Started the barrel vault, here are some pics

[Chris Pasko]

It has taken me about 8 hours to get this far, tricky doing it by yourself! Up and down on ladders all day is tough even though I'm young =P.


http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/IMG_1162.jpg

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/IMG_1163.jpg

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/IMG_1161.jpg

[Bruce Page]

Looks good Chris. What are you building/remodeling?

[Jim Dunn]

Where does the bung go:) Looking good there. Next is the drywall? Or do you get lights as well.

[Jim Becker]

That's going to be a wonderful space, Chris...keep on posting progress pictures until the end.

[Tim Malyszko]

Very cool. Is that in your house?

[jud dinsmore]

looks good so far. what are you planning for lighting? i always thought it would be pretty cool to run crown at the base of the barrel (the top of the crown would, obviously, be open at the top) and place rope lighting in it. we do this with the basic step tray ceilings we build. it would be much more dramatic on a barrel ceiling i think.

what is all of the blocking for? cabinets? crown and chair rail? seems like an aweful lot of work.

jud

[Chris Pasko]

Bruce:
Thanks, its a city house we are remodeling.

Jim:
Bung? =) next in there will be electric, insulation, rock.

Mr. Becker:
Thanks! I will, I plan on doing a groin vault in the master bath, but thats a bit more intimidating!

Tim:
Thanks, I own it, but I don't live there. Its a house on the park in Baltimore City in a high end area of town. Trying to get as much out of it as I can =).

Jud:
Thanks, thats exactly what I am doing. I did the same thing in a crown on my bedroom, I will try to get pics and post it. That 4" horizontal height at the bottom will have a nice crown installed and either rope of fiber optic lighting installed behind it. You are right, it makes quite a dramatic effect. The blocking is all for kitchen cabinets.



Other then that where you see the two arches next to each other on either end of the length, there will be two recessed lights in there. I left it open so we can access the wires.

There will also probably be a ceiling fan in the middle as well, though I have to see what its going to look like first.


I will keep the thread updated!

[Frank Snyder]

Are you drywalling this ceiling? How exactly are you going to handle the radius transitions and inside corners at the ends? Are there more ribs that need to be installed?

[glenn bradley]

Looks like you're well on your way. Keep us posted.

[Dick Aubochon]

Bruce:
Thanks, its a city house we are remodeling.

Jim:
Bung? =) next in there will be electric, insulation, rock.

Mr. Becker:
Thanks! I will, I plan on doing a groin vault in the master bath, but thats a bit more intimidating!

Tim:
Thanks, I own it, but I don't live there. Its a house on the park in Baltimore City in a high end area of town. Trying to get as much out of it as I can =).

Jud:
Thanks, thats exactly what I am doing. I did the same thing in a crown on my bedroom, I will try to get pics and post it. That 4" horizontal height at the bottom will have a nice crown installed and either rope of fiber optic lighting installed behind it. You are right, it makes quite a dramatic effect. The blocking is all for kitchen cabinets.



Other then that where you see the two arches next to each other on either end of the length, there will be two recessed lights in there. I left it open so we can access the wires.

There will also probably be a ceiling fan in the middle as well, though I have to see what its going to look like first.


I will keep the thread updated!

Chris,
Where do you buy your rope lighting? I assume it's low voltage. I just put crown molding up on a sloped ceiling for someone and was quoted $1,700.00 for 50 ft of strip light. OUCH!

[Chris Pasko]

Yeah, the ceiling will be rocked with two layers of 1/4" drywall. There is a lot of blocking left to do, I will post the pics as I go.

Thank Glenn!

Dick:
I forget where I bought it originally, I bought it by the foot. I know it was no where near 1700.00 though, that sounds absolutely crazy! I will try to find it and post in this thread.

[Chris Pasko]

Its been a little while, but I finally got some pics I figured I would post them for anyone interested =).

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/kitchenceiling.jpg http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/kitchenceiling2.jpg

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/kitchenceiling1.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/kitchenceiling3.jpg

[Jim Becker]

That's going to be an awesome space, Chris. Please keep updating things as work continues!

[Tim Malyszko]

It's coming along nicely. I look forward to seeing the final finished room.

[Bill Simmeth]

Chris, that's looking great! Can't wait to see it with "skin".

