Portland Built » Live Work

Live/Work Update: Gypcrete

Shawn — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:21:16 +0000

The Live/Work project gets one step closer to finish work as the Gypcrete crew installs over the top of the second floor radiant tubing. Gypcrete is a lightweight concrete designed to provide a thermal mass for radiant systems; it also has several other advantages such as noise insulation and fire prevention. Installation is really fast – a big truck outside mixes the slurry in a hopper while a couple of guys spread it around with a long hose and oversized trowel.

There are a number of ways to finish the floor on top of Gypcrete. In the main living area, we’ll be using oversized tile. In the bedroom, it’s a floating bamboo floor. Because of the radiant system, you’re slightly limited in your finish options, but a little planning can get around most issues. (For those of you interested in going this route, the #1 limitation is with radiant heat and solid hardwood – be sure to check that the manufacturer will warrant installation of hardwoods over a radiant system)

The choice of tile for the main living space was a last-moment bit of inspiration. We were initially looking to put in a floating bamboo floor, but decided against it for a few reasons. First, wood takes a beating. As I’ve experienced with my own house, hardwood doesn’t perform well with dogs, kids, and Portland’s long, wet winters. Dirt and grime take their toll, and it’s tough to keep the floor looking great, especially if you don’t have a house designed to mitigate dirt entering the living space (covered porches are a great idea here).

The second benefit of tile is that it’s a great surface for radiant heat. It holds the heat, releasing it slowly over the day. It’s just a pleasant sensation walking on warm tile. And, as an added bonus, you don’t have any of the expansion/contraction issues that can cause problems with hardwood installed over radiant.

Take a look over at the gallery to see more images from the install, as well as some great shots from the last few months.

Live/Work Video Update: Siding!

Shawn — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:26:02 +0000

With the roof finished, our crew moved on to the task of siding the project. Our initial plans called for a rain screen, but (for many reasons) we decided to forgo this measure. Instead, we opted for several layers of weather resistance including Tyvek and XPS (pink foam).

Working outward from the plywood siding, the wall is composed of:

A Layer of Tyvek ship-lapped over the lower layers of pink foam board
1″ layer of pink board to mitigate thermal bridging (click the link for more details)
1/4″ Hardi-board (cement-fiber board)

My contractor, Rory Read, has an excellent article discussing the pros and cons of this wall system. He also details the thinking behind each decision point – it’s an excellent read.

Here’s a time lapse video of the Tyvek installation, followed by a video of the siding on the building’s north face.

Live/Work Update: Exterior Trim

Shawn — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:35:07 +0000

It’s been a while since the last post…the delay mostly being due to the fact that I’ve spent every waking moment on the electrical system.

The good news? We passed our inspection on the first try! For an experienced electrician, this is not a big deal. But for a DIY homeowner, this is almost unheard of. I did have some great help (lots of books) and some great advice from the “right” people. Thanks to everyone who contributed to my ever-expanding knowledge-base.

Windows and Doors

Doors and windows arrived last week and the crew at Bronze Construction started installing right after the product arrived on-site. I should mention we took a bit of a risk here: while Bronze had a track-record for rough framing, they aren’t exactly a dedicated window/door/siding crew. But, after a few conversations with the owner, my contractor decided it was worth the risk.

Our decision to go this route was based on several key factors. First, there was cost. Most of the siding bids we had received were out-of-this-world expensive. And while siding isn’t necessarily easy work, our budget couldn’t afford the figures we were seeing. Santos (Bronze) was much more reasonably priced.

The second factor wass the fact that Bronze had a good track record on the Live/Work project. During rough framing, they fixed mistakes without nickle-and-diming us to death (I won’t mention other subs who weren’t quite so stellar). At the end of the day, Santos’ guys were good at framing and the business owner stood by his work. That’s worth a lot, and I was willing to place my bet on these guys a second time around.

Flashing

A big part of the windows and doors is flashing. And this project had a flashing system unlike anything you’ve probably ever seen. To put it in simple terms, we have a layer of plywood, then a layer of tyvek, then a layer of pink foam. On TOP of the foam sits the windows and trim work. To keep the water from running inside, we cut back the foam and tyvek to the wall, then ran “z” flashing to the face of the head trim. Any water that got behind the foam would run down the tyvek until exiting the building via the z-flashing. A picture (or video) is needed to tell the story, but for now suffice to say we’ve created perhaps the most redundant rain barrier known to man.

The down side to this system is that it takes a bit of time to install, and the crew needs to be extra careful not to cut the tyvek in the wrong spot. Once again, I’ve been impressed by the Bronze crew, as they seem to have managed to get everything in place, in the RIGHT place. Kudos also to my contractor, Rory Read, who spent vast amounts of time explaining and supervising.

