Mike and Michele's Bigger House Project - GK

[peg_688]

I'm the Countryplans version of Howard Stern. :-/

Just what we need  

You pay that guy ?? How the heck does he walk with his pants down around his knees ?? I'll never understand it  so never mind . You couldn't explain it face to face  down in Tahoe so I guess it just is what it is eh  

[glenn-k]

I don't know what to say, PEG.

It only happens when he has both hands busy and doesn't have one free to yank them back up.

Suspenders bother him.  He's a true redneck and can't stand the thought of auxiliary devices holding his pants up for him. :-/

Another thing -- we have a couple of bad Mexican restaurants here.  A bad burrito is all it takes and sometimes there just isn't time to get all that hardware unbuckled.  You do not want to hear the story about the time I ran clear across the shoppng center parking lot only to have a guy on a backhoe pull up in front of me and beat me into the john.  He probably ate where we did.  Nope-- no time for suspenders. :-/ :'(

[glenn-k]

Mike called tonight.  His guys have been stripping forms and he says things are looking great.  He and his wife go up there at night and stare at it with flashlights. :-?

They can hardly wait for the next installment.

[glenn-k]

Since I haven't made any major boo-boos I told him he could register and comment if he wanted.

[glenn-k]

Mike just called me and informed me I had failed to update the photos on Countryplans so here they are.  Walls are 8'8 1/2" tall.




The space between the 2 walls at the right  is 6'

Here's the section where the temp stairs are.

[Mikey B]

Alright you guys! I'm gonna jump right in. Well maybe not jump RIGHT in, it's taken me a long time. I kept waiting for somebody to say "Hey Glenn, those walls look pretty good, considering you used stripped down tomato crates for the forms." Yeah, well they not only look great, they ARE great. And Glenn did an awesome job! And it appears that he shut the mouths of the lions.

Okay, I realize you guys aren't really lions. I've read a lot of other stuff on this forum. You all seem to be really good people with really good ideas, and smart. You might not agree with each other all the time. But I think if you could come from the place where each of you has come, that we would have a lot more in common than you might think. Falling down bridges, rotten government, power-hungry politicians, and brothers in arms. I can relate to each of you and your sentiments.

In the meantime, give it up guys. Did Glenn do a good job? I think so. I know so. And I will fill you in on more details of the house. The little house that takes up a lot of room, just like the basement. Takes up a lot of room, but not that much more money.

Glenn, we have got to do something about that big crack. It scares me to death. It's become the focal point of our house. Michele won't shut up about it! She just keeps checking it out every night. If it gets any bigger they're gonna have to proclaim a new earthquake fault. Not sure the Richter Scale is ready for that!

[glenn kangiser]

Welcome to the forum Mike.  

You are going to be our example of how a house that should cost tons of money is a only going to cost a half a ton of money.  How about explaining to our members a few of the things you have done to cut costs on a project like this.

I assume finding a contractor who will work with used materials is part of the key.

Working in a rock pit has been quite a challenge also.

Now -- about that crack --- John posted a picture of it when it was fairly small.

It seems to be growing - around 6'4" last time I heard.  Possibly a professional should be called in to try to stop it.  Sorry Michele.  Looks like it's getting larger.  (Michele -- was that apostrophe supposed to be there?  Such as in a shortened it is?  I know that bugs you.)  ...also was that period supposed to be inside the quote or outside the quote... :-? that probably bugs you too.... :-/

[glenn kangiser]

Note that the walls came out way better than I expected that they would and we are getting ready to start round 2 soon.  We will be getting another third or so going on this leg of the project.

[PEG688]

I'm pretty sure Mike or Michelle would be willing  to spring for a pair of suspenders  , they do come in a size that would work for poor Fred  :'(. I can send them down if they are not available in Ca. , we have a lot of tall out of work loggers up here so there's a ready supply at my work cloths supplier.


