The New House Next Door: January 2016

Friday, January 29, 2016

New House Framing Picture

I know looking at a photo of a house being framed isn't everyone's cup of tea, but here is another shot taken by the contractor and sent to me last night showing the progress at a new house I designed being built in the Catskills. I like this view, because it shows the shape (we architects call it "massing") of the building, as well as where the windows are (we call that "fenestration")
With the wall sheathing on (that green board is Zip-R and provides a continuous insulation layer outside of the framing, as well as the lateral bracing typically supplied by sheet-goods and a weather barrier with the seams taped) you can really start to see the wall and roof planes instead of just the repetitive framing members with air/space between.

View from the Southwest

Friday, January 22, 2016

Building another New House Next Door

Here are some photos of another NHND being built for clients of mine. It is to be an eclectic farmhouse for a fun family weekends/vacations/retirement in the Catskill Mountains on land that has been in their family for generations. The original plan was to renovate the old, existing structure, (see Post "When is a building too far gone to renovate?") but the plan of upgrades was so great, and the existing framing was in such a bad state, so now a new, energy efficient "twin" to that building is being constructed on the property.

The roof framing is very complex with structural ridge beams, and a flitch beam to accommodate front and back dormers and knee walls for the second floor so that there is more space/height than the original structure while still having a similar cozy/comfortable feel like the older home did with a second floor space up in the eaves of the roof.

The new family room will have a fireplace and a vaulted ceiling and glass doors to a deck/screened porch. The new bedrooms will be much larger, with multiple bathrooms and a master suite on the first floor. The kitchen will be open to a sitting and dining area and there are lots of windows and porches to enjoy the spectacular vistas.

The new site (across the road from the old building site) is sloped, and therefore allowed for a walk-out basement door and some larger windows into what will be a workshop space below. It also afforded the plan to be rotated for better views of the mountains all around and better solar gain. And needless to say, the new home will have all new energy efficient windows and a tightly insulated and air-sealed building envelope, being infinitely more comfortable and using less fuel to heat than the century-old place.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Modern Farmhouse tranformation almost complete

Over the past few months I've been showing you pictures of a substantial renovation and addition project I've been fortunate to work on this year. This is the 6th post showing this project.

See older posts by clicking links here: #1; #2; #3; #4; #5

Well, it's almost all done, and looks great. The exterior is finished, including metal roofs over porches, exterior light fixtures and new evergreen painted doors installed.

The interior has the finished floors, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and cabinetry, and some counter tops installed. Below you can see some of these materials.

The painters are applying final coats of paint and stain. The mechanical installers are finalizing the heating and cooling systems. The carpenters are installing closet clothes rods and will soon be installing door hardware. Decorative tiles are being installed above the cook-top.

From my perspective, it's been a a relatively short time for such an all-encompassing transformation. Sometimes sitting at my desk, drawing ideas seems so far away from the job site where it actually happens, that I forget! And when I get to pop in for a site, I love seeing it all come together- seeing if the spaces look and feel like I thought they would when I dreamed it up all those months ago, and what colors my clients chose. Kudos to all who contributed to this beauty- owners, GC, and subs!