The Breezeway

Seems like we've been mired down in details a lot lately, but we have made some progress.  Tar paper now covers the walls, we've completed the rooftop insulation and we've framed the breezeway roof.  We chose tar paper over modern house wraps for a few different reasons.  First, it's time-tested and second, it actually becomes more vapor-permeable when it gets wet.  House-wrap manufacturers are still trying to work that one out.  On the roof, we went with 1 1/2" polyisocyanurate insulation.  We've got 4 loooong valleys, so typical roof ventilation would only cover about half the roof surface.  We decided instead to create an un-vented roof system, and insulate above the deck to prevent condensation from forming on the plywood.  It also worked really well with some of our trim details - the 1 1/2" insulation planes perfectly with our 2x4 purlins over the breezeway.

There are a couple conventional houses under construction not far down the road that I drive past almost every day.  The first broke ground about the same time as we did last winter, and the homeowners moved in a month or so ago.  The second began in late September and it looks like they've just about caught up with us.  I just drive by, grit my teeth, and get back to work.

In the photo below, I'm standing in our newly minted breezeway, looking toward the main entry.  Yes, the rafters are blue (greenish blue really).  It's a tradition down south to paint the porch ceiling pale blue, to resemble the sky.  The word is that this keeps bugs away, but I can't back this up from personal experience.  Any way, we'll paint our porch ceilings blue, because I like the color, and these rafters will be the ceiling of the breezeway.  So that's why they're blue.

We've also put up some of the polycarbonate siding.  It's clear, but also insulating, and it comes in sheets up to 6'x12'.  It's an inexpensive way to bring in lots of daylight without building a wall of custom windows, and I like the quality of the light that comes through.  I'll get a better closeup soon.

Looking back toward the house from the carport...

And around the back side of the carport...

Another thing that's slowed our progress lately is our finish carpentry framing.  Typically, most framing is covered by wall, ceiling and floor finishes, but in our house, much of this framing will be exposed.  We spent about a week, for example, sanding and staining the rafter tails beneath the roof overhang.  It was tedious, but had to be done before the roof.  Otherwise, we would have had overspray all OVER the roof.

I don't think I've shown this view before.  It's the view from where our pond will ultimately be, right about water level, in fact.  That's some more polycarbonate going up in the two gables, and copper flashing covering the band above the first floor.

This is our library terrace, which will be just below the dam.  We'll have 3 wide steps up to the library and 3 steps more up to the front porch.  The doors into the living roof will be sliding pocket doors that will be concealed within the exterior wall when open.

And here's the view from the garden.  This shows the roof insulation a little better.  All those spots are 3" washers to hold the material down to the deck.  We should have our roofing on site early next week and the forecast looks great.  With any luck, we'll have a finished roof before the next rain.