Friday, June 19, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
"a multi-disciplinary studio of architecture + design....."
"....a multi-disciplinary studio of architecture + design......." is what you will find if you visit http://www.theworkshop308.com/. And that is what you will find if you visit the 8747house site in Webster County these days.
Since Jason Mitchell and Michael Mardis took over the construction services for this project, I would imagine that "multi-disciplinary" has taken on some new meanings ......such as Michael's heroic rescue of a wren nest with five chirping babies from the duct work and the subsequent search for worms in an effort to keep them alive.....such as me holding a board to prop up a flashing strip while Jason welded the other end with sparks flying in every direction....such as having to find exactly the right pile of dirt over by the well to stand on in order to OCCASIONALLY get a cell phone signal....such as keeping fishing tackle in the storage container in case the fish are biting when it's time for a break....such as my hollering at the door installers and Jason and Michael to stop work and come watch a five foot long black snake as it made its way across the path and up to the top of a thirty foot tall tree......aaaagggggh......such as dealing with mosquitoes, ticks and wasps while standing on a ladder....such as politely answering questions and giving "tours" to the folks who may drop by to see "what is going on over here".....such as having the patience to explain the systems, the processes and the outcomes to me over and over again when I ask.....such as having the ability to guide and oversee and follow up on the "outside" work and workers involved....such as having the flexibility and the technical ability to make changes as they go that could be either more functional, more economical or of a better design as the house evolves....such as, above all else, having the astounding gift of being able to not only design an incredible house, but to have the knowledge and the experience to be able to construct that design themselves......and with an ever present work ethic that makes the ultimate difference in everything that they do.
I couldn't be happier with how things are going these days. It's definitely a multi-disciplinary experience.
Since Jason Mitchell and Michael Mardis took over the construction services for this project, I would imagine that "multi-disciplinary" has taken on some new meanings ......such as Michael's heroic rescue of a wren nest with five chirping babies from the duct work and the subsequent search for worms in an effort to keep them alive.....such as me holding a board to prop up a flashing strip while Jason welded the other end with sparks flying in every direction....such as having to find exactly the right pile of dirt over by the well to stand on in order to OCCASIONALLY get a cell phone signal....such as keeping fishing tackle in the storage container in case the fish are biting when it's time for a break....such as my hollering at the door installers and Jason and Michael to stop work and come watch a five foot long black snake as it made its way across the path and up to the top of a thirty foot tall tree......aaaagggggh......such as dealing with mosquitoes, ticks and wasps while standing on a ladder....such as politely answering questions and giving "tours" to the folks who may drop by to see "what is going on over here".....such as having the patience to explain the systems, the processes and the outcomes to me over and over again when I ask.....such as having the ability to guide and oversee and follow up on the "outside" work and workers involved....such as having the flexibility and the technical ability to make changes as they go that could be either more functional, more economical or of a better design as the house evolves....such as, above all else, having the astounding gift of being able to not only design an incredible house, but to have the knowledge and the experience to be able to construct that design themselves......and with an ever present work ethic that makes the ultimate difference in everything that they do.
I couldn't be happier with how things are going these days. It's definitely a multi-disciplinary experience.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
All work and no play.....
Loppers, Weed-wacker, brush piles, blood, sweat and ticks.....cleared this front yard...
Michael finishing the first skylight of three......
Hard to tell whether it's American Gothic Design-Builders or M-I-C, K-E-Y....
Jason doing stuff......
Michael holding baby wrens.....formerly residing in the duct work....
Michael investigating a strange chirping noise ringing in his ears.........
Getting ready for the cedar wrap and for the door men.....
Michael applying black rain-screen paper to back the cedar wrapping on the porch...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Hi-HO, Hi-HO....
..........and a new dawn is breaking for the8747house........Phase II.....
Jason starting the process for the open deck off the screened porch.....
Jason and Michael with their version of an "open deck frivolity check".........
No-grass-fire welding takes years of practice.......
Keep your eye on this steel beam........ 
The view from the soon-to-be-screened porch to the soon-to-be-deck.....
It's gonna be nice, eh?..............
Primed and ready to flash........
Michael preparing the porch for the cedar that will wrap it.......
And, here we have a sample of the cedar that will wrap the porches.......
One skylight in.......two to go.......
........I wanted little butterfly decals, but this is all they had....
Someone has been walking on my roof.............
Pretty darned awesome.......that's what I think.......
Speaking in tongues......showing off......
I wish everyone could live like this.......
