FRAMING BEGINS

First Floor Framing

The Starter Home 2.0 project is rising quickly as framing was able to begin yesterday with the first floor structure and floor sheathing, and move on to the first floor exterior wall framing and sheathing today. There are plenty of photos on my Picasa page here that document the building process to date, and below are a few of my favorite from the past couple days.

FRAMING PACKAGE

Joists, Studs & Sheathing Arrive on Site

On Tuesday morning framing materials for the floors and walls were dropped off on-site from McCabe Lumber, which included 2x12's for the floor joists, 2x6's for the exterior wall studs, and 2x4's for the interior studs along with OSB sheathing for the floors and miscellaneous framing hardware and accessories. With the lumber package now on site, framing should be able to begin later this morning.

BASEMENT FLOOR SLAB

Concrete Floor Slab Poured

Yesterday I was able to stop by the Starter Home 2.0 project site a couple of times during lunch and after work to get some pictures of the concrete floor slab, that was poured in the morning, being troweled as well as the finished product. One of the nice things about this particular property is that the soil has never been disturbed and has excellent stability and bearing capacity, which eliminates the need for any type of steel reinforcing in the slab, cutting down on that extra labor and material cost. A couple of control joints were formed in the slab to control potential cracking, and now the stage is set for framing to begin later today.

DESIGN LAB SHOWCASE

Dwellings on Display All Week at Downtown Library

I mentioned in a previous blog post about my involvement with the Design LAB (Learn and Build) program and how this year's theme of 'Dwelling' has coincided nicely with the Starter Home 2.0 project, but wanted to make those in the Cincinnati area aware that the student work for grades K-12 is on display and open to the public at the Cincinnati Main Public Library Branch Downtown through May 2. 
In anticipation of the showcase, Soapbox Cincinnati published an excellent article on the program titled, '1,500 local students learn architecture, construction basics through Design LAB program', which is a great overview of everything Design LAB and how it is about building more than buildings.

WALKTHROUGH PART 2

Updated Revit Walkthroughs

I previously experimented with Revit Walkthroughs for the first time in this blog post from February with the promise that I would give it another shot, so here are a few more attempts at virtual walkthroughs in and around the house. I anticipate once framing is underway and the spaces in the home start to become more recognizable that I will post some 'real' walkthroughs as well. 

• Sidewalk to Front Entry

• First Floor Living, Dining & Kitchen

VAPOR BARRIER

Underslab Vapor Barrier Installed

The final step before pouring the basement floor along with installing any reinforcing is installing the vapor barrier below the slab. The vapor barrier along with the gravel and other drainage systems in place will help prevent the concrete floor slab from absorbing and transferring ground moisture into the home. Talking to the plumbers on site during my lunch hour yesterday, I was told the slab was scheduled to be poured at 3pm Friday, but when I stopped by after work around 5:30pm the slab was still not poured, so that might have been pushed back until Monday.

INSPECT & CONNECT

Plumbing Inspection & Temporary Power Pole

The under slab plumbing rough-ins were inspected and approved as scheduled on Thursday, giving the crew the green light to move forward with installing the vapor barrier, setting the reinforcing, and pouring the concrete basement slab this afternoon. Once the slab is poured and cured, the Starter Home 2.0 project will be ready for framing, requiring access to electricity for power tools and other applications. In anticipation of this need, a temporary power pole was constructed on site yesterday, which Duke Energy will meter and connect to the overhead power lines.

UNDERSLAB PLUMBING ROUGH-IN

Primary Drain-Waste-Vent Piping (DWV) Installed

Yesterday the underslab plumbing rough-ins were installed at the Starter Home 2.0 project for the sump pump, basement floor drain and laundry, basement bathroom (future use), and all the remaining plumbing fixtures on the first and second floors. The DWV piping is sloped to exit the southeast corner of the house where it will connect to the public sewer in the street. Next steps are installation of the underslab vapor barrier and pouring of the basement floor slab with framing set to start next week.

