studio building - little things and big things
We are in total studio building immersion these days. Despite the tiniest indications of spring, the weather in Vermont has continued to be wintery and cold, adding to the sense that we are in some kind of crazy time-warp where we are always building and it is always winter.
We've gotten a lot done, though!
The last few weeks have been punctuated by some very big things (a concrete floor! the last door installed! wiring! stairs! a heat source!), and some little things. First the little things: the gable ends got finished - photo above. (No more staring at purlin overhangs and the underside of our metal roofing.) We also made soffit/vent boards out of pine and bits of screen for the eaves, and installed them. (OK, we haven't totally finished the south side . . . but progress, nonetheless.)
Nathan continued trimming the underside of our windows, and we worked inside to fill the smallest triangles with rigid foam so our cellulose installer will have less hassle.
Nathan has also been busy with the foam gun - using the expanding stuff to seal the edges of the triangles and rafter bays (in pink, below), while I trim it back where necessary.
We insulated the entire cupola with rigid foil-faced foam for the highest possible r-value - in a space where a lot of our heat is likely to rise. (Until we get a ceiling fan, that is!)
We also roughed in the wiring in the parts of the studio that will soon be buried in cellulose insulation. We're still running off extension cords for now, but soon we'll have outlets for pottery wheels and tools! And overhead lights, entry fixtures, and switches in all the right places. Even a motion sensor that will kick on for those dark evening trips to the studio to attend to drying pottery.
Here's the big picture on the first floor - which will be our primary "making" area. It's about 800 square feet. (And yes, still very much a "work zone!")
But enough about the small stuff. (OK, maybe you can't call any of that "small" stuff - but you can argue that the next parts of the project are a lot more exciting. :)
We completed the pick-up and installation of a new-to-us wood stove! (Made, incidentally, by Vermont Castings, whose plant is less than a mile from our house. Yay local.) It's so nice to have a source of heat in the building - although insulation will make it a lot more effective! ;) Nathan worked diligently at installing all the components of our metal asbestos chimney- which begins way down on the first floor and reaches through the peak of the roof and up past the cupola. The wood stove will be our main source of heat until the radiant system is hooked up, which likely won't be until next heating season.
But it wouldn't really make sense to light up a fire without first closing in the building completely - during a mid-March snow storm no less. (And to think last year it was 80-degrees at this time of year!)
After some additional framing was completed in the rough opening, the last of the siding was installed under the awning, and the door went in and got trimmed out in record time. It's so nice to have the last (south) side of the building complete from the outside!
Next up on the list of big accomplishments: stairs!! We can now walk between floors of our studio without traipsing through the snow, mud, or any combination of the two.
Oooh, boy, are we excited about these winding beauties! (Thanks to Bob for all the tricky math. :)
There are still lots of little things to do - and at least one major thing before we can get to making pottery - insulation! We are used to working in the cold at this point, but we'd rather our freshly-thrown pots didn't freeze overnight. ;) (We've been through that before.) Here's a preview of the next insulation stage, during which our entire upstairs will shine like a new rocket ship . . .
. . . to be followed closely by dense-pack cellulose in the walls and ceiling . . . and a big 'ole drywall job!
Counting the days until we get to make pottery! (Will we remember how??)
Happy Spring,
~Becca