East side progress

Well, it's beyond progress now ... it's done!

It's all done but the south side and the porch. We delivered the last load of siding to the site today, and the boys finished off the south side. The electrician was in today too and was finishing a good amount of switches and sockets (to be shown tomorrow).



9/14/10
It was relatively dry today so the carpenters got to work on east-side siding. Wouldn't the door look good in red?

It's good to see this with the siding on. That unfinished look is getting old real quick. It's encouraging to see that it looks better than we imagined.

Window trim detail

This is the north-side bedroom window. All the windows will look like this when we're done (well, maybe the photographer won't be reflected in the panes all the time). The Maibec ultra-white trim is 4'' wide and 1 1/4'' thick, matching the white cladding on the windows. If you look carefully you'll see that the trim on top is covered with a little "roof". At this close range you can actually see the candle distort the perspective slightly.

The picture below shows the detail of the bottom right corner. You can see the white painted nails in the trim and the stainless steel nails in the hemlock siding. You can also see the paint seal used between the horizontal trim below the window and the vertical trim to the right of the window. Also visible is the white caulking used to seal the window and trim.

Corner moulding trim details

Here's a picture showing the moulding details on the corner trim and siding. The white mouldings were first nailed down using zinc galvinized nails from Maibec painted and textured to match the siding. The natural hemlock siding is nailed down using stainless steel nails to make sure they do not leave ugly rust streaks on the wood siding in a few years time. We chose a clear (as opposed to white) seal to close the gab between the two. Hemlock does not shrink lengthwise as much as other wood, so hopefully this gap will stay closed.

I think Alex, Gord, and Joey really enjoy this part of the job. They are paying extra attention to detail. It's worth the extra time they take to seal up the joints nicely. It assures we won't have to do this again in 5 or 10 years time (knock wood!).

Foundation covering

I know this picture isn't pretty, but this part of the job has been put off and has kept me up nights, so it's a big deal to see it getting done. We covered the exposed part of the foundation insulation with about 1 foot of coated white aluminum flashing. Note that it is folded over the bottom of the wall furring to prevent vermin from crawling in the walls between the siding (not shown), sheathing (white), and furring strips (wooden). Gord has a special tool for bending metal like this.

The blue foundation insulation is already discolored from the morning sun beating down on it all summer. It was about time we covered it up. Hopefully, it didn't lose too much of its insulation value. This is on the east side of the house. The corner trim actually helps to hold it in place for now, and it will eventually be covered by siding. Alex was worried that the white flashing would look too white and get too dirty looking once it's been on for a while. As it turns out, it actually takes on a little bit of a grayish tinge when contrasted with the ultra-white of the Maibec trim, so it doesn't look too bad.

More siding

Darn, this looks good.

I think I might put a sealant on the bottom two planks to keep them from turning grey prematurely.

Up goes the siding

Here's the siding going up on the North side of the house outside the bedroom window. Wow does it look good. This is the siding we had sawn from logs out of the woods. Also shown is the window and corner trim from Maibec (white). Maibec is wood treated with paint that's supposed to last 20 years. The effect of the white trim will be to offset the hemlock siding (which we will let go grey like an old barn). The hemlock tends to crack, but there doesn't seem to be more than 10% wasted for now.

Also shown is the white flashing covering the foundation insulation. Hold have put this on a long time ago. Better late than never.

Revised wall system

The builder made a few alterations to the wall system on site. In particular, the sill system has been altered. Flooring and base boards are new to the design as well. The extra insulation needed for the foundation needed for the heated floor slab complicate the design a little. Obviously, styrofoam is not going to support the wall trusses.

On the other hand, the wall trusses are supported by the timber frame. It's still nice to have part of the wall trusses over the concrete foundation. The southern wall will feature a 4'9'' wide awning to allow full sun on the windows in the winter but little or no sun in the summer. To support the awning, 2'' x 8'' wall studs will be added in line with the trusses.

The photo shows a cross section of the wall system, including the sill board. The shiplapped siding will come down over the foundation insulation and will be sealed at the bottom (seal not shown) to prevent moisture infiltration.

The naked foundation

Here it is folks: the foundation, "tous nu"! We're about to install the weeping tile around the footings tomorrow, and will backfill some tomorrow, so I figured I better get a few pictures. Normand the excavator was in the neighborhood with the backhoe and bulldozer, so he kept it at our place over the weekend. He'll be installing the septic tank The electrician will be installing the buried power line and private pole on Tuesday. Hopefully Bell will show up to put in the hydro pole (they were supposed to do it last Thursday).

