Getting the house into the ground is the hardest phase of construction. The foundation walls are complete, and the site retaining walls' footings are set for the concrete. But we are a week away from framing.Jose and Robert(Pinnacle Custom Home Builders) are standing in the future terrace level. The area that looks like an archeological dig, is actually the footings for the entry steps.

Site meeting

From the pictures, you can see everyone is smiling still. The concrete of the retaining walls are up, and water proofing has begun.Next week the rough plumbing will go in and the foundation slab will be started. We did have to put in a few more piles than we expected, but you never really know until all the dirt is removed from the areas of the foundation. We have had a few items of additional scope: utility sink,a chase for future photo-voltaics, and possible more insulation for sound issue (adjacent playground). Looking to the future we are going to start thinking about the cabinetry. We have options of a local cabinet maker and an European manufacturer(the dollar is doing well in Europe). We will see

The day we all have waited for, foundation day. It may not seem exciting, but this is when the house starts to take hold of the site. Concrete trucks line the block waiting for the pump truck to place the concrete in the form work. In the photos you will also notice a blue mountain in the front of the site. This is the site soil that is being protected from erosion, until the foundation work is completed , and the soil can be graded around the site.

So the contractor had a series of important site and foundation inspections this week. Next week they will begin forming the foundation's retaining walls. The project manager (Alex) and I have been looking ahead to the home's floor framing package, and the coordination of the duct work.
At the same time the clients and I have been finalizing the plumbing package. One would think that this plumbing package would be easy. Maintaining the budget and selecting water conserving fixtures is a great balance. The final selection include water sense toilets and shower heads that use a air technology to conserve water. The showerheads infusing the water with air in a three-to-one, air-to-water ratio.

The Site: the rewards of rocks and trees

So this pile of Rock is what was pulled out of the site. We knew that they would be there (thanks to the Geo-tech's work), but we did not know that they would be so large and beautiful. Our client's sister will be helping with the garden design, and I am sure that they will look great. Not good for a foundation, but great for the garden.


The clients and I met with Drew (the wood processor) and the contractor to discuss the wood that was harvested from the site. The White Oaks that we removed(reluctantly) are in process to become the floor for the house. This is a sample of that wood, gorgeous don't you think! In an effort to use what exists on the site for the home, I think the team is doing a great job!


I can't stress enough the importance of a good silt fence! After the images we all have seen of damage caused by floods, protection starts like this double row of hay bales and anchored silt fence. New development must take measures to retain water on site. When you change the existing condition of the site, provisions must be made to absorb the rainfall~ Mother Nature had before.

Spring has sprung. With the beauty of spring, and a new house for our clients. The contractor (Pinnacle Custom Home Builders) has been preparing the site, for the first phase of construction. You can always see the quality of a Contractor, by they way the site is respected through-out the construction. They have a double silt fencing securely anchored to the site, saved trees protected and ground brush is handled on site. Change is always a shock to neighbors, who have grown use to an empty site. But with a contractor who respects the neighbors, and maintains a clean street adjacent to construction~ your neighbors will like you when you move to the new home.

Allen Road Residence

We hope to be faithful to the documentation of the construction process for the Allen Residence.
This stage of the process is the finale after months of planning, permitting,and pricing. We began this project in March 2009, and took a break from planning in late April 2009. Our clients (correctly, we believe) placed their home on the market, to avoid the stress of holding that equity while building.
After selling their home, we revived the project in October 2009. While revisiting the project, very little changed from the scope. After several weeks of refining details, the project went into permitting and pricing.
While moments with the city Arborist kept us busy, permitting was uneventful. Pricing slowed the process thru the holidaze, but a contractor was selected.
The Client are working with their Banker currently, so we hope to be breaking ground soon.