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Enjoy the book, it helped us a lot, especially when it comes to planning and understanding all the things to consider.
Brett in Rhome, TX


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2/26/10 Update

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 2/26/2010

Things have slowed down quite a bit, but there's always little projects that keep things interesting. Our little computer/phone center needed a little attention to dress it up so we had an idea to use a bunch of the corks that we've saved over the years as a backdrop. Now, considering that the wine that these corks came from ranged in price from $8 to $80, and there are over 400 corks on the back wall alone, this little section of wall is the most expensive in the whole house! Haaaaaa

Our laundry/mud room was in need of a counter to fold clothes on and also a place to set things when we arrive. I used two layers of 5/8" plywood, with the top layer 3/8" shorter in front. This created a little bumpout for the trim piece to be nailed to. The nosing-trim piece gets a dado cut that fits over the lower 5/8" ply which helps stiffen the front of the counter. I used the same tile for the countertop as I did on the floor and added a nosing of poplar that was stained to match the maple cabinets.  No need for a backsplash - I don't like those anyway - this is much cleaner.

Now back to the cork wall... this had to be revised later when I installed my security system and had to move the top shelf down to make enough room for the security monitor. More pictures will follow...

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Happy Holidays!

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 12/18/2008 10:31:37 AM

Well, its been quite some time since I've written an update, so let me see if I can catch up on whats been going on.  I finally finished the hardwood flooring at the entry and also completed the slate stair risers.  After that was the long task of baseboards.  Not the most fun part of construction, but you know you're almost finished when you're to this point, and it really makes a difference in the rooms.  The summer was not fun this year, as we are in the middle of where all the big fires were in the northern part of the state.  I still remember all the lightning strikes that woke us up at 6 a.m. on June 21st - the beginning of what would be one of the worst fire years in California history.  We were lucky and didn't lose anything, but it was very nerve-wracking, especially being five hrs. away during the week and then going back up on the weekends to see how the fire had progressed.  The air was filled with so much smoke that the state had issued hazardous health warnings about being outside up in our area.  The only thing that helped was knowing that we had built the house with fires in mind, using metal roofing, cement-board siding, heavy timbers and a Class A fire-rated decking material (Red Balau, a member of the Ironwood family).

In July we mostly did painting - baseboards and door and window trim, both inside and out. August was more of the same. September was installing roller shades at all the windows and putting the gutter screens on for the fall.  October was spent prepping for winter and starting a new lawn area - about one acre in size!  We used our tractor to prep the ground by ripping it up about 8" deep, which brought up thousands of rocks and small boulders.  After that I had to use a landscape rake, which is towed behind the tractor to collect "most" of the rocks and debris.  We spread grass seed and then drug our harrows over it to cover the seed.  Hopefully it will survive the winter snow.

November was more winter prep and trenching.  We are installing a broadband internet connection via a radio tower.  We had to install a radio receiver/transmitter on our pump house and trench over to the house.  Add conduit and pull the wire thru.  Up into the house and into a cabinet where my server sits.  We also dug a trench for our satellite dish's new location, which ended up being about 120' from the house.  What a pain that was!  December has just been cold.  Built a new tractor shed and put up our tree.  Haven't had time for much else.  Still working on the design for the entertainment center...  Happy Holidays!

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Merry Christmas!



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Construction Update 6/3/08

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 6/3/2008 1:21:25 PM

Well, our week's "vacation" was all work this time, but we knew that before we even left our home in Santa Rosa.  The weather was pretty bad up there and it rained just about every day, except for Friday and Sunday (end of the week).  The worst part was I had to do all my cutting up on the deck, under cover, which got saw dust everywhere!  Well, at least I was dry.  The only good thing about the rain was that I didn't feel like I was missing being inside laying the flooring all day, every day.