 I never can figger out how a guy that has two hands can spend so much time using one to hold his draws up    

Besides Ca. can't afford / put up with ANOTHER fault line , crack a tow wa east of FRED Or would it be south  :-/  :-/  

[glenn kangiser]

I'll ask Fred, PEG, but he is a very proud individual and it seems charity is below his standards. :-?

I'd hate to embarrass him by asking him to take a free or hand me down pair of suspenders.

[mnmbarth]

Well Glenn, I guess the best place to start about cost-cutting measures is at the beginning. Big dreams, a little bit of money, and no direction. Big problem, no direction. A lot of ideas but no direction.

One of the biggest impossible dreams was to have a large brick and rock built home where friends and family, and their friends and families could come and feel free to enjoy something different, relaxing, and regenerating.

We found a 17-acre parcel with an old goldmine on it that had been on the marked for 7 years for $79,000, the Dunsmore Mine. Our dream. We walked the property a few times and had an agreement with the owner to buy it, a verbal contract and a handshake. More like a hand-snake... slithered right out of that one, YESSSSSSS he did. A whole nother story, that one! (5 years later the guy did the same thing to his own son when he had wanted to buy the property. Nice guy!)

So we kept looking at different properties that made for similar dreams. But then a shot to the head (but not the heart). Financial distress, so no more looking for property.

Hey, have you ever read _Little House on the Prairie_? I'm not talking about the boob tube version, but the actual books. 95% of the people today in America could not have gone through what they did. I kinda feel it's what the guys on this forum are all about. These books are not for the faint of heart. But from what you all have written I can picture you guys on this forum as characters in these books. 1800s life on the prairie. Please just check it out.

Back to the bricks. So here we are with no money, just dreams. Then a telephone call. "Hey Mike, I heard you were looking for some bricks." Well, it turns out that a customer of mine who happens to be a brick mason was cleaning out his yard to build a new storage shed. 12 years of remnants, leftovers from jobs, some of the bricks of a type that aren't even made anymore. Every kind of brick you could imagine. Used, new, dirty, clean, broken, cut, and whole. And every color and shape.

Well, guess what? One of the first parts of the dream was to gather just that kind of assortment. I had build an addition to a house I'd owned 15 years before with the focal point on a patio with just such a combination. It was blended with large slabs of rough slate that we'd gleaned from the hills nearby. The old bricks of every size, shape and color, and the combo of rock created something monolithically unique. (Sorry, no pics. Rough divorce, and go figure, she ended up with the house.)

Back to the free bricks. We (Mike and Michele with one L) stacked and loaded, restacked and loaded, fought wasps, weeds and fire ants for months. After work and on weekends. Fortunately we had a place to store them at our shop yard area. But we didn't stop there. Any free or cheap bricks to be had, we made ourselves available for hauling and clean-up. Old foundations, retaining walls, junk piles, demolished flower beds, etc. One of our clean-ups was about 1500 used bricks from who-knows-where. It was supposed to be only a couple hundred bricks, but ivy and redwood droppings hid most of the treasure and we unearthed far more than we'd expected.

Big tip on used brick. Old mortar cleans easily. Avoid new mortar that's stronger than the brick and has a tendency to break the bricks on attempted cleanup. Unless you love it. If you love it, go for it. We did. Thankfully there were only about 500 salvageable new-mortar bricks. It only took a couple over 2 months every evening to chip off the old mortar and stack really nice pallets of used brick. Gosh, it sounds so easy. And it is, if you love it. (Especially if your if your wife helps by stacking the bricks as you go and reading to you by lantern-light as you work. What a little martyr.)

Anyway, just look at Glenn and Kathy's place. Country Plan pics don't do it justice. Their place is incredible. You'd think it was a third-generation home started and restored several times over by pioneers with a vision of the year 2400. If you haven't seen it in person, you need to. Well, I kinda got off track, but give praise where praise is due.

