House II

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Siding

Rob,

Who is the siding company you are using (mfg that is). We are picking ours this weekend and our builder uses Certainteed Monogram series. Good color choices, but the wife doesn't really like the earth tones ( I do).

Oh well we are moving along, there is still time to catch up. Heck I didn't think we would ever get started.

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Siding

The siding is Norandex Sagebrush series. We had to go with a higher line to get the color we wanted but after seeing it on the house we're very happy with the decision.

The builder has a man-lift lined up for next week so the siders have to get stuff done to that point today and tomorrow. We're looking at using a urathane product around the oval and arch top windows that could potentially delay things, depending on availability. Hope to hear about all that today.

I'll be off soon to the lumber yard to look at porch flooring, ceiling panels and posts/balluster systems.

Way too much fun! Gotta get some work done in between all this /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MossRoad]

Re: House II, Siding

Its gonna look great when its all done. I see your little helper there hiding behind the bushes /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Siding

<font color=blue>Its gonna look great when its all done. I see your little helper there hiding behind the bushes </font color=blue>

Yup, that's the littler of the two. He took some pictures with the digital last night too. Gotta do what dad does /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Side Doors

A bit more siding went up today after the side doors were installed. This shot also shows the porch deck framing that I did. Went to the lumberyard today to pick out porch flooring and ceiling materials. Beautiful weather to be working outside /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Well they did get all of the second floor interior walls done today. So if they do work tomorrow they most likely would move to the garage framing so they can begin the roof trusses next week. This is an unkown but what I figure is next.

The house is moving fast at this stage, just wondering how it will go from here.

RobS, I like the color for your siding. Unfortunately that color option is not available to us.

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

RobS,

Went out to the house today. I know you faced the same issue I am about to answer. Site cleanup. Who is responseable, and who isn't? Well I used their broom today to sweep up the basement and first floors to create some piles of sawdust and nails so it would look a little cleaner (wife visiting the site tomorrow).

We have talked about putting out a garbage can for them to use for refuse of soda bottles etc. The wood pieces don't bother me as much, they have created a burn pile to get rid of it all.

Things are looking real good and I will post the latest pics. But I guess I need to review site cleanup with the builder and put out a trash can that we maintain. If I pick up the refuse and put it in the can (tied down inside) then maybe they will use it or get the picture. After all it is a job site, but it is our future home.

Pics coming up next.

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Here is the front of the house framed. What is missing still is the front porch framing. What is missing from the top center is the oval window cut out. that is framed but not cut out behind the tyvek cover.

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Here is the left side as you face the house. the (3) windows on the right are in the family room. The center one is over our fireplace and is a nice palladium window.

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Here is the back side, the still have the garage to frame yet. I figure that is next just before they start the roof trusses.

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Side Doors

MDNY, looking very nice. Gotta love all those angled walls, eh? Very victorian. Is that yours or your wifes passion (or both).

I'm still a bit irked about the trash on-site. We've had a dumpster there for the past month or so, but still lots of lunch/snack trash about. It just shows carelessness to me, but then again, do I want to pay these guys for their skill or to pick up trash? It's quite the quandry.

We spent a well-deserved weekend away. Drug our camper down to Indiana Beach amusement park. I've spent most of my 43 years in the state and never been there. It was a nice getaway and perfect for the kids.

I was back at it this afternoon though. Had to reroute the porch lighting wiring before the drywallers covered it all up. Tomorrow we meet with the tile guy again then the builder Tuesday night and a meeting with a trim company Wed. night. Busy, busy, busy /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TAB]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Rob it sounds like things are going well. Trash is not the thing to stress about. If you are getting quality work and good production don't feel like the workers don't care because of the trash. I like a really clean job site, but if I have a great carpenter (or other trade) I want them to be making production and have a kid clean up. I think things must be going pretty well because if your at trim you are at the point where early enthusiasm has worn off and alot of people get wound up or depressed. Save some enthusiasm for just before they tell you the move in date.

