Rooms with a View

As noted before, framing the interior walls finally gives me an accurate sense of the size of the various rooms.  The spaces envisioned on paper are starting to take shape!  In the first photo below, for example, I am standing in the doorway to the screened porch (not yet built), looking into the laundry area (left) and what will become the half-bath (right, with the window).  Out of view are a storage closet on the left, and a place to hang coats on the right.

East end of the mud room/laundry area.

In the second photo, I'm standing at the opposite end of the house, between the doors to the guest bedroom and full bath, looking back toward the mud room and service porch door.  This will be the main traffic corridor through the ground floor, defined by the masonry wall and exposed steel beam overhead (a slight industrial touch).  Visually, this long perspective ought to make the house feel a bit larger than it really is.

Looking north through the ground floor.

I don't think I've put the floor plan on the blog yet.  Using these diagrams you can see where the photos were taken, and how the interior is laid out.

Ground Floor

Second Floor

By late yesterday afternoon the crew had installed the stairwell landing and was finishing up the second floor deck.  The window seat on the landing will be lower than I had originally imagined, but should still make a good place to sit and read.

The stairwell landing is in place.

Sean trims the second floor deck...

...and Sam nails down the subfloor with a cranky nail gun.

Meanwhile, Kyle was laying out the west and north walls for the second floor, translating dimensions on the plan into proper placement of studs and window openings.  It's important to get this right before the walls are nailed into place.  Making changes after a wall has been built — moving a window, for instance — is a lot of work.  And if the change is at the whim of the homeowner, it adds to the cost.  As much as possible I have tried to make all my changes before construction.  If I have screwed up, I'll just have to live with it.

Kyle and Sam talk through the north wall.

Sean nails the west wall studs into place.

From the upper deck I'm seeing my home site from an entirely new perspective.  The view from the master bedroom, overlooking the lake, is especially attractive.  Some of the trees will have to go to make the most of this view, and to allow sun penetration.  I'll have to do it in such a way that the DNR doesn't notice.  I'm told there is a "no cut" zone along inland lakeshores.  Few Esau homeowners have observed this restriction.  Besides, with all my cedars rotting out from the center, they will come down eventually all on their own.

The driveway, looking across what will become the office.

View from the master bedroom.

At 6:30 p.m., the crew is still hard at work.

The forecast indicates a 30% chance of rain today, but thus far it has been clear and sunny — a spectacular northern Michigan day. •••