At Home In The Woods

[srs]

-Add a plug to the floor in the living room at places where you think you might have a table etc. The plug will be handy for lamps/etc. Get one that flush mounts so that when not needed it will be flush with the finished floor and not a tripping hazard/eyesore. Since you have a basement you should be able to do this anytime.

Make sure you know exactly where the table will go. If you change the layout of the furniture then you have an unsightly flush mounted plug in the floor. Ask me how I know????!!!!!!!

 

[Obed]

Did I miss it or have you posted your plans? Love to see them if you have not posted them (digging now through older posts).

Floor plan for the main floor is on Page 6 of this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/projects/147167d1259542800-home-woods-img_2341-large-.jpg .

I've attached the elevations below.

 

[Obed]

The trench I dug several days ago through the parking area has helped drain water but needed some more work. There was a high spot in the trench that prevented water from draining perfectly. I did some work on it today. I tilted my boxblade sideways and put down one shank to rip through the bottom of the trench. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay on the machine but needed to do some manual shovelling to remove the red clay that the BB shank ripped up. The temp was in the mid-20's F when I started. However, breaking out the hand shovel and maddock warmed me up quickly.

 

[Obed]

I also went to the local hardware store this morning to get some mouse traps and poison. Mice have found the storage trailer. I hate mice and ants. I find these two pests the most difficult to get rid of.

Public Sewer Petition
At the hardware store, there was a petition at the desk to run public sewer lines in our area. The man running the cashier asked me if I would like to sign it. I declined. I see sewer lines as just a means for developers to put in high density housing (apartments, condos, and subdivisions with lots too small to handle a septic tank and drain field). As long as a public sewer is not available, lot sizes for houses will remain a decent size. Where public sewers are run around here you start seeing 5 houses per acre in the new subdivisions. Once sewer lines are run, often the municipality will no longer give permits for new septic tanks/drain fields and will force you to pay hundreds of dollars for a sewer connection plus the monthly fee for the rest of your life. My reading about home septic systems is that dirt naturally cleans the sewage extremely very well and correctly installed home septic systems are environmentally friendly. I don't think you can say that about public sewers. The public sewers add chemicals to the sewage to kill the germs then pump the sewage into the water reservoir. The municpality then pumps the resulting mix of lake water and sewage from the reservoir into the public water system, adds more chemicals to it to kill more germs, and then sends it to your kitchen faucet. I'm very thankful we have a well with good water.

 

[Pops15]

Don't put anything between the header parts unless it's spec'd, your headers will end up too fat unless your lumber is perfect. Extra strength is not an issue there.

I agree with Eddie 100%. I've built a "few" headers over the past 30+ years with 1/2" plywood sandwiched between two 2X12's. Never had a problem with them being too fat.

 

[radioman]

I also went to the local hardware store this morning to get some mouse traps and poison. Mice have found the storage trailer. I hate mice and ants. I find these two pests the most difficult to get rid of.

At the hardware store, there was a petition at the desk to run public sewer lines in our area. The man running the cashier asked me if I would like to sign it. I declined. I see sewer lines as just a means for developers to put in high density housing (apartments, condos, and subdivisions with lots too small to handle a septic tank and drain field). Once sewer lines are run, often the municipality will no longer give permits for new septic tanks/drain fields and will force you to pay hundreds of dollars for a sewer connection plus the monthly fee for the rest of your life. My reading about home septic systems is that they clean the sewage extremely very well and are environmentally friendly. I don't think you can say that about public sewers. The public sewers add chemicals to the sewage to kill the germs then pump the sewage into the water reservoir. The municpality then pumps the resulting mix of lake water and sewage from the reservoir into the public water system, adds more chemicals to it to kill more germs, and then sends it to your water faucet and calls it safe to drink. I'm very thankful we have a well with good water.

I feel the same way. However in my area, we get town water but have own septics. I think this is fine, we always have water pressure and no pumps to worry about. home septics are great for claiming land and preventing people from building too much in small area.

 

[jake98]

I was skiing past a colorado trophy home and I saw carpenters with a miter saw and a table saw on the floor while they were putting up the 1st. floor walls.

 

[jake98]

Anyway, some of yous are building with spruce framing members. I'll give you that that is usually flatter than the douglas fir that we use, but there's still no good reason to doubt a double 2x10. Me, I likes my sheetrocks straight.

 

[jake98]

I agree with Eddie 100%. I've built a "few" headers over the past 30+ years with 1/2" plywood sandwiched between two 2X12's. Never had a problem with them being too fat.

Where are we using 2x12 headers?? Pops?? not on a house unless over the garage door, zat what ur talkin about??

I can't wait to move down south.

 

[EddieWalker]

Headers less than 8', (over that, they usually get spec'd) I've never seen to be a cause of any problem. Putting anything inside a shorter header is for people that overthink and have the money to do that. Non-Carpenters invent things sometimes.

I think this statement explains our opposing views to building homes very clearly.

Eddie