Starting a new home

[sr160009]

Looks like fun.

Is your bank making you spray the ground for termites before pouring the slab? Lots of people don't bother when building for themselves, but for spec homes, it's a pretty big deal.

How big is the pad going to be?

Eddie

Eddie,

The bank is not making us spray for termites, but never really though about that. Sound like a good idea. The house pad will be 76' X 54' that is including the porch and a detached garge will be 28' X 24'.

 

[fishpick]

OK - I'm a NY guy... help me out...

Pad - get sprayer for termites... is that a "forever" thing... (benefit of cold winters - no wood chewers)
Then - I'm assuming on the pad goes a poured slab? (not sure I could live w/o a basement)

Looks like you have done a nice job with site prep... I'd be excited too! But I have to be honest - I almost lost some in-flight coffee when I saw the picture you posted that said the contractor was about to start - and the pic was a few rods of re-bar and a couple dimensional boards... it was just funny! Keep up the stream of photos!

 

[sr160009]

I remember when Frisco was just a little quiet county town. They say that Dallas will one day extend all the way to the Red River. I hope Collinsville doesn't turn into just another Dallas suburb. Right now, that is very pretty country. Also, right on up north across the Red River in Oklahoma is beautiful rolling hills and green, green, green. My brother lives right up the road from you in Whitesboro. Your building site looks very nice. I'm looking forward to watching your progress. AlanL is finishing up his house just as you are starting.

I hope you are right, but one day it will become part of Dallas am sure. If it does hopefully I can sell it and make some money and move elsewhere.

It is a funny thing that I found out about AlanL, his son and nephew have been really close friends of mine since high school, it is a small world

 

[sr160009]

But I have to be honest - I almost lost some in-flight coffee when I saw the picture you posted that said the contractor was about to start - and the pic was a few rods of re-bar and a couple dimensional boards... it was just funny! Keep up the stream of photos![/QUOTE]

I know what you mean, I spoke to my contractor before I saw the matierials and he told me he delivered a load to the site. I was excited till I saw what it was. My contractor is also my cousin, he has been building houses for over 20 years now and most of the materials he uses for the forms he recycles from house to house. Most of the materials for the forms he has at anouther site, he sent this load just because he did not have enough to do mine with.

 

[bucmeister]

Yeah, here in the South termite prevention is a must. My dad had a different opinion and did not spend the bucks when they poured the slab and built back in late '92, ended up with termites in the house within 7 - 8 years. Was noticeably more expensive after the fact. Around here they saturate the ground with some kind of stuff that creates a zone they have to move through and it seems very effective. We had to have the office treated in '94 and have not had any more since. When they treated my dad's house they said that the chems of that day were significantly improved over what the office was treated with, so that technology is steadily advancing.

When we add on a master suite it will be well treated.

 

[EddieWalker]

bucmeister summed up the termite issue pretty good. Here in the South, we have allot of bugs. Termites are all over and if the soil isn't treated under and around the slab, they will work there way in. PT wood will not deter them, they just build there tunnels up to the good eating wood.

In addition to spraying, I like to put in a termite shield under the sill plate. That's just roll of aluminum flashing that goes between the foam and the sill plate. Mine hangs out over my concrete pad about an inch. This barrier makes it dificult for the termites to build there tunnels up from the ground and into the house.

fishpick,

There are a few homes with slabs around here, but very few. Since we don't have the freezeing weather, we don't have to dig down very far for our footings. In my area, it's just a foot down. Up North, you guys have to dig down 8 to ten feet anyway, so it makes allot of sence to just create a basement with that space.

The tradeoff for not having a basement is a foundation costs around $4 a foot. An entire brick home can be built for $50 a foot.

Eddie

 

[saltman]

I was told that the property where I was building had no termites because of the winters being too cold. Recently after a rain I found a nice old piece of "iron wood" that was laying on the ground. I picked it up to add to my collection for the outdoor fire pit and it was full of termites. How cold does it have to get to kill these things? What is their limit, my mom said they found some up near a home they were looking at in Seattle?

It seems like you guys have to good life there in Texas!
I am planning to visit there in June and need to know of a lake close to Arlington where I can catch some bass.

 

[sr160009]

I have scaned my house plans so I can post it here, so here it is....


Saltman,

There are several lakes around here that has some good bass in them. Joe Poole lake is close to arlington, but I would go during the week because it can get really crowded on the weekends. Also there is a really good bass lake about 1 hour north of Arlington, Lake Ray Roberts. I fished this lake since it opened in 1990.

 

[sr160009]

sorry it is kinda hard to see sideways here it is again....

 

[sr160009]

Update,

Well if the rain will stop for a week or so we will be able to complete the foundation. Right now it is too muddy to do much. We did however put some of the forms up on Monday before the rain hit. We ended up with 1 inch of rain. The sand truck showed up yesterday but he could not get close enough to the forms and was afraid he would get stuck. Here is some more pics of the forms that are set. As you can see we still have water sitting on the pad.