Chez Ryan: September 2009

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Tile work: included

Tile work is included in a Latitude 38 house. Jeff will even entertain weird ideas, like fake floormats made of black tile.

Concrete

We decided to create a generous parking pad in the back yard. We will also be connecting the pad and the stairway with a concrete path.

The things we don't see

There's a lot of hidden projects in the housebuilding process. This drainpipe takes the run-off all the way to daylight on Monticello Road. I didn't even know we needed it.

Wire

Latitude has started the latitudinal wire.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

We spent 5 hours at IKEA yesterday. Jeff is a pro at ordering all of the odds and ends of kitchen cabinetry. We also got all of our bathroom cabinets and sinks there, too.

"IKEA?" you ask. Lisa and I would be the first to say that IKEA is more style than substance. Alas, we are a young family trying to afford a good looking house.

Deck

This deck is huge. We are going to stain it the same hue as the mahogany siding. The front porch will have cable railings. We designed a horizontal system of wood pieces at varying widths for the back deck.

Oak floors

We got our wood flooring for Lumber Liquidators. I recommend using them for two reasons: 1. They stock odd pieces and rustic stock (pieces with darker spots) and 2. You can't beat the price. Where else can you get hardwood floors for $.89 a square foot?

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Birch Plywood Ceilings

I wasn't around to see the spray foam insulation. Here's a photo of some foam at the front corner of the house before its covered with the ceiling.

One of Latitude's trademarks that originally attracted Lisa and I to their build-style is the use of birch plywood on the ceilings. As Jeff has put it, the birch color adds a lot of needed warmth to such a big and tall space.

They use 4' x 8' sheets and leave about a 1/4" of reveal between each piece. Together, we designed the arrangement of the panels: a subway tile effect, based off of the center of the circle wall opening. Plywood will be throughout the downstairs.