Interior walls

Work on the interior walls is progressing.

Front of the main building

Bathroom and bedroom

Back corner of the main building

Back of the master suite

Work on the ohia posts is also continuing, and bark removal from another one is done.

Interior wall framing and guest house floor

The first of the interior walls is up.

Looking into the main building from (what will be) the front doorway towards the back. In the foreground will be the living room, to the left is the dining room, and the the right is the bedroom.

This is what we are calling the music room. Beyond is the bedroom and to the right is the living room. You can see the ohia posts (still being worked on) through the doorway to the left.

Bedroom

Back all of the master suite.  To the left will be the bathroom and on the right is the closet.

After living in the guest house with just a subfloor for about eight months, we finally have our floor and are ready to install it.

These are the first two rows of flooring, in front of the front door.

It's a tigerwood engineered floor. Engineered (rather than solid) is recommended for high humidity locations, since the engineered expands and contracts less.

These first two rows took quite a while to install, but after this things should go more quickly.

Front lanai

The joists for the front lanai of the main building are done.

The main building front lanai looking towards the guest house and forest beyond

The view looking the other direction

Work on the framing is also progressing--this is the back wall of the master suite, ready to be raised.

Lanai posts and joists

The framing work is continuing, and progress is being made on the front lanais.

These are the joists for the front lanai of the master suite, looking away from the rest of the house (into the forest)

This is our private lanai on the side of the master suite--it faces the forest and is the farthest point from the rest of the house.

Side and front lanais, looking towards the pasture

Front lanai, looking towards the main building and guest house

Pier blocks for the front lanai lined up in front of the main building

Framing and Ohia Post Preparation

The fourth wall of the main building is up and framing of the master suite has begun.

Main building with four walls

Front view

Master suite

 Each post under the house is reinforced by four knee braces for  additional stability

We'll be using four of the ohia trees that we cut down on the property as posts in the house--two in the kitchen and two on the front lanai. The bark has to be stripped off each post. The most efficient way of doing this is with a high-power pressure washer, which strips the bark off but leaves the wood intact.  Although this is the most efficient method, it is not fast--each post takes about 1.5 hours of stripping. This is my job. The ohia surface often grows in folds and ripples, and the color of the wood ranges from pale yellow to deep red and brown.

The first post is done.

Closeup of ohia

More Framing

Three of the main building walls are up and the fourth (front) wall is ready to be raised.

View from the master suite

View from the front

Front wall ready to be raised

While the framing is being done, work is also being done under the house on the shear walls and posts.

Shear wall corner of the main building

Shear walls of the master suite

Framing continues

The framing work is continuing.

This is the back wall with the assembled side wall ready to be raised on the left

Mitch and Hazen putting the finishing touches on the side wall

Framing begins

The subfloors on both buildings are done, so the framing can begin.

The main house and master suite

Master suite

The main house (and guest house) seen from the master suite

 After a few hours work, the first wall has been assembled and is ready to be raised.

Mitch explaining the details to the other workers

The first wall is up!

Subfloor Installation

All of the joists and blocking are done, so it's time for the subfloor.  The subfloor is 3/4-inch tongue-and-groove plywood. Each board weighs about 75 pounds, which makes them difficult to lift into place and to work with.

    Getting ready to install the first boards.

The plywood is nailed in place with a nail gun, but it's important to make sure that the nails are flush on the boards to make sure that the boards are tight against the joists. Subfloor adhesive is also used on the joists to ensure a good seal.  This locks the plywood in place, prevents moisture from getting between the plywood and joists, and helps prevents squeaking.

The main building is done (except for the bump-out that will be the bathroom).

  Putting down the first board in the master suite.

  Pounding in nails ...

After a full day's work, the subfloors on both buildings are done.  Good progress for one day.

Floor Joists and Blocking

After all of the floor joists are in, blocking is put in between each joist over each beam.  This helps keep the joists rigid, vertical, straight, and prevents racking (i.e., all of the joists tipping in the same direction).

 The main house (looking front to back)

 The bump-out is where the bathroom will be.

This stack of plywood will become the subfloor.