
The San Francisco bay area really has two seasons, wet and dry. We’ve been lucky that we’ve only had two fairly light rain storms come through so far, and the framing has had plenty of time to dry out. But the wet season usually starts in earnest after Thanksgiving, and we want to get the outside of the house waterproof by then if at all possible. So all construction effort for the last two weeks has focused on the outer walls, roof and decks.
You can see in the picture above how much more of the exterior is done. We decided drainage details for all the decks, and Alex & his crew have put tapered framing stringers on the deck surfaces, in preparation for 3/4” plywood to create the final sloped decks. On Monday, our waterproofing subcontractor will pour foam insulation onto these decks to fill in the space between the stringers, then Alex will put on the plywood, and waterproofer will install metal flashing around the edges, tape the seams, and put on the first coat of a polyurethane waterproofing system.


The outside looked like this pic on the left, a week ago on a nice sunny day. Almost all of the 3rd floor exterior framing is complete, but the second floor is still wide open.
Compare that to a picture I took today, when it’s cloudy and humid and cool. Most of the second floor exterior walls are framed out, and you can see where Bob’s crew has installed plastic over the decks on the 3rd floor, just in case it rains this weekend.


This bedroom is ready for windows. This photo from last week looks out toward the street, through the framing for three window units on the front and side of the master bedroom. The railing outside is the scaffolding that was erected over the front and sides of the building almost 2 weeks ago.
You can also see the roof has been completed. Crown Ridge Roofing of San Rafael did it in a half a day. We chose a 50-year composite shingle roof, since it is lightweight, efficient, and the roof isn’t really visible from anywhere near the house. We also picked a color that was not too dark, so the roof absorbs less heat in the summer.
In summary, this week we’ll be completing the decks. And installing windows, which arrive tomorrow morning!