Spiral Staircase, Fireplace, Ceiling Beams and Roof Decking

HI!

The home is moving along with four "milestones" this week.

Milestone #1: The ceiling in the kitchen (here) and in the great room have wood beams in the ceiling. Here you can see the pattern they form on the kitchen and dining room area.

Installation of the beams is a milestone ... they have to be installed before the roof decking can go on because they are fastened in place with screws from the top - before the decking goes on.

Milestone #2 is the beginning of the framing for the fireplace in the great room. You wouldn't believe the number of times we've changed the style of the fireplace (traditional kiva, double-sided, heatilator, etc.) and the placement of the thing.

We've moved it to a corner of the great room and tilted it at 45 degree angle rather than putting it along the wall. Because of the way the spiral staircase comes up from the main level, there's a triangular place that we set the fireplace into. It now faces the "conversation" area (aka two barrel chairs, a couch, etc.) in the opposite corner of the great room. So, the questions about the fireplace are resolved, with the exception of the design of the portion on top of the primary framing. Deb is still working on that design!

Milestone #3 is the receipt and installation of the spiral staircase that connects the entry level and the main floor. I can't decide ....... red velvet on the treads? Gold balusters? Sapele hand rails ... or maybe Birdseye Maple? Still a few decisions to go, but Deb says that the stairs make the two parts (lower and upper) into a home.

We still have to create the bottle wall (thanks to you all who have sacrificed so much to supply us with beer, wine, vodka, and other unique bottles). It'll fit under the stair treads, going from the lower left (where the opening starts) to the right where the post is. At the right end of the stairway there's a vertical wall that will house "niches." A niche is a place to display any and all sorts of things. Frankly, I don't remember what we sent to storage in Pittsburg, CA when we left, so filling all of the various niches will be a little like decorating the house for Christmas.

Milestone #4 is like the crown jewel ....... because now that the beams are up in the kitchen and great rooms, the roof decking can go on.

Here's the area over the master bedroom. It's not a walkable deck, but you can see the parapet that goes around each of the sections of the home. The one I was really waiting for was the one that'll be the party deck ...... on the North side, looking down the valley toward Chatfield Reservoir and Denver in the distance.

As recently as Friday night, Deb saw a fire pit that she really liked. So, today we have a fire pit instead of a fireplace on the party deck. My view? A good change. The fireplace is a good idea, but we can create a place for people to sit, talk, enjoy the view, sleep overnight (just like a certain houseboat on a certain lake in the late summer of Northern CA!).

Lots of fun now that it really looks like a home.

Cheers!