[Glen Blanchard]

Man that is going to look sooo nice. We designed a barrel ceiling into our office and they are cool indeed.

http://smilesrus.com/woodworking3/IMG_6371.jpg

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Chris...keep the pics a comin'.
-Jeff :)

[Greg Deakins]

Hey that looks really good. A metaphysical-minded person would say that place was haunted, due to those circular "ghosts" in the image... I'm not that person. lol But I did install fifty feet of rope lighting as an extra on a kitchen I just refaced, with a valance on the underside. I did it for the cost of materials, fifty bucks, including the three way dimming touch switch. Big Box store bargain. That place looks solid, those cabinets should be peachy to install....

[John Timberlake]

Great so far. Going to be really cool when done. Will be looking for more progress pictures.

[Steve Clardy]

Looks good Chris!
I did a small one a few years ago in a closet.
They are quite a bit of work indeed:)

[Chris Pasko]

Thanks guys so much for the kind words! Its such a relief getting that thing done, the compound miters that change on every stick killed me =).

I will post some pics when the job is all wrapped up, it will probably still be a little while yet.

Now the project is the master bedroom, I have a neat idea in my head, I will see if I can make it happen!

Thanks for the inspirational words, and I will keep the thread up to date!

[Ben Grunow]

I remember your original post and it looks like you are doing well. I have built some barrels vaults and I know how much time it takes. I like the use of LVLs to establish a level, straight base for any project. They are always worth the extra $.

Seems like you will need (I know you are not done but I cant resist...) some blocking to support the drywall at the bottom edges of the curves, maybe an angled rip along the LVL to match the angle of the curve and (sorry) some 2x4s to attach those LVLs to the joists to prevent sagging from weight of drywall/trim.

Last thought. I think some mahogany or painted bead board would look nice on that and you could skip the drywall... might be worth a thought.

Keep up the good work.

Ben

[Chris Pasko]

I remember your original post and it looks like you are doing well. I have built some barrels vaults and I know how much time it takes. I like the use of LVLs to establish a level, straight base for any project. They are always worth the extra $.

Seems like you will need (I know you are not done but I cant resist...) some blocking to support the drywall at the bottom edges of the curves, maybe an angled rip along the LVL to match the angle of the curve and (sorry) some 2x4s to attach those LVLs to the joists to prevent sagging from weight of drywall/trim.

Last thought. I think some mahogany or painted bead board would look nice on that and you could skip the drywall... might be worth a thought.

Keep up the good work.

Ben

Thanks! Its the first time I used LVL's and I have to say it will happen more often. It made for a very nice easy clean level start!

My rocker said he can get away without that last little bit done, though I think I will do it to make it a little easier on them and for piece of mind. It would make for an easier job, at least on them heh.

You cannot tell in the finished pics but I have about 5 2x4's along the length of each side tieing the lvls into the joist to prevent any kind of sagging. Those puppies were sagging as soon as I got underway =).

Funny you should mention that, I told my father on our next high end renovation, I was going to try a barrel vault in cherry or mahogany in 1x material over a finished ceiling. I think that would be an absolutely incredible ceiling! It would be pretty difficult to make sure its very precise and unable to see any fasteners. It would be incredible though. People come in and just stare at that ceiling, in fact someone bit the dust on the ice about a week ago trying to stop him self for a second look. Kind of funny once I knew he wasn't hurt =).

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Chris,

That is looking sooo SWEEET. I hope it pays off for you .

[Ben Grunow]

I did a wine cellar with a barrel ceiling in mahogany bead board. Tongue and groove so blind nailing means no fasteners showing except on the first and last board. No pics so I guess it didnt happen though.

Keep it up!

Ben

[Chris Pasko]

Here is the master bedroom ceiling. I nearly completed it today, a few more hours and it would have been nailed =).

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/ceiling_bottom_master_bed.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/Ceiling_Side_master_bed.sized.jpg

[Brian Hale]

Thats a lot of work!

I helped my father rehab a couple houses (remember the $1 house deal? )when i was younger and it can be a dirty fustrating job but the fun none the less.

What part of town are you working in?

Brian :)

[Tim Malyszko]

Wow. That is one heck of master bedroom ceiling. Very nice work.

[Jim Becker]

Your rockers are going to be laughing all the way to the bank...but you'll be right behind them once the project is done! Wow! What a great renovation! I may have to make a trek to Baltimore to get a gander at this when it's done...;)

[Chris Pasko]

Brian, yeah it is! I love it though so it isn't bad. We got in just too late for the awesome $1 houses =), but we did get in early enough to score some great deals.

