envy, the blog
Occasionally, when we are not preoccupied designing, creating, building or generally nerd-ing out over architecture and art, we will blog. Here you will find out what we are up to, be able to follow along on builds as they happen and sometimes we just find something really interesting we want to share with you.
Scroll down for some cool histories of previous adventures, read up on our current endeavours and feel free to comment or share as like.
Come join us on our adventures…
Drywall is Almost Done
The drywall is so close to being finished now. Soon the mud and tape will get underway... and then comes the sanding aka; dust and more dust to come
Recyle Retrace
Remember some of the things we talked about salvaging or recycling from the original home?With our marketing program for these homes ramping up it reminded us of some of the interesting extra steps we took and thought we should share. Please note below;~ the beautiful black bricks on the original house (top-left), the bricks being pulled aside in demolition(bottom-right) and the bricks as a key feature in the new house now (left)~ the fir hardwood was stripped out of the original home, donated to and reused in another project (2nd-left)~ the majority of the sheet-metal (3rd & 4th-left) from the old heating and ventilation system was stripped outand then taken to the recycling depot for the grand profit of $127.35! (obviously it was not about the money)
Drywall is Underway
Sheet by sheet the drywall goes on the walls and then is secured to a unique framing system to the ceilings ... with the poured concrete interior floors and Hambro joist system there is no wood to just screw your drywall to.
Drywall Delivery
The arrival of numerous sheets of drywall is a welcome sight after months of rough-in work. Soon these interesting spaces will start to look like bright rooms.
Underfloor Insulation
One more step before the drywall can go up. Framing done, rough-ins done, spray-foam insulation on all non-ICF walls done. Now we need to add one more layer of insulation to the bottom of the heated concrete slab floors. So close we can already taste the drywall dust!
Light
One of the best features of Haus 8+10's open concept living design is light. The many different ways that light streams into the homes is bright and welcoming already. Imagine what they will feel like with painted walls, finished floors and millwork...From am environmental perspective, having ample daylight throughout the day via well thought out window placement in all parts of the home reduces energy needed to otherwise light spaces.
Bathroom Framing
Most of the interior framing is complete now with bathtubs in place. Kind of amusing to see a bathtub in the midst of a construction site but they have to go in now if you want a bathtub to fit.
The Journey of the Black Bricks cont.
We salvaged the beautiful over-sized charcoal black bricks from the original house on this site. Then they were moved, stacked, moved and moved again ending up on a pallet in the front yard. Now most of them have landed in their final resting spot. Some still remain to be used for a few other fun small details that you will have to watch for. Check out what we did with them...
Soy & Silver
The first glimpses at the finished stucco colour of Haus 8+10 - soy & silver.Can't wait to see this unveiled from under 'big-white' the tarp!
Under the White Tarp
The big green tarp covering the front of Haus 8+10 has now been replaced with a huge white one...Let's take a peak underneath to see what's happening
Are the Rough-in's Done yet?
Oh... sooo close now! We have said this before, rough-in's take forever but they are essential to the long term quality of the homes functionality. Better to take longer and get it right.
Water Services
Somethings are never as simple as you think they should be...When it came time to reconnect the water services (water & sewer) it was known where in the building site we needed to hook up to. But where were the lines in the road? Well thankfully the contractor had some big equipment to find it. Digging up that much frozen road was no small feat.
Spray Foam
What about the walls that are not poured concrete? There were some wooden walls put up... how is the same superior level of insulation ensured (R-Value attained)?Simple, we use sprayfoam. Choosing a soya based spray foam for environmental and indoor air quality reasons, the walls end up tightly sealed eliminating air infiltration that is typical in stick-framed walls and homes. That spray foam insulative layer on the inside combined with the styrofoam layer underneath the stucco on the outside of the home ensures warm winter days and cool summer days.
Front Sidewalks
Once the front sidewalks are shoveled it makes for a great view of the grand front walks up to the homes.
Garage Doors
Groovy garage doors arrive just in time to ensure greater heat retention during the winter building season. The upper row of window panels in the doors allows for sufficient natural daylight to significantly reduce the need for electric powered lighting when in the garage.
Roughins Continue
Rough-in are always the slowest part of building any home... they just seem to take forever while nothing is really happening visually. But then you stop and take a closer look... take a wander down to the mechanical room of the homes and you will see the web of plumbing and all the electrical branches being anchored back at the 'trunk of the homes tree', the mechanical room. There is loads of progress... it's just a bit harder to see.
Electrical Service
Cold weather and snow might slow things down but progress still gets made.A trench to bury electrical services from the rear alley power pole into the home is dug to keep the electricians moving. For the couple of days that the trench is open temporary safety fences get installed.
First Snow
Winter has come again and with it brought a lower hanging sun and of course the first snow. Fortunately these homes can now be locked up and keep any generated heat inside. The temporary Garage doors also help significantly with reducing heat loss.
How is Your Home Built?
A complicated question with loads of information to digest, too daunting a concept for many to ponder....Is your home built of wood or concrete? Is it better to build new or renovate an existing home? What are the energy sources that heat and power it? How well is it insulated? How efficient are the windows? How do you best manage water consumption? What about indoor air quality? Do the paints, lacquers, carpets, etc contain harmful VOC's and other toxic chemical compounds? What is your homes environmental footprint? Will your home meet your families changing needs? Does choosing an efficient and sustainable home mean you have to compromise on quality or luxury? This list could go on forever but I think you get the picture by now.Let us answer those and many more questions for youDemand uncompromised sustainabilityGet an Envy home & generate some home Envy