Posted by chris | Posted in Project Updates | Posted on 27-01-2010
I almost made it to the second floor today. In one of the pictures you can see my head peeking up through the opening for the stairwell- it’s right at floor level. I didn’t get any farther, as it turned out to be harder than I thought…
I had asked one of the framers (all of them about 19 years old) if I could go upstairs. He spoke only a little English, so he nodded, positioned a 6’ step-ladder in the stair opening (there’s no staircase yet) and swung his hand in an upward motion, suggesting I go on up. I gestured at the ladder and offered to let him go first. He scampered to the top of the ladder (“Danger – Not a Step”) and then launched himself the last four feet or so using only his arms, like he was climbing out of a swimming pool, and landed on his feet. To this minute I don’t know how he did it, but I’m deeply envious.
I climbed to the top of the ladder, which is where you see me in the picture, and took stock of my situation. The framers and my buddy John Breen were watching me, which caused me to suffer a brief bout of testosterone poisoning and to consider trying to climb up…. Recovering, I said to the oldest of them, “Hey, can you take a few pictures for me?” and held out my camera. He looked very relieved, did a fine job, and I remained uninjured (except for my 50 year old ego).
The second floor is really neat. It will have sloped ceilings and knee walls, and the little nooks and crannies you get with a second floor tucked under rafters (which we did to save the cost of building a full second floor). The kids’ bedrooms will be up there, as well as a storage room since we have no basement. The goal is to get rid of so much junk when we move that the storage room is almost unused. We’ll see. Angela still has a book report that she and Carol did in the 7th grade. I can’t say I’m optimistic.
Tech note: we’re going to insulate the entire roof by shooting foam, then cellulose, between the roof rafters. By using this technique we’ll get a first rate air seal between the second floor and the outdoors; it will be like putting a giant hat on the building. It will also dramatically reduce the heating and cooling loads (and costs) for the second floor. Another top-notch suggestion from Kohta at Building Science Corp.
Now that the sub floor is installed upstairs, you can get a sense of how the first floor will feel, since it effectively has a ceiling. I hung around for a long while, standing in the sun coming in through the window openings, and realized that Henry, Dean, John, Natalie, Kohta, Angela and I are creating something profoundly special; a home that blurs the line between inside and out, with spaces that flow into each other so naturally it’s like they were carved out over time by wind and water. It’s palpable, astonishing, and I can’t wait to live there with the people I love.