Picture Perfect.....

Wow...what talent behind a lens. I was fortunate enough recently to have Eric Marcus of www.emmarcusphotography.com/ swing by with mutual friend and designer Chandra Hartmann (http://www.cfhdesignstudio.com/) to take some photographs of the Casa. Eric has an eye for architecture well beyond most when it come to shooting photos. Most likely due to the fact that Eric is also an architect givng him that special knowledge of what to look for when he finds himself behind the lens. I am flattered that he and Chandra offered to shoot some shots of the house. Chandra, I know, has them posted on her newly updated site which has some really cool new ventures. But what really excites me are the artistic photos that Eric has for viewing on his website. The nature shots he has taken in and around the 30A area, and the means by which he manipulates these, create some of the most impressive canvases I have ever seen in photography. Please check them out and keep Eric in mind for your photography needs.

PCBDaily.com Stops by the Casa

Jason Koertge of PCBDaily.com recently stopped by the Casa to check it out. Jason has a great new online news publication going that is doing a great job covering all the "going ons" on our end of the beach and beyond. I have come to rely on PCBDaily.com to keep me abreast of all the happenings in Panama City Beach such as the coverage on the real estate market, local government issues, the new airport project, and what's happening in and around the Pier Park area.

Jason did a nice plug on his site for the Casa de Maraposa project. His interest in modern design and construction and new ideas that appeal to the beach housing market were all discussed during his visit. We had a good discussion on the how's and why's of what we built in Laguna Beach and he included some nice pics in his story. It was a busy day there when he arrived as we were joined at the same time by some neighbors and the pest control man (whose job was made really easy since the Casa does not contain any termite food!!).

The link to Jason's site report is: http://pcbdaily.com/?p=3112

Just wanted to thank Jason for stopping by and for his hard work to keep us all informed on whats happen at the beach. There is a link on this blog to his site - PCBDaily.com

Casa at Dusk

I recently tried my hand at some low light potography of my beach cottage. I impressed myself with these. Not professional quality by any means but they pleased me and sure made for some interesting photos of the beach casa.

We have recently had some bermuda grass installed in the front. I waited for a while on this meandering through what would be the best thing to do in the front from native grasses like Muhly grass to some shrubs and pavers. I settled on a lawn for a few reasons: 1. this is a septic field and care must be taken to not have anything that will root too deep. 2 the native grasses, though native, were going to to be quite expensive and would still need pine straw to fill between, and 3. this would be more utilizable for kids to play on :-) Again, the challenge of site planning has been quite fun on this project.

Here are a few of the pics I took the other evening at dusk on a beautiful and cool September night.

BIG KUDOS FOR THE CASA

We are so pleased with the feedback so far on the new beach cottage. My Mom and Dad have really enjoyed it and have been so helpful both along the way as well as our first guests. We had an impromptu dinner gathering in late spring and the home worked so well with kids, teens, and grown-ups all enjoying dinner and drinks together.

My sister and kids enjoyed the home for a couple of nights and then was joined by her husband for the weekend. Its been fun having others stay at the new place and then getting their feedback on it. The common tone is that it is wonderful. We hear things like, " it functions so well", "it really flows great", "it is so practical", "what a cool use of space", "it does not seem small".....This is music to my ears.

I have posted a couple of photos. I regret not having posted more from the consrtuction but I have them and it seems pointless to post them now. I am loading most these to Flickr anyway and the photos of the (mostly) finished product are all there already.

We are especially please with the rentals so far as this is making the note a little less burdensome. It is really attractively priced as compared to anything else that is both new and has a pool. Tell your friends! A number of the recent guests have enjoyed it so much that they have added nights. We are also doing a referral rewards. Come stay - go home - tell a friend - earn a free night if they book and stay - simple! The rental site is http://www.vrbo.com/176525 Check it out!

Next on the agenda is grass for the small front yard and the rain barrels. I hope to use a drought tolerant, salt tolerant grass that many of the local communities seem to be using if I can find our the type and locate a source. It seems to be Sea Dwarf Paspalum. Anyone familiar with this?

If you want to see more photos, you can check them out at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25343623@N02/

The new "Upward Mobility" - Thanks to our good friend, Monte, in NOLA for sharing this great image with us.

