Sidings and Trims

At our home renovation project underway, once the windows are in and the water vapor material wraps the structure, the siding and window trims are installed.  The windows are trimmed to match the existing windows of the home, and consist of a labor-intensive process of trimming boards and profile trims precisely. Once the flashing is installed over the window trims, the siding is installed.  The siding, too, has been ordered and installed to match the width of the siding on the rest of the home.

All of these steps are a time-honored system that effectively wraps the home in a water-shedding shell.
Though today, a combination of wood and Hardie board is used (fiber-cement siding material), once painted, all of these surfaces will look like they've been a part of the home forever!

In addition, a new railing has been installed that wraps the perimeter of the roof over the family room and covered patio extension.  This railing helps to visually tie the addition to the home.

While all this has been happening on the exterior of the home, great progress has been made on the pool renovation, and interior walls and cabinetry are being installed.  Wait till you see!

Buttoning Up

Getting new construction buttoned up against the elements is always an immediate goal during the process. You want to be sure that nothing on the interior is exposed to rain damage, so nothing that has potential for major water damage is installed before the exterior is sealed.  This means the roof is shingled, exterior walls wrapped, and windows and doors in place.

Aside from the very practical elements that window and door installation satisfy, once they are in place the true character of the home or addition starts to unfold.

Custom windows and doors would be ordered at the start of construction, and delivered as a package. Here they come!

And as soon as they arrive, the installation begins.  Fingers crossed that all measurements were accurate, and all were made to order!

Looks great!  With windows in place, the interior can start to be closed in with sheetrock, and before you know it the space will be livable...well, almost.  A ways to go before it's ready to use, but great progress has been made!

Construction/Destruction

In a project like the one we've been following, since opening up the exterior walls of a home is involved, the rebuilding very quickly (if not simultaneously) occurs after the demolition.  Here, most of the back end of the home was removed for the new windows, patio and addition.

 

 

New piers for the addition are poured, and the constructions begins.  This will be buttoned up and waterproofed within a few days time.

Windows go in next, then the more tedious interior work starts; running all new electric in the renovated areas, new AC....and as is almost always the case in these older homes, a surprise or two...!

Solutions On Paper

Last week we started following a new design project we're currently in the midst of.  We saw pictures of the "before" conditions....not bad!  The design process always begins with meetings to discuss program and expectations.  We really focus on details of their dream spaces, and what it will take to get there, in hopes of satisfying as many of those conditions as possible.

If more than one design solution really makes sense, we often present a client with two or even sometimes three or more options for their space.  Sometimes there is a definite standout, and often the next phase of the design process will be to combine elements from one or more of the floor plan options into a final plan.

Since this renovation adds more floor space to the home, and affects the exterior views--and due to the fact that the property is in an historic district--elevations showing the existing exterior conditions and the roof plan were created.

Here are two new floor plan options that were presented to the client.  The new footprint is the same in each, but the kitchen orientation is shown in two completely different ways.

This shaded drawing shows the new areas being added to the home, part as a family room and part will a covered patio area.

A final plan was chosen, and detailed elevations were created for each and every wall.  Now the fun can start!  Demolition time!