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.




Top soil

We've been graded. A plus, Jeff.




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

IKEA

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.

Drywall



The drywall is up!

Siding

Phil on the scaffolding


The siding work continues around to the back. Once the back is complete, the whole crew will be working inside.