Bath Unit

       Today we noticed an exciting development!  Inax staff came in to install the Bath Unit yesterday.  Part of the ceiling has not been finished so we expect they will be back at a later date.  It's really too bad that Inax units don't accommodate inclined ceilings because that would have been really nice.

      The unit comes as a type of rectangular box, with a flat ceiling, and all of the equipment we previously selected.  We noticed they installed three shelves for shampoos and soaps, even though we specifically requested only two.  But this is definitely not such a big deal; we can live with it, especially since the shelves come off easily for cleaning.

      We did get the shower bar from a different series that we had asked for.  Inax was unable to accommodate that request directly, but our contractor got us our wish.

    When we selected our bath unit, we may have not paid much attention to the door.  It seemed a little flimsy to me when I saw it today, so I hope it'll stand the test of time in our home...  Other than that, we love it, especially the large window!

     On the first floor, Fukuzumi-san was nearly done covering the walls with plaster board.  He finished the recessed ceiling in the Living Room.  We decided we would paint the ceiling and the beams white.

We also noticed that he had installed the frame for the Living Room sliding doors. 

     Meanwhile on the second floor, Fukuzumi-san Junior was working on our Master Bedroom closets frames.

     After 3 days straight of rain, the subcontractors in charge of installing the lath on the exterior walls were back today, finishing things up.  The mortar should be applied next. We'll go back some time later this week to check on the progress.

Exterior Walls

     It's been raining continuously in Tokyo for the past few days, and it looks like it will be that way for another week or so.  Things are still moving along nicely, but we are worried that all this rain will impede progress with our exterior walls. 


     A few weeks back, the house was covered with a special kind of paper shield called "Toushitsu Bousui Shi-to" (透湿防水シート) - literal translation: " Breathable Waterproof Sheet".  This protective layer allows for humidity to transpire out of the walls but does not let water to come into the walls.  This particular product is スーパーエアテックスKD manufactured by FUKUVI.

      On top of this waterproof sheet, wooden beams (furrings) called "Doubuchi"(胴縁) were installed.  These are long thin strips of wood (or occasionally metal) used to make backing surfaces to support the finished surfaces in a room.  Furrings allow for air to circulate between the wall and the mortar.

     Last week a team of two came in to install the iron lath that will serve as a foundation for the mortar.  No need for a large truck, a small van did the trick:

     This is what "Tsuuki Nishiyama Lath" (通気ニシヤマラス) looks like close up. 通気 (つうき）means ventilation.  The mortar will be applied right on top of this lath which looks a bit like meshing.  The brown paper at the back also serves as a protective shield against water.

     The lath sheets are simply laid out onto the surface of the wall and secured with large staples.

     According to the tentative work schedule we were given, the mortar should be installed sometime next week, after which there needs to be a period of curing.  Following that, the final stucco finish, "Jollypat" (by Aica), will be sprayed on.  We're looking forward to watching the workers in action during that process!  Amazing what we learn just by watching!

Adoption

     We could not resist bringing another little creature into our home...  An acquaintance was looking for a new home for this sweet little hamster and we decided to adopt him, even though we already have Pompom! 

Meet Sweety!

     Today we welcomed him into ours and although at first he seemed a little agitated, he now seems better settled.  Our daughter insisted we spotlight him on our blog, like we did with Pompom...  Cheers!

Still a long way to go

      We visit our site as often as we can, and we are astounded by all the detailed work that is being accomplished.  Most of the time, its just the two Fukuzumi Brothers, working separate floors, and moving a long from one task to the next.  It just dawned on us that even though so much has been done,  we are still so far from the finish line!

     We happened to catch Fukuzumi-san Junior yesterday as he prepared to install insulation in the wall between the kids rooms.  We are also adding insulation in the wall between the Master Bedroom and the Bathroom.

     For these walls, we're using Fiberglass.  The brand our builder ordered is "Magmat": マグマット.  The reason we requested insulation in these interior walls is for soundproofing.

Here's what Fiberglass looks like when it is delivered on site.

  

The Fiberglass comes in batts that need to be unrolled and cut to the right size. 

Fukuzumi-san installed the batts and fixed them with large staples.  The batts were smaller than the gaps between the beams, and we wondered why...  Would he leave huge gaps?  Would he cut other thinner sections to add on either sides?

This is how he did it: he installed an extra batt on top of the beam

which he then he riped open this third batt to expose the beam.

When the wall was completed covered with Fiberglass, the plasterboard was installed.

     On the exterior of the house, another detail we noticed was that they had installed a rain drainer around the base of the house and the pillar supporting the balcony. 

