I think that most homes, like most faces, have a best side for photography. When we designed the River House, we wanted to take maximum advantage of the views of the water. A good 80% of the windows are on the river-facing side and hence most of the facade’s interest and character. We knew this would mean that the “front” of our house would be rather bland by comparison. What we did not count on, is that trees would make it impossible to capture a decent photo of the house from its best angle. The photo above is the best I could do with my drone. Ideally, it should have been taken from 30 feet further back and 10 degrees to the right. Alas, that photo will never exist. I will, however, be reshooting this in better light when I get a chance.

After testing the first stair railing I built earlier this week, I have decided that the butt joints need to be strengthened with a mortise and floating tenon joint. Even though these butt joints overlap and are glued to a continuous sistered section of plywood, they are not as stiff as I would like them to be. I fabricated the tenons from 3/8″ baltic birch plywood and made the mortises with a jig I have for this purpose. I glued up a couple of 9-foot sections and will test their strength tomorrow morning. I also completed the design for a 3D printable connector that will anchor the hollow steel tube balusters to the stair treads and the handrail.

Jeanine hosted her book club at the River House this evening. It was the first official gathering at the new house and it was also special because the book was “A Taste of Stories,” Jeanine’s cookbook memoir. Everyone came with dishes prepared from recipes in the book and Jeanine did a reading for the group. I cannot think of a better inauguration.

This morning we had a distinguished group of visitors at the River House. Our architect Steve Baczek (blue jeans) invited Matt Risinger (thumbs up) of the Build Show fame and his team for a tour. It turns out that Matt’s first passion is photography, something we have in common. I enjoyed our conversation which ranged from camera systems to magnetic door latches. Matt and Steve have done more to share building science knowledge with the world than anyone I know. I spent dozens of hours watching their online videos when I was doing research for our build. After giving them a full tour of the house, they went back to shoot several video segments on the features that they thought would be of most interest to their audience. I will post links when they are published.

Matt had some very nice things to say about our new home and coming from someone who has probably toured hundreds if not thousands of houses, felt like high praise indeed.

The kitchen sink in our new house is just shy of 4 feet long. It features dual ledges that accept sliding accessories. Jeanine and I visited the website where we purchased the sink and she identified the most useful add-ons. Rather than shell out +$400 for these items, I made them all and then some for less than $75. For the top ledge, I built two bamboo chopping boards (one long grain and one butcher block style end grain) and a high-density plastic chopping board. For the lower ledge, I purchased a roll-up drying shelf ($7) and a collander/bowl combination ($22) which I fit into a second high density plastic frame ($23). Also pictured above at the back are two thick bamboo butcher block cutting boards I fashioned from wood scraps I generated while building the kitchen cabinets.

I got started fabricating the handrails we will use for the stairs at the River House. I am using the same bamboo that I used for the stair treads for a perfect match. This requires that I laminate pieces together to get the desired size rail. Pictured above is a 12-foot rail made of 6 staggered and overlapped 4-foot sections.

To obtain fire department approval for our backup batteries we were required to add a pair of safety bollards to protect them from potential mechanical damage (presumably from a wayward car). The project required less than 30 minutes to complete but only after an entire morning of clearing out that side of the garage. Next, we need to move the breaker box shown above the batteries about 5 feet to the right to meet the electrical code. I will spare you a tirade on why this makes no sense but if I have learned one thing while building this house it is that building codes trump common sense every time.

For the second weekend in a row, Maya stopped by to repair her tiny house which sustained major damage when a large tree limb fell on it. By the end of the day, she had addressed all of the structural damage. To further strengthen the structure, she added two columns to the previously cantilevered porch loft. Maya joined us for dinner and then baked cookies with Jeanine. I was not allowed to sample any of them.

I have been so busy building cabinets and stairs for the River House that my shop has gotten quite cluttered with off-cut bamboo plywood. At nearly $10/sqft. I am reluctant to throw away even the smallest piece. Truth be told, I would not throw it out even if it were free. I just can’t bear throwing away anything that has intrinsic value. Thus far these off-cuts have been randomly stacked against my shop wall making it very time-consuming to find a particular scrap of the right size and grain orientation. Today, I did a bit of shop organization while our painters put the finishing touches on our stairwell, the one area they were unable to complete until the new stairs were installed.

Visitors entering the River House often comment that they feel like they have just stepped onto a boat. The first-floor elevation provides a perspective that makes you feel like you are on the water. By contrast, the view from the basement provides an eye-level view of the river. A recent guest commented that this was the first picture window he had seen that truly looked like a picture.

The River House contains a small area we have been calling the media enclave. It is essentially a two-person home theater with a large-screen TV and recliner seating. Today, I rented a U-Haul trailer and moved the new recliners over from the Road House where they have been sitting boxed up for several months since we purchased them. After setting them in place and connecting power, I tested the reclining function only to discover that both would get stuck about halfway through their range of motion. When I flipped them over to investigate, I discovered a mechanical interference (the black linkage colliding with the silver part shown in the photo above). I was perplexed trying to figure out why the mechanism had no clearance looking for signs of a bent frame or linkages. Eventually, I concluded that the frames were assembled incorrectly at the factory. These recliners are part of a sectional system and various seating configurations can be achieved by placing the frame components in different preset locations. Whoever assembled these units picked the wrong locations. Once I figured out the issue, it did not take long to move the interfering components and correct the problem. Despite the obvious lack of quality control, the recliners are really comfortable and I may have taken a nap in one to reward myself for fixing the problem.

With all but the stair railing and closet built-ins to complete, my attention today was on furniture. I rebuilt portions of and refinished the Scandinavian-design teak bed frame I have owned since I was in graduate school. It is now set up in the main bedroom and fitted with a new mattress. I got a good workout single-handedly moving a very heavy dining room table from the garage into the great room where I assembled it upside down and flipped it over into position. Much easier was the task of moving in a pair of swivel chairs that will be joined by a small couch to form a “living room” area.

18 months ago, I wisely chose to invest in a proper pair of work boots. They have served me well and lasted just long enough to protect my feet through the construction of the River House. Now that the focus has shifted to furnishing and decorating, I think it may be time to retire these trusted companions.

Over the years, Jeanine and I have come to prefer hanging bath towels on hooks rather than over bars. It takes less work and they dry just as well. My work at the house today largely involved finishing details. I installed door stops where needed to protect walls, covered all remaining HVAC ducts with vent covers, and installed the hooks shown above. The guest and half bath may get towel bars for a more formal appearance. Now that the last coat of floor finish is done we are also beginning to move furniture over from the Road House.

Jeanine and I enjoyed a lovely dinner with new friends. Their dog thought he should be allowed to share some of the cheese appetizer plate and eventually, his persistent focus earned him the treat he was hoping for. I apologize for the poor-quality photo but it was impossible to quell my laughter and hold still as I watched the showdown.

Jeanine and I made a major dent in clearing the garage of construction materials and for the first time, I was able to park my car inside AND charge it. The landscape crew has been here all week and finished up with their work for the season. Topsoil placement and plantings will have to wait for the spring but the basic contours on the site have been established and should provide good stormwater drainage. Most importantly, we now have a functional if not attractive walkway to the front door. Also completed today was the final coat of floor finishing which means that we can start moving in furniture early next week.