Building a stick frame house in the woods in 90 days

[pacerron]

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BuilderML
I can see what you are describing but I think with the stone he is now using it would take hours of tedious cutting and waste to develop a smooth arch top like that. With some type of stone like curved drip cap above it getting it to look right would really be tuff. The beam would probably have to be eliminated or cut into on a curve to get enough height to be correctly proportioned.
Just the way I visualize it, I'm probably wrong.

I do like arches above windows and doors in certain types of homes. You can't beat a well proportioned arch of grey stone or brick with a Keystone at the top on large homes with windows and doors that have an arched top or are rectangular with an arched window above.

Everything goes anymore. Eclectic styling in homes is about as common as it is in furniture these days.
Ron

 

[ljnelson109]

Have them run a tap to the back patio for a gas grill. Its a nice option and you almost never run out in the middle of cook out.

I did that at the last house. It was a big disappointment. The manifold for the gas in the house has a regulator that brings that pressure down to around 12" wc. Most appliances don't want to see more than 14" wc into the individual appliance regulator. I hooked up a mid-priced gas grill and ran the gas directly to the grill (not using any additional regulator at the grill). It barely made heat. I ended up buying a gauge, only to discover that the regulator that came with the grill (to attach to the bottle) was putting out over 18" wc. I did cheat and crank up the manifold pressure to 14, but was uncomfortable exceeding the input rating to the other gas appliances. At 14", the grill was OK at best. I used it for 8 years, but always wished I had more pressure.

I don't know whether a higher end grill can be configured to burn correctly with the lower LP pressure. I know a lot of the nicer grills allow a conversion to natural gas, which is much lower pressure. The main difference in those kits is that the jets are larger. I considered using numbered drill bits and trying to make my own custom jets.

When I built this house, I decided it was not worth the hassle.

Lee

 

[pacerron]

Well BuilderML
I promised I wouldn't do any more of this paste up stuff, but you asked, so to show you I'm really not trying to argue with you on things, here is a quick attempt at your request for help on your idea. I't's your fault I did it:laughing:

Your idea does look kinda spiffy, but I fear in the real world it might be very tuff/expensive to do.
Ron

 

[BuilderML]

Well BuilderML
I promised I wouldn't do any more of this paste up stuff, but you asked, so to show you I'm really not trying to argue with you on things, here is a quick attempt at your request for help on your idea. I't's your fault I did it:laughing:

Your idea does look kinda spiffy, but I fear in the real world it might be very tuff/expensive to do.
Ron

Ron,
Your on the right track. Thanks for breaking your promise and helping me out. After all i have nothing to gain by trying to show him this. Your right it would be really tough to do with laying the stone the way you show it. But and there is always a but you need to run the stone 90 degrees or perpendicular to the way you have it for the arch. By turning it perpendicular with the stone he is using i think it would not be to bad at all to do. That ledge stack stone has so many different sizes that the cutting would be limited it would be more searching for the right pieces. You think you could help me out one last time ?????:laughing: Oh yeah i also want a keystone in the picture this time., that is what gives the arch the pop it needs. I know i know what a pain in the you know what i am. Thanks again for the help.

 

[jdonovan]

I did that at the last house. It was a big disappointment.

The setups I've seen ran a high pressure line to near the grill, and then a regulator at that point. This allows the grill pressure to be set differently, as well as support high BTU demand. Some of these binford-2000 style grills with lots of burners can push up to 100,000 BTU of demand.

 

[Diamondpilot]

If I had to do it all over I would stick with propane hot water and a electric heat pump with propane backup instead of electric.

This allows you to run a much smaller generator in power outages by throwing the breaker to the heat pump and letting it go into backup heat, ie propane.

Chris

 

[ljnelson109]

The setups I've seen ran a high pressure line to near the grill, and then a regulator at that point. This allows the grill pressure to be set differently, as well as support high BTU demand. Some of these binford-2000 style grills with lots of burners can push up to 100,000 BTU of demand.

That would have definitely solved the problem but would mean different plumbing than just adding an additional outlet to the gas plumbing in the house. You would think that a competent plumber would have thought of that. I have also read that some of the standby generators require this arrangement to provide the necessary volume to meet the demand.

 

[pacerron]

That would have definitely solved the problem but would mean different plumbing than just adding an additional outlet to the gas plumbing in the house. You would think that a competent plumber would have thought of that. I have also read that some of the standby generators require this arrangement to provide the necessary volume to meet the demand.

He already has a gas line to the fireplace at the back of the house. She may or may not like grilled food. The prevailing wind and how much of it they have at that location could also be a factor in the grill location relevant to the house. Even though many people do it, a grill on a 2 story deck attached to a house is not recommended by the manufacturers or fire departments.

 

[pclausen]

Mom won't be grilling on an outdoor gas grille. In fact she gave me the Weber when dad passed last year.

As for the front of the garage, I'll meet with the builder this evening and we'll discuss the cost of modifying the corners (again) to support running hardy plank from 5' up vs. leaving things the way they are and running rock up around the garage door. It if is cheaper to redo the corners and keep the rock work at 5', it seems like a no brainer.

BuilderML, I understand what you're saying now, and that would look good, but those are the type of design changes that should have been discussed way before the house got to the state it is in now. I partially blame the builder for not sitting down with us at his computer and modeling out these different options a long time ago before the started on the trim.

 

[pacerron]

Ron,
Your on the right track. Thanks for breaking your promise and helping me out. After all i have nothing to gain by trying to show him this. Your right it would be really tough to do with laying the stone the way you show it. But and there is always a but you need to run the stone 90 degrees or perpendicular to the way you have it for the arch. By turning it perpendicular with the stone he is using i think it would not be to bad at all to do. That ledge stack stone has so many different sizes that the cutting would be limited it would be more searching for the right pieces. You think you could help me out one last time ?????:laughing: Oh yeah i also want a keystone in the picture this time., that is what gives the arch the pop it needs. I know i know what a pain in the you know what i am. Thanks again for the help.

Builder,
This is all you get... It is time to grill burgers again.
Vertical with keystone, Vertical without keystone.
My favorite.... Lights but nothing above door.
Ron