A ROSE IS A ROSE

There is a rose bush by the cabin that has been biding its time while I constructed a whole bunch of stuff on site:  cabin remodel; garden beds; oh, and a house.

This rose bush has been cut, moved and transplanted, suffered through a lack of watering and general neglect - although not the neglect of malice.  This rose was neglected because of other higher priority items to get done.  And, it survived.

This summer season, however, the architect has completed the construction tasks and now is paying attention to the grounds.  We have lilacs that are getting attention, and roses that are getting attention.  We also found a new apricot tree growing in the front yard that is now getting some compost and water and attention so it becomes a happy part of the landscape.

So...the rose.  

For the first time since we bought this place in 2012 the rose blossomed.  And here it is:

The first rose.  

Blog Re-engagement

Original Site Condition - 2012

I just spent the last two years building a house.  I did not write anything in the blog about this little endeavor, because - between doing architecture and being a general contractor - I was fairly busy and down time was used to sleep.

So, I will attempt to make up for this lapse with a few new tales, and an overview of the process, and perhaps some perspectives when an architect builds his own house.

FOUNDATION - MAY 2016

In the meantime, summer has hit the #vailvalley.  Temperatures are consistently warm early this year.  The garden is just about set.  Tomatoes, potatoes, cukes, basil, and a bunch of other good, organic food has been planted.  

The grounds are now getting attention and roses have been planted at the street corner.  The lilacs are being trimmed and cleaned up.  The plants we have been saving and nurturing are being prepared to become part of the landscaping.

So, here is the new house.   There will be more to come as I dive into some important aspects of building the house.  For now, it is functioning nicely as we head into the summer.  Cool inside while hot outside - without an air conditioner.

It is going to be very interesting to see how this #architectshouse performs as we head into what appears to be a very hot and dry summer in the central Colorado Mountains.

WINTER SOLSTICE - 2014

Yesterday we celebrated the solstice at the cabin...shortest day of the year.  We have turned this into an annual event, and work to celebrate the summer solstice as well.

It is fun to watch the sun patterns over the course of a year.  It helps to understand sun shade and shadow patterns as the planet orbits el sol.

Yesterday, however, there was no sun to see - just light.  It snowed and the temperature was great, and the fire in the firepit warmed the soul...and...

thanks to the kids - Tatiana, Gay and Jordan...we now have the first snowman to greet visitors to the cabin since we began our stewardship of the site.

GARDEN 1.1

The initial objective of the garden work this summer was to build four raised beds that would be of a height that one could sit on a stool and garden comfortably.  

Part of the planning discussion took place in the presence of my good friend Terrill Samura (Samura and Associates Landscape Architecture).  These discussions focussed on the importance of organic methods and strategies and ergonomics.  The ergonomics piece had to do with the width of the beds so the full bed could be reached when accessing from both sides.  We determined the maximum width of a bed to be 4' which allowed a 2' reach from either side.  My arm - when fully extended - has a 29-30" reach.  My wife has about a 27" reach.  

Other considerations in the planning included:

• The development of a possible future chicken coop and making sure we have room for it if we do that
• Good sun
• Vertical gardening (trellises)
• Ability to get a garden cart between the beds
• Irrigating each bed

The initial structural work was to set 24 posts.  Six of the posts were set to a height of approximately 7.5 feet (trellis structure).  The balance were set to receive the bed sides.  

The treated posts were set in the ground with dirt compaction.  Each post had dirt set in the holes with water to fully compact the dirt in approximately 6" lifts.  The dirt was compacted until it was real hard - then the next lift was done.  Compaction was done with a 2 x 4 and a 1 x 2 for narrow openings until each post was vertical (verified with a level) and solid.

It took a couple of weekends to get all this done.  Once the posts were in we could construct the beds and irrigation systems.

GARDEN 1.0

THE GARDENING BEGINS

We are getting pretty deep into winter season right now and I haven't written anything of late.  I got really busy with work - Ago Studios - and getting things done on the cabin like electrical and framing inspections and a few other things until early summer.  So I'm going to back track a bit and discuss the garden that we built this summer.  I'm going to write a few articles on the garden and I begin here....

The garden has been formulating for a while.  We always knew it would be in the Northeast corner.  It will be a good and organic garden.  It is nicely laid out to take advantage of the sun and shade.  This will - I think - be a healing garden with good food grown in a creative space.

It was wide open when we took over stewardship of this land.  The deer had free range - a problem when you want a really good garden.

Step One:  A summer ago I took advantage of some nearby road construction and gleaned some very stout 8 ft high wildlife fencing that was being removed from the side of the interstate prior to roadway construction.  That fencing was stockpiled for the garden perimeter

Step Two:  Last fall I set the treated 4 x 4 posts for the garden fence along the East edge of the garden and at the corners and  intermediate spacings along the West side.   In doing this I had to make a modification to the adjacent barbed wire fence so the deer would not be able to jump the fence to get into our garden space.

I verified this was a successful strategy.  Over the course of the winter there were no visible deer tracks or signs they had traveled through and my string sensor stretched between the fences stayed in place the entire winter.  My deer behavior modification worked...and continues to work.

Step Three:  This spring we installed the wildlife fence on the East side.  Later in the summer we installed the fence material on the West side and began to take control of the area.  Taking control of the space is an important concept because there are large 4 legged animals that roam this area.  We don't want them in the garden...and I do have a story about the fence and it's ability to contain an animal.

