At Home In The Woods

[Obed]

This evening I glued on the remaining PVC pipe to one of the sleeves in the waterline trench.

Then I worked on the pile of brick and concrete debris below the culvert. I didn't like having this pile of ugly debris sitting right beside the driveway. So I tossed the bricks downhill a bit into the gulley for rip-rap. The broken bricks will still be visible from the driveway but will not be as noticable as before. I plan to dump rocks from the waterline trench where the pile of brick debris was. The natural rocks used as rip-rap aren't as ugly as the brick and concrete debris.

I just found out that the county wants to inspect our driveway before they will give us an occupancy permit for the house. The beaurocracy never seems to end. I shouldn't complain because some areas like the north east and California have it much worse than we do. Anyway, I wasn't expecting a driveway inspection. Our driveway needs some work. I haven't maintained it much at all since it was installed. The waterbars across the driveway have filled themselves in and aren't moving water across the drive like they need to. We are getting some washing along the uphill side of the driveway because the water isn't getting diverted to the other side of the driveway. I knew I needed to do some maintenance but was postponing that until we get into the house. However, it looks like the driveway maintenance will need to happen sooner than later.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Really smart move on the dual water lines Obed...you are one clever builder...hang in there..

I agree. The little things you are doing now will make life much easier down the road if ever needed.

Chris

 

[Obed]

This morning the correct meter panel got installed at the pedestal. The state electrical inspector passed the electrical and so did the county inspector.

This evening I backfilled the electrical trench at the pedestal. Tomorrow the county electric utility is supposed to install the power meter at the panel.

The well guy says he needs our electrician to install a breaker and run a #8 wire in the basement to where the water pressure tank will reside before the well guy comes to install the waterline from the well to the house and the pressure tank in the basement. The electrician says the well guy should run the wire from the panel to the pressure tank.

My wife is getting stressed dealing with the electrician. He's not good at returning calls. Next week the porch concrete work is supposed to start. Before the front porch concrete can be poured, I need to fill in the waterline trench. Before I can fill in the trench, the waterline and water pressure tank need to be installed by the well guy. Before the well guy can do his work, the electrician needs to run a wire for the well. The electrician doesn't want to work on the well electrical until the H&A guy is on site so the electrician can also provide a breaker for the H&A unit at the same time.

 

[Obed]

The trim carpenter installed some 2x4's around the garage doors in preparation for when we hang the doors. Check what he did to the 2x4's around the doors!

He sanded them with palm sander and used a router to put a design on the outside corner of the 2x4's. The trim guy has made a good first impression!

 

[tony Cecil]

Aren`t ou using the well right now, for the trailer? I appreciate your frustration....Tony

 

[mikefromnh]

The trim carpenter installed some 2x4's around the garage doors in preparation for when we hang the doors. Check what he did to the 2x4's around the doors!

He sanded them with palm sander and used a router to put a design on the outside corner of the 2x4's. The trim guy has made a good first impression!

I have not seen this detail before, Looks good. I take it the door track will be mounted directly to the 2x4? Would apprecate more pics when door is done -- might just use this on the my next house!

 

[brin]

Obed, That detail on the 2x looks great...Our trim carpenter did the same thing on our 2X6 pressure treated rails for our decks and porches...it really makes a difference as opposed to just a plain board...You might want to have him do the same to your deck and porch rails on the edges of the boards..

 

[eepete]

My plumber said he just gets the septic drain pipe to the edge of the house. My septic guys said he just puts in the tank, plumber does all the 4" PVC from the house. I ended up doing the 4" pipe from the house to the septic, called for the inspection, etc. Told everyone I know the story, no one I know has hired either of them for any work since.

Seems like whenever the trades intersect there is a boundary dispute. Part of the homeowner is a general contractor role is to break the log jam and keep it all going. Run a rope or tape measure to get the amount of #8 you need, run it, buy a breaker that's the same brand as what's in your box, and keep things on schedule. Ask your well guy if he wants an 8-2 or 8-3 wire. If you think you might have water conditioning there, I'd also run a 14-2 w ground for a 120V outlet for that stuff too. You could also just run to the closest existing outlet since you're tight on breaker space. Be sure to check the bill from the electrician- he might just count the breakers and bill from there forgetting that he lost an opportunity to make a buck and keep you happy.

