today we finalized (sort of) how the foyer will be framed. the foyer will have raised ceiling, to about 13 feet, to incorporate the dormer window into the foyer space. however, the dormer is not lined up with the foyer, so the dormer walls and foyer walls are also not lined up. in order to keep the foyer symmetrical, we'll frame the walls so they go up to the 9' height, and from there the walls will move in about 10" and then go vertical again up the the new 13' ceiling. this is to account for the line of the dormer wall. the ceiling height is the top of the dormer window and will stay flat across to the front of the hallway closet.
however, the dormer window will still be asymmetric. therefore, above the front entry door, we plan to install a rice paper or other translucent screen, which will allow light to enter the foyer, which was the intent of this exercise, but it will also hide the dormer window.
Bob also noted that the jog-in or move-in of 10" would break the line of the dormer window frame, so we'll have to figure out how to do some funky framing between the plane of the front door and the dormer window so we don't mess up the exterior framing work.
Monday, January 21, 2008
framing the kitchen and dining room
framing the kitchen and dining room turned out to be more straightforward than we expected. perhaps it's that we found a lot of other interesting stuff going on inside the walls.
we learned the original ceiling members over the dining room and hallway were joined simply by nailing together, resulting in a zig-zag beam, not using a nail plate to keep them in line. not only that, many of the nail joints weren't even resting on the hallway wall!
our engineer specified tying the new 2x8s to the existing 2x4 dining ceiling members. in order to do that, we had to add an additional 2x4 piece next to the hallway member - the 2x8 is tied next to the dining room ceiling member. hard to explain, so i've included pix on flickr to illustrate. we had to do this because we're removing the hallway wall, so we needed to beef up the ceiling as it also is supporting several roof joists. Bob's team had to mill the ends so they fit into the roof/soffit termination.
we learned the original ceiling members over the dining room and hallway were joined simply by nailing together, resulting in a zig-zag beam, not using a nail plate to keep them in line. not only that, many of the nail joints weren't even resting on the hallway wall!
our engineer specified tying the new 2x8s to the existing 2x4 dining ceiling members. in order to do that, we had to add an additional 2x4 piece next to the hallway member - the 2x8 is tied next to the dining room ceiling member. hard to explain, so i've included pix on flickr to illustrate. we had to do this because we're removing the hallway wall, so we needed to beef up the ceiling as it also is supporting several roof joists. Bob's team had to mill the ends so they fit into the roof/soffit termination.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
framing week 1
we have nearly the entire structure of the house framed up now. you can see some of the details on our flickr pages for the remodel, check out Jan 17 and 18. Bob's team had to do some milling to create the ceiling beams for the family room, and the kitchen & dining ceiling members were also quite unusual. more on that on another post when i get some detail photos.
there are 2x8's for the ceiling members in both the family room and kitchen/dining area. the family room area is using 2x12's for the members supporting roof joists.
the vaulted ceiling for the kitchen is partially framed. we set up the ceiling above the sink and spaced this vaulted section 5' wide. the existing 2x2 skylight is there, but we'll replace it with a 2'x4' skylight. where the vaulted ceiling section meets the interior middle wall, we realized the upper wall won't be vertical due to the joists supporting the roof ridge line. julie and i decided to use the joists as the upper wall studs rather than trying to change that angle. this way there will be a short horizontal ceiling section beside the skylight; kenichi did some renderings which i included.
the white box on left will be our built-in wall pantry/china cabinet.
we've got a massive 4x12 glue lam header for the support beam bordering the kitchen and family room. i think it'll be a beautiful detail, especially as it's going to be nearly fully exposed when the house is finished.
our new rear bathroom is now partly where the old master bedroom closets were, so we had to lower the floor. we assumed the previous owners simply built over the lower floor but it turned out they didn't, there was only the higher subfloor, so we had to build a new subfloor for the bathroom.
the rear patio door is rough-framed now, but we discovered the patio door is off-center from where we planned to put it. if you're standing right by the middle wall inside the house and look towards the back, the left part of the patio door will be obscured since it will be to the left of the wall. so we'll have to re-frame the patio door opening about 12" closer to the SE corner.
