Curtailed by Curtain Wall! (originally posted on LiveModern on April 7, 2006)

Although I was expecting the project to move along in fits and starts, even at my most pessimistic I couldn't have anticipated that things would come to a screeching halt. Starting in the fall, my main objective was to get closed in so that work could progress through the winter months. I figured that, by initiating the curtain wall project in October, I would be closed in shortly after the beginning of the new year. Well, it's April, and I'm still not closed in! Boy did I turn out to be the April fool here. Well, on the bright side of things, at least I no longer have to worry about being able to work through winter. Spring done sprung!

Four words succinctly describe my mood at this point: I've fuckin' had it! Even enthusiasm and anticipation can only sustain one for so long. I had read about it, but I never thought it would happen to me. Alas, I am dealing with the contractor from hell. More specifically, the curtain wall contractor from hell. Perhaps I must come across as the biggest sucker in the world. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. The following is a short list of the bullshit I was fed that kept delaying the curtain wall installation:

All of the fabricators are sick with the flu.

A bunch of my fabricators resigned.

So-and-so's father died.

So-and-so's grandmother died.

So-and-so has jury duty.

My truck was broken into in Brooklyn and all of my tools were stolen.

We're having trouble finding a large glass truck willing to deliver that far away.

And the most oft used line of bullshit:

I had an emergency on another project.

And every time I expressed disappointment or tried to light a fire under them, I was fed one line of BS after another. "They'll be out tomorrow." "They'll be out this weekend." "I will call you tomorrow to let you know." And, of course, the targeted days would come and go without nary a peep from this wonderful contractor. Unfortunately I am not exactly in a position to just let my fingers do the walking and find someone else to do this. I am certain that 99.9% of curtain wall contractors would not touch me with a ten-foot lolly column- they either work exclusively on commercial projects, or they would not be willing to make the trek all the way out to the East End of Long Island. Plus I have already put down 25% of the project cost.

Now that the curtain wall and door installation is about THREE MONTHS LATE (and counting), I have incurred all kinds of consequences. The siding/trim contractor has essentially walked away in disgust. We're crossing our fingers for good weather so that the first floor concrete pour can begin. I have thousands of dollars worth of kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures that I will have to stall the delivery for. I have additional builders risk insurance premiums. I have to file an extension on my building permit. The bank is breathing down my neck, etc., etc.

So, indeed, the curtain wall has been going up very slowly. VERY, VERY slowly. Rather than attacking the frames and glass all at once (thus saving multiple trips from Cherry Hill, NJ), they chose to put in three-hour work days days and weeks apart. As if this wasn't bad enough, they put in the wrong glass at the roof; it is opaque instead of clear. So now, due to their total ineptitude, they have to trash seven large pieces of laminated glass- nominally 4' x 6' each. Perhaps someone out there in LiveModernville could use these? Lord only knows how long it will take them to re-fabricate these units with clear glass.

In any case, despite the disaster that the curtain wall has become, I must admit that it looks AMAZING. Admittedly I had my misgivings about having such large expanses of glazing in relation to the close proximity of neighbors and the street. I would have been living in a fishbowl. However, the laminated panes are wonderful- they provide lots of soft light while providing total privacy.

Here are some shots of the progress:

March 4, 2006:

Details of the balcony. The cladding of the balcony joists turned out quite well.



The capping of the curb at the roof line has almost completed. They are waiting on the completion of the curtain wall before they proceed with the final trim details.



Here is a detail of the "naked" curtain wall frame in the living room.



The "naked" curtain wall frames at the roof:


April 6, 2006. Most of the curtain wall has FINALLY been installed. However, the triangular end gables are still being fabricated.


A view of the back of the house:


A view from inside looking out the front:


Looking up from the first floor:


Looking down from the loft:


View from the roof deck, where you can see the opaque laminated glass that was installed in error. I actually kind of like it. However, I want to see stars when looking up at night.


The front entry. The door is still being fabricated (ugh!).


Although I am being reassured that the curtain wall will be wrapped up soon, I am forging ahead now that temperatures are pretty much above freezing. My short term goals are:

-First floor and garage concrete: This has turned out to be outrageously expensive- somewhere on the order of $500 per cubic yard. Apparently this will involve using lightweight concrete, lots of mesh/rebar and temporary support structures in the basement.

-Stair fabrication. After months of weighing the various options, including steel and aluminum, I think we are going to attempt to do this purely out of wood; the quotes I have received for steel fabrication have been disastrously expensive. My goal is to have an open riser stair with stringers that are very close together- virtually a single stringer. Using 2" treads should enable a pretty decent cantilever off of the stringers.

-Garage Door. I am pretty much resigned to putting in the Clopay Avante. My only concern is whether I am going overboard on that whole anodized aluminum-opaque glass look. What if it becomes horribly dated in a few years?

-Solar Panels. My contractor has received the panels and is ready to install them once the electric service has been connected. Unfortunately, the electric service is dependent upon being closed in to the weather, which is dependent on the curtain wall and doors. Ugh!

-HVAC. The geothermal heat exchange and blower units are ready to be installed once I am closed in. A pipe then has to be run from the supply/discharge wells.

-Finishing the trim. I suspect this will be my first official "sweat equity" task. I am going to paint the boards that will comprise the trim/fascia pieces. I am still not entirely certain what color this will be. I want it to be a bright color, whatever it is.

-Staining and sealing the cedar siding. This will be my second "sweat equity" task. I suspect this will be tantamount to hell on earth.

-Parging the Superior Walls. This should be fairly straightforward.