Week 7

This is a chrged week with a lot of happenings. The master bedroom is pretty much framed and waiting for the windows. In discussion is the beam that would carry the roof replacing the wall we are taking down. Steve wants the beam to be flush so it doesn't hang down. That is optimal but it would mean clipping the ends. I need to make sure we can do that structurally. A little research checking the manufacturer specifications and we are good. I give the clipping specifications to the carpenters and the beam can go flush. The roof over the garage is also up. We had an oversized 2 car garage with  a storage nook. We added a bay and were planning on expanding the nook by removing the current laundry room to add a 4th car space. After serious consideration we decided to replace the laundry room with a full bath and a walk-in pantry and keep the storage. This is an example of a trade-off. Not adding the 4th car would save money that I can use somewhere else.
They also started framing the back addition. That is the largest part of the project. There is some more brick to take down. It is a hot week. 90 d. on wednesday so the workers leave early.
Thursday, Joe the Amish metal installer starts covering the dormer with metal. It is covered when I come home and could not see it until the next day when the guys uncover it for me. It looks great. It is awaiting the flashing and cannot be totally finished until the rest of the roof is done.
The stone guy dropped off the sample boards for the stone and I am really excited about the one I selected. I love materials especially when they are good looking and work well together. That stone will look great next to the existing brick.
I also finally got a quote from the first HVAC contractor. It was shocking. I am still waiting for the second quote and meanwhile contacted a third contractor that Steve recommended. Actually he had done work on a couple of commercial projects I designed and Steve built. I am hoping he will be more affordable.
Confession: I am hitting a wall with the insulation issue. Like I said I am considering using srayed foam insulation instead of batt insulation (the pink stuff). I talked to the product rep and quized him on the technical items. One aproblem is that we will have to provide the building department specifications and calculations to show that it meets the energy code requirments and I want to make sure the installer can provide us with this information before I sign up with them. The salesman came by again to look at the additions now that they are partly up and is supposed to get back to me. I confess that so far I am still not sure which way I should go. The delima is that I have no other option in regards to insulating the domer but I can go either way with the rest of the addition, except they will not come out just for the dormer. Not sure yet how this will be resolved.  

Click here to see pictures http://adventures-in-remodeling.blogspot.com/p/week-7.html