Building a stick frame house in the woods in 90 days

[pacerron]

They are invoicing us for it on the last draft (not yet paid), so I'll climb up there and have a look. I did not think it had been done yet. There are quite a few surprises (a net of + $17k!) on the last draw schedule that I need to get clarification on from the builder, and then discuss with mom.

I don't recall you mentioning that it has been done either.
After it is done you should go up there and turn out the lights. Let your eyes adjust and look at the top of the cardboard vent shields at the eaves for light. Sometimes the guy goes a little nuts and blows some cellulose between the cardboard and the roof sheathing which block the air flow. They don't do it on purpose but just have to scratch and the nozzle shoots high:laughing:
It will be interesting to get some pics of how much insulation they get above the sloped ceiling on the back side of the house.
Ron

 

[pacerron]

Peter,
Looking at your gate entrance creates a couple questions.

1. How wide is it going to be?
It looks like with the skids of concrete block near the foundation holes that you may be planning to have
stone covered columns/posts and perhaps a stone covered fence to each side for a distance?
I don't know if you have a sneak around way for your equipment and other big trucks to get in.
Our gate is 14' wide and I sometimes wish I had made it 16'.

2. I can't see how much set back from the road you are planning from the picture but it is usually a good idea
to have it back a car length or more, even with an electric operator. It's easier for checking the mail, provides a pull off in case the operator doesn't work,
and keeps the township trustee from plowing it in in a deep snow or when grading.
Since it is now a subdivision the road may get more population quickly.
Just some thoughts.
Ron

 

[jinman]

Pete, I hope you get 'stoned' this week. I'm dyin' to see what that stone does to the appearance. That and the deck railings will be dramatic changes to the appearance.

 

[Sterff]

I think I would throw another strap over the loader. Technically you should have one over every attachment.

 

[pclausen]

Ron, the gate is set back at least a couple of car lengths from the road. The gate is 12' wide, which is the same as what she has now. It is very tight getting a large truck through that, let alone a trailer like mine. But she did not want to go wider. Once I get done hauling the trees out, the only trucks on a regular basis will be the trash truck and propane truck. This was the last lot in the subdivision. 8 of them are between 5 and 6 acres, and the one in the very back that mom's property borders against, is 11.

Jim, the rock guy will start tomorrow doing the inside wall so that they can begin the tile. He has been busy making rocks.

Day 99

The parking area is just about the right shape now and all the heavy equipment is finally gone.

They completed the grading on the lower back corner of the house. I think it looks good given the grades they had to work with.

In the last few shots, you can see that they started on the railing. They must have brought in the wolf or something, since all the trim issues I had been complaining about had been fixed! All front trim surfaces are now flush! I was only able to find one that had maybe a 1/16" difference, if that. So it looks like they are starting to turn this thing around.

I got back from Ashland around 4:30 this afternoon. Even though I passed several local and state cops on my trip, none of them even looked at me twice. The straps were nice and tight when I left, and still good and tight when I arrived. Ditto on the return trip. Yes, I probably should have added another strap over the boom of the loader frame. The reason I don't like chains and binders is that they scratch off the paint on both the tractor and trailer at the attachment points over time. They added 82 gallons to each tire. At 11 lbs/gal, that comes to just over 900 lbs per tire. I hope to get some seat time tomorrow to see what kind of stability and extra 1800 lbs in the tires will make.

Also got a deal worked out with a tree feller that will be here Saturday and Sunday afternoon. He has a class C license (A = up to 12", B = up to 24" and C = unlimited) There are only 10 or so Class C rated tree fellers in Virginia (according to him, so maybe that is not accurate, but he seem very proud of his certification). After he explained some of his techniques, I'm certain that he can fell a tree with a few degrees of where I tell him to. So hopefully all the trees will be down come Sunday afternoon!

 

[dave1949]

Coming along Peter. The grading looks good. Nice contours. You must have fired the "no-class" loggers?

What is your plan for the sloped space below the deck at the corner of the house? I was thinking at a minimum, a weed barrier and pea gravel maybe? Or, maybe some flagstones with the joints filled with something that won't break up, and that plants won't root in--I have no idea what that would be. :laughing:

Needs something that will make the maintenance a non-issue.

 

[pacerron]

Where are the outside steps down to the basement level going to be located ?
Wood or stone?
Ron

 

[pclausen]

Ron, that's exactly what is not really clear at this point. Mom is getting some suggestions/recommendations from various landscaping companies now. I suspect what we'll do is to put in some terraced landscaping posts (6x6) and then fill each step with pea gravel or similar stone. Underneath the deck where the slope is close to 45 degrees, I'm thinking a layer of thick plastic with a dual layer (to ensure the plastic below it is not visible) of river rock on top of it.

On the other side of the house, the plan is to put in terraced beds, again using 6x6 landscaping posts.

I'm certainly open to other suggestions. I'm going to take some pics of mom's current house to show how it is done there. One of the landscaping companies providing a bid, has done some of the work there over the years, and have a pretty good idea I think, of what mom is looking for.

 

[jk96]

I got back from Ashland around 4:30 this afternoon. Even though I passed several local and state cops on my trip, none of them even looked at me twice. The straps were nice and tight when I left, and still good and tight when I arrived. Ditto on the return trip. Yes, I probably should have added another strap over the boom of the loader frame. The reason I don't like chains and binders is that they scratch off the paint on both the tractor and trailer at the attachment points over time. They added 82 gallons to each tire. At 11 lbs/gal, that comes to just over 900 lbs per tire. I hope to get some seat time tomorrow to see what kind of stability and extra 1800 lbs in the tires will make.

House is looking great. Really enjoying the thread. I think you'll be amazed at the difference the tires make. If it like mine, the tractor will almost feel stuck to the ground compared to what it was like without the weight.

 

[GLyford]

How big are you thinking on your river rock? On something slippery like plastic, I bet that small loose stone won't stay put for long. Could you put a bunch of flat stones (fieldstone or slate or whatever), then just fill between them with the loose stone?