Our house is (will be?) ultra-modern.  We are using concrete, glass and steel and very little ‘trim’ so it will have a clean, bold look.  This could result in a somewhat ‘harsh’ feel so, at the same time, we need to soften the boldness with wood and make the house more gentle.  Of course, the materials must be from California …

With our ceiling being made of the reclaimed Redwood from the original house in 1969 (it is a remodel), we thought the hardwood flooring could be extremely complimentary if it was made of Madrone.  The native forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains are mainly Redwood, with some Madrone sprinkled through.

We investigated Madrone hardwood flooring and came across Out of the Woods, which is a local producer of native Caifornia hardwoods and is located close by in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Bonny Doon, to be exact.

We have been working with Dave Merchant, from Out of the Woods, in order to use Madrone hardwood in our house.  Dave has been very patient with us as it has been an exceptionally long ‘sales cycle’ with us.   Bryan first toured Dave’s operations on May 20, 2009 (see Touring the ‘Out of the Woods’ Operations in Bonny Doon).

Knowing where we are with our project, Dave called Bryan and invited him to come see the pallet of Madrone hardwood flooring that Dave had allocated to our project.  If the wood meets our needs then Dave would like a deposit on the wood until it is delivered to our job site.

Bryan drove to Bonny Doon and reviewed the Madrone hardwood …

Dave has a shop that is located on a unique property, which overlooks the Pacific. It was a rainy, damp day in the Santa Cruz Mountains so the spectacular views of the Pacific were hidden.

This pallet of wood looks like it is ours ...

Yes, it is ours. The tag reads, '60 Bundles, Bryans Flooring, 1,520.8 sq. ft.'

The wood looks good - nice and dry as it has been cut, kiln dried and then seasoned for more than a year.

View from the end of the pallet.

We completed several tasks on our critical path to completing our SIP roof today.  An important task was to have all of the beams on site so they could be graded.  Having our beams is critical so the structural framing can be completed on the ground floor so we can move the SIPs onto the roof with the crane on Wednesday.

Picking Up Our Reclaimed Beams After Milling in Watsonville

Dave Merchant, from Out of the Woods, loaded the three beams that we milled to size on Tuesday at his site in Bonny Doon.  Dave met Bryan in Watsonville at Jackel Enterprises, where we loaded the remainder of the beams that were being milled.  From there, Bryan followed Dave up Highway #1 and over the hill to our project site.  There, our framing crew unloaded the beams by hand and staged them for grading.

Charlie Jourdain, from Redwood Inspection Service in Pleasant Hill, arrived on our site as planned and the beams were ready for him.  Charlie examined and graded each beam, then stamped the end of each beam.  He will be sending us a certificate stating the grade of each beam.  Note that Redwood Inspection Service is a division of California Redwood Association, of which Charlie is the President.

Loading our recently milled reclaimed Douglas Fir beams in Watsonville. The beams on the truck were milled by Dave Merchant in Bonny Doon.

Bryan followed Dave's truck back from Watsonville. Dave is going up Winchester Boulevard with our reclaimed beams.

Dave backed the trailer into our site so it could be unloaded quickly and easily.

Charlie Jourdain, President of California Redwood Association, came to our job site and graded our reclaimed beams. Charlie is measuring the grain of the wood as the grain runs diagonally in this beam.

Charlie measured and graded all of our beams on site, which were just delivered a few hours ago.

Making Insulated Headers

On the West side of our house we have two bathrooms.  The beams that support the SIP roof at the front and back of the house extend through the building.  However, we have two bathrooms on the West side and, even with exhaust fans, these bathrooms will have a high moisture content.

To provide greater protection from condensation, our durability plan requires insulated headers to keep keep the surfaces of the exposed beams warmer and prevent condensation from occuring. 

From two of the reclaimed Douglas Fir beams, we had Jackel Enterprises cut two 1-3/4 inch wide planks.  Using these planks, we sandwiched 2 inches of rigid R-10 insulation.  Thus, we end up with an insulated header that is 5-1/2 inches wide and over 19 ft long.  This insulated header will be over the windows in the two bathrooms.

