My job in Woodstock, NY is progressing.
What you'll see this week is the completion of the flooring installation. The 3/4" tongue and groove flooring is 150 year old reclaimed pine fabricated by Excelsior Wood Floor to our specifications. It is being installed over new hydronic radiant heating. In this photo the floor has not yet been coated, though we'll attempt to maintain the rustic finish while stabilizing and protecting it. The 5" tongue and groove is interrupted by a "carpet" composed of a 3 unit by 5 unit grid of a woven pattern. Each unit had 50 pieces that were assembled on site by master carpenter Jason Haynes.
The other pictures relate to the extensive site work occurring outside the front of the house. The overall change in grade was about 8'. The objective of raising the land was to create a large flat surface on the same level as the ground floor of the house that could be navigated by a wheelchair bound teen with cerebral palsy. The wheel chair will approach the house from the highest grade. Raising the grade affords him the full appreciation of the panoramic landscape.
The retaining wall is 8" of reinforced concrete clad with another 8" of non-structural river stone to match the existing stonework. This type of retaining wall is, technically, referred to as a cantilever retaining wall because it is cantilevered from an footing that is greatly extended to prevent overturning. At the patio the cantilever concept is, in a sense, inverted because their restraint is achieved by tying the wall into a new 4" structural floor slab that will serve as a substrate for new bluestone pavers.
The exterior site work was started about 4 weeks ago. Everything is being done by a small crew that varies from 2 - 3. There's something nice about knowing that the guy digging the hole is the owner of the company. He installs his own forms and when a radius is required he fabricates a form out of wood.
After the wall is poured and the forms removed, the construction of the 8" stone wall in front of it, sometimes called a veneer, begins. The stone only goes about 8" below grade so, in order to support it, concrete block is positioned on the footing and built up to the appropriate level.
More to come...
New "old" flooring in Woodstock, NY
A poured in place concrete wall prepped to receive a "decorative" natural stone facing.
It's going to be a long sinuous wall that, when viewed from above, will resemble a guitar.
Sometimes a plinth helps a building.
