Masonry Mostly Done; Geothermal Begins

During the second half of the week, noTTafarm's progress included more HVAC ductwork installation, more  plumbing, more masonry, and a little geothermal fun.

The plumbers are nearly finished running supply lines and vents. This photo shows the master bath vanity area.

The installation of the HVAC ductwork continues. The chase built to house the ductwork on its journey from the basement to the second floor is jam packed.

The majority of the masonry is complete! The east porch and surrounding courtyard wall are just about done.  The piers and wall are awaiting cast concrete caps. Scott is trying to decide what type of posts will be used to support the east porch roof; the selected posts will be attached to the piers on either side of the slab. 

The masons had just the right amount of bricks. Scott was only able to add about 15 leftover bricks to his hoard stockpile in the barn.

On Thursday, September 6th, a crew from Jensen Well arrived to begin installing the geothermal system. After anticipating this interesting engineering feat for over a year, wouldn't you know I missed the whole thing? I spent the day in Kearney with my mom who is recovering from knee replacement surgery. (Go, Jolene, Go!) The installation will continue next week, so perhaps I'll have some eyewitness accounts for you. Luckily, Scott took some great pictures to share.

 The drilling rig bored four 200 foot-deep wells.

What is a geothermal system?

This explanation is courtesy of Jensen Well Company's web site:

“Geothermal” literally means “heat of the earth.” With a geothermal system, a series of pipes is buried under the ground’s surface to tap into the earth’s natural heat. The underground heat source that can be found in any backyard is enough to cover approximately 10 times the amount of energy required during any season. This unending resource is constantly recharged by the sun and the surrounding earth, so you never have to worry about waning resources. 

The pipes coming out of each of the wells will be linked and fed into the basement. The story will continue!

Since most of the addition's exterior work is coming to an end, our focus has turned to the interior. We are anticipating doing quite a bit of the interior finish work ourselves, including installing all of the light fixtures. Scott and I spent the majority of our Saturday shopping; we ran all over town trying to find exactly what we need, and made a decent dent in the list.

Stay Tuned for Another Week of Progress!

Wednesday: Illustrated

Lots of progress at the project site today!  Lucky for you, Loyal Readers, I was home in time to get some photos to share. Check 'em out!

The east wall of the pantry had a chunk taken out of it - and all because two outlets in the 1972 kitchen decided not to work. Good news: the coffee maker can go back to its proper home.  The bad news: someone has to go ahead and take down that remaining drywall. Good news: now I don't have to pull the wallpaper off that piece!

Scaffolding Is Gone!

Now you can see how gorgeous the fireplace is!

Plumbing Progress

Lots of PVC pipe running throughout the second floor.

Scott checked the master bath vanity supply lines. Yep!  They're five feet apart, just like he wanted.

Laundry Guy

Scott checks out the plumbing for the new laundry closet.

One Man's Trash . . .

Why walk all the way to the dumpster when you can pick through the trash pile on the bedroom floor? Scott just couldn't pass up the chance to take some tidbits of PVC.

Wiring, Too!

The great room wiring is the first to be threaded through the studs.

Now that the fireplace is finished, the masons turned their attention to the wall on the east and north sides of the 1972 addition. It's going to look cool, trust me.

The siding was delivered today! It will soon cover up all of the Tyvek housewrap we've been looking at for the last few weeks.

More Leftovers

Scott found out today that one last 24-ft./2-in. long beam will not be returned to Builders' Supply. Hmmm . . . wonder what he'll do with this?  

Here's a view of the fireplace from the outside.  Equally gorgeous, don't you think?

Pretty Kitty

Leo took a tour of the addition, too.  He is really getting a good idea of where all the good napping spots will be.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Back to Work

Sorry, Loyal Readers, this story contains no photos!  I had a late hair appointment followed by a wild goose chase trying to figure out what to have for dinner . . . so by the time I got home, it was too dark to take photos. You will have to close your eyes and imagine the progress of today.

The day started out strong with the masons and the electricians at the site before 8 o'clock.  Scott and I met with Steve The Cabinet Guy (yes, that's really his last name "The Cabinet Guy."  Isn't that weird?) Anyway - he stopped by this morning to go over our plans for the kitchen and the master bath vanity. He will be building birch cabinetry for both rooms. The painting contractor will stain them with an espresso-color finish.

