Siding, Soffit, Railings, & Cement

It's been a busy couple of weeks at the project with a lot of things coming together. 

The wood exterior siding has been installed and matches well with the windows and metal.

With the exterior siding very close to completion on the house, Tim and Co. began installing the soffit. Looks good!

Pouring the cement floors upstairs and on the deck was an important milestone that had to be met before more work could begin on the interior of the building. With that out of the way, the next couple of weeks should bring a flurry of work: soffitt inside, drywall, stairs, etc. Here's a first look at the interior railings. 

 

A before-and-after of the deck pour:

This last one is shows the some of the finished floor and interior railings.

More Exterior Siding

The latest photos of the exterior siding look great! We are very excited about the texture and color of the rusted metal. With the metal installed, Tim and Co. are moving on to the wood siding.

Septic, Siding, & Insulation

Over the past two weeks a ton of work was completed. Now that the windows are installed and roof is on Big Valley Builders can start hanging the siding. For most of the exterior of the house we chose a cold-rolled steel panel that will require pretty much zero maintenance. The panels arrived silver and shiny and over the last week BVB treated it so that it rusts. Things seem to rust in the Valley quickly and they were able to get a nice patina in just a few days. Below are a few shots of the roof, the panels sunbathing, and the metal installed.

 

We are feeling really good about this material selection. While BVB worked on the siding outside, the entire house was insulated and work on the septic system was under way.

The floors are currently being prepared for the installation of the wiring for radiant heat. The cement should be poured in the next week!

Work Continues

By July 24, it looked like the fire was getting contained and after speaking with Tim, we made the decision to head to the Valley. The upper Valley (i.e., north of Winthrop) was spared from the fire for the time being. Power was still out when we got there, but things were starting to get back to normal.  Tim and Co. were back to work and making progress. The windows and roof look great.

With the windows in, the house was insulated. 

The metal and wood siding are next, along with the cement pour for the main level.

In between hanging out at the house and lounging at the campsite, we did a little hiking. We hiked up to the Goat Mountain Lookout and met for the first time Lightning Bill (as he's known by the locals). He showed us how he spots fires and reads the smoke to pinpoint it's location. It was super cool. We're very thankful to have him watching the woods this fire season. Below are a few shots of what felt like the top of the world.



  

Largest Wildfire in Washington's History

It has been a crazy few weeks in the Valley. The largest wildfire in Washington's history has significantly impacted this small community.

The Carlton Complex fires started on July 14 by lightning. There were fires east and south of Winthrop and Twisp, but the primary fire was close to Carlton and moved south towards Pateros.

 

The fire grew dramatically on July 17, 2014. Hot weather and windy conditions pushed the fire rapidly towards the town of Pateros resulting in evacuations. Between July 17 and 18, the fire destroyed approximately 300 homes in Brewster and Pateros. As of August 4, 2014, the fire was approximately 253,000 acres and 82% contained.  Below are a few photos from the carltoncomplex twitter feed:

We had planned to spend a week out there beginning July 20; however, the fire was only slightly contained at that point and the Valley had lost power and cell coverage. With the limited amount of resources, we decided to wait until the fire was more under control before heading out. This was a really stressful week. We were glued to the internet watching the fire's progress, hoping the worst was over. 

The Windows have Arrived

Below are a few shots of the windows, which we've all been eagerly awaiting. By all accounts, they are big and heavy and to make matters even more challenging, Tim and Co. have had to unload and install the windows in blisteringly hot temperatures (100+ degrees!). With the help of a man-lift (see 4th pic below) the windows are being installed. We are super excited to check them out on our next visit to the Valley!

This first photo shows the recently installed TPO waterproofing membrane over the deck. The deck is now ready for the cement pour.



Here are few shots of the windows by the front entrance and the lower level.



These are pics of the back of the house with the windows installed in the kitchen area and almost fully installed in the bedroom.



This is an interior shot looking out the windows in the kitchen.

This is an interior shot looking out of the bedroom.



Plumbing, Electrical, and Cement

Big Valley and the subcontractors have been busy over the last few weeks. While not the most pictorial phase of the project, all of the pieces have been coming together. 

These first shots are of the front approach to the house. Once the steel I-beam was delivered and installed, the remaining portion of the roof and overhang were completed. We were very happy with how this piece of the project turned out.

The electrician has been running wire for the radiant heat and installing the boxes/wiring for the recessed lighting, pendants, and ceiling fans:



The plumber has been roughing-in all of the fixtures. We are looking forward to putting that tub to use.



Once the electrician and plumber were done, the cement contractor was able to pour the cement floor for the lower level. The floor turned out great! The joint lines appear to be working--no other visible cracks yet. We have an idea who was in charge of the pour...

With the cement floors poured, Tim and Co. started framing the lower level:

Last but not least, the windows are on the way. When they arrive, this should set off a flurry of activity. Looking forward to it!