great when its done!

What are your plans for the cedar siding boards? Are you staining, sealing, leaving to weather?

...but to be honest, I'm going to save the cedar siding finishing for the summer, when hopefully I will have the luxury of time to work on it. At first I was thinking of applying a light walnut stain/sealer to give it a more uniform greyish brown color. However, I was not expecting to like the natural red cedar and all of its variegation and striations, so I might just give it some kind of clear treatment. But in any case I definitely want to preserve the color, rather than allowing it to patinate.

Do you have any recommendations for sealers/coatings?

I hope someone comes up with a good sealer that will preserve the color. I was recently talking to a builder who told me that maintaining the color would require resealing the wood about every other year. I think I have heard that staining the wood a cedar color is a fairly common strategy for preserving the color (as you are not actually preserving it). I might suggest a color for the lower half of the house that would compliment the cedar as is or as a weathered grey.

your right on... i'm a painting contractor in Rockland county, Ny. definately avoid going the clear route, it will be a yearly recoat process and the one time you miss...your done for. go with a benjamin moore or sherwin williams trans or semi-trans siding stain...that would be the best protection and longest lasting coating application, however if you do semi-trans its hard to go semi-trans again due to the weathering of areas unshaded opposed to those shaded...that is always the major delimma with cedar siding.

great work, its funny i'm in the process of purchasing a lot here and have been in contact with weiler about the greenbelt2..thats how i found your journal.

your almost there!!!

Man, I wasn't expecting a status check for a couple of weeks.

1) That clear heart cedar look AMAZING! Please tell me you're going to stain/seal it in some amber color and not let it go that grungy grey.

2) Are you going to sell tickets for tours when done? You should do something like the first DWELL home. I'm serious!

3) Door hardware suggestions (don't mind my wackiness, but I had the same thoughts about how antique-like the handles were when I first checked HWindow out per your suggestion in that window posting): a) Get a stainless or steel pipe of fitting ID and weld it over the curvaceous handle. b) Saw off the handle, but leave the axial portion. Make sure the cut is straight/perpindicular. Drill & tap a hole in it and fab a handle of your own with a threaded end that mates into the threaded hole. Yeah, seems complex, but something you can do when you're all done with this process and bored.

Questions: 1) How level and perpindicular did the Superior Walls turn out? Did you have to shim and plane a lot of the framing above to make up for large variation?

2) Is the foundation wall SW also? I cannot tell if it is their 4' wall or poured.

3) Would you mind sharing with us the window flashing detail you plan (i.e. How will you flash around the window frame and cedar and still keep the clean beauty the pics currently show?)?

4) Is there any pitch to the flat roof? 1/4"? 1/2"? If there is, how did you achieve it (i.e. By ripping some sleeper per the slope desired and then laying sheathing over top? Or with tapered EPS foam?)?

5) I don't see nail/screww heads... are they fastened INSIDE the T&G joints of the cedar siding?

6) What brand curtain wall did you choose?

Sorry about all the nosiness. We modern lovers seem to share all the same taste.

Thanks in advance.

1. S. If you have several thousand LF of that clear heart extra when done, would you mind mailing it Michigan? (J/K)

It's good (or scary) to know that there are others who obsess about these kinds of details like I do. For example, today I was standing on a subway platform somewhere in Queens and I noticed this stainless steel grate that was erected around a closed stairway. It was stunning in its stark squareness and industrial appearance. And I was studying the fascia-mount hardware and its connection to the concrete wall very closely, wondering if I could use this kind of stuff as balcony railing.

The cedar really is wonderful, but it really does take a bit of expertise to install it properly. I had no idea it would be such an undertaking. Mitering and sealing those corner pieces is especially challenging, especially since the boards are vertical and upwards of 12' in length. As noted before, I definitely will seal it, but I probably will not stain it. I guess it all depends on how the fascia and trim turns out.

I'm not quite sure if a house tour is in the cards, since there isn't really anything particularly novel about it in terms of construction methods. And by Hamptons standards, this is a little fishing cottage, so I doubt the demand would be there... but then again, if I find the telltale signs of wet noses pressed up against glass, I'll probably relent, just to let the stalkers have their release.

Now onto the questions:

1. & 2. The Superior Walls came in pretty level. I didn't use any 4' walls. Rather, I used 8' walls for the basement stem walls and 8' walls for the first floor- stacked on top of the basement stem walls. I wasn't there in person for the first floor walls, but I understand it was a pain in the behind to get them to sit on top of the basement walls properly, especially since it was not a continuous run. The entire perimeter of the first floor was topped with stacked 2x6 and 2x10 members to create the "rim band" and to add an additional nominal foot of ceiling height. The entire perimeter between the concrete and the wood structure received urethane caulking plus a termite barrier. The exceptions were the areas where steel beams were used, since you really cannot have steel resting on top of wood. Additional formed concrete pilings were created on top of the Superior Walls to create the footings for the steel beams. Admittedly, things would have been much simpler if Superior Walls (of the Hudson Valley) created a 9' wall, but, alas, we had to add height to an 8' wall. 10' walls would have been virtually impossible to use with this design for a number of reasons.
2. The H Windows came with a matching anodized drip edge/extender for the top of the window. Plus there are weep holes at the bottom. The aluminum casing around the window has a convenient flange that allowed the siding to fit underneath perfectly (but over the fins). The entire perimeter was then sealed with urethane caulk. The end result is that the windows are perfectly sealed on the outside without resorting to window trim or flashing. The windows in the Superior Walls are another story. It's going to be a pain in the behind for sure...
3. There is a pitch to the roof- probably 1/3 x 12. It is elevated in the middle and directs water to the scuppers placed at the outer corners (visible in the photos). This is all masked by the curb built up around the roof perimeter.
4. Yes, all of the screwing was done on the tongue side of the siding. I believe face nailing is only necessary when you are using larger widths of siding (over 6"). The corner joints are mitered and glued. Again, there is a definite skill to installing this siding that I do not have the time nor patience to learn!
5. Curtain wall is curtain wall for the most part. The only variable was who could deliver the goods ASAP. YKK happened to come in at the front of the pack, even though the manufacturing of the raw extrusions is based out of Georgia. The custom fabrication, however, was done by the Curtain Wall contractor locally in NJ.

