Seawell Ave Shotgun - Energy Star Qualified!

The Seawell Shotgun house is finished! It got finished just as a tornado was blowing overhead! I was in the house working when the storm blew over - fortunately it held together and no damage to the house. The 'hood looked like a war zone, but it's all better now. I used a British door like on my house, it looks great!

The Living room has a 16' high cathedral ceiling with original exposed beams and new whitewashed tongue-in-groove pine. With large windows and a skylight, it seems so much larger than the
exterior indicates.

The efficient kitchen has granite counters and recycled glass mosiac backsplash which look great with the stainless steel appliances!

The bathroom is larger than you would expect to find in a 700 square foot home! Very comfortable and filled with light from the skylight.

The bedroom area was originally the kitchen and bathroom, so the flooring was not salvagable. We put eco-friendly bamboo in. The door to the exterior from the bedroom goes out to the deck and backyard.

In the winter, or if we can get rid of the Kudzu, there is a view of the Raleigh skyline from the deck!

Framing underway

On January 13, Stock Building Supply delivered a huge truck full of lumber - most of what's needed to frame the house. Chris Kala of Kala Construction began framing that day.








This is the part where you see a lot of progress in a short amount of time! Chris is starting with the part of the house that has two stories, then will do the front - Living room - which has a 20' vaulted ceiling. The framing is done using "Advanced Framing Technique". This technique uses 15% less lumber - which is great for lumber savings, but even better allows for more insulation and less breaks in the insulation. The exterior walls are all 24" on center 2x6's rather than 16" 2x 4's. Also, the second floor studs will go directly over the 1st floor - that allows us to use one top plate - not two.


It's exciting to see a plan come into reality!

Foundation almost done

Once the footers were poured, the crew came back and formed the foundation walls.










After the forms were in, the concrete pump truck and 3 concrete trucks arrived to pour the foundation walls. It was fascinating to watch the pump operator walk around with his remote control to move the pump arm where he wanted it and control the flow of concrete.





The pump arm could reach from the rear of the house all the way to the front.










Foundation poured - rebar sticking up will be bent over once the gravel and insulation are in. It will hold the final slab to the walls.










The foundation was filled with gravel (a lot of gravel). Then the plumbers came to rough in the plumbing that went under the slab. After that was inspected, the foundation was filled with gravel (a lot of gravel), then a layer of foam insulation board, then a vapor barrier. Next a grid of rebar was formed. After that, I installed the tubing for the radiant floor heating - All by myself! I'm so proud of myself! I put a pressure test on it - no leaks! Now the concrete is ready to be poured for the slab.

908 Oakwood Finished

I've been a bit delinquent in posting, but that's because I've been busy! After working really hard on another house over the spring, I got 908 Oakwood done, then went on vacation to Peru and hiked the Inca trail. I moved into this house in early August and LOVE living back in the 'hood.

908 and 906 have a different floor plan and are larger than 910-916. That is because the original footprint was wider - closer to a square, so there was a bit more design flexibility. This house has 3 bedrooms plus a loft/office area and 3 1/2 bathrooms.

I am really enjoying the backard - when I'm not on the front porch! The back yard is a small area but very nicely landscaped. When the shrubs grow it will have some very nice natural privacy screens.

The living room is really cozy - not too big, but big enough and open to the dining area and kitchen - great floor plan for entertaining. I love the gas logs too! This house was spray-foam insulated, so it takes very little energy. My peak power bill (with A/C running full blast this summer) was $51. Not bad for a 1500 sq ft house. Last month the heat started cranking and I thought the bill might be a bit higher - $23!!! YEAH! GREEN BABY!

Speaking of Green, I did some other green things too. Bamboo floors, no VOC paint, low VOC woods in the cabinets, a paver-stone driveway with little runoff, of course Energy Star light fixtures, windows and doors, and CF bulbs and a Rinnai tankless water heater ($12 gas bills - cooking and water heating).

I like having a dining room table - missed that while living in 912 Oakwood. I like having folks over to eat.

The kitchen is significantly larger since this is a 3 br home. I used granite in this house rather than concrete - just because I didn't have time to make concrete counters again.

It's nice having an office with lots of natural light and a view of the DTR skyline!

The master BR has access to the 2nd floor porch on the street side - overlooking the cemetary - very pretty.

The TV is upstairs on the 3rd floor with a full bathroom - the roofline makes it cozy, and skylights keep it bright during the day. Very relaxing room.

So, at this point, there is one more house to go as far as renovation - 906 Oakwood, and we have just broken ground on 316 Seawell - but they are topics for separate posts!

Wow - this is really exciting!

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an update. A lot's been happening despite the near 100 degree temperatures in Raleigh. Two of the houses are now framed inside & out.

Chris Kala (at left) is now back from vacation and so more progress will be made soon, I'm sure! Hi Chris!




The first house (916 Oakwood) has finished rough-in plumbing, electrical and HVAC. The windows are almost all in, the siding is going on and the roof should be on next week. Then we start painting.

Hopefully next week we'll get insulation in and maybe even start sheetrock!



This is what the inside looks like now - looking from the front doorway through the livingroom. The skylight still needs to go in the LR - that will brighten it up a lot. The exposed-brick fireplace stays - but will be opened up and sealed - used for gas logs. You can see the kitchen area behind the stairs, then the first floor BR beyond that (with it's own bath).

Upstairs is an open loft with a vaulted ceiling and skylight then the Master BR with it's own bath, a window seat, and a french door out to a private balcony which overlooks the City skyline. Very cool view!


Siding going on the outside of 916!

Check back soon for more updates.