Whispering Waters Dream Shop

[Deacon]

I have had almost 7 years planning our new home and my shop. The Land Use process in Portland can be unbearable but we finally made it. My wife and I are doing a new home with an artist studio for her and a shop for me.

There was enough slope in the lot to put the shop under the main garage which you enter down a drive along the main driveway.

The space is about 730 sq. ft. mirroring the 3 car garage above. I wanted to get rid of the posts, but with the differential shrinkage of steel and wood it became impractical so the upper garage is framed floor with "torch down" waterproofing and 4" of concrete. That is the reason for the 12" spacing on the ceiling joists.

There will be garage cabinetry with specialized tool storage on the right wall and another bank of cabinets with sink on the rear wall. Storage shelving down the left wall and upper cabinets to the right of the garage door.

I have piped for the air compressor to 4 locations including one upstairs in the main garage. The Racedeck is already here; I am using the solid pattern around the perimeter and the free flow in the bay area. Vacuum system, cat 5, surround sound, plasma or LCD are planned. Using HD dimming florescent lights for work and recessed cans for show.

I will post up some more recent shots showing wiring/plumbing etc. This forum has been a great source of information and sources for product. Thanks to all of you for your knowledge and expertise.

I must also let you know that I am a builder and therefore have the luxury of creating this space for my use for a few years and then on to another. You certainly approach the project from a different point of view when you create a space with a "no-holds barred" approach knowing (hoping) that someone else will fall in love with it and buy it! Maybe the housing mess will be a bit better in a few years. Again thanks and please provide any input you might have. I have a MC lift but am considering a scissor lift due to size and ability to move it. The garage door will be opaque glass for natural light...the thoughts just keep coming.

Deacon

 

[enginerd]

Nice, I like how you planned for everything with the wiring and accessories. I hope its a new trend that starts with new home construction as garages are starting to get bigger and bigger....not only for more cars but for BIGGER cars.

Did you get the Tuffshield race deck thats glossy:

 

[Mr. Welsh]

Looks nice. Let's see the rest of the house!

 

[volvo]

.
Welcome, Very fancy indeed. Oh, by the way, when is the open house.. H in Salem.

 

[PAToyota]

Very nice! I like the style of the overall house and garage and look forward to future updates!

 

[TNToy]

It doesn't appear to have enough ceiling height to install a lift. I thought this was a 'dream' shop? Or is this going to be a woodworking-oriented space?

Either way, it looks great, and I'd take it in a second...

 

[mustangboy]

I believe all the pics he posted were of the downstairs workshop. I'm sure there is alot more ceiling space upstairs in the actual garage.

 

[autoist]

Would be nice to have a "Dumb waiter" arrangement so you can move bulky things like engines, transmissions, etc. from one level to the other.

 

[milkovich]

Beautiful!

I'd love a cohesive arrangement like that instead of a mishmash of outbuildings like I have now and it sure looks a million times better than the McMansions that get thrown up around here.

 

[Deacon]

Thanks for all the great and positive comments. The ceiling height varies due to the slab slope. At it's lowest it is 9' 1 1/2" at the shallowest where the entrance to the house is and 9'6" at the garage door. It is tall enough for a 4 post or scissor lift. I am considering a full height scissor lift that can be moved with up to 6 ft of height under the car. Obviously I cannot raise all cars full height but the 2 that I currently work on are relatively short in height and it will work.

the upper garage has a minimum height of 11'7" to 12' and if I have the scissor lift and need additional height it would work there. If it ever comes to it I can put a 2 or 4 post in the upper garage for parking/work/storage but 3 cars and 3 bikes is enough rolling stock!

The racedeck is not the real glossy surface, only slightly so along with the free flow grid.

I actually will have some open houses as we finish the project, think March/April, maybe as early as February. We are insulating now and stocking rock Monday of next week.

For those of you that asked, here are a few more photos and here is a link:

http://Deacon.smugmug.com/gallery/3386320#189200032

Great Room

The house is a reverse "h" shape with the garage being the long leg and the house forms a U that wraps around the central courtyard and pool.