Building a house is like standing in the corner and biting a hole in your lower lip while tradespeople come over and kick you in the face. But then your face heals and you get to live in a cool house that's done right.

Pete

 

[jayste]

My plumber said he just gets the septic drain pipe to the edge of the house. My septic guys said he just puts in the tank, plumber does all the 4" PVC from the house. I ended up doing the 4" pipe from the house to the septic, called for the inspection, etc. Told everyone I know the story, no one I know has hired either of them for any work since.

Seems like whenever the trades intersect there is a boundary dispute. Part of the homeowner is a general contractor role is to break the log jam and keep it all going. Run a rope or tape measure to get the amount of #8 you need, run it, buy a breaker that's the same brand as what's in your box, and keep things on schedule. Ask your well guy if he wants an 8-2 or 8-3 wire. If you think you might have water conditioning there, I'd also run a 14-2 w ground for a 120V outlet for that stuff too. You could also just run to the closest existing outlet since you're tight on breaker space. Be sure to check the bill from the electrician- he might just count the breakers and bill from there forgetting that he lost an opportunity to make a buck and keep you happy.

Building a house is like standing in the corner and biting a hole in your lower lip while tradespeople come over and kick you in the face. But then your face heals and you get to live in a cool house that's done right.

Pete

Kindly put this could be called a "Trades People Urinating Competition"!

 

[radioman]

I agree with eepete. If no one wants to deal with the work themselves without citing reasons for liability, then do it yourself just for sake of sanity and keep things moving along. I agree the electrician should be doing the work since its electrical and well guy might do something wrong as per your local code since he is not certified in electrical work.

 

[Obed]

Tonight I read EEPete's reply and decided to run the well tank wire myself and put in breakers for the H&A guy myself tomorrow after work so the waterline can be installed Friday. So we called the well guy this evening to let him know the schedule. It turns out his helper is going out of town Friday. The well guy has a bad back and cannot install the piping. So we can't get the waterline work done until Monday which means I can't backfill the trench this weekend. If it weren't for the rocks in our dirt, backfilling the trench would take no time at all with the FEL. However, I want to hand fill the first part of over the pipes to prevent rocks up against the pipe and that takes time.

My wife looked at the electrician's bill for our electrical rough-in. He has already charged us for roughing in the wire to the water pressure tank. Of course now he's claiming that's work that the well guy does, not him. I'm sure he's forgotten that he billed us for that. Obviously the electrician is not in my good graces right now.

On a positive note, we got the meter for the house installed today by the utility company. We now have power to the house. The picture shows 2 utility meters, one on the temp pole that powers the camper and one on the pedestal that powers the house.

We have 44 days to get our occupancy permit or the power to the house will get disconnected. If the power to the house gets disconnected, we will lose power to the well which would mean our camper would have no water.

 

[Obed]

Aren`t ou using the well right now, for the trailer? I appreciate your frustration....Tony

Tony,
Yes and that won't change. We currently have a temporary pressure tank at the well house. When the waterline is run to the house, the permanent pressure tank will be installed in the house and the temp tank at the well will be removed. There will be a wire run in the waterline trench from the pressure tank in the house to the well. A pressure switch in the pressure tank will turn the pump on whenever the pressure in the waterlines gets too low.

Obed

 

[Obed]

Obed, That detail on the 2x looks great...Our trim carpenter did the same thing on our 2X6 pressure treated rails for our decks and porches...it really makes a difference as opposed to just a plain board...You might want to have him do the same to your deck and porch rails on the edges of the boards..

Bob, great suggestion. Thanks.

 

[Obed]

Cabinets
The cabinet maker owes us a proposal for building our cabinets with the changes that he and my wife have worked out. He was supposed to get us the bid this past Friday. Today my wife asked him when he would be finished installing our cabinets. He said he couldn't start working on them until after Thanksgiving.

So my wife went to see our second choice cabinet maker this afternoon. This cabinet maker can have our cabinets installed in 3 weeks. They have 8 guys in a shop building cabinets. We are going to get a new up-to-date bid from them.

