November 13, 2012

Things are really shaping up at the new custom home we are building in Hickory Hills.  The cabinets have all been installed, trim is 95% complete and painters and tile setters are just about finished.  Stone has been installed on 2 of the 3 fireplaces.  The wine cellar components arrived last week and will be going in shortly.  Next week we will be installing wood floors throughout the main floor, then the granite counters will be going in.  The interior is really starting to take shape. 

Recently we have also completed a small remodel on a client's vacation home at Table Rock Lake, adding stone to the front of the house, repainting the exterior and re-building and adding on to the existing deck.  We are currently working on the inside of the home, remodeling the two bathrooms and adding a bathroom in the basement, as well as tiling the kitchen floor and adding 2 patio doors from the bedrooms.


We have also just started on another large remodel in Springfield, we will be completely re-doing the inside of the home, remodeling the kitchen, installing reclaimed wood floors, and changing the inside to a rustic style home with reclaimed barn wood ceilings and antique wood timbers. Watch for pictures!

August 2012

Welcome back - its been a while since our last update.  The Bauer residence in Hickory Hills is in full motion, spray-foam insulation and drywall have been completed, and today we are starting interior trim and beam work.  We have beams going in the master bedroom, sitting room, great room, music room, stair well and basement rec room.  The reclaimed wood floors have been ordered and should be here within a couple of weeks, and the cabinet makers are currently building the cabinets in the shop.  On the outside, stone work is completed and the carpenters are working on the board and batten siding.  We installed a log-type railing system on the back porch made of fiberglass, it looks just like the real thing but is much more durable.  We will start updating more frequently now as things start happening. 

In other news, we have been awarded the contract for the new Theta Chi fraternity house near the campus of Missouri State University.  Plans are being finalized right now, with demolition on the existing structure to start in September and construction on the new 10,000 square foot residence to begin in October.  We are also currenlty working on design work for a large scale remodel on a great house on the east side of Springfield that was built in the 1970's on 12 acres by the locally famous designer and builder Don Russell.  This will be a very interesting project as we will be gutting and remodeling the majority of the house and installing lots of reclaimed beams and other materials, as well as remodeling the tennis court house and building some neat chicken and goat houses.  Along with all of the remodeling, we will also be installing a swimming pool and totally re-landscaping the grounds.  Watch for updates on these two projects soon!

Week of 4/30/12

Shingles are installed on the Bauer residence in Hickory Hills, now the copper roofs are being installed.  We have also begun to install windows, which should be completed by the end of the week so the siding can be started.  Stone masons have started to install the 7000 square feet of cultured stone on the back archways.  Ductwork is almost complete, plumbers are about half done and electricians have started to pull wires.  Also, the fireplaces were installed last week, we will put up some pictures once they complete the firebrick inside of the boxes.  Last week we found some beautiful hand-hewn beams being salvaged from a barn in the St Louis area, these will compliment the large timbers inside the living room nicely.  We are also expecting in this week a shipment of antique oak 2x8 that will be used for the board & batten siding.  The outside will definately be taking shape over the next couple of weeks.

Week of 3/26/12

Framing is almost complete on the Bauer residence in Hickory Hills!!!  We are in the finishing stages, setting beams and punch-out work.  The roofers have started laying felt paper and installing flashings on the roof.  All of the beam work is looking really great.  We made some adjustments to the front porch gable by adding a stepped-out beam detail with corbels that makes for an impressive entry way in to this home.  We also changed the back porch to a true timber-frame roof with 12x12 posts and 8x8 oak rafters.  HVAC and plumbing will be starting by the end of the week.  After a long week of rain last week, things are finally starting to dry out and work is going full-force.  The stone has been ordered and should start to be installed within two weeks, so that should be exciting to see go on.   The lower patio has been acid stained and sealed, and we poured an exposed aggregate concrete on the upper patio that looks amazing.  Lots of pictures this time to catch up on what all has been going on.  Enjoy!

Week of 2/20/12

We fought thru some rain and snow last week, and framing has resumed in full force on the Bauer residence in Hickory Hills.  The framers have been working on building the upper back porch and the arches on the lower porch so that we can install stone on the arches.  They have also started putting in the exposed rafter tails and roof decking.  We pre-stained the antique oak rafter tails and did a dry-brush paint procedure with stain on the underside of the cedar roof decking , so the color you see is the color it will be. 

Week of 2/3/12

Framing continues on the Bauer residence in Hickory Hills - the east garage is now up and connected to the house thru the port-e-cochere, trusses are up over the main living area and the framers are starting to work on the dormers in that room.  Also in the last week we had the columns built on the rear patio for the upper patio, so that should be framed later this week and ready to pour.  We have some of the antique 12x12's installed as supports over the port-e-cochere - they cleaned up really nicely and took the sealer well, now they have the appearance of waxed beams.  On tuesday we received a truckload of 140-year-old 8x8 oak beams from an old tobacco warehouse in Louisiana - these will be used in a number of capacities on this home, but mainly cut in half to make 4x8 exposed rafter tails.  On thursday we had a guy with a portable saw mill come out to the shop and slice these in half - the old oak was very hard but we got thru them.  Now we are sanding these down to apply a stain and they will be ready to go up. 

This next week should be a big week (as long as the weather cooperates) - can't wait for the next round of pictures!