Be sure to read the previous post before you read this one. It explains what our siding material is. As I wrote in that post, the look we are going for is a very sleek, modern one. The MDO panels create a smooth "skin" around the building that highlights its most simple geometries. One of the key tenets of modernism (insofar as architecture is concerned) is the rejection of all decorative ornament and the embracing of a minimalistic aesthetic. As you can see, virtually all trim has been left out: around the windows, on the edges, and especially regarding the siding. Just simple, clean lines.
MDO can't get wet -- until it's got at least the prime coat sealing it up. After the workers have installed the panels I move in with spackle and fill any holes and then begin sealing the panels with a generous coat of primer.
Working around the back.
Those horizontal "pin stripes" are actually strips of aluminum flashing which form what's called a drip cap. This protects the horizontal edges of the MDO panels - one of the places that is most susceptible to moisture penetration. The secondary function of the flashing is to emphasize the horizontal lines created by the MDO panels, an effect that the architects and I find visually pleasing.
That's me working my primer up underneath the drip cap trying to get the best seal possible. The primer has to be this dark gray color because of the color we have chosen for the final two coats: barn red (of course!) The dark primer will "disappear" beneath the red in just one or two coats; if we had used white primer, it could have taken upwards of four or five!
Here is a parting shot at the work I completed before dark this evening. There is still so much to do and my time is running short. I return to school the week after next. As I had feared, the project is far enough behind schedule that by the time my jobs begin in force (flooring, cabinets, painting inside) I will be back as school full time. Figures! Sometimes I feel like this project will never come to an end! I am comforted by the fact that what we are going through is entirely typical. I read a lot of blogs by people who are building their own homes and we are pretty much right in the same boat. My own parents keep reminding me if their own house building experiences and how stressful it was for them, too. We can make it!
Be sure to read the previous post before you read this one. It explains what our siding material is. As I wrote in that post, the look we are going for is a very sleek, modern one. The MDO panels create a smooth "skin" around the building that highlights its most simple geometries. One of the key tenets of modernism (insofar as architecture is concerned) is the rejection of all decorative ornament and the embracing of a minimalistic aesthetic. As you can see, virtually all trim has been left out: around the windows, on the edges, and especially regarding the siding. Just simple, clean lines.
MDO can't get wet -- until it's got at least the prime coat sealing it up. After the workers have installed the panels I move in with spackle and fill any holes and then begin sealing the panels with a generous coat of primer.
Working around the back. 
Those horizontal "pin stripes" are actually strips of aluminum flashing which form what's called a drip cap. This protects the horizontal edges of the MDO panels - one of the places that is most susceptible to moisture penetration. The secondary function of the flashing is to emphasize the horizontal lines created by the MDO panels, an effect that the architects and I find visually pleasing. 
That's me working my primer up underneath the drip cap trying to get the best seal possible. The primer has to be this dark gray color because of the color we have chosen for the final two coats: barn red (of course!) The dark primer will "disappear" beneath the red in just one or two coats; if we had used white primer, it could have taken upwards of four or five!
Here is a parting shot at the work I completed before dark this evening. There is still so much to do and my time is running short. I return to school the week after next. As I had feared, the project is far enough behind schedule that by the time my jobs begin in force (flooring, cabinets, painting inside) I will be back as school full time. Figures! Sometimes I feel like this project will never come to an end! I am comforted by the fact that what we are going through is entirely typical. I read a lot of blogs by people who are building their own homes and we are pretty much right in the same boat. My own parents keep reminding me if their own house building experiences and how stressful it was for them, too. We can make it!
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1 comment:
Wow, guys, it's really starting to look amazing!
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