we also had to furr the studs near the old laundry room - it had 2x6 studs but the other parts of the walls (former rear bathroom) had 2x4s, so those walls needed to be lined up.
there are 2x8's for the ceiling members in both the family room and kitchen/dining area. the family room area is using 2x12's for the members supporting roof joists.
the vaulted ceiling for the kitchen is partially framed. we set up the ceiling above the sink and spaced this vaulted section 5' wide. the existing 2x2 skylight is there, but we'll replace it with a 2'x4' skylight. where the vaulted ceiling section meets the interior middle wall, we realized the upper wall won't be vertical due to the joists supporting the roof ridge line. julie and i decided to use the joists as the upper wall studs rather than trying to change that angle. this way there will be a short horizontal ceiling section beside the skylight; kenichi did some renderings which i included.
the white box on left will be our built-in wall pantry/china cabinet.
we've got a massive 4x12 glue lam header for the support beam bordering the kitchen and family room. i think it'll be a beautiful detail, especially as it's going to be nearly fully exposed when the house is finished.
our new rear bathroom is now partly where the old master bedroom closets were, so we had to lower the floor. we assumed the previous owners simply built over the lower floor but it turned out they didn't, there was only the higher subfloor, so we had to build a new subfloor for the bathroom.
the rear patio door is rough-framed now, but we discovered the patio door is off-center from where we planned to put it. if you're standing right by the middle wall inside the house and look towards the back, the left part of the patio door will be obscured since it will be to the left of the wall. so we'll have to re-frame the patio door opening about 12" closer to the SE corner.
we also had to furr the studs near the old laundry room - it had 2x6 studs but the other parts of the walls (former rear bathroom) had 2x4s, so those walls needed to be lined up.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Our remodel team
thought it would be a good idea to explain all the people involved in our project
1. G = Gerard, my brother. he is our principal designer/drafter and source of ideas on many design details. G also helped in getting the permit going. he'll also be overseeing the fence design since it'll be a bamboo fence using many of his products he sources. somehow he's managed to keep redrafting our house design between getting bamboo dna started, planning his RISD class in bolivia, and planning for coachella 2007 artwork. hopefully we'll get him to make us a few more chairs while he's at it ;)
2. Josh Birch is a artist, sculpture, landscape designer and contractor, as far as i can tell. kind of a jack of all trades but the guy is a creative and interesting landscape designer, so i've decided with the little time i have that he can take over the landscaping. he's also been helping run some demo work. his buddy Mauricio has been a huge help in working with our day laborers and is another sharp contractor so that has been another plus. Josh has also been helping us with procuring some items which is helpful in saving us a little $$.
3. Bob Ortiz is our principal contractor for the foundation and framing work. he came highly recommended by some friends and we have been super pleased at the quality and speed of his work. i'm really glad he's asking a lot of questions about some of the minor details around the house. his carpenter is Rick and electrician is Eric, who are also some sharp guys as well.
4. Ken Tomita is our cabinet and furniture guy. we know ken thru gerard, a RISD connection, and worked with ken out at burning man 06 on the Starry Bamboo Mandala. he'll be designing our cabinets, wall pantry, kitchen island and a few pieces of furniture like the media console, built-in dining bench, and dining tables. my guess is he'll also end up providing a lot of details on the house trim details as well.
we don't know yet who will do the drywall work, painting, and the floor installation for the family room and study. Josh has mentioned Mauricio has an eye for detail so perhaps we'll utilize him with the day laborers. We need to figure that out still.
1. G = Gerard, my brother. he is our principal designer/drafter and source of ideas on many design details. G also helped in getting the permit going. he'll also be overseeing the fence design since it'll be a bamboo fence using many of his products he sources. somehow he's managed to keep redrafting our house design between getting bamboo dna started, planning his RISD class in bolivia, and planning for coachella 2007 artwork. hopefully we'll get him to make us a few more chairs while he's at it ;)
2. Josh Birch is a artist, sculpture, landscape designer and contractor, as far as i can tell. kind of a jack of all trades but the guy is a creative and interesting landscape designer, so i've decided with the little time i have that he can take over the landscaping. he's also been helping run some demo work. his buddy Mauricio has been a huge help in working with our day laborers and is another sharp contractor so that has been another plus. Josh has also been helping us with procuring some items which is helpful in saving us a little $$.
