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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Posted by ppeery on March 8th, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today we hit the ground running with crews flashing the cupolas, siding
the exterior alcoves into the main entry, and setting up scaffolds along
the entire perimeter of the vaulted tasting room so that we had a place
from which to set the upper beams-which we almost finished except over
the bar where we need first to set posts on the flitch plated mega
truss…..along 30′ of the east eave. We worked outside in the pouring
rain which inundated us just before noon and were thoroughly soaked–but
the driving rain and wind came with warmer temperatures so it was
bearable until we stopped moving….8-) …but it was fun and makes for
a good story with a cup of tea near a warm fire….or even from a muddy
camper with an electric heater and a generously donated Mexican meal.
I am so blessed by the generosity of many others…all who make this
journey a joy.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 1st, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
…which dried out the wretched mud–quite quickly….after hitting 70
mph and knocking over ladders, blowing away tool boxes and clothing, and
even some scaffolding right off the tasting room floor…at which point
we decided we would work on the main level only…=-O
Mercifully I had asked one of trhe crews this morning to clamp all the
stacked roofing together–when those sheets break loose they are akin to
a low flying guillotine…bringing back memories of a roofing panel
lifting up and slamming me against a wall and knocking me out–holding
me flat and horizontal against it for a few moments….
The day turned gorgeous nonetheless….scudding clouds, sun and
shadows…and the strong winds bringing invigoration and adventure to my
restless heart that always wants to be on the edge of where the creation
manifest itself in power and beauty. The “Bobbies” and I got on a roll
and framed an entire eave wall of the tasting room in the wind in a
couple of hours….while other crews finished siding the north end and
framing the staging area and most of the kitchen…on the leeward side
of the project where their scaffolds didn’t run away in the gusts….8-)
It is amazing how radically a day can change from the morning to the
afternoon…keeps us both expectant and humble…and thankful.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 1st, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today we got the tasting room floor system in along with some framing
progress on the cupolas, siding the upper veranda and then some internal
framing when a bunch of the crew came indoors when it started to
rain….a few of us stayed outside and got wet and cold but there was a
winsome sense of adventure to it seeing clouds in the valley at eye
level and raindrops hanging off the base of every floor joist we just
put up…
I am shivering in my camper even with the heat on….but this too will
pass as I dry out and go to Lowe’s to buy more of an interminable supply
of Timberlok screws, bolts and nails….glad there is good heat in the
car….8-)
The much needed rain and beautiful mist also segued into the wretched
miasmic mud that clings to everything that touches it..tires, .tools,
shoes, clothes…and from there to my floor and furniture…sigh…I
love the rain but not the mud.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 1st, 2011 in Geobarns Updates
Today we focused on getting the buttresses up in the tasting room,
roofing the north porch, siding the veranda, and beginning to side the
cupolas in preparation for the insulators who we hope will be there next
week for the main venue. A significant resource in these endeavors have
been the machines–simple and complex, that enable us to do things in
hours that would otherwise take days or weeks to accomplish.
yesterday’s setting of the half ton girder supporting the wall over the
barn area onto the sistered posts was akin to a miracle fo rus–where I
can loft them in from above and get them within inches of their
destination. Today I rented a scissor lift and a basket crane without
which it will be impossible to side the ceiling of the main venue or
finish the cupolas, siding at the dropped gables, rakes….let alone the
time and safety hassles it requires to get guys up to the roof and then
to stay on it. I used to think these kinds of machines were for rich
wimps–whereas now I see them essentially as money makers that cut many
labor costs by well over half. The basket we use has a 60′ reach radius
in every direction, vertical and horizontal….really something.
We also had an administrative meeting with the superintendents, the
architect and our client to go over a short list of problems we need to
solve–with some siding cupping at the south entrance due to non
acclimated wood, high sunlight, and a lot of missed nails by the crew
who were trying to figure out the diagonal framing patterns…so we will
tear it off and replace it with more stable sheathing on site…and
hopefully do much better at keeping it stable.
