So, if you remember, there was a disclaimer when I began this blog that there would be chunks of time where the blog would disappear due to other obligations. This does not mean nothing has been going on with the house....just that I have been busy enough to not do anything. I apologize.
So ..on with it.
The majority of the fist few weeks in May were dedicated to prepping the area that was about to receive the concrete for the slab. They laid in electrical and water and last- the 3 inch foam insulation with PEX tubing for the underfloor radiant heat system.
About 2 weeks ago came our first big decision...the concrete slab. While most may think, "What is so difficult about the concrete slab? It is a slab of concrete."...I beg to differ. For this house, the slab will be the finished floor that everyone will see. On the bottom floor it will be prominent in the garage, the workout room, and the rentable ADU. On the 2nd and 3rd floor, concrete will be the exposed floor of choice throughout the whole home! This was decided for 3 primary reasons...1)It is a Green option- low maintenance, low allergen (important in the NW pollen season!), little product used, 2) best transfer of heat and largest mass for controlling and holding heat from the water lines that are coursing through the concrete floor with warm water, 3)cost ...instead of spending more money on covering the concrete, we thought ,"why not GO with it:" Cork or carpet, or wood just make the final number higher. Oh- and 4)we like it!
That said, once you choose your color, or finish it is quite final. You don't get samples. And the ultimate disclaimer - "we can never predict the color nor do we guarantee the color"- and there are no examples of what it looks like.
I spent a week talking to concrete experts all around the northwest. Options were 1)add color to the concrete in the form of powdered dye (CHEAP!- ~$400 for the whole bottom floor slab) 2) acid stain it later- $6/sqft or more! 3)sand polish it do exposed aggregate $10/sqft or more...
So it made sense to us to add color. But, do not forget the disclaimer- "we can never predict the color nor do we guarantee the color"... Nor do we provide samples.
 |
| the final color choice of concrete slab for the whole house: Mesquite. Note: we can never predict the color nor do we guarantee the color |
In the end, we did find a very useful showroom to visit in Redmond (Cadman Inc. concrete). They were all very helpful and had poured, dried samples outside of different colors.
 |
| This is the color in the sunlight...yes ...it is sunny in Seattle on some days. |
For the most part we (I) have also been trying to figure out what kind of color pallet we want to work with- something very modern and easy to blend: greys, charcoals or something warmer-a more general population pleaser-browns. In the end I have decided on a grey-brown color. Davis color Mesquite:.
The concrete slab was poured on the 13th of May. It was interesting to watch. In all honesty, it reminded me of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. The pictures don't do it justice. When wet, the concrete looked identical to milk chocolate. It was difficult to watch. I took several photos and sent them to Chris at work since I was petrified I had chosen the wrong color.
Now it has been over 2 weeks since the concrete was poured in and we still are unsure what the final color will be. Our closest guess...light pink with a hint of brown.
pfft....
Again- this is a Green point and where we are spending more money up front. Ideally, this house will be so air tight and insulated that we won't need to heat it. SIP panels are made off site in Tacoma and then brought to Seattle where they are installed with a crane. The lowest level of the house is a mixture of concrete, SIP and old fashioned stick framing. Once the lower level is completed, they will assemble the rest of the walls like a large gingerbread house. 