This house is on E.Baltimore St directly across from the park. We were able to get the citys blessing to make the front master bedroom windows sliding doors and rebuild the second floor bump out to accommodate a small porch. So now the master bedroom has a small porch to come out in the mornings and over look the park. Its really nice.

Thanks Tim!

Jim, tell me about I don't even want to think about those poor guys heh. I appreciate the compliments, and if your ever in town look me up!

[Brian Hale]

Wow! A walk out 2nd floor front porch is a bit rare in the city for sure. I'll bet the owners are real happy with that !

My daughter is rehabbing an old row house about 3 blocks west of the B&O train museum. So far it looks like she got a good one as all the joists and roof boards are solid and show no signs of being wet in the past. The mortar upstairs needs to be pointed so she's looking into that now. Then she'll need to run plumbing to the 2nd floor so she can put in a bathroom. The house was built before indoor plumbing and when it came around, the bathroom was put in the basement with a couple pipes going up one floor for the kitchen. She's having fun but hasn't asked for much help yet, although she has started mentioning vanities, built-ins and kitchen cabinets. Wonder who's going to be making them :rolleyes:

Please keep us updated on the progress!

Brian :)

[Chris Pasko]

Wow! A walk out 2nd floor front porch is a bit rare in the city for sure. I'll bet the owners are real happy with that !

My daughter is rehabbing an old row house about 3 blocks west of the B&O train museum. So far it looks like she got a good one as all the joists and roof boards are solid and show no signs of being wet in the past. The mortar upstairs needs to be pointed so she's looking into that now. Then she'll need to run plumbing to the 2nd floor so she can put in a bathroom. The house was built before indoor plumbing and when it came around, the bathroom was put in the basement with a couple pipes going up one floor for the kitchen. She's having fun but hasn't asked for much help yet, although she has started mentioning vanities, built-ins and kitchen cabinets. Wonder who's going to be making them :rolleyes:

Please keep us updated on the progress!

Brian :)

Actually, its a third floor walk out =) its about 5x10. There are also pretty large decks on the rear, one is about 12x6 on the second floor rear bedroom, and the third floor rear has one about 12x15, then a huge one will be going on the roof.

I am the owner =), well my father and myself are partners on all our houses.

Your daughter has a good house there, what st is it on? Everything in hollins market is really coming up, and thats where most of my houses are. There are a lot of big plans for that area. I bought my first house in West Baltimore for $500.00 in 2001, my second for $1000.00, and my third for $2500.00. I cant get anything in that area for less then 15k now, and thats a great deal when I come across them as they are commonly selling for 30-50k+ just for condemned houses.

If your daughter needs some good masons, drop me a line I can put you in touch with some.

Tell her good luck =).

[Brian Hale]

I can't remember the street name but it's 1 block west of S Stricker St and south of Ramsay. She paid $68k and it didn't need anything to move in. It even has 8yo A/C, forced hot air and it's well insulated with about 25 layers of wallpaper :rolleyes:

Thanks for the mason offer, i'll let her know, but she's determined to do as much as she can herself so there's been lot of internet research going on lately. We bought her a circular saw, hammer, level and square for Christmas, you've never a happier kid! :D

Brian :)

[Per Swenson]

Chris,

Fantastic Job.

Good for you.

Per

[Charles Wilson]

What are you doing for insulation in the 'vault'? Rolled or sheets?

BTW, very nice. :)

Regards,
Chuck

[Chris Pasko]

Brian:
The name eludes me at the moment, is it guilford, or something like that? Thats about what they are going for over there, not a bad price. Years back they were 10k-20k for the same house. The city has big plans for that area, so its a very wise investment choice!

Its good your daughter is so willing to take this on a lone! Most ppl are scared of that part of town and the renovations involved! If you need that mason just ask! I know a good one that lives in the neighborhood (I know that sounds a bit contradictory, but its true heh), as well as another who does excellent work, but is of course more money.


Thanks Per!

Charles:

I have no idea, I am letting the insulation company deal with that =), luckily I have a builders loan on this house, so I need only save where I must heh. Insulation is one job I will sub out! I assume the would use rolls, maybe even the spray in stuff since it will be very difficult to get to the tops of these ceilings.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Can't believe I missed this thread. Awesome work!

How 'bout an update?

[Benjimin Young]

Yeah, the ceiling will be rocked with two layers of 1/4" drywall. There is a lot of blocking left to do, I will post the pics as I go.

