Metal Walls

This has been another big week for work at the HAUS. All trades completed their rough-ins, had their inspections and insulation was installed in the wall and roof cavities. Look for another post mid-week on Insulation and Plumbing Inspections. There are some good stories to tell there.

The house is beginning to look more like itself with each passing week. We're excited to see the metal wall panel installation beginning to occur around the West and North sides of the house. The crew is doing a nice job keeping panels in alignment, fasteners equally spaced and aligned and trim and drip caps at corners and windows water tight and sealed. The metal you see installed is a 7/8" corrugated metal panel from Metal Sales (local to Minnesota but with mills and manufacturing sites elsewhere in the U.S.). This metal panel is typically used in agricultural structures (pole barns, sheds. etc.) but we like the texture and the price! The panel comes in 34" wide sheets cut to length, is fastened through the ribs with pan head fasteners and self-sealing neoprene washers and comes complete with foam closures at top and bottom along with trim and drip edges to manage water and keep out insects and the like. It also has a 45 year warranty on the paint finish (charcoal gray). Some colors meet Energy Star and Cool Roof Council Rating criteria which were not a strong consideration in this application as we are using it on the walls.

View of the Northwest corner of the house. We plan on replacing the garage in the foreground in a couple of years.

A look at the ribbing, corner trim, metal drip edge and fastener spacing.

A good shot of how our windows are detailed. We used a narrowline brickmold at all windows. The drip cap and sill at top and bottom give a nice long shadow line across the elevation and keeps the opening simple and clean. The light gray material on either side of the window is Hardie Panel - a durable fiber cement board product we're using selectively around the house.
It will be painted some bright color - yet to be determined. I'm sure we'll change our minds several times before deciding.

The first bit of our composite wood decking found it's way onto the site late this week. We're using this at both entry stairs and the balcony off the guest room. We like composite wood decking because of its durability, low maintenance, color fastness and high recycled content (made from recycled wood fiber and plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills). There are many composite woods available on the market today - but we chose Trex (brasilia cayenne) - it's rich color will be a nice match for the Ipe/Ironwood exterior sunshades/trellises we're using above the windows on the south side of the house. Trex won't splinter or crack in the hot summers and cold winters, doesn't need sanding, staining or sealing and can be cut and installed just like wood.

A view of the decking at our small balcony.