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Have to pull it and burn it before it goes to seed. This what we used for the bigger bushes. https://www.northerntool.com/products/brush-grubber-heavy-duty-brush-grubber-model-bg-08-119312. You have to be diligent and keep at it because even when you think you got it all, in a few years it’s back.

So sorry Jay. You are an amazing son and human.

Uh, you got me. Until 2020. Should have bought one sooner. There were many available over the years but did want to justify it. Now that I don’t even put on a jacket to go and snow blow is just nuts. Why did I wait so long.

One of the reasons to stick with the larger brands as if you wait long enough, a used one comes available that fits your tractor. I waited since 2009 for the right cab and the right deal.

Awesome. Great work and thanks for explaining.

I am puzzled about why you would do all of this to a property you did not own and without permission of the owner. For all the conversations we have on this site about trespassing, property lines and over reaching neighbors I am shocked that you worked on this for 13 days prior to owning it...

Data is from 2020.

That’s great for headlines until the rest catches up and is adjusted. The good news about wages is that they will for the most part stay up where inflation will go down. The great news is that inflation will go down mainly because wages go up and more people to help pay down the debt. Need to...

Disconnect and re-connect your hydraulic hoses.

I grade a few miles of gravel road. Lots of hills, valleys and flats. For me it comes down to a few things and all were previously mentioned. Crown I need to help my community understand crown in the road and why we need it. We have many that want to manage the roads from the keyboard and...

Drag all your photos over the photos icon in the bottom tray. They will automatically load into your photo library. If you click on the name under the picture you can name them. This will come in handy when you export. Select the pictures you want, then select the edit menu and choose export...

All buttoned up. Ready for the drive belt and making some chips. Thanks all for the comments and encouragement.

Stuckmotor, yes I hear you and others. Can only use the reverse when using the tail stock so it cannot unscrew and fly off. This will be my first time using a lathe since HS shop class. Looking forward to trying it out. Need to go pickup the V-belt for the drive today.

Peter, Thank you. Worked like a charm. The one thing I needed to do was individually tie nut each line at the motor. What is obvious to me now is… the way they are tied together in the picture below is if I did not have the drum switch. You made it as simple as possible and I can’t thank...

Guilty on all counts.

Thanks Peter. Really appreciate the help. Got the switch wired up like you wrote. Now need to move on to connecting the power. No place to connect that makes sense to me.

Really nice rig. If I had to go up, that is what I would have.

“Yooper rig”? Please explain.

I’m having a heck of a time figuring out this drum switch. Just when I think I have it, nope, nada. Has anyone connected one of these? It has to be so simple that I am really overthinking it. I have watch numerous YouTube videos and looked hundreds of wiring diagrams on Google’s image library...

I purchased this antique lathe, then found an original set of cast iron legs for it. I built the connector planks and feet out of Red Oak cut and sawn from the location where my woodshop stands now. I purchased a new motor to be trouble free.

My dealer is 55 miles’s away but has a parts drop for locals 6 miles from my house. Call, order and usually there by the next day at 2pm.

Make sure you clean every nook and cranny of your equipment that has been outside. Mice will love the new pole barn home after you move them indoors.

Since this thread is Tractors and Wood, I will show the tractor unloading the logs and since there are so many sawmill conversations, also showing the mill lifting it into place. Love this mill.

My grandfather had a Dresser and loved it. My father left us boys with the JD 450C both great machines and used for exactly what is pictured here.

Here are some picks of using the snatch block to pull up the logs. Because I had the 4x4s on the trailer, I was able to pull from underneath of the other logs. Love this setup.

The tree company the dropped the tree put them along side the road. I just had to pull up along side and load them with the winch.

I hire a portable mill to come on site or I bring wood to the mill. I bought a new trailer to haul logs to the mill and haul lumber and materials home. Here is loading logs near my house preparing to go to the mill. The log with my hand on it weighed in at 2,986lbs. That wood storage...

Around me, along the Mid West Lower Peninsula Lake Michigan shoreline we are infested with the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. We have personally treated the 127 Hemlock trees on our 1 acre property but there are so many others around us that will never get treated and will die within 10 years. All of...

I went with these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RRDJ79H?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share The noise cancelling is active (it just works) and I can have a normal short conversation with my wife without taking them off. The Bluetooth connects to my phone to do everything thing earbuds do and more...

I purchase a ready made kit with 20" lighter for forward and (2) 4" for rear. Came with switch, relay, wire and mounting brackets. Used the existing holes for mounting in the ROPS. Mounted the switch in the dash. I have since put a cab on the tractor and changed to alternate mode...

Consider ones that switch to amber. The bright white light can be too much when working or working with others around the tractor.