Similarly, we require a small insulated header on the East side of the house, above the exterior Kitchen door.

Francisco makes the insulated headers by sandwiching 2 inches of rigid insulation between two planks, cut from our reclaimed Douglas Fir beams.

Completed insulated header. The two pieces of reclaimed Douglas Fir are held together by a number of 4-1/2 inch galvanized Simpson Strong Tie SDS screws, countersunk into the planks.

Moving the Temporary Steel Beams

The temporary steel beams supporting the existing East and West walls of our house were moved clear of the structure today.  Several inches of the concrete haunches were removed so the existing walls are now free and clear, and are entirely supported by the house once again.

We’re ready to remove the temporary steel beams from the site on Wednesday, February 24.

Reducing Construction Waste

Renovation and construction projects can generate a tremendous amount of waste that goes to landfill sites.  According to the LEED for Homes Reference Guide, ‘Construction and demolition wastes constitute about 40% of the total solid waste stream in the United States.’  For our project, we are targeting to create as little construction waste as possible.  When our Green Rater, Darrel Kelly, came to our project site on Tuesday, February 16, he was surprised, and delighted, to see how little waste we were generating as we were using three 35 gallon garbage bins to hold our framing debris.

Earth Bound Homes delivered a trailer to our job site today that will be used for all the framing debris.  All the framing waste on our job site was dumped into the trailer as it will be taken for recycling.  We will obtain tags on the debris removed with the trailer.

This is the trailer from Earth Bound Homes, which contains all of our framing debris to date. Note that a number of the pieces in trailer are reclaimed wood, which would otherwise be landfill. This debris will be taken for recycling, not landfill. Reduce, reuse and recycle (redirect).

Overview and Inspection of Progress this Week

Given the days are longer now, Jo-Anne was able to drop by the job site at the end of the day today to inspect our progress. 

Our first major shear wall is in place in Kate’s bedroom (formerly the Master Bedroom).  Having the shear wall in place prior to Jo-Anne’s inspection showed significant progress. 

In line with that shear wall is another shear wall adjacent to the Atrium.  Scott Andersen, who did the conceptual design of the remodel, specified during his most recent job site progress review that we include recessed art niches in the wall behind the glass bridge to the Master Suite.  Three recessed art niches were framed in today and the plywood will be nailed in place next week.

Jo-Anne walked the property and was smiling as she was pleased with our progress this week.

Completed SIP walls on either side of our doorway at the front of the house.

Same view of the foyer, taken on September 29, 2008 when the roof was being deconstructed. Note the diagonal brace on the temporary site fence through the door - it is the same diagonal brace in the photo above. Way cool.

Three art niches that are framed in the shear wall behind the glass bridge facing the Atrium.

Example of recessed art niches (not in a contemporary style house).

Example of recessed art niches on a large exposed wall.

Plywood 2x6 shear wall between the Living Room and Kate's Bedroom.

Jo-Anne, standing in Kate's Bedroom, smiles as she walks the property inspecting our progress this week.

Our flag is flying and our Insulspan sign is posted. The site is buttoned up, ready for the rain that is forecasted through the weekend.

‘That’s it Bryan.  If you bring any more beams then we won’t make the Thursday deadline.’  Steve Jackel was smiling, but firm.

‘No problem, Steve.  There aren’t any beams left.’  Bryan was smiling, too.

Delivering Another Two Beams to Watsonville

After coordinating the 2-inch rigid insulation for the exposed slab this morning, Bryan delivered the two 22 ft 6×14 reclaimed Douglas Fir beams to Jackel Enterprises in Watsonville.  Tim was there and unloaded the beams in minutes.  Then, Bryan set to work.

Bryan went through each beam, looking for reinforcing steel (rebar) and nails.  In less than 45 minutes, he removed five pieces of #5 rebar (5/8-inch in diameter) from the two beams a number of nails, and a strap tie.  Steve’s team will use metal detectors to verify no more metal fragments are in the two beams, then the beams can be milled.

Tim had done some initial milling of the 12-1/4 tall by 5-inch wide beam that will be in the Foyer and Master Study.  It looked magnificent.

