The weather has turned clear once again just in time to move around some dirt. The Glacier M2 Cabin is scheduled to be set Dec. 9th, one week from tomorrow. Today the preparation prior to backfill happened, including footing drains, gutter drains and water proofing. Here are some pictures I took today, including some of the bolts that will hold the moment frame in place once the modules are set. The moment frame is a steel upside down U that will give the open great room module some engineered strength, which is due to the fact the end of the room is all glass, which according to engineers doesn't provide much strength. The moment frame is already framed and part of the structure sitting in the shop, which will then fit over these bolts that are poured as part of the foundation. This is NOT orthopedic surgery, just a little math and paying attention. And The Mountain was out today! So here we go...
...allowed us to pour the footings for the M2. It was great. Over the last couple of days Western Washington has been experiencing high winds and heavy rains which have contributed to power outages, downed trees and flooding. Good 'ol fall in the NW! We poured 12 yards of concrete which had a SLAG mix. SLAG has replaced Fly Ash in concrete for a greener alternative to all Portland Cement. SLAG is a bi-product of iron blast furnaces, which otherwise would have ended up in a land fill. Here are some pictures I snapped today with my phone, so they are not the greatest but at least they show progress in this weather! Set date on the M2 has been set for December 9th. Stay tuned...
Under the upper sliding glass doors will be an 18' wide by 10' deck. Note the treated deck ledger already in place. It will be identical to the original Method Cabin deck.The front porch should also be done shortly. It will be 8' wide x 6'. It will be flat, supported by the same steel kickers as the main deck and be timber framed out of GluLam beams.Here is one picture of the home I am willing to release, pre-completion...
The latest Method home is really starting to take shape. The framing in our custom shop is complete, 8' cantilevered roofs and all. These pictures probably don't do the scale of these modules justice, but the front of these will be all glass, about 16' wide by 10' tall. The ridge of the cantilevered roof is around 12' off the ground. We are done framing and just finished the plumbing rough-in today, with electrical rough-in wrapping up tomorrow. We are installing a LG Mini Split heating/cooling system which will be roughed in by Friday, for an inspection from our local Labor and Industries dept. scheduled Friday afternoon. We are scheduled for insulation install on Monday. This home has been in production for just over 3 weeks while Method Contracting has been hard at work on site, as the clearing of the site has been recently completed and should be ready for starting the foundation on Monday.
As we put the final touches on the Lake Whatcom cabin over the next couple weeks, here are some interesting pictures I took yesterday of the modular portion of the home. The lower site built portion is still being completed so I did not want to show the lower level....until probably next week. Also, look out for the Lake Whatcom set video on our website and YouTube both of which should be up soon.
With the beginning of fall, and torrential down pouring now a daily occurrence in the Pacific Northwest, I am happy to say our crews are safely indoors framing away on Method Homes latest model, the M2. As posted prior, this home is going to Glacier WA and is due to be set around the end of November. This cabin, dubbed the M2, is two Medium cabins from our SML series, that will be connected via a site built entry bridge which will hover somewhere around 2-3 feet off the ground. One of the modules will have the Kitchen, Dining, Living and the other module will consist of two bedrooms and the main bath. The Kitchen module will also have the laundry/mudroom plus a powder bathroom as well. Both have large decks cantilevering off the front including an 8' overhanging eave, much like our Method Cabin. Here are some pictures of the construction in progress and check back soon to see the M2 really start to take shape.
I was recently in DC and had a chance to check out the Solar Decathlon being set up. Unfortunately I was unable to see the homes completed and in competition. Very cool stuff going on at colleges all across the country who compete in this annual competition. Check out solardecathlon.org for more information. For now check out all of the cranes on the Mall. So cool! The students have chosen to build most of the homes prefab or modular. At one point I thought I was witnessing a presidential escort and realized it was a big modular delivery truck being escorted into the city presidential style. The delivery company had a big official looking SUV traveling at high speed from traffic light to traffic light making sure the modules were brought in to the city with no disruption to the flow of the everyday DC life. Plus I think the local law enforcement needs the streets clear of over sized loads.