Thanks, went from 14’ to 18’ so did not want/need the extra 2 ft for dovetail. Love the high deck for loading from the side. Will be mainly hauling logs, lumber and materials for building new house. Yes, it sold the day before I was scheduled to pick up my new trailer.

Been sawing some of those logs into flooring. Got to haul some of the odds and ends home on my new trailer. The trailer's maiden voyage from the factory. It was completed 5 weeks earlier than expected.

Update: New trailer was built 5 weeks earlier than planned. Actually got to haul some lumber on the maiden voyage home. Easy to load, tows great!

Tractor sold yesterday at his Barn Sale for $20,000. Thanks everyone for your input.

Look at your attachments also. They may be contaminated.

I could have painted up the scratches but I wanted to have the new owner see what they were buying. I gave it a good power wash and cleaned out the toolbox.

I loved that it was 14'. Nice and compact to get in and out. Could easily park taking two thru spaces at Menards. Easy in and out in Traffic and hauled everything I asked it to. Will miss this trailer, it has been good to me.

SOLD

Sorry you got torqued. Not my intention simply forgot. Trailer has hauled my tractor perfectly for many years with front loader and attachments.

Thanks and sorry. Forgot the most important part.

Dual Axle 14’ Equipment Trailer with D Rated Trailer Tires and Aluminum Rims 3,500 lb drop axles with Brakes on Rear Axle Custom Lockable Toolbox, 2” Ball Hitch, 16” Pocket sides Steel and Wood Heavy Duty Ramps, Spare Tire Located in Western Lower MI $2,750

Thank you all for the feedback. Will let you know what he decides to do. Much appreciated.

Thanks! I am not familiar with Kubota so I am a bit out of my element on value, features, models, demand, etc.

Maybe some can help me with what I should have asked? Seems I did not ask the right question. As of now, Father in law plans to call the dealer to pick it up.

My father in-law is moving to a retirement community and will be selling his tractor. It is a 2007 Kubota L3240HST with only 460 hrs on it. It has been used around the yard and not seen much use on his 2 acre lot. It has a LA514 Loader and a ballast box attachment on the 3pt. He also has a...

Mine have 6 modes controlled by a yellow wire. I connected the yellow wire to a momentary rocker and switch the led to yellow or yellow/white to not blind my helpers and see in the snow.

You already did the right thing. Since you don’t know for sure, casting doubt for this guy will only provide anxiety and worry every time he bids a job or uses the tractor that this time the tractor will fail him. If it was fixed his sense of security is in tact. If it was not fixed and the...

This is not true. The tractors ship with options for turf and are classed to support the FEL. Be sure to purchase appropriate size and class per manufacturer spec and you will be fine. As was said earlier, you could try the VersaTurf from Carlisle. I have them on my tractor and they provide...

Magnets.

I can spend easily 8-10 hours in the seat grading after a heavy rain. All volunteer. My association pays for the fuel. The roads do not have a lot of crown but I just started crowning vs. just straight grading. The tractor does all right. I keep it in low gear and 4wd. The wet asphalt millings...

Thanks! I purposely use a Box Blade because of the hills. I need to pull the fines from the base to the top of the hill. Land Plane just may not do that, not having owned or used one I can only speculate based on the design and looking at both when purchasing the BB at the Deere dealer.

Have been maintaining about 4 miles of roads in our association for about 10 years now. I do this with a 2005 John Deere 2210 and started with a York Rake. Loud and raked a lot of rocks. I needed the local contractor to come in two or three times a year to crown but washouts from storms would...

This is what I now use. What an amazing invention. They have a seal, grease and solder.

Not sure where you are located but my father has this same HYD 42 Rototiller for sale. He has passed and we no longer have a use for it. It is located in the Upper Peninsula of MI. He bought the same one I had.

500 series are a popular model so you should not have any trouble selling them. Keep in mind that the parts from Deere are cost prohibitive. When looking for my rototiller for the 345 I explored that path and the parts to adapt were more than the tillers I was looking to buy. In order to get...

Here is a JD 42 Hydraulic Tiller from a GX345. Here is the 42 Front Blade for the GX345

Not sure what that fits but I don’t think it’s the 325, 335, 345 series. I have pictures of all my attachments and will send them in a minute.

I have removed that from my previous post. My misinterpretation. Sorry if I caused any angst here, not my intention.

Removed my stipulation on warranty requiring it to be installed by a GENERAC. I have been told this is BS. So, this statement still stands: Did not know a Generac Service guy was 5 miles away until I was looking for the service.

We installed a 400AMP panel and an Automatic Transfer switch when we built in 2016. Not sure how much as it was part of the overall electrical package. The Automatic Transfer switch becomes your main breaker in this scenario. We then purchased the Generac 22kw unit from Northern Tool in 2019...