Tim unloaded the two reclaimed beams with the forklift so Bryan could de-nail them and remove all the metal.

Within 45 minutes, Bryan had removed five pieces of rebar and a number of nails from the two beams.

Steve Jackel enjoys the sunshine while writing up the milling tags for these beams.

Tim started milling the 12-1/4 inch beam that will be visible in the Foyer and Master Study.

The end of the beam looks magnificent.

This beam will be milled to 12-1/4 inches tall. This face will be visible in the Foyer and Master Study.

Driving to Bonny Doon

After removing all the metal, Bryan drove north through Santa Cruz to Bonny Doon.  As he was driving along Highway #1, Bryan reflected on the same day (February 15) in 1998.  On that day, just north of Davenport on Highway #1, Jo-Anne married Ian Fowler and Merril Schmitt.  We’d love to complete our renovation/construction project and host their visit in February 2011.

Out of the Woods

To get to Dave Mechant’s mill site, one has to stop, open the gate, drive through, close the gate and get to the mill location.  When the sun is shining, as it was today, it is a pleasant break in the day.

Dave and his team were milling some spectacular wood flooring.  They had an order for 1,200 sq ft of vertical grain flooring, with no knots.  Absolutely beautiful wood.

Stop. Open the gate. Drive through. Close the gate. Drive to the mill location.

The Out of the Woods milling operation. It was a great day to be milling wood in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Take a look at the vertical grain with no knots. This is very, very nice wood. Dave had an order for 1,200 sq ft that he was filling. (You can click on this photo and expand it to full size in your browser.)

Completed bundles of flooring, measured and wrapped very carefully. Dave finds that having eight layers of wood in each bundle is the best, yielding approximately 28 sq ft per bundle.

Measuring Our Beams

Dave will be milling our beams tomorrow so Bryan had to complete the specifications for Dave.  A few minutes with the measuring tape and reviewing the beams.  No problem.  Just have to e-mail Dave the measurements tonight.

Back through the gate, and back to our project site.

Finalizing the milling requirements for these four beams.

John McLaren Visits Our Project Site

John stopped by for a quick visit.  He hadn’t been to the site for several months and we’d made visible progress since then  John and Bryan walked through the framed rooms on the ground floor and lower level. 

He was wearing sandals and shorts, hardly appropriate for an active construction site.  But he was careful.

John McLaren reviews our progress the the Master Bathroom. Note the smile, open toe sandals and shorts (February in California).

John leaves the 'empty' Wine Dining - sorry John.

The reclaimed beams that we purchased have reinforced steel (rebar) in them that was used to connect the beams in their former life.  We had to remove the lengths of #3, #4 and #5 rebar, and all nails, from each wooden beam.

Unfortunately, it was raining and it made the two-hour task somewhat miserable.

Our ten (10) reclaimed Douglas Fir beams.

We removed 23 pieces of rebar (a number of nails and screws) from the 10 wooden beams. Dave Merchant, smiling, suggested that we made a wind chime with the rebar pieces.

Dave Merchant (left) and Ben (right), covering the wooden beams with a tarp to keep them dry and protect them from the rain.

Bryan toured the Out of the Woods operation in Bonny Doon, California and also reviewed a magnificent house that is being completed on the coast, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Dave Merchant

Harvesting Madrone and Tanoak in the Santa Cruz Mountains

We love the look and feel of wood in a house, and we value harvesting our forests in a sustainable manner.  Given we are using our existing redwood decking for our finished ceiling, we thought it would be fitting to use a local hardwood for our hardwood floors, specifically Pacific Madrone.

In the Santa Cruz Mountains, there are large stands of Redwood trees.  In these forests, there are other trees, including Madrone and Tanoak.  The Madrone and Tanoak are sometimes incidental as they take valuable sunlight and water, limiting the growth of the valuable Redwood trees.  Consequently, the Madrone and Tanoak trees are selectively cut from the maturing Redwood forests.  In most cases, the Madrone trees are cut and used for firewood (Madrone is considered the best firewood material because it burns very hot for a long time, and results in little ash).

