I stumbled across this thread 3 days ago. It's been an amazing journey watching the progress of this build. I would hate to admit how much time I have already spent reading the first 110 pages. I still have 40 pages and 4 1/2 years to go to catch up. The advantage for me is that I don't have to wait for updates, so I'm only aware of construction delays when they are mentioned.
I love the design of the house, the unique construction method, and the picturesque building site. I've learned quite a bit about some of the unusual construction challenges you've tackled making this dream a reality.
In all the first 110 pages, there has been one picture of the floor plan for the garage/shop area, and one fuzzy picture of the plans for the main level of the main house. I haven't yet seen any floor plans for the second floor or the basement/foundation of the main house, or for either floor of the guest quarters part of the house.
As I've read along, I have found myself looking back and forth between the model photo and the actual construction to visualize how it's all coming together. So last night I decided to look at your plans and pictures and build a model of my own.
I have four Arckit sets and a bunch of extra components. Arckit is an architectural model building tool thats pretty much like Legos for adults or architecture students. I used the Arckit to build a model of my own garage/workshop, so with everything I had, I thought I would have enough to model your house. I was wrong. I ran short of roofing before I finished the garage roof, and a shortage of short walls meant I couldn't do the foundation and also left me with 12' high garage door openings, rather than a more reasonable 8' high opening.
In building the model, I was better able to grasp how it all fits together. I didn't realize the second floor of the main house hung out past the first floor until I found the stairway wouldn't fit which sent me back to studying the plans and your model photo. Also, it really wasn't until I really studied the plans that I figured out that your main entrance wasn't on the long front glass wall.
It was fun building the model, and at 1/4"=1', I can clearly see just how big this place is. There are limitations building a model with Arckit. The walls are limited to multiples of 4' in both length and height. That makes doing small spaces like bathrooms and closets nearly impossible. Also, walls can only go together at 90 degrees and there are separate pieces that allow a 45 degree angle, so my garage wing is at a different angle than the one on your model. Still I think it turned out okay. From the location of windows in your photos, I could figure out the location of the bathroom in the guest quarters, but I didn't know if there were any interior walls at all on the second floor of the main house.
Once I've finished reading the next 40 pages, I'll be all caught up and will take the model back apart.
Thanks for bringing us along on your building adventure.