Step Four:

We came up with a very cost-effective construction technique for raised beds using treated 2 x 10's, pond liner fabric and treated 4 x 4's.  The bed construction began with the setting of the 4 x 4's.

An important reminder to all you who enjoy the value of building for yourself - LOCATE YOUR UTILITIES.

In my particular case I needed to locate two 2-1/2" electrical service conduits we installed last fall to make sure I knew what needed to be done if we set posts over the conduits - and sure enough we did.  I set stakes with orange flagging identifying the location and depth of the conduits and went to work. 

I then hand dug 24 holes with a post hole digger to specific depths and in a specific grid to prepare to set the 4 x 4 posts that were to receive the sides and remaining irrigation and assemblies so we can grow great rhubarb and garlic.

CABIN 1.12 CABIN BATHROOM

Sometimes one picture is all that is needed to express something.  In the case of the cabin and the re-installation of the systems...I think this is it.

The bathroom is roughed in!

This means all the plumbing has been installed.  The electrical is roughed in, with functioning lights, The water closet functions, the temporary sink functions.  We can actually wash hands in warm water for the first time since we purchased the structure!

So...in this case...the picture is worth a thousand words!

CABIN 1.12: SYSTEM COMMISSIONING - PLUMBING

After a lot of work to remove and replace the old systems of the cabin I am starting to get some function back in the cabin.

Last fall I removed over 650 pounds of old cast iron waste line systems from the cabin.  It all went to the recycling business here in Eagle, and in one of these posts I'll provide a summary of that recycling effort.

So, after removing the waste line and installing a new sewer line to the cabin I have FINALLY, gotten the new plumbing waste system installed.  Yesterday I tested the system.  That to say I am now starting to get the plumbing systems back on line.   

When finally installed I want to make sure the integrity of the system is sound before putting it to full time / permanent use.

This is the concept of commissioning.  

There are many ways to commission systems and there are standards that are  developed for commissioning especially when testing the integrity of building systems on larger projects. Commissioning is an integral aspect of LEED projects and is now a significant part of the IGCC (International Green Construction Code).  

So as I get the active working systems of the cabin installed and back working I want to test them to make sure they are working before they are finally put to use - commissioning.

I will also note that I have asked the local building official Bob Kohrman - Town of Eagle Building Official - a lot of questions.  He has kindly indulged me and has helped a lot.   

If you are like me and doing work yourself, don't hesitate to ask questions of your building official or inspector.  They really do want to help you get the installation right.  Codes are codes, like them or not, they are in place for our safety.  And, remember, the systems you install now will more than likely be in place for a long time - fifty years maybe or more.  We need to get them right to insure the life of and safety of the system. 

Waste lines are gravity systems.  That means they must slope to allow gravity to work and move the water and waste through the system by sloping the lines.  So I wanted to check slope and the integrity of the system.

The methodology I used was simple:
1.  Pipe slope:  

• I have a pretty good eye and most of the installed system looked to have a slope that was equal to or greater than 1/4" per foot.  One section, though, looked a little more level than the rest. 
• The test method:  a bullet level.  When I set the small level on the suspect area the bubble moved to the right indicating there was a reasonable slope (at least 1/4" per foot).  I accepted that section.
• I checked another couple of areas and felt pretty good about the installed nature of the system.

2.  System integrity

• Water test:
• This was a real simple test.  I put a hose in each of four points in the system that would have a fixture that would be an entry point for water or waste running through them.  The kitchen sink, the bathroom lavatory, the water closet and  the washer / dryer.
• I started the hose out at low flow, primarily so I could make sure the hose would stay in the orifice at first and then as I increased the amount of water running through the system.  So ultimately I want from a low flow to maximum water volume at each point.
• During each elevation of water volume I put my hand under each joint that would be receiving water flow to feel for any moisture - any moisture.  I did not want a stray drop of water coming through the pipes for obvious reasons.
• One of those reasons was that when I opened the floor I found multiple breaks in the old galvanized piping and a lot of damp soil.  I don't want that in my crawl space.
• I also visually inspected each joint with a bright flashlight to make sure I saw no water dripping.
• The volume of water coming out of the hose was much more on a prolonged basis than the system would experience under normal operating conditions and thus was - in my professional opinion - a decent test to verify the system integrity.

As I bring the functions back to the cabin I will be commissioning each system to make sure it performs as intended before it gets to work under normal occupancy load.  It is important to do this while I still have openings in the floor so that I can reasonably access any area requiring adjustment to assure the integrity of the system prior to closing it up.

I will test the new plumbing supply lines in the same fashion.  

It is really important to note that a good commissioning of the system - no matter who installs the system - is important because whether owner installed (as is the case here) or a system installed by others (in this case the water supply plumbing) there is always the possibility a sweat joint or fitting did not get installed quite right in spite of the good intentions and craftsmanship of the tradesperson installing the system.  Especially in the case of plumbing, it is better to catch any leaks now - before putting the wall surfaces up - than finding them later with all the nasty stuff that comes with that discovery.  A plumber will appreciate the opportunity to address a pin hole leak now rather than later.

Commissioning Results:

The waste lines passed my inspection.  I observed both by visual and manual inspection of the systems. that there was no leaking in the system and the integrity of the system is sound.  I am therefore certifying the system ready for normal use.