Check your codes, I think at least ERV is required. You may be too tight and will have a sick house. Would be good to check into it. Your blower test will tell the inspector and what you need to do. It is a lot of work to put in the ducts for it after.

I just wired my refurbished curtis cab with LED lights and the factory cab lights, I used relays and switches as it would be done in the factory. I have used 10 amp fuses for any of the LED lights. I use 20 amp fuses on the wipers and original cab lights. The lights I have are SMD3030 chips...

Welcome and great job on the cab. I just refurbished used cab for my tractor and it felt like I was building it from scratch but yours is fantastic. I got to appreciate the structure and design of a lightweight steel build for a small compact utility tractor. Nice!

Nice work. Can’t wait to get my metal shop outfitted and going. Looks great.

Find a boat/marine canvas shop. They can make one for you. I just had the soft doors redone on my John Deere Gator. They will even get you the right color fabric, etc. Ed

We have postponed the build of our retirement home due to: 1. The ridiculous cost of lumber goods right now 2. The explosion of innovation in solar technology. 3. Waiting for more contractors in the area that are certified to install solar roofs. Our house is on track to use solar as the...

If I were thinking about the $31K CAN, I always look back to what my dad spent on (4) new Polaris ATV/UTVs in that same time frame that I have owned my Gator because he said "He could never afford a Gator like I could". He also used up (4) new Craftsman lawn tractors in the same 23 year period...

I pulled the things from your post that you seem to care about. I still run my 21 year old cabbed Gator and if I would replace it, it would be with this. AG-5746M GATORTMXUV835R (Model Year 2021) $25,599.00 You wanted to keep it under 25k and I understand you are using loonie and toonies but...

New piano hinge showed up today. Installed and the dash is complete. Closed it up and tomorrow is cleanup and take out to grade some roads so the weekend traffic can pack it down. Still need to put the stickers on the switches.

Thanks beenthere and Joe. Final wiring, tucking and fitting today. Ordered a new piano hinge yesterday because the dash is too heavy for only two attach points and 4 screws. Arriving tomorrow so will install and start the big cleanup. Really pleased with results. Was on for over two hours...

I was guilty of this in the past and I now have a system where I export from photo application to a folder on my desktop. In that process I have the option of reducing the size of the file. Most of my pictures now are 500-700KB. Want take the opportunity to apologize to my fellow TBNers for...

Time to install the dash in the tractor and finish up the connections. Left side fuse panel is ignition controlled, right side fuse panel is direct to battery. Middle block is dome lights connected to timer and door switches. The timer runs the dome lights for 2 min after the doors are...

Installing dome lights and running the wiper and light wires in the cab concealing with loom tube. Finishing top the bench work on the dash wiring using heat shrink connections on switches, relays and timers. Whew! The big question... Will it all work??? In theory and in the plans it...

Prepping the cab to run wires and install the dash. Will be hinged for easy access.

Built the dash, routed the switch holes and painted with 3 coats of Rustoleum premium Gloss Black. Now installing and laying out the components. Getting ready to wire up.

Laying out the dash components to fit in a small space and just large enough to hold the wiring. Running #4 AWG from the battery as the source.

Working on building the new dash for the Curtis Cab for the switches and electronics. I had it pretty simple engineered in my head then watched a couple of you tube videos about relays and such. Boy I am amazed I never burned my cars from electrical switch overload in my youth. Gets really...

Cab is on and been using the tractor to grade some roads in 35-40deg weather. I have not put the heater in yet but the cab still holds the heat from the garage for over an hour even with opening and closing the doors. One thing I did not realize is that now I have to get out of the tractor and...

Panels go up first, then trim and battens, save yourself the pain of exact and perfect cuts. My project covers this also only I’m using LP SmartSide.

Apple TV is simple. On off and very few buttons. The buttons do what they say. You don’t need a smart tv, just one with an HDMI input. Apple TV make your TV Smart. We don’t have cable because our local PBS station has a live feed on the Apple TV PBS app. It uses wireless Internet and the...

@DanMc77 if you keep taking things off you will not have much of a tractor left. Time to build a bigger shed. Lol.

The best part of Apple TV later versions is the voice search.

Thanks all. Really appreciate the options provided. I’ll let you know what I end up selecting.

@Industrial Toys did this work for you?

Is there such a thing as coolant quick disconnects? Getting ready to install the heater on my “new to me” cab and wondering if there is such a thing. Just incase I ever want to remove the cab or replace the heater without draining the coolant. Hyd, air have them, why not coolant? I have a...

