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Review of the Post-and-Beam Barn

This is the final visit to the post-and-beam barn project, for a grand tour and a review of some of the great features installed over the last thirteen weeks. Bob details the contruction techniques and special materials used in this project.
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Review of the Post-and-Beam Barn

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" I'm often asked how long does it take to do these TV projects in its you know the same as a reelect construction project this started in July it's now mid December so it's taken a good five months to get this far. Now when we began we started by putting together a very unusual structural system which is basically a post and beam system from Maine post and beam and it's made out of eastern white pine and of course this is topped off with a beautiful glue laminated beam for our ridge. Which is from our friends -- industry on the Pacific northwest and once we had that frame put together. We basically put us in on it. And the skin is from our friends at tinsel span which create these. Structural systems which are made out of it's basically sound which made out of rigid insulation in the middle 56 inches of it on the inside at the outset you have oriented strand board so that it has structural integrity and provides a lot of insulation. So once we were close to the weather. Where are wonderful Pella windows that we can look at here -- especially fond of the strangler units that we put in at the gable and once we were close to the weather we got into it. All the technical work that went inside -- let's take a close look at the fabric of the building. Because what gives it. I think a real special look is the flush surfaces. The western red cedar plywood which is a rough sawn product and you know it's it's an architectural -- kind of product you're not going to be able to get this at your home improvement center LSU order. Once you put it together because of its ship lap edges that set her up against your big. Long -- feeling that I think is really exciting for this kind of structure. Same thing happens on the roof where you've got a metal shingle system this is steel it's from a -- called -- us and of course it's punctuated by the velux sky windows up there on either side of the of the roof -- But all of these different elements which are contemporary building products when when put together you can. You can create something that really has the lines in the field of an old New England kind of structure. The design the layout of the structure of the building is is a little bit unusual -- eighty feet long. And it best because we designed thirty feet of it for Automotive News that's the end we've been looking at here where we have two car bays we showed you last week then. The other end of the building which is fifty feet long is divided and has two separate entrances a small. Garage door opening here where we can extensively bring in something on a trailer small sailboat or whatever. And of course we haven't finished the work here. But we do have stone dust laid down good six inches of it. And later this week will probably get delivery of some more crushed stone like we have -- front of the building. And of course at this sandwiches the boat. Entranceway we've got a fourteen foot square dark. Now 1 thing that I am really pleased with is also the landscaping job that my friend Ruth Foster put together for us. She has managed to get some native pines that we've transplanted from a woodland setting and put in here as well as some black -- that we got at the nursery. Which will imitate that kind of irregular growing pattern of the natives. And then she's created an area here. Where in the spring will be transplanting a native oak tree. Which it's it's a red oak and in the in the fall it turns in beautiful brilliant red color and one of the key things in the landscape design here. Is delighted we've we've just gotten our. Our lighting fixtures and from our friends over -- had -- and these are actually. Not bronze although they look like -- there -- Ira Glass products and they take conventional lamp but the fact is that when they're installed. Hopefully before the ground freezes they'll be. Casting light towards the flush face of the building where as these pines grow you'll have very interesting effect. And then the landscaping of course continues along the edges and turns into more of what they call hardscape here where we've got. And access route back to the parking area and the way we treated here's just with some salvage pressure treated lumber walkways that we had. And we put down a material that prevents any weed growth and simply added gravel on top of that. Still have a ways to ago. But just. After a couple of growing seasons here will end up having -- circle line taking over this whole portion of the building but right now it's too too cold to contemplate that. This is our second hand door with a little nautical flavor of the door -- let's get inside."

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