You're not the only one crazy. You just WANT to make sure you GET what you WANT.

Foe me, looking into the details will prepare and hopefully protect me better for when I GC my own house. I'm not ignorant to the fact that obstacles will come and things won't always go on time, but I guess that is what having PLAN Bs are all about... and a glass of whiskey now and then.

I do the same thing - watching out for things I can utilize or learn from. A GREAT place to go is an AUTO SHOW. I don't know if the NYC Auto SHow is over or not, but those car stands and surrounding decor are usually interesting pieces of design and material. The flooring is usually QUITE the motley of materials a modernist would adore. They often have to use durable stuff, but somehow attractive... and often times affordable (even car makers need to watch their budgets).

It's going to be awesome!

sorry to hear a/b the loss of your car. hope nobody was injured. is my mind playing tricks or did you have a mini?

hope the insurance co treats you fair and transportation is resolved easily and quickly.

now about the house, WOW! I'm normally sort of indifferent to that cedar siding, but it just looks perfect for this application.

paul

hmmm.. I'm remembering a VW. A Jetta?

It was my beloved Jetta, "Gretchen." Fortunately nobody was injured except for my wallet. So thanks for your concern.

Now I'm just wondering about getting a modern style car that matches the house- like a Honda Element or a Toyota Prius. Can't think of anything else that catches my fancy these days.

we explored getting a hybrid car. our realtor back in santa cruz loved his prius. but the math gets real close when considering the extra cost of a hybrid opposed to getting a car that gets good mpg in a traditional method. try comparing a scion (cheap, good mpg) to a prius.

if you wanna think green, consider a jetta diesel and run b20 (biodiesel). but I don't think willie is selling his blend up your way yet.

http://www.wnbiodiesel.com/locations.html

I hear those vw turbo diesel beetles get 50+ mpg, that is more than most hybrid.

paul

I was seriously considering some type of a hybrid vehicle until I discovered that they are all automatic transmission, which I find intolerable (plus they are prone to mechanical failure). And it's tough finding ANYTHING these days that isn't automatic. Are Americans that lazy??? And to be honest, my primary interest in the Honda Element (besides its cool shape) was that the stereo actually came with an auxiliary input jack (for an iPod, e.g.). What a feat of engineering technology. FINALLY somebody did it. And although I was interested in the VW diesels... you can't register diesel passenger cars in NY state! The biodiesel sounds really cool... although I don't fancy the thought of smelling like french fries after a long trip.

I have finally opted for a pre-owned Bimmer. It's a pleasure to drive and surprisingly good fuel economy for a V6- better than my VW.

I can't imagine that law is gonna hold much longer. diesel technology has come a LONG way in the past few years.

now used bmw... something I know a bit about. but I doubt you have a V6 in there. don't think bmw ever made one. the sixes are usually inline (all pistons in one row)

p

is the roofing material on the deck torch down or epdm membrane? are you putting tile down over it? i really like the siding. where is the curtain wall going

on the cantilever part of the house?

i can't wait to see more photos..

I believe the roof is a rubber/torch down affair as opposed to EPDM. Even though the roofer quipped that this roof will "last forever," I suspect that it has a service life that is similar to a traditional shingled roof. It was surprisingly inexpensive, so I am not terribly concerned. As for the roof deck, I'm not entirely certain what I'm going to do. I have thought about setting up a couple of "islands" comprised of floating teak or ipe tiles surrounded by stone ballast or crushed marble and potted trees. Unfortunately this means the entire perimeter of the garage will require a guard rail, which means mucho de niro! Anyway, this is something I will think about later; I can live with temporarily nailing a board up over the roofdeck door just to get the certificate of occupancy.

The curtain wall will be used on the front and back sides of the house, as well as the end gables and roof glazing, as well as the entire living room wall. Time will tell if/when they ever begin the installation of the curtain wall, which has become the linchpin of this project.

BTW, the metal coping is just going up now and looks fantastic. I hope to post an update soon, once the curtain wall starts to go up.

I am a brand new person on this LiveModern site and just stumbled upon the photos of this house. I Love it! Just wondering where it is you are building, are you the general contractor or have you hired someone and what is your estimated cost per square foot?

I live in Fort Worth, Texas and Dwell style homes are few and far between. I am a developer and built some modern lofts, now I am interested in single family homes. Any info you have would be helpful.

Thanks for your kind words. My house is in Sag Harbor, NY, which is about 100 east of New York City on the eastern end of Long Island. Not exactly a day trip from Texas ;-).

My original game plan was to try and build for less than $125 per sf. But the scope of the project kept getting larger and larger- solar panels, geothermal HVAC, gunnite swimming pool, roofdeck, European cabinetry and fixtures, etc. Now I am looking at (optimistically) $160-$165 per sf. Any higher than that and I will consider this project to be a failure in terms of being an experiment in affordable, high(ish)-end modern construction. Still, right now there are so many unknown variables about the finish work... I have trouble sleeping at night thinking about what could go wrong.