side roads. Keeping the water in the drainage ditches is challenging. Hopefully this nice culvert will keep the water moving down the valley. I love the rocks around the culvert which provide protection and aesthetic benefits.

Driveway

We brought the electrical line up the center of the driveway, which required a 4' trench down the middle of the previously graded drive. After the electrical lines were in and live, the trench was filled back in and the driveway was regraded. I love the curve that we designed into the driveway so it doesn't look like a straight shot up from Castle Valley Drive. Some day we will have to add gravel to the drive to keep the weeds out, but it looks great right now with that bright red dirt!