About 7:00PM Monday evening a heavy wind storm came through Northfield. We lost power on the west side of town for an hour or so. There was heavy rain with the wind. When I looked out the front windows of my home I discovered there was one less boulevard tree in Northfield.

We lost a nice maple that we planted many years ago. The tree looked healthy and strong, but obviously was no match for the wind that toppled it. Seeing the power of nature up close is always a humbling experience.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:58 PM | Link

 
Northfield had a good old fashioned ice cream social last Thursday evening as part of our ongoing Sesquicentennial celebrations. The First National Bank of Northfield donated the ice cream. Three Links CEO Pat Vincent recruited several local people to scoop ice cream. I took a scooping shift and had a great time.

The Jesse James Gang was in the bank for photos. They have been together for nearly 30 years. The Gang travels around to other community events, representing Northfield Defeat of Jesse James Days.

My brother-in-law Ross Currier also helped scoop ice cream. Ross is the executive director of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation. The NDDC works at developing plans and ideas to keep Northfield's downtown strong and healthy.

There will be other upcoming Sesquicentennial events as we continue to celebrate our 150 years. Watch for the man being shot out of a cannon across the Cannon River over July 4th!

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:18 AM | Link

 
Brent and Tristan are doing a great job on the kitchen and porch remodeling job they are working on. The owners can get a good idea of how the final product is going to look now.

The major framing work has been completed and inspected. On this project the roof is hand cut using dimensional lumber, not roof trusses that are so common today. There are usually some framing challenges in remodeling work. The city building official was by on Monday to give his OK to the work. There are a wide variety of hold-down clips that are available today to create structural integrity in unique situations. These were not available or in use many years ago and the result was occasional sags or dips in roofs or floors, as well as ‘sticky’ window or door operations from time to time.

The porch will have a beautiful 1x4 tongue and groove fir floor. That is a real traditional porch floor and will suit this lovely Craftsman style home very well.

The insulation is in place in the small kitchen expansion and drywall is being installed. The extension of the west wall creates just enough room to create an island counter in the kitchen. I know the owners will be pleased with this new kitchen….and glad to have it functioning soon after several weeks without a kitchen.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:22 AM | Link

 
Work on Millstream Commons continues to move along well. We have the roof shingles all installed and are pretty much watertight. There are a couple of flat roof porch areas that we are just finishing installing the rubber membrane, then the entire building will be sealed.

Most of the windows have been installed. This took some real effort from the workers as the windows are very large. Many have a framed area below the window for the room air conditioners. When there are no air conditioners below the windows there is a glass panel.

We are doing something that we have not done on a job before. On top of the Tyvek building wrap we install strips of 3/8” treated plywood. The cement based siding will be installed directly on top of the furring strips. This will create an air space in back of the siding which will allow any moisture to run down the building wrap and exit at the bottom of the siding. We have a screen vent at the bottom of the furring strips. This is being done to ensure 100% building envelope drainage. It is an interesting idea that looks like it will work well.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:28 AM | Link

 
We have had a couple of days of great weather for house framing this week and have made use of it. The lower level bearing walls of my home were finished and we have moved onto setting joists.

I selected 12” I-joists made by Roseburg Forest Products. These are engineered wood products that make and excellent floor system. The supplier creates a drawing for joist placement that the carpenters follow. The joists come rough cut to the length we need allowing joists to run full length from one side of the building to the other.

The I-joists look like mini steel I beams.

They have a top and bottom flange made of laminated veneers. The RFPI joists I selected have a 2-5/16” wide flange which provides excellent gluing and nailing surface for the subfloor deck. The vertical center member is made of 3/8” oriented strand board. The center flange is glued and pressure fitted into the top and bottom flanges to create a tight, straight, strong floor.The joists are light enough that two carpenters can handle most of them, saving on labor costs.

Another advantage of an engineered floor system is waste reduction. Since the joists come pre-cut to the house there is very little waste. Generally a few inches is all that is needed to be trimmed off the joists. The waste pile easily fits in a wheelbarrow.

I selected an insulated rim joist made by Emercor. The rim joist fits at the ends of the I-joists at the perimeter of the building. It is 2-1/2” thick, consisting of a layer of ½” oriented strand board (OSB), a 1-1/2” layer of polyurethane insulation, and another layer of OSB. This material provides a very strong rim joist with a high insulation value. The joist by itself is R-14….more insulation than a standard 2x4 wall typically contains.

