20 X 36 1 1/2 story in north Georgia

C.White · June 17, 2007, 01:47:38 PM

Hi there,

I just got my plans from John on Saturday. I'll be changing them to suit us like most others, but want to get feedback from others' experiences in using the plans.

I'm going to add 8 feet to the length, and elevate the slab for the foundation. Also, I'm planning of a wraparound porch on two sides and a full floor upstairs instead of the loft to use the windows easily at each end and give room for storage, and then I'll also add a ground floor bedroom off to one side for the master bedroom. It will have 2 bathrooms (one upstairs) and a glass room off on the kitchen side as an enclosed porch for our bird's room (Quida is a blue and gold macaw). She kind of hard to live with unless you accommodate her with her own room.

Anyway, I've been more lurk than participate, and now I hope that will change. I've been very inspired by the success stories.
I'm attaching a picture of my plans. The house will go behind my sculpture gardens that are behind my gallery. The septic tank is already in place, and we have a drilled well on the property already so the permits, and foundation are next....
I'm having it dried in by a building contractor and will do the interior with my husband on weekends.
We are living in an old 23 foot airstream and a yurt while we work on the house....

Probably too much information, but I'm excited that this week is here...my plans are here! my plans are here!

Christina

glenn-k · June 17, 2007, 02:03:36 PM

Great to see things getting started for you Christina. We're excited for you too.

If you can top me for too much information, then we will start worrying about you.

C.White · June 17, 2007, 08:11:19 PM

No, I am not complaining about the airstream, but it is 35 years old, has been kind of wrecked, and the last owner put bondo over who-knows-what and painted the poor thing with grey primer. It will take us a month to remove the paint and bondo someday before we can even know what we have to fix. Then we will resurface the alluminum to a good shine.

Meanwhile, we're living in it. Airstreams are fine travel trailers. I look forward to using it as a camper again.

Christina

glenn-k · June 17, 2007, 08:33:07 PM

Think nothing of it Christina. I lived in a horse trailer when we started the underground complex and you know how much class I have.

glenn-k · June 17, 2007, 11:14:52 PM

You got it Chris. We don't even have a horse. Sassy bought it just for me.

:-/

Jimmy_Cason · June 18, 2007, 09:45:38 AM

Is there a story behind the odd shaped dent on the front?

This is what I see.....

youngins · June 18, 2007, 10:03:24 AM

Where's the shaggy beard?

I was expecting something like...

paul_s · June 18, 2007, 05:26:16 PM

go to 36 or 40 feet in length divide by 4 ie easier to build will cost about the same 35 vs 40

C.White · August 08, 2007, 08:19:46 AM

Things have been moving along slowly since I received my house plans. I have had to get lots of things done to prep for the construction.
The septic system has a "go" tag on it now. It passed inspection.
The entire driveway has to be graveled and crowned with heavy equipment ...$1800.00 to be done in about 2 weeks.
The contractors has all been here to inspect the job site in order to give a quote on the elevated slab foundation. He assures me it will be no problem.
We've also gotten the measurements all worked out so that the house will "fit" where I want it. the septice system already being in place and the property line were givens so that the measurements of the house had to fit in there just right, and it does.

The design has changed a bit to have 4 foot knee walls upstairs and will include a 10 foot shed roof on one side to enlarge the upstairs room a bit. I have also shortened the house to 36 feet to save on materials as was suggested on this forum...thanks for that.

The one drawing from the plans that I scanned (badly) is what I'm posting a picture of. It will have decorative windows in the front, tin roof, concrete 10 foot porches on 2 sides, wooden siding that will be lap siding on some parts, board and baton on the extension bedroom (14 X 16 off to the right) and shingles on the shed roof upstairs and the front. I'm a wood carver so there will be lots of hand-carved trim throughout.

Suggestions and comments are always welcome. Headaches can be avoided.
Thanks,
Christina

John_C · August 08, 2007, 08:39:53 AM

Looks good Christina. I've wondered how you were doing.

The bear in my yard eats blackberries and turns over trash cans, yours draws house plans.... life's not fair.

C.White · August 08, 2007, 08:58:12 AM

Hi John,
Very funny. My builder's name is Bear...he may eat all the blackberries and turn over trashcans too.

I have had the septic tank for the gallery pumped out this week and there are roots in it that he's coming back to fix today...yucky job!

