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In this segment of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor, the do-it-yourselfers talk about materials they selected and -- in a couple of cases -- the special work spaces that helped make it possible for them to do the work themselves.
Andy Beasley's home in Hillside, Colorado.
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One of the first rooms completed in the Beasley's large home was a 900-square-foot heated workshop.
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Materials and Workspaces- For his home on wooded acreage in Butler, Pennsylvania (figure A), semi-retired engineer Alan Sain used trees that had to be cut down in clearing the lot for his house to produce lumber. That lumber was then actually used in the building of the house.
- Since he wanted to preserve as many as possible, Al was very careful about the trees he cut down in clearing the land. He even worked with an arborist and had a tree survey performed (figure B) to determine which trees to cut and use for finished lumber.
Once the trees were cut down, they were cut into the proper lengths so that they could then be sliced -- right there on the premises -- into usable lumber (figure C). The 1-inch boards were stacked and allowed to air-dry, then finally sent to be kiln-dried and milled to make them suitable as a building material. He used this oak and cherry wood to make flooring, cabinetry and trim in his home.Not only did Al have the luxury of using trees on his property as a source for lumber, he also had access to an excellent woodworking shop (figure D) for doing the finish work himself.
But for the ultimate in workshops, we turn to another do-it-yourself contractor, Andy Beasley. He incorporated a 900-square-foot workshop (figures E and F) into his original house design. In fact, it was the first room in the house that was actually completed. That also was by design.
Finishing his fully outfitted, heated workshop first allowed Andy to do the kind of meticulous finish work that he wanted for his interiors. It also served as a sort of proving ground in that he was able to try out specific features on the cabinetry and other elements of his shop (figures G and H). This helped Andy refine the plans for similar features that would later be incorporated into the kitchen, baths and other rooms in the house. Andy feels that, for those who wish to be their own contractor, it's essential to have a dedicated workspace with the appropriate tools and equipment for the work being done. This was especially true for Andy because of the extensive cabinetry and detailed woodwork that was part of the interior design.
Like Al Sain and others, John Spracklen and Betty King used lumber from fallen oak trees on their property as building material. Their house design called for a specially built conservatory with skylights and lots of windows (figure I) that would ultimately house a collection of live plants. In the interim, they used the large room as a work space and staging or storage area (figure J) as they did some of the interior finishing work on their home.
In the segment that follows, the do-it-yourself contractors talk about installation of finish-work, and some of the challenges they faced.
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