the tub

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We spent Saturday afternoon out at the property measuring, walking in the dust and going to Caldwell Hardware's grand opening. We invested in a 5 gallon Rubbermaid drink dispenser while we there. They were on sale for $15.00 this weekend (regularly $21.00). Sutherland's has them for sale for $32.00. So I figure, a $17.00 savings. (I know, exciting stuff happens in our life!)
We've talked a little about efficiency of our house. Mostly, energy efficiency. But we are also considering cost efficiency and time efficiency in conjunction with energy efficiency. It is very rare where cost, energy and time are all rolled into one product that makes it a clear decision for our building process. Although, the SIP panels are a great example of just that. They are the best building choice for the envelope, in our case. I would love to believe that the energy efficiency of an item would take precedence of time and money, sadly, that is not always the case. The "greener" a product is, it seems more expensive.
We've found a great middle ground and I've been pleased with the decisions. An example is a tub. I was conflicted about the tub in the master bathroom. I love the idea of a tub and nice, relaxing bath. This weekend while we were in Jackson, MS celebrating Papa's 92nd birthday, I was a bit disappointed there wasn't a tub in our hotel room. Then I realized the chances of me taking a bath was slim. Basically, zero. But, I know that one day, sooner that later, I will take a bath and it will be the best in my recent memory.
So while Adam and I talked more about the tub, he mentioned that a soaker would not require any power to run a whirlpool pump. That was when I knew that a soaker tub would be the best choice for our house. I really don't need the fancy jets and although the "facial for your body" sounds indulgent, I can live without it. Using less energy and making our house more efficient, soakers are significantly less expensive and Jason tubs are made in North Little Rock! It seems every item that is going into this house has been discussed and analyzed, the pros and cons, the cost, time and energy efficiency. Even the tub.

Day 17 - Block..... .....DONE!

The block is all closed up, and I must say I'm impressed with the precision of the block work.  We measured to double check before ordering the SIP panels.  The largest discrepancy was on a 42 foot wall that was 3/8" short.  Another wall a 1/4" short and everything else was spot on!  I would say that's about as good as it could have been done.  Our block master is Virgil Ellison.  If you need block let me know and I'll gladly give you his contact information.  

Some other happenings this week:

• Septic is laid out but not installed
• Well location is spotted and should be drilled in the coming week
• Trusses and beams are priced and ready to be ordered when needed

Things we have in storage ready to be installed besides all our stuff we had previously:

• Front door
• door bell - vintage knob-turn bell. See picture below but it's satin nickel (my gift to B for our 10th anniversary)
• All windows except 2 (from window mart miss measured pile $75 each)
• kitchen sink and faucet - $20 for sink and $89 for awesome ebay faucet find
• sinks for boys bathroom - $30 for both
• several light fixtures: vintage porcelain gas station lights, chandelier for dining room
• garage doors - 2 nine foot insulated garage door obtained lawfully for free!
• dishwasher and water heater (for shop area)
• rock climbing holds for access to kids cave(more info to come) Exciting!
• sink for 1/2 bath
• Ceiling fan for living room
• cool old doors salvaged for interior sliding barn doors
• screen door for side entry
• Cool door knob from Anthropology clearance shelf for interior door somewhere $7!
• Radiant heat flooring system is at B's shop and will be installed under slab very soon.  This week!
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Day 15 - Block and Back fill for foundation almost complete.....

Here are a few pictures that speak for themselves. 

Everything is moving along.  The plumber will install under-slab pipe Monday and the electrician will run a little conduit after the plumber.  

Day 11 - Block continues.....

So most of the block is up. It should be finished Monday. Then filling that area with gravel to prepare for the slab. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Good times.....
Good night!

Day - 2

June 10th, 2011

I left for work early this morning, so I didn't get to see any of the work being done.  When I got in from work I went out to check on things at about 4:30 in the afternoon.  No one in sight.....    .....well it is Friday.  I guess I didn't really expect anyone to work late on Friday.

But why would anyone hang around all day if the work is done?  Wow.....

These guys really seem to be moving.

I just wonder where the vertical rebar is will go up into the block.

Maybe they will drill it in later, huh?

The picture below doesn't look much different that yesterday,

but you can see bits of concrete peeking out.

Day 1 - Officially

What a great gift to start this project on our 10th wedding anniversary.....

On the morning of June 9th, 2011 the concrete crew is laying out the foundation.  Then the digging begins.....

.....and continues.

.....and then they are finished with the digging.

Well, I think we are off to a good start.  It looks perfect so far.....

He says they will pour the footings tomorrow.

A Pattern Language.....

A story of many patterns, a new language for building and planning; elements of design to solve problems in our environment. That is "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander (Oxford University Press, 1977) in a nutshell. I can clearly remember when I was introduced to this book in my third year at University of Georgia. Our new professor was appalled that we hadn't the slightest clue that this book existed. This book provides insight into city planning, neighborhoods and homes. It touches upon the proper balance for healthy communities and happy homes. So, this book was the basis for planning our house. We tried to incorporate as many patterns as possible, "to make buildings which are poems".

I'll be posting areas of our house plan soon and highlight some of the patterns.

Pattern #76 House for a small family - "In a house for a small family, it is the relationship between children and adults which is most critical. Realize that this pattern is different from the way most small family homes are made today. For example, a popular current conception... is a suburban two part house: sleeping and commons. Even though there is a "master bedroom" the sleeping part of the house is essentially one thing- the children are all around the master bedroom. The couple's realm is a territory which sustains them as two adults. The children come in and out of this territory, but when they are there, they are clearly in the adults's world. The children's world must be looked upon as territory that they share. The critical feature is not that adults are excluded but that, when they are in this world, they are in children's territory. The common area contains those functions that the children and the adults share: eating together, sitting together, games, gardening. Therefore: Give the house three distinct parts: a realm for the parents, a realm for the children, and a common area. Conceive these three realms as roughly similar in size, with the commons the largest". This pattern helped create an idea on how we should place our bedrooms and our common areas. Our last bedroom was easily accessible and was not very private and I wanted to be sure we had a little sanctuary of our own. Using Pattern #138 Sleeping to the East, we placed the bedrooms so they all get morning light. This pattern is based upon our biological clocks and our natural sleep rhythms. I'm not a morning person and I need all the help I can get, so this pattern is pretty important. The boy's rooms are upstairs in their own world and Pattern #143 Bed Cluster is used here. Our boys prefer to share a room, but need their own private space, as well. We will try to incorporate a common area for them to share, but create an alcove of their own. On my next post, I'll write about their common area, child caves and secret places we have planned...

Briana