Backyard Project: Finishing the 2 Roofs

The roofers arrived to put the final layer of bitumen on the shed area roof.

This layer has a rough grit stuck to the surface to make it more weather resistant.

Roofing or clout nails with a big flat, umbrella head. 

The roofer hammers with a 2 stroke rhythm to drive the nail home.  

In the meantime, Josh is working on the Propagation Room roof.

He is slipping in place each section of 3 boards. The boards are held up out of any rain water by plastic wood blocks that won't rot. We will be able to lift out the panels to clean the debris off the roof. The black part of the roof is sloped towards a drain hole.

Backyard Project: 2 Different Roof Systems Serving 2 Different Purposes

He looks like a ghost buster but he is a roof layer - a torchon roofer. 

Nortek Exteriors is back to install the same sort of roof they put on the studio - a torchon roof.

First, a layer of fireproof fibreglass felt is nailed in place. 

For the next layer, a sheet of bitumen is melted and sealed in place with a butane torch. 

While continuing to be used extensively in commercial buildings because it is easy to install and repair and is one of the cheapest roofing materials available, it is a somewhat controversial because it is made from similar materials to our roads. 

The reason why we decided to go with the torchon roof on the studio and garage is I want a green roof. Under the forest canopy, mosses and lichens will naturally colonise the roof while feeding on the bitumen. It will last 15 to 20 years which is a shorter life span than some other roofing systems but it is easy and inexpensive to scrape off the mosses and add another layer of bitumen on top of the old. Though they do last longer other roofing systems need to be removed and put in landfills before the new material can be installed.

The other controversial roofing material is going on top of the propagation room.

The flashing has been installed.

The lumber has been delivered - Kayu Batu - a sustainably harvested hardwood from SE Asia. Some would argue it is irresponsible to use hardwoods from other countries and that would include buying furniture made from hardwood. 

We decided to go with the hardwood because treated like a piece of furniture it will last as a roof for up to 50 years - a better option to replacing local wood decking every 6 to 10 years. We live in a rainforest where conditions are perfect for breaking down and rotting wood. Kayu Batu is suited to these wet conditions and is resistant to mould, fungus, wood rot, insects and fire. It does not require the usual yearly painting or sealing. It can be oiled to keep the rich colour or it can be left to age to a silver grey, which we will be doing. The only maintenance will be keeping it swept.

Josh ordered 10-foot lengths to cover the 10-foot wide deck so there is no waste wood produced during construction.

Josh made a jig to get an accurate positioning of the supporting cross members made of water resistance composite wood.

He is making panels of 3 board lengths.

Installation details in a later post.

2 different roof systems serving 2 different purposes - 1 to provide food for living organisms the other to resist living organisms.

Backyard Project: All in One - Deer Fence/Gate/Wall

Part of the deer fence is made from punched metal.

The punched metal sheet and cedar boards make an 8-foot high wall from the house and across the east side of the propagation room.

A railing has been installed on the wall. It holds a slider...

...to support a sliding gate to fill the gap in the deer fence.

The holes in the metal allow for ventilation of the propagation room. Air flow will inhibit the growth of moulds on the plants sitting on the propagation table.

It also acts as a veil partly obscuring the view of the garden until the gate is opened.

The famous British garden designer, John Brooks, says 'garden entrance gates are the most important elements of a garden.' They need to be simple and they need to make sound use of materials to provide a firm, dry access to the garden. 

The fence and gate needed to be large in size and built of solid materials to balance the massive rock boulders of the raised garden beds seen on the other side of the garden. The rocks were quarried locally and the fence is made from the same sort of trees that grow in the forest. It is important that a sympathetic barrier is built of local materials.

This gate and fence with the studio building together pull the house and backyard into a single unit forming a protected courtyard separated from the forest. 

The Japanese have made an artform of barriers and they consider the two faces of a fence, inward and outward, and the aesthetic quality of each side is determined by needs and desires. Looking from the outside in towards the sunlit garden one has the feeling of being invited inside. While looking from the inside out towards the low light under the forest canopy the metal fence appears dark and the solid barrier is comforting. 

This gate-fence boundary also provides privacy for the guest patio - more on that in a later post.

While it is an 8-foot barrier to keep deer out of the garden, it is unlikely to stop racoons because they will be able to climb up and over it. I don't think it will keep determined cougar or bear out either.

The next problem we are searching for a solution to is a simple but secure catch and handle for the sliding gate that can be easily accessed from both sides. This is proving to be not as easy to solve as it sounds.

Backyard Project: Installation of Electricity and Paper Barrier

The electricians arrived. They asked me lots of hard questions. They couldn't get to work until I had given them logical and sensible answers to all of their questions. Since this project started 3 years ago I have come to realise I am not very good with planning lighting on paper. I need to be in the space and imagine how I will be working in it and moving around. The electricians needed to know what sort of lights and where would the switches go? Take this light at the apex of the roof, will it have a motion sensor to turn it on or will there be a switch somewhere outside the area so I am not walking into the darkness?

How many power outlets do I need above the potting bench? I had to think about what sort of equipment I will be using before I could answer.

The power comes from the power box on the side of the garage along lines strung across the inside of the walls.

In the meantime, Josh is stapling the black paper barrier to the walls.

The fascia boards have been nailed in place.

Now the electricians have been all of the remaining plywood can be nailed in place.

Plywood is nailed to the walls inside the sheds.

These are the finished walls and ceiling in the shed. We had this finish installed in the studio crawlspace and have been very pleased with how functional it is. There is no maintenance except for a sweeping off of cobwebs once a year. It fits with the industrial look we are going for.

