DIY Network

Lake Tahoe Timberframe: Cedar Shingles and Kitchen Choices From "Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes" episode DBCV-110

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In this episode of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes, viewers meet homeowners Paul and Lori Bergeron who acted as their own contractors on the construction of their family vacation home on Fallen Leaf Lake in California's Sierra-Nevada Mountains.

In this segment Paul Bergeron discusses some of the construction work he did himself as well as some of the decisions made with respect to the home's kitchen.

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Cedar Shingles

For the house's exterior, Paul chose Alaskan yellow cedar. Installing wood shingles was something that Paul had some prior experience doing, so he opted to take on this particular job himself. With some help from his older sons, he was able to complete the job himself, though it did require a big commitment and a great deal of time.

That kind of commitment is reflected in Paul's overall approach to acting as his own contractor. "You have to be ready to make that commitment," he says. "You have to be ready to pick up the ball. When everybody goes home at 4 o'clock, that's when you pick up and start doing your things. If you want to add value to your overall project, that's the opportunity you have to do it."

La Dolce Vita

In designing the house, the kitchen was one of the parts of the house that got the most attention. For the Bergerons, a lot of the family activity is centered around the kitchen. Their design is large enough to allow for ample entertaining, features wonderful view of the mountains and is a place where the family will spend a great deal of time.

Installation of the kitchen cabinetry, counters and appliances were other jobs that Paul decided to take on himself. In that way, he could help assure that the results in terms of quality would be something with which he and Lori would be happy, and the couple could also realize a significant cost savings. For planning the kitchen, they got valuable advice from the kitchen designer at their local home center.

The kitchen-floor they selected is finished concrete, a material that is low-maintenance, is durable and has a natural look. The brown color they selected blends well with the wood tones of the cabinetry.

For enhanced comfort, the floor itself is heated with radiant heat. For this system, plastic tubes are installed beneath the concrete floor (figure G). Hot water flows through the tubes and heats the concrete which, in turn, helps heat the room. Several subcontractors had to be utilized for this particular installation -- including the mechanical contractor, plumbing contractor and concrete specialist. As general contractor, Paul was faced with the job of coordinating all of those subcontractors. A dispute over responsibilities between the mechanical and plumbing contractors presented Paul with a challenge. In the end, there was extra cost involved in facilitating the coordination of those two elements.

In the segment that follows, the do-it-yourselfers discuss some of the finish work and give some final advice about being your own contractor.

RESOURCES :

Timberframe : The Art and Craft of the Post-and-Beam Home
Author: Ted Benson and Jamie Salomon
Publisher: Taunton (September 15, 1999)
ISBN: 1561582816
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

The Timber-Frame Home
Author: Ted Benson
Publisher: Taunton; 2nd edition (March 20, 1997)
ISBN: 1561581291
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.