Ground Works Continue ...
Large post alert! Get a coffee or gin and make yourself comfortable!
Outstanding progress has been made by the builders, despite there being a lot of rain over the last week. Having said that, the weather has been warm-ish, so periods between rain showers will have been reasonably pleasant. So the builders obviously cracked on at a fair pace...
Looking at the photos, work has continued on the lower level, bringing the posts up to the level of the main deck. Work has also been done to the terrace support wall, and piers have been sunk for the upper level. A picture speaks a thousand words:
The Pillars of Hercules are standing tall and proud: These pillars support the main deck and about a third of the main house. What a great project :)
Another photo of heavy duty foundation work, with a serious cross section of re-inforcement. My project manager assures me this is of major industrial strength. "Well, if you're going to build a house on a volcano", he said....
This photo is good for showing the scale of the build. At just over 100 square meters on the plan, it is not huge, but more than adequate for a one bedroom pad. I can't quite believe how big the main deck is going to be (which is not counted in the 100 square meters) - it is the distance between the closest two pillars in this shot - over 3.5 meters, running the full width of the house (the three rightmost pillars). Nice room for outside dining, bar, lounging and taking in the view.
Here we can see the terrace support wall under construction. The gap we can see will be lined with concrete and then infilled with spoil. So the back of the space under the house will be the back wall of a garage and workshop should funds allow. Otherwise under the house will be an open carport & storage area.
So, that is the progress report for this week. I am still awaiting a full breakdown of costs in order to plan for finishes / options, and this should be submitted shortly. Also we are still awaiting the full builder's licence from the council (but are obviously good to go on ground preparations in the meantime!). I presume we will see similar progress next week to the upper level, by which time we should be able to see the full outline of the build. That will be exciting.
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Meanwhile this week has seen me revisit Chief Architect ... no not to do a re-design! Don't be silly.
No, I needed to create a new drawing / render of the plan: Once I had the final plans from Ricardo (the architect and engineer) I realised that my original renders had been slightly out in regards to the roof line. This was important because I was actually cheating myself out of useable upstairs mezzanine area and volume. Particularly roof height.
Whilst correcting the roofline I also made sure that the dimensions of everything else was as spot on as I could manage, since now I had all the correct door and window specifications, and elevations showing such details as ceiling heights and floor thicknesses, electrical sockets and light positions.
Also, there had been some last minute developments on the terraces, which provided the opportunity for some under house area. So this was sketched in (although as an afterthought - so only illustrative).
The result of this work in the drawing programme are the new exterior renders shown below:
This render shows the accurate roof line of the house and porch. Essentially the front first floor wall (right on this render) is higher than that shown on earlier renders. This offers more useable floorspace on the mezzanine.
Moving around to show the front (road facing) render. The windows are all now correctly placed and sized with shutters. The surrounding path may well just be plain concrete - but the tiles look nice!
Moving around further we see the potential for under-house parking and workshop storage - this is pretty much sketched in as an afterthought in this render, but is illustrative of the extra room available.
Finally, for the external renders we move full circle. As mentioned earlier the main deck is substantial with room for a picnic table, bar and seating / coffee table. the 4 meter doors to the house help bring the outside in and vice-versa.
Also of course, this resulted in new internal renders, a more (hopefully) accurate kitchen layout and render, based on Ricardo's specification. It also gave me a chance to make some small non-archtectural adjustments (fitments and colours) to various areas.
A render from the entrance to the living area. Of special note here are the skylights over the kitchen, which also provide light to the mezzanine, and a glimpse of the view from upstairs.
Moving around... we can see the mezzanine over the dining area. The wide stairs provide substantial under-stair storage and a wide entrance lobby.
From the bedroom door looking past the dining area into the kitchen. Of note is the countertop / breakfast bar on the left of the kitchen, with storage underneath for two bar stools and a mobile butchers block for extra prep area.
From the dining area - here we can see the previously mentioned breakfast bar storage. Of note here is the electric "real flame" fire (augments the underfloor heating) for the cooler winter months. Also the TV with shelf below. Pendant lights at the corners of the living area hang from the full height ceiling. Also here we can see the 4 meter main deck door.
From the main deck door towards the under-stairs entrance lobby: This close-up shows the fire and TV and detail of the shelving / mantle. I really like the triangular clock (it is on order from Italy) and hanging lights. The TV is mounted on the dark plinth, which stands off the wall to give depth. The chimney has no function, but would allow for a wood burner if desired later.
From the corner of the bedroom, looking towards the patio door and dressing room beyond.
The dressing room leads through to the shower room.
Difficult to get a render of this space, but this shows the white tiles, cobalt blue tiles, large shower enclosure with bench shelf, Louvered doors open to reveal washing machine and towel storage. A cabinet hold the sink, with shelf and large mirror above. A sliding 'pocket door' leads to the dressing room.
Overhead view of the bedroom, dressing room and shower room / toilet. The bedroom is quite large and uncluttered, bedding storage is provided by the trunk at the end of the bed. The dressing room is carpeted for comfort and has a large built in wardrobe with shelving and rails for clothing. The shower room has a bidet, w.c., large shower and a space for a washing machine and towel storage.
Of course, the challenge is: How close can the real thing get to the renders? And of course we will revisit this question once things are almost done and finishes are being applied.
Still to do on my render list is the mezzanine area, and over the next week or two I will be working on this. It should be interesting to furnish and populate realistically, since those who know me will realise that this is to be a music studio space. There is 50 square meters up there! Watch this space.
Next Up ... More Concrete...