The insulated rim joist is glued to the wall or sill plates, sealing any gaps with adhesive. The plywood floor decking will then be glued to the top of the rim joist, sealing the top tight. With adhesives added to the joints of the rim joist the entire floor assembly ends up being sealed very tight against air infiltration.

All these products are manufactured using small diameter trees. While standard lumber requires mature trees of high quality, engineered lumber products can be manufactured using much smaller trees of lower quality. This makes it possible to harvest timber more often on forest lands.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:09 AM | Link

 
Over the weekend I worked at my home installing forming for a structural concrete floor in the garage. Because of the elevation difference from front to back on the lot, I decided to create a room under part of the garage.

There are generally two ways to create a structural concrete floor in a garage. The first involves using pre-cast concrete planks. These are typically 8" thick hollow core planks that have steel cables in them. During the manufacturing process the steel cables are pulled very tight in the forms, then the concrete is installed. Once the concrete has cured the tension on the cables is released, creating a pre-tensioned concrete plank. For garages the planks are often about 24" wide. Using pre-cast concrete planks lowers the ceiling of the room below by the thickness of the planks. The planks are trucked to the job site and set in place by a crane.

The method I chose for my garage floor is a cast in place structural floor. To do this I set up a solid plywood form supported on joists and beams. On top of the plywood form I installed polyethylene to keep the forms clean for re-use. I then installed 1" thick sleepers to hold the reinforcing steel precisely 1" up from the bottom of the concrete. #5 (5/8") reinforcing steel bars were installed 12" on center in both directions across the form. Later this week we will install the 5" thick concrete floor on this form. Once it has cured the floor will support its own weight and the weight of the vehicles in the garage above it.

I cut tapers on the sides of the treated wood sleepers. They are 'key locked' into place in the concrete and flush with the bottom of the concrete. I can then use the sleepers, set at 16" on center, to attach a ceiling to the room if desired.

Both these methods work well to create space under a garage. I selected the formed in place process to save money and time. Since I could do all the formwork installation myself over the weekend I only have the investment of time in the project. I also was able to form up the area right away so the floor could be installed. If I used pre-cast concrete planks they would have cost me roughly $8 per square foot for the planks, plus I would have had to wait about a month from the foundation installation to get them delivered. Using the cast in place method saved me the cost of the plank and got the job done quickly.

I used Professional Design Group (PDG) in Northfield to do the engineering work for my structural slab. Mike Braucher and I met and went over the plans. Mike determined the thickness of the concrete, the size and spacing of the reinforcing steel and the strength of the concrete for the floor. It is really handy having a good engineering firm like PDG here in Northfield.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:26 AM | Link

 
Work is moving along well with the Craftsman remodeling project we are doing on Second Street. The screen porch and deck take quite an elaborate structure to support the loads

For the kitchen addition we decided to re-use the existing window. I like to re-use quality components of a home when remodeling if it makes sense to do so. In this case the window was in very good condition. The storm/screens were also in good condition. In its new location the window will be protected from the weather with a good overhang. As you can see in the photo, this window has true muntin bars to create five divided lights on the top sash. The muntin bars are rather delicate and original to the home. It makes good sense to add modern weatherstrip and save a window like this.

The owners are starting to work out color selections for the exterior painting. This can be a big task. It is a mistake to think you can select the colors for a home from the tiny color samples at a paint store. It is best to narrow the selections using those color chips, but then to finalize decions based on larger samples.

In this case the owners have slected several color options and painted them on one side of the garage wall. This allows good viewing of the colors together....siding, window trim, etc. You want to avoid having a wall of a home painted and thinking "How could I have picked that color?" It is much better to do smaller test samples and be truly comfortable with the selected colors well in advance of the painting.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:12 AM | Link

 
Northfield Construction has been trying to use more lumber and wood products grown in a sustainable manner. This involves managing a forest according to guidlines set forth by forest councils.

The idea is to see that the lumber harvest is managed properly from the time a bid is made on timber, through the actual harvest of the timber, including how the harvested area is managed, where roads are placed, etc. There is a separate entity that certifies forests that are being managed properly. You can see on this lumber wrap that this lumber is from a certified forest.

It is important to think about where our lumber comes from and how the forests there are managed. Much of our spruce, pine and fir lumber comes from Canada. The states of Washington and Oregon produce a lot of our cedar lumber. Minnesota is a big producer of engineered products such as oriented strand board.

