live33st.com update - flat roof challenges in winter climates

The roofers have finally found a decent weather window to get on top of the rowhouse roof install.  The first part is the flat roof section, which needs to be done before they can shingle the peaks.  The flat roof portion of the project was not originally designed, however nonsensical policies required the roof be redesigned to funnel the rain water runoff into catchment locations all on one side of the building.  This mean the entire surface area of the roof is now intended to drain in along the rear, rather than spread out at the four corners of the building.  

The cost of flat roof is significantly more than the shingle parts, so the cost of the roof has gone up a lot.  Other unintended consequences include loss of head height in the attic cavity, reduced ventilation and intake options, and more difficulty in properly insulating and sealing the roof.  

Years down the road, the flat roof will be a pain to deal with, whereas the shingle part will be very easily repaired or redone as needed.  A trend we have seen in the inner city, which is awful, is roofs that vent inadequately during winter, leading to frost buildup inside the roof and moisture damage after a chinook.  The lack of ventilation is largely due to air intake restrictions, also a byproduct of bad policies.

While air intake problems are an ongoing challenge, attic ventilation is much more manageable, simply buy purchasing vents that cost 10x the amount of the standard cheap vents.  I have purchased about $600 in extra vents for the rowhouse, and I am hopeful these offer added protection for the building, particularly the low head height portions of the flat section where inspection during winter will be very hard.   

For future projects, I am going to be using some flat roof components, but I plan to fill the entire attic space with sprayfoam to negate the condensation issue.  Until recently that technique was not allowed - and why?  you guessed correctly if you said bad city policies.  Hiring envelope engineers and consultants to manage flat roof ventilation is just a nightmare for the builder.  I'd rather invest in the foam than conceptual work that later is undermined either by workmanship issues or problems with the design.  You won't see any parapet walls, or scuppers, or internal downspouts on any of my buildings.  All of this is just a disaster in the making for our climate.

The first ply of the flatroof.  I have ensured that interior components of the building that puncture the roof such as bath fans, plumbing stacks and dryer vents are located away from membrane areas.  All the holes are cut in the pitched shingled areas where the chance of problems is much lower (and fixed easier).    

Live33st.com update - rowhouse fireplace install

The plan for today, among other work continued from last week, was to get the three living room fireplaces installed. 

With the units in place and vented, I can formalize my design schemes.  The idea with this building is to take some more chances with bolder layouts and interesting colour and texture.  More on that later.  For now we can finish framing and get the cabinets measured for install later.   

The end unit benefits from the simplest vent run.  The shorter the better with these exhaust routes.  Much trouble is created for the builder who doesn’t plan his runs at the design stage so that structural elements can accommodate the space tolerances.  So far so good here.  

note the vent run is over a dropped beam.  While we prefer flush beams, the furnace vent would be impossible without making a low bulkhead.  

Interior finishing semi-d

the finishers were back all weekend to attempt to wrap up the second side of the semi-d.  The mudroom and master closets have come together nicely.  

drawers and closet rods are prepped for paint in the master.   

Quartz countertop install

The crew was out to measure the counters a few days ago and today arrived with the first slabs.  The quick service on the counters helps save time because no backsplash wall tile can be applied until the counters are done. Tile is planned for next week and we can line up some more work to follow including drywall touchup, paint and hardwood flooring. 

ready for sinks. 

Interior trim, doors and milllwork spraying

I’ve got a new painting contractor and they appear to be doing a great job thus far. The bulk of the work is in prep rather than spraying and these guys excel at that process.  They also have better drying rack equipment and this should reduce the inevitable chipping and scratching once the doors get shuffled around while the flooring is done.   

Millwork spraying is well underway.  We are nearly finished this part of the project and moving deep into the cosmetic finishing.  

Website launch - live33st.com

The rowhouse project is moving ahead nicely with lots of interior trade work scheduled.  I have decided to create a new website dedicated to pre-leasing the townhomes and apartments.   

This is a unique project,  the first of its kind for Killarney.   The website address is live33st.com.   Content is a little rough so I will add to it over time.  The first residents can move in sometime this summer, provided I can get it 100% complete by then.   

Rowhouse furnace install

the mechanical crew (1 person) is back.  It is amazing how fast these guys work with the tin.  The budget for the furnace and air distribution network goes a long way and makes the house livable in our climate.   Once mechancial work is done we will move to electrical.  We need the framers back as well, the basements are ready to go and other back framing is piling up such as stairwell wall and fireplace bases.  The framers must be extremely busy or they'd for sure choose indoor work over being exposed to the ongoing deep freeze.  

now we find out how to deal with the duct work at the framing stage.  I try and make awkward drop ceiling areas blend in.  

Rowhouse Plumbing underway

Plenty of interior work is now proceeding at the rowhouse.  With the basement slabs cured we can much more easily get on the plumbing and mechancial ladder work under the main floor. With three houses there is lots of space to have multiple crews work and we’ve also got to get the basement interior framing going.  Fire separations and sound proofing are an interesting part of this project and we will show some details later.

Drainage pipe going in. What the photo doesn’t show is how freezing it is.  Two heaters are running to keep the abs pipe warm enough to glue.   

Kitchen progress house #2

We selected a new kitchen supplier and working with them has been good so far.  They run an efficient operation and it appears quite systematized how they operate.  The second cabinet package was completed today and it looks good. We’ve chosen some exceptional appliances and the countertops and tile should be very stylish. Templating and stone install is booked to start right away.  

ready to template.  

