Remodeling Contractor

Week #11: Addition Surfaces

Now that the space is completely built, the most fun and gratifying parts of the job can begin. The finishes are where the homeowner really starts to personalize the space and make it their own. Commonly thought of as “making a house a home,” the finishes are the owners’ outward statement of personal values and style.

Kate and Dean Discuss Schedule

Kate and Drew have already made big commitments to preserving the existing traditions of the house: adding on in a manner sympathetic to the style and scale of the house, committing to wood windows (regardless of their price vs. vinyl), continuing wood floors upstairs and generally being attentive to what the house wants to be. Now we are seeing the fruits of those decisions.

Window in Bedroom Looking North

The wood floors are now installed and by the end of the week will be sanded and sealed. The tile is going down on the Bathroom floors and the walls have been painted in yellows and blues with crisp white ceilings. When the lighting is finished, the walls will have a beautiful, soft glow, creating a comforting ambiance throughout the space. It’s ready to become the favorite hang-out space in the house; comfort with a view.

Study

Week #8-10: Solidifying the Space

The road from dried-in to conditioned space has been an eventful and fulfilling journey on this second story addition in Corvallis.  After all of the mechanicals are installed and inspected (plumbing, electrical, HVAC), the insulation can be placed into the stud bays on the exterior walls and ceilings.  The sound deadening quality of the insulation gives the space a real sense of protective enclosure.  After this step, the real work of defining plane and volume begins.  Drywall has been installed on all of the previously open stud walls.  There are a lot of corners and angles to be cut and finished and it takes an experienced worker to make all of the cuts fit tightly to the framing.

Stair Hall

Bedroom

This is also a critical point in the construction because any flaws that were not evident in the framing (i.e. warped or bowed studs) become obvious when the drywaller tries to create a smooth, straight wall.  That’s why Dean takes so much time and care selecting wood and constantly checking for level, plumb and flat framing.  The sculptural quality of the space is nowhere more apparent than at the intersection of the roof and wall planes at the Study.

Hall/Study

This photo of the Bath shows the window in front of which the tub will be installed, allowing the bather to gaze out to the tree-lined Willamette River beyond.

Bath

Finally, we get to see the beginnings of the new Staircase (at left in the picture below) and Entry with its arched top opening.

Stair and Entry

By the time you read this, the walls will have been completed, sanded, textured and ready for paint.  Before that happens though, the hardwood floors and tile will be installed.  The wood has been stacked in the Living Room for two weeks now.  It is critical for the wood to acclimate to the house so that when it is installed it has already adjusted itself to the temperature and humidity conditions of the house.

Soon the stair railing and hall banister will be built and the finished addition will be ready for final electrical, plumbing and wood trim.  Not long from now the once dusty attic will be filling up with furniture and the space that was only a dream months ago will be a full-fledged reality.

Week #6 & 7: Dried-In

In the last couple of weeks a lot has happened in the newly remodeled attic of this Corvallis addition.

First and most importantly, the South dormer has been added to complete the new footprint and define the volume of the Bedroom. The picture shows the demolition of the South roof. Dean and crew used a chute to remove the debris without creating a dust-storm. It should be noted that Kate and Drew have a very accommodating neighbor who has allowed us to use his parking lot, making a job like this much easier…thanks Steve! Not much later, the dormer was framed, sheeted with plywood, roofed and house-wrapped. All the framing is now inspected and the house is officially “dried-in.” With no more worries about the weather, we can concentrate on interior walls and the staircase. In our next blog entry you’ll see the project drywalled!

Roof Demo

South Dormer

The next pictures show the installation of all the walls that will define the new living spaces. From the South side there is the bedroom with the walk-in closet behind the bed. The closet is not only storage and dressing area for Kate and Drew, but also a buffer zone from any noise coming up the stairwell into the second floor. Beyond that, the bathroom is completely framed and rough plumbing is installed.  There is some very interesting framing that Kate and Dean worked out at the roof ridge…it will have a nice sculptural look when it is completed with drywall.

Bath Framing

Roof Ridge

The electrical is being done this week and all of the lighting, switches and outlets have been located on the walls and ceilings for installation. Extra time and care must be taken at this point to ensure that the fixtures will not only be in the correct locations but that nothing such as furniture, cabinetry or shelving will conflict with them once Kate and Drew move in.

The stair is a project unto itself. After carefully cutting a hole in the living room ceiling,  Dean constructed the framework that the stair contractor will use to install the finished components: Oak treads with painted risers, skirt boards, balusters and Oak handrail. The final result will be a fabulous addition to the entry and living room. The windows and skylights in the new addition will brighten up the stair/hall upstairs while bringing light down into the middle of the house. Now everyone has to get used to saying “I’m going upstairs!”

New Hole in Ceiling

Rough Stair Framing

Week #4: Breakthrough!

This week, Dean and crew have achieved a major leap forward in the transformation of the attic into bona fide living space.  All it took was one nice day and demolition on the North side of the roof was complete.  That same day, walls were erected and we could secure the space from the elements.  Notice how carefully the tarps are attached to the framing, creating the walls and ceiling under which we can continue working, undisturbed by the weather.

Wet Outside....

...Dry Inside

You can also see what was going on inside the attic before the new dormer roofs could be constructed.  The large laminated beams and extra wall framing needed to be installed to accommodate the additional weight of the dormers.  Also, the foundation was strengthened and all of this new weight on the roof is now directed down to the new foundation piers.

New Structural Framing

The effect is dramatic as the space takes shape for the new bathroom and stair hall.  Soon, the South side of the house will be framed in and the bedroom and closet spaces will be defined.  At this point, we will be able to sheet the framing with plywood and get “dried-in” for the remainder of the project.

Week #3: Floor System

Last week the plumbing and other underfloor mechanicals were inspected and OK’d by the city.  Having passed this first milestone, the floor sheeting can now be installed.  This makes work much easier for everyone now that there is a proper floor to walk on!  The only thing not covered with the new floor sheeting is the opening for the future stair.

Ted and Dean admire their new floor sheeting

Rain or shine, the show must go on.  The first section of roofing has now been removed for easy access to the work area. We have created a roll-back roof cover that’s quick and easy to use and keeps the attic completely water-tight.

The Roll-Back Roof Cover

Once the floor system is complete, we will be removing more and more of the roof for the new dormer framing.  From the outside, progress may seem slow at first but a lot of work is now in place inside the attic.  Proper care and planning at this stage makes for a smooth project throughout.

Exterior of House