Much lighter with the skylights in....(standing in living room looking towards into the kitchen and down the hall past the furnace/laundry area).......how about those windows?
Yep........that's the river down there......the James.
The door guys arrive........and everything is ready for them.
Judy and Jon (sister and brother-in-law) got the clearing project underway last week.......and I am following up........working with sharp objects on a slant is NOT yoga-like......
Send any suggestions for non-mowing, low-maintenance, legal plants for this field of dreams....
This is my bedroom side of the house......(porch area presently obstructed by rare plant)....
If one is operating the shop vac in the living room, this is the view one would see......
Enthusiastic old lady (looking very manly) with her SHINDAHWAH weed eater.......on a slant.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Structures change.....and structure changes....
Structures change.....and structure changes. Todd Slack and Chris Kennard of Keyway Construction can now be found in the midst of the ongoing process to revive and restore the heart and soul of Springfield's downtown. While they will be missed and missing from the 8747 house, downtown can surely use their help. Jason Mitchell and Michael Mardis of theworkshop308 will complete the project.....and have been its heart and soul from the very beginning two years ago, when I walked into their place with my plastic shoebox full of house plans.
Lots of fond memories of Keyway Construction......that very first day when I pulled up to what had been a gnarled and thorny house site to see Garrett on his bulldozer and Nathan directing traffic, as they forged out the driveway....Nathan owning up to his one-time ballet experience, as we all stood around the septic hole making polite conversation.....beautiful and sweet Lacey, handling the paperwork AND the boys AND me....Chris responding to my leach field whining with "IF YOU DON'T WANT A LEACH FIELD, THEN DON'T LIVE IN THE COUNTRY" comment.....and his willingness to undertake this shipping container project on the day we determined we needed to "rethink" the first plan....and Todd with his daredevil, yet precise orchestration of the setting and anchoring of the containers, and the accompanying media attention.....his continuing counsel and conferencing...and, especially, his tolerance of my multi-polar approach during this whole process. Keep your eye on downtown Springfield for their work.
So....that's the internal structure change of the moment. Externally, Michael and Jason are very much on the job with their plasma cutter..... cutting and knocking out the last container wall of the living room porch...... working on the windows to be sure they are getting the proper framing and flashing treatments......preparing to install the skylights and doors. They would like to get the house closed up by the end of the week, so the insulation can be sprayed the following week.
The porch off the living room is going to be awesome. It is now open on two sides (the back side, flooor and ceiling will be wrapped in cedar), and will be screened with a small open deck extending off the side. Tom Netzer, the structural engineer, will be meeting with the designers today to put his final stamp of approval on that.
It feels like we're getting to the point where things are going to be happening on a more regular basis....maybe even daily. Structure changes....people do what they need to do....and structures change....people do what needs to be done. At the end of the day, it's all good.
Lots of fond memories of Keyway Construction......that very first day when I pulled up to what had been a gnarled and thorny house site to see Garrett on his bulldozer and Nathan directing traffic, as they forged out the driveway....Nathan owning up to his one-time ballet experience, as we all stood around the septic hole making polite conversation.....beautiful and sweet Lacey, handling the paperwork AND the boys AND me....Chris responding to my leach field whining with "IF YOU DON'T WANT A LEACH FIELD, THEN DON'T LIVE IN THE COUNTRY" comment.....and his willingness to undertake this shipping container project on the day we determined we needed to "rethink" the first plan....and Todd with his daredevil, yet precise orchestration of the setting and anchoring of the containers, and the accompanying media attention.....his continuing counsel and conferencing...and, especially, his tolerance of my multi-polar approach during this whole process. Keep your eye on downtown Springfield for their work.
So....that's the internal structure change of the moment. Externally, Michael and Jason are very much on the job with their plasma cutter..... cutting and knocking out the last container wall of the living room porch...... working on the windows to be sure they are getting the proper framing and flashing treatments......preparing to install the skylights and doors. They would like to get the house closed up by the end of the week, so the insulation can be sprayed the following week.
The porch off the living room is going to be awesome. It is now open on two sides (the back side, flooor and ceiling will be wrapped in cedar), and will be screened with a small open deck extending off the side. Tom Netzer, the structural engineer, will be meeting with the designers today to put his final stamp of approval on that.
It feels like we're getting to the point where things are going to be happening on a more regular basis....maybe even daily. Structure changes....people do what they need to do....and structures change....people do what needs to be done. At the end of the day, it's all good.
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