The trade...wife's new art studio, SGD opens onto court and pool, skylights and lots of windows. They will all have mechanical blinds in case the light is too high or harsh.

Looking out of Great Room over pool and to back wall which will be planters and curtain waterfall.

Library, Master bedroom, bathroom:

Bathroom with multihead steam shower/freestanding tub, this is going to be one cool bathroom...

This is standing in the corner looking toward the dining on the left and great room on the right.

Front Entry Beam work, rough sawn glu lams...

This is the termination of the low voltage wiring/security ready for panels.

One final one of two of the three furnaces...I hope they are as efficient as they say!

Thanks for looking, I will update as I move forward and feel free to check the SMUGMUG site for photos of the home.

Deacon

 

[Bib Overalls]

Awsome! Love the integrated use of wood, heavy tembers, and stone. Please keep us posted.

 

[brad d]

Wow, nice looking place, how many sq.ft is it?

 

[WolverineCoatings]

That is a GREAT house and workspace...

How are you going to finish that pool? We might have a pretty good option for you that would be alot better than marcite!

 

[Deacon]

The basic size interior wall to wall is 35x23 or just over 700 sq. ft. The long bay has a 10' widex9' high garage door.

Thanks for the comments!

Deacon

 

[Deacon]

I have not discussed with my pool contractor, he was talking about doing something different. What product are you thinking about? BTW, I considered your coatings but my superintendent poured the shop floor without a moisture barrier (tons of rock and drain pipe) so I thought I had a higher chance of failure.

Curious about the pool finish...

Deacon

 

[brad d]

how big is the house, i like the layout.

 

[gzip0710]

The whole package looks incredible! Keep those pictures coming!

 

[Deacon]

The living space is 6600 sq. ft. Master on the main floor and 2 bedroom suites with bonus up and down is hobby room, exercise, bath, wine cellar and shop. The shop and other garage add about 1500 feet to the structure.

It is a large home, but it fits the neighborhood and will be our home for 3-5 years. Uncle IRS makes it a real advantage for builders to build and sell every 2 years.

Deacon

Here are some pictures of the first stages of insulation. Closed cell foam placed in outer walls then we will put us mesh on the inside of the studs and fill the balance of the cavities with a blow in type of insulation. R value will be between 25-28. As I mentioned in another thread you HAVE to have a method for fresh air exchange as the house will be very tight. I use HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation) that measures humidity and then draws fresh air through a heat exchanger to preheat or cool the outside air as it enters the home. You also manually operate the fans like bath fans through a timer in rooms the HRV is connected to.

 

[Mr. Welsh]

Looks like a very nice house. Those sliding doors are huge! What sort of electronics/control system/security do you have planned?

The only thing I question is the forward-facing garage doors and the front door facing the garage. I'm guessing the lot size dictated that arrangement?

 

[Deacon]

The sliding glass doors are 16' center opening, Anderson gliding french doors. I have used their products for almost 30 years and never had a serious issue with them. We are using the Lutron Homeworks controls http://www.lutron.com/homeworks/8series.asp?s=&t=
in conjunction with Crestron touch panels in the major room and transition areas. http://www.crestron.com/products/show_products.asp?type=residential

The security will tie into both systems and provide all the traditional operations plus a few surprises. The Homelinks system will allow for the security and lighting to be controlled from the cars as you come and leave the house.

AV/comp. wiring throughout, Cat wiring and set up for 3 wireless base stations which will most likely be Apple Extreme. Multiple line phone system with cell backup to the alarm monitoring company (had a break in once that they cut the phone lines and pulled the electric meter). Now we encase all the underground wiring in conduit and bring it up through the foundation.

You are exactly right about the garage, the lot is only 20k sq. ft. (we have very restrictive land use laws and this size lot would not be approved today as we have minimum densities and I would have to get at least 3 structures on the same piece of ground). At least the garage is not something you generally focus on as you approach the house in the same plane as the front door. In some of my larger lot developments we require through CC&R's and Design Guidelines that the garages face either the side or rear and cannot be visible from the front lot line.

Thanks for the interest and questions,

Deacon

 

[filthy]

Deacon, you a land developer or a home builder? What do you specialize in?