Catching up to the present on this blog, I have inserted some more photos in chronological order. I am finding I am definitely a dotcom'r as I wish I had a better handle on formatting this blog. Anyway I am going to give it a shot. The following shots are old but I am attempting to place these in chronological order as the components of the home were installed/constructed. These are going to be just an exampe of the steps so if anyone out there would like more details, I will be happy to forward them or post them here. Just ask or reply. I welcome your comments.

Painting was the next step and was done with a brand new product. We used Benjman Moore's new Aura paint. This is there low-VOC paint and boy did it make a difference. It really covered well too. The price tag, as with many of the green products make you wonder whether its worth it, but it is. This paint is about 50% more than a conventional high quality paint. But I did not have to check into rehab following a couple days painting! There have already been a couple of shots posted but here are a few more. he color scheme is a completely other story. It started off with lunch a Zoe's in SOHO in Homewood, AL. My wife, Lisa, and I decided we both loved their color scheme and it would be easy to simply take it withus and use it at the casa. The have a great stripped color pattern and use natural birch panels as wainscott in all their places. So off we set with Zoes' spinach and feta quesidilla's and paint chips. Well, the short of this is that, each of these colors alone do not work as great as they do as a stripped pattern. Nonetheless, we toned things down to the one's we liked and scrapped the bright green bathroom and bright orange accent wall n the kitchen and stuck with the lighter and calmer colors. They have grown on me and I am pleased. (I didn't let all go to waste as just to prove out the power of the green that was orginally chosen for the bath, I kindly painted the laundry/utility room with it so that Lisa can be forever reminded of what her bath "could have been".

A Much Needed Update

So, its been a while since the last update. But here up will find a fast-tracked update on what's been happening on the Casa since November. There has been many decisions: some good one's and some that I will chalk up to part of the learning process that I agreed to myself that this home would provide for me. Afterall, it is my first 'greenfield' job and also it has been intended as an exercise in new construction methods, an aggressive budget, and introducing "green" to the neighborhood.

We have changed decisions on the facade, the fence, the interior paint, the countertops, the bath tile, lighting, landscape, and so on. But who ever said these were really decisions to begin with? They were only ideas that evolved along the way. These have been driven by costs, subs capabilities, simplicity, and other factors. But all in all the Casa de Mariposa is mostly as it was originally designed and with that, I am pleased so far. I will attempt to place the folowing pics in somewhat a chronological order and will try to hold the comments to a minimum.

I hope for your feedback, questions, and comments.

PROGRESS ON THE CASA

OK. I know its been while. But life can htrow some curveballs and provide one with so many opportunities. Yet, the Casa de Maraposa continues to make head way. I am posting some new photos here. Some of the changes to the originally planned materials are use of stucco instead of Hardi-plank. This change is a result of my builders doing a damn good job of convincing me it was the way to go. Due to the additional strapping needed on the exterior of the house to meet windload codes, they were concerned that there would be (without furring the entire exterior), irregularities in the siding. Therefore, I decided to go along after reviewing some stucco finishes that I like. Although, it did not come out to the exact desired finish I requested, it does add a very clean look to the exterior and the the stucco guys did a good job. I believe we cam in with less cost than the Hardi as well besides the fact that again, there was minimum waste developed on site. Far less than would have been with Hardi and with a lot less airborne fiber dust as well.

I may be jumping to far ahead but the Transcon Steel (http://www.transconsteel.com/) build envelope ended up going together mostly as planned. There were some learning curves for us and some supplier issues. But our guys got through it and it is a very strong and very tight building envelope. I would use this steel and foam panalized system again on the right application.

The glazing has been installed and the slider windows look and work great. These are all hurricane impact rated windows with Low E glass made by a subsidary of Anderson windows. Only the front and rear door openings are not hirricane rated as they would have been REALLY expensive so these will get sliding barn doors for security from both hurricanes and sketchy people.

The galvalume roof is on and the complete interior is framed with all utilities roughed in. There is still some corrugfated siding to finish on the exterior. This and the interior sheet rock is going in this week.

The pool is being completed and we are beginning to put together ideas for the landscpaing and fhe required privacy fence.

The birch cabinets have been ordered today for the kitchen, bar, and bath vanity. The subway tile for the shower has also been selected. Most of the lighting package has also been selected. Appliances are being shopped.

I hope to have more updates for you soon. Here are a few photos that depict my missing entries lately and I hope to provide more frequest updates as we begin the finishing phases.

