My Industrial Cabin Build

[747driver]

It was one of the things I dreaded. It took more research than I expected.

I forgot...i really enjoyed the history lessons on the radiant heat evolution !

 

[WoodChuckDad]

We are chipping away at list. I am about to head out there and get busy again.

 

[dstig1]

Saw this in your video:

That clamp is not correct for the cord and will probably eventually cut through and short it out. Yeah it will take years, most likely, but I've seen it. The good news is you only need to swap it out for a different type of fitting:

Halex 1/2 in. 0.260 - 0.375 Strain-Relief Cord Connectors (2-Pack) 21691 - The Home Depot

Enjoy the Halex 1/2 in. .260 - .375 Strain-Relief Cord Connectors (2-Pack) 21691, hex gland nut join cables to steel outlet boxes and other metal enclosures at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

There are different sizes of these so you need to measure the diameter of the cord first, and also get the right size for the knockout in the box cover plate (1/2" or 3/4"). Odds are, the one I linked is the right size for you, but you need to verify. There are even more serious styles of support/strain relief for pendant cords but those are for bigger, heavier cords. The load on this is very light as the fixture is probably only a few ounces or so, so this style should be sufficient.

When do you think you are going to get to move in? Looks like you are getting pretty close to ready for the COO inspection.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Saw this in your video:
View attachment 798278
That clamp is not correct for the cord and will probably eventually cut through and short it out. Yeah it will take years, most likely, but I've seen it. The good news is you only need to swap it out for a different type of fitting:

Halex 1/2 in. 0.260 - 0.375 Strain-Relief Cord Connectors (2-Pack) 21691 - The Home Depot

Enjoy the Halex 1/2 in. .260 - .375 Strain-Relief Cord Connectors (2-Pack) 21691, hex gland nut join cables to steel outlet boxes and other metal enclosures at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

There are different sizes of these so you need to measure the diameter of the cord first, and also get the right size for the knockout in the box cover plate (1/2" or 3/4"). Odds are, the one I linked is the right size for you, but you need to verify. There are even more serious styles of support/strain relief for pendant cords but those are for bigger, heavier cords. The load on this is very light as the fixture is probably only a few ounces or so, so this style should be sufficient.

When do you think you are going to get to move in? Looks like you are getting pretty close to ready for the COO inspection.

Thank you. I didn’t know they had these. I am ordering 6 and will replace the ones for the kitchen lights as well.

 

[747driver]

Nice work and keeping the push going forward !

Have you thought about how much more work it has been to keep your electrical work exposed vs running it all in the walls ?

I was wondering, isn't it about time to focus somewhat on the apple orchard ? Yikes...

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Apple trees have been looking good but 4 days of rain is bad news. I will be spraying for rust this week.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Nice work and keeping the push going forward !

Have you thought about how much more work it has been to keep your electrical work exposed vs running it all in the walls ?

I was wondering, isn't it about time to focus somewhat on the apple orchard ? Yikes...

As for the electric exposed, it wasn’t by desire. The walls and ceiling panels come with channels cut in them but you have to put 2x6 splines in on each side for the walls so you would have to drill that. Then you would have to pull wire thru those 1.5 inch foam holes and cut your light box opening right on that channel. For our walls,our posts go all the way to the outside, blocking the wire channels. It wasn’t supposed to be that way but there was a problem with the piers in the slab. My architect came up with this as a solution. It was more cost and more work for us. Since I had to do that for the main part I did it for the rest of the exterior walls. It has been quite a chore. There is a long list of things I could have done differently. But that only helps the next person if they are listening. I don’t plan to build another house.

This one took too much out of me.

 

[EddieWalker]

... There is a long list of things I could have done differently. But that only helps the next person if they are listening. I don’t plan to build another house.

This one took too much out of me.

You have taken on a monumental build that has been a lot of fun to watch, but also overwhelming in what you are doing. In my experience, once it's behind you and you are dealing with the next major project, the pain from this one will fade, and the odds of you doing it all over again will increase.

 

[dstig1]

It has been quite a chore. There is a long list of things I could have done differently. But that only helps the next person if they are listening. I don’t plan to build another house.

This one took too much out of me.