Here's a detail of the anchor system. These anchors will hold the posts in place with bolts. Should be good for up to F2 tornadoes.Looks like the frost took a toll on the corner of the foundation. Other than this, the foundation is straight and smooth.

I've posted a panorama of the house site. Not only is the house progressing, the seasons are too. Hope the snow holds out.

Final wall system

Well, I screwed up a calculation on the foundation pillasters and confused the foundation contractor. Had to recalculate on the spot. Good thing I had everthing on this blog to print out.

Given that the foundation forms are now up, this will have to be the final version of the wall system. Features include:

• 2' footings
• 8'' walls
• wall height 2'-3'
  
• 8'' pillasters to support posts
  
• foundation walls protrude 5'' from post exterior
• 4'' SM insulation outside foundation
• 2'' SM insulation inside foundation
  

Current foundation system and footprint

This foundation option shows

• 2' wide footing on the bedrock.
• 8'' (7 7/8'') foundation wall (2'-4' high) supporting insulated wall truss system
  
• 8'' pilasters to support posts of timber frame.
• 21/2'' insulated concrete forms (Aarx)
• 2'' Styrofoam SM board on outside of foundation; flush with sheathing from wall system
• High point is on southwest corner of house.

It will be built in the following sequence:

• Footings layed on bare rock; footing for chimney and interior posts anchored to stone
  
• ICF's put in place, sill anchors and sub-floor utility cut through ICF's, and walls poured
• Weeping tile placed to drain interior; layer of clear stone placed to cover weeping tile; moisture barrier put in place; all interior covered with clear stone
  
• frame and roof built on foundation walls
• hydronic heating tubing and equipment installed and 4'' hydronic slab poured
  

Dimensions of forms are for Aarx ICFs. Cross section shows an 8'' wall with an extra 2'' of styrofoam insulation (R-35; total extra cost $800 for extra styrofoam assuming 3' high wall all around). ICF's represent equivalent insulation value of $2000 worth of Styrofoam SM insulation.

I've consulted various foundation builders on the feasability of pouring a concrete wall directly onto the bedrock using insulated concreted forms (ICFs). Even the contractors (along with representatives form the ICF manufacturers) willing to do it said that it is less labor intensive and hence cheaper to build a stepped footing directly on the rock, place the ICF's flat on the footing, and pour on the walls onto the footings. It appears any saving in concrete is mitigated by the awkwardness and increased labor costs of scribing the ICF's to the rock.

A 2ft-wide footing also has the advantage of a) being more resistant to washout than a 10'' foundation wall b) not requiring drilled rebar (the rock is undulating and uneven, so that footings will be be held firmly in place), and c) being decoupled from the actual foundation for a certain amount of seismic damping in the event of earthquake.

That makes this the preferred option.
References:

• Aarx website
  
• Aarx construction guide

Wall system

The wall system was proposed by William Lemaistre, the timber framer for this project; 8"Posts are supported by 10" sill beam.

The outside wall consists of a system of vertical trusses resting partially on the foundation, but mostly protruding out above the foundation. They held together by horizontal furring and anchored to the posts, sill beams, and rafter plates. The wall cavity is filled with blown cellulose insulation for and R-32 insulation value. Thick walls allow for deep windowsills, but will hang far over the foundation walls.

The frost wall is 8" thick and at least 16" tall. It is anchored and poured directly on the the impermeable rock of the building site and supports the load of the posts. 4" concrete or cinder-block pilasters support the load on the posts on the inside of the foundation. The foundation is filled on the interior by crushed stone and a top layer of sand to support a poured-concrete hydronic slab.

The frost wall is insulated on the outside by at least 6'' of polystyrene board and a finishing wall that will bring the below-ground wall system flush with the above-ground wall. The fill and the frost walls themselves act as heat sinks for the entire house and require R-Values higher than a standard foundation.

The sill system consists of 10'' thick by 6'' high beams that rest mostly on the frost walls, overlapping slightly with the pilasters and on the inside of the walls. The beams act as forms for the 4'' hydronic slab, providing extra R-14 insulation in addition to the R-32 wall system.