Well Glenn and our 40 thousand-plus bricks are just the beginning of what we believe our dreams, and especially our God, are heading us towards. This is only just the "first brick" of the building. I've yet to mention how we eventually got the property, the balloon note that seemed somehow to pay itself, the new and highly valued friends and neighbors, the clean-up, the bulldozers, the quad, the fence-building boys, the natural on-site rock and clay, the animals, the well, the surveying, the grading, the plans, the trailers, the road base, the marble and granite, the form lumber, inspections, the snap ties, the God-given music, and so much more. Stay tuned for more details.

So just take it one brick at a time and love the project and keep at it. And somehow things will materialize, cracks included.

There you are. Stay tuned, and by the way, PEG, hand-me-down suspenders would not do for Fred. It's new or nothing. I would REALLY prefer new as I really don't want to see that whole crack.

[peg_688]

There you are. Stay tuned, and by the way, PEG, hand-me-down suspenders would not do for Fred. It's new or nothing. I would REALLY prefer new as I really don't want to see that whole crack.

 

Might be nice , ah , gift for Freddie. Here's a link ,

http://www.gemplers.com/workwear/belts/G20107.html

They work with those Carthart pants he , ah, sort of wears      

[glenn-k]

Thanks for the great story of dreams, determination and hard work, Mike.  We hope to have you continue the essay as things progress.  I can hardly wait for the next installment.  Keep Michele with one L busy on that keyboard.  (She can sign up too).

I'd have posted earlier but was out playing on a Bush Hog and got side tracked.  (Mike traded it to me for some work on his project).

To our forum members, -- Mike is part of our personal network -- kind of a redneck network where the grapevine is our means of
communication.  Al C. is another part of it.  One of us wants to do something -- we put the word out --one of us sees something the other needs  we let them know..  Most of the time we don't get in a hurry and things just kind of fall into place.

The only thing we haven't managed to do so far is get that crack covered. :-/  Maybe this will help.  

http://www.abacusplans.com/plans/ABA-PBC1.asp


Speaking of the crack -- I was on my way home with the Bush Hog today after hauling rocks to the valley on a job.  A tie down strap broke and I stopped to repair it.  Fred and Pat -- also part of our extended network -- saw me and immediately pulled over to see if all was well.  They wouldn't drive by without checking.  That's the way it is up here.  We look out for each other.  

Networking can help all who put into it or take out of it.

[peg_688]

 I didn't see "Pasty white boy " color noted on the can , is it available  

[glenn-k]

I believe it is.  I think it comes with or without hair, your choice.

Then there is the Swiss Cheese version -  :-?

[Mikey B]

Well guys, I thought I might add to the cost-cutting measures.

We started gathering the bricks, as I explained in my previous posting. In the process of that Michele and I decided that if we were going to be blessed with all these bricks, maybe we ought to start looking for property again for a place to use them.

We started looking around the Columbia/Sonora area since that was our original inspiration, but soon our search extended to include most of the nearby Mother Lode. We looked and looked. We probably checked out at least 30 different parcels, mostly walking them on foot, ranging from 3 acres to 80 acres. This was in 1998 and 1999. More of a buyer's market back then, and before prices took the major jumps. Anyway, nothing seemed to come together. It was either too steep, too inaccessible, too far away, not enough building potential, too expensive, or just plain butt-ugly.  

After looking mostly in Tuolumne County and hearing horror stories about the County departments, all the red tape and hidden costs and stupid rules, we did one smart thing. We DIDN'T get impatient. I suggest that if someone's going to do something like this (meaning all the things concerning a property and the building of a house), it works much better to be patient .You know that old saying "haste makes waste"? Well, we kept putting out feelers and I talked to people who came into my shop. One day I mentioned something to a guy who lives in Coulterville and he told me about 45 acres near him that the owners were probably going to lose to the State (long story). Plus it turned out the two sons were convicted thieves and druggies. I know the guy who told me about the property fairly well and what he said seemed very interesting. So we made arrangements to look at it, but after what we'd been through, we were determined to keep our expectations in check.