Thank Glenn!

Dick:
I forget where I bought it originally, I bought it by the foot. I know it was no where near 1700.00 though, that sounds absolutely crazy! I will try to find it and post in this thread.

Chris, great framing job! I have done a lot of this kind of thing in commercial buildings but with metal framing (metal channel, furring,studs, etc.). I never envisioned using wood, very nice.

A few tricks with the gypsum wall board (GWB) that may be of interest; 1) Set up some uneven dunnage on the floor so the GWB will take on a curve while it is stored on the floor. This works best in a humid environment. 2) Don't use fresh right off the truck GWB as it may be a little too "crisp", let it sit for a while, again in a humid environment. 3) Extra hands will be very helpfull when handling slightly damp GWB especially if it is 1/4 inch. 4) Try to have all joints run with the curve and not perpendicular, this will make for much easier taping later; order GWB longer if needed.

Look forward to seeing the finished job, Ben

[Jeffrey Makiel]

The framing on this project is in the category of 'fine woodworking'. Nice work!
-Jeff

[Chris Pasko]

Hey guys, thanks again for the awesome compliments! Sorry it has been so long with the updates, but finally I was able to get to posting some shots of what I did in the master bedroom. I don't have pics of the master bedroom ceiling finished up yet, I have to get them.

This was a bit tricky, and there is still lots of blocking to be done for the rockers. Let me know what you think!

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/elliptical_dome.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Misc-Shots/elliptical_1.sized.jpg

[Jim Becker]

Wow...you sure you don't want to bend a mirror around that one, Chris?? :D :D :D (That's going to be an incredible property...)

[John Schreiber]

Wow, that's a big project. I can't wait to see it with a surface on it. I'll bet you can't either.

[Dave MacArthur]

Wow, all of this work is just incredible, I really can't wait to see the finished project!

[Eugene A. Manzo III]

I only wish I had paid attention in math class , very very nice work;)

[Chris Pasko]

I will leave that up to you Jim =). Thanks! It sure is taking a lot of work!

John, its killing me! Just the though of some rock on these walls is exciting. It sure will be satisfying to see this one come to an end!

Dave, thanks! Still a ways to go before shes rocked though.

Eugene, tell me about it, sometimes I think my head will explode, especially when you run through it all and the cut doesn't pan out. You go back to find you added one little number improperly and threw the whole thing out =).

[Chris Pasko]

It has been a while, project is only a week or so away from being completed. Ran into some fantastic problems along the way with contractors, supplies etc =). Have never owned a house more than 6 months in my life, this one now 2 years heh. I love it, but glad to see it wrapping up. You can see it a bunch of photos here (I am sorry for the quality):

http://gallery.mac.com/cpasko#100118&bgcolor=black&view=grid

A few previews:
http://gallery.mac.com/cpasko/100118/IMG_7769/web.jpghttp://gallery.mac.com/cpasko/100118/IMG_7852/web.jpg
http:/gallery.mac.com/cpasko/100118/IMG_7826/web.jpghttp://gallery.mac.com/cpasko/100118/IMG_7813/web.jpg

[Per Swenson]

Chris,

Way to go dude!

Per

[Mark Vernon]

Chris,
You are both artist and true craftsman! A bright future I forsee for you young man. Great work!
Mark

[Karl Brogger]

Phenomenal! Now I have some ammo for convincing the old lady. My basement is unfinished with a couple of heat runs down one side. I can’t stand soffits and originally I was going to end up building a soffit on the other side just for conformity, then I thought a barrel vault would look good. Now I know it will look good. I planned on using T+G to cover it.

[Grant Morris]

My hats off to you Chris. That is some mighty fine ceiling work you have done. I can't imagine how much work it was sanding that egg dome ceiling :-)

Whatever you thought you were going to get for your house before you started, aim higher. Even though the housing market is a little slow right now your property will move without a problem. Set the price high and let the offers drag it down a little rather than setting it too low and potentially losing money to the first offer.

Keep up the good work and good luck.

[Jim Becker]

Outstanding, Chris...and I do understand about "lingering" construction projects...

[Paul Girouard]

This reminds me of the "end" of most projects ,

http://gallery.mac.com/cpasko/100118/IMG_7794/web.jpg


Light at the end of the tunnel :D

Nice job !

[Chris Pasko]

Thanks a lot guys, I thought you guys would like them. Its a house I am truly proud of, and happy to finally be in a neighborhood where I could do a bit of fancy stuff and make some money on it.

