Roof beams started going back up last week! Luckily, it looks like we’ll be able to reuse most of the original glulam beams from the first framing attempt. Harry and his crew stacked them nicely during the demo, and I’ve … Read More

Well, here we go. Week before last I learned that my original framing contractor–the one whose work had to be demolished–filed a legal document called a “claim of lien” against my home. I’d searched the public DNR database where liens … Read More

I wasn’t planning on sharing the final written report about the original framing job, but recently I found out that the original framing contractor has filed public legal documents related to the project. I hope this post makes it abundantly … Read More

I really thought that I was done finding mistakes with the original framing job, but as the reframing has progressed we’ve identified more and more errors made by the original contractor. These include egregious structural mistakes with the roof, shear … Read More

Rodney and Patrick took a few days off because they couldn’t stand walls in 70mph wind gusts, but as soon as the weather settled down they got back at it. The living room walls are all up, and they stood … Read More

And, it’s done! Ok fine… not really. But 3D renderings are about as close as you can come to seeing the real thing before it’s built. A little while back, Envision Home Designs reached out to offer to do a … Read More

The framers were hoping to stand the first living room wall today, but the forecast called for wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour. Alaska has relatively extreme seasons, and September is a time of chaotic transition. We’re losing … Read More

Not every part of a construction project is especially photogenic, but I’d like to cover all of the major steps of owner-building. So for anyone looking for prettier photos, maybe tune in next week. For everyone else: temp electric! Every … Read More

Every day the house looks different. Today I pulled up to find most of the main floor interior framing complete. It was fun walking between the rooms and getting to see the plans come alive again. Rodney, my framer, works … Read More

Most residential floor framing systems are primarily made up of “joists,” horizontal framing members designed to span open spaces. Joists can be reinforced with “blocking” or “crush blocks” as needed, and tied together with floor sheathing. Floor joists are typically … Read More