Kitchen Addition Part 6

In the month since our last update things have started coming together. Big thanks to Nichiha for sending their regional installer trainer down to my house for a day. He was able to get me started and show how all the parts and pieces go together. My dad came down the following weekend and we were able to get over half the panels installed.  It definitely is a sharp looking product and is turning out better than I expected. We also started tackling the rotted and uneven floor situation in the house. We got on the drywallers schedule and spent a couple of weeks finishing out everything in the walls. My dad was able to come back again this past weekend and we made significant progress.  The drywall guys started Monday this week. It's amazing the transformation when going from exposed studs to having drywalled spaces. We hope to order cabinets and flooring in the next couple weeks and have this project wrapped in the next couple of months just in time for Spring.

Exterior Nichiha Panels being installed

Laundry Room ready for drywall

Kitchen space ready for drywall

Bar with drywall

Drywall in Kitchen

Kitchen Addition Post 5

The Perils of Construction in the Winter
After getting off to a great start and the framers working really fast, the project dramatically slowed down as the holidays approached. It was difficult getting trades lined up to work and finding time ourselves to put in additional work. Fortunately our offices had some extra days off after Christmas and we were able to make progress.
The electricians (South Strand Contractors) got their rough-ins done. This took some time as we were quite specific about the location and function of each outlet and switch. We also had several circuits ran for future projects we want to do. All the additional load meant we needed a new electrical panel, this one is fortunately located inside the house unlike our existing exterior service panel. The plumbers (Craig's Plumbing) were also able to get started and roughed-in. We added a secondary hot water heater to serve just the addition.
Johanna and I spent several days around New Year's framing the new ceiling and correcting a few uncovered issues. Even though we were only able to raise the hallway ceiling 5 1/2", it visually makes an enormous difference. The snow storm came at the worst time for our addition. The space is fully connected to the existing house, but is not yet insulated.  After a couple of nights of the temperature hovering around 53 in the kitchen, I started insulating what I could without covering up electrical and plumbing for the inspector.
This week the exterior Nichiha panels should start and hopefully the deck boards will follow close behind.

 Even this small bit of insulation and some great stuff made a huge difference in temperature

Repairs to the "Corner of Troubles"

Kitchen Addition Part 4

A lot of progressed has occurred this week, and Ben has been working hard demolishing our existing kitchen and coordinating with the various subcontractors to get us dried in. The addition is really taking shape and you can get a sense of the space we will have when it is all completed. Pardon the mess...we are trying to live around all of this construction. Stay tuned for more updates....

 Above: view from the Keeping Room (Den) looking towards the new opening to the Kitchen

  Above: view of hallways, pantry, opening to Kitchen where the refrigerator and wall oven will be located

 Above: view from hallway towards new Kitchen and opening to Keeping Room

Above: view from new Kitchen looking towards Keeping Room

Kitchen Addition Part 3

Here is a glimpse of the progress on our home addition and renovation project. These pictures were taken this morning, and it's amazing how much has progressed in just a few days. We will continue to keep you updated as work continues...

Auldbrass Plantation

Johanna and I were extremely fortunate to obtain two tickets to the Auldbrass Plantation tour this past weekend. For those of you that don't know, Frank Lloyd Wright designed one plantation house during his career and it is located in the low country of South Carolina in Yemassee. The plantation was purchased by Hollywood producer Joel Silver in 1986 after sitting in disrepair for some years. The transformation since that time has been quite remarkable. FLW's original vision for the property was never fully realized by the original owners, but Mr. Silver has made it his mission to finish out the project. The most noticeable feature through out the property is the slant present in every structure. Though Mr. Wright only visited the site once, he made a profound observation that the live oak trees of the low country tend to lean and in his estimation at 81 degrees. Thus the slant.
Architecture geekery aside, Auldbrass is magnificent. Arriving at the front gate, you are immediately captivated by the peacefulness of the site. The long walk up the main drive with the only sound the crushed red brick beneath your shoes, you feel you have arrived at the juxtaposition of modern architecture and something more historical. There is something intuitive in Mr. Wright's design, something that makes you question whether the buildings or the trees came first. An utterly preposterous thought considering these live oaks are hundreds of years old, but it lingers as you pass through the entry gate that is part of the 500 foot long service building and see the house laid out before you. The prairie style is very evident, but the slant roots the house into a southern landscape. Images of white column plantations fade away into a more democratic arrangement that places livestock stalls, servant quarters, and the big house on a level playing field.
We progressed around the site and through the various tours constantly amazed at each detail that was revealed along our journey. Roof downspouts made to mimic spanish moss, a herd of Zebras roaming, caretaker quarters that hug the earth, and the every present "logo" a tribute to the local Yemassee Indians.
Leaving Auldbrass we had lunch just down the road at the Old Sheldon Church. As rumor has it, Sherman's troops burnt the church for the second time in it's history. We couldn't help but wonder how his troops would have reacted to seeing Auldbrass if it existed then.

Kitchen Addition Part 2

We are moving a little slower than expected, but that seems to be no surprise with this project. However, progress is coming along. We have gotten the foundation completed and are ready to start framing. Ben has been busy finishing the drawings, procuring materials, and doing some demo work while Johanna has been finalizing interior finishes.  We had the first major shipment of building materials arrive. We are using Zip System for the exterior sheathing. This innovate product is structural OSB board that comes with the vapor barrier as an integral part, thus eliminating the need for a Tyvek like product. The seams are taped with this special stretch tape and that's it. The cladding will be Nichiha VintageWood fiber cement panels run in a vertical orientation over a rainscreen application. In our hot, humid climate that is prone to wind-driven rain, a rainscreen allows water to migrate freely to the substrate but more importantly allows it to drain to prevent rot.
Our appliances arrived on Friday, we delayed as long as possible. It's definitely a motivator to keep moving quickly when you have these incredibly gorgeous KitchenAid appliances sitting there ready to be installed.

View of kitchen with demo work

View from porch back to kitchen

Slab and foundation for shed/studio

View from back

View from East side of addition, with crawl space access

Kitchen Addition

Unfortunately it has been sometime since our last post. Life has been busy. We have acquired a new dog, which will be the subject of his own entry soon. We have also begun preparing for the kitchen and mud room addition onto the house. For those of you that know us well, this has been a project in the works for some time now. Our original design was priced out by a local contractor and came in way over budget, like double. But no worries, nothing like blowing the budget to prompt creative thinking. The new design addressed some of the issues with the original plan and ultimately turned out to be a more functional design. The price also came in on budget.

 

We have purchased our new appliances. I know that seems backwards, but the 4th of July sales at Home Depot were too good to pass up and nothing like the pressure of knowing a huge shipment of appliances are arriving in 90 days to motivate you to get going. Ben finished the plans and they are in for a permit with Georgetown County. He has also been preparing the backyard for construction by finishing the demolition and clearing a path for the construction crews. Johanna has been finalizing finish selections and laying out the cabinets.  We hope to break ground by the end of the month and make significant progress over the next two months. 

Stay tuned for weekly updates.

Addition will come out 12' from the back of the house. 

Current state of the back of our house 

Early sketch of our re-design