That little black dot on the ceiling next to the elliptical dome in the 3rd picture is actually the faucet for the jacuzzi fill =), it get a chrome trim still but its pretty slick.

A lot of really neat little things in this house. Cabinets turned out darker then I wanted, but thats just another day in the life of baltimore st. =)

The glass block wall and niche in the master bath has fiber optics ran through so at night the entire wall changes colors. Its pretty neat. I will try to get pics.

[John Dorough]

Chris,

I add my kudos to the many others already given. The architect and homeowners should be very happy that they chose such a skilled craftsman. Your execution of the careful vision and planning that obviously went into the home is simply inspiring.

John

[Rich Konopka]

Chris,

Your work is a true inspiration. The quality is awesome as well as the detail !! Thanks for posting it has helped me with my "humble" porch project (http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=86005).

Rich

[Richard Venturelli]

Neat ceiling! The ends looked really tricky. One question? The side where the cabinets go looks to be a long span on the 2x8's and blocking, are they support from above ?

[Chris Pasko]

Chris,

Your work is a true inspiration. The quality is awesome as well as the detail !! Thanks for posting it has helped me with my "humble" porch project (http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=86005).

Rich

Thank you Rich, just posted in your thread. I am going to try to get pics tomorrow.


Neat ceiling! The ends looked really tricky. One question? The side where the cabinets go looks to be a long span on the 2x8's and blocking, are they support from above ?

Thanks Richard, if you are referring to the 20' long paralams, yes, they are heavily supported from above with 2x4, 2x8, and ply braces all the way down. They tie into both the blocking and the 2x's. I will see if I have some pics floating around.

[Matt Hutchinson]

I am not in construction, though I have done several decent remodeling jobs. Doesn't the ceiling have to have 5/8" drywall? I ask this cuz you said you were going to put up two 1/4" pieces, which is less than that.

Hutch

[Jerry Olexa]

Truly outstanding work!!! Great job....Superior work like this takes time. We understand....:)

[Chris Pasko]

I am not in construction, though I have done several decent remodeling jobs. Doesn't the ceiling have to have 5/8" drywall? I ask this cuz you said you were going to put up two 1/4" pieces, which is less than that.

Hutch

Hey Matt, here there is no code to use 5/8" on the ceilings. You will only have to use it when you have 2x walls on say an addition off the rear shared with a neighbor to meet burn time in case of a fire, or if you are within 8' of a neighboring house in conjunction with densglass.


Truly outstanding work!!! Great job....Superior work like this takes time. We understand....:)

Thanks, it seems EVERYTHING takes time these days =).

[Richard Venturelli]

Don't you hate it when the heat register gets in the way of crown molding??? I have moved the registers in some instances but that's not always practical.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Thanks for the info about the drywall. Now I know! :)

And I agree with everyone. Truly great work! I love to see skill exhibited in the construction trades. Quite an encouragement and inspiration!

Hutch

[Chris Pasko]

Hey Everyone, I hope all has been good. I was doing a google search and this thread popped up! Figured I would post some finished pics for you guys to check out. Its a been a while since I dropped in.

In these pics, the trim around the domes with low voltage lighting wasnt yet completed.

Here ya go:

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/13_G.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0188.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street/18_Ghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0190.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0195.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0202.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0197.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_9428.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/1_G.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/11_G.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street/12_Ghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_9423.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_9422.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street/Door

You can see more here:

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street?page=1

Hope you guys enjoyed!

[Chris Pasko]

Hey Everyone, I hope all has been good. I was doing a google search and this thread popped up! Figured I would post some finished pics for you guys to check out. Its a been a while since I dropped in.

In these pics, the trim around the domes with low voltage lighting wasnt yet completed.

Here ya go:

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/13_G.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0188.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street/18_Ghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0190.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0195.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0202.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_0197.sized.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_9428.sized.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/1_G.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/11_G.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street/12_Ghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_9423.jpg
http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/IMG_9422.jpghttp://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/albums/Baltimore-Street/Door.sized.jpg

You can see more here:

http://www.precision-aquatics.com/gallery/Baltimore-Street?page=1

Hope you guys enjoyed!

[Jerry Olexa]

Exceptional work...Very nicely done

[Steve Clardy]

Awesome......my eyeballs have popped out!

[jim sauterer]

that is one nice job.did you build those cabinets also.looks awesome.