 

ROOF SHINGLE SELECTION

Timberline Natural Shadow Slate SG Shingles

Last week I took my sample of Monterey Taupe Hardie Board Siding from building supply store to building supply store trying to decide on what type of asphalt/fiberglass roof shingles to select for the Starter Home 2.0 project, and arrived at the decision to use GAF | Timberline Natural Shadow SG shingles in the Slate color. The Timberline shingles are durable, affordable, have a nice depth of field and were identified in Builder Magazine's 2014 Brand Use Study as being the most used and highest quality asphalt/fiberglass roof shingle product on the market. Images of the product below.

GRADING

Initial Site Grading

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised that despite a weekend full of rain and thunderstorms in Cincinnati, the construction crew was able to make good progress on initial site grading around the foundation. Unfortunately, water has once again pooled up around the footers and in throughout the basement area, so I'm thinking it might need to be pumped out again for work to proceed the next few days. On a positive note, it has re-affirmed my decision to install a sump pump in the basement. 

NEW PERSPECTIVE

Over-the-Counter Interior Rendering

An open plan with abundant daylight was an absolute must have for me in the design of the Starter Home 2.0 Project, and while I won't know for sure to what extent that is achieved until construction is completed this summer, I like to think the rendering below (overlooking the kitchen sink) suggests things are headed in the right direction. 

BONUS SPACE

Basement Layout Revision

One of the recent revisions I made to the Starter Home 2.0 design this past week was relocating the basement mechanical equipment to the center of the space to free up the area at the bottom of the stairs in front of the 4'x4' egress window to be able to be used as extra living space should I decide to finish the basement in the future. This also allows for more efficient air distribution with shorter duct runs and gets the furnace, water heater, washer and dryer closer to the main electrical panel, which was required to move to the front corner of the basement due to where the electric will be entering the house from the street.

STRIPPED AND WATERPROOFED

Formwork Removed and Waterproofing Applied 

Thursday was another productive work day at 3142 Parkview with the concrete foundation wall formwork being removed in the morning and the spray-on waterproofing membrane getting applied to the basement walls in the afternoon. A couple of nice takeaways from visiting the site yesterday were seeing just how large and light-filled the rear basement window is, which will make for some nice additional living space, and getting an idea for where the finished grade line around the house will be based on the extents of the J-Cote waterproofing.

FOUNDATION WALLS

Basement Walls Poured

Yesterday was a big day at the Starter Home 2.0 Project with the basement foundation walls being formed and poured. It is always a challenge to get equipment and materials mobilized for pours and deliveries on tight infill sites like Parkview lot, so it was good to see everything went as planned. With the first floor elevation being raised a foot for proper drainage at the rear of the house, the height of the walls at the front of the house are quite tall in relationship to the surrounding site, but my expectation is that once the site is backfilled, re-graded, and landscaped that this is no longer an issue. I posted some pictures of yesterday's construction below and plenty more can be found on the Picasa website (https://picasaweb.google.com/100923457668317619034/3142ParkviewPhotos).

BACK AT IT

Construction Resumes After Weather Delay

With last week's rain storms bringing construction on the Starter Home 2.0 project to a halt, foundation work was finally able to resume yesterday with another gravel delivery and staging for the forming and pouring of the foundation walls taking place. Despite a string of dry days and sunny skies over the weekend, the standing water was still pooled up around the footers and had to be manually pumped out of the basement area yesterday morning before any other work was able to begin. The foundation walls are scheduled to be formed and poured later today, so I'll try and get some pictures of that work posted tomorrow.

INSPECTIONS LOG

Cagis ezTrak Inspections

Similar to the way Cagis ezTrak allows for the online tracking of permit approvals for projects, it also allows for the online tracking of the various inspections required throughout construction. Here are a couple different links to where the Starter Home 2.0 Inspections are currently being tracked (Link 1 | Link 2). The inspection log will ultimately include (but not be limited to) the following:

• Soil Inspection
• Foundation Anchors
• Damproofing/water proofing
• Framing Inspection
• Rough-In Inspection
• Erosion Control in Place
• Firestoping Inspection
• Insulation Inspection
• Final Plumbing Inspection
• Final HVAC Inspection
• MSD C of O Sign-off
• CWW C of O Sign-off
• Final Permit Inspection
• Mech Permit Supvsr Apprvl
• Supervisor Approval

HALLWAY REVISION

Hallway Flooring and Railing Modification

As part of the stair railing and stair opening railing modifications, I made the decision to carry the hardwood flooring from the first floor up the stair treads and into the second floor hallway. I had previously called for the hall to be carpet, but think the wood gives a nice sense of continuity to the space as shown in the renderings below. The bedrooms will still have carpet.

