the Shanty - from outer space!

Today I was telling someone about the Shanty for the first time, and he asked how close it was to the main house (he suggested I install plumbing out here somehow). I didn't have a sufficient picture to illustrate to him the shanty's proximity to the house, so I figured I'd google-map that shiz and show him the site as compared to the house. Nay, I shall show him the aerial view of the Shanty! Lo and behold Google had taken a new photo of the Earth and thar she sits! Smack in the backyard. And you can even make out the transparent roof to the North, with a hint of supporting rafters. Anyway, just wanted to share this artifact with you. I feel as though I have made an official architectural contribution to the world, because someone other than me has taken a photo of my construction.

That large rectangle in the center is the pool, you can't actually see the house in this shot, but you can make at the top of the driveway and part of the woodshed to the Southwest of the image.



For those of you who missed out on Blizzards 1, 2 and 3 of 2010, I am also going to include some of those pictures below. This past winter proved to be an excellent test for the Shanty's might and make. With minimal leakage at a few (anticipated) locations, the Shanty pretty much proved to be well put-together.

Well Hung

Sometimes I think my weekend warring shall never end, but I do sense that last weekend served as the last major overhaul of work to be done in the Shanty, i.e. work that requires at least two people to complete. Last Saturday, my father and I spent the majority of the day heaving, hauling and hanging drywall.

I definitely started the day as a novice, timid and uncertain how to do anything. I was scoring and snapping the drywall, but it wasn't breaking cleanly. I kept mishandling the drill as I screwed the panels into place, which left me with little phillips head shaped dings in the fresh wall coverings. However, as the day progressed and my skills became more refined, I was able to snap a clean break of drywall, and cleanly screw it into place. I don't know if I would say it was fun, because it was not only physically taxing, but mentally exhausting since there are a great many unique geometry problems to be solved when it comes to my customized little Shanty.

I shall have to post some photos soon, though I have taken none yet, so that you may observe the fruits of my labor. I would also like to say that I recognize that spackling that B is going to be another grueling task, but mind you, one I can do with my own might.

Today I purchased some lengths of poplar which I shall trim and size to my windows tomorrow, to serve as a (modest) finished sill. I have developed a strategy for window coverings that will hopefully not encourage egg sacks (I have found that spiders are still finding their way inside the Shanty, despite my attempts at sealing it, and they are very quick to employ any fold of fabric as an egg depository). For this, I have purchased some wood dowels. More on that one later.

I also bought some more expandable foam sealant, to hopefully finish the roof sealing job. Lastly, I got some weather stripping for the windows, I'm not sure how easy it will be to install, so I only picked up 10' of it for now. Photos of my successes/failures to come tomorrow, methinks.

I probably owe 90% of my motivation to finish out the Shanty to the book I am just about finished. I mention it all the time now, but it is so crazy how similar the story is to my own story with the Shanty. I don't want to sound like a complete idiot to the architect at work who recommended it to me, so I am not sure how many parallels I shall disclose to him.

In conclusion, I do believe my drywall, with all its little mars and footprints is pretty well hung.

Just got out to take some photos this afternoon. I ended up not working on the sills as I had planned, in part to an onslaught of precipitation in the afternoon.




You can see it's pretty dark for being close to 2 o'clock in the afternoon, thank you, Cumulonimbus:






View towards the NE corner. Still thinking about how I may finish the door:






Here you can see all the in-swinging casements in action. Local critics suggest a classier alternative to the blue jump-rope looking hoists I've implemented:






These poplar boards will become the aforementioned sills. With time:

Coming Soon

I'm posting this in the hope that I will peer-pressure myself into expanding it later.

Over the 4th of July Weekend, Jo Feb, and a few friends of ours (alias names: Seaward, K-Mask, Hellomaa and Professor Garbage-face) visited the Philip Johnson House in New Canaan, CT. Man, such a great time.

Stay tuned for the following:

Review of a complex man's eccentric paradise
Pictures!
Gossip (hint. Andy Warhol is involved)
A Comic.

The comic, I have to say is what I enjoyed the most, mostly because I use Philip Johnson A LOT in comics. In fact he has now officially more cameos than Louis Kahn)

http://chillicheesefries.deviantart.com/art/Comic-Book8-122101491?q=gallery%3Achillicheesefries+sort%3Atime&qo=111

http://chillicheesefries.deviantart.com/art/Comic-Book9-122101627?q=gallery%3Achillicheesefries+sort%3Atime&qo=110

http://chillicheesefries.deviantart.com/art/Comic-Book10-122101715?q=gallery%3Achillicheesefries+sort%3Atime&qo=109

I think Philip Johnson is my favorite character for two reasons: 1. His chin is so much fun to draw. 2. He was so blindingly intelligent, absurdly rich, ruthlessly power-hungry, conniving, manipulative, handsome, honest, cruel but above all else, political. Long story short; He was interesting, very interesting.

Seeing and SITE

SO, Even though it was always a hot and uncomfortable topic while we were in school, I'm still in love with James Wines and SITE. (Sculpture In The Enviornment)

Especially the BEST Stores from the late 70s/Early 80s. Are they one-liners? Yes. Are they arrogantly, almost painfully postmodern? Yes

But are they architecture? For two reasons:

1. They make you actually think about a Vernacular that is often taken for granted. "Big Box Building", AKA The Walmarts, K-Marts, etc. for better or worse ARE a part of our culture. Maybe not the most charming or unique aspect, but they exist for a reason, and much like the deep-fried Oreo, you don't admit you enjoy them, but you do. On top of that the Big-Box one-liners are instantly likeable because is a self-depricating humor, something that an arrogant field like architecture does not typically take to. It's a pretty great thing that James Wines took a vernaular that is universally and naturally homogeneous, and made each one original. There's method in the meshugas.

2. Structure. I know it sounds podantic, but it takes a lot of engineering to get a brick to peel.

I found these videos on A Daily Dose of Architecture, and thought to share them here too.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxPuM4w3c2g&feature=player_embedded

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCImIgZWVdw&feature=player_embedded

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m5jDFJDl0Y&feature=player_embedded

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m5jDFJDl0Y&feature=player_embedded

Now, the real tradgedy is that some of SITE's structures have been either taken-down or abandonned. The "Tilt" Building in Towson, MD and the "Peeling" Showroom in Richmond VA being the two main examples. However, If you're interested in seeing them in person below are the addresses for a few of them.

Best Forest Showroom
9008 Quioccasin Road, Richmond, VA 23229

Best Notch Showroom
1901 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95815

Best Hialeah Showroom
5310 West 20th Ave Hialeah, FL 33016

Best Notch Showroom
1901 arden way sacramento ca 95815

Best Hialeah Showroom
5310 West 20th Ave Hialeah, FL 33016

Intermediate Façade Showroom
Alameda-Genoa Shopping Center, Kingsport Rd & Kleckley Drive, Houston, TX 77075
port Rd & Kleckley Drive, Houston, TX 77075