We arrive to see the property: We are driving through this beautiful wooded area. We proceed through a large locked gate and continue on up the hill on a gravel road in better condition than most of the county-maintained gravel roads. We start at approximately 2200 feet and ascend to 2600. Oh my, what a beautiful place! As we draw closer to the top I see flashes of civilization through the trees. Then I slowly realize this is NOT civilization. This is someone's mega dump site and family homestead, as music from "Deliverance" starts playing madly in my mind. Oh my God, why would anyone trash such a beautiful place?

Honestly folks, it was beyond imagination. The top one acre was a total dump. Literally. Picture this. 27 vehicles, boats, trailers, motorcycles. Multiple old freezers and refrigerators full of rotting food. The kind of trash you and I take out every day just strewn on the ground. Broken glass. Broken toys. Broken appliances. Hundreds of tires. Thousands of cans and bottles. Sewage from a rundown trailer home just draining out onto the ground. And soooooo much more STUFF. Which we will call (S)cary (H)uge (I)mmovable (T)rash. This is an FFW, that is, (F)amily (F)orum (W)ord.

Now I know you're all probably thinking that we could use the letters of Family Forum Word (FFW) as in (F)rustrated (F)emale (W)oes (which unfortunately is already more commonly known as PMS) or other (F)un (F)our-letter (W)ords or fun phrases such as such as (F)ind my (F)riggin' (W)eapon. NOW.

Anyway, I thought, who in their right mind would consider buying such a place? Answer: Almost nobody. Everyone who looked at it saw the dump and moved on. We almost did, as well. I imagine that because of that one acre of trash, everyone missed the 45 acres of pristine beauty. But Michele and I didn't. As with the leftover bricks that looked like their own brick junk yard, Michele and I looked beyond one man's trash and found a treasure. And we determined that no matter how high the trash was stacked it could be moved if were willing to stick with it and be patient, and with the help of a few good friends, that is what we did.  

Whether we were in our right minds or not is still up for debate, but we did buy it, and for far less than it was probably worth. A property behind a locked gate, an awesome gravel road, and three wonderful neighbors. Completely fenced, already had power and a well at the top. There was a spring toward the center that has water even in the worst of droughts so far. If you want to know what we paid I will gladly share that info. But remember this IS California, the Golden State. Still it was almost three times the size of our "lost" property, way less money per acre, and just a little over half the distance from home base. In other words, a dream come true!

Upcoming hurdles: The Cleanup. The Balloon Note. The Fire. Stay tuned.  

[glenn kangiser]

You have it so nice now I nearly forgot about the dump, I still remember Al's stories about it though.

Time to get on another wall soon, eh?

[Mikey B]

I'm waiting for you to get off your Bush Hog and stop playing with that thing .Gee, that sounds kinda funny. People might take that the wrong way.

[glenn kangiser]

Once you've had a Bush Hog you'll never go back to....  nevermind. :-?

[benevolance]

it is good thing our woves do not read these threads glenn.... hehe oh wait yours does!.. too bad for you!

[Mikey B]

You won't go back to your Mule, right?

[glenn kangiser]

You got it, Mike.  I'm trying to take it easy on the farm animals.

The first night I had it here I went by the neighbors -- He goes -"You lucky stiff.  I've always wanted one of these."  He has a 2 WD quad which he rides anytime he has to walk over 50 feet.

Peter - Sassy actually is the one who suggested I get something like this about the time this one got smashed by the 18 wheeler at Mike's place of business.  We have 30 to 40% slopes - slippery grass, rocks etc. all the way around us.  She has a bad knee and hip and this will allow her to get down to our spring about 3/4 mile by trail down hill to enjoy it a bit--- and other places on the property -- the quartz mining area - etc.  All are a rough walk.

...or wait -- did you think I meant that in another way---- that mind of yours Peter.  You know I always speak only of things as pure and white as the driven snow.   Hmmmm -- wonder if the word  - "yours" was supposed to have an apostrophe? Michele with one "L" would know.  It seems to be beyond me though.