I hear that! I'm finally within a couple weeks of completing window trim now. Then still have baseboards to wrap up, and I am dragging at this point. Finishing up making and installing doors took a long time and really took it out of me, and that finally wrapped up last Aug. July will be 10 yrs from when we officially broke ground, but in reality we started clearing in 2009 so more like 14+ yrs now. Given my age and how much I have slowed down (prob just a couple years or so older than you) there is no way I will ever do it again. Which is the only reason why I disagree with Eddie's comment on "soon forget the pain and do it again". This house was too big, expensive and complex to even think about doing again.

 

[deezler]

Building an entire house while simultaneously working a full time job (so as to be able to afford it) is a fairly ridiculous endeavour that few humans can fully appreciate.

My best buddy build his house next door mostly solo. I put in dozens of hours with him, helping with site prep, material deliveries, some framing, and a lot of the drywall hanging. But he spent 12 months of basically working two full time jobs and not seeing his wife and kids much in order to get it habitable.

Shoot, we hired a contractor for our build, but on a time and materials basis - so you can bet I was there almost every day making sure time wasn't spent on site cleanup or other dumb stuff by our carpenters at their full hourly rate. And then I did allllll the interior finishing to save costs further. It was a long year.

This thread is on a whole 'nother level of persistence and commitment. Kudos.

 

[Buppies]

Woodchuck it would be safe to say you have the patience of Job

 

[dstig1]

Building an entire house while simultaneously working a full time job (so as to be able to afford it) is a fairly ridiculous endeavour that few humans can fully appreciate.

My best buddy build his house next door mostly solo. I put in dozens of hours with him, helping with site prep, material deliveries, some framing, and a lot of the drywall hanging. But he spent 12 months of basically working two full time jobs and not seeing his wife and kids much in order to get it habitable.

Shoot, we hired a contractor for our build, but on a time and materials basis - so you can bet I was there almost every day making sure time wasn't spent on site cleanup or other dumb stuff by our carpenters at their full hourly rate. And then I did allllll the interior finishing to save costs further. It was a long year.

This thread is on a whole 'nother level of persistence and commitment. Kudos.

Yeah that pretty much describes my first 3-4 yrs of the build from breaking ground in July 2013. I was easily putting in 30-40 hrs a week on the build in addition to my full time job, plus using all my vacation (5 wks a year) at the time. Now I'm lucky to get 15 a week in, but the finish work is so much slower that the progress is much less obvious. Plus I lose more time to maintenance now than i did back then.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

You guys are very kind. I have been lucky. My health has held up. Dr told me I needed a shoulder replacement in 2017. I told him what I was up to and he said to come back when I was done. Jefanna is making plans for my recovery next year right after new year. I think thats the best time as far as farm stuff goes.
I am ready for a break and ready for some fun. I have some small day trips planned once we move in. I have been putting things on hold so much the last 4 years I will feel no guilt for taking a couple days a month to go play. Today i did tge electric outlet under the window in the kitchen. ReAlly hate it. All I have left is two small pieces of siding and a few pieces of trim around bathroom doors. Scheduling inspection for thursday. Closed on building loan refi this morning.

 

[airbiscuit]

Wow. That's a pretty small list.

 

[deezler]

All I have left is two small pieces of siding and a few pieces of trim around bathroom doors. Scheduling inspection for thursday. Closed on building loan refi this morning.

Yeah right!! Haha. I promise you’ll keep finding details to finish and things to add/improve. But! Thats amazing.

Best of luck with final inspection and the refi! (Sorry about your interest rate…)

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Oh, there is a ton of work left. This list is for what gets me thru inspection. I have half a dozen doors to instal. All baseboard trim to do. Have not trimmed any windows. Have not installed any closet stuff but we have racks to work with at first.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I have the master bathroom to build. I modified my building g permit and turned that into unfinished storage. The goal is to get a CO.

 

[deezler]

Smart. Get the nosy building dept out of your hair.

My goal at this point is to never have an inspection again. I honestly wouldn’t mind the safety check, but my township is now charging hundreds of dollars every time, even for mundane electrical circuits. and then immediately bringing the assessor department out to jack your property taxes through the roof.

 

[BigBlue1]

That line bringing propane into the house is huge. My propane comes into the house-side regulator through like a 3/8" OD copper line. Curious if you oversized it for some reason or that's just the convenient piping available or what?

 

[EddieWalker]

I bet it's sized to handle the instant hot water heater. Those things need a huge amount of gas to operate effectively.