Day Twenty-nine and Thirty

Day Twenty-Eight and Twenty-nine | Cabinet

One by one we're wrapping up doors and boxes! We've spent the last two days installing hardware, and the drawers have entered the construction phase. Once we have cabinet doors finished, we will be able to begin installing them and sending them to site for a final coat of paint. We put a door on one of the cabinets today; something which provided a great deal of comfort in its success!

Day Twenty-six and Twenty-Seven

Keeping everything organized has been a big issue, so today we went through and labeled all of the doors and cabinets. Adrian would like to put the final coats of paint (which I hear may be green) on on site, before installation. This will prevent doors from getting dings in transit.

Day Twenty-five | Cabinet

We continued to work on sanding and priming the in-pouring of cabinet boxes and doors. We've started to develop a method for controlling the wheatboard fuzz, but are still finding that we have to sand and touch up prime a number of times. The Safeseal primer and sealant are excellent because they emit only a minimal oder, but it is unclear as to whether they every really dry; they seem perpetually tacky.

Day Twenty-three and Twenty-four

Now that we have our cabinets and doors rolling out of construction and into sanding, they're really starting to come along. We continue to putty and sand the faces and edges of doors and cabinets as they are constructed, and we now have a large number sealed and primed as well. For whatever reason the sealer and primer raise the grain in the wheatboard, so we've had to sand and prime each a number of times .

Day Twenty-one and Twenty-two

The past couple of days were spent puttying the edges and holes of doors and cabinets. It is important that the hand-holds, in particular, are very smooth, as the users will interact directly with them. While wheatboard is a fantastic new product, it is also one which we have had to approach with some unfamiliarity. While it has the potential to outperform MDF, it has proven to be a bit less durable. We have encountered problems with its layered property and its tendency to "fuzz." Even so, working with it is turning out to be a very interesting learning experience!

Day Twenty | Cabinet

We devoted most of today to the continued experimentation of Wheatboard construction. Playing with different methods of construction and joinery, we were able to get a better feel for the material and its interesting properties. Unlike wood or MDF, this material is completely new to us and seems to require stronger joinery. It even responds differently to glue and putty, than does MDF.

Day Nineteen | Roof

After many long (and early) days of roofing, it has finally reached completion. Trying to beat the heat, this task begins at 6AM, carrying on into the heat of the early afternoon. We were fortunate to have a predominantly flat roof to work with, so we no longer had to use the harness. I am not all too familiar with other forms of roofing, but I was pleased with the ease of installation with this roof system. Even for beginners, I feel like we all had a clear understanding of its installation.

Day Seventeen and Eighteen

Today I focused primarily on the installation of drip edge, which will enable us to continue with roof installation. After working through the difference between drip edge and drip molding (several sheets of drip molding later,) I was clipped to a harness, suspended from the ridge cap of the gabled roof over the nurse's suite and kitchen, to install drip edge. Working with my group, we realized that the gabled roof over the nurse's suite had a gap at the ridge cap of at least two feet- far exceeding code. Having discovered this, we ripped up the waterproofing and installed plywood over the excessive gap. With new waterproofing in place, it is now ready for the roofing system.

Day Fifteen and Sixteen | Roof

I've spent the last two days bathed in sunblock on the hottest part of the site; the roof. We're installing a custom aluminum roof system on all parts of the house, with the exception of the green roof area (over the entryway.) This system is comprised of long strips of interlocking metal which run from ridge to base of the roof plane. While they were custom cut, we are responsible for cutting and bending tabs at the end of each sheet to enable their secure installation. After overcoming my fear of walking on a gabled roof, I began to enjoy my assigned task. Working with a small group, we removed exhaust pipes. We then began on the highest flat roof plane, which stands over the entry to the nurse's suite.