At Home In The Woods

[CurlyDave]

We sloped the main floor garage slab so that we can rinse the floor and have it run outside.

From the framing, it looks like you have a garage door on the lower level of the house also.

We have that arrangement, with the "woman" garage on the main (upper) level, and the man garage (tractor, tools, and workshop) on the lower level. I really like it.

I put the hot water tank in the lower garage and the heat loss keeps the garage pretty warm in winter, but not too hot in summer.

 

[Obed]

From the framing, it looks like you have a garage door on the lower level of the house also.

We have that arrangement, with the "woman" garage on the main (upper) level, and the man garage (tractor, tools, and workshop) on the lower level. I really like it.

I put the hot water tank in the lower garage and the heat loss keeps the garage pretty warm in winter, but not too hot in summer.

Yes, that's the arrangement for us too. The wife was insistant on having a garage on the same level as the main floor. She wants to unload groceries from the garage without having to climb steps. The garage floor will be 7" lower than the kitchen floor. The single car garage downstairs will be the tractor's home with a 7 1/2 foot tall garage door. The tractor is approximately 7' 2" tall with the rollbar up. I'm hoping I can get the tractor through the garage door without having to lower the rollbar.

Our hot water heater will be in the utility room in the back corner of the basement so it won't help us in heating the garage.

Obed

 

[CurlyDave]

The garage floor will be 7" lower than the kitchen floor.

In CA, code requires that the main house be 18" above the garage floor if there is a door into the garage. The reason is that gasoline fumes (from the car parked in the garage) are heavier than air and sink to the floor, so the 18" of elevation prevents entry into the main house. In OR there is no requirement for this, but I elevated the house by 18" anyway. There probably isn't a requirement in your area or your plans would not have been approved.

Gasoline vapors are toxic, have been shown to cause cancer, and may cause birth defects. Since you already have everything designed, and it is very hard to change right now, I would highly recommend that you weatherstrip the door from the house into the garage and pay some attention to how the weatherstripping actually seals. Also make certain the upper garage is well ventilated, no matter how much your wife might complain about it being cold.

Ours is a retirement house, and I put a ramp in the garage, so that if either of us should ever need wheels, we don't have to move, or scab a ramp onto the front of the house. Park out of the weather and don't spoil the looks of the house. I got a wheeled cart from Harbor Freight that Kathy just loves for bringing the groceries in.

 

[shane]

Some Reflections
I'm glad the concrete is done. I'm hoping I can relax a little moving forward. Most things from this point can be redone if there is an issue. But concrete is forever (for all practical purposes) so we went through a lot of gyrations trying to get things right before pouring the slab. My relationship with the construction manager was very strained during this stretch as I pushed for some things to be done in a way that I would accept.

A lot of comments have been made in this post regarding how to do the concrete job. In an ideal world, I do agree with most of the comments made here. Unfortunately, I don't live in an ideal world. If you remove people out of the equation, you could get a perfect job done exactly how you want it.

However, I'm finding that building a house involves a significant "people" component. On one end of the extreme you can end up with poor quality workmanship if you don't confront the workers and hold them accountable for the quality of their work. On the other end of the extreme, you can badger the workers to a point where they won't do "the extras" because they think you are a horse's rear end; quality can also suffer on this end of the spectrum. Somewhere between these two extremes there's a sweet spot where you will get the best quality job. Finding that sweet spot requires a lot of discernment and a knack for working with people. I have yet to find that sweet spot on this project.

I've been closer to the horse's rear end on the spectrum through this phase. Once the construction manager fully understands how I want the project to be undertaken and accepts my standards, then perhaps I can back off of him a little; I'm hoping we're getting close to that point. Only time will tell. Where people are involved, there must be some give and take on both sides. You have to choose your battles. It makes no sense to win the battle but lose the war. I could just fire everyone who doesn't do everything exactly how I would do it. But then I'd have to fire every person I hire.

Very nice, and accurate too! You are doing a fine job. You keep this pace and you'll have safe and comfortable home to be proud of in a few months.

 

[EddieWalker]

The framing looks good. Things are going to start coming together really quickly for you now. It's almost a shame that Christmas is going to get in the way of your progress! LOL

Nice to hear the flatwork finished so nicely. Usually a good rain is where you see any issues there. Water will stand in low spots. I was on a job where I had to lay 2x6's across the floor because the puddle was over an inch deep. It was one of those jobs where the homeowner was in too big of a hurry and hired it out themsevles. On another house, I pulled the carpet in their living room and installed a wood floor. After a few hours, I realized that there was a low spot right in the middle of the entry door. I never noticed it just walking on the capret and bare concrete, but with the wood installed, it became very obvious.

Like Dave, I'm from CA, and all the homes have two steps down into the garage. Moving here to Texas, I was suprised to see that it's not done here. I've never done any research, so I don't know how big of a deal it is or isn't. CA tends to go to the extremes on most things, but it does make sense to have the garage lower because of gas fumes. Do modern cars still have gas fumes? I asked my realtor about it a few years ago, and he said that people prefer the garage to be at the same level. Everything is about selling the house, so that's how I did it on the spec homes that I built and sold.

Eddie

 

[dave1949]

I wanted my garage and house on the same level too, but here one step down is required. Like CurlyDave, I figured a ramp would work if needed.

You just never know when you or a family member could be be spending time in a wheelchair. I think it is smart to build in a way that accomodates that possibility even if it isn't a retirement house.

All it really takes is to have sleeping, bath, and kitchen on one floor that has easy access to the outside. Use interior doors in that area at least 32", 36" wide is better. Look up ADA for bathroom planning and recommendations.

Dave.

 

[charlz]

Do modern cars still have gas fumes?

Maybe more than the older cars? Most have pressurized fuel systems... you get that burst of pressure when you open the cap at the gas station. Some cars you can hear the pressure slowly releasing after you park them in the garage.

 

[Obed]

We want to be able to live in this house when we are old. That's why the wife worked hard at making the living area all on one floor. All the doors to rooms in the house will be 36" wide. We did consider the American Disabilities Act specs when designing the house and met the specs when it was reasonable to do so. There's a place or two where we might be 1 inch too tight for ADA specs. The house will still be wheelchair accessable even though it doesn't met the ADA specs completely. We have room inside the garage for a 7 foot ramp that would meet ADA requirements but won't install a ramp unless the need arises.

 

[James150]

Wow, you're really moving along. I find your story fascinating because we are on the brink of starting our house, not in the woods, but in the high desert outside Patagonia Arizona. I'm planning to take our camper and stay on-site and supervise construction. I've learned a lot from your posts and I thank you much. Keep it up you're doing us neophytes a real service.

I added a few photos, the second is the south view from our place in AZ. Somehow we fell into this land which has 320 degree mountain views. It slopes gently to the south, perfect for a passive solar house. The only downside is the world's steepest driveway. The other pictures are of the only thing I've ever built, our 14 X 20 cabin in SW Wisconsin. The best part about it is the tractor parade that goes by each August. Those guys drive those classic tractors miles and miles in the hot sun.

Congratulations on your upcoming baby and new house!

 

[dave1949]

We want to be able to live in this house when we are old. That's why the wife worked hard at making the living area all on one floor. All the doors to rooms in the house will be 36" wide. We did consider the American Disabilities Act specs when designing the house and met the specs when it was reasonable to do so. There's a place or two where we might be 1 inch too tight for ADA specs. The house will still be wheelchair accessable even though it doesn't met the ADA specs completely. We have room inside the garage for a 7 foot ramp that would meet ADA requirements but won't install a ramp unless the need arises.

Building a house will make old, you shall have your wish
Glad to hear you are building with access in mind. It makes sense. It can make the difference between having to spend time in a nursing home type place or to be able to stay at home.
Dave.