We started off by first painting the last of the upper window casings, then Lori had to clean the windows.  Doesn't she look thrilled to be up there ? :-)

After that I wiped down all the Glue-Lam beams, because they still had little bits of insulation hair stuck to them from when the ceiling was insulated.

Once that was finished I had to vacuum the fan blades... not an easy task, since they are hanging at 11 feet above the floor.  Good thing I have a 12-foot ladder!  OSHA would love that photo. :-)

Then it was time to scrape the floor of any lumps of sheetrock mud, glue and whatever was sticking up.  All the nail heads had to be checked in the plywood subfloor to be sure they were completely flat, which they weren't so I had to hammer a ton of those down.  You find them while scraping - what a pain that was!

After that was to install the moisture barrier.

Then I added furring strips along the wall to keep the wood flooring away for expansion and contraction.

Finally, it was time to lay the flooring.  The first two rows took forever since it had to be perfect for the rest of the room was going to be set from these two rows, one of which went back into the stairs, wet bar and entertainment center recessed areas.

Once I reached the wood stove hearths I had to sand the face of the slate to get the mortar off so it wouldn't show when the wood butted up against it.  What a dusty mess that was!

We were constantly vacuuming to get any debris off the floor before the new flooring went down.

Once the floor was finished ( I still have the area in front of the entry closet to do and the closet itself) I started on the steps.  Those took longer than I expected, but then again everything does!

Once the wood was installed on the steps, it was on to cutting slate for the stair risers (thanks to Ray for that idea!).

Still have two more stairs to add slate to, then they all have to be grouted.  After that, the baseboards can be painted and installed.  Oh, the fun never ends!

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Construction Update 4/9/08

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 4/9/2008 2:23:32 PM

Wow, it's been busy, busy, busy.  We had our final inspection the last week of Feb. and we got everything signed off without having to do anything more or change anything.  That was great news!  We now have our occupancy permit and can finally breath a little.  Its just nice knowing that you don't have a deadline to meet for the next inspection.  Now our big push is to get the hardwood floors installed before we have our annual Camp-N-Q Weekend!

We had a lot of snow this past winter and this time it stayed around for two months!  We weren't used to that, but since we were working mostly inside it didn't bother us and was nice to look at.  I must say thought that having to take off your shoes every time you come inside the house did get a little old.  Guess I'd just better get used to it.

My big project for getting our permit signed off was to build the railing for the porch.  Like the decking, I used mahogany (Red Balau) for the supports and top rail (Cambera).  The pipe railing was made by taking 3/4" EMT (electrical conduit) and cutting it to length. Then I took it to be powder coated in black satin for a very durable finish.  Powder coating is a baked-on finish which is very hard when it dries.  The copper post caps really finish it off.

We worked on the railing until 10:30 pm one night, and with snow still on the ground it was only 35 degrees outside.  I ended up getting over confident and was rushing when drilling the holes for the railing on my drill press, the big forstener bit caught my glove and pulled my hand into the bit.  I had to grab the drill chuck to stop it from going all the way through my hand, but the motor was still running and the belt was just slipping.  Luckily, Lori was right next to me but she didn't know where the shut off switch was.  My left hand was stuck in the drill press and my right had was holding the chuck - the shut off is on the left side of the press. So, if I was to let go with my right hand to turn it off, the large bit would have gone completely through my hand, so I couldn't turn it off myself.  Lori looked around for the plug but there were four different extension cords running around -- she found the right one and unplugged it.  We unscrewed the drill from my hand and decided to call it a night.  I needed stitches but wasn't going to drive the hour and 15 minutes to get to the hospital at that time of night, so we just cleaned it up and used Super Glue to close the wounds.  It stings like crazy, but does the trick.  We got up at 5:30 am the next day to finish the railing before the inspection that was scheduled for that same day.  The inspector loved it!