Now that the Cab is on, the weather is looking pretty good... time to put away the snowblower. Then out to grade some roads and fill in potholes.

I spent the week cleaning up, high pressure power washing the rust from the grooves of the rubber that holds in the windows and putting in the windows and rubber trim on the doors. This past weekend I assembled the cab starting around noon and finishing up around 10:00PM I was able to...

It was too cold in early February for my sandblasting guy to do his work so I picked up the doors and parts from him and brought them home. I scraped and sanded them to the best of my ability and painted them myself. Quite a job and quite a mess but I am pleased with the result.

For Gen III you have to update your software. To get the Apple Store app or just update the YouTube app. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211938

Delete YouTube and reload it. I did and it fixed it.

You may want to think about having a drywall person who will finish it also quote putting it up. I had it quoted to only finish about 1600 sf and the guy quoted the same price if he hung the drywall too. Did not include the materials but he sourced it cheaper than I could get it. He told me that...

DanMc77 has one for sale. He just bought the tractor and took the cab off.

Sorry guys. Here are pictures...

The "new to me" cab is powder coated. It is peeling/rusting bad on the bottom, a few areas on the doors and many spots where the rubber trim is fitted to protect the tractor and seal the doors. Metal is still in great shape for being 15 years old so I took the entire cab apart piece by piece...

I've been happy with it since 2009. It is a great tractor and has done everything I have asked it to do and more than it probably should have. Living in MI and now in our new location further north, winter is a big part of the 2210's season clearing snow for us, neighbors and many mailboxes...

My usual pass through the postings for the day on Craigslist landed me on a Curtis Cab for my JD 2210 only 1 hour away. Been looking, looking and even contemplated building one using purchased. This one has all of the options front and rear wipers, mirrors, front and rear lights, hard side...

Be sure to follow the nailing regiment for SIPS. I had to do the same for my LP Smartside Board and Batten. I purchased pre-painted, the PPG finish is so hard I did not have to worry about scratches or dings. I saves a lot of time in the end and when building yourself, you are the guy down the...

I am getting ready to cut 12-15 old growth Red Oak trees in mid Western Lower Michigan and can’t find a timber hauler to save my life. Growing up in the Upper Peninsula you can’t throw a stone without hitting a logging truck. Anybody have any ideas? I need to get the logs about 100 miles away...

Our sunset last night at the landing. We don't live on the lake but are 5 min walk away.

~$2,300 to be closer. Because I put it in three years after I built I needed to pull another electrical permit and final inspection (glad to have it inspected). Connecting to the Propane, Electric run all buried, hand dug, drilled through the wall of the house. Professional installation and...

Here are the pics: Here is what I bought. Not sure of the Amp Draw. 20" LED Light Bar AUSI 288W Triple Row LED Bar Offroad Driving Lights+2Pcs 4" 60W LED Cube Pods Fog Lights With Rocker Switch Wiring Harness for Jeep Trucks Polaris ATV UTV Ford Boat,1 Year Warranty by AUSI TECHNOLOGY...

They build the cart to hold it. I have one for mine and roll it around the garage when I need to.

Take a look at Heavy Hitch – Compact Tractor Attachments – Compact Tractor Attachments. Worth the money for the convenience.

I’m not sure if this has been stated here but the nozzles help with pressure, not just spray angle/width. I think we all used the wrong nozzle at least once. Don’t use the green or red one on decals too close.

I have turf tires on my JD2210 and never needed chains or studs. I wouldn’t like the damage to my high polish concrete.

I had the be of these I bought new in 1997. I had almost every attachment for it. Put over 1900 hours on it with very few issues. I did replace the ignition as talked about. I sold it in 2016 because I no longer have a lawn, just beach sand. Snowblower from a 325, 335 or 345 will work...

Nice looking build.

The JD dealer replaced the plastic CAM with metal on my 2000 6x4 JD Gator when they replaced the water pump because it was torn apart already and it had just over 1000 hours on it. Gator is a little louder now, has the wine of a muscle car with an oversized cam. That, I don’t mind at all...

Support your local 4-H and buy one at the fair. It may be more expensive but we come and go as we please. Find a good, reliable butcher/processor.

My wife and I got certified online for installing LP SmartSide. After that we decided we would not trust anyone else to do it. We feel really good about how well it is coated, sealed and cascaded for water runoff. We not only painted nail heads, we caulked them if they were indented a bit. I...

October 8, 2016 When I approached my friend and Architect that we wanted to build a new workshop/house he thought it was great. Then he figured out that we meant WE would build it and he thought we were nuts. He took our drawings and made them into a set of plans we could get permits...

October 7, 2016 My helper is back to put siding on the West side. Can see that the boiler is fired from the exhaust.

