Getting a little bit done between the wet days over the past few weeks. Although the pace is slowing the external fabric continues to move closer to lock up stage. Really starting to get a sense of the various volumes of the home now that most external walls are clad.

I had a good experience on site today with the carpenter who is subcontracting to the lead builder. I’m a firm believer that any good build project is the result of a good team, from the client to the architect to the head contractor, including the subcontractors under their supervision.

We were workshopping the details for the plywood ceiling (with the carpenter) just about to go in for the upper level ‘signature’ roof element. It will be a key element both materially and colour wise for the build that will draw the eye, so it is important to get the detailing correct.

There are several things to resolve including how the plywood ceiling sheets are laid out, how do we fix the sheets, how often do we fix them, is there a pattern, what finish are we applying, how many coats. What veneer are we using, what is the sheet thickness…and the questions go on. A lot of the time this level of detail is not fully described on a drawing or in a specification due to budget constraints during the documentation process. Having the ability to work through these with a subcontractor who has an eye for detail is a fun and rewarding experience. We can combine the design skills of the architect (who is predominantly concerned with the end result), with the buildability knowledge of the carpenter (who is generally concerned with the how we do it).

If you can get a tradesman who thinks ‘how we do it WELL’ then you are on a winner! We are lucky enough to have that on this project. Image above with street elevation clad!