Floors, shingles, and stairs

We acid washed the slab prior to interior framing so that the entire surface will have a uniform appearance.  We'll wait to seal it until the end of the construction process as this will be our finished floor.

It's important to leave the slab exposed as the finished floor in order to use it as thermal storage.  If we covered it with carpet it would defeat the entire passive design of the home.  Tile is an option as it's similar material though it would be far more expensive.  The acid wash gives the appearance of marble and can be done in numerous colors.  Carpet, wood, cork, etc. are options for the north side of the house where there is no direct solar gain though it's best to leave the mass as exposed as possible for passive cooling during the summer.

We're shingling our portico with hand split cedar shakes.  We love the beauty of natural materials so despite the long distance origin we opted to use these on the front of the house for a more rustic appearance.  They don't leach various chemicals like petrol-based asphalt shingles and they'll gain character with age.

Interior framing has begun!  Because none of our interior partitions are load-bearing we're able to be more frugal with our use of framing material.

The stair structure goes up around the vertical mass wall.

By using winding treads we're saving floor space and reinforcing the curved shape of the home.