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Framing Progress

2010-02-13T20:48:00.001-05:00

Framing of the house. We used 2x6 studs for all exterior wall and even some of the interior.

Framing has Begun

2010-01-25T06:25:00.001-05:00

We started to frame in late December. They laid out all the walls first.

Plenty of Steel

2010-01-24T18:33:00.001-05:00

The steel beams were fabricated off-site and hoisted into place with a crane. It was impressive seeing all the bolt-holes line up exactly (no slotted holes either). The fabricator was Pearce Welding.

Plug for my Project Manager

2010-01-24T18:25:00.001-05:00

Larry Introna of Introna Construction.

The Foundation and Waterproofing

2010-01-21T21:08:00.001-05:00

The foundation is done. For waterproofing we used a system called Tuff-N-Dri.

Forming the Foundation

2010-01-21T20:55:00.001-05:00

We decided to go with a poured concrete foundation. The photos below show the sequence of setting up the forms.

Pinning the Foundation

2010-01-18T21:21:00.001-05:00

We had the site engineer pin (spike with pink tape) the corners of the foundations. This way we the house will be located in the right location (or at least know who to blame if it is not).

Temporary Electric Service

2010-01-18T21:16:00.001-05:00

We brought in temporary electrical service. The electrician did a really nice job. He even painted the mounting board grey for a neat appearance.

The Footings are in.

2010-01-08T21:37:00.001-05:00

We poured the footings in early December 2009.

We Found Rock!

2010-01-08T21:29:00.001-05:00

We ran into a large piece of ledge while digging for the foundation.

Retaining Wall is Done

2009-11-27T13:41:00.001-05:00

They completed the installation of the lower 100ft retaining wall. Well almost, still have to put on about 15 top caps.

Larry wanted to get the wall in prior to the foundation because, due to the location of the existing septic field, it would have been hard to get heavy machinery into this area after the foundation was in.

Here are some pictures of the wall and some of the construction.

Follow on Twitter

2009-10-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

For more frequent updates you can follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/trytofollow.

Photos

2009-10-14T13:59:00.000-04:00

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Silt Fence

2009-10-14T13:18:00.002-04:00

Here are some photos of the silt fence and tree protection. These are required by the town. Unfortunately they have to go up before the trees and house can come down. So they will probably get damaged and will have to be redone.

Tree Protection

Slideshow of existing home

2009-10-13T13:04:00.002-04:00

Asbestos has been removed

2009-10-13T12:06:00.001-04:00

The asbestos abatement contractor has finished removing all of the affected sheet rock. This is a picture of the living room looking into the dining room.

Waiting on Asbestos Removal

2009-10-12T12:34:00.000-04:00

One of the requirements in obtaining a demolition permit is to have the house tested for asbestos. Unfortunately, the tests found that the sheet rock drywall joint compound contains asbestos in an amount greater then 1%. So we are required to hire as asbestos abatement contractor and have the sheet rock removed from the house prior to full demolition.

The contractors were in this weekend doing the necessary setup work, e.g. containment zone and showers. I will try to post pics tomorrow.

Construction to Start Soon

2009-08-17T20:53:00.002-04:00

It’s been a while since my last post. Although construction has not started yet, we have been busy finding our builder, filing for a permit, looking for a place to rent and packing.

For a builder, we decided to go with a Construction Manager rather then a General Contractor. The advantages, in my opinion, are flexibility and control of money. With a GC, you have to pay a large sum of money upfront to the GC and then the GC is responsible for paying the subcontractors. We have heard to many stories in which either the GC walked off the job (with the money) or failed to pay the subs. There are two examples of this right down the block and around the corner from where we are building. Also when you want to make changes during construction, there is usually a change order required and typically it involves additional money. With a Construction Manager, we pay his fee over time (based on completion percentages) and we pay the subs directly - when they complete work. Also since we are getting bids from the subs in near real-time during construction – there is flexibility in the design.