It has been a challenge to run 4-5 crews weekly and learn many new
variations on our standard systems–this building being the equivalent
of an entire year’s work in terms of magnitude.square footage and man
hours….the labor here being about the same as a full year for all the
rest of the crews combined…and I certainly never want to even
contemplate not learning anymore….but it is a real stretch both
professionally and personally. I also have to learn some new language
to absorb all this–and should have called yesterday’s sandwiched girder
a “flitch plate”as opposed to a fletch plate….but hey–that is how we
learn…
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 1st, 2011 in General, Geobarns Updates
The day started out with a quarter inch of ice on everything that was not hot or moving fast–and all I could think of walking to my ice caked car at six am was how glad I was that I had just hired a young man named William to clean up the site and to tarp things carefully….at which he had done a wonderful job so our material was well protected and we were able to work at actually building rather than using vast quantities of time scraping the ice off our material in order to even handle it… thank you William… 
It was raw and cold the entire day and of course it was only fitting that we were attempting to set extremely heavy girders using the boom and working at keeping the ladders from sliding around on the floor–so a guy was assigned to anyone up on a ladder just to maintain stability. We also had a fair amount of trouble drilling the six girders encasing a massive “fletch plate”–a steel plate running 30′ over the bar from post to post which will support not only the upper beam above it but also the shed roof on the bar area bump out….with the girder assembly weighing about half a ton…
I ran out of bolts and had to make several calls to our lead engineer to see if any mistakes we made (and there were a number of them) were critical to its integrity (which they were not) and to see what changes I could make in the field to streamline the process (all were accepted). It was pretty tense there for a while dealing with a large number of spinning plates and making sure we stayed safe while simultaneously keeping everyone occupied. It sure made me miss Matthew even more than I already do for the couple of days he –but overall it was a productive day in spite of the ice everywhere and the raw cold seeping into my body sitting in the forklift trying to stay warm. The other crews have almost finished framing the north porch–a raw example of herringbone diagonals–and yet another out all the buttresses into the veranda porch…which look spectacular–and no less so even if they are primarily ornamental. However anathema that might be to me—they really merge it inside and the outside into one venue.
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on March 1st, 2011 in General, Geobarns Updates
Today we divided up into three crews: the roof system on the north
porch, setting posts and sisters on the tasting room (notice the double
post–a first–for the clear span massive girder over the bar area) and
a smaller crew of two new guys, Brian and Mike, who worked on the first
set of stairs on the premises. It was also a spectacularly cloudy day
with cool winds and an occasional sprinkle. The tasting room has most
of its profile along with the connector between it and the main
venue–so we are beginning to see the final structure come into view. We
really had to push to get these huge posts up by hand–especially with
the sisters already adhered so we could just fasten them to the steel
brackets bolted to the sills.
The other good news is that the engineers gave me everything I wanted
(changed) on the last go-round–to my utter delight. We have a feisty
and mutually appreciative relationship and enjoy a good battle now and
then…this one in particular. Many thanks….
I also ran the forklift out of gas going up a steep hill just as the
tractor trailer with the last VT load showed up–so that was another
hour of getting cold and covered with dirt and grease…I think I will
make it point to shower tonight….:-D
george abetti – geobarns
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Posted by ppeery on February 28th, 2011 in Architecture and Design, Education and Inspiration, Green Building
Alexander Nicholson, a proud member of the Bundoran Farm Guild, was founded in 1980 by a pair of University of Virginia classmates, Michael Alexander Cernik and Jack Nicholson Stoner. They were strongly influenced by the oil embargoes during the 1970’s and began their career as builders of passive solar and energy efficient homes. Many of the company’s initial clients were University of Virginia architecture professors.
Their mission is to design and build high quality, lasting structures. For them, the foundation of these homes is developing strong relationships, based on trust, with their clients. For Alexander Nicholson, the client’s experience throughout the construction process is every bit as important as the final product.
Throughout the company’s history they have shied away from building in planned communities. However, the preservation development model that Bundoran Farm utilizes has convinced them of the value of this concept. They are excited to work with a development team that is creating a community based on respect for the environment, the agrarian nature of Albemarle County, quality craftsmanship, and thoughtful design.
Jack and Mike along with their friend and construction colleague, Howard Pape, founded Building Goodness Foundation in 1999. Building Goodness Foundation is a volunteer organization based in Charlottesville, VA that organizes skilled craftspeople, construction professionals, and other passionate volunteers in a positive, collaborative effort to design and build structures for communities in need. Contributing their time, talent, and resources to local and international communities is a core value of our organization.
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