Photos: House, February 20, 2010

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Lydia is playing with some PEX piping.

Note: The red pipe is for hot water supply, and the blue pipe is for cold water supply. compared to traditional copper piping, PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is easier to install, has minimal heat loss through conduction, is quiet, and is easier to repair.

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Lydia is running down the sloped part of the back yard.

Roofing note: The hickory colored roof is made of 30-year asphalt shingles. The difference between 15-year shingles, 30-year shingles, and 50-year shingles is mainly the thickness of the roofing material.

Exterior foam insulation note:

"In a typical stick-frame [wood framed] house, lumber occupies 27 % of the wall area. . .Since the insulating value of softwood lumber (R-1.25 per inch) is less than that of fiberglass or cellulose insulation (R-3.6 per inch), each stick of wood lowers the wall's overall R-value. [Current Washington state energy codes require that exterior walls have R-21 insulation.]

Each piece of framing lumber acts as a thermal bridge, a conduit for heat to leak through the wall. Thermal bridging is more significant that many realize.

For example, you would think that a 2x6 wall insulated with R-19 fiberglass batts would have an overall R-value of R-19. But according to hot-box measurements made by researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the whole-wall R-value of such an assembly is actually R-12.8 if the bats are installed perfectly and only R-11 if the batts are installed poorly. . .

a continuous layer of exterior foam sheathing is the most effective way to limit thermal bridging thrugh studs and headers."

(source: Martin Holladay. "Thermal Bridging", Fine Homebuilding, April / May 2010, pages 16-17.)

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Lydia is carrying a remnant of a cardboard cylinder that is used for the concrete footings of the deck.

Note: After the cardboard cylinder is buried into the ground, concrete is poured into it.

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Family picture in the garage

Notes: Lining the walls of the garage (and exterior walls) is a one-inch layer of extruded polystyrene, a type of rigid foam insulation with a R-value of 5. The red lines show where the contractor tape has been placed to seal the gaps between the sheets of insulation. In addition to its insulative value, the rigid foam insulation provides a very good air barrier to reduce unwanted air infiltration into the home. In many homes, excessive air leakage results in drafts and causes the heating and cooling systems to work harder.

For our general contractor, Joe Bergevin, this is the first home that he has built which has the exterior rigid foam insulation, something that we requested for the reasons noted above.

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Family picture in back yard

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 20, 2010 at the site of our future home.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 20, 2010 at the site of our future home.

Photos: Lydia Portraits

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Lydia and her tigers

Note: Since 2010 is the year of the tiger in the Chinese calendar, SiowFong thought that it would be a good idea to make a photograph of Lydia with her beloved Tiggers.

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Lydia is dancing.

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Lydia loves her pre-ballet class, and she is showing her mom how she can balance on one leg.

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Lydia demonstrates how she curtsies.

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Lydia spontaneously created a "low shape".

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Lydia is "all smiles" as she relaxes on the floor besides little Tigger.

Note: With the busyness of our lives with the new home construction, it has been such a long time since we made some formal Lydia portraits, so today was a great opportunity to do it once again.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 14, 2010 in the upper landing area of our home.

Photos: Chinese New Year

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Lydia is opening red envelopes, which is part of the annual Chinese New Year tradition.

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The red envelopes contain money, which Lydia has deposited into her blue piggy bank.

Note: Both of these pictures were taken on February 14, 2010 in the upper landing area of our home.

Photos: House, February 7, 2010

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Lydia is playing with scrap pieces of lumber that she is using as stacking blocks in the family room.

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Family picture in the playroom

Note: Behind the playroom is bedroom two, which is the girls' bedroom. Both of these rooms are on the second floor.

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The great room

Note: This wide angle photo shows the three rooms that comprise the great room in our future home. In the foreground is the kitchen. In the midground is the nook (the dining room with the large patio door opening), and in the background is the family room.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 7, 2010 in our future home.

Photos: Year of the Tiger

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Red envelopes, Chinese New Year note (written by SiowFong), and chocolate candy (coins and Hershey Kisses) are the things that Lydia will give to her friends at her day care.

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The year of the tiger is emblazoned on this Chinese New Year red envelope.

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A pair of Chinese New Year tiger figurines

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Lydia hugs her favorite tigers, her Tiggers!

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 6, 2010 in the dining room of our home.

Photos: Chinese New Year, Whizz Kids

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Attired in her pink Chinese outfit, Lydia is ready to package some Chinese New Year treats for her classmates at her preschool.

Note: In front of Lydia are Chinese red envelopes, chocolate candy in the form of Chinese coins, and an information sheet about Chinese New Year. Alice, Lydia's teacher, is Taiwanese, and she will teach the class about Chinese New Year.

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Lydia gazes at the interior of a red envelope.

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Lydia closes a red envelope after filling it with a few Hershey Kisses chocolates and chocolate coins.

Note: 2010 is the year of the tiger, so two Tiggers, including big granddad Tigger and Lydia's favorite Tigger, are witnessing Lydia's work.

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Lydia places a treat inside a red envelope.

Note: The red envelopes filled with chocolates are Lydia's handiwork.

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After finishing the job, Lydia gives big granddaddy Tigger a huge hug.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 6, 2010 in the dining room of our home.

Photos: Chloe Bergevin and Lydia

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Lydia and Chloe Bergevin, who is also four years of age, are standing in the den.

Note: Chloe is one of three daughters of Joe Bergevin, our builder, and Katy, his wife, and as such, Chloe has visited a number of homes under construction with her father over her lifetime.

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Chloe and Lydia look very relaxed in this picture.

Note: Joe and various subcontractors usually meet with Lydia's dad once a week at the job site, and Joe brought Chloe so that Lydia would have a friend to play with while her dad was busy.

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Joe, Chloe's dad, is carrying Chloe and Lydia, which resulted in smiles, giggling, and laughter from both girls.

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Chloe and Lydia are standing inside a framed column of the front entry.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on February 5, 2010 at the site of our future home.