KUN Build Week_06
Build Week 6: Progress across the Board
We've got a lot going on all at once each week. This week saw continued progress on our wall panels, roof joists and sheathing, furniture and cabinetry production, and metal work. It's amazing to see how much has been accomplished in just 12 days!
Week of September 24 - Days 11 & 12
We are in full production mode while we wait for the next round of building permit comments to come back. Constructing off-site creates a lot of interesting challenges as we have to figure out exactly what we can work on now, what needs to wait until later, and how what we do now can easily come apart for transport. It takes extra time for sure, but it is allowing us to make great progress while we wait for our permit. We sure hope that day comes very soon!
There is a surprisingly large amount that we can be working on now while we wait, and we have split off into multiple groups to be working on it all at once. One group continues to work outside on our panels. This week brought continued sheathing of the lower level, putting in roof and floor joists, adding blocking for furniture, and starting to frame and put in place parapets and our upper level storage loft walls.
Inside in the shop great progress is being made on our furniture. We have designed custom cabinets, shelving, and even a couch for the Kungas to make this space perfect for them. Even though we are limited to 650 square feet per the ADU code, we are providing plenty of storage to make this space meet their needs.
Also in the shop we have started our metal work. On the exterior of the building we are providing metal fins to give external shading to our nice, big windows. This will block the more intense light in the summer, but allow in the needed warmth in the winter. It also adds great aesthetic value to the exterior and helps to tie the design all together.
One of our biggest goals is to deliver to the Kunga family a home that is sturdy, safe, and perfect for them. Our structural engineer Sarah stopped by this week to help make sure we are achieving that. She walked through and examined what we have built so far and is helping us keep going in the right direction. When we are done with it, this will be the sturdiest home around!
We are learning way more from this experience than just how to build a simple house. We are learning how to make good design attainable, sustainable, and affordable, and how to do all aspects of the construction ourselves. The sky is the limit with what we can achieve! Each day we go home exhausted, but we are over the moon with what we have accomplished. Under Jörg and Colby's direction we are having the most influential semesters of our entire degree.