We found a 3 bedroom town home to rent in the North Haledon, NJ. The lease starts on September 1st. So hopefully we will be in by September 11th. Once we move out the utilities can be disconnected and demolition can begin.

Approved!

2009-06-18T13:09:00.003-04:00

We received approval from the town last night for the 2 variances that we requested.

At our first meeting, on May 20th, the town took issue with our request for a variance to have the driveway be 8.3 feet from the property line. Zoning requires 20 feet. They asked us to provide an alternative plan, shifting the house to the east by 12 feet. By moving the house to the east we ended up in the steep slopes on our property, causing us to request additional variances for the retaining wall heights and steep slope violations.

Upon presenting the new site plan last night to the board, they agreed that the original plan was a better design and approved it.

Photorealistic 3d Rendering

2009-04-27T15:10:00.002-04:00

Quick update: I had the wrong dates for the planning board meeting. The new date is May 20th. Hopefully we get approval at the first meeting.

3d Renderings of the Rear Elevations

2009-03-29T11:03:00.002-04:00

Since we found the the rendering of the front and side elevations to be so useful, we went ahead a asked the architects to produce rendering of the rear elevations as well.Notice we changed the side window to an arched window

After seeing this elevation we decided to 1) have the 3rd garage be in–line with the other garages (i.e. not recessed in a foot) 2) use another oval window in the bathroom rather then the medallion – this required us to eliminate the small closet in the master bath (so the window would not end up in the closet) 3) we reduced the wide trim band around the family room.

Here is front rendering imposed on a picture of the property:

Soil Moving Permit

2009-03-29T10:43:00.002-04:00

We submitted our site engineering plan to the town and applied for a soil moving permit.
We thought we would have had a variance free plan, but as it turns out the existing driveway, which is in the no disturbance area, is not grandfathered since we are taking down the existing home. Also, since one of the new retaining walls is connected to the house and the bottom elevation of the wall is 6 inches lower then the house foundation, the roof ridge elevation is now considered 6 inches to high (there is a 40 foot height restriction). Rather then change the designs, we decided to apply for two variances – one for allowing the drive way to remain in the existing location and be expanded, the other for allowing the roof ridge height to exceed the 40 feet maximum.
The variances, required us to send letters to homes within a 200 foot radius and also put a notice in the newspaper. The planning meeting is this week. Hopefully we will get approval with only meeting.
We also had to submit the plans to the county soil conservation committee. They approved them on the first pass.
Soil Moving Plan

Slope Analysis Plan

3D Renderings with Materials Applied

2009-02-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

For materials we chose:

1) Stone: Owens Corning - Cultured Stone, “Bucks County Limestone“

http://www.culturedstone.com/products/productlarge.asp?id=51

2) Roof : GAF - Elk Camelot Williamsburg Slate

http://www.gaf.com/Content/GAF/RES1/ROOF/camelot-sample-willmsbrg.html

3) Siding: JamesHardie - HardiePlank Lap Siding, Smooth, Woodland Cream. Note: The rendering is a little too yellow. Supposedly, it looks more like cream on the architects computer screen

http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/products_siding_hardieplankLapSiding.py

The next steps are to review the remaining renderings and make final suggestions. Also, I just gave the go ahead to the architects to get started on the construction documents.

We have also applied for a “Soil Moving” permit from the town and county. I will post the engineered site plan soon.

NJ Top Ten Architects

2009-02-06T21:35:00.001-05:00

Our architects, BlueLine Architecture, were named one of NJ’s Top Ten Architectural Firms.

“New Jersey
10 Top Architectural Firms

A truly great architect can translate their clients’ dreams into a magnificent new home or space with design choices that both stand the test of time and expertly match their owners’ personal lifestyles
and vision—all with the ease of a master. Each of the architects described here have their own unique
talents and strengths from an exceptional artistic eye and in-depth knowledge of the construction process to the ability to communicate effectively—all essential skills for a successful design project and long-term
relationship.”

Second Pass 3D Renderings

2009-02-06T18:08:00.002-05:00

The Architect sent over more detailed renderings.