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New England Cape

hammer1 | Posted in Photo Gallery on January 30, 2005 12:19pm

I had a chance to get back to a house I built after the decorations were up. Makes for better pictures than empty rooms.

Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

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  1. zendo | Jan 30, 2005 01:08am | #1

    Nice job Hammer was it Spec or client?

    I was really impressed with the painted T+G on the ceiling of the garage..... but I was mistaken. 

    The panel look in the stair is fabulous.

    -zen

    1. User avater
      hammer1 | Jan 30, 2005 06:52pm | #10

      Thank you for the compliments. Most of the credit has to go to the owners decorating sense. The original house plan was really something. It had wrap around porches, gable dormers with arched windows, gingerbread trim, big bay windows, a large pergola and lots of details. Unfortunately the client could not afford all the extras. We had to cut the estimate significantly. All the non-essentials had to go.Many of the interior details are "faked" in an effort to get "the look" without spending the bucks. The paneling on the stairs is just moldings applied to the sheetrock. The mantle is just a piece of plywood also with a few moldings. The corner cabinets in the dining area are HD birch ply with pine trim and doors. The paint and decorations added the final touch.There was a major problem with the excavation. We must have hit an underground spring. The same thing happened with another house in the same town. The basement would fill with water, we managed to get an easement and ran the french drains to daylight over a hundred yards out back, to a drainage system of ditches.Soon after the single older lady owner moved in, a relative with a terminal illness moved in. That is why the chair lift was installed. I would have built a wider stair if we had known. After the relative passed, the owner kept the lift, she doesn't walk the stairs. There were two stages in construction. The garage and space over were left unfinished for a few months. Because of codes, the garage had to be done in firecode 5/8" sheetrock. The "dungeon" was the owners idea. She wanted it to be rustic. There couldn't be any windows in that area, so the grid work allowed a bit of privacy for the sleeping area but allowed light from the gable mullions in. The owner thinks skylights are hideous. The attic over the El is a large closet. More light is let into the space with a window at the top of the stairs and a french door into the apartment. Once she finds a suitable tenant for the loft, we will probably add the deck and pergola out back, and also do some landscaping. The increase in oil prices have been tough for those on fixed income. The owner is a great person to work for, nice sense of style and very appreciative.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

  2. StanFoster | Jan 30, 2005 02:28am | #2

    Hammer:  Nice work........

  3. Hooker | Jan 30, 2005 04:24am | #3

    Nice work!!  It all looks great. That looked like a nice clean job on a good site.

    ADH Carpentry & Woodwork

    Quality, Craftsmanship, Detail

  4. arcticcat | Jan 30, 2005 08:26am | #4

    Good work on a cool looking house.  Love the details.  What exactly is the space in the 'dungeon' pic for?

    Mike

  5. Mooney | Jan 30, 2005 01:17pm | #5

    Nice clean work. Really neat furnishings for the style . I got to thinking the style of furniture was an older person. Then that looked like a wheel chair lift on the stairs. Then I saw the toilet . The story was about complete .

    Why would a handicapped person have a two story built?

    I noticed the little girl on the tv and thought that was cool.

    I like the counter top , but then I like the whole kitchen . Id like to "sit" and cook my eggs while I drank my coffee. <G>

    Tim Mooney

  6. butch | Jan 30, 2005 01:42pm | #6

    Nice details,

    Looks like a well built house

    Was wondering if you could post a floor plan?

    I have a interest in this type(cape) house except

     I'll have two dog houses and

    a porch on the front.

    1. Mooney | Jan 30, 2005 05:19pm | #7

      "I'll have two dog houses and

      a porch on the front. "

       

      We lets our Blueticks sleep right on the porch and if the weather gets bad they gets under it. We got a lidder 9 undathar now.

      Tim Mooney

      1. butch | Jan 30, 2005 06:10pm | #8

        Boy I aughta come over there.......

