Picture This
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There is a story behind every piece of stone, cabinet, roof tile, or ceiling feature, much like a chapter in a very long novel.
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On The Surface
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On the floors, limestone borders surround parquét wood floors. Finely finished arched casings limn the doorways and plaster walls. And outside, one person with a good eye shapes and levels the pool surfaces.
Read MoreCeilings are Looking Up
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We’ve been spending quite a lot of time on the classically inspired ceilings from the solid beam and stucco treatments on the balconies, the coffered style with intricate moulding of the grand rooms, to the intersecting half barrels of the groin ceilings spanning the portico.
Read MoreClose to the Work
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There is no one “finished phase” in construction, but many that happen along the way—with some tasks running concurrently, some starting, and some finishing. For now, we’re in the long phase of millwork and cabinet installations…
Read MorePuzzle Piecing
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While construction and build out of the the main house continues, the surrounding retaining walls are getting the stone veneer applied far ahead of any other landscape construction work.
Read MoreSpot On
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Some people say that windows make or break a house. Placement, symmetry and proportion are all paramount in the architects vision, certainly in classic Roman-Italian architecture, so we as builder-collaborator play an intricate role in helping to “get it right” from selection of core materials to executing the finished detail.
Read MoreUnmoveable
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There has definitely been a feeling of solidity and permanence to all of this work — building something of lasting quality has kept us focused and optimistic about the future, even if it seemed as if the world had been crumbling around us.
Read MoreUnderneath the Arches
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Some time ago we posted framing photos on Instagram with the rhetorical question, “Isn’t framing beautiful?” More broadly, the rhetorical question should be “Isn’t building beautiful?”.
Read MoreUpstairs Downstairs
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We’re seeing the installation of the last of the large steel beams that will support the roof and allow for an expansive central room on the upper floor. Once installed, framing will continue on the roof sections, as well as finishing the framing detail and components of the walls and openings.
Read MoreIt’s Hot Up Here
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Working on the steel structure during the hot summer months, the top floor is exposed to a lot of sun and the heavy reflection from the pan decking means wearing protective clothing and plenty of sunscreen.
Read MoreBeams and Columns: Part III
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As the steel structure rises, there’s a changing relationship with the surrounding landscape. Standing by three slender Italian Cypress trees, one was afforded expansive views of the valley and a good spot to assess progress some 30 feet below. Now, the construction is at eye-level—and soon we will be looking up at a fully formed structure.
Read MoreBeams and Columns: Part II
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Here’s a look at the basement and ground floor steel frame mostly completed. With the summer heat upon us, it’s hot work down here as the guys finish bolting and welding connections to allow the next level of the steel frame to be constructed. Corrugated steel floor decking will be in place soon, so that framing, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing components can begin in parallel. And that‘s when things really heat up.
Read MoreBeams and Columns: Part I
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With the arrival of the steel beams and girders, this is the first day of the installation. If all of the pieces fit together without a hitch, we’ll have two floors and a roof-frame erected in the next two months. There are parts of construction that are detailed and slow to show progress, but steel erection happens rapidly and the transformation of the job site is quite dramatic. This building, is quite literally, on it’s way up.
Read MoreReady for Steel
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In a month or two this site will be transformed from a concrete form to a rising steel structure. Connector plates and bolt-downs are in place and detailed checks are being made to ensure when the steel columns and beams get erected, they fit nicely together. And with all of the plywood forms removed, we can now transfer the elevation control lines to the concrete walls using our transit device and a good eye.
Read MoreThe Making of a Mockup
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Building this full size mockup helps us know what’s required for the installation process of the exterior materials. There’s also an important decision to be made. It’s time to choose from four different stone veneer treatments.
Read MoreThe Big Pour
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This is the first of two very active days where several large sections of the foundation were being poured utilizing a truck mounted boom pump and a continuous delivery of concrete by more than 80 trucks.
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