Archive for the ‘Timber Frame’ Category

Oiled Beams

We are taking advantage of the wide open spaces – no wine racks or display cabinets, to paint the walls and oil the beams.  The beams are vertical grain  Douglas Fir and we are giving them a coat of Danish woodworkers oil to help protect wood.

The candelabra provides light and a soothing atmosphere for  Larry from Somers Painting as he applies the oil to the beams.

Larry from Somers Painting

The drywall brings out the geometry and dignity of the mortise and tenon timberframe.

Three phases of the project are in transition.   On the outside we are finishing up the siding (our project was featured in NuCedar’s recent newsletter) and starting the planting. Inside we are installing and taping the drywall.  And in the basement we are running electrical lines and finishing the piping for the geothermal system.   All of the lighting will be monitored by computers linked to touchpad controls.

The Charlestown Package Store is a fluid blend of old and new.   Timberframe, stone walls, native landscaping and thermally broken EPS panels, computer controlled LED lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, low VOC finishes.   Designed and built by local architects and contractors, the project demonstrates design and construction that is sustainable and sensible.  We are proud to be part of the team.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling & Lighting Control Panel

Landscaping the front of the store.

Century Electric's Tim Robar explains the switching to owner Jon Maldon.

This morning we are working from the top to the bottom and pretty much everywhere in between.  In the big picture below the first of the upper roof panels is being set into place while the concrete truck pours the basement slab.

Meanwhile, on the lower part of the roof we are running the electrical wires and wires for the security and alarm systems.  We don’t want any exposed wiremold or electrical conduit so all ceiling mounted fixtures are being wired from the outside. This requires careful planning and skilled hands. To the left Sam Joslin, of Century Electric, confers with Dave Vinick, of Home Electronics.  To the right Len Capizanno locates the overhead fixtures.

And, while all this is going on up above, Ca-Gin Concrete pours the basement slab.  The blue foam blocks mark the location of the footings for the steel columns that will support the floor and roof structure.  Once the floor hardens the foam will be removed. And after the columns are set the diamond shapes will be patched and the concrete will secure the base of the columns.

For a quick history of the project scroll down to go back through Older Entries.

The new store is located at 4625 Old Post Road (right next to the existing store).

We are beginning to install the Climate-Block panels.  These panels will serve as the curtain wall for the timber frame portion of the building and the entire structure for the beer cooler and wine storage room. Made of engineered lumber and expanded polystyrene (EPS) the wall panels have a true R-value of 30, with no thermal bridging.

Both the timber frame and the Climate-Block panels are cut on a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine and delivered to our site ready to install.  This requires careful planning and thoughtful engineering and results in a tighter, more energy efficient building.

Special thanks to our structural engineer, Ernie George who has worked closely with Oyster Works, South County Post and Beam, and Delta H to integrate the different building systems and help us bring our design to life.

For a quick history of the project scroll down to go back through Older Entries.

The new store is located at 4625 Old Post Road (right next to the existing store).

Take a look!   Five days of beautiful weather and teamwork and the timber frame is up. Brother and sister owners, Jon Maldon and Jane Gross, watch as Todd Bissell, of South County Post and Beam, gets ready to lift the last beam.

We love the simple elegance of the timber frame and part of us wishes that we could leave the frame exposed.   But…Monday morning the Climate-Block panels arrive and we begin to close in the building.

If you drive by and notice parts of the foundation with no framing, don’t think that we ran out of lumber.   The areas without a timber frame are the wine storage room and beer cooler and they will be built entirely of Climate-Block panels.

The frame stands in the afternoon light.