October 6, 2016 Drywall was contracted to be complete by Oct 8. Today we are: 80% hung and 20% mudded. No way we will be in this place before it is too cold, our cottage where I work from home during the day and we live is unheated and uninsulated. We have no winter home to go to anymore as...

October 5, 2016 Fall mushrooms are starting to pop. Maybe good with eggs? I think I'll wait until after the build to try them. Installing the trim boards for the gable end and shakes. Installing siding on the west side Starting the shakes on the South gable end.

October 4, 2016 Second shift crew putting siding up. My 82 year old neighbor helping me with the siding, up in the lift, down on the ground, he has no fear and can often run circles around me. Starting to get darker earlier here so lights are a necessity. You can also see the...

October 2, 2018 Mudding moving along! Wife coating nails with paint during the day while I am working. She works two shifts, the first shift keeping things moving and clean, the second one helping me. It is so great to have a clean and organized job site. She is awesome.

October 1, 2016 Need to get the drywallers going on mudding. Prepped and ready! Found some bad sheets of Drywall. Can be repaired, but more to slow us down.

September 30, 2016 Drywall hangers are getting behind so I pulled myself off siding and helping with the smaller scrap areas for drywall. Need to get them going on mud tomorrow.

September 29, 2016 Lots happening on this day... Just crazy with all of these balls in the air. Insulation going in, drywall going up, garage doors being installed, mechanical getting installed, and the well is getting drilled (they are at about 120' of pure beach sand today). I am working...

I have that buggy contraption on my small door, I think because it is only 7'H x 8'W and I wanted it to and track against the ceiling. It angles away from the wall, then curves, goes level with the ceiling and bumps the buggy spring thing. The two 10'Wx9'H doors do not have this contraption.

I have (3) Hormann Orion 3200 garage doors in my new shop. I also have (3) Liftmaster openers that are the LM8500 jackshaft drive. Sorry about the trouble you have with openers. I use my built-in Homelink openers in both GM vehicles and key phob openers on the tractor and gator good range...

September 28, 2016 Upstairs drywall moving along. Mechanical room starting to get assembled. Boiler is in and manifolds/supply piping for in-floor heat getting built. Insulation for sound barrier around office and front side of attic/cathedral opening. Attic/cathedral exposure is...

September 25, 2016 Color starting to show. Using man lift with special jig to lift panels into place.

September 24, 2016 Making good progress. Drywall going up in garage ceiling and walls. Siding continues...

LP Smartside siding has 50 Yr warranty and requires us to follow strict instructions for cuts and installation. Priming and painting edges with 3 coats. Measure twice, cut once. This stuff is expensive so need to be very sure of each cut.

September 23, 2016 My brother came down from the Upper Peninsula to help for a couple of days. Growing up on a farm together forgot how well we just know what each other is thinking. Starting on the siding. First cut and first piece up! The Well Driller showed up. Been calling and...

Sep 20, 2016 Drywall is here. We purchased the drywall and supplies to simplify and make sure we got quality we wanted. Starting the ceiling in the woodshop. The siding arrived!! Busy day! Need to find an out of the way place to store it.

Like most who posted here, I have DEWALT 12 compound miter bought in 1990. I recently built a out feed table setup similar to HJCTractor. Gotta love Rockler, I think I spend more there than we do on groceries. For reference, here is the Kreg Precision Measuring Systems Kit My out-feed table...

Sep 19, 2016 More soffit installation. Siding on it's way. Insulators are back. Spray foam and batt insulation today.

Sep 15, 2016 Hey, dry wall contractors showed up this evening to get counts and material measurements. We are now about 3 weeks behind where we are suppose to be due to this drywall snafu. We have board counts. About 11,000 sq ft. Taking next week off to make up some time. Will need to...

Sept 15, 2016 Wash area in garage almost ready for drywall. Need to wire the dryer plug on the other side for the downstairs laundry. Insulation contractor could not make it today and I need to get the OSB up on the interior wall to keep the drywallers on schedule, suppose to show up...

Wed, Sept 7, 2016 Ordered Garage Doors and exterior lighting. Trip to town for ordering and supplies. Not many pictures for the next few days. Lots of blocking and backing for drywall and insulation installation. Sept 11, 2016 Installing compressed air lines in Wood Shop, Garage and Metal...

Mon, Sept 5, 2016 Labor Day Company is gone. Putting the corners on the gable ends. I prebuilt these in the shop and then took them up on the lift to mount them. And again, the day becomes night. Putting up the trim board so the Gas Meter can be mounted. Got wind they were going to...

