Decking the Roof!

Even though our class was on break between quarters we were still hard at work on the house. We spent all of yesterday working on the front porch and applying the OSB to the roof. We had a nice system working, we have several on the roof, two on the ground cutting, and one person handing the material up. We are now at the point where we can get the plumber out there to rough in the lines. It wolnt be long before were installing exterior siding and roofing. I will update more pics soon.

Framing near completion!

The wall framing is almost completed! Today we received the OSB for siding and as soon as the weather clears up we will start framing the roof. Hopefully by Wednesday we will have all of the exterior and roof decking installed. Once that is completed we can start with the MEP(mechanical, electrical, and plumbing). Everyone in the class has been putting in 30 - 40 hours per week out at the site. We are starting to pick out roof shingle and exterior paint colors. Within the next week we will be working on the front and rear porch decking.

Foundation Complete

It is amazing how much progress we have made since we got the Sonotubes backfilled and the cement poured. Today we finished the joists and started putting the sub-floor down. I have been out at the site working almost every day. Not only am I trying to put 100% into this project, but I'm also planning a wedding and recently started some design work for an addition to a home here in Ruston, La. We are waiting for our permit to be approved so we can begin wall framing and then roof. By Thursday we should have our permits approved and be able to begin.

Breaking Ground!

Today I went to the site to help begin setting the batter boards. All of the strings are set where the footings will be dug for the piers. The afternoon site work group will be finishing the batter boards today. Tomorrow is our official groundbreaking ceremony. We will have our shovels spray painted gold to kick off the construction with a bang. Brandon and I have been working on the AutoCAD details for the operable trellis system that covers the rear porch. It was exciting to see the nylon strings on the site where the actual Big foot systems will be used. It was nice to see the project from a physical perspective rather then digital.

Fixing the model & prep. for AIA Monroe

The AIA Shreveport meeting went extremely well. There are a few things on the boards that need to be tweaked as well as the model before the upcoming AIA Monroe meeting. I went to the site on Thursday and met a man from Scott Construction Equipment and signed off for an excavator to help level the side and dig the holes for the footings and piers. Over the weekend Dj and I added some thickness to the base of the physical model to account for the joists. We cut the pieces for the girders, but are waiting until the 8pm class meeting tonight to ask the class if they think we should add them. Monday we plan on picking the foundation permit up and getting the temporary power pole set up and hope to set up the batter boards and silt fencing.

Permits Approved

Now that the permit documents have been approved it seems that we will finally be getting our hands dirty. I have been working with Brandon and Dj on designs for the front and rear porch as well as a louvered shutter system that will move along tracks. There are currently two designs being worked on and we hope that the class will come to a decision by Monday. Today Jordan, Daniel, Dj, and me went to the shop to build the base that our final model will sit on. Tomorrow Jordan and me are going to Builder's Supply to place an order for the construction materials for phase one. Our class is trying to coordinate getting dirt brought to the site from one company and getting another to come out and clear and level the site at the same time. We were hoping to have that done by Monday, but after hearing an update and the meeting tonight it sounds like it could be as late as Thursday. We should have the model base completed tomorrow and then we need to use the CNC Router to create the contours for the model. I thought as we got closer to construction that things would become less hectic, but it is exactly opposite of that.

Pier and Beam Foundation

For the past week my group and me have been working on getting the plan and section details for the pier and beam foundation together. Today Jordan and me went to the site and located where our water and sewer line would tap into the city's connection. We also went to the City of Ruston zoning office and met with Mark Joiner, who is in charge of permits. We showed him the foundation plan as well as the details for the piers and footing and said that they would work, but we need an engineer to sign off on them. Tomorrow we are submitting all of the permit set drawings for review. Once everything is checked over and we have a stamp of approval from an engineer it should only be about two to three days until the drawings are approved and the permits are issued. I'm looking forward to actually getting onto the site and working. I have also been researching possible exterior materials. There is still a huge amount of design work that needs to come together for the interior and exterior of the project to actually bring it to life. It has been an intense week and I don't see the process slowing down anytime soon. We also spoke to Mrs. Archie while at the site and showed her the floor plan and did our best to show here where exactly things would be on the site. It's great to have a client who is as excited as we are about the project.

Phase 1 Research

Over much debate we have chosen a new site to build Mrs. Archie's home. Instead of Line Ave. we will now be building on Jones St. I was in charge of researching pier and beam foundations and the methods of constructing them as well as codes, concrete types, soil typologies, and footings. Today I will give a power point presentation to the class after another group gives a presentation on site prep. Jordan and me will be presenting our research and Bradon, Kyle, and Dj also have research that they will be presenting. Our new site has some issues with an existing flood plane, so we have to clear the site before Friday so that we can get a survey crew out to find out exactly where the flood plane is. Tonight I have to start further research into pier and beam foundations more specific to our floor plan.

