January 25, 2006
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Okay, let me backtrack a bit. Here are some photos that weren't filed properly by date, that will fill in some gaps in the construction process, and show off some of the craftsmanship too-- since some of the men building this house are also checking my blog to see if I'm doing them justice, I thought I'd give them something technical to point to and brag about!
Back on January 10th, this is what it looked like from the front window:
Note the handsome gentlemen hard at work.
On January 16th it looked like this:
All that crossbracing was necessary to hold the framed walls against the block until they could be attached to the walls. Those roof beams aren't firmly socked into place yet either.And, also on January 16th, like this:
Nearly all those 2x4s you see piled on the slab there were transformed into walls by the end of that day. These guys don't waste time.But they are careful. Here's a detail of two Parallam PSL 2.0e crossbeams which will support the study and master bedroom someday. Cool bit of trivia: these beams, made from wood chips and some sort of super-resin, have a modulus of elasticity of 1.2 million psi! It can be milled in any length, size or shape. Bob says "It is literally stronger than some steel sections, and is designed for use as a replacement to steel where steel may not be practical."
But unfortunately, engineered wood products can't replace the key steel support structures. Particularly when they are as beefy as ours. Bob says "our plan check engineer required us to upgrade this and other connections to F.E.M.A. Level II. This standard typically applies to commercial buildings where the occupancy is greater." I take that as an unwitting compliment: the hope is that this home will often have a higher occupancy than our little family.
Bob continues, "In my humble opinion the F.E.M.A. Level II requirement is a knee-jerk reaction to the concrete block wall construction" ...not surprising when the plan-check guy also noted the PEX-in-concrete radiant floors and the green roof, which add considerable extra weight to the structure. Since then we eliminated the concrete part of the radiant floor in favor of Warmboard, saving ourselves a lot of money and shedding a good amount of interior mass. So this house is a bit, well, overengineered.
Note that the beams are ductile steel and both bolted and welded together (you can see where a Parallam butts into them too; this is not its finished joint):