     At first we didn't know what it was but then we noticed all houses have this! There is a base of concrete a the bottom, then this drainer, then the finished exterior walls.  This drainer is called 水切り "Mizu Kiri" and is made of steel covered with Galvalume which is the trade name for a metal alloy composed of aluminum, zinc and silicone and applied to sheet steel for corrosion resistance..  Another discovery for us!

Window Frames & Moldings

     While our carpenters continue to install the plasterboard on the walls, they are also adding the window frames as well as the moldings.  We had a chance to see how window frames are put together and installed. 

The wood comes in slats.

These are then cut to the exact dimensions.

And they are then joined together into a perfect frame.

This is what the window looks like once it's been framed.

The frame is fixed onto the wooden beams.

And here's the final look after the molding's been installed.

     We were surprised to see that the moldings are installed before the wall is finished.  We will be sure to check what precautions they take when they apply the putty and start painting, to see how they manage not to color over them!

     Meanwhile, the Loft has been completed - windows, ceiling and walls and even the baseboards:

It looks even larger than we thought, now that it's been cleaned up of all tools and materials...

Now we just have to think about color...

One-day Roof

      Saturday morning, as we rode up our road toward our house, we noticed a big change: part of the roof had been installed!  We talked with the Subcontractor and found out that he had just started that very same day, probably at 8am. 

     So from the early morning, he had been busy bringing the tiles, securing the frame of the roof and finishing off the front part of the house.  Pretty impressive!

The tiles come in packaged and piled up as shown below: 

There are also other parts for the frame of the roof that are packaged separately.

 

     We watched our expert in action and noticed how agile he was climbing up, transporting several tiles at once, moving easily from one side of the roof to the other. 

Here, he is using a slider to bring several tiles at a time up near the roof.

The device up on the roof is called a Single-cutter (しんぐるかったー) 

and, as the name implies, is used to cut the tiles.

     And if you take a closer look at the roof, near the edges, you can see little devices protruding.  These are called "Yukidome Kanamono (ゆきどめ かなもの) which serve the purpose of stopping the snow from falling down on passers-by.

     And sure enough, he covered the entire roof surface in a single day as we were able to confirm the next morning! 

     Installing the roof involves several stages, and the only way you're going to finish the job in a single day is if you're a Pro.  DIY advice on installing or changing a roof all agree on the fact that, yes, it can be done, but it's a difficult and laborious process.  Aside from material and equipment, it requires physical strength, a high tolerance of heights, and the ability to stay balanced on a an inclined surface. 

    Now, we would have preferred to have a lighter tone roof from Kmew's Quad Series, but to this date, the firm has not resumed its normal production of roofing tiles.  So in a sense it was a good thing we upgraded to Glassa Tiles and avoided further construction  delay.  

      The Glassa line has a special top coating that prevents dirt from adhering to it and discourages color fading. The various layers are also engineered so as to resist the elements over a longer period of time than acrylic-coated tiles, reducing the need for and frequency of maintenance.

Installing Plasterboard

     On our visit last Thursday, we noticed that our carpenters had started covering the ceilings with plasterboard. This is called "Sekkou Bo-do" (石膏ボード  /  せっこうボード) in Japanese.  It goes by various other names such as Drywall, Wallboard or Gyproc (in Quebec).

     This particular plasterboard is manufactured by Yoshino and goes by the name of  タイガーボード (Tiger Board).  Plasterboard basically consists of layers of paper that has been bonded to a gypsum plastered core; it is a noncombustible material that is used mainly in the construction of walls and ceilings.  According to Yoshino's website, gypsum is extracted in one of their mines in Yamagata prefecture.

     One of the key features of Yoshino's Tiger Board is its capacity to rapidly absorb and decompose formaldehyde emitted from building materials in newly-built houses.  Sounds good!

     We happened to be there when Fukuzumi-san was cutting and installing the plasterboard surrounding the circular-shaped reclined ceiling in the entrance.  Not an easy task, but we could tell this wasn't his first time doing this type of detail.

1. First cut the board to fit the area and secure it lightly.

 2. Then, using a pencil trace out the circular shape from the inside

3. Remove board and cut it manually along pencil tracing

4. Secure the board along beams using screw gun

The thickness of the Plaster Board placed on the ceiling

is 9.5mm, and that placed on the walls is 12.5mm.

The automatic Dry Wall Screw Gun our carpenters use facilitate the job tremendously. 

      Given that a large amount of Plasterboard remains unused and must be discarded after construction, it is good to know that Yoshino's products can be recycled.

        After applying plasterboard, joints need to be strengthened with special jointing compound (putty) and tools.  After that, the wall can be finished with either paint or wallpaper.  We'll try to visit the site when they apply the putty to the walls and ceilings.