Painting during the day, laminate flooring by night.

If I were to enumerate the qualities of ideal paint scaffolding it might read as follows: solid, safe, spacious (plenty of room for sprayer and paint bucket) will easily reach 30 feet in the air, and last but not least, move effortlessly up/down/side to side by wordlessly reading your mind and anticipating what needs to be painted next.

Also known as the Summers family boom truck with scaffolding accessory. Must be seen to be believed. Best paint day EVER. I think it took less than an hour of actual painting time to put two coats on the South quarter of the house, including the 2 and 1/2 story, window infested, concrete patio wielding, big wall.

Behr Premium Plus Ultra. Lifetime guaranty (that's what the can says). Nanotechnology. With Ethylene Glycol -- paintable if the temperature will remain above 35 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours. About 26 gallons of wall paint, and not 3 gallons of trim/door paint. Satin. Wished we'd have painted the walls flat.

Most days I used Greg's (siding guy) scaffolding. He was very generous in loaning and setting up/moving it around. I was nervous on it at first. The plank is maybe 10 inches deep, and twenty feet long, suspended on ladder jacks and ladders -- the whole thing flexes and bends. I focus intently when I'm spraying paint and lose track of my surroundings. While painting the long West side of the garage I walked right off the end. As I was falling I remember it feeling cool (temperature) and being surprised it didn't hurt. Right up until I hit the ground 7-13 feet below (depending on whether you measure it by my feet or my head which started at different heights and ended at precisely the same height). Then I jumped up, ripped off my mask, glasses, and gloves and ran around trying to figure out what had hit me.

Chad started pouring the driveway. He also poured the front sidewalk, stairs off the front porch, and a beautiful patio and stairs down to the walkout basement patio.

Friday, November 6th (and some on October 30th) Cory installed the boiler (Munchkin Contender, up to 94% efficient) and some of the pumps/piping needed for the radiant heat. Heat production is regulated by the outside temperature and which zone/device is calling for heat. For radiant heating the temperature of the water might be 130 degrees F. For the hot water maker (see below) or garage heater it will be 200+ degrees F.

The hot water maker (Triangle Tube Smart 60) will be installed later. It is capable of 410 gallons/hour recovery or 360 gallons continuous. If we can keep water flowing through all the pipes, we can heat it up. Lifetime warranty. Neat.

Kind of a shame this stuff is all hidden in the utility room.

We were told by one builder that radiant heat wouldn't make the floor feel warm because our house is "tight" and well insulated. They had no idea what they were talking about. In fairness, it isn't warm continuously, but when the floor calls for heat, warm it is. I think with a bit of tinkering with a programmable thermostat, it's going to be Marvelous. Because of the thermal mass in the floors additional lead time is required for temperature changes... It just feels like a different kind of heat. But different in a GOOD way. Unless we just curl up on the floor and nap through the winter.

Painting the garage was a bigger project than we anticipated. Do projects ever go faster and easier than expected? Why paint the garage to begin with? 'Cause if I didn't, I'd have to increase my medication. It's a personal problem.

The sheetrockers had left their scaffolding in the garage. When we were building the columns yesterday, Chris suggested I might use it to paint the garage. Today, just as Jen and I were finished assembling it, someone from Scott Bone Drywall drove up and looked at us and said "you're not going to be very happy with me today." Layne was kind enough to deliver his dad's scaffolding which we used instead.

Chris loaned us his propane heater. It will drain a five gallon tank in less than an hour and a half at full burn -- looking like it ought to have a hot air balloon above it. Kept the garage toasty. We tried to avoid burning while we were spraying "This product is known to the State of CA to cause cancer, birth defects, extraneous appendagii, etc" thinking that the product of KILZ 2 paint combustion probably isn't safer than the unaltered paint.

Originally, we thought we'd just prime it, but after a single+ coat of KILZ 2 (about 7 gallons?), it clearly needed a 2nd coat. At 2:30am Friday morning, Jen ran to Brigham City Walmart only to find they didn't have any more. Aack. And we weren't sure what to use for a topcoat, that we hadn't planned on using anyway. So she came home.

