210 Waynesville Ave

Phase II

2010-12-21T14:15:00.000-05:00

Photo Update....

2010-10-29T17:52:00.004-04:00

One for the dogs

2010-06-02T09:27:00.002-04:00

Here's my first attempt at a fence for the dogs:

While they did appreciate hanging out on the stairs, I opted for a larger area:

C.O.

2010-04-28T08:58:00.004-04:00

It's official. Picked up my certificate of occupancy on Monday!

Here's a photo of my new alarm system:

!

2010-04-13T09:20:00.000-04:00

Finishing Touches

2010-04-11T21:30:00.006-04:00

Gutters and Downspouts.

Finished Siding!

2010-04-04T22:40:00.002-04:00

Well, we finished the siding this weekend. Here you can see the difference between the first side and the last.

The code required concrete driveway apron:

I had some leftover concrete from the driveway pour, so I poured a slab near the house to mount bicycle racks to...

Finally, some nice weather.

2010-03-16T09:36:00.001-04:00

Water and Sewer

2010-02-18T20:14:00.002-05:00

Heat!

2010-02-14T17:35:00.002-05:00

Jamie installed the ductless mini-split heat pump yesterday. Says he'll be back Tuesday to work on the ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator), which will provide fresh air throughout the house.

Indoor Unit

Outdoor Unit

Kitchen Faucet

Photos

2010-02-01T13:20:00.001-05:00

Modern Fan

2010-01-27T21:23:00.009-05:00

I've picked up most of my light fixtures. Dennis, my electrician, installed the ceiling fan in the livingroom today. It's from the modern fan company and it looks great! Since my camera is broken, I drew a picture of it for you:

Photo Update

2010-01-17T18:17:00.006-05:00

Starting to Rust

Complete siding at front of house.

Polished Concrete Floor: the photo doesn't do it any justice. Right Sarah?

Kitchen

Stairs: Pine Treads, Corten Steel Risers

Partially complete Cedar and Copper Railing, needs a good dusting

Birch Countertop.

2010-01-11T13:17:00.001-05:00

Hard to get a good look with all the crap piled on, but the counters look really nice.

Lots of Action

2010-01-06T12:21:00.003-05:00

Dishwasher and cabinets...Counters this weekend??

Finished Tile.

Finished floors

Cedar and Copper Railings.

Shower Tile

2009-12-29T08:46:00.003-05:00

It's Red.

Cabinets with the Otis Clan

2009-12-24T19:43:00.003-05:00

Paint

2009-12-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

Windows

2009-12-10T16:03:00.002-05:00

I decided to go with no window trim, just drywall. I think it turned out great, what do you think?

More Siding

2009-11-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

Bedroom Floor

2009-11-23T10:55:00.002-05:00

My father and I installed a bamboo floor in the bedroom. It looks great!

Starting to look like a house

2009-11-07T17:48:00.003-05:00

Insulation

2009-11-03T21:20:00.003-05:00

Three Cubic Yards of Concrete

2009-10-28T13:51:00.002-04:00

The slab was poured today. The color will lighten up as it cures to a very nice Hailstorm Gray color. The pictures were taken while they were still finishing the concrete, hence the foot prints.

Ready to Pour

2009-10-27T21:06:00.001-04:00

Concrete Floor Tomorrow!

Another Beautiful Sunday at Work

2009-10-25T20:17:00.002-04:00

One Side Up

2009-10-17T18:02:00.002-04:00

Siding!

2009-10-07T14:53:00.002-04:00

Ken, Cornbread, and myself installed the first siding panel on Sunday. The panels measure 12 feet x 4 feet and weigh 100 pounds each. Thanks to our extensive knowlegde of physics, and Ken's collection of staps, pulleys, ropes, etc. it was a breeze. The panels will eventually develop a deep red coating of rust.

more windows

2009-09-05T18:38:00.003-04:00

Wall of Glass

2009-08-24T16:27:00.002-04:00

Heavier Lifting

2009-08-23T07:42:00.005-04:00

This is why I recommend hiring a structural engineering (www.kloesel-engineering.com) to install 400 pound windows!

Heavy Lifting

2009-08-15T19:28:00.004-04:00

Well, in the two months that I haven't posted, we've been busy working. The exterior foam and membrane is nearly complete, and the windows are going in. I'm using a galvanized steel jamb extensions on the outside, installed prior to the window.

Today, we installed one of the large windows, 12+ feet tall and nearly 300 pounds. Nothing a few pulleys and a winch couldn't handle.

Foam Complete

Winch

Jack and Ken and the window being lifted

View from the kitchen.