Mon, August 30, 2016 In-floor heat tubes being installed today for second floor. Rough-in inspections today. Ordered siding and trim today. Need to block the ends of the roof energy trusses. Sept 4, 2016 Labor Day Weekend Good friends arrive for the holiday weekend... and yes, we...

Aug 28,2016 New day installing more windows. Kitchen and Bedroom awning windows on the lift today. Should have the windows in by the end of the weekend. Installing over the roof is near impossible without this man-lift. Never knew how handy this rental unit would be.

August 27, 2016 Moving the lift around is sometimes a challenge. Since my tractor weighs all of 1500lbs soaking wet and this lift is about 4800lbs it is difficult to maneuver on beach sand around the build site. However, some how the 2210 seems to pull through for us and get it onto just the...

Aug 27, 2016 Time to install the windows. They have not been stored long. Preparing the windows. We decided to have them all finish painted (One of the best decisions we made!) so we have to be very careful putting them in. They are a custom jamb because of the special 6 5/8" thick SIP...

Aug 23, 2016 Plumbing and Electrical starting to take shape. More electrical work happening. August 24, 2016 Mechanical beginning to install the aluminum in-floor heat track for the 2nd floor. Aug 25, 2016 More in-floor heat track as well as plumbing going in. Aug...

August 20, 2016 Installing pocket doors. One down, six to go. August 21, 2016 Carving out foam and framing new window in south stairwell. Bride, continuing on the window prep. I drew the short straw to do the windows in the stairwell.

Aug 19, 2016 Roofers day 3, skeleton crew just need to finish the woodshop. My wife, neighbor and I put up ledger board for deck around house today. My bride preparing the rough openings for the windows to be installed.

Aug 18, 2016 Roofers are back for day 2 of installing the standing seam roof. Should be done by the end of day.

Aug 18, 2016 Adding an unscheduled window for southern exposure and light into the stairwell. You can see by some of the pictures, the stairwell is dark. Since we are using the stairwell to get some natural light into the 1/2 bath and office we will need more light. We have not ordered windows...

August 17, 2016 Plumbers and Electricians are in-the-house! I have to size the shower pan to locate the drain for the plumber. Roofers, Plumbers and Electricians done for the day. Bride has it all cleaned up for the day. Time for a swim at the lake. Notice the freighter and...

Roofers showed up today! Great! Making progress. Should be a busy couple of days here. While the standing seam roof goes on need to continue plugging the end of those trusses. Wow, this just seems to never end. All the measuring, cutting and installing of backing boards and then...

August 16, 2016 After spending a few minutes in the morning with the electrician to discuss how the SIP Panels were structured, how they supported the house through the OSB and could not be cut (ripped) in any direction, and then watching a video on best practices we were able to get rolling on...

Aug 15, 2016 Start back outside to button up the floor truss ends and prepare for siding. Later in the day, must make run to town. Need to shop for lighting. Oey, yoey, yoey. August 16, 2016 Boiler arrives with all the supplies.

August 14, 2018 All cleaned up for electrical, mechanical and pluming trades to get started. While My father taught me how and I have done all of my own electrical, mechanical and plumbing repair work, I have not done an entire house and decided to pick my battles and sub this out. Working...

August 8, 2016 Time to pick out flooring and order.

August 6, 2016 Walls in, ready for plumbing and electrical. August 7, 2016 Time to get the interior walls in downstairs.

August 5, 2016 Putting in nailers for drywall on walls and ceilings. 9th grade geometry and identifying planes is coming in handy. Reaching over the stairwell is a fun job and someone has to do it.

Aug 2, 2016 Continuing on the more intricate walls like closets and corners. The wide openings are for pocket doors. We have lots of pocket doors to save on space. Working in the cathedral area using angle cuts and measurements is fun.

July 31, 2016 We could not got this far on this build without the volunteer help of friends and neighbors. Everyone was so accommodating of our noise, needs and thinking time. Having never built a house on my own before I spent a lot of time engineering on the fly, having folks wait and allow...

July 29, 2016 OK, now that we are in the dry, time to start on the interior walls upstairs. Got the plans out to start measuring and marking. July 30, 2016 After the rain last night found the 1%. We got a few more rains than we wanted on the decking of the second floor. The seams...

July 26, 2016 Time to button up the Tyvek. Up and down these ladders with a 30lb belt of tools and supplies sure is helping with getting fit. July 27, 2016 Metal roof company is here to put us in the dry. Whooo hoo!!! Finally no more sweeping water out of the structure after it...

July 25, 2016 Doing some necessary cleanup after the roof build. We have an upstairs enclosed, blank slate. Wife has a smile on as we can start to see the plans come to life.