MOVING MUD

Initial Driveway Grading

The rainy season in Cincinnati is officially in high gear with all but a handful of days the past 3+ experiencing heavy rain and thunderstorms. Needless to say, the wet weather has held up the Starter Home 2.0 construction schedule to the point where no significant progress can take place until the site gets a chance to dry out. The weekend forecast is mostly sunny and dry, but with more rain expected to return next week, it is hard to predict when things will be able to move forward as planned. That said, there was some minor construction activity on site yesterday between downpours as a bobcat was brought on the property and graded a drive that construction vehicles will be able to use to access the lot for deliveries and mobilization.

KITCHEN & BATH SELECTIONS

Cabinets, Countertops & Vanities

Last week I meet with one of the Sales Reps at Profiles In Design, who Mike Brown Construction referred me to about finish selections for the kitchen and bathrooms. During the meeting it was decided to get pricing for shaker style cabinets with slab drawers in an ebony color,  quartz kitchen countertops and cultured marble vanities, both in an off white color. Below are a couple images of the cabinet doors being priced that were taken from the company's showroom in Walnut Hills.

A LITTLE GRAVEL

First Gravel Delivery

One of the key elements to proper drainage for a basement is the proper amount of gravel around the concrete footers, foundation walls, and under the concrete slab. There will be much more gravel arriving on site in the upcoming days and weeks, but the first load was dropped off yesterday with the pics below to prove it. Unfortunately,  the forecast is calling for yet another rainy week, so I am not sure how much progress will be made on the foundations in the immediate future.

RAILING REVISION

Interior Stair Railing Modification

In an effort to provide more openness on the first floor, improve aesthetics, and reduce construction costs I spent this past working to modify the half wall and railing at the stair and stair opening on the first and second floor to be all wood railings with 4x4 newel posts and iron spindles painted black to match the kitchen cabinets and exterior iron railings. I am still in the process of incorporating these changes into the construction drawings, but was able to generate a rendering of what the new railing system would look like, which is shown below

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POOL HOUSE

Starter Home 2.0 'Swimming Pool'

I visited the lot Friday evening after back-to-back rainy days and took a couple pictures of what I am calling the Starter Home 2.0 'Swimming Pool' posted below. Obviously the weather conditions prevented the concrete contractors from setting-up their forms for pouring the foundation walls, so hopefully the weekend gives the site a chance to dry out so this work can be completed on Monday.

WET BASEMENT / DRY BASEMENT

Basement Drainage

Thursday was a typical rain filled soaker of a Spring day in Cincinnati, which reinforced the importance of proper basement drainage around the foundation. Coincidentally, the construction task for the day was laying out the perimeter drain tile around the footers to assist in keeping the basement nice and dry on rainy days like this in the future.

NIEHOFF STUDIO 2014 REPORT

Niehoff Urban Studio & CDC Annual Report

With the concrete footers at the Starter Home 2.0 project needing a day for curing before the form work for the foundation walls can be set-up, I thought sharing this UrbanCincy.com article on the impact UC's Niehoff Urban Studio & Community Design Center has had on the City of Cincinnati over the past 12+ years would be more interesting than blogging about concrete drying. I mentioned in a previous post of the lasting impacts being a student in the Neihoff Studio and graduate assistant with the Community Design Center has had on my career to this point and where I would like to take things in the future, so it is great to see others recognizing its value as well. 

FOOTERS IN

Concrete Footers Formed & Poured

With construction on the Starter Home 2.0 underway, I am trying to make a couple visits to the site everyday during lunch and after work so I can better document the process. Yesterday was a great example of this as I was able to get images of the form work setup for the concrete footers as well as the poured footers themselves. A complete album of construction photos can be found at this link, and below are some images of how the drawings have translated into building so far.