A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words…

Refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with a single still image… This recommendation came from my very clever friend who said she would love to see pictures with explanations of what she is seeing…. As follows!

Standing in the center of the Silo looking South at the Back Door and the window in the Living Room

Looking down from The Loft into the Living Room and the Stairs that carry you there and to the basement

Looking up from the LR into The Loft and structured ceiling

Standing at the Back Door looking North to the front of the Silo, also the Entrance

Standing in the Living Room looking at the Kitchen on the Right and the Bathroom to the left of the Kitchen. Further left is the Mudroom / Entry

Standing in the center of the Silo looking out the Back Door on to the slab of concrete which will be the back porch. Kitchen Window on the left. Living Room window on your right.

Framing of the entry

View from the Living Room window

View from the Loft. Looking North

Standing in the Loft looking South. Note the view.

Mark being Mark. Goofball

Square Peg….Round Hole

Proper window installation is always key to a well built home. Proper installation of a window will prevent water damage and improve efficiency by reducing air infiltration. And to do ours we’ve got some of the best installers in the area, Chad and Jon from All American Windows. While our installation is not normal they have helped devise a plan to flash our windows and prevent water and air infiltration.

Since we are putting a flat window (square peg) into a round building (round hole) we had to find a way to create a flat surface to install the windows…while also leaving ourselves a way to flash the opening to prevent water infiltration. To do this we built window bucks to penetrate the curve of the building, as you can see in the pictures. Then Chad and Jon installed flashing tape on the sill of the windows and around the nailing fin after it was secured. The next step is to break custom metal to cover all the wood and caulk this in, this will ensure a window that will not leak.

Curved Beams

If it was easy everyone would do it!  After a small amount of more conventional framing on the outside we had to get back to something very custom.  To attach to the silo we are building the first of two curved laminated beams, the other will be on the backside where the porch ties into the silo. 

Stairway to Heaven and/or The Loft

Word of the day.  Activity.  Doorway cut out.  Windows cut out.  Framing continuing and stairway up and around.  It is such a small space and the stairway is taking up a huge portion of that space. Rooms are defined. All four of them.  A full six hours was spent researching and shopping for a wood burning stove. Size being paramount in a 700 square foot space. The smaller the stove the less burn time. The smaller the stove the smaller the logs. The smaller the stove the less choices you have. The second most important factor in the selection is the clearance from the back of the stove to the wall and the side of the stove to the sidewall. Some require a 20″ clearance, which meant we would either be using the stove or the staircase to sit on as there would not be room for any furniture. The one we ended up choosing required only an 8″ clearance.  Hence it’s selection.