Ironically, Benjamin Moore's paint has high ratings from Consumer Reports, and is sold at Walmart, so Jen stopped back on the way from meeting with Marilynn Allred-Hennessy, design consultant, at Dal Tile (a little later on Friday) and picked up 7 gallons. That was enough to do one coat and a few trouble spots.

All in all, kind of a hassle -- but soon forgotten -- and I'll like the way the garage looks forever. Well, for as long as I hold an opinion about such things. We thought briefly about starting epoxy on the floor while it is so empty, but we have more pressing concerns.

They finished putting in the septic system today. Or so they thought. The gravel was too large and the inspector wants them to pull it all off, and put smaller gravel down instead. Worried about silt infiltration. As you can read off the concrete, the 1500 gallon vault tank comes from Lindquist out of Ogden. The same people that will entomb the rest of you when you don't care about houses or other worldly things.


Five hundred and fifty five linear feet of shallow trench (12") with 12" of capping fill. A neighbor who owns a nursery is going to deliver fill for the cost of moving it ($80 per load?). Ten loads?

Chris and I built tapered columns for the tops of the posts today, Wednesday October 28th. I think I scared him when I mentioned trying to tackle it, but I was very glad to build them with him while he was giving direction. We got five of the nine built, and only one partially installed. Jen drove up and saw the one column up and wondered what we'd been doing all day. Someone, who shall remain nameless stepped on the top of the rock on the column and fractured the mortar. We attempted to glue it back on with silicone. I think the rock guys may have to fix it when they come back to do the basement fireplace.

C.H.I insulated steel double sided garage doors delivered and installed by Windsor Door Sales Inc. out of Ogden. R value of 8.07. These are Chris's standard. Very nice.

Mudding and taping took just over a week. Actually, the taping was fast. They had machines that looked like a bazooka with a fishing reel of tape on it. They would dip them in a bucket of mud, and then apply the mud and tape together. Very fast. The additional coats of mud and sanding took the rest of the week.

Chris got the furnace running on Monday, October 19th. It is a high efficiency (96%!) that is only ducted to the basement (radiant heat upstairs). I thought more of the heat would move up through the stairs etc. but it does not. So, the downstairs is warm. The furnace creates a small steady stream of water when it is running. I've been plugging the grinder pump in periodically to evacuate the water (gallons!), but I need to get the pump permanently wired.

This picture is from Wednesday evening. By the end of Friday, October 16th, all of the sheetrock was hung. They had two crews working simultaneously. It felt like too many people to count -- but they would somehow all fit in a couple of mid-sized vehicles. They brought their own microwave, somehow dialed in a spanish speaking radio station, and filled the porta-potty to overflowing.

Tuesday, October 13th, Sheetrock delivered. Later in the day, while I was changing a couple of very last minute electrical items upstairs, Jen was marking outlets on the floor with a Sharpie in case they were buried and lost by the sheetrockers. I heard a tremendous crash, and then quiet. I thought "hmm, no one's screaming, guess everything is OK". Pure genius. Twenty seconds later I hear "Michael". But more like groaning than english. Jen had been trying to reach behind a leaning stack of sheetrock, and it had tipped and landed on top of her, badly bruising her leg and pelvis, and throwing her to the floor causing her to hit her head and pass out. We both felt like geniuses. Thankfully Jen was fine. Really sore, but fine.

Siding materials:

CertainTeed Weatherboards "Cedar Lap Siding". "The products are manufactured using a multi-step high-pressure process combining Portland cement, fly ash, wood fiber and specialty additives. [It is a "green product"] ...made from recycled materials and sustainably harvested wood pulp. These products are impervious to wood boring insects, resistant to UV radiation, have a Class 1 (A) Flame Spread Rating (considered non-combustible), will not rot, and have superior impact resistance. 50 year warranty." Cool.

Greg (siding installer) talked us out of getting the pre-painted product. He feels that the finished product looks better if it is painted on site (no paint spots where the siding was nailed). Not to mention we came out budget neutral vs stucco or vinyl siding -- if I do the painting.

On top of:

Pactiv GreenGuard Raindrop House wrap. "Provides advanced moisture management. Drainage channels move water away from the wall. Protects against air and water infiltration." Of course DuPont (maker of Tyvek) thinks their product is better. Some builders think 30# felt is the only way to go based on long term track record. Long story short, I think the critical function in our house is keeping water out, which I think this product will do very well. I don't think we'll have vapor issues due to the Icynene insulation on the inside, and exterior foam insulation on top of the sheathing.