I cought this image when I was driving up the street a block over and the Casa caught the corner of my eye. Definitiely an eye catcher as pass by.

A cool shot with the eastern sky filled with a distant thunderhead.

The ceilings are high - 14' to the point above the clerestories which barely show here.

More from the Casa de Maraposa

As we trudge ahead with the foam and steel panel assembly, things are beginning to take shape for the Casa de Maraposa. We have basically gotten all the walls up and some interior framing which will support the beams. Had we not had missing parts as well as compenents not manufactured correct from the panels supplier, we would have the roof panels on by now. The guys from Arbor Homes, the contractor, have been quite patient and continue to find sulotions and other things to do while we wait for the missing pieces. Furthermore, the gawkers have been plentiful as this building takes shape. We have had ideas from 1.) make it a huge beer cooler to 2.) leave the roof panel hinged to we can have easy access to the beer!

With such a small foot print for the home (<1000sf) the high celings, vaulting from 10' to 14' really open the pace up and give it a HUGE feel for such a small beach cottage.

We visited the cabinet builder this past week and it seems he is on the same page as we are with some simple yet modern cabinets. He has convinced us to use maple instead of birch for only a slight increase in price but he feels we will be much more pleased. Uh-oh...gotto to change the BR doors to the same....

A view of the soon to be butterfly roof profile
Clerestory windows
A view from rear corner of lot siting toward back patio and pool

Photos of the Transcon Steel panels / Day 1-3 of erection

Modern House Raising
Thats what having these panels go up reminds me of when we have several guys lift and then walk the wall up in place. The home is beginneing to look like a home. The comments and looks we are getting from passer-bys are priceless. There have been a few hurdles so far with learning curve and panels manufacturer, but we are getting through them, at least for now. These are pictures from days 1 and 2. Previous to these past two days, the base track was installed on the slab and the slab was covered for protection.

Its been a week or so since the last entry but be now have a slab. I am plased with the pour and finish made by Panhandle Concrete. The burn trowelling of the slab seems to have acchieved the finsih we want for the exposed concrete floors throughout with some nice marbling coming to the surface. We have the slab covered with polypropalene and ply to protect it during the building erection. Can wait to get the clear sealer on it later to really see this beautiful floor. The most common question we get here is "are your gonna stain it?" - not a chance !

View from rear of lot with plumbing stub in

View from front of lot

Foundation

The forms are in, the plumbing stubs are in, the electrical stubs are in the works, and the pool is roughed in. Slab / Foundation is scheduled for pouring on Friday.

We Dig Pools

Casa de Maraposa has broken ground! We'll at least for the pool. The pool which is located in the extreme rear corner of the lot has to be roughed in first to get too it. The guys at Precision Pools have been great to work with so far. he tile went in yesterday, nothing fancy, just some light blue generic tile. We are keeping this as simple as possible considering the home will be used by others. We did add a sitting bench and to raised section for a water fall (not sure what its called) but it added a little "extra" without costs or maintenance issue. Still on the fence about whether to use a saltinator (no chlorine) or a normal chlorine addition. The saltinator basically uses no chemicals supposedly cutting costs and adding a "green" feature but is not supposed to be like swimming the the Gulf. The setback area around the end and back of pool will simply be planted with Bamboo in pots. The neighbor graciously agreed to let us remove the Bradford Pear tree that overhangs the complete pool to help save us headaches. I hate these trees anyway and I agreed to plant him something back in its place - definitely will use something deciduous.

Power to Casa de Maraposa job site
Today the temprary power pole went up and hopefully the surveyors will be out to make a new survey of the lot and mark the corners of the house and pool. Working with the older survey, combined with the home and pool being set at minimum lot setbacks, it seems it will be $300 well spent now to avoid possible discrepancies later. Here are a few updated renderings of the Casa de Maraposa.