Combining the two.....

Our group has came up with several new plan ideas for the L-shape design and are trying to incorporate it with another plan type that has one or more outdoor courtyard spaces. I have been looking at a mirrored version of this plan with a covered patio. From what I've heard from classmates who were at the presentation with Mrs. Archie, she liked the clarity and organization of our plan and chose ours over the other plan with the 30 degree crank. She wants there to be more separation between living and dining space, but also wants to have an open floor plan. The other group taped out their living space on the floor to get a feel for what the actual space will be like. It helped to go stand in the area and get a more visual and physical perspective on the space. Today our group is working on tweaking certain parts of our plan, trying to keep it as efficient as possible while incorporating our ideas of flexibility and prefabricated systems.

Finalizing the L-shape configuration

Our new group of six met last night for several hours working on the L-shape floor plans. We have narrowed it down to three plans that we think will work. My first model and sketches had some flaws with creating an exterior space as well as the placement of the full and half bath areas. The plans we created last night hopefully resolve those issues. Here within the next thirty minuets we plan on meeting with our professor to get some guidance. Once we get a plan that works 100% and incorporates all of our ideas we will build a 3D model as well and a physical model. From there we will draft some sections and elevations to have ready for tomorrow. Tonight will most likely be a late night. We need to have everything ready for tomorrow to be presented that looks professional and clearly explains the plans and interior and exterior materials we are wanting to use.

Back at it!

Today is our first day back in studio after a long needed break. Each of the 5th year students was assigned a group partner to help get everyone on the same page. Tonight I am working on some of the previous designs for the Line Ave. site. We only have about two weeks total to lock in a design to submit for approval. Our professors summarized our work last quarter with our class and the 4th your design/build students as well as previous Habitech houses. By Friday each group is expected to have five or six massing models at the same scale to pin up and critique. From there we will narrow the designs down and develop those further. I'm going to layout the floor plans from some of my schematic sketches last quarter tonight and begin to assemble some models.

Final presentation for the quarter

Today our Jordan and Ward presented to the fourth year design/build studio students to bring them up to speed on the project and give them and idea what they are up against for the next two quarters. We also met with the Habitat for Humanity board at the Lincoln Parish Library to give them our final presentation for this quarter. I was not even speaking and was still a little nervous. I think the presentation went well and our proposed site was approved as well as our official clients we will be building the home for. Tonight we met with our group in the studio to discuss our overall process booklet, which has to be turned in Thursday by 3:30PM. Tonight we are all working on updating the information and will begin printing the five sections and binding them tomorrow. I also have my sculpture project to finish and we have to present our two projects in front of our classmates and a formal critique. After Thursday my break officially starts...

Today I had a desk critique with my professor to get some help with the floor plan I designed. I am trying to design diagrams that show that our idea of a prefabricated core is viable and will work on the site we have chosen as well as other sites in the future. By creating these prefab. cores we can save on construction time and also utilize volunteer work. When construction begins on the house it will be cold and often raining and by fabricating certain cores, partitions, truss, etc. off site during the week we can have them built and available when the volunteers arrive which will typically be on Saturdays. So all week long we can be constructing these pieces at a fab. shop and have them ready to ship to the site to be assembled. Mr. Stevens gave me some good ideas on how I can integrate the movable partitions into the plan that will maximize space and possibly allow for an extra bedroom to accommodate the clients daughter who may or may not be spending time at the home at any given time. Tonight I will be sketching more schematic diagrams incorporating the ICA and the movable partitions at a specific scale so we can begin to get a clear picture of the dimensions that we will need for the core and not go over the square footage parameters. I am also currently taking a steel sculpture class, so this idea of being able to assemble these components off-site and stored away until ready to install makes more and more sense.

Our presentation to the faculty went well yesterday. Ward and Jordan did a good job speaking about the projects and one of our professors even commented about their speaking skills. They were a little confused about the idea of flexibility and the movable partitions within the house and whether or not it is a separate idea from our ICA (Integrated Component Assembly) or if it works in tandem with it. I think locking this core unit town with all of your kitchen components on one side and possible utilities and bathroom components on the other side will potentially cause problems with circulation. Not as an afterthought, but more as solution to work along with the

core; partitions would move to allow spaces to be arranged in different configurations according to the families needs at that time.

We have narrowed it down from four possible sites to just one and plan on making a proposal to Habitat for Humanity during our presentation to them on Tue. We also have to present to the 4th year students earlier in the day to catch them up to speed on what our project is about and how they will be integrated into the design/build program next quarter. Last night I started more specific diagrams on the Line Ave. site that show a more concrete floor plan with the core in place and how and where the flexible partitions will work. We are working towards a more finalized stage for our presentation to the Habitat Board on Tue.

