Materials - Sidenote

So, I got the university (UNL College of Architecture) newsletter and took a skim through some of the articles, and one reminded me of a portion of the insanity that has brought to this point so far. It was a certain Professor Martin Despang , native to Germany, who was teaching for his first semester at our college and I had the priveledge of having his studio. I also ended up in his studio for grad school and took a certain materials class he taught, because his take on design sparked my curiosity. I had NEVER worked that hard for school projects. It wasn't just that though, it was his perspective on design and questioning the common perception. Why? This is what likely has me thinking about materials, texture, space, and function now[I hadnt quite grasped these concepts yet. Why does the floor have to stop at the wall. Why cant a floor become a wall? Why cant my cabinets or out of OSB? or Plexiglass? Something with texture, feel] Thats it.

DIY Concrete Countertops in Concept

I decided to do some 3D work to convince my wife of the concrete countertops. Too bad mine wont be as seamless as the 3D model - too bad it takes 1/30th the time to make the image as it does to actually create the counters.
http://www.chengdesign.com/

DIY Concrete Countertops 1

So I have finished assembling my forms for my bathrooms concrete countertops with integral concrete sink basin. Bought my melamine forms, cut and caulked the edges/seams/sink basin. I had to think a lot more since you have to create the negative of what your counter will be. I have a portland cement for the top 1/2" which will be mixed with glass (clear and blue tinted from bottles I have been collecting). The rest of the counter will be poured with fiberglass reinforced concrete (which I could only found at Home Depot for some reason). I have my galvanized metal mesh cut down to size for my reinforcement now also. Next is the pour.
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-build-and-install-a-concrete-countertop/index.html

Exposed Roof Joists

One place of conflict that some family has commented on is the exposed roof joists in the skylight well. I was personally giong for the raw look of structure - I dont see why I should hide the truth and the bones of the house. Does everytihng have to be pristine, or can it be raw (by comparison - as it is a tree and there is no bark on it still)? What ever happened to the quote "Less is More"?

Skylight Well

One major item of interest for myself is natural light and ventilation. With a society so dependent on HVAC systems running all year round currently, it seems like the root of the problem is lack of design for natural ventilation and daylight. I really wanted to be able to get air to circulate thru the house so I thought why not take the hallways dimensions 'which almost always lands in the center of a house' and run the walls and ceiling all the way up to the roof deck. Elisha was pretty skeptical but I got a very hesitant okay from her and went to work. I now have a framed/insulated/ drywalled attic space 34'x5.5' with new lights, and I cant wait until I can afford some venting skylights for that space. This will allow less need for electric lighting most days and a high space to create natural uplift for air to circulate from the exterior and out the top of the skylight well.

Termite Damage

We have discovered an immense amount of termite damage on one side of the house and all of the basement wall framed walls. The house has been treated by a professional, but it left us with a lot of work to do, and even more search and destroy to find and replace any and all termite damage. With the exception of the basement we have spent a good portion of our time these last few months tearing down plaster and wood paneling (oh no-not the wood paneling) and replacing studs. At this point all the termite damage on the main level has been taken care of - which unfortunately leaves us with the basement still - but that happens later.

Drywall Replacement

House project began at the end of October-

Elisha is doing the taping and mudding on the drywall in the kitchen now. The bathroom has been taped, mudded, and primed. I need to pour the concrete countertops and floor for the RR now. Termite damage has been removed and repaired everywhere except some wood floor planks at his point now.