July 25, 2016 And the main roof goes on. Will be in the dry soon. Wow, Starting to look like a house. Feels good to have some covers on the structure. Also feels good to see the plans become a reality. Amazed we were able to take those plans and get here. It is so much bigger than...

July 23, 2016 Sheeting the lower roofs. Starting with the woodshop. Now working on finishing the shed roof around the stair dormer. Crew says enough for a Sunday. Rain coming and crew needs to spend time with family. Now I get to cover it up and get in the dry a bit since...

3:00PM Quick a minute... they will just put in the shed roof trusses. Reposition the crane to start on the woodshop trusses. 3:30PM Starting on the woodshop. 3:50PM Last one in place. Crane is on it's way and gone by 4:00PM. Crew is buttoning up, bracing and gone by...

2:34PM Now the East end dormer over the stairs with gable end. Whew, if we were doing this ourselves we would be on Day 2. Buttoning up the gable ends. The crew put the Tyvek on before swinging into place. Another thing I would not have thought of. I would be up there on a ladder...

2:00PM the first trusses are lifted into place. That first truss was the one that had to be altered to allow for the additional height mistake on the north wall. Everything looks good and is lining up nicely. Another bullet dodged. The crew applies the sheeting prior to lifting the...

July 18, 2016 Had to go to Vegas for a company meeting however, the build must go on. The roof and gable sheeting along with structural and tie in 2xs arrived ready for the roof build. July 22, 2016 The roof trusses are big, too big for any of my equipment or even equipment I could...

July 16, 2016 Yesterday was a day to dry out. Today full steam ahead with building interior support walls for the roof trusses. Coming along nicely. Yes, that is windows to an interior stairwell. It is for getting natural light into my office and 1/2 bath from the awning window in...

July 14, 2016 Rain coming today. Have to try and preserve the OSB flooring by covering. Not sure if it will make a difference but we shall see. Keeps a lot of water out of the garage.

July 14, 2016 With SIP Panels, the OSB is the support and has to transfer the load to the truss. So trusses had to be full length. This required us to cut and trim out the spaced between each truss. A real pain but necessary. I built a jig to align the support backing for each side...

Eddie, Yes, I know I don't have that kind of equipment. But they did have Miss Dig out to mark. They marked one phone line but they were about 2 ft apart, so yes it was a surprise. They happened to find the dead one first and then pull the hoe right through the second live one. Since it...

July 8, 2016 Power Company showed up today to run power to the panel. We will finally have electric at the site. Doh! Found 50 Pair phone cable and one gas line. Hand dug around each but found another fifty pair of live phone cable with the backhoe. Phone company and the neighbors...

July 6, 2016 Saved the tall end for last. Attaching the inset plate and the top plate on the top of wall getting ready for roof trusses. July 7, 2016 Ready for the roof trusses, yard cleaned up and ready for the crane to be set in place and the trusses to be delivered. Just...

To rScotty’s point about a manifold I have two poking out of the concrete covering 4 of the 5 zones in my build.

July 6, 2016 Starting the back fill and site grading around the build. No more big holes and drops off the concrete. Will be able to reach the back of the house from ground level. Whoohoo! With all this sand, my tractor cannot do this work, just spins. Needed tracked vehicle so chose to...

July 5, 2016 Adding the top plates to the SIP walls. My bride is up on the scaffold like a trooper processing the order of operations with glue and foam prepping for the 2x nailer and then the top plate cap. The top plates are engineered wood and supplied by the SIP panel company to match...

July 5, 2016 Last SIP Panel wall to go in. These walls are laser cut and we should have cranked that ratchet strap a bit tighter on this wall. Have to trim a bit on this panel to get it in. A little persuasion and they fit like a glove. Now have to put the top plates on.

July 4, 2016 Happy 4th of July!! Finishing up the North end wall with window headers and connecting parts. Have to get on the ladder to finish the nailing on the outside where I could not reach from contorting myself over the edge or through the windows. Heights are not a real problem for...

July 3, 2016 Just to catch everyone up incase you skimmed the first part. We are building this workshop with a 2 bedroom apartment above. We live in our cottage up on the hill behind this workshop where we have lived each summer since 2011. It is a summer cottage and has no insulation and no...

July 2, 2016 The tall ones are really hard to place as they need to drop over the edge of the floor line, down to meet the top-of-wall, concrete an plate. The plate is 22 inches down, the depth of the floor truss. This ensures a thermal barrier on the north end with SIP instead of other type...

July 2, 2016 Uh Oh, Looks like we have a measurement off. The north wall is 4 3/8" higher than the other walls. Good news. The entire North wall measures the same and we can keep on track. We will need to contact the truss company and have the end truss adjusted for this. The (2) North...

