Chesapeake Glass

it's been a while.....(cont'd)

2010-05-01T11:22:00.003-04:00

Now that Spring has sprung and boating/crabbing season is here, the garage/workshop remains a work-in-progress. It is usable, however, as it now has heat, air conditioning, light, power, etc. Much remains though....still have to install and plumb the sink, install cabinets, build various workstations, etc. Plenty of projects for when certain people visit! ;)

been a while....

2010-05-01T11:19:00.002-04:00

worth every bit....

2009-10-13T20:07:00.001-04:00

last day....

2009-09-20T23:15:00.004-04:00

....before we move in. And after a wonderful weekend celebrating Jeff and Traci's wedding, I'm too tired to write....but had to get thess pics up since we may be without an internet connection for a few days.

taking shape....

2009-09-06T17:32:00.004-04:00

Hearth Room
Wet bar
Refrigerator
Master Bathroom
Kitchen Island
Kitchen with view of wall oven and microwave.

moving fast now....

2009-08-30T20:58:00.005-04:00

Master shower.....
The new newel post....installed and "weathered".... That little black bump on "top" of the post is really Zachary's noggin!
Stair case with original newel posts installed....
Ahhh....and the kitchen floor. This has been a labor....a labor of something! I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't say I had some concern as the floor progressed. And "some" may be an understatement. It seemed no one shared or was even able to see the same vision I had with this wood. We were looking for a rustic look, random wide width boards, quarter and rift sawn boards with nothing shorter than 6 feet, etc. What we got (from some random guy off of eBay) was all of the above, however with more "character" than I had expected. And not just knots. To say the milling process had some variability would also be an understatement. The widths and thicknesses led me to be rather concerned about the finishing process. Then there was the filling of the knot holes with epoxy. I should have solicited guidance from Jeff as this was the first time I have used West System epoxy, or any epoxy for that matter. I used black ink to color the mixture and silica fibers to thicken it to peanut butter consistency. The first SMALL batch worked perfect! I figured I had it all worked out and mixed a LARGE batch to attack most of the knots in the floor. My chemistry skills are dated and something less than exact. Needless to say, I mixed it a bit "hot". It began to get a bit warm, then started smoking, and i was afraid my plastic container was going to melt in my hand! Luckily I only worked two small knot holes with that batch before it hardened instantaneously! I was beginning to question the entire effort....until the finisher started working his magic! I think Steph and I are both quite happy with the way the floor is working out now and are excited to get the rest of the furnishings in there.
The floor in the dining room. These pictures of the floor are after one coat of finish and no buffing. Two coats to go. Floor should be done Wed.

holy long weekend!!!

2009-08-23T21:31:00.002-04:00

No energy left to anything but post a couple of pics....

more inside pictures

2009-08-14T21:50:00.002-04:00

Front steps. That first one looks like a doosey (sp?), but the GC assures me the final grading will make it just right.
Finally got the detached garage floor poured. Time to finish that building and get our stuff out of storage!!
The foyer with a bit of a view into the first floor guest bedroom and bath.
The dining room. We'll need another chair or two!

t-39 days....

2009-08-14T21:41:00.003-04:00

We locked in our rate yesterday. It's a 45 day lock requiring closing within 40 days. So why isn't it called a 40 day lock?? Anyway, we're stoked we're getting this close!

You can see here the boat finally made it home! My friend Gary helped me bring it down from the base last weekend. It was about a 45 minute trip and everything went great. Somewhat surprising given the boat had been sitting for 10 months!

Below you can see the air conditioning units. Those were finally connected this week allowing us to get the hardwood flooring into the house. That will allow us to install the floor next weekend, hopefully.

garage progress

2009-08-02T21:01:00.002-04:00

Well, first I thought I'd show you the new septic tank....at least as much of it as you can see. The septic system was installed Thursday and Friday. The neighbors are all rather amazed that the land perked and we have a traditional septic system rather than requiring a mound system or something else. All I am concerned about is that it works as designed!

With Steph's father, Steve assisting, I've been able to finish the sheathing and then this weekend we wrapped the house and installed the windows. Concrete and doors this week will hopefully lead to siding the next.....well, in between installing heated floor in master bath, installing hardwood flooring on first floor of house, installing kitchen cabinets.... I think I'll sleep for a few months once we are finally in!

inside we go....