         

        There's one in every crowd....:-)

    2. User avater
      hammer1 | Jan 30, 2005 07:39pm | #11

      The original plan called for the dormers and a porch but they would have been over budget. The plan is your basic cape. I actually just built it as I went, the plans were not useable so I just built what I've done a hundred times before. 26' x 38', stair in the center, two rooms on one side, one room on the other, bath between, repeat for the upstairs. 12' x 16' El with a 24' x 28' garage. The set of plans were done on cad, they were messed up, gave us a 26" deep closet in the El ,for a washer and dryer, partitions for the stair walls were 36" center to center, windows weren't evenly spaced on the front. Plans were for 24' wide, you don't have room for a stair run when the 36" front door opens right in front.We are small town, I've known the code officer for years. He doesn't question my work, we just follow the basic rules. Pretty simple house. I think I can build them in my sleep. We stay with proven conventional construction, stick built, size up if in doubt, don't cut corners, keep the site clean and follow an orderly progression. The inspector does his job, then we swap fishing lies and horror stories about the hacks he sees. Inspectors can tell right away if you know what you are doing.
      Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

      1. Piffin | Jan 30, 2005 07:50pm | #12

        This si not to criticize, because it is a well done job - but while the facade appears to be cape style, the overall shape is a slat-box by what i have heard for terminology 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

        1. User avater
          hammer1 | Jan 30, 2005 08:58pm | #14

          I think you mean Saltbox. The Saltbox roof line is equal pitch on both sides but the back wall is shorter, making for a longer rafter. The ridge is also not centered in the structure. They are most often square in dimensions. This one would be more correctly called a full dormered cape. Sort of a modern adaptation of the classic New England style, which often has clapboards on the front and cedar shingles on the rest. Also, typically, a big center chimney. The older places were built much closer to the ground too.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

      2. butch | Jan 30, 2005 10:31pm | #17

        My design is 36'x28' 9' first floor w/2 car attached garage

        Master down so when the kids are gone I'll only have approx. 900

        sq. ft. to heat/cool

        This is my attempt to post "my plans" here, but It probably won't work

        Well it didn't work but  maybe someone else can do something w/attach.

        Edited 1/30/2005 2:33 pm ET by butch

        1. User avater
          hammer1 | Jan 31, 2005 12:33am | #18

          I can't open your file. The sun shines for free, don't forget to take advantage if you can. The temp reached 34° today, I haven't turned on the heat yet and it's 75° in the house.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

          1. butch | Jan 31, 2005 02:49am | #20

            The sun shines for free, don't forget to take advantage if you can

            My sentiments exactly, that is why the front facade WILL face the

            south.  With all that window exposure it should help quite a bit

            when the sun is shinning.  One other thing I wanted to do was

            enclose the front porch in the winter w/glazing of some sort

            It would be like a  green house in the winter that I could open

            to the inside of the house via the front door. One can dream

            can't they?

        2. Piffin | Jan 31, 2005 12:42am | #19

          That format is not a common one. Photoshop I might assume. You will want to open it in th eprogram you used to creat it and hope that program has the ability to save is a GIF or JPG file. Re-size as such and then repost the new file. 

           

          Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          1. butch | Jan 31, 2005 02:51am | #21

            The only file I can use to export the drawing is BMP or DXF file.

            So I'm at a loss for what to do with the drawing.

            Where is Luka when you need him?

            Ooooooooohh Luka,  HELP!!!!!

          2. jimblodgett | Jan 31, 2005 03:16am | #22

            Nice looking place, Hammer.  Where are you located? 

          3. User avater
            hammer1 | Jan 31, 2005 04:37am | #24

            Thanks Jim. I'm in Cumberland County, Maine.
            Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

          4. jimblodgett | Jan 31, 2005 06:03am | #25

            You said that you could build this in your sleep.  Is this a typical modern house there?  The kind you work on all the time? 

          5. Piffin | Jan 31, 2005 04:21am | #23

            Do one of those then and i can translate it. 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          6. butch | Jan 31, 2005 12:00pm | #27

            Well pifin, I tried and still couldn't

            do any thing with it.....

