Stairs Panels Deck

stairs and guardrail in front of baltic birch panels

locally harvest cherry planed and ready to go

panels wrapping around to the back

screwed down baltic birch panels in living room 

so the phoenix house is about to be finished and the general contractor is doing a great job making sure construction meets my standards of design.  last week i talked to the welders who were not happy with the assembly.  they wanted to grind the welds down.  i went to the job site this week and i told them they looks perfect.  they kind of shook their heads.  but the beads of the welds were smooth and consistent.

The Phoenix 's steel panel cladding

east wall steel panels at kitchen deck

elevation with steel panels

here is the cladding of cold rolled steel panels as they surround the windows.  the decision to clad the house in 4'x10' steel panels supports the idea of house as an assembly of materials.  i wanted to design something that reflects the sustainable idea of reuse.  the design idea came from a spanish firm call abalos and herreros when they designed a recycle facility with an erector set of columns and joist.  at the end of the buildings's life the structure would be dissassembed and recycled.  at the end of this house's life these panels can be unscrewed from the wall and be reused in other situations or recycled.  think of its afterlife as part of mad max's car.  the remnants from the cut out can be used for smaller elements like planter boxes or awnings.  unlike hardie, they could also easily be recycled.

this process also critiques other sustainable houses who build with trim, hardie siding, wallboard yet when demolished the material goes in the landfill because they cannot be reused.  the interior also has plywood panels on the walls that are attached with screws.

My lovely wife and client/friend on the deck.

Harvested wood from client's property in Vanderpool, TX.  this Black Cherry Escarpment will be used for the treads of the stairs.  This recycling of local wood puts some raw work into the project for the client.

Cypress siding is being installed at the bump out of the kid's working area.  This cypress is brought over from Louisiana and will age a gray silver.  I used the same material in my Screened Living project.

Phoenix - Elevations reviewing panel installation

Here are photos i took of the project.  The side view shows the nailers and how the panels will layout.  I like the graphic of this elevation showing the grid of construction layers interrupted by windows.  Plus the panels will mimic and express the process of construction.

Some Window Views

View to the east at future dining room

Living Room window and part of low yoga window on the west side.

Here are some window pictures. I enjoy having the windows in so I can experience the framed view and open them to feel the window blow through the house.

The Phoenix - framing

here are some pictures of the project in framing phase. what i like about Abode Homes, the general contractor, is their standard construction materials are those that have minimal impact on the environment and modular.

i like looking at the framing because it is the skeletal part of the spaces. the prefab trusses look like wings. this process is quick and in a matter of days the frame is covered.

here are some websites of material used

exterior sheathing - http://huberwood.com/main.aspx?pagename=zipsystemwalloverview

finger jointed lumber - http://www.ufpi.com/product/fjstud/index.htm

here is the elevation of the phoenix house

the construction has started on my project in the texas hill country (dripping springs, texas) that is an interesting and exciting story. i have some good friends of mine whom i have spent many nights camping near lost maples. they moved out from the city of austin to live in the hill country but after a year living in a builder's home the house and most of their belongings were destroyed by fire. one reason they originally bought this house is the beautiful lot that slopes drastically to a creek.

the only piece of the house that was left was a typical 32' x 40' builder slab. this was the rough and simple foundation to rebuild. my good friends asked me to design a new house upon the existing slab but with a simple request. instead of a builder's home they want a home that better reflect their lifestyle and takes advantage of the site's slope, trees, breeze, and view. they wanted a simple space for a modern family that gives a nod to a house type used by settlers of this landscape - the dog trot.

as you will see there are many other elements of the building and design that takes advantage and treads lightly on the environment. by the way, me and my good friends decided to call this house the phoenix for it rises from the ashes reborn into a new and different home.