garden floor progress

Part of the garden floor slab was poured yesterday! It was so exciting to see a non-dirt floor down there. Soon, after the plumbing inspection, the rest of the slab will be poured as well- probably in the next couple of weeks.

A layer of insulation is laid down before the slab is poured. You can also see the grid of rebar which will give the slab more strength.

The poured slab in all it's glory. Radiant heating and a travertine stone tile floor will eventually be sitting on top of this.

The concrete truck poured concrete right through the front window opening of the garden floor! You can see the new areaway in the background.

There's also a lot of progress being made at the other end of the garden floor: our sump pump pit has been poured and is awaiting installation of the pump and basin.

The blue basin will be set in the poured pit on a bed and surround of sand.

And just because it was such a nice day out I took some shots from the back of the house. You can see the new gutter in the second picture. There will be a fake "extension" gutter to simulate the continuation of the leader.

almost closed up

The majority of new work continues at the top of the house while we wait for our plumbing inspection and new slab to be poured at the garden floor.

New foam insulation was sprayed just last week at the new top floor and attic. Can you believe it only took them a day to finish both levels?

Our new chimney is also complete at the north side of the house. It looks tall, but by code it has to clear the new, sloped attic roof by quite a bit.

Here's what our elevator shaft looks like at the moment- all framed out and ready to be sheet rocked.

Despite not having a floor at the garden level electrical and plumbing work continues...

Our electrician has moved our service end box (where Con Edison lines meet our house lines) and electrical meter from the inside the house to just beneath our new stoop.

Copper piping is also being installed at the garden floor. In a few more months all these pipes will be covered up behind a new kitchen.

We also continue to select more hardware and finishes for the townhouse. Here you can see two door knob prototypes from SA Baxter, a great hardware company in Manhattan.

The knob on the right was our first prototype and the knob on the left is our final prototype. While the polishes and finishes are not what we'll have in the townhouse (we've chosen an amazing light antique nickel) the style of the knob on the left is correct. Can you tell the difference between the two? We've made one of the rings on the knob smaller.

Soon our contractor will have the elevator and stair subcontractors to the house and any day he will be ordering the plumbing fixtures and fittings. Today is also the very first day that the audio/video subs are on site as well.

floor by floor

The mechanical and masonry work on the house are advancing quickly floor by floor. As you can see from the pictures, the new north stack of three fireplaces is almost a third of the way complete.

the parlor floor fireplace

the master bedroom fireplace

and the terra cotta flues for all three fireplaces above.

Below you can see the air condensers being installed at the roof above the new floor. They are part of a Daikon HVAC system which allows for smaller, more numerous air handlers throughout the house. The smaller size makes them easier to hide in millwork and ceilings- a must when you have a tall client and don't want to drop ceilings!

And as a final picture, the exterior of the house. Below the tarp you can just make out the lines of the new mansard roof and curved dormer. Our contractor has removed the existing cornice for the time being so as not to damage it during construction. It will most likely be used to create a mold for a new cornice which will match the existing (see house to the right).