week 17: exterior paint prep

Vitaly and his crew from Aspen Painting, LLC arrived Saturday morning to begin the exterior paint prep. First, they power washed the house, garage and back deck. Then they spot scraped, sanded and primed for six days. They also primed all the screens and storms and the railings. To beat the heat, they started at dawn and sometimes worked until the end of the day. Thanks Vitaly, Pablo, Pancho and Juan!

It was interesting to see the different colors the house had been painted over the years. There seems to be 10-12 layers. Among the colors were khaki, a couple of whites and yellows, mint, rose, peach and even black (on the sashes).




Peter and Alex of Custom Side, Inc. reviewed the exterior siding and trim work that was required before painting. Alex started replacing the old, broken, misaligned siding and siding with holes. He replaced to bottom course and flashed it where necessary. With the siding scraped, sanded, primed and caulked, the exterior painting will start next week.

Nick and his team from Diamond Drywall returned to sand and mud a second time. They are making sure to get a smooth, Level 5 finish on the drywall. The interior will be primed next week, and Vitaly’s paint crew will begin the interior painting.



ecohaus verified flooring types, layouts and measurements for the install in three weeks. Jeremy of Classic Sash & Door finished installing the exterior door and window casing. Peter of Classic Sash & Door assessed the work needed on the old double hung and casement windows. Next week he'll swing by to fix all the old windows.

Tim and Adam of Stereotypes also helped us order all the AV equipment. Thanks guys!

Tune in next time for exterior AND interior painting, weather permitting!

week 16: sheetrock

We really appreciate Nick and his team from Diamond Drywall working overtime in order to finish hanging the sheetrock. I can’t stress how much more real the spaces feel with the drywall up. Wow!

Nick and his team returned the next day to start the taping and mudding process. Each step needs to dry. They are taking the proper time and care to make sure the final finish is smooth.

Tune in next time for the exterior paint prep!

week 15: wine cellar prep

With all the exterior doors and windows installed, the security company wired all the doors and windows. Jeff did an excellent job in making our home secure.

Erik our contractor of Ostmo Construction installed the vapor barrier himself for the wine cellar. As he had to snake it in and out of the joists (all four walls and the ceiling), it was a pretty big task. Such personalized service!









The sheetrock arrived one morning, and installation began soon after (check back next week for all the excitement). Note to self: need to keep in mind the sizes of door and window openings, stair well configurations and hand and guardrail locations (and remove-ability) as well as the timing and scheduling of deliveries. With a little pre-planning, bringing in larger items like sheetrock, cabinetry, and ultimately furniture, can be made a little easier. The Knez delivery team were almost unable to get the 12’-0” drywall into the basement. Whew! I’m glad they were able to work some magic!

The stainless steel cabinets for the wet bar arrived as well. We cannot wait to see them fully installed and operational! For now, they are nicely shrink-wrapped and tucked to the side like Christmas presents.

Tune in next time for sheetrock installation!

weeks 13 & 14: pre-sheetrock inspection & insulation

This week the different trades were still gearing up for the presheet-rock inspection. Everything had to be done and in order so that the inspector would approve the project for insulation. He will also need to approve the insulation once it’s installed.

Minh and Ron of Anctil Heating and Cooling were here late to make sure all the ceiling and wall fans and dryer duct were properly vented. To economize space, we used one inline fan unit to vent both the bath and laundry and hid the exhaust under the deck. Usually, this type of fan is used in an attic, but it worked perfectly for our situation.

We also wanted to vent the AV Room to prevent heat build-up by the electronic equipment. Unfortunately, we could not determine where to place the exhaust because of the tight configuration. Originally we hoped to vent this fan through the utility chimney, but there was not enough space to fit another sleeve (the water heater vents here as well). Minh solved the problem by running the vent the opposite direction and exhausting the AV Room fan under the front porch. Thanks Minh. You rock!



Chad from Crestwood Inc. came by to fine-tune the cabinetry design. He looked at the style of the existing built-ins and determined what details would look nice for the new cabinetry. Chad had the shop drawings prepped the following week. We can’t wait for the real thing!

Daniel and Bob of Premier Plus Construction Inc. blocked out the bath and laundry sinks, the water turn offs and medicine cabinet, removed more dirt, cut out the old stray piping, framed in the kitchen drain and cleaned the entire job site. They had everything looking pretty tidy for the inspector. And a happy inspector is what we all want!




The pre-sheetrock inspection went smoothly. The inspector pointed out some missing fireblocking and a slightly drippy faucet, and had us secure some loose gas piping (so that it would not get damaged during construction). The plumbing and water service had already passed inspection, and were not a concern this round. The framing, electrical and HVAC easily passed as did the stairs, which had been a concern of mine from the beginning. Daniil of Anctil Plumbing took care of the faucet right away. Daniel and Bob of Premier Plus Construction Inc. installed the fireblocking. Erik our contractor of Ostmo Construction cleaned up the ceiling and foamed the holes in the ceiling joists. Now we were ready to insulate.

Phil and his team from Knez Insulation Company LLC insulated the basement in half a day. Besides insulating the exterior walls and wine cellar, we insulated the laundry, bath, furnace room and basement ceiling for sound. That way any noise from the main floor will not travel between floors or from the laundry and bathroom.




Aaron of Portland Metro Electric stopped by to make a couple of adjustments.

Dana, the finish craftsman from Guillory Construction, installed the exterior doors. Little did he know that he would also need to frame in one of the doors on the hottest day of the year. Thanks Dana!




The inspector came by and approved the insulation. Now we can rock! Sheetrock, that is.

Tune in next time for the wine cellar prep!