2009-07-26T18:49:00.006-04:00

The outside looks pretty much the same. So we thought we'd bring you inside the house for the first time in a while. The drywall is hung throughout the house and the second floor is complete with tape, mud, and sanding and stands ready for primer. I expect the primer to go on tomorrow while the drywallers work to finish the first floor drywall. This first picture is of the sunroom off of the master bedroom.
This is the master bedroom and the wall the separates the master bath from the room. We're still contemplating exactly how to finish the area around the fireplace. To the right of it, you can see outlets for power, coax, and phone. I pre-wired the room for surround sound with the subwoofer going in the cavity under the fireplace. To the left of the fireplace is the sliding or pocket door providing access to the master bath.
This would be the kitchen. The cable coming out of the wall just left of the door in the back is for the wall oven. The refrigerator will go on the right side of that same door.
The hearth room. This room is going to change quite a bit in the next few weeks. Hopefully, it looks as nice and is as comfortable in person as it is in our heads!
This is the breakfast nook from the kitchen. The two doors take you to the mud room and the garage.
This is the flooring material for the breakfast nook, kitchen, hearth room, and dining room. It's wide plank white oak with approximately 70% of it rift or quartersawn. I bought varying widths (4, 5, and 6 in) and all planks are at least 6 feet long. We rolled the dice and bought it sight unseen on eBay. We'll see..... Hopefully, I'll be installing it next weekend!

getting there......

2009-07-17T22:39:00.003-04:00

We've just been a bit busy to update this site much more than once or twice a week. This photo shows the screen porch just about done. It also shows the band-board where eventually the deck will be mounted. That porch is going to be great for crabs and beer! ;)
This photo shows the front porch nearly done and the metal roof finally installed this week. What these photos don't show is all the work on the inside. More than half of the house has been drywalled and much of that taped and mudded (if that's a word!). The drywall will be done this next week and priming next weekend. The hardwood for the floor arrives tomorrow night and the cabinets, 3 Aug. It will also be interesting to watch the mechanicals get completed....2 a/c units, the well, septic, back-up generator, etc.

more pics

2009-07-07T21:09:00.002-04:00

The view from the master suite....after Steph and her father cut all the brush, removed two dead trees, and generally cleaned up around the pier!
The screen porch on the back of the house beginning to take shape. You can see the siding removed on the right hand side of the picture. The siding is being replaced with a band board or ledger in hopeful advance of a deck next year.....or the year after.....or....well, you get it!
Progress on the front of the house....

new pics

2009-07-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

Electrical panels and structured wiring media center in mud room.
Attached garage with stairs to mudroom and/or kitchen.

Detached garage.....slow.....but sure!

long weekend...

2009-06-28T18:24:00.003-04:00

The days are long, but the weeks are passing like crazy! The weekends, as is usually the case, are gone before we can realize what we've accomplished. This past week and weekend were no different. As you can see, there is some progress on the house, but what you can't see is the detached garage. We finally got all of the plywood on the roof, one side of the roof is completely covered in roofing felt and half of the other side is covered. With the help of Steph's dad, we were able to get one gabled end framed and nearly sheathed. This weekend, they also finally poured the cement for the attached garage, front porch, and rear screen porch. With the cement done, we should see a bit of progress this next week, to include door trim, metal roof, finish the siding, finish plumbing, finish electrical, and spray insulation......we'll see! Even with this progress, move-in day has slipped from July to August. It will either be my birthday present, Steph's birthday, or else it will be the same weenend in Sep as Traci and Jeff's wedding! Any way, we'll be excited, to be sure!

subs

2009-06-18T20:28:00.003-04:00

The subs have descended on the house! We'll have to start taking more of the inside soon. There are actually bath fixtures already installed! This view, however, is of the detached garage floor. The plan is to put the electric meter on the back of this building and bring the power from there to the house. This is the first trench to be dug and is exclusively for power. We will have another trench, removed from the first to eliminate noise from the power cables, to carry video and internet signals to the garage. Gotta be able to watch the packers while wood working in the fall and winter! :)

These photos are pretty obvious, but do show quite a bit of progress in the last 2 days.
The siding color is called Tuscan Clay.
Here you can see preparations for the garage floor pour. They are also prepared to pour the front porch and rear screen porch...which will be nice.
Another shot of the front. The only difference you should notice is the little white speck on the front right next to the "eye-brow" on the right. We were rather surprised to find they vented the dryer to the front of the house! Not really where we want it, especially since that wall is supposed to be brown stone! The laundry room is in the middle of the second floor without an exterior wall, but I'm sure with a little creativity we'll have a better solution. And I would prefer not to take it up through the attic. More to follow on that one....
This is the awesome view. They finally got the windows in the aft, 2-story wall. I think we are going to like that room a little bit!

slow, but sure.....