I suspect that in the next few weeks, I'll have the to-do list down to "BUILD THE HOUSE NOW".
I will get the cost estimate from Bear sometime this week. scary.

Hope you're doing well. Be careful on that bike.
Christina

C.White · August 08, 2007, 12:15:40 PM

Hi John,
Thanks for the input. the slope on the porch roof is probably not drawn in proportion due to the roof height. I'm going to have 10 foot wall in the downstairs for very high ceilings. The posts on the porch will have to be very high as well. The pitch on the porch roof is planning to be a 6/12 while the roof on the 20 X 36 part of the house as well as the 14 X 16' bedroom on the side is your design with 12 / 12 pitch on the gable end. It does look odd in the drawing. I want a well shaded porch with no loss of sight view out of the windows from the inside.

The roof line will extend to 18" for extra protection for the rain as well.

The little quarter round windows are one of my favorite parts to the front design. I do not have the window dimensions yet, so those are fictional sizes so far.

The elevated foundation will raise the entire house/porch 18" off of the ground as well. The poured wall foundation will be back filled with dirt and then a slab will be poured to be the floor in the house and the porches.

I am not using passive solar placement of windows in the house, because I did that once, years ago with a house I designed and had to wear a hat and sunglasses in the house all winter or have a headache from the glare. I want to peak out from shade.
Christina

MountainDon · August 08, 2007, 12:35:23 PM

Quotehaven't pulled it in several years.

FYI. When tires reach five to seven years of age (from date of manufacture) they should be replaced even if they still have the new tire little nubs on the tread surface. I believe Ford and Chrysler now recommend replacement at six years. That is, replace them when/if you go to use it again; no sense buying new ones and then letting them sit there again. Replacement is especially recommended for tires that sit parked like your trailer (& my RV). It's also more important the higher the mean temperature. (I understand that like NM where you are in CA the temperatures can be pretty mean too). Protecting the tires with sun covers can help a little with sidewall checking but they do not really prolong life enough. It's really time and non-use that is the big tire killer. Well, that and insufficient air.

The Tire Identification Number (TIN) contains a string of 10 or 11 alpha-numeric characters, of which the last three or four provide the week and year of manufacture. The TIN is molded on one side of the tire sidewall. For example, a 10 character TIN with "029" in the last three positions means the tire was made in the second week of 1999 (or 1989). After 2000 an additional digit was added. So, for example, a TIN with 11 characters ending in "0202" indicates the tire was made in the second week of 2002.

So if you have a ten digit number that should mean an automatic replacement is in order.

jraabe · August 09, 2007, 03:01:02 PM

Christina:

Sounds good.

Passive solar and how much glass is very climate specific. Your tall porch idea will go a long way towards opening up the view while blocking the high summer light.

SunKit strategy.

glenn-k · August 09, 2007, 07:31:17 PM

Hey Don, thanks for the numbers and lots of good information I didn't know.

Mountain Don. My numbers man.

MountainDon · August 10, 2007, 04:56:26 PM

Numbers are vewy useful.

glenn-k · October 14, 2007, 11:16:25 PM

No problem, Christina. You still qualify if you have any interest in this forum, and we don't even limit it to John's plans. If you can learn, teach , ask questions or share experiences this is for you.

Especially since you are building from John's plans though it will be of interest to others.

Elevation changes can really be deceptive until you throw a level on it to see where it sits.

John_C · October 15, 2007, 08:39:05 AM

Congratulations. I bet if feels good to see actual construction going on. It looks like they poured the concrete directly in the excavated trench??

C.White · October 15, 2007, 10:14:28 AM

That's exactly what they did. There is rebar in there spaced up from the ground and pretty exact measurements made all over the place, but they did pour without any walls put in to hold it. The foundation inspector checked it off before they did the pour. That's what counts.
Today, they are putting up the block walls on top of the footings where they are necessary.
Christina

jraabe · October 15, 2007, 02:25:16 PM

Welcome aboard. It is totally appropriate to have stories from involved owner-builders working with local contractors and craftspeople.

That's the only way I would have gotten my house done!

20 X 36 1 1/2 story in north Georgia

C.White

glenn-k

youngins

C.White

glenn-k

youngins

glenn-k

Jimmy_Cason

youngins

glenn-k

paul_s

C.White

John_C

C.White

jraabe

C.White

MountainDon

jraabe

glenn-k

MountainDon

C.White

glenn-k

John_C

C.White

jraabe