Preparing for earth berm.....................

In front of my studio is an earth berm, ending at about desktop height. Here it is waterproofed & backfilled.

The cardboard from the waterproofing is recycled at our local Goodwill facility.

Beam me up........................

The Great Room ceiling joists are in place. So are the beams which will support the workshop over the Car Porch.

The bar joists that will support the living roof have arrived.

No longer Taco Bell.....................

Thanks to tropical plants donated by our future neighbors Bill & Gwen, we're now tropical. So it looks like we're building a Tommy Bahamas.

Below is an arbor we just transplanted from home. Instant gratification!

There's a new Taco Bell in town...................

Blockwork is done for the "car porch" openings.
Next the block cells are filled with concrete.

Then the wood forms can be removed.

The opposite side of the study wall will be covered with earth & plants, so desktop height seems level with the greenery. This view is from the kitchen.

Steel framing begins..............................

After laying out the plan on the floor, a runner channel is screwed into the subfloor.

Then the steel studs are placed. The exterior walls are of 6 inch studs to allow extra insulation for energy efficiency.

Recycling project.........................

Partial concrete blocks were reused as a retaining wall, covered by stone from the site, & backfilled with excavation dirt. Cost = zilch!

Views of the frame.....................

I'm very excited about the views from the creek side of the lot. Especially when the erosion control fence is removed after construction is complete.

Steel frame for living roof.................

The frame slopes from front to back to an eventual gutter & downspout. A rain barrel will collect the runoff for use in the garden.

The tether is removed to be used for the next piece of steel.

Beams are then lowered & likewise bolted.

Columns are lowered by a huge crane on to bolts set in the concrete block piers. The bolts are then tightened.

The steel arrives to the jobsite.

Subfloor continues......................

The subfloor continues with this being the view from the Great Room to the front door.

The stamped concrete in the Garage is sealed, however a final coat will be added when the house is finished.

Subfloor begins......................

The subflooring begins. OSB sheets are glued & screwed to the steel joists. I jumped on a portion of the floor & it is solid as a rock. Because of the plan's modular dimensions, very little cutting will be required.

There's just a few steel joists left to set, but again the waste is minimal.

Floor joists are placed...................

Pressure treated sill plates are bolted to the foundation. Under the plate is a pink compressible sheet that seals any gaps from air infiltration.

Steel floor joists are attached to the pressure treated plates. Using steel is not totally eco friendly due to the intensive process of creating and shipping this product.

However, any waste can be recycled, and that's what we'll do along with the remaining pieces of reinforcing rods.

The future walls will also be framed out of steel. Sorry termites!




John & Mike measure for the steel columns that will support the living roof.

Here's the view from below. I may try to rent this space out to a business that requires low overhead.

The crawlspace has a 2.5 inch poured concrete floor over a vapor barrier. This will keep out moisture, and provide a neat environment for working on the HVAC ducts.

The square openings will be glass block, to let in some light during the day. Probably won't save much electricity, but seemed like a cool idea.

Stamped concrete...........

A tint is added to the standard concrete mix to add coloration, & then the concrete is poured.



After setting a while the slab is dusted with powder, stamps are positioned, & then tamped down to form the floor pattern. Dust flies everywhere, but will be washed away in a few days. The purpose of the dust is to keep the stamps from sticking to the still wet
concrete.



Here's the finished pattern.

Garage slab ready to pour................

The garage foundation has been backfilled with stone, and forms have been built.

This raises the slab to be level with the future floor of the house. There will be a slight slope to the front of the garage in case rain gets in one day.

Concrete will be poured soon.........I hope.

Foundation complete....................

It's a shame this will be covered up by the floor. It reminds me of a labryinth.

The open cells can be knocked out if needed for ductwork.

The rear area will be backfilled for the garage.

The basement floor is poured, with an interior drain in the center.

Remaining from the cutting of concrete block is a fine grey dust.

Waterproofing, drainage, & backfilling................

Against the basement wall, a membrane waterproofing sheet is applied over primer.

A drainage board comes next, followed by a linear drain & gravel backfilling.

Crawlspace backfilled.................

Earth is backfilled & tamped at foundation wall. Notice the anchor bolts at the front pier. These will secure steel columns for the "living roof" portion of the house. This section will be all steel commercial construction.

Because the perimeter was designed to even increments of 16", there was relatively little wasted block. I'm placing the smaller flat pieces in the construction driveway, where they break into even smaller pieces among the existing rocks.

Cells are filled...................

Mike fills the cells of the concrete block while John smooths above the bond beam & re-bars.

Concrete is poured into the pumper.

Recyclables...................

This is an environmentally responsible site.............................

that is after the Director of Environmental Affairs picks up each discarded bottle from all over the site,

& puts them in the bin.

Each week the bottles go to the Goodwill recycling center & benefits families in need.

Foundation walls...............

This high tech Solar Glove Dryer is
a must for every construction site.

I'll apply for a patent when I have more time.













Future occupants arrive to inspect progress.

The perimeter foundation wall is complete awaiting concrete to be poured into the cells of the block. This view is from the front door towards the basement ( workshop ) below the master bedroom. The remaining crawlspace will be conditioned to control moisture. Air conditioning ducts will be in the crawlspace, which is much more energy efficient than the attic.