          7. Piffin | Jan 31, 2005 03:32pm | #28

            Name the program it was created in and maybe somebody else can help 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          8. butch | Jan 31, 2005 11:59pm | #29

            Don't laugh

            but its Super Home Suite by Punch

        3. WoodHackor | Feb 09, 2005 05:45pm | #32

          Here is a copy of your plans in jpg... not sure it came out as easy to read, but it's the best I could do. -Chad

        4. WillGeorge | Feb 09, 2005 08:21pm | #34

          WHAT IS A PSH? Mack thingi?

          1. WoodHackor | Feb 09, 2005 09:30pm | #35

            "WHAT IS A PSH? Mack thingi?"Punch Home Design Series CAD Data File

          2. butch | Feb 09, 2005 11:32pm | #36

            Man tell me how you did that,

             

             

             

             

             

             

             PLEASE!!!!!

          3. WoodHackor | Feb 10, 2005 06:34am | #39

            Hey Butch,I just did a Screen shot of the image... I didn't have a copy of the full version that would allow me to convert the file.To take a screen shot just hit the PrtScn key on your keyboard and open up a editing program like paint or PhotoShop and hit Ctrl V (or paste) and your image will be pasted into the program. From that point just click File > Save as > Save as Type > then select JPEG from there and name your file. Then from that point I cropped the image I wanted and not the entire screen shot. If the trial version would have allowed me to use the print command I would have just converted it to a PDF file which would have been easier to read.When all else fails, if you can see it on your screen you can always do a Screen shot like I listed above and convert that to a jpg, gif or png format. Hope that helps.Looks like you did a nice job with that program. -Chad

          4. Piffin | Feb 10, 2005 06:47am | #40

            Is that using Screenhunter from Wisdomsoft or some thing else? 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          5. WoodHackor | Feb 10, 2005 07:07am | #41

            Piffin,No, just using the built in screen shot function. I'm not really sure what the screenhunter app is. It should work with windows 98/ME/XP/2k.If you want to test it out just hit the PrtScn button on your keyboard... You won't be able to tell that anything happened. Now open your paint program which can be found by going Start > all programs > accessories > paint or you can just type mspaint in the RUN window and it will pop up. Once you have paint up just click on Edit > Paste You will now see a copy of your "Screen Shot" If you want to save it just click save as and then select jpg. I will do a search on screenhunter and see what that's all about... might be worth getting? Thanks Piffin-Chad

          6. butch | Feb 10, 2005 12:56pm | #42

            Cag, thank you

            Now the trick is to see if I can get it to work

            The drawing has the 1st and 2nd floor printed together

            so it is very confusing, put if I can figure out what you just

            told me I'll repost, and hopefully it will be readable.

          7. WoodHackor | Feb 10, 2005 06:30pm | #43

            Butch,I think I like that Punch program... How much was it? I didn't even take the time to notice that the floors printed together like that and I'm not sure how to change it. I just took the 3D walk of your house and couldn't help but noticing from the outside that you are missing a roof :-) I kind of felt like I was breaking and entering into you house. Thanks for sharing.-Chad

          8. butch | Feb 10, 2005 11:48pm | #44

             think I like that Punch program... How much was it?

            They have a free 15 day trial at http://www.punchsoftware.com

            I believe the program is around 50.00

            When  I posted that drawing I really didn't expect anybody

            to be able to open it up.  So I didn't "clean" it up any

            When I get some more time I'll come back and try it again.

            I would like to know how you where able to do the walk threw?

            oh, and break and enter all you want.

          9. butch | Feb 11, 2005 04:37am | #45

            Thanks to you, let me see if I can post this.

            I believe I've got the second floor and an exterior shot

            I'll have to come back for thefirst floor

            Critique away

          10. butch | Feb 11, 2005 04:45am | #46

            This is the first floor minus the garage for clarity

            (I hope)

          11. WoodHackor | Feb 11, 2005 03:01pm | #47

            No basement Butch?

          12. butch | Feb 12, 2005 03:00am | #48

            No basement

            Around here they don't do basements(Not many any way)

            I believe the frost depth is only 18"

            So it would be a extra expense

            Edited 2/11/2005 7:09 pm ET by butch

          13. butch | Feb 09, 2005 11:43pm | #37

            It looks like cag beat me to it.

