Weekend Wrap

No outside work was attempted this week. Next week is Christmas week and the weather is not forecast to be as nice as this week. Other than the update we got from "Our" Mike on Thursday and a short followup phone conversation Friday morning, no other news from him. We are still hopeful we might get the new power line installed before the end of the year, getting that behind us.

We did get a note from Tyler (architect) informing us that Mike had relayed to him our desire to see what the design of vaulted trusses in the sunroom might look like. He said he would come up with a "good looking" truss profile which could then be turned over to the truss manufacturer to be modified for structural requirements. Later, Tyler sent the following profile.

This looked pretty good to both T and myself. We would have to see if and/or how the truss manufacturer might modify it to achieve structural requirements. For comparison, below is the last rendition of the original truss. The new design still has the same basic concept, just slid up with the center point of the truss.

Along with the new profile, Tyler fulfilled his "obligation" to point out that he did not "think this will look as good as the original flat bottom profile of the trusses". He went on to observe that:

"By pushing up on the bottom chord, the truss will effectively disappear up against the ceiling.  The profile becomes very shallow, which is further exaggerated by the height and the angle of view from below.  When the bottoms are flat, then they hang down in the light of the glass roof vault to become highlighted for full view, which was the original intent.  It is a more interesting and rich layering of the design in my profession view."

I thanked Tyler for his opinion and told him we would take it into consideration in making our final decision. From his note, I am not sure what is his current opinion of vaulting the west gable trusses. Originally, he had them with a "flat bottom profile" and "wrapped" so that the view of the glass roof was partially blocked from the sunroom. How his original design contrasts with what he is saying now, that the flat bottom profile of the trusses would "hang down in the light of the glass roof vault", I am not sure, but it does not sound consistent.

We will ponder the issue over this weekend, but talking with T this morning, my new default position is to go with the vaulted trusses on the west gable, but keep the originally designed, non-vaulted, sunroom trusses. While T may have an epiphany at some point which would change my mind, she believes there is no wrong answer (which comforts me). She had held the belief that I had a strong inclination towards vaulting all the sunroom trusses. I reminded her that my suggestion for vaulting all the trusses was in response to the views presented by both "Our" Mike and Tyler that, if we vault the gable trusses to view the glass roof, the remaining sunroom trusses would still obscure the view of the glass roof. One solution therefore was to vault all the trusses. Otherwise, as I assured her, I only want the solution that she believes we will enjoy the most!

If anyone has any suggestions or comments on the truss design, we welcome it!!

On Friday, we did get over to the office of Bob (cabinetry) to pick up the sample of Sapele. Here, it is shown with the smaller sample of Tiger wood (for the hot tub decking) and the sunroom ceramic floor tile. T noted that the similarity and compatibility of the Sapele and the Tiger wood was the reason for choosing them. She claims the finish on the bar, made of Sapele, will give that windowless side of the room a "glow" and will be charming! T believes she has a very clear vision of all the surfaces in the sunroom and how they will all coordinate. I am very thankful to have her.

Update: Tyler just wrote to clarify that he is now supportive of vaulting the gable trusses as opposed to the original flat profile design. He still is not in favor of vaulting the remaining sunroom trusses. I have sent a note to Mike asking him to get with Frank (HVAC) to reaffirm that the interior unit of the heat pump can be mounted in the area on the west gable above the glass roof. If so, then the gable chapter of the truss drama is concluded. Only the sunroom truss mystery remains to be resolved.

Update Thursday

It was a week ago yesterday that "Our" Mike had anyone here working. Since then, no work. While it rained this past Monday, otherwise, the weather had been good.

Yesterday was a bright and brisk. Spenser and I spent some time sitting out on the new connecting porch. While I read and synthesized vitamin D, Spenser was entertained by Tyler's girls. Tyler and Elizabeth have five chicken hens who decided to check out the bugs along our west fence line. Spenser kept watch through our yet-to-be installed connecting porch door.

Yesterday, we got an email from Bob (cabinetry) telling us that he has obtained a sample of the Sapele wood that we can pick up to do some staining tests. I need to send a note to "Salesman" Mike (Marvin dealer) asking if we can get a representative sample of the window frame to include in our testing. We already have plenty of samples of truss wood.

This afternoon, we got a call from "Our" Mike with some updates. He said he had received cost quotes on replacing all the existing sunroom trusses with vaulted trusses. The quote was much lower than either Mike or I expected. I asked if he could send us a sketch of the vaulted truss design? He seemed surprised that Tyler had not given that to us, but said he would send it to us. I was surprised that Mike indicated that Tyler had designed the trusses since Tyler told us that the truss company would design them, not Tyler. Anyway, I told Mike that I was concerned about how "dense" the design had become and if we might run into an air flow issue. We had decided to mount the heat pump interior unit on the west gable above the glass roof. If the truss design gets too "dense", we might have an air flow problem. Mike did not believe that was going to be the case. We will see when we get the design. Mike said we could expect the new trusses in about a week after we place the order. Of course the holidays may impact that prediction.

Mike also said he had received prices on the 1x6 pine board options for the roof. He had brought us samples last week of two different grades, a #2 (top board in picture) and a "select" grade (bottom board). The price difference is roughly twice as much for the "select" grade. It is knot free and straight grain. The #2 grade can have knots up to 2" in diameter, but they should be "tight", with no holes. Since these boards will be stained, undoubtedly the knot-free boards will have a more uniform and formal appearance. The price information is on a linear foot basis. While Mike is going to determine the number of linear feet we would need, I had previously estimated we needed about 480 square feet. Therefore, I am guessing we would need roughly 1,050 linear feet. The price differential is $0.84/ft, so the cost of going with the select grade would be an additional $882. I think I would go with the "select" grade, but, T will make the final decision.

Mike had talked with Rob (electrical). The request to Ameren to relocate the power line to the new underground conduit was submitted on December 11. Ameren said they would have someone out within one to three weeks. That would put it by the end of the year, but again, with the holidays, we are not holding breaths. I forgot to tell Mike that I have taken down the telephone wire.

Yesterday, Mike forwarded to us a proposal (dated December 3) for the slate work. When I got the proposal, I responded that we would want to review and approve the slate to be used and the proposal needed to specify if it included repair of the slate on the main house that we had requested. Today, Mike said he was getting some slate samples for T to review and said he would have the proposal modified regarding the main house slate. From what Mike said, I do not believe the proposal included the repair work. I told Mike I do not want any more surprises and will no longer accept any assurances that are not in writing.

Mike also said he got a call from John (solar). John had promised us that he would continue checking with Mike. Mike said he suggested to John that he should check back in a couple of weeks. I doubt much will be different in a couple of weeks however.

I asked Mike if he expected to be back out to do more work before the end of the year. While he said he would like to, he made no promises. I am not holding out much hope that anything significant will take place between now and the end of the year, with the possible exception of may be getting the power line relocated. After the first of the new year, weather may have more influence than it has up to now.