 

[dstig1]

Man, it never ends does it? I like Pete's description...
This is one of the main reasons I want to do as much myself as possible. I won't fight (with who? myself...?? ) about who's job it is to do some detail, and I will be satisfied that it is done correctly (or I will fix it until it is right...). My biggest problem will be time... There's always a critical constraint in any project. It's just nice to be able to pick the one you want.

Keep on pluggin' away!

 

[scoutcub]

On a positive note, we got the meter for the house installed today by the utility company. We now have power to the house. The picture shows 2 utility meters, one on the temp pole that powers the camper and one on the pedestal that powers the house.

We have 44 days to get our occupancy permit or the power to the house will get disconnected. If the power to the house gets disconnected, we will lose power to the well which would mean our camper would have no water.

Obed -

You're experiences are sure an eye-opener for myself, and I'm sure many others. At one point I thought I would sell the house we're in, and use the $$$ to build our retirement house, but now I'm definitely re-thinking that strategy.
Great news on the power, but 44 days is the first week in December.....do you think you can get an occupancy permit by then? I think you mentioned being in by Christmas before.....
You're very lucky to have a wife so privy to the construction processes and such a hard-charger.....it's like you have 2 GC's on the job! I'm afraid I won't be quite as lucky as you down the road.......
Anyways, you're doing great, keep plugging away and best of luck with timely progress!

Frank

 

[CurlyDave]

Obed -

You're experiences are sure an eye-opener for myself, and I'm sure many others. At one point I thought I would sell the house we're in, and use the $$$ to build our retirement house, but now I'm definitely re-thinking that strategy.
Great news on the power, but 44 days is the first week in December.....do you think you can get an occupancy permit by then? I think you mentioned being in by Christmas before.....
You're very lucky to have a wife so privy to the construction processes and such a hard-charger.....it's like you have 2 GC's on the job! I'm afraid I won't be quite as lucky as you down the road.......
Anyways, you're doing great, keep plugging away and best of luck with timely progress!

Frank

Frank:

A lot of the issues Obed is seeing are regulatory, such as the 44 days, being able to live in the camper while building, etc.

This depends on where you are building. When my wife & I built our retirement home, we lived in a motor home on site all during construction, and no one ever gave us any grief over that. I spent a few months hauling water in in a 65 gallon tank, and hauling sewage out in another 65 gallon tank, until I got my water and septic for the house in. Once the well was drilled, we powered it with a generator and got our water that way. Between the pressure tank in the well house and the holding tank in the motorhome, I only had to run the generator once or twice a week for 20-30 minutes.

Once the septic was in we could use more water and life got pretty easy.

Our county didn't give us any grief at all about living in the motor home while building. They realized that after the house was done, we would park the motor home on the property and live in the house, but from the standpoint of neighbors, it didn't make any difference which one we lived in.

Our state/county worked differently than Obed's. Once we had the power to the house installed and the house dried in, we got a permit to turn it on for the workers to run their tools, instead of using a generator.

The whole idea of arbitrary time deadlines never came up...

 

[dstig1]

Around here they tend to let you power up one or two 20A GFI circuits once the panel/meter installation is inspected. Often the electrician will wire in a bathroom outlet or two for this at the same time they call for the panel/meter inspection so it is all ready to go. Then there is still a rough-in inspection and a final. They don't have to do the panel/meter inspection but will if you ask so you can get power on site.

One of those things that varies by region a lot...

 

[mkane09]

Obed, I think somewhere in the last 214 pages you mentioned where in Anderson Co you are, but I don't remember that. You certainly are outside any city limits, right? I know the people in Oak Ridge can really be puckerbutts, but are they influencing your inspections/permits? I'm thinking about building a house southwest of Clinton about 3 miles, but, man, your experience makes me want to just pitch a tent instead.

mkane09

 

[tommu56]

Obed, I think somewhere in the last 214 pages you mentioned where in Anderson Co you are, but I don't remember that. You certainly are outside any city limits, right? I know the people in Oak Ridge can really be puckerbutts, but are they influencing your inspections/permits? I'm thinking about building a house southwest of Clinton about 3 miles, but, man, your experience makes me want to just pitch a tent instead.

mkane09

Didn't he get in trouble with his camper too?
Tents might be against the law too.
tom