While we were chatting with Steve The Cabinet Guy, the electricians were beginning their work in the great room. They got a good start today, drilling holes in the studs for wiring, and attaching outlet and light switch boxes.

The plumbers were here, too. They began running PVC pipe through, up, and around the master bathroom.

The masons took down the scaffolding around the fireplace this morning! It is great to see the fireplace in all its glory. There's still a gap around the entire thing, however, which somebody will eventually fill with fireproof insulation and some sort of trim. Once the scaffold was gone, so was the masonry crew. They did not work on the wall on the east side of the house (for some unknown reason.)

Scott had a meeting at lunchtime with a lighting representative. He is seeking ideas for how to properly light the great room and kitchen. All of those high ceilings are a challenge ~ you just can't stick up any old fixture and call it good. The planning continues!

I think Labor Day got everybody off kilter.  I worked like I was in quicksand, and I was in a 72-degree office all day so I'll give our contractors a break, and hope that more gets accomplished tomorrow (and that I get home in time to take pictures.)

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

A Tiling Milestone!

Scott finally put the final wall tile in place in the 1920 bathroom!  It's been a long few months but this portion of the project is now complete. Next, he'll need to grout the wall tile, mortar and grout the floor tile, and add the door and window trim. He's asked for assistance from our plumbing contractor to install the shut-off valves and fixtures. Then, I'll get to paint and we'll be done.

Good Job, Scotty!

August Winds Down with Masonry Progress

The second full month of our little construction project has come to a close.  On Friday, the masons finished creating the concrete cap for the chimney.  They then began working on the wall adjacent to the east porch.

Chimney Complete!

Maybe they'll be able to take the scaffolding down on Tuesday.

East Wall

The masonry crew got a good start on the new "courtyard" wall.  The finished wall will step between three and four feet tall.  Then, the space surrounding the two porches will be filled with concrete, creating a neat little patio.

Grant Street Mementos

Scott had the masons utilize his remaining stockpile of Kasota limestone, leftover from the front porch rebuild of our former home.  They will also incorporate six bricks from Grant Street (Scott is pointing at the first to be put in place.)  The rest of the brick is identical to the fireplace but we are using a different color of mortar to more closely match the 1972 fireplace on the east side of the house.

After the Labor Day holiday, watch for these scheduled events:

~ Continued work by the HVAC contractor, installing ductwork
~ Plumbing and electrical begin
~ Meetings with cabinetry, security, and lighting contractors

~ And maybe some surprises (you just never know!)

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Framing Finale; Masonry Continues; Ductwork Begins

The amazing framing crew completed their first day of work on July 23.  Now, a fast six weeks later, their work is complete!

We now have stairs leading into the new basement!  

I ventured downstairs for the first time since the concrete was completed. It turns out that we have a nice big basement, just waiting for the creation of a rumpus room.

Kitchen Framing

The short wall in the foreground was added; this will contain the sink, the dishwasher, and two lower cabinets.

More Masonry

The masons finished the brickwork of the chimney today.  They will finish tomorrow by pouring a concrete cap (note the wood form, ready to go.)

 A Full View of the Chimney

Getting Our Ducts in a Row

The HVAC contractor began hanging ductwork in the basement today.  Cool!  or Hot!  (depending on what temperature of air you need delivered.)

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Framing: Day 20 + Masonry: Day 8 + Visitors!

Check out Wednesday's day of progress!

The interior side of the fireplace now extends past the ceiling. 

With all the scaffolding set up, it's hard to get a clear photo (but it looks cool!)

 The exterior of the fireplace

The framing crew further shaped the kitchen today, adding the lower portion of the north wall.  

Scott is standing where the sink will be installed. He'll be able to wash dishes and look into the great room at the same time (he'll be able to...but will he actually wash dishes? Only time will tell.) 

The pantry walls are now in place. 

Scott is standing in the doorway which can be accessed from the hallway or straight east from the kitchen.  

A New Hallway

This hall leads from the connector, past the pantry (at left) and continues to the powder room (the white box at left), and then into the parlor (through that temporary particle board "door".)

noTTafarm Visitors!

Welcome Back, Brummet Family!  Amy and Monte brought Tripp and Brenna along for the ride with their friend Jason to get a load of firewood for a camping trip. It was a treat to give them a tour - and to see those cute babies!

Monte and Jason and Brenna (and her popsicle.)

Stay Tuned for More Progress!