The Rising

We moved in last week but it has been hectic.  Lots of pics of the house, but for now a break to show the weekend project - a playhouse for the kids.  After searching craigslist, costco, and the internet for options, I was inspired by the outrageously priced playhouses at www.barbarabutler.com.  Most of the designs I liked were 6'x6' squares with 4"x4" corner posts.  I decided to make my own.

First step, the foundation.  Pour the footings for the base, set up batten boards, and run string lines to create a perfectly square foundation.  In the foreground are Simpson  post bases which were bolted to the footings with concrete anchors. 

Next up bring back James and Skip from the house framing to build the frame.  James and Skip required a site visit before the weekend to discuss the project (finish a Bud Light 12 pack).  We upsized the Barbara Butler playhouses with 16 foot 6"x6" posts and an 8 foot square base.

Pressure treated 2"x8" bands with 2"x6" joists on hangers.

The roof will be the same pitch and overhang as the house.  We'll also mirror the fascia with Hardie board.

Lots of workers helping...

The view from the top.

And the completed roof:

Next up will be floor decking, walls, railings, and accessories - monkey bars, swings, slide, fire pole, rock wall, picnic table, etc.

Miscellaneous Photos

Here are a few updates from around the house.  First, the Cornell Garage doors look great painted and the belt drive is super quiet.

We went with old fashioned hot water heaters rather than the propane tankless models.

The ceiling fan in the master is mounted high so we can fit our tall wrought iron bed.

A couple of views in Emily's office, the doors and the file cabinets...

We moved the elk from the garage to my office to make more room. Even with 12 foot ceilings the elk makes it look smaller.

Here's a view of the entertainment center from the kitchen.

And another view from the kitchen...

Kitchen

In the background you can see the vent hood which now has the fan installed and working (the fan blower is mounted on the roof).  Gabby is actively working on the backsplash, which consists primarily of 3"x8" Jerusalem stone subway tiles.  A pencil mold of the same stone frames a hand made marble mosaic tile that runs horizontally the length of the counter.  In the center, under the vent hood, is polished carrara.  The idea was to bring together the colors of the floor and counter and tie them together in the backsplash.

Here's my Dad "supervising" Felix the master plumber as he works on the complicated install of the foot pedals for the kitchen sink.

And a view of the installed foot pedals.  These are great features - you can step on hot or cold without ever having to touch the sink faucet to get the water flowing.  These are from a medical supply company and are the same stainless steel and brass ones used in hospitals.

The island, which is painted a base coat of gray as you can see in the photo above, will be faux finished to look like the sample on the left below.

The vent hood top will be plastered and faux painted to look like the cloudy bit on the left sample above.  The window cleaners were in yesterday to clear off the gunk accumulated from the painting/staining/etc.