3. Bob Ortiz is our principal contractor for the foundation and framing work. he came highly recommended by some friends and we have been super pleased at the quality and speed of his work. i'm really glad he's asking a lot of questions about some of the minor details around the house. his carpenter is Rick and electrician is Eric, who are also some sharp guys as well.
4. Ken Tomita is our cabinet and furniture guy. we know ken thru gerard, a RISD connection, and worked with ken out at burning man 06 on the Starry Bamboo Mandala. he'll be designing our cabinets, wall pantry, kitchen island and a few pieces of furniture like the media console, built-in dining bench, and dining tables. my guess is he'll also end up providing a lot of details on the house trim details as well.
we don't know yet who will do the drywall work, painting, and the floor installation for the family room and study. Josh has mentioned Mauricio has an eye for detail so perhaps we'll utilize him with the day laborers. We need to figure that out still.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
final demolition
I was happy to hear from Josh that we were able to donate all the appliances and cabinets. not only are we helping to re-use, we'll get a donation credit for it! we kept the rear bath cabinet & sink as we plan to re-use it ourselves. This was at Building Resources in SF.
one hiccup we found is that the exterior siding is full of nails. our plan was to recycle the exterior siding to use for patch jobs. it's solidly bolted to plywood underneath and it's been a long process just to remove from the 2x4 studs. we haven't really tried to remove the siding from the plywood yet. Bob Ortiz is not confident that we can salvage it, so we'll see if it's less hassle to find a supplier or mill it.
the flooring in the family room was much easier to remove than we thought; it was only nailed down, not glued. unfortunately we weren't able to donate it to Building Resources in SF, so that went to the dump.
on a more positive note, we had the 3 debris boxes sorted & recycled as much as possible, so we won't have any problem meeting Burlingame's recycling requirement of 60%.
Eric, our electrician, wired up the 2 bathrooms and a few outlets for the guys to use, so now we have power inside the house. but he found the wiring under the house is not done well; it's a spaghetti mess of multiple splicings. he'll be able to re-use most of the wiring but will need to re-do the current configuration to fit into our electrical plan.
one hiccup we found is that the exterior siding is full of nails. our plan was to recycle the exterior siding to use for patch jobs. it's solidly bolted to plywood underneath and it's been a long process just to remove from the 2x4 studs. we haven't really tried to remove the siding from the plywood yet. Bob Ortiz is not confident that we can salvage it, so we'll see if it's less hassle to find a supplier or mill it.
the flooring in the family room was much easier to remove than we thought; it was only nailed down, not glued. unfortunately we weren't able to donate it to Building Resources in SF, so that went to the dump.
on a more positive note, we had the 3 debris boxes sorted & recycled as much as possible, so we won't have any problem meeting Burlingame's recycling requirement of 60%.
Eric, our electrician, wired up the 2 bathrooms and a few outlets for the guys to use, so now we have power inside the house. but he found the wiring under the house is not done well; it's a spaghetti mess of multiple splicings. he'll be able to re-use most of the wiring but will need to re-do the current configuration to fit into our electrical plan.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
final step - Public Works
oops! This week Julie called again and found out that as one of the final steps, we need to get Public Works signoff. Apparently this means a backwater valve certification and an encroachment permit. I found this confusing because I thought the plumber who came out in November to do the backwater valve test had sent a copy to Burlingame. Turns out they didn't...
I also had not heard anything about an encroachment permit, which is needed if you're building anything in the city's right of way, which for us is the planter strip and sidewalk.
Well we weren't planning anything there, so I don't know why we needed it.
On Wed the 16th we stopped by Public Works and learned they don't think we need the encroachment permit. They also looked at our backwater valve certificate, which I brought, and they noticed the plumber hadn't signed it.
Doh! Ok, a few frantic calls and we get the plumber to sign the paperwork.