After that, we installed hardwood flooring in the bedroom.  Its a hand scraped Santos Mahogany in 5" width and random lengths.  This is an engineered product, and although I don't really like those, this had a pretty thick wear layer: a fat 1/8", which is pretty good when talking about engineered flooring.  Once its nailed down you don't know how thick it really is anyway, it just matters when you need to sand it down and refinish it years from now.

After that project, I did the slate behind the wet bar.  I cut my leftover tiles from the fireplace hearths into five different sizes and designed a random pattern on my computer.  It came out pretty much exactly as planned.

Photos




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Construction Update 11/21/07

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 11/21/2007 5:56:21 PM

During this weekend warrior work period, we took an extra day off for our son Vince to visit and help with the construction of two fireplace hearths (but he didn't know he'd be working... ha ha).  We got both of them completed but it was a long last day.  Vince learned a lot, but knows he doesn't like laying tile.  Can't say I blame him, as it's pretty hard on the knees and really dries out your hands, but I on the other hand enjoy it.  While waiting for Vince to arrive, I worked on a couple other projects like installing a puck light under the shelf at the computer/phone center, and I also installed the glass in the kitchen cabinet doors that I butchered up from their original design.  They originally had clear glass with wood mullions in the middle vertically and across the top and bottom of the glass.  I removed the glass, cut off the mullions, sanded and filled any holes and scrapes, added wood tape (real wood veneer) around the inside of the cabinet where I cut off the mullions, sanded again, stained and sealed to match the Cherry finish and then installed vertical Reed glass.  Now the cabinet doors match the cabinet doors in the vanity I built for the bathroom and also the bathroom window... it's all starting to make sense now.

Lori painted a couple interior doors and I painted a couple of window casings.  The slate tile was really easy to cut but sure is messy.  We choose West Country Slate from Africa and its really dark -- a lot like graphite, and when you cut it, the water and fine grindings are almost black.  The whole thing came out great I think, and Lori came up with another idea: to use the leftover slate on the wall behind the wet bar. So, I'll need to order a few more pieces and once again do yet another tile job.  I think this will be the last one though.  :-)

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Construction Update Oct. 30, 2007

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 10/30/2007 1:34:20 PM

Wow, what a busy 2 1/2 months!  We got a lot accomplished and there's been a lot of late nights working.  I owe my wife a lot of credit, as she's quite the trooper, working right there beside me on just about everything I do, not to mention all the things she does on her own.  I couldn't do it without her.

The tile floors have been finished. The granite countertops have been installed; the pendant light fixtures in the kitchen have been installed. A little more painting has been done, more trim work finished, new doors and a partial wall at the water heater closet, water softener system installed, dishwasher drawer installed, some custom cabinetry done, and the decks have been cleaned and sealed. The hardwood flooring has been decided on, purchased and brought up and stacked inside to acclimate before installation and the thermostat for the propane fake log stove has been installed.  A lot of the trim for the doors and windows have had the nail holes filled, sanded, caulked, and are ready for painting.  The range hood venting has been completed and the entertainment center has been designed.  All the plumbing fixtures are functional and what a nice thing that is!  Lots of clean-up has happened along the way too.

We're getting really close to our final, but there's still lots to do.  Like they say, the last 10% takes 90% of the time!

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Aug. 07

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 8/30/2007 10:10:17 AM

Our week-long vacation was anything but that, but we got a lot of work done!  We planned to tile the laundry room, kitchen, and pantry and to install the steel supports in the plywood for the granite where we have overhangs, which didn't seem like too much work for one week.  We arrived late Thursday night (11:30 pm) so that we'd be ready for the granite guys to come out Friday morning to create the templates for the countertops.  I was up early to start work on installing the steel supports.  I had to use a router to cut a trough in the plywood so the steel would sit flat and flush with the top of the plywood, but not show through on the underside.  What a messy job -- I had plywood shavings everywhere in the kitchen, so another round of cleaning was next on my list before the granite guys showed up.

