Branford Bike: A Pediment and roof rise, Bare's Stove and Spa, Western Glass, Ralph James, Sean, Milgard Windows

December 27th, 2006
On my last day in Branford, Connecticut before I headed home to Emigrant, Montana I visited a few of my favorite local buildings. The Branford Town Hall, pictured to your right, is a colonial style building that shares many features with ancient Greek temples. Note the triangle on top of the columns which is called a pediment. The Ionic columns rest on a pink granite porch which is called a portico.
The First Baptist Church, pictured below, has two pediments. One is part of a portico and contains Doric columns. Doric columns have a simple top or capital while Ionic uses a scrolled and more decorative top or capital.
My brother Larry lived in the Victorian style house pictured below for many years. Note the beautiful octagonal turret and narrow windows.

Town Hall in Branford, Connecticut

A welcoming entryway.

Pediments were originally used by ancient Greeks to create little houses for their various gods inside a temple. Colonial architects often placed pediments above the main entry door and sometimes over windows. The pediment pictured to your left is called a "broken pediment" because the peak is missing.
Sometimes pediments are surrounded by flattened columns called pilasters as in the photo to your left and below. Note the stunning, nine foot tall and six foot wide door with an ornamental overhang, on the Branford Town Hall photo. Two of the three entryways pictured have comfortable metal railings and wide, easy to climb stairs, that literally invite passersby into their respective buildings.

December 28th, 2006
Justin and Aaron were busy sheeting the roof as two inches of fresh snow drifted from the heavens. Undeterred, they ceased working only long enough to greet me when I stopped by in the late afternoon. In just ten days the outside house and garage walls were sheeted, the house roof trusses installed and now the roof sheeting was going on. Both as the home owner and primary snow shoveler I was delighted with their progress. Although it would be several months before I could move in, I reasoned that my snow shoveling days were finally coming to an end.

A pediment takes shape on the south wall.

A light snow covers the roof sheeting and pediment.

January 5th, 2007
A cold sunset descends over my new home. Three inches of snow coat the newly sheeted roof and pediment. Aaron and Justin cut holes in the walls for window and door openings. Soon they will be wrapping the house with a Tyvek vapor barrier. Then windows and doors can be installed. Nighttime temperatures hover around zero degrees Fahrenheit and rarely climb above freezing during the day. Occasionally stiff winds blow the snow into deep drifts and leave wide, open patches of bare ground.

January 8th, 2007
Black snow and barren patches of ground are a legacy of last summer's ferocious forest fire. With the trees and vegetation gone, there is nothing to prevent the fierce winter winds from scouring the black soot off the soil after the fresh fallen snow is blown away. Most of our soil moisture comes from melting snow so the chance of trees growing on the barren soil next spring seems bleak. Where the burned skeletons of trees remain, the snow piles deep. Next spring the soil should be wetter there and new trees and plants will take root.

Black snow and barren, wind scoured soil.

January 10th, 2007
Ralph James of Bare's Stove and Spa journeyed up the mountain today to finalize measurements for the wood and gas stove fireplace inserts. He carefully calculated the space needed for each unit and then conferred with Aaron and Justin.
The house's primary heat source is a propane furnace but a backup system is always a wise choice in the mountains of Montana. At 40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, propane remains a liquid in the outdoor tanks and can no longer power the furnace. A wood burning fireplace insert will easily heat the living room and downstairs, and should be pleasant company for everyone, on cold winter nights.

Visit the Bare Stove and Spa site at bares.com/ by clicking on the underlined text.

Ralph James of Bare's Stove and Spa

Clouds settle low in the valley on a bitter cold morning.

January 12th, 2007
26 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit.
That is 58 degrees below freezing. If the temperature drops just 14 degrees more, propane will no longer vaporize and many furnaces will stop working.

Trusses get installed on the garage

January 16th, 2007
A beautiful bright and sunny day. The temperature hovers around zero while Rich cuts wood and Aaron and Justin secure a truss to the garage walls. I shovel snow, take photos and help guide the trusses into place with a long guy rope. As long as the sun stays out the temperatures are bearable. When I stepped into the shade my moustache grew icicles within a few minutes.

When it was 20 degrees below zero a few days ago, tap water poured from a cup on to a wooden deck, froze within a minute. My moustache icicles formed even more quickly.
By 4 PM the sun dipped below the western ridge and we called it a day.

January 18th, 2007
Sean of Western Glass supplied double pane, coated and argon filled, custom designed Milgard windows. Justin and Aaron meticulously leveled, plumbed and installed several windows after they finished skillfully wrapping the house in Tyvek. Next week they will finish the house and garage windows before moving on to the tile roof. 40,000 pounds of roofing material is scheduled to arrive at 8 AM on Monday morning.

Visit the Milgard Window site at milgard.com/ by clicking on the underlined text.

The house and landscape are wrapped in white.