An Old Goat Ranch in Texas

[EddieWalker]

Nice floor plan. I like all the storage and the walk in shower. Are you sure one bathroom is all you want?

Is the roof of the laundry room going to be as it's drawn? While I hate valleys, I worry about transitions and rot pockets in exterior wall/roof areas even more. While you are building, it's pretty simple to create a peak roof and tie it together with the rest of the house to eliminate a lot of potential future issues.

Not to get political, but expect the cost of all labor to jump dramatically. Anybody with employees is going to either make them part time, or raise their rates to pay what it will cost to stay in business.

Eddie

 

[bindian]

...looks like you were reading my shopping list...you missed the "Jamesons" tho...a wee dram to wash down the pills seems to help loosen things up much better than pills alone...

Be Safe Out There...

T

I would have muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory pills at the top of that list.
Merry Christmas hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Nice floor plan. I like all the storage and the walk in shower. Are you sure one bathroom is all you want? Eddie

Maybe a half bathroom in the mud room?
Merry Christmas hugs, Brandi

 

[terry.dinerman]

Thanks Eddie!

I am glad you like the plan... it reflects the "age-in-place" philosophy...wide doors and no transitions in floor height to allow easy access for us geezers... combining the kitchen and Great Room was Precious Brides idea... and wide open spaces appeal to me as well. I used the wheel-chair you see in the drawing as a gage to resolve the access issues...even the closets should be accessible...

I know a lot of houses have an abundance of plumbing, but one bathroom suits us... we have lived in a small bungalow for the last 25 years with only one bathroom, and found it adequate... if somebody needs a "pass over the target" bad enough, we have another one in the guest room out at the barn.... or, for the more adventurous, 13 + acres to choose from...I find one set of plumbing fosters a sense of community and develops cooperation amongst the group...

The laundry and utility room (we call it the "Mud-Room") has an 8 foot eave height, versus the 10 foot eave of the main building...plenty of room for an effective transition...as you install the skin on the main sidewall, you flash the join between the walls and roof, skin the mudroom, finish the main sidewall and then roof the mudroom...the overlaping sheet metal pretty well eliminates any leaks...and even tho just the sheet metal and flashing will normally prevent any water penetration, the latest generation of self-adhesive sheet sealant products makes this joint a sure thing....and I like the look better than a continuous shed-style roof...

The rising labor costs? FOO...I am just disgusted with what the local builders are expecting....$40 a square foot for an unfinished tin barn with a monolithic concrete slab is a bit much...I wasn't being a piker either....the local materials costs are right in line with my estimates...about $20K for all the materials for a shell and slab...and I would have been amenable to paying up to $20K for the labor to put it up...but nobody even came close... I was thinking more along the lines of $25 to $30 dollars a square foot...

This is as simple a frame as you can possibly build...they can go up QUICK...like my old boss used to say..."It's a BARN not a PIANO..."

....when I was erecting these things for a living, a 5-6 man crew was expected to be putting up a 40x40x12 with a sliding door and a concrete floor in two days....frame and skin on Day One and pour the floor on Day Two...so even paying $200 a day per man still leaves a tidy profit for the lead dog...

I'll put together a crew...pay them well...and pocket the difference...the joy of a pole barn is how simple the carpentry is....very few critical cuts....if a fellow has just minmal carpenty experience, your can get him up and running in no time...one good sawyer can keep a bunch of nail-bangers busy...

So...we will see how it all works out...I may wind up eating my words and wishing I had taken one of the contractors offers...you never know...

But faint heart never won fair prize, so I am going to go for it...

Anyway...stay tuned Bub...it's gonna be interesting...

T

 

[terry.dinerman]

I would have muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory pills at the top of that list.
Merry Christmas hugs, Brandi

...well...if you're talking "muscle relaxants" we better spring for some "Bushmills"...

And a Joyous Christmas to you too!!!

T

 

[EddieWalker]

Those numbers for labor are a lot more then I was expecting, even thinking high. I agree with you and follow the principle of having my clients hire me over and over again to get their money, rather then trying to get as much as possible from a single job. The bonus to my approach is their friends want to give me money to do things for them too!!!

I know what you are saying about the transition and you are plenty knowledgable to make sure it gets done right. My experience is in those areas that stay wet and over time, start to rust and decay what's there. Leaf build up is a huge concern here, and a common source of rot when left sitting for years at a time. Most importantly, you prefer the look of your design, and that's what really matters.

Eddie

 

[bindian]

...well...if you're talking "muscle relaxants" we better spring for some "Bushmills"...

And a Joyous Christmas to you too!!!

T

Terry,
I'm one quarter Irish, but I never had any Bushmills. I'll have to try some Bushmills!
Merry Christmas hugs, Brandi

 

[300UGUY]

Those numbers for labor are a lot more then I was expecting, even thinking high. I agree with you and follow the principle of having my clients hire me over and over again to get their money, rather then trying to get as much as possible from a single job. The bonus to my approach is their friends want to give me money to do things for them too!!!

I know what you are saying about the transition and you are plenty knowledgable to make sure it gets done right. My experience is in those areas that stay wet and over time, start to rust and decay what's there. Leaf build up is a huge concern here, and a common source of rot when left sitting for years at a time. Most importantly, you prefer the look of your design, and that's what really matters.

Eddie

What I see in my area is folks want to get their rates back up to what they were in 2005 or so. And in many cases, they are. A lot of folks left construction, and many left Michigan.

 

[EddieWalker]

As a contractor, I've seen a lot of guys go broke, bank rupt and disapear. There isn't as many doing what I do as there was in 2005, which is when I came real close to getting into trouble with a spec house that I had to sell three times because of the new lending laws. As far as rates, mine have just kept going up. It costs more to do business and to maintain a level of income that makes it worth my time, I have to pass those expenses on to my clients. Fortunately I have a three to four month waiting list, so I know I'm not too rediculous, but it's still more then I would ever pay anybody else to do what I do.

I would never fault anybody what they charge, I just don't have to hire them. What is interesting is that the cheaper guy is always ready to start right away, and nobody is waiting for his services. I had a very high end shower job earlier this year because I was twice as much and they didn't want to wait four months. After the cheap guy was done, they hired me to tear it all out and do it over after agreeing to my bid and waiting their turn.

It is what it is.

Eddie

 

[Biggreenavalanche]

What a thread...I've laughed, sympathized, and even choked up ! Terry, you have a unique gift, dunno if it's the gift of gab or prose, however it is truly a gift...thoroughly enjoyed your chronicle of life's ups and downs...to echo what others have said, you really should consider writing a book ! It is Christmas eve day, and tonight, as I settle in with my girls I plan on having a "wee dram" in your honor...hope you, yours, and the " pasture posse" are well and that y'all have a very merry Christmas.

Rich