Its pretty interesting and very simplistic how they make the templates.  They use 3" wide strips of Melamine that are cut to length and stapled to the plywood tops. They overlap the strips at the corners and use an acrylic glue to tie them together.  The acrylic glue dries in just seconds, then they pull the staples and roll up the template.  In the older days they used to use door skins for making the templates but when transporting them long distances and in hot weather the skins would warp and they had a tough time flattening them out perfectly.  The Melamine is unaffected by the heat, and much easier to work with. We followed them back to their shop in Redding so we could lay out the templates on the slabs and get the nice area of granite just where we wanted it.

The next day we started on the floors.  First, we had to remove everything out of the rooms, which included the refrigerator, range, water heater and water softener system.  Then we had to scrape the floors to make sure they were clean and had no lumps of sheetrock mud on them, or glue that oozed out through the sub floor when it was installed.  After that I went around setting any of the subfloor nails that were sticking up slightly.  Finally I was ready to start laying the tile backer board.  We used1/4" HardiBacker for its strength and mold-resistance: jameshardie.com.  Even though they say you can score it and snap it, it doesn't make a very clean cut, so if an area was tight, I used a jigsaw with a diamond blade.  Word of caution: wear a dust mask!  You also can't snap the board where you cut around corners or very short sections, so a jigsaw was almost a must, although you could do it with a sheetrock knife if you had lots of time on your hands.

I also have a raised kitchen and there are steps to think about and how to stop the tile and start the wood floor and stair nosings.  Without having the stair nosings with me, I had to call the flooring supplier to find out what the available sizes were, but they were closed and I still had to lay the backer board. So, I went further than I needed and had to cut it out later.  Speaking of cutting out, I also had to put in an underfloor vent for the hot water heater closet, which involved a trip under the house to check for joists and blocking and possible under-floor waterlines, gas lines and electrical lines.  Man, seems like there's always something to slow us down!

The HardiBoard was set in mortar that I used a notched trowel to apply.  Then you lay the board down and nail it off or screw it, which ever you prefer.  I used a ring shank galvanized roofing nail, 1-1/4" in length.  You nail the field at 8" on center and the edges at 4" on center.  Also, you must keep the sheets of HardiBoard 1/8" apart to allow for expansion and contraction.  After it was all nailed down, we taped the joints with fiberglass mesh tape.  This whole process took us about 20 hours to lay 21 sheets of the board and fit it around everything.  The tiling was fun, at first, but just seemed to go on and on.  We used an 18" x 18" x 3/8" porcelain tile, which is nice because you have fewer joints and it covers an area fairly quickly.  I finished the pantry pretty quickly, as it is only 6'-6" x 8'-6".

Then I worked my way into the kitchen.  I found that I am too picky when it comes to the tiles being perfectly level with the other tiles around them, and this caused me to have a very slow process, often pulling up a tile and scraping off all the mortar and starting over on it.  I know of an area where I took a tile up five times because it just wasn't perfect.  If it were under a cabinet or behind the refrigerator I wouldn't mind so much, but when it's right in front of the range or sink, where you'll be standing all the time, I just had to have it perfect.  I'd rather take five times to get it right rather than do it quickly and end up with a tile that you feel is too high or too low and wishing I'd done it right the first time.  Being in architecture and the construction industry there are a few sayings you hear and think of as you do your own work: "There's never enough time to do it right the first time, but there's always enough time to do it over." And this one: "There's two ways to do a job, the right way and the wrong way, which one do you want?"

So, by the end of the week we had the pantry tiled and grouted and the kitchen tiled, but not grouted, and the laundry room with some tile in it.  The countertops had the steel supports installed and the templates for the granite have been made.  We go back next weekend to finish the grout and tile work and possibly have the pendant lights in the kitchen over the island and wet bar.

