ARTIST STUDIO - DAY SEVENTEEN

STARTED PUTTING UP THE TONGUE-AND-GROOVE CEDAR SIDING. BEAUTIFUL MATERIAL. CLEAR, NO KNOTS.

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY ELEVEN

LAST WEEK, I STEPPED ASIDE AND LET THE SPECIALISTS DO THEIR WORK.

DAY ELEVEN AND TWELVE, PAT WIRED THE PLACE AND PUT IN SWITCHES, OUTLETS AND CAN LIGHTS.

DAY THIRTEEN, THE INSULATORS MADE THE PLACE COZY.

DAY FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN, KEN AND JOHNNY ROCKED, MUDDED AND SANDED.

DAY SIXTEEN, I GOT BACK TO WORK AND PUT UP THE PORCH CEILING.

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY TEN

INSTALLED THE WINDOWS AND DOORS.

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY NINE

NAILED DOWN THE ROOF DECKING. THE OVERHANG IS ABOUT SIX FEET AND, THANKS TO THOSE TRIPLE ROOF JOISTS, IT'S REALLY SOLID UP THERE.

THE VIEW FROM BELOW:

THE VIEW FROM INSIDE:

THE VIEW FROM ATOP:

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY EIGHT

WRAPPED THE BACK WALLS WITH A VAPOR BARRIER.

PUT UP SOME REALLY NICE PLYWOOD FOR THE WALLS. NO KNOTS OR "FOOTBALLS."

THE FLIP SIDE:

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY SIX

AND DAY SEVEN.

I FRAMED OUT THE OPENINGS FOR THE BUILT-IN SHELVES. LINED THEM UP WITH THE WINDOWS, WHICH SHOULD LOOK COOL.

THE ROOF JOISTS ARE SIXTEEN-FOOT-LONG 2X8s, WHICH ARE KINDA BIG AND HEAVY. IT TOOK ME AN HOUR OR MORE JUST TO MOVE THEM AROUND AND CUT THEM TO LENGTH.

THE ROOF OVER THE PORCH:

YES, THAT'S A TRIPLE JOIST, FOR STRENGTH.

IN PROFILE:

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY FIVE

STARTED PUTTING UP THE PLYWOOD.

FRAMED THE 'INSIDE' WALL FOR THE PORCH. THIS WALL IS DOUBLED, TO MAKE IT THICKER.

THE VIEW FROM 'OUTSIDE':

DAY SIX. MORE CUTTING AND NAILING OF PLYWOOD. THE SOUTH WALL AND PORCH:

THE CORNER WINDOWS ARE STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE.

LOOKING OUT:

LOOKING GOOD.

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY FOUR

I FRAMED OUT THE OPEN SPACE IN THE PORCH WALL.

THEN THE SOUTH WALL, WITH ROUGH OPENINGS FOR THE DOOR AND A WINDOW.

THE WEST WALL HAS A CORRESPONDING WINDOW, WHICH JOINS THE OTHER AT THE CORNER. 

ALL FOUR WALLS FRAMED, READY FOR PLYWOOD.

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY THREE

A BEAUTIFUL DAY. FRAMED THE BACK WALL...

...AND MADE SOME GOOD PROGRESS ON THE EAST WALL, WHICH EXTENDS BEYOND THE STUDIO SPACE AND BECOMES A SIDE WALL FOR THE PORCH.

ARTIST STUDIO - DAY ONE

AS AN ARTIST MYSELF, THIS PROJECT IS DEAR TO MY HEART. THE STUDIO WILL HAVE A BUILT-IN WORKBENCH, A READING AREA, STORAGE FOR ART SUPPLIES AND A FRONT PORCH FOR OUTSIDE WORK.

IT'S GOING TO BE TUCKED INTO THIS CORNER OF THE YARD, WITH A VIEW TO THE SOUTH AND WEST.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, DAVID AND MARK FROM FIDDLEHEAD EXCAVATED THE SITE AND BUILT A NICE STONE PATIO TO CONNECT THE MAIN HOUSE TO THE MICRO-STRUCTURE.

THEN WE POURED THE CONCRETE SLAB.

 DAY TWO, I FRAMED THE FLOOR, INSULATED IT...

...AND DECKED IT WITH PLYWOOD. I LOVE THE UNUSUAL SHAPE OF THE FLOOR. IT BODES WELL FOR THE UNUSUAL ARCHITECTURE OF THIS PROJECT.

"OREGONIAN" ARTICLE

THE OREGONIAN FEATURED A SHORT ARTICLE ABOUT MICRO-STRUCTURES IN LAST WEEK'S 'HOMES & GARDENS' SECTION.

I'M NOW ON RECORD AS BEING 'ANTI-McMANSIONS,' IN CASE THERE WAS EVER ANY DOUBT ABOUT MY POSITION ON THAT ISSUE...