Prep. for Faculty Presentation

Over the weekend our group has been adding our schematic diagrams and inserting them into our mid-term book. I have been researching and sketching schematic designs for our prefabricated core. The design isn't set in concrete yet, but showing possible ways it could be used in the home. These diagrams are much more in depth, they show where the refrigerator would be, sink, and dishwasher. I have started drawing these in plan and will after have axon metric diagrams for tomorrow also. Tonight will most likely be a late night at the studio. Jordan has been working on our brochures that we will be handing out. Those are coming along nicely and his design is quite clever. I'm excited to see the final ones printed with our cards inserted. I'm a little nervous about presenting tomorrow, but everyone has been working hard and I think as long as we can present our concept and ideas clearly we should be fine.

Book Revisions & more Diagrams

We've been busy non-stop this quarter.
Our meeting with the Habitat board

members went well. They seemed

interested in our ideas and like the idea of having a prefabricated core as well as flexible partitions, thus allowing the family to arrange spaces according to their specific needs at the time. I think they were a little nervous about having modular parts of a home being built off site, but Ward had a great precedent where Habitat for Humanity actually did something very similar some years back. I think that helped to ease them into the rest of the presentation. Jordan and Ward both spoke well and the information was clear. Last night I began revising certain parts of our presentation booklet. Each of us is working on different sections of the book that need revisions or additions. Last night I set up the core precedents page and we are in the process of scanning the rest of our and drawn diagrams to also insert into the book. This quarter seems to be going by so fast, possibly because I haven't had a chance to slow down yet....I think that's a good thing though.

Schematic Design

Over the weekend our group has been rolling through trace paper creating schematic designs that incorporate modular systems, flexible partitions, and prefabricated cores. It's a nice change to be in the studio and see the most of the group here at the same time. We have been pinning up each of our diagrams and then discussing them and then going right back to the drawing board. We need to have diagrams that are clear and easy to read for our presentation on Tuesday. I think the group as a whole is on the same page and being here at the same time makes it much easier to discuss our ideas.

We plan on meeting again tomorrow to take another look at all of our diagrams and clean them up before our presentation. I have been compiling two folders full of images of homes that have used prefabricated systems in the past as well as movable walls or even walls that are used for storage for not only household items, but even fold out beds or kitchen tables. The possibilities are endless....I guess that is what makes this project so exciting.

[ICA] - new termanology

Yesterday our group met with our professors and we pinned up a series of schematic diagrams according to our site analysis. Each person had several diagrams for each of the three sites we are thinking of choosing for our project. We are still trying to integrate our three main ideas into the diagrams. Today I have started a new set of diagrams that not only incorporates our prefabricated core, but also flexible partitons, and a modular system. We came up with a new term to replace the repititive use of the word core.....(brace yourself) - ICA - Integrated component assembly. Today I plan to Email Lowes in Ruston with a letter of intent as well as speak with their materials manager in person. They have helped in past Habitat projects and would be a great source of assistance in our project. We have split into groups of two to re-examine our analysis of previous Habitech houses, Habitat houses, and the local and Louisiana vernacular.

Modular - Prefab -Flexible

I have started researching prefabricated systems that could possibly be assembled off-site and then brought to the house or houses and inserted in. For example, if our class decides to create to modular homes, we could potentially have a group at the metal fabrication shop working on he prefabricated parts while another group works at the site.

Each member of our group should have a definition for each of the three topics listed in the title.

I defined Modular as a modern system that is an interchangeable unit used in construction that is often units that are mass-produced and easily replaced as well as economical.

My take on Prefab. is homes or systems typically manufactured off-site in advance, usually in sections that can easily be shipped and installed. They may often incorporate electric, mechanical, and plumbing components with clean and simple lines. Prefab forgoes decoration for function and gives more opportunities for open floor plans.

When thinking about Flexibility, movable partitions within a home come to mind. Partitions or walls that can be easily moved or manipulated to open spaces or rearrange them to different configurations.

10-23-09

Yesterday we had our first group meeting since our first presentation to the Habitat for Humanity board. The meeting went well and I think our material was organized and to the point as possible at this time. We have an incredible amount of work to do by Monday. Our the main ideas with this project have to do with modular systems, prefabricated components, and flexibility. We all plan to bring definitions of the three to confirm that we are all on the same page. Our professor gave us a little shock when we found out what was going to happen next quarter, but I think it will work out well in the long run.....

I have been researching different types of prefabricated systems for our group to review on Monday. Our list of contacts is beginning to grow, so as soon as I start receiving emails to add them to our list I will begin to compile them. We plan to eliminate one site and start analyzing the other three sites for possible home configurations according to our site diagrams. We are hoping to meet our selected family or families soon as we may still take the daring route and design two houses along side with the Habitat group.