[mnmbarth]

The question was asked (off the record), "How much did you get the property for, junkyard dump and all?" So Glenn, can you tell me: Was $95,000 a fair price? What do you think we saved, and any idea what the property might be worth now? I realize it's a lot more than when the dump was there. Which leads to the next question: How to cut costs when you remove a junkyard and dumpsite where a thousand people have left their trash and treasures. Obviously, from my perspective I'm now looking backward at this hurtle. And "hindsight is better than foresight." So here goes with some hindsight.

It's simple: All you have to do to clean up a dump is get a thousand other people to clean it up for free. And have someone else get the thousand cleanup people for you. Sounds easy and kinda was for the majority of the mess. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a thousand people. Okay, so I exaggerated a wee bit. AND it was the trash and collectibles from probably ten people for ten years who never took anything off the property except their empty pickup trucks, which no doubt always came back full of more "treasures." That's how it was.

And this is how it ended, the cleanup, that is. Glenn and I have a close mutual friend by the name of Al, who is a very gifted guy. He can take a bunch of sows' ears and turn them into not a silk purse, but the far more rare and highly valued sow's ear purse. And trade that purse for a running pickup truck and $300. So Michele and I, not knowing (and not wanting to know) everything that was piled on the property (because we were sure a lot of it was stolen) said to Al, "Al, don't know what all's there. Just make it go away." Magically, 15 or 20 different folks appeared with trucks and trailers, each loading treasures, and unbelievably, TRASH...load after load, after mother-load.

Then a large portion of vehicles suddenly disappeared, each filled with its own cache of valuables. Also, three 40-foot reefer trailers, a travel trailer, and then, last (but not least) the 60-foot and highly sought after Rat Resort Especial. In what seemed to be a short time, the bulk (approximately 80%) of the dump was gone, and we were able to see more clearly how to deal with the final portion of cleanup. With a relatively small amount left, and seeing how quickly things could change and be removed, we set ourselves to (continue to) work. The finishing touches required only three 24-yard trash bins of leftover "treasures," five dump truck loads of scrap iron (which paid for themselves), two dump truck loads of tires ranging from regular car tires to large tractor tires, some with rims, and a couple filled with concrete (we think about 110 total, but maybe more). The cost of offing all these tires was only about $180 because we found a place not far from us called Golden ByProducts. They take and actually grind up the tires to make mats for horse trailers, shop floors, etc.

And finally we were down to the last five dump truck loads of miscellaneous scattered garbage and buried, yes, BURIED trash that we (Mike, Michele, and daughter Elizabeth) dug up and had hauled off.

In the last two years we have only collected about another peach bin full that's currently waiting to be hauled off. (The redeeming thing about that is that most of it's our own trash.) And in the end I think at most we had about $5000 out-of-pocket expense (and our labor, which is CHEAP).

And Michele with one L just said, "What??? THAT much???" Well, that's hindsight for ya.

[glenn-k]

Good story Mike -- and a true one at that.  

I just saw a piece of property with a driveway on it here - 20 acres go for $300,000.  A bit less remote than your place but a similar distance to a big city.  

People are leaving the cities like rats jumping off of a sinking ship, so property prices are going up here rather than down still yet, I just heard today.  When they leave the cities and come here most of them are moneyed up pretty good, so that they can get quite a lot with what they have.  If they would only lose that city attitude a bit faster things could be much better.

...then again many of them who come here left the city because they didn't fit in there so they are OK.

Time for them to drop their city ways and start their CountryPlans.

[glenn-k]

Speaking of Al-- he and the network we have created is a bit of a miracle in itself.  We just drop a word or two (dang -- missed the w -Michele's gonna freak- got it covered now) about our needs - wants - desires - plans etc - and things just eventually work out.  It's a bit of a comradery where each of us looks out for the well being of the other.  

We may not have even talked about it but when one sees something the other may be interested in the phone will ring -- talk will start and things will happen.  Not usually immediately -- hurry cost a lot more money -- we're on mountain time up here.  Just hang in there and eventually we'll git 'er done.  That's how we do it.