Weekend Warriors

2009-05-30T21:03:00.003-04:00

Ken and I have been busy.

Here's a summary of the exterior building envelope:

Tyvek home wrap, followed by 3" expanded polystyrene foam with double 2x4 bands for nailers for the siding, followed by Wrap Shield membrane for airtightness and bulk water barrier.

Hey Pops, recognize the pencil in my ear??

Taking Control

2009-05-16T18:59:00.006-04:00

So, Ken and I set up my new aluminum pump jack system today. It went up pretty easily. Now he and I can finish the exterior.

It's electric

2009-05-03T17:51:00.004-04:00

The electrical rough in is complete. Plumber is supposed to start Tuesday.

Here's a look at the second floor. Straight ahead is the bathroom. To the left is the mechanical room. To the right, you fall down to the first floor.

I built a door today to keep the neighborhood thieves away from my copper.

Foam

2009-04-14T20:47:00.005-04:00

The white material is 3" thick expanded polystyrene. Over that, we're putting on a breathable, water resistant membrane by Vaproshield, taping the joints to maintain our air tight envelope. Then, wood furring strips to attach the siding to.

Shell

2009-04-01T08:50:00.006-04:00

I've finally made some decisions regarding the siding. I'm planning to use flat sheets of corten weathering steel. The following picture shows what it will look like once it's weathered:

So we're installing felt paper on the plywood followed by 3" of Expanded Polystyrene Rigid Foam insulation, then covering the foam with wrapshield by Vaproshield. The steel siding will be installed on wood furring strips, creating a rainscreen. The wrapshield will act as a breathable water resistant membrane.

The above picture shows the double 2x4 frames around the window openings, which will be flush with the foam, for the siding attachment.

Shingles and Foam

2009-03-05T14:32:00.002-05:00

I had originally planned on a galvanized metal roof, but I've decided to go with steel siding, and the metal roof would be too much. So, shingles it is.

Tuesday, I unloaded 100 4ft.x8ft.x3" thick EPS foam sheets into the house. These will eventually cover the entire exterior of the house, providing additional insulation and a thermal break.

Upon Closer Inspection

2009-03-01T19:54:00.003-05:00

Lately, I've been getting down on myself and my framers for how long it's taking to finish the house. Everyday on my way to work, I see houses under construction moving much faster than mine. These houses will look great when they're complete. They are being constructed and marketed by companies with the words 'eco' and 'green' in their titles. But, they use cheap materials, bad details, and will be energy hogs. The things I'm demanding from my framers lead them to believe I'm crazy. Maybe I am.

A great amount of effort has gone into detailing this to be the most energy efficient house possible, and hopefully one day soon it will pay off. Literally!

Windows

2009-02-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Security System

2009-01-31T22:41:00.004-05:00

I picked up the security system for the new house.

Meet Lester:

I've got him training with one of the fiercest pit bulls in North Carolina, Zelda

S..L..O..W..L..Y it progresses

2009-01-30T13:47:00.001-05:00

!Roof!

2009-01-13T13:33:00.004-05:00

View from the top:

A Little Bit More Every Day...

2009-01-10T13:04:00.001-05:00

Passive House Article in the New York Times

2008-12-31T08:35:00.003-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html

Framer's Paradise

2008-12-19T14:04:00.002-05:00

A whole week with temperatures in the 50s and 60s with little rain!!

The Aftermath

2008-12-08T14:01:00.002-05:00

Still amazed no one was seriously injured.

The contraband was located and disposed of properly.

Near Death Experience

2008-12-06T17:11:00.004-05:00

So I was awoken from my afternoon nap by a phone call from Mark, a guy who lives near my future house. He was parked in the street outside my driveway, getting scraps of wood from the trash pile when the car ran off the road at 50+mph, hitting the port-a-jon head on. The car then went off the bank near the front of the lot, flipped over, and hit the large catalpa tree five feet from my house.

When I got there, they were pulling the car out of the trees with a winch. Miraculously, all three of the teenagers in the car as well as Mark walked away unscratched. Mark said they stashed some illegal substances behind the house, but my search for them was fruitless.

Just as miraculously, my framers weren't working, and the only damage was to the port-a-jon, permit box, and power pole.

Getting taller by the day.

2008-12-06T10:19:00.004-05:00

The thing that sucks about building a house in December is that the morning frost doesn't melt until 9 or 10, and it gets dark at five. And the framers are scared off by forecasts of rain.

When they do show up, they do good work.

As you can see in the bottom picture, one of the tall walls at the stair has been raised. The top of wall is about 18.5 feet above the first floor, and the roof will be about 10 feet higher!!!