Permits Approved!
The building permits were submitted and approved in less than 2 weeks! As of Monday July 9th, we have been issued our building permit by Bay County. As far as I know from our contractor, there were no questions or issues brought up which I find somewhat amazing since this is a different type of construction method that the traditional stick build that these guys see everyday. Lets hope that this will not come back to haunt us during the construction phase when the individual inspectors seem to have their individual interpretation of the codes. But as far as the structure and site planning, I will assume they are happy with what we submitted and I am hopeful that they are as excited to see something "new" being built as we are.
As we begin on this project, I wil be updating regularly with photos and logs to document this project and hope that you will join in with you comments and questions.
Next on the agenda is 1. Getting the building panels on order from Transcon in Austin TX. http://www.transconsteel.com/ Yet, in speaking with Transcon this week, it seems that they have great new capacity in their new plant and the delivery time will be faster than what we will need. We don't want to store the panels on site but also don't want to be waiting on them. Thus schedule planning is crucial for an efficient project.
We will also be getting the pool permit and then marking the corners of the slab so that the pool (though small as it is) can be laid out and roughed in before the house foundation. This is due to the lack of accessability to the pool after the slab goes in.
Greg and Rusty (Arbor Homes), the contractors, will be getting temporary power out to the lot right away. Speaking of Greg, I had a great discussion with him today regarding our ability to meet more than the minimum number of points to achieve the Florida Green Building Coalition certification. I have been pleased with Gregs willingnes to "think out of the box" so far on this project. I know that he too feels that there has got to be a better way to build here on the coast that is green, cost effective, and strong while remaining easy enough to meet various types of architectural styles and tastes. Chandra Hartman of http://www.cfhdesignstudio.com/ is helping us along with the "green certification" and she plays a vital roles in seeing this project finally come to fruition.
So for now I leave you with a shot of the beach that lies only a couple hundred yards from the soon to be Casa de Marposa. Stay tuned...

Breaking New Ground
Here's a shot of the lot where the Casa de Maraposa will soon begin to take shape.

Cocoon Phase for Casa de Maraposa
After a few delays, we should have the engineering and drafting data from Enerloc this week. Once in hand we will review these drawings and give the OK to produce the stamped engineers layouts of the Enerloc build envelope. These, along with the the site plans, material schedule, utility layouts, and septic information, will all be delivered to the local code officials in Bay County to get their blessings. While we wait for the local code officials to approve (glass half full :), I will be looking at every aspect of this project where we can find some additional cost savings. Once the local code dudes have signed off and we have a permit, then we can let an order to Enerloc to manufacture the wall and ceiling panels and being site preps.
I have been soliciting some infomation from members at LiveModern.com on fence ideas and they have come up with some great resources. I especially like the use of framed translucent panels (FRP, Poly, etc) as well as some of the new bamboo fencing. There is some great info on these at lottalivin.com as well. So stay tuned - things have picked up to snails-trot pace now.

Progress....but slowly
The Casa de Maraposa is slowly coming into a project. Gues you could say its still in the cacoon.
After much ado about windows and finding the right supplier for the impact sliders we want, and of course with price being a factor, we are on to the next step. This entails the drawings from CFHDesignStudio being sent to Enerloc (along with some of my $$) in Austin, TX to have the drafting and engineering services done. The guys at Enerloc, who I have yet to meet personally, have been great through all this planning stuff. And I really hope that the material quanities and deign work come back in line with the original estimate +/-5%. I should have some response from Enerloc in about another week. Enerloc is providing the complete panelized building envelope. They have an all steel and foam injected panel system - not a SIPS - but similar in that its panelized and should go up quickly while reducing waste and labor and creating a strong and energy efficient structure.
Greg Mahar at Arbor Homes in Grayton Beach has put together an estimate for construction that is, so far, within our target. He seems determined to look for economies in this new method of construction - at least new for this area.
Chandra Hartman of CFHDesign Studio is really ready to see this whole project come together. This gal has some great ideas and I hope we can get this one off the ground and move to #2.
I have included the preliminary plans that have been submitted to Enerloc for drafting and engineering of the panalized building envelope.
In the meantime, I am still working on the money side of this. Ugh.....

Casa de Maraposa - Baby Butterfly Steps

Well, I feel we are at the next juncture. I have had my share of investigatng SIPS for this project and believe that I have finally settled in on a panel system that will be a good fit for this project. With that somewhat decided on, we move on to more fun stuff. I have charged CFHDesignStudio with getting this project completely "built" on paper so that I can get this material to our contractor for some good estimating and then on to the lenders to see if borrowing the money is going to be a better way to build. This will be the fun stuff as we will be specing out all the great finishes and ideas I have envisioned for this clean, simple, modern, and affordable beach cottage. More to come...