On top of:

Owens Corning Foamular 250 Rigid Foam Insulation. As previously blogged: extruded polystyrene foam sheathing (R value of 5). "...for exterior walls contains hundreds of millions of densely packed air cells to provide exceptional thermal performance. It’s also virtually impervious to moisture, preventing loss of R-value due to moisture penetration."

Aack. I've climbed out of the time sucking pit that was doing the electrical myself. Well, I had help from a few friends and family members, but it still stretched on for eight weeks. I enjoy electrical work (maybe even more now that I think I know a little more what I'm doing) but it took much longer than I was able to predict.

So the posts I'm about to insert between now (Oct 11th) and August 9th are retrospective. And they reflect just how sieve like my mind really is...

Greg started the siding on Tuesday. We ended up using an inch of Owens Corning (pink) extruded polystyrene foam sheathing (R value of 5) rather than the Atlas polyiso foam. The Atlas had an R value of 6.5/inch but cost 50% more... The green (in the photo above) is a vapor barrier.

By today, Friday October 9th, they'd covered from the kitchen door on the SW corner to the front door on the NE. He is using CertainTeed's WeatherBoards fiber cement siding.

They over-sprayed the walls a little, and then shave off the excess with a long saw blade. This results in some large piles/large garbage sacks. Lance (the installer) said that they used to grind it up for use in blown in applications, but it wasn't worth the labor. Today (October 7th) he sprayed the roof decking and clerestory. In large open areas they stretched plastic across, and then sprayed the plastic.

Tuesday, October 6th. Finished installing the motor/controls for the three operable clerestory windows. They're pretty neat. They'll operate off of a thermostat on a remote control, and each have rain sensors that override and close the windows in inclement weather.

Cardall's Insulation foamed the main level walls and sill plates with Icynene. It expands 100x to fill and seal the walls. The installer had a little trouble getting the temperature of the delivery system right because of some colder temperatures this morning. It sprays on at about 150 degrees F, and then gets above 200 degrees as the chemicals react.

Thursday, October 1st. I have no idea what took so long. Where did September go? As of Wednesday, all I really HAD to get done before Thursday (4-way inspection) were the electrical panels. I started about 4pm and finished about 8am. Two panels. Maybe 75 circuits. It was my favorite electrical task, but I remember it as a sort of never-ending trip into purgatory.

Early September. Ish.

Porch cap poured. We've ended up with a couple of steps to get in to the front entry (from an original plan of 0) but I think we're happy. I'll build wheelchair ramps for those if/when we need them.

Square column bases poured.

Garage rocked (the small portion that is rock) and column bases rocked. Well, covered with manufactured stone appearing substance from Harristone. Cape cod Uintah ledgstone.

August 26th. JR Christensen family rented us their backhoe and Chris and his sons Jared and Aaron placed the boulders around the walkout/basement patio. It took ~ two days as I recall.

The roof is on in this photo. The roofers took two days -- and probably would have been finished in one if they had brought more roofing paper. The wind had ripped off the paper in a few places and it had to be replaced before they could shingle.

After debating shingle color for months, we selected Tamko Heritage 30 "Weathered Wood". We considered GAF/Elk's "Cool Color Series" but ultimately decided against. Like many "green" or "energy efficient" ideas we've explored it came down to cost/benefit analysis. They have a higher reflective index than regular asphalt shingles. However, they cost ~50% more than regular shingles, and wouldn't save enough in energy costs to pay for themselves within the lifetime of the shingle. If someone had an unlimited budget, or stricter ideals... but regrettably with us it has to be practical.

August 21st. I don't know how much a semi-full of boulders weigh, but it felt like a small earthquake when he dumped them out. Two loads at $1,300 per...

August something-ish until early October.

