Building my new studio

I'm building a new, larger studio to give more room for carving and displaying my work

Sept. 29, 2004 - my wife Fely breaks ground to begin construction

  our new home in the fall

 

Our new property includes a small Cape Cod house and a creek. The new studio will be connected to the house.
Brewster Creek

First two weeks of October: Layout, excavation and pouring the foundation


Oct. 15, the foundation is almost done

Oct. 19, Vito and Louie from Malibu Construction finish the foundation
Oct. 25, the foundation is done Nov. 7, the rain has slowed things down, and the ground is muddy, but with the delivery of gravel for the driveway work resumes. Nov. 8, The foundation has been backfilled with gravel and the masons have erected the block piers. These will form the corners of the building. The carpenter will frame the walls next and then the masons will clad the piers and part of the walls with limestone
Nov. 10, the carpenters have started rough framing. The first trailer load of stone has been delivered. These are salvaged 5" thick panels of Indiana limestone with a broached (machine tooled texture) finish, rescued from an old Chicago building. I'll need to cut them to size to clad the columns and part of the face of the studio. Nov. 15, the walls have been framed.
Nov. 25, the walls are framed and plumbing work is underway. Waiting for the roof to go on... Dec. 3, the trusses and roof panels are here, we've started raising the roof!
Dec. 4, stone panels are cut to size so they can clad the exterior columns and the lower part of the wall. Dec. 6, it took one day for the carpenters and crane to install the roof panels. I used SIPS, structural insulated panels. Here the last of the large 8' x 24' panels is being lowered into place. The interior of my new studio, with a roof over my head.
Dec. 10, it's cold and the ground is rough, so the masons brought in a huge all-terrain forklift to set the stone around the columns. Jim Rossi of Malibu Construction, the concrete contractor, and Sasha Epelev of Envision construction, my general contractor, debate philosophy. Dec. 11, with a burn barrel to keep warm a mason is cutting a stone panel, while a carpenter works on the gable.
Dec. 12, the electrician starts work. Dec. 16, the roof is being shingled and we've brought in temporary heat- note the 500 gallon propane tank. The roofers installed an antique copper weathervane, a horse. This was a gift from the client for whom I did the five Wisconsin Gargoyles.
Dec. 23-24. The outdoor temperature hit 0 Farenheit, (-17 C.), with a wind chill factor of -17F (-27C). The electrician is running conduit and the HVAC (heating-air conditioning) person has started installing ductwork. Dec. 25, with a dusting of Xmas snow. All the windows are in place, I still need a few doors and the siding above the stone panels. A detail of the stone cladding on the front of my studio.
 
Jan 8, 2005. The garage door has arrived. Interior walls are in place. Soffits are done, we're ready for gutters, and the siding which goes above the stone was delivered today. Heaters have been installed and insulation is being stuffed between the studs.  
 
Gino and Fely set the marble floor in the showroom "Palladiana" marble floor  
 
I moved in mid winter, Feb. 2005 And here's a summer view  


Cutting the ribbon

 

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