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Construction Update - August 8, 2007

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 8/8/2007

We had yet another busy weekend.  This time I finished the final assembly of the custom vanity I built, and Lori did the staining of the inside drawer supports.  We also installed the large custom pendant light fixture that took 3 months to get, and after having to send it back because of a flaw in the finish I found yet another problem with the new fixture... they sent the wrong length support rods. So now, even though I mounted it, I'll have to take it back down and swap out the support rods for the longer ones when they send them (they were out of stock so they have to build new ones for us).  I also got all the plywood cut and mounted to the cabinet tops so we'll be ready for the granite counters.  They come out to make the templates next Friday!

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July 20, 2007

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 7/18/2007

Its been a very busy few months since my last update, and things have been moving right along.  We've done all the base painting, doors and windows are currently being trimmed out and will be painted soon.  The cabinets have been installed, most of the appliances have been purchased and installed, and the decks have been nearly completed.  We had the sub panel all wired up and turned on back in May, and what a difference it makes being able to just plug a tool into the wall instead of an extension cord.  The Cedar ceiling has been installed, but still needs to have the edge trim put up.  Almost all of the light fixtures have been installed and a few of the speakers have been installed also.

I think the biggest thrill for us so far was when we were able to walk in and flip a switch to turn on the lights.  That really makes it feel like a house, and you know that when you've gotten to that point there is light at the end of the tunnel (no pun intended!).  We installed a travertine floor and walls in the bath during one of our summer vacations.  It's almost done except that I had to have 6 tiles bull nosed for the end of the wing-wall that divides the toilet from the tub.  Anyone who is interested in doing their own tile work, I'll give you a tip as far as purchasing a wet saw.  I originally started out using the PlasPlug Wet Tile Saw when I installed the travertine on the floor.  This was working OK, but the motor would bog down if I pushed very hard at all on the tile.  So, I purchased another tile saw from Home Depot:  The WorkForce 7" Wet Tile Saw.  What a difference between the 1/3 hp motor of the PlasPlug and the 1/2 hp motor of the WorkForce -- that 1/2 hp motor just cut the tile with ease. And for only $88, it's hard to go wrong with this wet saw.

This weekend we'll be installing the (three) ceiling fans in the great room and the custom dining room pendant fixture.  Also the pendants over the kitchen island and wall sconces in the bathroom.  We'll also be sealing the grout this weekend (except for the bull nosed tiles which will be installed and grouted this weekend -- I'll seal those next time).  In my spare time (what's that?) at home, I'm building a custom vanity for the bathroom.  It's made from African Mahogany and has an espresso stain with a satin finish.  A makeup area and drawer is part of the vanity, which gets a solid granite counter top and vessel sink.  We picked out our granite slabs for the kitchen last Friday at a wholesale warehouse in Oakland -- quite a sight to see so many slabs in one place.  We still need to get the in-wall speakers for the home theater system, which I'm piecing together with quality components.  I installed the outdoor speakers last time we were up there so now we can listen to music while we're sitting around the camp fire at night!

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Beaver Creek Ranch 2007 Construction Update

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 4/6/2007

Its been a busy year to say the least.  Insulation was installed and the drywall has been installed, inspected and taped and textured.  It really looks like a house now!

We had the drywall sprayed with "First Coat" before the texture was applied.  This applies a coat of basically thinned down drywall mud to the entire surface so that the primer and paint will adhere evenly to the surface.  If you just prime over the texture you'll see the tape joints "telegraph" through since the drywall mud absorbs more than the drywall paper.  It was a cheap investment (less than $200) and well worth the effort.

The primer will be sprayed next week (4/10/07), and then we'll be painting the rooms the following weekend.  I can't wait to finally get some color on the walls!

We've been ordering our light fixtures over the last few months and have most of them.  The dining room fixture is custom made by Hubbardton Forge (vtforge.com), and is just a piece of art if you ask me.  Very unique.  I can tell you that as an Architect. I've never seen anything like it before, and the quality is unmatched.