Boxes up (often moved, re-sized).
Holes drilled (and re-drilled).
Wire pulled.
Can locations planned. With the multiple angles in the vaults in the great room and master bedroom, we thought it would work best to plot out the lights on the floor, and then use a plumb bob to locate the right location on the ceiling. Which might of worked great except for all of the framing that is the ceiling. In the end the can lights just ended up where the looked "ok".
Can lights mounted (and moved and re-mounted)
Kitchen, bath boxes and wire installed.
Bath fans installed. Decided to install (very quiet Broan) fans in each bath rather than central fan. May still install timers on the fans for fresh air.
Christmas light outlet boxes installed in eaves.
Eave lights placed. No real rhyme or reason to their placement except where they fit. Hope that looks right...
The clerestory sconces and cans took two full days to mount and wire. The first day was mostly me clinging to the top of a twenty foot ladder fearing for death. Not so much actual work accomplished. The problem is one hand is needed to hold the can light while the other hand swings the hammer to nail it in place, which leaves no hands for clinging. That and the clerestory sconces were mounted in a place that was double sheathed on top of triple trusses. Finding where they could all be level and symmetrical (and all 14 feet off the floor) took time. Up and down the ladders I don't know how many times to get the wire threaded around the clerestory. Memories.
Ceiling fan boxes.
Boxes wired.
Switches wired (Sometimes rewired). Really hope I have the 3-way/4-way switches right.
Utility room/blowers wired.
AC, ovens, dryer wired (we're planning for natural gas for the dryer, maybe the ovens, but we wired for the option).
Fire alarms.
Telephone, internet Cat 5e.
RG6 for television.
HDMI, Component for high-def content.
Doorbell.
Garage Door Openers.

1. Met with Patrick to firm up cabinet plan.
2. Started electrical on Thursday. The hardest part is getting started. We bought a full truckload of supplies on Wednesday at Lowes.
3. Garage mostly wired on Friday. Still needs light boxes.
   
4. Basement boxes up Saturday, ran out of boxes on main floor. Richie (Jen's brother came) this afternoon and helped with all my questions. Layne came up and helped drill holes and pull cable in the basement.
   

Hmm, been slacking on pictures lately. Not so many exterior changes. Last week:

1. July 28th: turns out when Chris was saying "blown in" insulation and I was saying "blown in" insulation we were talking about two different things. I thought it was wet blown cellulose and he thought it was fiberglass. With the inside of the roof being tight and complicated in the a major portion of the house, we decided to get a bid on Icynene. Cardall's out of Logan came today and gave us a great bid (35% less than we'd seen before) for sprayed on open-cell insulation that was only a couple thousand more than our bid had been for fiberglass. Hurrah! Definately doing Icynene!
2. Gordon came up from Bill's Comfort Systems. Long story short, installing two AC blowers in the attic -- primarily for good air flow -- and one furnace in the basement. Installing one 4 inch vent to each system to provide fresh air when there is negative pressure in the house. I will install a multi-room vent system that will automatically switch on for so many minutes each hour, tied in with all the bath fans. I ran the numbers for a HRV and even if energy costs triple, I just can't justify an HRV. The amount of energy saved only makes up the cost of the HRV after 30-50 years. Odds are not good that it would last near that long...
3. Plumbers started but then delayed waiting for mechanical (us making up our minds).
   

Friday, July 24th, windows and doors in! Well, most of the windows. The clerestory, and a few main floor windows, and basement window-well windows yet to come. The framers cleaned up and packed up for a while. They'll be back to finish framing around the venting, and a few other things.

Thursday, July 23rd, framing all but done. Had another bonfire as the pile was getting large. A little too large. I had one of the neighboring farmers stop by to see if the house was on fire. It wasn't. Yet. The fire looks closer to the house than it actually was. Which was close enough.

Wednesday, July 22nd, while driving around the corner on my way home from work I saw the house and my stomach hit the floor. Once my brain got a hold of my limbic system I was glad for the felt paper on the roof (and glad the house hadn't charred). Very fast dramatic change. The roofers also put the top drip edge of fascia in place (white).

Jake and co. stayed late again to finish the curve on the front porch. The curves in the house look great, but are time consuming to construct. The framers are so far over there planned time for completion I'm sure it's good for them that we eliminated the curves in the master bath. I think it's going to function better for us too.