Backyard Project: 2 Sheds With 1 Roof - Naming the Spaces

If you have been following the construction of this building you are likely to have been confused about its configuration. 

Naming the Spaces

Looking at the potting area

Looking at the doorway to one shed and where firewood is to be stacked

Looking north, the building is tucked in behind the garage

Looking at the entrance to the 2nd shed and the space for shelving

Potting area on the left, project bench on the right

All under one roof. View looking south-west.

The north wall of the garage and this roof are part of the deer fence/barrier. I'm not convinced the deer won't try to leap up onto the roof and then jump down into the shed area. People reassure me they won't. Hmm...

Now the plywood is in place it is easier to see the spaces.

Shed doorway with firewood storage on the right.

Back shed with a storage area where the orange ladder is leaning.

Is it clear now how the different spaces fit together?

Backyard Project: 2 Sheds Starting to Take Shape

The framework for the 2 sheds is coming along.

Another delivery

Sheets of plywood (left), roof beams (bottom right), fascia boards (top right).

I had to ask to be able to tell you that.

The first lot of plywood is nailed in place to make the west wall.

Josh hoists up the first roof beam and puts it in place - on a very wet and cold day.

Now all of the roof beams are in place. 

The building is really taking shape now.

James Bond Hotel Amalia Delphi by Nikos Valsamkis

When the family checked into the Amalia Delphi Hotel in Delphi here, while touring Greece early this year, the 20-somethings commented we had walked into a James Bond hotel. 

Built in 1964 in the mid-century modern style the owners have recently renovated staying true to the architect's design so it did indeed look like a James Bond movie set.

The architect Nicos Valsamakis more of his designs here has been called 'the most important Greek architect of today.'

The above image taken in the hotel's lounge shows some of his signature moves: cut outs through walls, usually rectangular in shape, mixing the old/traditional - a Byzantine style icon - with the new - beside the icon there is a framed contemporary weaving by a Greek artist.

The huge lounge is divided up into many small areas defined by different collections of comfortable furniture. Unlike many hotel communal rooms, this room was in continual use by the guests.

The lounge in the bar was more intimate with smaller groups of chairs in warmer colours.

This time the rectangular wall cutout is filled with a fireplace and wood storage.

The blue-grey slate floor tiles in the common areas contrast with the brighter colours in the furniture with a predominance of orange complementing the blue floor.

One of the most striking features of the hotel is the play of material textures and colours. Here a cool coloured, rough stone wall butts up against a warm coloured finely crafted wood and steel wall.

The hallways to the rooms have a rough stone wall on one side contrasting with a smooth white one on the other side while the floor is made of large roughly hewn but smooth stone blocks like many of the stone paths we had walked on all day while exploring Delphi historic sights. I had the feeling I was walking on the bedrock of the mountain the hotel was built into.

The unadorned walls in a muted neutral pallette emphasise their contrasting textures

Tucked into recesses in the white wall is a smooth soft green wall with barely visible entrances to the rooms, softly lite by rectangular shaped overhead lights. One's room felt discrete and private even before entering it.

A tranquil outside garden off the bar lounge is entered by walking on a string of stones across a koi-filled pond.

The grass and shrub filled, flat, green roofs were way ahead of their time. But this 1964 design may be referencing a feature of traditional Greek architecture.

The hotel snugs comfortably against the mountain-side blending in seamlessly and is surrounded by its 35 acres of gardens.

I spent a lot of time observing how the guests used each space. Every area was so often alive with quiet activity - some finding a quiet spot to read, a relaxing place to share a drink with friends, a large enough space for a family gathering.

What a treat it was to stay in such a well-designed building and to have the time to observe it how well its spaces functioned. I will be on the lookout for more of architect Nicos Valsamakis's creations.

BackYard Project: The Big Pour Happens on a Snowy Day

The Big Pour Day

Taylor and a Pumper Truck crew member.

Earlier in the week Josh and Taylor worked on constructing the formwork for the concrete walls of the Garden Sheds and yard.

At the end of each day, when the construction site was quiet, I would walk around the now defined spaces. It was the first time I could see exactly where each shed is located and I could visualise a clearer picture of how I would use the space.

During the week the temperatures dropped and we got a sprinkle of snow.

Josh and Taylor had to cover the formwork to keep rain and snow from filling the wall spaces.

Early one morning this appeared at the front door.

It was another City Concrete Pumping truck only this one had the pump pipe attached to a large, folded-up crane.

While Josh and Taylor cleared away all of the plastic covers....

...the pump truck operator set up the truck.

Four legs came out of the sides to rest on squares of wood.

The legs lengthened to lift the truck wheels up off the ground. My guess is it was so the truck wouldn't bounce around on the rubber tires when it lifted the load. Or maybe the legs had to be that long to make the truck bed level because the driveway is sloped.

The operator buckled on his remote controller and started unfolding the crane.

Here he is dressed for the cold day with his high-vis safety gear on over top.

He is guiding the crane up to its full height in between the trees.

The cement truck arrived and backed up the driveway...

...to couple up with the back of the pumper truck.

The cement was pumped up the white hose on the crane and into the flexible, dangling black hose with its end crimped closed.

The crane was guided up over the garage while the crew stood ready.

And the cement pour began. 

Teamwork - The crane, hose and cement flow controller, the cement hose guide, the lookout on the left....

...the air pocket removers.

While Josh (left) holds the weight of the suction pump hose motor Taylor (right) pushes the suction end in and out of the freshly poured cement to remove the largest air pockets.

That was The Big Pour Day.