July 1, 2016 Starting on second floor exterior walls. Tricky doing this alone. Thankfully always have neighbor willing to lend a helping hand. SIP Panels go up fast once you get your order of operations and a system down. By the time we get to the last panel we will be experts...

Fixed the photos... Not sure what happened.

June 23, 2016 Working on the trusses. Adding support (4 trusses deep) to support the Superior Concrete wall for backfilling. Starting the decking on the second floor.

June 22, 2016 Interior walls are up and we are ahead of schedule for my brother's arrival. We have the trusses on site and we just need to get the tractor into place and get the process started on how the system will work to get them up and into place. Scaffold is in place and we have some...

Building the interior support walls for the second floor. If I had to do over again, I would have done them in SIP. They would be measured, numbered and it would be going a lot faster. My wife is always helping and doing more than she ever thought she could. We both are actually, since...

June 19-20, 2016 Ok, So we have owned a summer cottage up here since 2010, we would move into the cottage in May and head home to Hudsonville in Sept. My wife has always taken the clothes home to wash when we needed to go home to Hudsonville and mow the lawn once a week. Well Hudsonville is...

June 10-11, 2016 Back at it. After work, starting on the plates for the 2nd level and lining up heights for interior walls to support the upper level. You can see the sunlight gleaming through the trees from the west as the sun goes down in all the pictures during the week as I work from 7AM...

June 8-9, 2016 Saying good bye to the Hudsonville house after 15 years of blood, sweat, tears, laughter and joy.

May 30, 2016 Securing and water proofing the SIP Panels. Will be a bit before we get to the 2nd floor or the roof. June 4, 2016 Closing is June 9 on Hudsonville house. Need to take a break from building and MOVE! Getting serious with 28' truck and the moving straps. June 7...

May 25, 2016 Need to go back to Hudsonville and mow the grass. 345 is sold and was picked up by new owner. Have to take the 2210 with us to mow. Sure glad I did not sell that 54" MMM for the 2210. Coming in handy now. Will be a paperweight when we get fully up north. May 28, 2016...

May 22, 2016 Preparing more plates to attache more SIP panels. May 24, 2016 Finishing up wood shop exterior walls and starting on south wall with big doors on garage. Walls on woodshop are 8' and walls in garage are 10'.

May 21, 2016 Cutting and adding the plates to the concrete footing walls to mount the SIP panel. Putting up the first assembled SIP Panel, Panel 100, 101, 102, 103. Happens to be the tractor door. Tractor door up, now on to Woodshop North wall. Lots of swearing going on right about...

May 1, 2016 Need to sell the lawn tractor 1996 JD 345 with MMM, MC319 Collection system and 42" SS Snowblower, 1900 hours purchased new. Did I mention no grass at the new place. While I did enjoy mowing and looking at how beautiful the place looked after it was mowed, I won't miss this chore...

April 26, 2016 Need to go home to Hudsonville and get the house listed for sale. If only this was staged... My wife helps me stay neat and clean. The realtor loved selling our house, picture ready.

April 23, 2016 Pouring concrete for the lower level. Leveling and power screeding to a requested glass like finish.

April 22, 2016 Lines are laid out for the four lower zones Woodshop, Metal Shop, Garage and Lower level Entry. Ready for concrete.

April 17, 2016 Rerouted and all good. Ready for foam insulation and in-floor heating runs. Here is a cross section of the insulation for the floor and the floor to wall thermal breaks. Here is the insulation going in ready for the in-floor heating pipe.

April 16, 2016 Floor leveled by flatwork concrete crew and internal cavities made for monolithic wall footings. Oops. Plumbing is right under monolithic footing for a post. Not good. Will have to call the plumber. Almost ready for underfloor foam insulation and in-floor heat piping.

April 13, 2016 Backfill of the foundation walls and getting ready for rough underfloor plumbing. This was also done by others as my wheeled equipment in this beach sand is not very effective. Rough plumbing in and ready for inspection. I hired out plumbing. Had to pick battles as I...

Crew swings in the second load which are 10ft high walls for the back wall of the lower level. They assembled all of the walls and were done before 4PM the same day. Crazy... Ready to backfill and lay rough plumbing.

Crew with crane installing footing walls around the front of the building. Cross section of what the walls look like.

April 8, 2016 The night before the walls and footings come. Getting exciting, no turning back now. April 9, 2016 The walls are coming. Crew prepares and levels the stone footings with a laser.

Putting in the footing stone and french drain tile. The contractor told me that I was wasting money putting in all that french drain inside and outside of the walls because we are built on a dune. I did not care, growing up in the UP and my house in Hudsonville was built in Clay bowls and...

April 5, 2016 Breaking ground for footings and walls.