No more winged rats

the framers arrived on a snowy Saturday morning to install the windows.  One of the main benefits of getting the windows in is the defence against easy access for the local population of winged rats.  

With the man lift platform on the machine, hideously awkward upper windows go in safely and easily.   

I think city hall should regulate the winged rats out of business.  Or fee them to death.  

despite the hideous weather, the windows are going in.  

Adventures with Lux

The cold weather has delayed my siding guys a lot as they’ve pursued other jobs that can be completed with less finger frostbite. Despite the conditions we are now approaching completion.  The lux is a super nice product. I’m planning to use it again and now I’ve got a lot more experience in quantity estimating.  I prefer the solid colours over the wood grain stuff and the silver metallic is the easiest choice.  

Lots of lux is going on the side cantilever.   

Rowhouse - power trowel basement slabs

The placing crew was off to an early start and had poured most of the three rowhouse slabs before noon.  With heaters running we are sort of simulating summer conditions down below but placing concrete in winter is never ideal.   

Getting the mess associated with concrete work out of the way and avoiding potential damage to windows and doors is a bonus of not being at the lockup stage while doing this job.  Fortunately the framers are planning to be back tomorrow to install the windows.  Next up are the roofers and that will he the end of exterior work for a while.   

The slabs are setting up and being polished by the power  trowel.  All this hard work eventually gets covered up in flooring.  

Construction idiots

Every once in a while, and perhaps too frequently, pure construction idiocy is encountered on the job site.  Battling this idiocy is constant hardship for the builder, who also needs to watch out for entrapment by his own personal idiocy.  A challenge we have had lately, a growing trend in the industry unfortunately, is tradespeople that have little concept of responsibility or respect for the project. This is manifested in many ways, usually I see it as thoughtlessly leaving some hardship for the next person, or damaging other work due to carelessness.  Simple tasks like closing doors (and locking them) is often too much to ask.  Just tonight I did my ritual drive by of the project and of course the front door is flapping open in the -13 C winter darkness.  And I am pretty sure I know who did it...and that crew has earned the construction idiocy award for valentines day 2018.

Spray foam on skylight framing

One idea I adopted from another builder was to spray foam the chimney shaped box that penetrates the attic between the ceiling and the roof.  Ultimately the idea is to avoid problems later that can be extremely costly or painful to deal with.  Discoloured or moldy drywall due to humidity and air leakage on the walls is a problem that I don't want to encounter.  So thanks to whomever it was who had the idea to spray the skylight framing.

The spray foam is down all the way to the poly vapour barrier in the ceiling.  This will reduce the likelihood of air leakage and condensation in the attic or inside the house being a problem, permanently.  There are many shoddier ways to do this job but the chance of condensation problems during severe weather is not worth the risk.

And here is a similar photo angle with the loose fill insulation blown in.  This approach should drastically reduce heat loss through the ceiling and have a very long service life with no upkeep concerns.

Window delivery rowhouse

The rowhouse approaches lockup stage now with the widows delivered and ready to be installed.   Having the windows in will at least allow us to run some portable heaters to make interior work more possible.  Given the forecast it does seem like we will need to do the plumbing and mechanical under some adverse conditions.   

The windows received a significant insulation upgrade by going to a triple glazed specification.  This makes a big difference during the colder months.

Roofing has been another story of weather delays.  The flat roof portion is time consuming and needs better conditions. Once we get the roof and windows done it produces a better indoor work environment.  So let’s hope for a Chinook.   

I selected some fun looking entry doors for the rowhouse.   Install should be soon.   

Winter vengeance on the builders

With the frequent blizzards that have been hitting the City regularly this February, construction conditions have been ugly.  The sad tale of construction woe does make for an interesting 26a st streetscape.   

Rowhouse infloor heating

The final pre pour work was completed today with the install of the network of pipe for in slab heating.  Once inspected this will give us the go ahead to pour the concrete and we can start developing the basement living space.   

Lots of heat pipe is fastened using the low tech method of cable ties to the rebar.  

Rowhouse slab prep

With under slab drainage work approved we called in the gravel slinger prep crew to level and insulate the base. From here we can get the infloor heat system installed and another inspection.  Once that passes we can pour the basement slabs and that contributes mightily to productivity and ease of movement for the plumber and mechanical installer who work next.  Plus we have somewhere solid to sit, rather than hang the furnace.    

Gravel is in and compacted.  Note the top of slab is 6 inches higher than this level.  

The styrofoam is down and seams taped.  Top of slab is now 4 inches higher.  Rebar is next.   

Kitchen begins

the crew got off to a great start at the semi d.  Indoor work is a relief compared to the hideous deep freeze we are suffering through.  

kitchen is well underway.  

Could it be any worse?

It appears that the defunct and demolished olive chicken shop is planned to be replaced by a coop gas bar and quickie mart.  This is basically a disaster for the community. Already well serviced by gas stations it appears a rare large lot is destined to be another gas station for the next 50 years.  What a waste.  

Is this yet another example of why Killarney needs a new planning document?  I’m surprised the market would be supportive of another gas station when there are so many close by. How can we rid this community of car based development yet still allow the market to dictate what goes where?  Tough questions but this gas station is the wrong answer. 

This is a terrible use of a Killarney corner double lot with commercial and residential zoning in place as part of the main street initiative.