Last night I met up with a friend of mine who does decorative concrete work. He's going to give me some forms so I can start experimenting with finishes for my countertops.

More Walls

2008-11-21T17:47:00.004-05:00

The first floor walls are all in place.

Thanks to a snow day today, the second floor didn't happen.

Walls!

2008-11-19T17:48:00.003-05:00

More to follow...

God Bless Canada Too

2008-11-13T13:15:00.005-05:00

I ordered the windows today. I'm getting them from a Canadian company called Inline Fiberglass. The windows are triple glazed, argon filled, Low-E with an insulated fiberglass frame with thermal edge spacer. The south and east windows have a Hard coat to allow for more solar heat gain.

Bottom line, these are some of the best windows you can get this side of the Atlantic.

Floor - Day Two

2008-11-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

Floor - Day One

2008-11-07T18:18:00.002-05:00

This is what wood looks like piled up on the ground:

2008-11-05T19:09:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow, I should be able to show you what it looks like sitting on top of my basement walls.

...

Something Concrete

2008-10-20T21:49:00.005-04:00

On the coldest day of the fall, my guys decided to pour the concrete slab in the basement.

And grout the cells in the masonry walls.

Yes, I do have some beautiful trees behind my house.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the drunk toothless neighbor from down the street who threatened to blow up my house for hiring illegal mexicans to build it.

Luckily, after thirty minutes of me explaining to him that 'Melrose' and 'Higgins' aren't common Hispanic surnames and several USA chants, we shook hands and he offered to paint my house.

GBA y'all

Moving along...

2008-09-20T15:07:00.007-04:00

The waterproofing and foundation drain have been installed. You can get an idea of what the finished grade will look like.

Last week the city called me out for not have a port-a-john, threatened to 'shut me down' so...

Also, I now have electricity on site.

Orange....It's my new obsession.

2008-09-17T14:32:00.004-04:00

Aaron and Calder sent me some new images. What do you think?

Happy Birthday

2008-08-22T08:58:00.005-04:00

For my birthday, R.K. Higgins Construction Co. got me a basement. Although, they also gave me an invoice...

Progress

2008-08-09T20:58:00.003-04:00

All I had to do was leave town for a week to get things going!

The Beach

2008-08-09T20:42:00.004-04:00

I'd like to thank everyone (Jerry, Rita, Kevin, Kevin, Alex, Andrew, Sarah, Jessica, Matt, Henry, Amanda, Amaya, Martha, Tom, Jordan, Sam, Ava, Ree, and Jill) for a wonderful, relaxing week at the beach. For those of you who missed it, I hope to see you very soon!

Fun with Dirt

2008-08-03T10:56:00.003-04:00

After some trouble with soft soil at the back of the lot, the footings are ready to be poured! We ended up having to over excavate and put several tons of crushed stone wrapped in filter fabric beneath the footings.

I'll be very relieved to finally have something permanent in the ground.

The Big Dig

2008-07-23T20:20:00.004-04:00

Stimulating, Don't you Think?

2008-07-09T08:16:00.005-04:00

I received my economic stimulus check on Saturday, and after a dream involving George W Bush, decided to spend all $600 on pizza.

Jedi and Lucy got to eat plenty of sticks

Nice try Jedi

Slow Is OK

2008-07-01T21:36:00.007-04:00

The silt fence is almost in place, which means excavation for the footings will begin soon.

While I was working on the fence tonight, I met a guy named Tom who is going to help me cut up the rest of the wood tomorrow evening in exchange for some of the firewood. He heated his house last winter solely with a wood stove!

Here's the stream the city won't even let me put a deck within 15 feet of:

Don't see the water? Neither do I.

Night Moves

2008-06-19T22:31:00.003-04:00

My building permit was approved yesterday! What better way to celebrate than to hike up Looking Glass Rock in the middle of the night with some good buddies.

Look closely, you can see the full moon at the top of the photo!

This is Where I Live

2008-06-15T23:33:00.007-04:00

After all that hard work on Saturday, we camped at Wilson Creek and spent sunday riding our bikes, swimming, laughing, hiking.

Beautiful Day for a Chainsaw

2008-06-14T16:42:00.003-04:00

The plans have been submitted to the City of Asheville for permits. They said I should hear from them in 7-10 days. In the mean time, Matt, Beth, and I cleaned up the lot a bit this morning.

Passive House

2008-06-12T21:31:00.006-04:00

My house is designed to be a passive house. Hopefully certified by the Passive House Institute. (the first certified house in NC!).

What is a passive house you may ask?

A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.

To achieve the required level of insulation, the walls tend to be very thick (12").

