My apologies for the delay- my “weekly update” is a three week update today! Can you tell it’s been a crazy busy time on the property? So much progress has been made since I last posted. I feel like we’re at the point that I can now focus on the fun stuff.
My first photos in the gallery are of moss. Why moss and what does that have to do with a building project?? We live in the lush green of the Pacific Northwest. Everything is green most of the year. I love the moss that blankets our forests and trees. We have a wall inside the house that I initially created as a live plant wall with edible goodies, but I’m not sure we have enough sunlight, so I’m now researching making it a moss wall. Most indoor moss that you see for sale commercially is dead moss, but the marketing companies call it “preserved” moss. It’s no longer alive and there’s no health benefits from it other than esthetic benefits, so I’m researching how to create an actual live moss wall in our dining room area. Moss is one of nature’s best air filters! When complete, it will have an automatic misting system to spray a fine mist 3x/day. The moss should be happy!
The moss wall is 8’ tall (then open above it for about 3’ to the ceiling). It’s 12’ wide and curved. We’ve already installed the electrical and plumbing to the wall, complete with drainage as well. Now we just have to get the rest of the specs completed. Stay tuned!
As for the construction progress, we started off in mid February with part of the drywall crew hanging the remaining drywall, while another team was applying tape and mud to the sheetrock already installed in the garage. Another team was covering the wood windows to protect them from sheetrock dust and mud debris. That was followed by mud and taping, then sanding, then repeating with more mud and more sanding. Then we progressed to adding primer to the walls, ready for paint (which starts 3/9).
You’ll notice in the photos that the masonry for the exterior chimney has started as well. We have a wood-burning fireplace on the outdoor deck, with a rock chimney that is 6’ wide and will be about 30’ tall. We’re using Montana Moss Rock, of course, from Montana. It’s the same rock we’ve used at Glacier Bear and Snow Bear. Some of the rock pieces are covered with lichen and for those that aren’t yet, they will be within a year or so. This is the same rock that will cover the front entry to the house, the entire turret and also the face of the great room propane fireplace. I can’t wait to have these completed soon! Thank you Slavic and crew!
Two weeks ago we met with Chris from the King County permitting office to review the final plan for landscape restoration. You can see we posted our Critical Area Designation signs as per the County’s request. (If you look at that photo you can really understand what I mean by the moss in the area!) The restoration landscape planting will happen next week.
We met with landscapers and are creating a plan to finish the exterior very soon. We’re also researching the best way to install our green roof.
In the meantime, we’ve been busy getting everything lined up for all of the subcontractors so they have everything they need for the next few weeks. I’ve been busy making final selections for the quartz countertops, choosing sinks, final electrical fixtures, plumbing hardware and drawing designs for the finish carpentry projects. We’ll be building a mudroom (of course on a concave curved wall!), an office by the entrance to the turret, a built-in window seat in the primary suite, cabinets in the lower level and much more. We’re getting to the creative part of the project!
Last, the siding just started on the project. We’re using Hardie Board and Batten. You’ll notice on the photos that the siding is a yellowish color. That’s just the primer and the house won’t be painted that color. Exterior painting will happen as soon as the siding has been completed.
Thank you to the team of incredibly talented subcontractors. A special THANK YOU to Kevin at Chinook Lumber- who ALWAYS goes above and beyond to make sure we have what we need, and ALWAYS does it with a smile. Special thanks to the drywall crew from Summit Drywall. Wow, I’ve never worked with a crew like these guys before- kind, happy, cheerful and super competent. It was a joy to see them bring their hot plate and cook and eat their lunch together, sitting in a circle outside on the deck. It made me smile to see everyone enjoying the beauty of this home. Last but not least, thank you James and Darryl! I can’t imagine better sidekicks to keep this project on track.