2009-06-14T20:29:00.003-04:00

Progress on the garage is slow, but we are making progress. We got the truss caps in place, trusses braced, and a couple more rows of sheathing on. We are going to have to put in a real effort to get the OSB covered sooner rather than later, with all the rain we are having this year!
Not sure you can see this very well, but it is the first air handler installed in the attic on Saturday. Guess I never realized how much ductwork was involved in installing these systems.

These two shots are of the master bathroom. One taken from the master bedroom where if you look closely, you can see the corner soaking tub, fire place platform, and even a half wall in the back that is part of the shower. The top half of that wall will be glass allowing a water view out the windows over the tub.

shingles and showers

2009-06-10T21:20:00.003-04:00

Big day with lots of progress. Roof is done with exception of metal roof on front porch and over window. Showers and tubs are in place. Initial plumbing is in. HVAC equipment is in....well, some of it. Siding is in garage and will start going up next week. Concrete will likely be poured next week as well (garage, porch, screen porch, and detached garage). Electrician is supposed to start tomorrow.....we'll see!

Attic view

2009-06-07T21:36:00.002-04:00

Thought I'd share this view from the attic of the detached garage....

You know you're in farm country when......

2009-06-07T21:06:00.003-04:00

...the pigs show up in your front yard! Too funny. Steph, Zach, and I were standing on the newly installed subfloor of the garage attic, when this pig came out of seemingly nowhere. With all of the rain from the last week, our front yard was truly a pig's heaven. I couldn't help but laugh watching him roll around in the mud puddles in classic pig fashion!

Here's a shot of John and I inspecting our handiwork. Actually, I think we were just too tired to do much of anything more than talk about what's next! Yesterday we got the subfloor in and today I added hurricane ties and framed the roof over the staircase opening. I also added significant bracing across the top of the trusses. Kind of tricky working alone and without a nail gun. For some reason, the generator I'm using is not capable of running any number of compressors we have tried on it. We've had back-up gererators the past few weeks, but today that was the only generator I had. Needless to say, the nail gun stayed in the truck and I got a work out attempting to hold lumber in place while trying to start a nail.

As for progress on the house, you can see they have finished the roof with the "eye brows" on the front, finished sheathing the sides, and installed about 34 of the 46 windows. The shingles have been sitting on the roof since last Monday. I can only assume the roofing company was waiting for the rain to stop so they could finish taping the seams on the roof prior to installing the shingles. I'm hoping tomorrow shingles start to go on. The plumber is now supposed to start on Tuesday. Hopefully the electrician and the electric company do some work and get us power so generators are no longer required. I'm sure the neighbors have endured enough days of generator noise intruding upon their peace and serenity!

Outstanding amateur progress....

2009-05-31T14:02:00.005-04:00

You can see from the house, the professionals continue to make good progress. The amateurs made some pretty good progress this weekend as well with the detached garage roof (or at least trusses) going up. Continued progress on the garage will be slow as I've started my new job on Friday, but the house is moving right along. Shingles and siding should arrive tomorrow and the framers will finish framing the back wall, add some "eye brows" to the gabled ends, and install the windows in the next couple of days. I expect the electrician, HVAC, and plumbing subs to start work tomorrow as well. More to follow....

Newel post finishing plan

2009-05-26T20:29:00.005-04:00

The front of the house is beginning to show a little character with the porch roof being constructed today and the windows cut out of the Advantech ZipTech.

After considerable internet research and counsel from some pretty good woodworkers in the area, I believe I have a solution to finishing the posts. Of course I will test the theory on a few scraps I have of both the old and new wood. Here's the plan:

1. Dye the new wood with analine dye. These dyes provide better color control and produce "exceptional color, clarity, and grain accentuation". If you can see it in the color chart, I'm thinking the weathered oak is probably the best dye for making the new white oak look like it's 100 years old. Okay, the weathered oak is probably too gray. Maybe the honey amber maple?

2. Apply a wash coat of thinned finish. The thinned finish will protect the wood and the dye, but will still allow a grain filler to be effective.

3. Apply Por-O-Pac grain filler tinted with Japan pigment, either black or dark mahogany. This should fill all of the grain producing a smooth surface and covering whatever is left of the white primer currently in the grain.

4. Apply multiple coats of water-based finish.

Newel post comparison

2009-05-25T17:33:00.003-04:00

Can you tell which posts are 100 years old and which one is not? Not too difficult! The red ratchet strap is simply holding the skirting on for now. I will fit and fasten it permanently to the post in place once the post is cut into the stairs. The real challenge now is determining the best way to finish these posts. I would like to make the new post age and look similar to the others and I would like the entire set to be slightly darker than they would be with just a clear coat. One of the antique posts has white primer that I tried to remove with a paint stripper in the grain. I am debating using the stipper and a copper brush to attempt to get it out or possibly finding a finishing technique that would simply cover up those little white flecks. Physically distressing the new post promises to be exciting.....or stress-relieving!

Decisions

2009-05-24T21:18:00.003-04:00

You can see there has been a fair amount of progress on the structure over the course of the last week. Shingles were ordered last Friday and will hopefully be going on sometime this week. I spent the better part of Friday with the HVAC sub and the electrical sub. I thought most of our decisions were made....guess I was mistaken. We walked every room and discussed which switch and fixture went where and how it was to be wired (e.g. 3-way, 4-way, etc.). We talked about where the condenser units would go, the propane tanks, the fixed generator, the air handling units, and probably several others I'm forgetting. One of the decisions that has to yet be made is where to put the water heater. There really is no good place for it on the primary floors of the structure. A cursory brainstorming session resulted in discussions of placing it in the crawl space or the attic. The crawl space is difficult as it has limited space. The attic makes great sense from a thermo and logistical perspective (shorter runs), but there is some added risk with 80 gallons of water in one's attic. Based on a simple web search, it seems people are nearly equally split. Many have them in the attic with no issues. Many wouldn't ever think of putting them in the attic because of the risk. I keep thinking about high rise condos and apartments that must have water heaters far above grade without issue. (Please leave a comment if you have ideas, concerns, thoughts, etc. on hot water heater location.)

Another challenge we are having is audio/video component placement in the hearth room. The room is not very big and the 3 walls are filled with one large fireplace and glass. The TV will go above the fireplace. Regarding the components, I'm considering 2 options right now.
1. Modify the central coffee table for the components and have the wires come up through the floor.
2. Modify the fireplace mantel with a faux front (i.e. hidden door) and locate the components within the mantel.

I'm leaning toward #2. Again, and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Interesting Day

2009-05-20T22:38:00.002-04:00

The last three weeks have been busy, fascinating, and certainly at times nerve-racking. The last 24 hours though have had just about all of those emotions, and probably a few others. Last night, Steph and I went to the house while Zachary stayed with Steph's mom and grandmother. Steph jumped on her new lawn tractor and cut the 1.4 acres while I went to work preparing a bonfire site. (Burning is just one of the ways we are saving a little cash....and who doesn't love a bonfire on a clear, cold night?) Steph hung around for a bit after she finished the lawn, but then went home to put Zach to bed. I continued burning. I have to say, I certainly enjoyed the quiet, dark, cold evening with a good fire. Just as the sun was going down (~20:00), I happened to look to the east when I saw a contrail. No ordinary contrail. The contrail was apperantly being created vertically, and damn fast! It only took a second to realize it was a rocket. When I got home that night, I learned the Air Force had launched a DOD satellite on a Minotaur-1 rocket from Wallops Island, VA about 20:00. (The internet is a great thing.) All was right. It was an awesome night and I was thinking we are a very fortunate family. We are definitely going to enjoy the lot as well as the house.

This morning, our builder took Steph and I to a few houses in the area he has built over the years. Beautiful houses. So much so, it has me second-guessing every design decision we've made!....not so much though that we're willing to change anything. This train has left the station and we are, to at least some extent, along for the ride.

Time will tell, but we are getting excited with each passing day of progress. I'll have more pictures tomorrow.

Another day.....no rain

2009-05-18T23:02:00.003-04:00

The framers continue to make good progress as the rains seem to be holding off now. This first photo is of the "bonus room" above the attached garage. They installed the subfloor and the sheating today. Should be a fairly functional room.....or dog house!

Also made some minor adjustments to the detached garage today. Can you see them?

Front or back,...back or front?

2009-05-16T21:37:00.003-04:00

The first picture is technically of the front of the house while the second is of the back. People keep asking if we faced the front toward the water or not (apparently that is the tradition)? Unless you call the back of this house the front, the back faces the water.....but it could be called the front. It has all the glass and views of the water. So whether one calls it the front or back, it's the correct side to face the water! And the views are sweet. I'd being lying if I said we weren't a bit anxious.
Steph's new tractor.....honestly.....she insists on cutting the grass!

Zachary and I in the future kitchen doing a little woodworking......with beers! ;)

Trusses

2009-05-13T22:15:00.003-04:00

As you can readily see, there has been quite some progress in the last couple of days. The trusses were all set today in a period of about 4.5 hours. Pretty impressive process for 3 guys (not including the crane operator).

The trusses for the garage also showed up this morning. Now I just need to organize another work party.....along with a crane to set those trusses and complete the roof. Not sure my friends will be too stoked to be doing the roof so soon, but I'm fairly certain I can ply them with liquid refreshment!

A day of rest

2009-05-10T10:57:00.004-04:00

After framing the garage yesterday, I think we all needed a day of rest today. We are certainly not as young as we used to be. I think the combination of sun, manual labor, and of course the beer has all of us finding something a bit more relaxing to do today!

The stress caused by incurring planned costs of this project with each passing day now does, on frequent occasion, cause a bit of sleeplessness for me. In terms of earned value, we are actually doing quite well. We are probably right on schedule as a result of good progress this past week and the progress-inhibiting earlier spring rains in MD, however, I believe we are under cost. Steph and I are working hard to keep that CPI (Cost Performance Index....I had to throw it in there) where it needs to be. The stress and sleeplessness, however, causes me to question the entire project at times. Then there are days like yesterday....where I was reminded this is all going to be very well worth it. Although the weather professionals continued to predict a 60% chance of rain, it was sunny and 70 or 80 degrees for most of the day. 5 or 6 of the greatest friends set their personal chores and desires for this gorgeous Saturday aside in order to help us frame the detached garage. About half way through the day, my friend John gets everyone to look up. We all set our nail guns and circular saws down and watched as 2 bald eagles flew what appeared to be hunting (thermals or prey, I'm not sure) circles above our property. It was a pretty majestic show. Then Pat reminded us we needed to get back to work! :)

Steph asked me to post this picture. It shows the 2-story living room having been famed also yesterday. This type of framing is referred to balloon-framing, where the studs extend the entire height of the 2-story room. Impressive effort!

Still framing.....

2009-05-09T21:43:00.002-04:00

With the help of some truly selfless, wonderful friends, we framed the detached garage today. It was an awful lot of 2x6's to cut! You can also see the contractor has completed most of the work on the second floor of the house. The trusses are on site and the crane arrives Wed at 1200 to begin setting them on the house. I was hoping to have the trusses for the garage by then in order to take advantage of the crane already being on site, but I'm not sure they will make it. We'll either have to do it manually, with some assistance of course, or else pay for the crane to return. The windows are scheduled to arrive a week from Monday. With 45 windows in the house, their installation will take a few days as well. With the garage framed now, the electric company will be able to connect the electric service, which will sure make it nicer than working with generators all day!

second "floor"

2009-05-06T22:41:00.004-04:00

If you look closely, you can see some progress....along with plenty of evidence it continues to rain here! I think it has rained every day since closing! They continue to make good progress though.
In these pictures, you can see the second floor joists and sub-floor being installed.

The house should be under roof next week. We are also framing the detached garage Saturday morning with the help of some very good.....and generous.....friends. I'm sure they had other things they would rather be doing Saturday than framing our garage! Once the garage is framed and the electrical panel mounted, the electric company will connect power. I also thought I'd include another view out of the hearth room. This view makes the entire project worth it!

Now that's a beam!!

2009-05-04T19:04:00.005-04:00

The view from the hearth room! Not too bad for another rainy day!
I knew this beam was arriving today, but I must admit I was surprised by the size of it. It's massive! I guess that's a good thing. With this beam now installed, the second floor is ready to take shape. If the rains hold off tomorrow, I expect the framers to make quite a dent in the second floor joists and subflooring.

I did learn today it is required by MD code to include a drain in the floor of any laundry room above the first floor. So the laundry room will have a pan with a drain under the washing machine, plus shock absorbers under it to absorb the significant vibrations associated with front loading machines. I'll also add safety supply hoses and an alarm in an effort to avoid any costly damage downstream as a result of a leak or sprung hose.
The post is coming along as well. I am ready to begin fabricating the skirting at this point. It's definitely a good thing the originals were hand made and not mass-produced. It's also a good thing my post will not be located in the direct vicinity of an original that could be used for comparison!

Walls

2009-04-29T22:51:00.002-04:00

Progress has been slow primarily due to the frequent spring rains, but the framer is moving out smartly now! The first floor walls are nearly up after having started just this morning. As progress accelerates, we'll be back here more often sharing the progress.

Still raining....

2009-04-22T20:12:00.003-04:00

It seems as though it's been raining non-stop for months....even though we haven't even had the permit for a month yet! Can you say impatient?! These photos show the completed foundation for the workshop and house. I stopped by the sight today on the way home from work and found the steel I-beams, floor joists, sub-flooring have all been delivered. The forecast calls for severe clear for the next several days. So we are hoping considerable progress awaits tomorrow! The photos also show the completed pier and my post project progress. The details are difficult to see in these pictures without the highlighting that seems to have settled into the carved areas on the antique posts. I have one more night of carving, followed by routing the chamfers in the four corners and then building the trim and skirting. And that's before I even start the finishing prep and final finish! I guess there's still a few hours of work left to complete these posts.

and the skies parted....

2009-04-16T20:48:00.002-04:00

Views from the pier!

Significant progress today! :)

Post progress...

2009-04-14T21:03:00.002-04:00

No progress on the house or pier today because of another monsoon day! Thought I'd post a comparison picture of my post with an original. As you can see, the new post is taller by quite a bit. It will be cut down later to fit the bottom of the staircase. It's definitely no where near perfect, but this is as close together as these posts will ever be!

More blocks & Pilings!

2009-04-13T21:07:00.002-04:00

With each passing day, there is quite a bit of progress. Now if the rain would stop! It seems as if we get one or two days to work interrupted by one or two days of rain! Steph took these pictures today showing nearly all of the block completed for both the house and the workshop and the beginning of the pier!

The crawl space is being built much like an actual basement. With six courses of block nearly complete, we'll add a waterproof coating and a drainage system. A layer of gravel will cover the dirt floor with plastic ultimately covering it. Unlike many crawl spaces, ours has no vents. The HVAC system will vent into the crawl space and keep the air conditioned and dry. Should be a decent place to access services for maintenance or other purposes as well as store a few miscellaneous things.

Blocks!

2009-04-10T18:53:00.004-04:00

Things are moving along as you can see. I stopped by this morning about 0730 and they were just beginning to lay out the lines for the first course of block. These photos were taken about 1630. Not bad for a day's effort! There are six courses of block as a result of how much top soil they found when they began to dig the footers....about 2 feet. The blocks are 8 in wide and sitting on a 24" x 8" or 10" footer. The inspector seems to approve. At least he approved of the 15 foot pile of topsoil he got to run up and down!

The only real decisions made today were where to locate the electric meter, the electrical panels, and the entrance into the crawl space. I'm sure the decisions will come much quicker when the framing begins next week!

Concrete inspector and Outhouse!

2009-04-08T19:51:00.004-04:00

As I was a bit under the weather today, Steph took some more pictures for the blog today. The last one is classic.....an outhouse! I guess that's when you know you have a real construction site! Then there is our little property inspector, Zachary. He is apparently inspecting our newly poured concrete footings and our pilings which remain landlocked!.....actually he's apparently using the pilings as his personal rest spot!

Day 8 (cont'd)

2009-04-07T20:15:00.001-04:00

Progress!

Day 8

2009-04-07T16:33:00.003-04:00

While it still does not look like much is happening, I'm thinking by tomorrow things will look a bit different. The poles are the pilings for the new pier which should be going in starting today. The foundation should begin to be visible tomorrow as well. The GC told me this morning he has the concrete coming tomorrow (4/8) for the footers and garages. I left him alone at that point (0800 this morning) because it looked like there was a fair amount of work to be done prior to pouring concrete!

He did mow the entire 1.5 acre lot though! He also said he had an older Craftsman lawn tractor with a mowing deck that does not stay quite level that he plans to park on the lot and Stephanie can get her practice mowing in as soon as and whenever she would like. (Don't think I'm joking or even cruel. She desires to cut the grass!)

Regarding the newel posts, excellent progress was made last week, but I needed to order a couple more tools. The carving is relatively fine and finding the right gouges with the right sweep and the right width proved interesting. I ordered two Pfeil gouges from Woodcraft. I'll have to verify I have the correct specifications after they arrive. I did an extensive web search in an effort to correlate sweep, width, and radius of curvature. Most sites list sweep number and width, but I knew my required width and radius of curvature. If they work, I'll post a picture and explain how I chose these two. I realize I also need to post a picture of the new post with one of the originals for comparison.

Stay tuned for more rapid updates......

Posts and Land

2009-04-04T20:44:00.002-04:00

Actually neither one of the pictures is very good. While not much has happened since closing last Tuesday and getting the first inspection done last Thursday, this picture was intended to show the fence identifying the limits of disturbance and the silt fence necessary when building in the critical area of the Chesapeake. I'm probably not off to a great start with the neighbors. When they were putting the fence in, they severed my neighbor's cable line. The other neighbor (whose house you can see in the background) learned that our new house will be positioned essentially directly in front of his! Actually, his view is of the Chesapeake out his back door and it's pretty sweet.

While laying out the house, we actually made some minor changes. We moved the detached workshop a couple of feet off of the property boundary and we widened the driveway another 5 feet to ensure there would be enough room to make the turns necessary to enter and exit either garage.

I expect Monday to be a bit more productive. The poles for the pier arrive at 0630 and I expect the first shovel will go into the ground for the house and garage.

I'll also have to get a better picture of the post tomorrow. It's beginning to take shape as the carving and detail phase has begun. It's a little tedious, but rewarding as I'm learning much and the post is actually beginning to look like the originals....except for the aging part. We'll take care of that after I've shaped the post.

2009-03-31T22:38:00.002-04:00

Notice anything different about the land?......No "For Sale" sign!!

Also thought I'd share the newel post progress. It definitely is requiring some unique techniques in an effort to replicate the original. Lucky for me, Craig not only has great ideas, but also lots of great tools!! One can never have enough great tools! ;)

Day 1!!

2009-03-31T15:02:00.003-04:00

Some may argue that Day 1 is groundbreaking day while others might suggest the day we signed the contract for the land (last October) was Day 1.....I'm defining today as Day 1. Today we closed on the land, signed the contract and paid a down payment for the construction of the house as well as signed a contract and paid a down payment for the pier.

They will begin pier construction this weekend and be done likely within one week! The house may start this weekend but more likely Monday. That will take a little longer than one week!! I'm told the foundation will be done next week though.

Interesting and exciting times.....well, anxious times anyway!

Wood Road Guitars

2009-03-30T12:36:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd share what my friend and woodworking mentor, Craig, was up to while I've been hacking white oak into finials. Craig's first handmade guitar, under the name Wood Road Guitars....and it sounds awesome!

Permit Problems Persist

2009-03-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

I had heard obtaining a permit for building a house within the critical area of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland was no easy task. Indeed, it's been a frustrating couple of months as we have had to work through numerous issues, questions, human errors, etc.....but it finally appears that we will have a permit Monday. I was informed today the last of 7 agencies to approve has finally done so. We are scheduled to close on the property and begin construction Tuesday, 31 March. It's a little ironic as that was the date we stated 4 months ago when we signed a contract for the lot. No one thought it would actually take 4 months to get started, but here we are. As exciting as it is, there is also a fair amount of anxiety beginning to rapidly develop. Until now, it's really been proverbial fun and games. Starting Tuesday, real decisions with real implications and consequences will have to be made. It's not really so dramatic. It's all good.....as long as we remain realistic and within the budget!! You'll get a chance to watch every step of it and with that you'll also get a chance to monitor my stress level!

The design is based roughly on this floorplan that Steph and I found on the web. We moved the left side of the house out 5 feet making the garage 5 feet deeper and giving us 5 more feet for the hidden room and breakfast nook. We also moved the interior wall of the "hidden room" and the breakfast nook further into the garage. That resulted in reducing the garage to a 2-car garage but gave us the space to create a functional mud room with shower in the "hidden room" and the breakfast nook is now significantly larger. We also removed the elevator. On the second floor, the additional 5 feet makes the master suite and bath a bit more comfortable and the screen porch off the master suite we made into a 4 season sun room. The additional 5 feet also made the "optional closet expansion" room functional. We found a way to access that space without going through the closet and plan to make it our office. There are a fewer other changes, but this gives you a general idea of what is being constructed. The result of the modifications to this plan is that we are building a 3800 sq ft house. Should be plenty of room for friends and family....and way too much to clean!

Daddy's Helper!!