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Thanks for the advice Tom. Normally, I function as the "kid" who picks up the trash. It's kind of my way to further bond with the place.

Hey, where in Michigan are you located? We're SW lower, Edwardsburg area /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

RobS,

I guess you could say that the victorian theme was both of ours. I searched the web and found several designs that met our needs in terms of sq. ft. size, rooms, bathrooms etc. Then I narrowed it down to four and I chose mine, and the misses chose hers. Guess what, we both picked the one we are buidling today.

No real squables over the colors or design issues. We are going Natural Clay for the primary and Ivy for the fish scale sections and the edge/front trims. We will also have the three exterior doors painted ivy color as well. We chose Pella Windows & Doors so we opted for the carbonite front door with oval lead victorian glass. It was pricy, but we got the wood grain look and feel without the problems of a solid wood door.

I have posted the front architect drawing to refresh what we are doing there.

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Side Doors

That's kind of what we went through. Found floorplans we liked before we even bought the land. The first parcel of land we looked at was more suited for a tudor style house. When that one fell through we bought our current 10 acres and the tudor just wasn't right. We've both always loved Victorian architecture so we dove in head first. We're hoping the house evenutally becomes a modern day place to contain a collection of period antiques and such. We've got some now, but really not much. Toyed with the idea of renovating a period home, but pretty quickly put that idea to rest.

Your drawing looks great. It's fun to see the real thing start taking shape, isn't it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TAB]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Rob we are not too far. We live about 10 miles north of US12 half way between Bronson and Coldwater. My kids went to Coldwater schools so we used to go to Niles and Three Rivers once and awhile for sports when they were in high school. I like keeping an eye on yours and the others projects.

 

[MDNY]

Re: House II, Side Doors

RobS,

Well they drilled our well today. The rig was still there all set up, couldn't figure out why? Called the builder he sd the drillers hit water went about 25FT down and hit shale about 40FT down. They didn't know if I wanted the well to be factured. I guess we have 4gpm flow and the fracturing is done by capping the well, with about 700psi of pressue and it will fracture the shale. This may or may not improve the water flow. But for $800 I said no thanks. My builder agreed and he suggested against it anyway. I figure I have 250FT of water with and not problems (yet) that we know of so we are ok.

They dug the holes for the porch footings today, and will do that and finish the garage walls tomorrow. So next week will be roof trusses. Our builder figures early to mid October, WOW.

Here is the well rig.

 

[RobS]

Re: House II, Side Doors

MDNY, did you mean 25 ft, or 250 ft? 250 ft is waaay deep for our area. I think ours is 120, water at 40 and pump at 80. I missed the drill rig but around here they can punch in a well in a matter of an hour or two. We have very sandy soil /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Hank]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Greetings all-

Our soon-to-be house (and soon-to-be home for a new CUT), won't break ground until October 1st, but our well is already in place in AZ. If I understand the driller's statement, it starts pumping at 450 ft, and goes down to 600 ft.

 

[BKColeman]

Re: House II, Side Doors

Welcome aboard Hank! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

We moved into our new house in December. When they drilled the well, they went 525 feet and got less that 1gpm. So they moved over 100 feet or so and tried again. This time they went 575 feet and still got less than 1gpm. Plus they hit rock that time and had to use steel casing, which cost double per foot. Finally on the third try, they hit a strong supply at 275 feet and we've got about 10gpm.

The funny thing is our next door neighbor only had to go down 50 feet to get 10gpm. Another neighbor (it's a new neighborhood and the same guy did most of the wells) went down to 300 feet but he's getting over 30gpm from his well. I guess water is funny that way.

So now I've got three wells to mow around although only one is in use. But I've got 1100 feet of water (both are full) as a reserve. I'll probably put in a pump next year on one or both to water the garden/lawn/horses/etc. with. I'd like to do it now but my wallet is still hurting from paying for the three wells in the first place /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif