3R Home and Barn Project

[3RRL]

You're right Kent, I've been so darn busy I forgot to load my photos and they did arrive. But I'm ready for a partial update now. Heck, I've got about 500 photos to sort through and since I've been gone for over a week, it took me all this time just to catch up on what's happening on TBN. Man, I'll never take another vacation again.

Hi Brad,
Those natural logs are only for the front entry. The logs themselves are just like yours, except not a D shape. You'll see them here.

To start off, their were 2 two semi trucks fully loaded (80,000lbs each) waiting at the end of the culdesac. They said they couldn't make it around the ravine switchback. So the guys unloaded everything right there with a Gradall and loaded them onto trailers which were pulled up by pick up trucks. Then they unloaded them out all over the place before laying them out by numbers.

 

[3RRL]

Then they got the Gradall and started putting them up on the first floor. And their boom box too of course.



They didn't waste any time laying the first course which is the hardest one to do. It has to be perfect since all the others will pile on top of those. So they spent a good day just doing that.



These are the logs for our stairway. This is the hardware they used to fasten the first course to the headers below and foundation with up to 36" long 1" threaded rods and nuts. Then the other courses are screwed together by 11" long "Loghogs".

 

[3RRL]

Now they have started on the second and third courses. They use insulating tape between the milled tongue and groove like cuts between every layer and plastic insulators where the logs butt up against each other. You can see the interior corners have the logs all the same and the exterior corners the logs criss-cross each other.



By the end of the week they had up to 7 courses down around some of the door ways and windows, and at least 5 for the longer logs. But that is not all they got done that week. They also poured all the concrete for the garage concrete AND the barn and finished that up too! I just have not had time to get those photos ready yet.
Let me know if you want to see any of that stuff.
Oh, and I have some videos for tommu if he wants.

 

[Red55]

Rob you have to be excited looking at all that wood. Makes me want to brake out the brush & start staining. . . ED

 

[MrJimi]

Rob, just an idea, when I had my block building built, I set a camcorder on the porch on a 5 minute time exposure delay, every 5 minutes it took a picture and on regular playback it was real fun to watch a block wall go up and watch the guys move around

 

[Spiveyman]

Hey Rob, wow. I don't really have any intelligent questions or comments, I'm mostly in awe. That is fascinating to see your home come together. That ain't the way Daniel Boone did it, I can't believe all of the technology that goes into a log home. Can't wait to see the next phases and when it's completed.

 

[3RRL]

You guys are right, man I am excited as all get out.
I have a couple photos of the barn pour to share because there was so much commotion going on that day. The barn is 40' x 50' with a minimum 6" slab.

Here is the frame work for the pour.



The first thing that showed up was this thing that pumps the concrete to the site. It was huge. Then the trucks started rolling in and they got to business right away putting it down. This guy (Roy) straightening out the anchor bolts did all the finishing work on the barn and the garage. He also did all the block wall stuff I posted earlier. He is pretty darn good.

 

[MrJimi]

Looks real good, how many yards of concrete and what PSI did you choose?
I used almost 70 yards of 3,500 PSI in mine
The price wasn't too bad in 99 and I hear it's gone sky high now

 

[3RRL]

They had 6 trucks scheduled but ended up calling in a 7th because they were short. Each truck had 9-1/2 yards of concrete. They were filling the pump by two's. It was quite a sight as they poured and guys would start working the mud right away.
Of course I was having the time of my life watching all this go down. I'm farmer Rob here.



Loretta was doing most of the picture taking and she got some great action shots of the guys working.



Roy did the final touches for the barn slab. He then used a "soft cut" saw to put cuts into it when he was all done.

 

[MrJimi]

It's different in CA. In Fl, we used 5 pieces of 5/8 rebar in footings 2 feet wide and 16 inches deep and in the floor we used 6" X 6" 10 G wire mesh and I chose to go with block walls