Tuesday, July 21st, had a long meeting with Chris where we met in turn with:

1. Guy (Guy's Glass). Long story long on the remote controlled windows in the clerestory: Originally we had planned on Velux windows (high quality, very expensive) but they cannot be installed more vertical than 85 degrees. Then found Marvin "power-drive" windows (high quality, very expensive), but long story short, our builder thought (incorrectly) that we couldn't get them. So then Chris wondered if the powered windows were the same excepting the power unit (they are) so then he got to wondering if we could put Amsco Artisan windows (like what we have in the rest of the house) (less quality, less expensive) but get a powered drive system and install it ourselves. Guy found the drives for $250 a piece (we want 3). All in all this will save us thousands vs. any of the other alternatives, and our windows will all be consistent (excepting the type of glass) throughout the house.
2. Gordon (Bill's Comfort Systems). Decided to go with the simpler, smaller fireplaces. Discussed options for heating/cooling -- all of which are more expensive than what we originally had budgeted -- but then we had originally budgeted for radiant heat in the basement also. Also discussed fresh air options.
3. Jake. Decided to leave out the interior wall that faces entry. Everyone seems confident this is a great idea except for me. I'm adjusting. It's a small loss of privacy for a great gain in aesthetic beauty (Jen's choice of words). Fireplaces -- no hearth on the main so that TV can be mounted above mantle and not be quite as elevated. 16" hearth on basement fireplace. Squared the shower -- will try and match the glass block with the master bath window.

Jake stayed late to finish the clerestory. Very fun. It ended up with the windows 9 inches off the roof decking (in case of snow drifts in winter on the North side). I think the plans were 4 or 5 inches, so the clerestory is a little taller than originally drawn. Well, with the change in roof pitch and trusses, it's a couple of feet higher...

Monday, July 20th, framed main floor interior walls. There are a few funny places deciding where the walls should be and how high they should go in the central portion of the home beneath the clerestory.

Sunday, July 19th: Tuesday night we tore ourselves away to go to youth conference at Alpine, WY. Rafting the Snake river for three days and etc. Awesome. But the framers kept going. The main floor roof is framed and sheeted. They added a second layer to the outer edge of the roof. The edge was ~10inches tall and Jake and Chris thought that the aluminum fascia would look better if it was tiered like on the architectural plans.

Monday, July 13th, more roof framing, fascia, and sheeting. Jake the framer is estimating they'll be done framing the roof this week, and complete the remainder of the interior by the middle of next week. We're glad that progress is continuing, but we have enjoyed Jake and his crew, and will be a little sad to see them go.

Saturday, July 11th, Jake's back again working on the roof. It's amazing how much different the house looks in just a couple of days.

We went down to a LEED open-house in Daybreak. It is another iteration of the Utah House and was built by PCR out of Ogden. We met with PCR a few times and were starting the process of getting a bid from them, and long story short, it didn't work out. The homeowners were there and were very friendly and excited. They have not used their air-conditioning yet this summer, and the house is not getting hotter than 78 degrees Fahrenheit. They have two energy recovery ventilators (ERV's) which they are using exclusively for fresh air because of all of the construction dust around them right now.


I'm still concerned about having fresh air flow into a "tight" home when air is being actively exhausted from the house (clothes dryer, kitchen/bathroom fans). I was asking Scott Dwire about it -- they elected to not install a kitchen fan, but instead have a duct for the ERV in some proximity to the cooktop instead. While this solves the issue for the kitchen (while maybe drawing greasy air into the ERV) and the bathrooms (if no direct venting bath fans are installed) it doesn't address the clothes dryer (which might be the most used...) ERV's work by exhausting just as much air as they allow in -- rather than compensating for other exhausts.

Friday, July 10th, more framing on the trusses in the morning, and then the crane came a little later. All in all the crane was here about six hours. Everything seemed to fit together well except for the box trusses underneath the clerestory, but that got worked out too.


We went down to Salt Lake to see some Bamboo cabinetry by Patrick Bingham. The pictures really don't do them justice. They look almost too uniform in photos, but in person they look very sharp. It is a very different look than we are used to however, so we're still a little undecided as to whether to "make the jump" or stick with something more common, probably natural chery.

Thursday, July 9th, starting trusses. Jake was sick yesterday. Back on the job today but maybe not feeling that much better... no crane today... it's coming tommorow. Jake was able to get some trusses up with his forklift. They sorted through and laid out many of the trusses laying them out close to where they'll be used tommorow. It looks like a giant is playing with a 3-D puzzle -- and not getting very far.