  7. dIrishInMe | Jan 30, 2005 06:28pm | #9

    Nice work.  I like the panel mold on the stair wall too.  What species of wood is that?  I notice that it has a full brick chimney.  You don't see that so much any more.  What is the siding material?  What is the heated square footage and finally, if you don't mind me asking what was the selling price?
     

    Matt
    1. User avater
      hammer1 | Jan 30, 2005 08:28pm | #13

      All the interior trim is pine, standard moldings. I used 5/4" Primelock for the exterior trim. This is a higher end fingerjointed material with a baked primer. Siding was a clear vertical grain red cedar also with factory applied primer in grey. We used an oil fired forced hot water furnace, I'm guessing the heated space is around 3000 sq.ft. with three zones. 2 x 6 exterior walls, fiberglass insulation, Anderson tilt wash windows with the "true divided lights". Normally we use 1" of extruded polystyrene under the sheetrock, but not on this one. I believe in building a solid shell with good components, you can cut cost on the inside but make it last on the outside.I won't put a metal chimney on any of my work. I used to be a volunteer firefighter. A masonry fireplace and chimney add long term value. That one will still be there in 100 years. With the loft, the house package is about $217,000. Housing values have increased 14% in the last year. Building lots are going through the roof, that house would be significantly more expensive today, maybe $320,000 depending on land cost. They said the median price is $175,000 around here on the news last night. Almost 15,000 new homes have been built in 04 with no end in sight. The houses keep getting bigger and closer together.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

      1. dIrishInMe | Jan 30, 2005 09:16pm | #15

        Based on your square footage guestimate, the $320k sounds about right, but I hear housing is expensive in Maine.    Goes to show that real estate is almost always a good investment.  90% of the time anyway.  I've seen the 10% too, but in the grand scheme of things it didn't hurt too bad... The reason I asked the price is that I thought the woodwork and a few other things might have driven the house up significantly in price.  Looks like you deliver a good value product.  Matt

        1. User avater
          hammer1 | Jan 30, 2005 10:18pm | #16

          Thanks Matt, but you'll notice I took my pictures from 40 paces and it was painted. If I remember right, it took two of us three weeks to trim the house. I had the downstairs, he had the up. I wasn't very happy that he was so long without having any crowns, stairs or cabinetry. He was one of those guys that cut everything a little long then planed and shimmed and sanded. I tried to show him how to use the saw and a sequence that avoided all the fooling around, but he was set in his ways.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

  8. User avater
    intrepidcat | Jan 31, 2005 10:39am | #26

    Sweet.

     

    "I was glad that when everything finally hit the fan I was holed up in a little beer joint in Robstown, Texas called the El Gato Negro."

  9. butch | Feb 01, 2005 12:00am | #30

    Man if you got any more,

    keep em coming

  10. Piffin | Feb 01, 2005 03:13am | #31

    taunton has a nice book devoed strictly to Capes

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
     where ...
    Excellence is its own reward!

  11. WillGeorge | Feb 09, 2005 08:19pm | #33

    REALLY NICE work..  I really like it...

     Ya do bed in breakfast?  I like bacon and eggs easy over..

  12. MaineWoods | Feb 09, 2005 11:45pm | #38

    Hey, Hammer, I recognize that 1762 Cape. Is that the one in Gorham? I considered buying that place last year. Can't believe the size of the beams that thing is supported by underneath. Did you do the renovation of the main floor there? Hopefully you didn't build it. ;-)

    -Sean

    1. User avater
      hammer1 | Feb 12, 2005 08:49am | #49

      That's the one in Gorham. It has been a Lawyers office for many years so it has had some decent care. I haven't worked on that one, I'm not 243 yrs. old yet either, I poked my camera out the window on my ride home. You probably won't miss living on the main drag here. The trucks and traffic just keep getting worse. It's a shame to see what is happening to some of the old Federal places across the street but we still are surrounded by some great old architecture.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

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