Comparison of 2007 versus 2005

These shots are from approximately the same location, looking West from the Pantry, through the Kitchen and Dining Room into the Great Room. They provide good illustration of why we are now ahead of where we were in mid April of 2005. Not only are the timbers in place, the soffits and rafter tails are mostly done, and half of the roof is sheathed in metal. Further on, the fact that much of the steel framework has been replaced by real timbers will mean that finish work will go more quickly. The exterior trim is also simpler because we replaced the metal skirting with concrete.

The fact that the roof (hence ceiling) on new house is 2' lower is readily apparent and is accentuated by the timbers missing in the 2005 photo. The reason the roof could be made 2' lower is that the North Wing in the original design extended upslope and its floors were 2' higher than the highest level of the rest of the house; the ceilings would have been too low without a higher roof. Eliminating the North Wing removed the æsthetic need for the main roof line to match up with a higher North Wing.

January, 2007 – Pauline stands at attention The timbers are in place; the first horizontal timber separates the Kitchen from the Dining Room, the second one separates the Dining Room from the Great Room. The vertical timber in the foreground will be part of the wall separating the Kitchen and Dining Room. The ceilings in the Kitchen and Dining Room will be 10'4" high. The bottoms of the timbers are 9'1" high.

April, 2005 – Pauline talks to architect Van Bryan The lack of timbers accentuates the ceiling height. Ceilings were 12'4" high. The vertical post behind Pauline and framing over the Great Room were temporary. The steel posts would be "wrapped" to look like timbers.