Posted by Ray Cox at 2:20 PM | Link

 
Every year Northfield Construction Company sponsors student advertising. As part of the Arts and Communications curriculum in the schools, the students design advertisments for area businesses.

I thought this year's product by Ashley Malecha was good. I like the slogan "Build, build, build..we come to build and nothing but to build." Ashley did a nice job working up an ad for Northfield Construction.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:07 AM | Link

 
Work continues on the home I’m building. Once the foundation is installed we move onto dealing with water control issues.

The first line of defense for keeping water out of the lower level of a home is usually some type of coating applied to the exterior foundation wall. I used a polymer product manufactured by Mar-Flex. It is a black, spray applied material that remains flexible for years and years. It cures in about 24 hours. This is a true waterproofing agent, not a damproofing material.

When the Mar-Flex has cured we install a 6 mil polyethylene membrane over it. The polyethylene isn’t really needed for waterproofing requirements. I use it as a protection for the waterproofing coating and as a slip sheet between the coating and the insulation to be applied.

When the polyethylene membrane is applied, we cover it with 2” extruded rigid foam insulation. This insulation is run from the base of the foundation wall right up to the top of the wall. It is fastened in place using concrete nails drilled into the foundation wall. The nails have large metal washers at the head to the insulation is pulled tight to the foundation wall. I like to use rigid insulation as it keeps the foundation wall on the warm side of the insulation. It also acts as a drainage board to allow water migrate down the foundation wall.

Once the waterproofing and insulation is in place we install 5” perforated draintile. The first application of the draintile is on the exterior of the home immediately adjacent to the footings of the foundation wall. We use a 5” perforated tile with a filter sock on it. The sock keeps the draintile clear. The draintile is laid in a bed of clean 3/8” pea rock and covered with 8” of the same rock. When the rock is in place we lay a 36” wide filter fabric over the rock. The filter fabric keeps the pea rock clean and free-draining. In the case of this home, the exterior draintile extends into the backyard and terminates to daylight in a slope.

On the interior of the basement we also run a 5” perforated draintile with a filter sock cover. Here we use pea rock to set the tile, but do not cover it with filter fabric. The interior draintile terminates in a sump pit where any water that percolates into the tile will drain. We install about 6”-8” of granular material under the basement concrete floor so the whole floor system drains to the tiles.

When we are installing the concrete footings we plan for the draintile installation. We put 6” sleeves through the footings where needed so we can pass the draintile through the footings and keep it at the proper elevation. We also generally stop the interior footings short of the exterior footings so that the interior draintile can run around the inside of the footings uninterrupted at the proper level.

The final measure of moisture control will come just before we lay the basement concrete floor. We generally will install a 6 mil polyethylene vapor barrier under the concrete. In the case of my home I will be having 2” of urethane insulation sprayed on the crushed rock base. The 2” thick insulation is a seamless vapor barrier. Heating tubes will be stapled to the urethane and that will be covered with concrete.

This sounds like a lot of work….it is. The total cost of this material is not excessive. Draintile pipe, pea rock, filter fabric, etc. are realativily inexpensive. There is a fair amount of labor involved in installing this comprehensive drainage system. However, following this system has given virtually every project we construct a dry basement. I know the homeowners appreciate knowing that we have done everything we can to manage and control water. You don’t really get a second chance to do this work as it is all buried and covered as the job moves along.

An added benefit to these water control features is that any radon issues can also be addressed. If there is a high presence of radon it will usually migrate out the exterior draintile to the outdoors. If necessary, the sump pit can be sealed and vented.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:03 AM | Link

 
Late last month we started an addition and remodeling on Second Street in Northfield. The home is a lovely 1920’s Craftsman style home. Gary Hanson with Prairie Creek Architects prepared the drawings for the project. He did a great job working out important details to keep the architectural style of the home intact.

Brent Hauge is the Site Superintendent for the job, being assisted by Tristan Cox. For years I’ve used Northfield Construction Company identification signs that also identify who the Superintendent is. I find that neighbors like to know who to ask for if there is something that we need to address. Remodeling in existing neighborhoods creates noise, dust, parking issues, debris concerns, etc. Brent and everyone at Northfield Construction Company are always ready to address any neighbor concerns.

The work involves bumping out the west kitchen wall 3’-6”. That doesn’t sound like much, but it will allow the kitchen to function well. We couldn’t expand further west as the wall would have interfered with drive access to the garage. Here Tristan is fitting the rafters in place and drilling ventilation holes for the tiny attic we are creating.