 

[Deacon]

Filthy,

I am ALL the above. I have a company that buys and develops land/subdivision, builds both speculative and custom homes and a real estate company. We are best known for our custom design/build homes either on our properties or the client's property. With land being scarce here a good share of our work is deconstruction of existing homes and building a new home for our clients. We utilize a contractor that will take down existing homes piece by piece and the owner donates the materials to a non-profit group so they can take the value of the donated materials for a tax benefit.

Deacon

you can take a look at our website: http://www.shelburnehomes.com

 

[Mr. Welsh]

Lutron + Crestron is pretty much the top of the line.

I have considered the Homeworks system for my next house. It seems to be priced within reach of an average joe. A Crestron system, however, is not.

But I can dream...

 

[Holedgr]

Wow, Greg.....Your website is one of the BEST I've seen. If I was in Oregon, I would love to buy you lunch and tap your brain!! I would even love to be a birdie up in a tree on one of your development sites!! It looks as if you run a well oiled machine. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!


-T

 

[jeffj78]

Uncle IRS makes it a real advantage for builders to build and sell every 2 years.

Do tell. I never heard of this before...

 

[Will67]

Bill Gates is that you????

I didn't know you moved to Oregon, I take it you are nowhere near Burnside Avenue?

 

[Jey]

wow.

it's nice to see someone with an eye for design and a hand for building, normally they're not on the same body!

Excellent work, and i browsed the galleries on your site, nice stuff. To bad you're not closer!

 

[Boarderx192]

This is one of the nicest builds Ive seen in a long time. I like almost every aspect of the house with one exception, the back courtyard. Is there a yard behind the back wall? No matter where I live, I need to have some grass to mow. It just doesnt seem like a HOME if you cant throw a ball around with your kids or dog. Other than that one aspect, every looks awesome. Like others said, it looks like you know how to run a well oiled machine.

Side note, how did you get into your profession? Whats the story behind you starting your company?

 

[bmwpower]

Time to move to Oregon. What's the cost of living out there? Taxes?

Beautiful build.

 

[carlosh]

Two words...simply amazing......

 

[brad d]

It just doesnt seem like a HOME if you cant throw a ball around with your kids or dog. Other than that one aspect, every looks awesome.

Toss the ball around in the pool J/K i like to have a lot of land as well, but i would still take that house.

 

[Deacon]

Well, insulation is almost done. Thought some of you might like to see how the closed cell foam is covered with what is called a Polar Blanket. There is a fine woven material placed on the inside of the studs and then blown in insulation to fill the cavity.

Blowing in the loose material, note the blue closed cell on the bottom of the sections, that is what seals the exterior.

before the loose insulation, the closed cell with barrier installed.

finished room ready for sheetrock....

I use OC Quiet Zone between rooms where there is potential noise impact.

Stock rock Monday...

Enjoy the weekend

Deacon

 

[Will67]

Why not use foam to fill entire studbay cavity?

I thought foam was around R 5 or 6 per inch? and cellulose and fiberglass where less???

 

[comp]

Dude,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i hate you ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Deacon]

From what I understand it is a cost vs benefit relationship. It would be significantly more expensive to foam all the cavities and using the foam with blown in insulation which is more dense than standard batts gives approximately R26. The foam seals air infiltration and the batts assist in holding the heat/cool.

The climate ranges here indicate this to be the most cost effective return on investment.

Deacon

 

[04 Navi]

Do tell. I never heard of this before...

There is no capital gains if you live in the house for two years. I believe it used to be a one time exemption but I don't think it is anymore.

 

[Deacon]

If you live in a property for 2 of the past 5 years as your primary residence you can take up to $500k of gain tax free. I don't believe there is any restriction on this exemption that is why so many are doing the buy/fix up and sell every 2 years.

Deacon

 

[jeffj78]

That makes sense. Thanks for the info!

 

[Deacon]

Insulation is done, started sheet rocking today, pics tomorrow...

Deacon

 

[bmwpower]

I guess if you have to run a new wire, you're screwed with that type of insulation, eh?