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Beaver Creek Ranch Construction Update

Posted to Beaver-Creek-Ranch by Terry in Santa Rosa, CA on 1/6/2007

Jan. 2001
Looking for property.

Feb. 2001
Purchase of property.

  • 20 acres with year-round access, off county-maintained road, year-round creek (60' wide) and backs up to National Forest.
  • Septic System already installed for a 3-bdrm house (1,500 gal.)
July 2001
Built a small bath house.
  • 8' x 10', complete with toilet, sink, shower and propane hot water heater.
2002
    Drilled a well.

2003
    Brought in power & phone.

2004
    New road -- All weather, emergency vehicle access.  6" crushed shale.  Emergency vehicle turn-out and hammerhead at end of road.  Paved entry for Encroachment Permit.

2005
Grading for new house, garage and rear patio.  Moved approx. 475 yards of earth.  Some of the dirt was spread out in low lying areas and the rest was stock piled for backfilling against the foundation and various landscape islands.

2006
Began construction of new house.  House is 1,408 sq. ft., single story, split-level, one bedroom 1 bath, kitchen, walk-in pantry, mud room/laundry, sitting area, dining room and living room.  Covered wrap around porch with heavy timbers. Open beam ceiling with exposed GLBs and T&G cedar ceiling.  This is only the first phase in the construction of our future retirement home.  The second phase will add on a large Master bedroom and bath, a large game room, and more decks.

Materials:
HardiPlank siding - Cedar Mill Select, 8" exposure.
Standing seam metal roof with hidden fasteners, for fire and snow protection.
Red Balau decking - (Mahogany from Indonesia).
Propane Heat (gas stove) and also a wood stove -- both are Vermont Castings stoves.

Nov. 17, 2006
We are just about ready for insulation and drywall, once we finish pulling the wiring for the surround sound, satellite TV, and phone.

Nov. 29, 2006
This last weekend we ran the wires for the surround sound in-wall speakers, speakers in the bathroom and exterior speakers in the front and back of the house.  Ran all the wire for phone and satellite TV.  Installed an attic ladder.  Moved a double switch box to make room for an in-wall ironing board.

Dec. 16, 2006
Just when you think your ready to proceed... we thought we were ready for insulation, but we still needed to provide air flow through the rafter bays for the open beam ceiling.  This is done by drilling (two) 1" dia. holes in the blocking at the outside wall and near the top of the blocking at the mid-span of the roof rafters. This will allow air flow from the outside at the eave, up to the ridge vent on top.  Having 2x12 roof rafters, the depth is only 11-1/4", and regular R-38 insulation would fill this cavity completely, so we used High Density R-38, which is only 10" thick, leaving us the needed 1" air space.  Now our problem is that the holes that I drilled in the blocking were about 2" down from the top of the block, which would be covered by the insulation... not good.  So, now we had to add insulation baffles that would hold back the insulation around the holes I drilled, but still allow for air flow over the top of the baffle.  This took quite some time, which we had not anticipated, so we began the task of running some scrap plywood through the table saw to make 6" wide strips.  Next the strips were cut to 14-1/2" lengths to fit between the rafters (our rafters are 2x12 @ 16"o.c.) and then toe nailed in place with a finish nailer.

Dec. 29, 2006
Just about ready for insulation.  We needed to install the blocking and electrical boxes for our (three) ceiling fans in vaulted ceiling of the main living area and also the blocking and electrical box for the large pendant light fixture in the dining area.

Once that was done, I did what I think every person building a new house or even just adding onto a house should do... I took a picture of every wall, in every room.  This will allow you later to go back to your photos and see just where you have electrical wiring and pipes running through the walls that you won't be able to see once the sheetrock goes on.

Well, that's it, we are ready for insulation and have it scheduled for January 11th, 2007.  It will be so nice to get a little heat inside the house.  Right now it stays colder in the house than it is outside... and believe me it's cold outside... in the upper 30's during the day and down to the low 20's or even upper teens at night.

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