There will be a nice screen porch on the rear of the house. We are supporting the porch on a series of concrete piers. We use a powered auger to bore the holes for the forms for the piers.

There will also be a new airlock rear entry area. The residents will come through this area quite a bit as it leads in from the backyard and garage. Having a good airlock and coat closet is essential for families in Minnesota.

The home has a brick foundation below the 3” wood siding. We left a brick ledge in the foundation and will be installing new brick to match the existing bricks. This is a bit of a time consuming detail, but it really ties new and old work together well.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:35 AM | Link

 
A reader sent me an email and asked me what I meant when I said we ‘pumped’ the concrete for the footings. This does sound a bit strange to those folks not involved in the construction industry.

Some sites have good access and concrete trucks can drive around an excavation. If it works out, the trucks can attach chutes to the discharge area and place concrete into the excavation for placement in the footing forms. This takes a bit of labor as it involves a bunch of wheelbarrows and the workers necessary to push them.

If a site is confined, or if it makes economical sense, the concrete can be placed using a concrete pump rig. This is a large pump mounted on a truck. It drives under its own power to the construction site and sets up. The ready-mixed concrete trucks pull up to the pump truck and slowly discharge their concrete into the hopper.

The pump then takes the concrete from the hopper and sends it out in piping connected to long booms, discharging the concrete through a flexible hose at the end of the pipe.

Depending on the size of the concrete pump, they can reach 80’ to 220’ away from the truck. In the foundation pour we did yesterday the pump set up in front of the site and reached back about 90’.

We pumped about 100 cubic yards of concrete in short order. The boom of the concrete pump is radio controlled by the operator who stands nearby the people working the hose. He is the man on the right in the blue shirt and grey hat with his hand on the box in this photo.

The operator can move the boom in every direction and stop and start the pump from the control panel he wears strapped around his neck.

For this foundation there was no other good choice but to use a concrete pump to fill the forms. The concrete mix is specially designed to flow properly through the pump. We purchase our concrete from Cemstone.

They do a great job keeping the mix designs consistent throughout the pour. The walls of this type of foundation are very strong as the pour is continuous and there are lots of steel reinforcing rods in the wall forms.

A concrete pump is a wonderful labor saving device. In my early years in construction I ran wheelbarrows full of concrete up planks, down paths, and around corners, all with great ease. I rarely tipped a ‘buggy’….a sure sign of a rookie. But, wheeling heavy concrete is hard on people…pumps are the best way to handle large pours today.

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:37 AM | Link

 
I was reading Melissa Cuccio's website today and learned that James Gang Coffeehouse and Eatery recently won an award.

Applauze magazine rated them the 'best coffee establishment in Southern Minnesota'. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I can vouch for the fact that they have good tea, great service, and excellent soups and sandwiches. Congratulations are in order for James and Joan Spaulding and their hardworking family and staff!

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:02 PM | Link

 
After 30 years in the same home, Ellen and I are building a new home for ourselves. I’ve constructed many, many homes for people in the Northfield area but have never built a new home for myself. Now Ellen and I can experience firsthand what our client’s experience!

A couple of years ago a wooded lot in an existing area of Northfield became available. It is located just east of Kraewood Conifers on Greenvale Avenue where our family, and many others in Northfield, cut Christmas trees for years. The lot has several big white pines and other conifers on it.

We managed to get good weather for the excavation last week. May has not been the best month to start construction due to the wet, cold weather we have had. But Tuesday and Wednesday were fine days. Jim Gleason and his crew with American Excavating handled the digging. Due to the slope of the lot they had to truck in some granular materials to raise the grade a bit.

Friday we poured the footings. There is not a lot of extra room on the site so we used a concrete pump to place the concrete from the street. The foundation walls will also be poured concrete so we put steel bars extending out of the footings. The reinforcing steel in the walls will connect to these bars.

Yesterday the workers started setting the aluminum foundation wall forms. These type of forms helped make concrete foundations popular. The older plywood and steel forms are very heavy and require a lot of work to keep clean. The aluminum or magnesium forms are light and, when maintained properly, are easy to keep clean.

It is exciting working on my own home. Gary Hanson with Prairie Creek Architects designed the home for Ellen and me. I’ve worked on a lot of homes with Gary over the years. It is a Prairie style home. I’ve liked Prairie homes since I was in high school….it is nice to be constructing one to live in…..but it is tough to leave our home of 30 years.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:40 AM | Link