2009-03-26T22:12:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd add a few pictures of my little helper! :)

Finials - again!

2009-03-22T20:36:00.000-04:00

The finials are actually progressing rather well. You can see in this picture a new finial setting atop an original newel post. It's beginning to look at least a bit like the original. The finial is actually a glue-up of 3 components, the most difficult of which has been the very top piece. A better part of today was spent using router bits, chisels, rasps, files, and sandpaper to shape the underside of the top component.

Completion of the two finials requires a bit more sanding and gluing and more sanding!

With the finials nearing completion though, it's time to begin construction of the fourth newel post. There promises to be a few challenges there with the shaping of the edges, the carving, and the flutes.....but I'm sure I have plenty of time as the permit for the house still has not been approved!! :(

Newel post details

2009-03-19T20:37:00.000-04:00

The wood in the newel posts was described to me as "swamp oak" which I believe to be in the white oak family. I've purchased several board-feet of white oak from which I plan to replicate a fourth post. The posts stand about 4 feet tall and are approximately 7 inches square except for the bottom which is approx. 8 inches square. The fourth post I'm building has to be tall enough to span 2 or 3 stair risers and yet be at the correct height for the hand rail. The plan is to duplicate the measurements all the way down to the 8 in. square section. That section will have to be longer than the other posts. The plan is to make it plenty too long and then cut it back down as necessary once the actual stairs in under construction.

The posts have several different profile cuts which we believe we can duplicate with various router bits. (A good excuse for more tools!) The long grooves on the posts are a bit unique though. They measure approximately 5/16 in. I have planned to make the grooves again with the router, but I am having a difficult time finding a 5/16 in, plunge cutting, straight bit. (Plenty of 1/4 and 3/8 bits available!) An additional wrinkle is that the grooves are not typical stopped dados. The ends appear to have been chiseled in a manner leaving the end of the "stopped dado" something slightly less than normal to the post surface.

Another future challenge will be the carving on the faces. While it is not intricate, it is geometric and symmetrical....and I have no experience carving! I have some ideas after taking an inlay class a few years ago. Needless to say, I will have to practice the various cuts on scrap before carving up my new post!

With all of the woodworking done, the finish promises to be a challenge as well. The posts appear to have been stained at least once, then primed, and painted a maroon color. It will be an effort to "age" the new white oak in a manner that allows its finished appearance to be not distinctly different than the original posts.

Back to creating the 2 required finials. I'll have more pictures of the details this weekend.

Antique Newel Posts

2009-03-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

When Steph and I started down this path of building a new home on the Chesapeake, we put our existing home up for sale and were extremely fortunate to have it sold within about a month! We had to then quickly find a place for the three of us to call home while our new home was under construction (not to mention waiting for a construction permit, but that's another story!). We were fortunate to have a friend I work with who had recently moved to a new house. He basically just vacated his old and it was sitting ready for renters.....well almost. It is perfect for us for a few months. While we were moving things in, I was telling him about a home improvement show where people used antique newel posts during the remodel of their home. He immediately started moving motorcycle tires, wheels, gas tanks, sprockets, etc. and buried under all of that were 3 (actually 2 and a half) antique newel posts. We estimate they were originally constructed in the 1890's in Virginia. He offered us the posts and we believe we have found a way to incorporate the posts into our new house in a manner that befits these grand elements. As you can see, some significant work is required as one post was chopped up to fit around 2 stairs at the bottom and is missing its finial. Additionally, to work in the house, we need 3 and a half....so I'll be attempting to replicate these fine antiques.....with the assistance of another friend, Craig, who is allowing me to work out of his shop and is infinitely patient with me when routinely I ask a million questions seeking his advice. As I've just begun the effort, I'm hoping not to wear out my welcome before I'm done.

These shots, as I've just begun the effort, show the state of the original posts along with rebuilding the base of one post and starting on the finials.

Perspective

2009-03-14T12:29:00.000-04:00

Another view of the Chesapeake Bay.....out of the nose gunner position of a WWII B-25 bomber! I couldn't resist!

The Lot!

2009-03-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our future home on the Chesapeake Bay!

Actually....it's on the southern prong of St. Jerome Creek in Ridge, MD....and it's not much of a home......YET!

After prompting from my father and review of Jeff and Traci's boat building blog, I thought I'd give it a shot. The next several months promise to be a bit crazy as we build a new home, detached work shop, and pier with boat lift. Perhaps I should rename the site "The Money Pit!" Stay tuned....