Posted by ppeery on May 9th, 2011 in Architecture and Design, Education and Inspiration, Green Building
Joe Barnes, Bundoran Farm’s development manager will be a featured speaker at the James River Green Building Council’s monthly luncheon. The program entitled “Green Building – A Developer’s Perspective” will focus on how and why developers are embracing eco-friendly designs to enhance the communities they develop and the individual buildings they construct. Joining Joe Barnes, will be two other local Charlottesville area developers, Frank Stoner and Jim Stultz.
This luncheon will be held at City Space, 100 5th St. NE, on the Downtown Mall, Charlottesville, VA. Doors open at 11:50 and the Seminar begins at approximately 12:10 pm.
For more information about this luncheon and other programs sponsored by the James River Green Building Council, visit JRGBC.
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Posted by ppeery on March 15th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today was a hard but exceptional day–with strong winds and incessant
mud creating adverse conditions for roofing–including panels blowing
off the rack and getting both the boom forklift and basket lift
stuck….not to mention late UPS deliveries for much needed materials
critical to roofing…it was enough to send me over the edge a couple of
times…:’(
Chief credit goes to the crews who worked hard and non-stop way past
quitting time to finish the last panels prior to cutting the end purlins
and rakes–which we will button up tomorrow. Mercifully we paneled the
west side first–since the winds got increasingly stronger during the
afternoon–and protected us leeward while we roofed the east. Had it
been the reverse–we would have been blown off with a panel or two, or
three or multiples thereof…=-O
The interior crews are also making progress–almost completing the vault
and on their way on the eave walls with the rustic channel
shiplap–giving the room a lovely textured ambiance…both elegant and
wood/warm/welcoming….with the vaulted v-groove and cupolas simply
stunning….
I am leaving for VT to see my Beloved for several days….leaving the
work and mission in the loving and capable hands of these wonderful men
who withhold nothing from giving their best.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 15th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today the weather pretty much controlled our work–driving most of the
smart ones under roof to stay out of the incessant storms with a few of
us not so smart wild men out on the roof system bolting the king trusses
to the beam and blocking the rafters in preparation for roofing
(hopefully) tomorrow. It was wild and stormy day so I got to look on
occasion at the inside and see the v-groove reaching the now opened up
cupolas displaying their breathtaking grandeur to us below.
We have now begun to side the venue walls and have two night crews this
evening–although I am fleeing into Charlottesville at the generous
invitation of my clients to take a hot shower and eat a warm meal….no
small blessing these days with the pervasive wind and rain.
We so hope to roof tomorrow–and while we are not quite ready–if we can
dig the basket lift out of the mud and get the rest of the fascia work
done we should be able to run the panels by midday.
Stay tuned–
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 15th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
After yesterday’s zenith kind of a day–perhaps it was normative to head
into a more subdued valley today. The crews did great getting the
purlins on, roofing the shed roof over the tasting room bar, flashing
the rest of the porches, and making great strides on the v-groove venue
vaulted ceiling–close to half done now–as well as the bridal loft in
beaded fir. I am always pleased when the crews comment on the quality
of the Bethel Mills materials–and especially when they guess how much
they cost and come in triple what I pay–to their utter amazement and
admiration for the product’s value. It says a lot that I can ship such
excellent materials from VT to VA and stay well below the competitive
prices here–not to mention the excellent service and consistent quality
we have come to expect and enjoy.
As far me–my day was characterized by administrative headaches,
mistakes, wrecking a porch column with the forklift and snapping off a
bracket from the boom in the process of threading the 10′ post bay
(needle) with 16′ units of shiplap…mostly successfully until the final
screw up. Aaron could not have been nicer–helping me replace the
post–until we decided that it was better to leave it out for the time
being so we could stage more material without mishap. I consoled myself
with the somewhat specious internal argument that the post I massacred
was the gnarliest of the ten of the elegant front veranda and benefited
from replacement anyway…but the sting of my poor judgment abated only
slowly. My phone rang all day long and after yesterday’s productivity I
felt completely inept.
Mercifully it was not contagious…:-\ ….and we are just about ready
to roof–although tonight and tomorrow are forecast to drop 3″ of rain
with high winds on Friday…which may delay by another day going home
for a much longed for weekend with my precious wife Susanne….whom I
have not seen for over a month.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 15th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today was one of those days that is filled with more grace than we could even absorb–perfect weather, a flawless crane operator who threaded the needle with half ton trusses, a team of guys who all pulled together and made it happen, clients who both galvanize and appreciate both the myriad details and panoramic view of the project–and at long last–seeing the wonder of the Pippin Hill winery at Bundoran Farm turn the corner and blossom into its final, intended shape as we set the roof system on the tasting room.
I use the word “intended” with no little awe. We had put on most of the trusses and had run out of room on our assembly floor so most of the team put the rest together while the crane dropped them below… (and later flew them back to their final resting place on the upper beam.) During that brief hiatus I grabbed my camera and shot a hundred pictures–but could not capture what captured me the most from up on the veranda roof. I saw groups of guys–many of whom had not even met a few months ago–flawlessly doing their jobs and running like a well oiled machine and truly enjoying it with grace and aplomb…giving all they have to give to create literally a work of art. I stood there taking pictures of this huge piece of my heart and wept with gratitude to be a part of something so wondrously greater than anything I could ask for or imagine.
