Framing Begins

The Casa rises at the ridge of the highest hill in Glassell Park. The garage will be below, connected by, budget permitting, an elevator. Early designs called for a long driveway to get up to the house (read expensive retaining walls), who wants to haul groceries up this height. Eventually it dawned on me to get rid of those walls and use an elevator instead (duh).






Excavation for the 3-car garage.









A marking on this column is used to take height measurements for the various levels of the lot.








This area, behind the garage, is where the pool will be. In order to keep the hill from falling in prior to building a retaining wall, after a 5 foot rise, it has to be cut back a half foot horizontally for every vertical foot. Or was it the other way around? All these numbers, as well as observing the excavated dirt, are per a soils engineer's report, part of the permit, and indicated on the plans. A great learning experience for myself.





Did I really specify the lower end of the great room to be nine feet tall?












A frame with a view.

(rear bedroom)

The center of every house -- the kitchen.











The rear bedrooms.










The front door.