Another House Thread - Colorado Mountain Ranch

Wow - massive amount of work.  Really love the fireplace setup.

I enjoy the updates you've been showing us on your house!  Its turning out great!

I now have a new appreciation for how much work goes into building a home.  I'm sure the entire process has been testing you but getting it your way and just right offers tremendous peace of mind.

I love the progress. It looks great. I really like the front door color. 

I don't have any super interesting visual updates on the house, but we officially got our Certificate of Occupancy on September 17th, and officially moved ourselves in and stayed overnight for the first time on September 23rd. We still need to complete the final bank paperwork to close out the construction loan, but otherwise we're done. Of course there is a huge punch list to finish but at this point I'm taking my sweet ass time finishing the details.
Expect the next major update to be the beginning of my shop build :D

Couldn't find the box holding the Glencairn glasses for a celebratory dram on the first night, so a mason jar had to do.

The goonhounds love the open space, but it's going to take some training to get them used to the off-leash freedom they haven't had before.

Used Rustoleum Rocksolid floor coating on the garage; honestly super unimpressed even compared to the cheap Rustoleum epoxy I used on the last garage. Did get some free ugly '90s cabinets for the garage from a friend.

So, even though my wife was working from home the entire time we were under construction, we had no idea that she would end up working from home on a semi-permanent or part time basis going forward, so we made no provisions for a home office other than a built-in desk in the loft.
Well, it looks like she won't be commuting to work in the office downtown for a few months yet, and even then probably 2 to 3 days a week. And working in the open loft isn't going to fly forever with me at home with a toddler running about. So I've been working on finishing off an office space in the attic above the garage.

Framed up a wall, and moved over the exterior door (insulated/weatherstripped) that was originally the attic access door.

Called the insulator back in for some more closed-cell spray foam. I really wish we had just done the whole attic during construction; it would have been easier and more cost-efficient; but at the time I was worried we would run out of budget, and I didn't realize until just now that they had originally misquoted the attic insulation which made me think it was outrageously expensive. So now we just have insulation in this office area since the rest of the attic has roof vents that I can't really close off without tearing into the brand new roof. Blown-in fiberglass in the floor (garage ceiling) was already in originally at least.

I'm doing the walls in pine tongue-and-groove, some plain pine and some blue stain beetle kill. It's not the cheapest, but cheaper than hiring out drywall work and I'm certainly not going to do drywall myself. This is nice and easy to cut and nail up. Plus it smells nice. 

I need to go grab some 12 foot T&G boards to finish the ceiling and long wall, hopefully by the end of this weekend.

I found a cool antique door on FB Marketplace that we wanted to use for the office, but of course the seller never responded. But I did manage to find a brand new one identical in style at Lowe's, in bare pine. Gave it a quick stain job using the same stain color I used on the stair treads.

Unfortunately, this door came as a plain bare slab, I think meant for DIY french doors or barn doors. It was also oversized compared to the same advertised dimension prehung door. So, I got to buy some jigs and a router and learn how to hang a door from scratch. I even had to build the casing from scratch because I couldn't find an interior door casing kit in stock in the right size. I was super worried about this, but aside from taking three hours or so it turned out great. It's straighter and has better gaps than all the prehung doors I installed elsewhere in the house, and also opens and closes nicer and quieter. Very pleased.

I'm hoping to get this office project wrapped up before the end of January. Next I need to call in the plumber to run a radiant heat loop in this area, then I'll bury it under furring strips and plywood subflooring the same as the loft before I lay the vinyl plank flooring.

edit: Apologies if the quality of some of these pics makes your head hurt; I'm just now realizing my phone has E36 M3 quality when in fisheye mode, which I've been using a lot in this room project since it's small and hard to step back to get a full frame. 

My major goal for the spring is to start making progress on a detached garage. 1200 square feet is my max allowed and what I'm shooting for, still getting bids and trying to decide where I'm going from here as far as construction and style. Stay tuned.

I know nothing about foam insulation, but its something I have been thinking about for my house attic. 

With that being said, some people here say that its better to insulate the attic ceiling using open cell foam. Their reasoning is that if you have a leak, it will be easier to spot versus closed cell foam. 

Is that bs? You seem to have used closed cell and probably get a good bit of snow on that roof. 

Great work btw. Every time I look at your thread I start looking for land. 

I love the beetle-kill wood.  Such a modern-Colorado look.

Slippery (Forum Supporter) said:

I know nothing about foam insulation, but its something I have been thinking about for my house attic. 

With that being said, some people here say that its better to insulate the attic ceiling using open cell foam. Their reasoning is that if you have a leak, it will be easier to spot versus closed cell foam. 

Is that bs? You seem to have used closed cell and probably get a good bit of snow on that roof. 

I mean, it might be true, but I feel like you would have a hard time noticing a roof leak on any insulated ceiling with a finished interior before it was way too late. I don't think it's worth worrying about something that has a small likelihood of happening in the future if it means sacrificing performance the rest of the time. If you were really worried about it then it might be worth getting the roof professionally inspected every couple years for peace of mind.

YMMV, I'm not that worried about roof leaks to begin with since we're essentially in high desert with not much summer rain and our snow comes in 6 to 8 inch falls with melt-offs in between. Hail is a much bigger concern for roof damage in Colorado than water ingress. There's usually an insurance-covered reason to replace the roof before the shingles get near their 30 year warranty or wear out from old age.

Closed cell foam is worth it to me for the higher R value, and the strength it adds to the structure. As well as the fact it is an excellent vapor barrier and eliminates the need for venting - no ridge or turtle vents on the roof and no need for vented soffits (which are a wildfire hazard).

TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) said:

I love the beetle-kill wood.  Such a modern-Colorado look.

I've always wanted to use the beetle kill wall panels in a project and this seemed like the perfect place. It feels like the perfect cabin feel for a small cozy room in a mountain house. 

Seeing the look really makes me want to add it to the ceiling and walls in the loft once we get it cleaned up and get the library shelves built, but I would feel dumb installing it over perfectly good sheetrock just for the looks.

In reply to newrider3 :

The strength is the main reason I was looking into as it probably helps with hurricanes. The roof tends to move too much otherwise and leaks appear. 

I never understood what happens to the venting. I now see that once you foam, the vents get closed up. Good also. 

I think I really need to call and get a quote. 

In reply to JohnWMorales :

I like how you added a link for a canoe in your reply!

In reply to JohnWMorales :

do you make model canoes out of your chipboard?