Windows, Doors, facia and soffit

This was another good week - we got all but 3 doors installed, all the windows installed, and the framers are about 50% complete with the soffit/facia installation.  The doors on the order were the wrong size (mistake made on the supplier end) - all were made to the rough opening size so we're waiting to find out how best to recover from this error.  We did manage to install 3 of the doors by grinding and removing or trimming the sill strip (an added spacer not integral to the window construction).  I have now also taped and glued all the installed windows on the outside so they are waterproof.  We will now tape, foam, and glue all the insides of the windows - but we're waiting to confirm they function properly which we'll do after Armin helps us adjust them.  The complicating factor is that there are 5 different types of hinges on the doors and windows; each is designed for a weight range while some are "turn" and not "tilt and turn" hinges.

  The framers worked diligently at foaming all the exterior crevices where the I-joist  met the roof and the 2x4 knee wall or sill plate.  The taped over the larger openings, then attached the housewrap (stapled and caulked/taped at the joints) for a good air seal.  Once that was complete they then installed the Hardi facia and soffit.  The look of the house changed dramatically with the work completed this week.

One more step we took this week was to build some mock-ups of the kitchen island and cabinets to allow a test "cook" and ensure two people could move around without bumping into each other during our normal course of activity.  The spacing was also measured to ensure the oven door wouldn't collide with anything and that the island dish drawers would not interfere with the dishwasher when both were open (unloading directly to the drawers).  We did find that we will probably need to move the island slightly further from the South wall as well as to the West to provide good clearance without making the space too far for ease of use.

Here comes the stairwell window - we assembled the two pieces but needed to get the base in first so out the front door it goes.

Those 2x4's clamped to the frame are for added strength during the move.  At this point the tape is already installed and starting to expand so we're moving quickly to get the frame in place before it will no longer fit.

Standing it up and getting it into position as viewed from the top of the stairwell. It is not very heavy without the glazing in it but we had a lot of hands to make sure we didn't tweak the frame during movement of install.

Here's what it looks like from the outside -that white is the protective tape still on it.

Here's that "money shot" from the front door looking through to the back.  It's hard to see the view here but it's pretty amazing.  Just at the top of this picture is the skylight box that Mario created for us. Wall sonces will light the sides while we'll also have stairwell downlights (like in movie theaters) to provide a more subtle light.  That railing is currently envisioned to be a thin top-rail of wood with cable railing for the field of the rail.  That cable rail will continue down to the landing.

A bit different view - the flash fired here so you can see some reflection in the window.

Here's a new view - the back of the house with the soffit and facia installed and all but the window/door combination to the office installed (that's one that needs a fix action as mentioned above).  That tall window is the stairwell window which you'll see from the inside in a few more pictures.

This is the West half of the South side of the house - you can see the work in progress on the house-wrap, facia and soffit installation.

A bit closer view of the landing and window - the grade of the back yard will be slightly lower than it is in this picture and that silt fence (both of them) will be removed after construction is complete and we have vegetation to protect against any erosion.

Here's our "mock up" of the kitchen base cabinets and island - DeeDee is studying the  position relative to the hallway for seating/overhang purposes.  This has a 48" isle between the island and the cabinets along the South Wall (note that DeeDee drew the cabinet faces on all the cardboard).  This was helpful to make sure we had good room to move when more than one person was in the kitchen (which happens every evening when we're getting drinks and food on the table for dinner).

And the Piece de Resitance - the front door.  The handle still has the protective wrapping on it and you can see the tape at the bottom and top providing waterproofing.  You may also be able to see the black along the sides - that's the expanding foam tape from Germany - it comes on a roll that's 6m (about 18') long and is 1/4" thick until you unwrap it - over time it expands to about 1 1/2" but the optimal water and air seal is provided under .6" so our openings had to be precise!  The concrete was spot on the Rough Opening specified in our order - but the doors were built to the height of the rough opening which is causing some installation delays while we work out the correct solution for function and air/water sealing.  There is no light coming through that glass at this point - we have blocked off the back of the door so it's not used during construction.  We had protective plastic/cardboard on the front of the door as well but it didn't stay up during the wind/rain on Thursday evening (another 3" or so fell that night and we had more rain on Friday too!)

Here's a shot looking at the family room doors and windows - the French Door hasn't been installed yet but this is a great preview of the view.  There will be a 8' of deck in front of those windows and door - it's all under the extended roof you see at the top of the door/windows.

This is what a window looks in the "tilt" position - when the window is locked the handle points down (handles haven't been installed yet to prevent damage during construction).  When the window is in the tilt position the handle points up and when it's in the "turn" position the handle points toward the hinges.  This window is fully open in the tilt position in this picture.

This is the same window in the turn position.  The window opens beyond 90 degrees  but in this picture we wanted to show the comparison to the above picture.