Tuesday, July 7th, return of the framers. They framed the beams and posts for the front porch, and readied the trusses for the crane.

Monday, July 6th, more concrete. The morning was spent creating forms for the front porch footings (that go on top of the sonotubes) and digging out about two foot footings on the front and back of the patio between the house and the garage (Chris still thinks we'll be enclosing this after one winter). The concrete guys didn't want to make a two day project out of it so they poured early afternoon. Unfortunately it's been hot and windy which makes gettting a nice finish challenging -- but it looks great. We had another bonfire this evening -- even larger than our previous -- and had tinfoil dinners and roasted marshmallows. How bad can that treated wood be for you anyway?

Friday, July 3rd. Jake and the framers packed up Wednesday for a long weekend -- they'll be back Tuesday. Chris and Jared have been filling and compacting the front porch area.

It's funny how we all (well, Jen, Chris & I) have a picture in our head of the finished home, but we haven't discussed all of the details with each other. That came out a bit when Chris disclosed his plan to step the front porch down a bit. Jen and I thought it would be flat (as per the plan) but that had it's own set of problems. Did I mention that we wish we'd just built a cold storage. Aghhh.

I think we've worked out a solution that is agreeable to everyone. Chris had an idea Friday to make a second landing in front of the front door, and then have the "front side" porch step down one step. I think this will look better, while solving some of the other grading and water issues.

Wednesday, July 1st, a pile of trusses were delivered.


Central main floor framing. The corners of the central structure are four or five engineered wood 2x6's (orange/red color), nailed together. Chris was concerned that regular 2x6's would warp over time and crack the corners.

Tuesday, June 30th, basement framing just about done, and stairs! In the above picture you get an idea of how much light comes through the stairwell and light shaft (visible behind the stairs). We're imagining that the amount of light will be cut back considerably once the walls are completed and the ceiling is on top.

We also met with Guy, from Guy's glass, and Darwin fron Wheelright Lumber. Guy was there to check window measurements, and confirm that we have the right windows/glass ordered in each opening. Darwin ditto for the exterior doors.

I'm a little concerned that the "South" glass and the "other" glass will look dramatically different. As Guy explains it, the Cardinal LoE179 glass has one of the surfaces flipped, which gives it the desired properties for passive solar building. But he's never seen it done, and isn't sure what the tint will be. The LoE 366 (that will be in the rest of the windows) has it's own look/color tint.

I'm not sure if Guy and Chris's apparent lack of concern is them thinking this is a funny enough looking house, that windows with different tints will be the least of our worries...

Monday, June 29th: garage partially sheathed, more main floor framing. The framers have been sheathing the main floor exterior walls before they stand them up and attach them. The garage they framed first, without sheathing.

Friday, June 26th, more exterior walls. Also joined garage to house with two large beams.

Sometime today I noticed that we are are framing 16" on center for the exterior walls. 24" would have given more space for insulation and less wood. What's the energy difference? A 2x6 has an R value of 7-8 (depending on whose numbers you use). The same depth (5.5 inches thick) of wet-blown cellulose insulation in a wall has an R value of 19-20.

We will sheath the exterior with 1" polyiso foam that has an R value of about 6. This helps with the "thermal bridging" of the stick frame walls. But less wood would have been better still...

Thursday, June 25th, main floor walls started! The stormy weather is threatening. I ran over about 5 pm because a microburst was really blowing at our rental house. Jake was just packing it in for the day and didn't seem that concerned unless the wind was going to approach hurricane levels. The 2x6 exterior walls help.

We decided to center the master bedroom window in the room vs on the clerestory/center line/vault of the house. Also to change the front door from an integrated unit with side-lites to a separate door with window-windows on the sides. This way the door and windows can all be cased/outlined on the inside and out.

Wednesday, June 24th, they poured the concrete for the radiant floor. It has short fiberglass fibers mixed into the batch which act as miniature rebar. They really did a beautiful job. With the heat of the concrete curing, combined with the sunlight the floor was at maximum size during the day, and then shrunk and cracked during the night. Normal, but kinda sad.