Given the limited logging in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the very limited amount of Madrone and Tanoak, these timbers are simply dried and then used for firewood.  Without scale and sufficient volumes, it is difficult to process the timbers economically.

Seeing this as an opportunity, David Merchant set up a small operation to use Madrone and Tanoak timber, and then cut it, season and dry it, kiln dry the wood, and then have it planed and finished for hardwood flooring.  His company, located in Bonny Doon, California, is called ‘Out of the Woods‘.

Dave’s vision is wonderful and could be a very nice fit for our remodel project at Via Sereno.  We believe that our reclaimed Redwood ceiling will look beautiful with Madrone, or Tanoak, hardwood floors.  These woods will work nicely together, especially since the trees grow together in the local forests in the Santa Cruz mountains.

We called Dave and discussed our requirements with him.  He thought he could meet our needs and came to our project site with some wood samples.  After, he kindly offered to give us a tour of his full operations. 

Operations Overview

The complete operation consists of locating the timbers, bringing the timbers to the milling area, cutting the rough logs into blanks, milling the blanks into rough boards, and then air drying those boards.  Once the most of the moisture has been removed (approximately 4 months), the boards are then kiln dried (4 to 5 weeks) to the required moisture level (6 to 7%).  Then, the boards are trucked to a specialty mill where they are planed into precise dimensions for hardwood flooring.

The receiving site for trucks bringing timbers in for milling.

The cutting operation is portable and currently located under some young Redwood trees. Nothe scale.

Note the full log on the right, which is rough-cut into blanks that are then milled into boards.

Dave's mill utilizes a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill to cut the blanks into boards for milling.

The two-man operation takes the blanks and cuts them into boards. Dave is on the right.

Dave cuts the first board from the blank.

Continuing to cut boards from the blank ...

Cut boards to stack for drying.

Beautiful, fresh-cut California Madrone showing the sapwood and heartwood. This board needs to be air dried and then kiln dried.

Freshly cut wood being stacked with spacers for air drying.

Air drying cut boards before kiln drying.

Air drying lifts of wood.

The center of the logs cannot be used for hardwood flooring so Dave cuts this wood iinto pieces for firewood.

 After cutting the Madrone, Dave showed Bryan some of his inventory of wood that he is working on milling.  Dave seeks walnut, oak and other large trees in the San Jose area that are being removed for various purposes.  He takes those trees to his mill so the wood can be cut and used in buildings, not simply chipped and used as ground cover.

Walnut that has been cut from a huge tree that was removed from San Jose.

Dave showing some spectacular walnut blanks that are ready for to be kiln dried and then milled.

Walnut burl, ready for kiln drying and milling.

After the boards have been air dried, they must be kiln dried for 4 weeks.  Kiln drying is the critical phase where the moisture is removed slowly from the wood and it is stabilized into its final condition.  After kiln drying, the boards can be planed and finished into hardwood flooring.

Dave in front of his kiln, which is currently full of boards being dried.

Dave maintains some inventory of finished hardwood flooring (both Tanoak and Madrone), as well as other boards that artists and craftsmen seek for special projects.

Finished hardwood flooring, ready to be shipped to customer sites.

Some of Dave's investory of hardwood flooring and other selected boards.

Touring a New House Looking Over the Pacific Ocean

Dave took me on a tour of a new home that is being completed nearby, which faces west over the Pacific Ocean.  The house includes Madrone in much of its finishes and has some great detail that we will be including in our home.  The tour was inspirational! 

View from inside the house looking down a valley to the Pacific Ocean.

Rich and warm Madrone in the ceiling and walls.

Hidden hinges that are a very nice, clean and simple touch. Yes, probably expensive!

Fine example of detailed, flush-mount baseboards over a hardwood floor.

Yes, this house was an inspiration and confirmed several features that we want in our house.

At the conclusion of our tour, Dave showed us a table top, which was made over 50 years ago from a Redwood tree cut in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  This is a solid piece of wood!

A huge tabletop, cut from a single Redwood tree more than 50 years ago.