Masonry Magazine October 1995 Page. 15
Building the Back to Basics Home
Above: Masons avoid working from scaffolding by using the second-floor decking as a staging platform. Top right: Roof trusses cap the block wall. The use of pre-set, pre-squared bucks in the window openings sped both wall construction and window installation. Bottom right: Masons put the finishing touches on the first floor walls. The anchors embedded in the mortar will be used to attach the ledger beam.
Bumpass looked for a building material that would provide the family with privacy, security, energy efficiency, and beauty. Working with designer J. Paul Gainey of the Design Alliance, Houston, he chose concrete block construction with an exterior insulation finish system from Finestone. The National Concrete Masonry Association helped Bumpass choose block. "This home has the benefits that come with building with concrete," says Scott Ramminger of NCMA. "Yet to look at it, you would never know it is a block house."
"It's a stronger house than you have with wood," says Bumpass. "It has more insulation, it's airtight, and it has good R-Values. To build a comparable house with traditional materials would have cost much more."
The 4,800-square-foot Back to Basics House shows exactly what concrete can do in a home building environment-from the concrete floors, to the concrete walls, to the concrete roof tiles by Monier. "Concrete is a material I was familiar with through other buildings," says Bumpass. "It gets back to basics, but also provides many of the energy and safety requirements I was looking for." Co-sponsor Portland Cement Association helped supply the concrete for the floors and other concrete materials.
An additional benefit of the materials Bumpass choose-only a small strip of wood near the copper gutters needs to be painted. The windows, doors, gutters, and other materials are nearly maintenance-free, leaving more time for the homeowner to spend with his family.
Concrete Ideas Inside and Out
Bumpass even brought the concrete idea inside when he chose colored concrete floors for the living room, dining room, and kitchen. "When I saw how warm and beautiful a concrete floor could be in some other work by Patterned Concrete, I thought we should try it here," says Bumpass.
The concrete floors aren't the only innovation in the living room. "The living room has features that can be enjoyed by the entire family," says residential designer Gainey. "Besides being afforded the privacy of overlooking an enclosed courtyard through large Pella windows, the room has a concrete fireplace and a built-in space for the television and the sound system."
The entertainment and sound system is hidden from view to simplify the room design. A retracting door hides a built-in cabinet that houses the system, which features multi-room sound. Wall-mounted keypads allow each room to play different music simultaneously-Dad can listen to the classics in the garage and the kids can listen to music with their buddies upstairs. The main speakers were built-in during construction.