Live/Work Update: Roof, Electrical, Plumbing, House Wrap

Shawn — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:15:46 +0000

It’s been a busy month at the Live/Work project. After the guys at Bronze finished framing, we started in on roofing, plumbing, electrical, and the exterior house wrap. Let me just say that the addition of the roof (thanks T-Mix!) was a huge blessing, especially with the recent spat of bad weather.

The Electrician Arrives

I’ve made the decision to tackle the rough-electrical myself. The project budget dictated some cuts, and doing the wiring made the most sense. It’s not for the faint of heart – up and down ladders, drilling holes, pulling wire…it makes for a long day. There’s a good reason electricians get paid well – they generally earn it! That said, I’m happy with the decision. It’s enabled me to make small changes to the lighting, plug placement, and switches. All of this would have been difficult (or expensive) if someone else were wiring the project.

Wrapping it Up

Another big change you can see in the photo above is that we’ve started to wrap the house. We went round and round over our final wall details, and finally settled on a system that’s affordable, energy efficient, and weather resistant. Here’s a simple graphic showing how the exterior wall works:

The idea here is to accomplish several things. The Tyvek (house wrap) prevents water from reaching the plywood. This is a fairly typical use of the product – you’ll see it used over and over in new developments because it’s cheap, goes up quickly, and keeps the water out (mostly). What’s different about this configuration is 1) the use of plywood instead of OSB and 2) pink foam board (R5) on the exterior.

Thermal Bridging

The purpose of the pink board is to prevent thermal bridging. Thermal bridging occurs when you have a material with poor insulation characteristics that touches both a warm and cool surface. In home construction, the primary source for thermal bridging are the 2×6’s used in the stud walls. Because studs touch the exterior envelope AND the interior drywall, they act ass conduits for heat loss. The pink board creates an insulated envelope that reduces the heat loss, while also reducing air infiltration and providing a second layer of water protection.

Flir, a company that makes thermal imaging cameras, has some great shots of this in action on their website. Here’s just one example showing the “cold” 2×4’s in the wall:

My contractor, Rory Read, has also spearheaded several advanced framing techniques to better insulate the home. Thes have included things like 24″ spacing on studs, hangers for door and window headers, and hollow-corners when possible. I’ve really come to appreciate the level of detail he put into making sure the house was an energy efficient as possible…without breaking the bank.

Live/Work Framing Videos

Shawn — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:46:32 +0000

Here’s two new time-lapse videos showing framing over the course of 4 days. Hard to believe you can get all of the walls up in such a short period time.

Of course, there were a fair share of challenges in Portland this week. Namely, that we had some of the coldest weather in history. Temperatures in the teens and serious wind-chill made for a tough work environment. Air lines froze; couplings froze; compressors stopped working. Rory and the framers had to jury-rig enclosures for the compressor and fittings to keep them operational. We even brought in space heaters to warm up the tools…Rory seemed to get some perverse pleasure out of the fact that I was effectively heating the outdoors with 2 electric space heaters. Don’t even ask what my power bill will be.

Our weather troubles aside, the framing went remarkably well (with the exception of one poor fella who took a hammer in the nose). Our framing contractor, Santos, runs a good crew and all of the guys worked really hard morning to evening. I think the most impressive sight was watching this one guy pick up 6 2×4’s on his shoulder…even more impressive considering he wasn’t much taller than 5 feet.

The one bright spot in the weather has been the decided lack of precipitation. While it’s been cold, at least the dry weather has made for a reasonable work site. Once things thaw, we’ll be back to the mud pit. Forecasts call for freezing rain and snow this weekend.

Here’s a preview of the job site:

Live/Work Update: Framing!

Shawn — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:07:00 +0000

This has to be the most satisfying part of the project thusfar – seeing the walls raised and the building begin to take form.

The crew from Bronze Construction arrived today in force. In almost no time, they had the sill plates in place and the first wall established. It’s amazing to watch a team of experienced framers work together…especially when you consider the 26 degree weather (and did I mention wind chill?).

Fortunately, nothing slowed these guys down. In fact, things might have progressed a little TOO quickly when we realized the wall studs were nailed 16″ on center (as opposed to the 24″ we had specified). A BIG kudo to Bronze’s owner, Santos, for agreeing to make it right. His guys tore out the studs and replaced at the correct distance.

Why is this important? Well, for several reasons: first, less material means a slightly more eco-friendly approach to framing. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, the 24″ centers allows us to use more insulation. Wood has a very low R-value, and the more you have, the less efficient the building.

And, speaking of efficiency, I’m glad to see my contractor, Rory Read, has made some great strides in reducing the amount of wood used throughout the project. One example is in the headers above the windows. By specifying metal brackets (instead of 2×4 jacks) we’re reducing the amount of wood in the wall and allowing for even more insulation. Rory’s actually done a lot of research in this area, and I’ll follow up with a post on some of these techniques. Our goal is to build a highly efficient building at a reasonable budget.

Here’s a shot of the building at 5:00:

Live/Work Update: Concrete Slab

Shawn — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:46:28 +0000

Some people find concrete work mundane. After today, I’m convinced concrete contractors are totally underrated.

