The Big Addition: Roof and Glass

We have chosen a standing seam metal roof. It's pre-painted galvanized steel and has high reflectivity. It's not made of oil. There will be no horizontal seams. There are dozens of manufacturers and zillions of variations, but Alameda Roofing got our Titan SLZ-1000 from Custom Bilt Metals. It should last 50 years, with little or no maintenance.

Glass is another story. Originally, we specified storefront windows - like an office building - everywhere, both as a visual element and also to handle high winds. Part of the reason why we are so late with windows is that we had a tough time getting closure on the design (and cost) of these windows. So, in early October, we revisited the plan. Of course, when you want to be closed in by 10/31 and it's only a few weeks away, going to an ultra high-end residential product (like Fleetwood), which usually has a 6-10 week lead time, would not be possible (although we tried). What was possible was to use a more readily available high-end aluminum window from Milgard which could show up in 2-3 weeks. We were already familiar with Milgard - we put in a huge Milgard window back in 2002. So, that's what we did. They're quite beefy, and they were available in clear anodized, which matches the storefront spec. So anything that is framed in wood gets Milgard, and anything which goes in the steel frame is storefront.

At the same time, we had also been agonizing over the great room doors. We had spec'd french doors for the west - two 4 foot by 8 foot tall doors - and a single, 5 foot (!) by 8 foot tall door for the south. Finding someone to make the 5' door was very difficult. We went through 5 manufacturers. Many would say, sure, we can make that, then when the actual bid came in, the doors magically shrunk. Unfortunately, it really was looking like a 5' door was impossible. Finally, in a discussion with the GC, the storefront glass provider mentioned another player in the commercial arena: Kawneer. After a close look at their specs, we decided to use their Terrace door. The french doors will be close to 8x8, and the south door will be 4x8, and we'll infill the last foot with tile or something similar. The glass company just needs to do some final measurements for the windows.

That was the state of affairs somewhere around 11/5. Now let's see how it plays out...

This week, the house was mostly wrapped with Vaproshield, a breathable moisture barrier. Our design is constructed using the "rainscreen" technique (more on that later) and Vaproshield is the leading house wrap for that method. Prior to wrapping the garage face, the doors were framed and plywood added. By the end of the week, the roof was about 60% complete, leaving only the north side of the ridge for next week. As rain was expected, temporary downspouts were added.

In the first week of December, the roof progressed. The A/C chase was framed in, and the bathroom window holes and toilet room framing got started. As well, drainage trenches were dug. The garage door company came out to measure so our doors can be ordered. The weather was not great - one moderate storm with high winds. It would be great to have windows and doors complete, but that won't occur for a few weeks.

No rain the week of 12/10, though it was really cold. The roof is basically complete except for ridge and edge work. Framing of the tub and shower started. The drains for the gutters are all tied into the drainage system. The curb which forms the base for the storefront windows was installed as the storefronts should show up soon. Andy got a second coat of paint on the steel frame and we both got the second Hubbfo chandelier installed.