The main performance requirements are as follows:

• Airtight building shell ≤ 0.6 ACH @ 50 pascal pressure, measured by blower-door test.
• Annual heat requirement ≤ 15 kWh/m2/year
• Primary Energy ≤ 120 kWh/m2/year

The initial construction cost tends to be a little higher than conventional construction, but the energy savings should pay for this and then some.

Universe, you've done it again!

2008-06-07T12:50:00.002-04:00

So I've had a sneaking suspicion that the Universe has been conspiring to make this project come together in an amazing way. From Aaron and Calder, the architects, Ken Huck, energy consultant, Dev, Kathy, Kay, and Denise at City Real Estate, to all my friends and family who have offered to help.

Well, this suspicion has been confirmed. I rode my bike home from work yesterday to find the mirror smashed on my car. Not only did the guy leave his business card and offer to pay for the damage, but he is a contractor specializing in framing and trim work. Based on his honesty alone, I hope to hire him to do some work.

The Truck Have Started to Move

2008-06-06T22:05:00.003-04:00

I picked up the plans today. They are amazing! I need to finish up the structural drawings this weekend, and I'll submit them for permit on Monday. Luckily, Aaron and Calder are Registered Architects, and I'm a Registered Engineer. This makes the permit process much easier.

Also, I closed on the construction loan yesterday. I have an excavator lined up, so as soon as the permit comes through, full speed ahead.

Some of my dorkier friends will know where the title from this post comes from. The first one to name it gets two free tickets to paradise.

Trees are made of wood

2008-06-03T18:27:00.004-04:00

So I had to have a tree removed from the lot. It wasn't in the greatest of shape, and was in the way. Jeremy from arboressence tree care came by to take it down. Pretty interesting stuff. I went by to see the progress, and got to run through a bunch of poison ivy to help pull the rope guiding a large section of the top of the tree that was about to snap.

Here's Matt keeping the street clean and the cars safe

And Jeremy 40 feet up with a chainsaw

They did a great job, and now I have tons of firewood.

The Plans

2008-06-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

So I met Aaron and Calder Wilson (of Studio Dionisi) one night at the Rocket Club, and had a brief chat about a house I wanted to build. Them being architects and me being a structural engineer, we had plenty to talk about.

Once I sealed the deal on the land, the three of us had lunch. Aaron and Calder were really excited about the prospect of a small house, these things just don't get built or designed all that often. About four days later, they sent me floor plans and renderings. I was wowed!

A place of my own

2008-05-13T21:34:00.000-04:00

Well,

I never thought I'd do it, but I have a blog. As some of you may know, I'm building a house of my own. Probably won't be done by the time I turn 30 but oh well.

The lot is on Waynesville Ave, Asheville, NC. I got a smoking deal because the lot is literally the smallest possible lot you can legally build a house on, which works perfectly for my vision of building a small house. The current plans are for a one bedroom, 700 square foot piece of paradise.

Many of you are probably asking why I would waste my time building something so small. Well, it just so happens that I ran into a website that put my thoughts in numbered order, so here goes:

1. Go Independent. Avoid buying homes by big developers and large production builders. They are designed for profit not people. Work with independent designers and building contractors instead

2. Go Local. Avoid home finishing products from big box retailers. The standardized solutions they provide cannot fit the unique conditions of your home. Use local retailers, craftspeople, and manufacturers to get a locally appropriate response and support your community.

3. Go Green. Stop the conversion of nature into sprawl. Don't buy in a new suburb. The environmental cost can no longer be justified. Reinvest in existing communities and use sustainable materials and technologies to reduce your environmental impact.

4. Go Near. Reduce your commute. Driving is a waste of time and the new roads and services required to support low density development is a big contributor to climate change. Live close to where you work and play.

5. Go Small. Avoid the real estate game of bigger is always better. A properly designed smaller home can feel larger and work better than a poorly designed big one. Spend your money on quality instead of quantity.

6. Go Open. Stop living in houses filled with little rooms. They are dark, inefficient, and don't fit the complexity of our daily lives. Live in a flexible and adaptive open plan living space with great light and a connection to outdoors.

7. Go Simple. Don't buy a home that has space you won't use and things you don't need. Good design can reduce the clutter and confusion in your life. Create a home that fits the way you really want to live.

8. Go Modern. Avoid fake materials and the re-creation of false historical styles. They are like advertising images and have little real depth. Create a home in which character comes from the quality of space, natural light and the careful use of good, sustainable materials.

9. Go Healthy. Avoid living in a public health concern. Houses built with cheap materials give off noxious chemicals. Suburbs promote obesity because driving is the only option. Use natural, healthy home materials and building techniques. Live where you can walk to shop, work, and play.

10. Go For It!