I couldn't get back to the city until late afternoon, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I gave Building the backwater valve certificate and told them Public Works said we didn't need the encroachment permit, so they said we have all the paperwork they need.
Even better, the senior inspector was walking by with the approved sets of plans (3 sets)! So they were able to issue the permit on the spot.
That was the best news I'd heard all week!
I also had not heard anything about an encroachment permit, which is needed if you're building anything in the city's right of way, which for us is the planter strip and sidewalk.
Well we weren't planning anything there, so I don't know why we needed it.
On Wed the 16th we stopped by Public Works and learned they don't think we need the encroachment permit. They also looked at our backwater valve certificate, which I brought, and they noticed the plumber hadn't signed it.
Doh! Ok, a few frantic calls and we get the plumber to sign the paperwork.
I couldn't get back to the city until late afternoon, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I gave Building the backwater valve certificate and told them Public Works said we didn't need the encroachment permit, so they said we have all the paperwork they need.
Even better, the senior inspector was walking by with the approved sets of plans (3 sets)! So they were able to issue the permit on the spot.
That was the best news I'd heard all week!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
demolition stage 1
We started demolition a little too early, when we thought we'd get the permit right after New Year's. I posted the pictures up on my flickr pages under the 712 Linden collection, and I'll keep a running photo update as we move along, and as I have time to be at the house.
It was very interesting to see the structure of the house. Most of the lathe & plaster walls have what looks like a 2x3 framing, and there's R-11 insulation everywhere. We thought we'd keep the insulation but finally decided to trash it in favor of eco- and health-friendly insulation that works better. So far we have been removing all the insulation under the assumption that we'll replace it, plus it'll be easier to run the new electrical and plumbing without the insulation in place.
The kitchen walls are all interlocked and support the roof and skylight, so we couldn't demo these walls like we originally thought.
Unfortunately G seems to have been a bit zealous in demo'ing; he cut 2 studs in the master bedroom which I think was a waste of time, in addition to ripping the drywall off the wall that borders the hallway. So that will have to be fixed.
Josh demo'd the family room chimney; the brick floor took some time but then we discovered that was the only brick - the rest of the chimney is insulation and wood framing! easy work.
The good thing is everybody's been working hard, so we've gotten a lot accomplished. G and Josh's crew have stripped all the lathe & plaster from the walls we're changing, and removed all the interior materials possible - electrical hardware, appliances, plumbing fixtures and cabinets.
We've also gone through a lot of debris boxes. We've had a 15 yard box, a 20 yard box, and an 8 yard box so far.
It was very interesting to see the structure of the house. Most of the lathe & plaster walls have what looks like a 2x3 framing, and there's R-11 insulation everywhere. We thought we'd keep the insulation but finally decided to trash it in favor of eco- and health-friendly insulation that works better. So far we have been removing all the insulation under the assumption that we'll replace it, plus it'll be easier to run the new electrical and plumbing without the insulation in place.
The kitchen walls are all interlocked and support the roof and skylight, so we couldn't demo these walls like we originally thought.
Unfortunately G seems to have been a bit zealous in demo'ing; he cut 2 studs in the master bedroom which I think was a waste of time, in addition to ripping the drywall off the wall that borders the hallway. So that will have to be fixed.
Josh demo'd the family room chimney; the brick floor took some time but then we discovered that was the only brick - the rest of the chimney is insulation and wood framing! easy work.
The good thing is everybody's been working hard, so we've gotten a lot accomplished. G and Josh's crew have stripped all the lathe & plaster from the walls we're changing, and removed all the interior materials possible - electrical hardware, appliances, plumbing fixtures and cabinets.
We've also gone through a lot of debris boxes. We've had a 15 yard box, a 20 yard box, and an 8 yard box so far.
Friday, January 11, 2008
surprise surprise
Aia! Julie called Wed the 9th to find out what was the status on our permit. we found out Planning was nixing our plans because we left the trellis in place - it's 48" wide so that adds to lot coverage, which then requires our lot to be "conforming" meaning we'd have to update the parking situation. So I simply removed the trellis, it was really the easiest option.
ok, now we should be able to get the permit soon!
ok, now we should be able to get the permit soon!
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