Think about it: Somehow, workers manage to wrestle this extremely heavy goop into a form, shove it around pipes and rebar, smooth it down, level it off…all with minimal power-assisted technology. Sure, the truck and pump get the stuff to the site, but it’s sheer muscle, experience, and know-how that transforms the wet blob into a smooth, seamless surface.

Today was a big day for the Portland Live/Work Project: We brought in two truckloads of concrete for the slab; when that truck arrives, there’s really no going back.

Our biggest concern during the pour was the network of PEX tubing tied to the rebar. A web search the night before told me that it wasn’t impossible for a concrete worker to slice the PEX, creating a totally $#!&!-ed situation. Fortunately, all went as planned and the system retained pressure the entire day (you actually “charge” the radiant system with 100psi of compressed air to ensure that there are no leaks).

One of the coolest pieces of equipment was this mechanized trowel (I’m sure there’s a name for it…I called it the “Whirlybird”). This photo tells its story well:

Even with the help of power tools, much of the process requires an expert touch and experienced hand. Still more impressive was how quickly the crew went from pumping concrete to walking across the surface. In about two hours the crew went from pouring concrete to to walking on the surface. Here’s a few more shots and a timeline from the day’s effort.

10:00 AM: Concrete truck arrives and the pumping begins.

10:07 AM: Kip begins hand-troweling at the corner. Other workers spread the concrete and apply trowels as well. We’re relieved that there are few sharp tools that might pierce the PEX.

10:20 AM: The crew begins screeding and troweling in earnest. Large portions of the slab begin to take shape.

11:30 AM: The pour is complete and worker put the final touches with the float and hand trowels.

12:00PM: Workers move out onto the slab and begin smoothing the concrete with a series of trowels.

12:10 AM: Kip and the crew walk on the slab, using both power and hand trowels. This process continues for at least another hour.

Live/Work Update: Radiant Heat

Shawn — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:25:37 +0000

Portland winters are relatively mild, but you still need a reliable heat source. Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue to blog on the development of our very cool (or warm) radiant heating system.

For the Live/Work project we’re installing radiant hydronic heating – it’s a great way to provide comfort at a reasonable cost. The idea is quite simple – PEX “circuits” snake through the core of the slab and under the floor; hot water from a boiler (or water heater) is then pumped through the system. The end result is an evenly heated room with absolutely zero ducting. By choosing radiant heat, we’ve eliminated about a million issues associated with traditional HVAC (like: where to locate the big furnace; duct cleaning, the difficulty of insulating wall cavities with ducting; noise; dust; etc., etc.)

The guts of the system – Pex tubing - has a lot of advantages: It’s relatively cheap, durable, and can be installed by semi-skilled laborers. In about a day, we were able to place all of the tubing for the first-floor slab.

Someday we hope to augment the system with solar hot water heating or PV-powered direct-fire water heaters. Until then, we’ll be using natural gas to run the system. It was a tough debate between gas and electicity, but in the end, the cost differential was just too high. Natural gas was cheaper and the utility was willing to run the lines at almost no expense to us.

Live/Work Update: Slab Insulation

Shawn — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:19:26 +0000

Over the last few days the concrete crew has been hard at work putting in place our under-slab insulation. The pink board (also known as extruded polystyrene or EPS) serves several important purposes. First, it’s a barrier between the slab and the ground, minimizing heat loss. Since we’re using a radiant hydronic heating system, it’s critical that we insulate to prevent heating the earth.

In addition to serving as an insulator, the pink board also acts as a water vapor and moisture barrier. In Portland, water is a BIG deal, so it’s critical we do everything possible to limit the amount of moisture entering the structure.

Our strategy for insulating the slab involved 2 layers of foam, staggered so that the seams don’t overlap. Our theory here is that by overlapping the panels (and using a sheet of plastic underneath) we’ll dramatically reduce the path for moisture to enter the slab. Our total R-value for the insulation is around R15 (a layer of 2″ foam and a layer of 1″ foam).

In the photo above, you can also see the slab rebar, as well as the rough-ins for our plumbing. We passed our plumbing inspection (yeah!) and are setting up to pour on November 25th (weather permitting). Take a look at the gallery to see more photos from the recent concrete pour and plumbing rough in.

Also, for a more detailed post on why wee weent with 3″ of insultation, check out this post.

Live/Work Update: Slab Back Fill

Shawn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:12:11 +0000

The crew from All American was back today to back fill with rock. I was a little shocked to watch the guys build a mini ramp on which they drove the bobcat into the center of the building. Guess it beats the wheelbarrow!

The rain and bobcat made for a real mess. Check out the time-lapse video below to see how quickly the yard goes from solid ground to mud-soup (warning to slow-bandwidth viewers: the video is in high-def and takes some time to download. You can disable the HD by clicking the “HD” logo in the lower right corner of the player).