The work that has gone into this journey is extraordinary–and is a testimony not only to our clients–Dean and Lynn Andrews–but their capacity to assemble a team of designers, builders, artisans, engineers, decorators and more to first pull this together and then to pull it off with an integrated camaraderie and esprit de corps that has allowed us to receive even more than we have given. This epiphany was a trenchant reminder that what we do is as much about the loving relationships we enter as it is about the structures we build…. both integral to the Geobarn journey.
As if this were not enough–the New England crew set (with the able help of a giant crane) all the trusses on the Hopkinton Farmer’s market–twice the size of what we did today….it has been quite a day…. 
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 8th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today we spent time further weathertighting the building for insulation
coming to other end–with extensive flashing and ice and water shield
along the roof to wall connections….Ben and his crew got the veranda
connector overbuild and valley down right…for them a good day’s work
whereas for me a week of trial and error…mostly error…:-\
Most of us were otherwise occupied ramping up for the crane’s arrival
tomorrow to fly the trusses to their new home atop the tasting room
upper beam….all ready to go with rafters cut, collar ties and gussets
prepped and the big half ton king trusses built below with hundreds of
pounds of steel, bolts and doug fir….going to be a thrill to watch
them land above…..this will be the final “taking shape” day–when the
design will fill its intended plan and we get to see what began in our
hearts and minds some months ago….so many people working together as a
team to fulfill the vision of our clients. As a testimony to this note
the parking lot with twenty cars in the middle of the day….and as I
write this there are two crews running siding on the main venue vaulted
ceiling and the bridal loft–who will be here past midnight. I am on
“night call” but have prayed and been assured they really know what they
are doing….so hopefully they will keep on keeping on with or without me.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 8th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today was spent diagonal framing, fabricating king truss # 2, “purlinizing” the connector roof and most of all–getting the 2/3 of the building weathertight for insulating this weekend…a major milestone. We had two crews up top flashing and wrapping and siding the cupolas–which in a building of this scale are essentially Geomicrobarns in their own right….8′x10′ and tall enough to stand up inside….like three garden sheds perched up top in North Garden VA where we work at the Pippin Hill site on the superbly green Bundoran Farm development….
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard – Charlottesville, Virginia – Opening Spring 2011
Bundoran Farm: Charlottesville, VA Land For Sale | Albemarle County Farms & Land For Sale
The two crews also boarded up the window apertures as we await their arrival–it is supposed to rain heavily on Sunday which we know does not mix well with insulation. It has been a good week with great weather–and the work weekend is just starting…
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 8th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
We were blessed with another productive day today with many tangential
treats as well…including the arrival of the “venue v-groove” with an
exquisite cream color whitewash, the expedited shipping of 300′ of
additional flashing needed for the roof, a very amiable and enthusiastic
building inspector who asked if he could bring the whole Albemarle
County department down here on a field trip to see our creative project,
a call from Martha Stewart Whole Living Magazine which is doing an
article on one of our buildings (http://www.geobarns.com/RLB-detail.htm)
and finally finding a large steel masseuse (see her on 2658) who was
able to bend the slightly curvaceous upper beams into two perfectly
horizontal lines after other fruitless efforts to get them
straight…:-D ….who also kicked up her heels (only a few inches) when
loaded down with too much of the v-groove extended 30′ onto the porch….
The guys really went to town finishing the venue framing, the connector
rafters, wrapping the cupolas, diagonally framing another tasting room
wall and completing the first king truss which includes all the myriad
calculations and trial and error to get it right….which will take ten
of us to lift off its little assembly posts to make room for the
fabrication of the next one–which should take half the time of the first.
It has been a wonderful week….we are looking forward to yet another
good day tomorrow.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 8th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today we had more crew on site than ever and were fortunately able to
accomplish a commensurate amount of work with the numbers and skill we
had….flashing the cupolas, starting the “King trusses”, diagonally
framing another wall of the tasting room, siding the alcoves, putting up
half the rafters in the connector…and generally having a whole lot of
fun in the sun….8-)
We have some exceptional carpenters who can at least act like they are
operating two skillsaws at once, and others who “fly” on a zip line from
cupola to cupola, and yet others who operate the 60′ basket boom as
gracefully as a swan….and on and on from all the people who parked
their 30 cars in the parking lot today…plumbers, electricians, media
wizards and of course the occasional clients who come by excited to see
the progress on where they will have their wedding in a few months…
It is such a privilege to be a part of a team–where the whole is much
greater than the sum of its parts–where none of us could function even
close to how we are without each other. In many ways–while we are
proud of our work and individual efforts and skill–this is really an
economy of humility in that there is enormous interdependence on each
other not only to get things done but to know how to do them right in
the first place. I consider myself a proficient Geobarn builder after
almost 150 barn structures–but my clients, carpenter colleagues and
construction superintendents from Artisan have saved untold days of time
and averted countless mistakes through their watchfulness and wisdom and
willingness to stretch the envelope on all our behalf.
There is no way to adequately express gratitude for such giving…other
than allowing it to change and grow us where we would otherwise never
tread….hoping to return even a portion of the faith and trust that has
been invested in us.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 8th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
We were blessed with a gorgeous day today….the weather could not have
been more perfect. We got he layout done for the tasting room
rafters–including the big king trusses–and some guys were up in the
basket all day flashing the cupolas while others sided the main entry
alcoves and even ran some of our signature trim with the corner bead.
It was quite productive–and just seeing a little but of the trim go one
was a real morale booster for me as just a small piece of the final look
takes shape. We realize we have about 20 miles of siding, trim and
interior sheathing to install…but just the beginning is a major milestone.
We really do have phenomenal crews here–every day I count myself more
than blessed.
george abetti – geobarns
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