20X30 Cottage in North Carolina

Started by Osprey, March 11, 2009, 07:02:57 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Osprey

2-08

Looked at 3.75 acres just outside of Robbinsville NC overlooking Lake Santeetlah.

Tail of the Dragon area 10 miles from Deals Gap.

First look.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Drop Box</td></tr></table>


Osprey

Bought the land and closed in May.

Cleared the cabin site, built an access road, installed a septic tank and drain field and placed a 27' camper to stay in on my trips to the mountains to build.  I got the building permit and installed the power pole.

It sounds so easy.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Drop Box</td></tr></table>


Osprey

#2
I'll figure out attaching these pix from Picassa yet  ???

11-08

Dug out for the basement and ran into the first big problem.

A 30 ton rock.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From 2008-11-08 cabin site 11-08</td></tr></table>

2-09

Solution?



It took six sticks of dynamite to get it small enough for a backhoe to move it!



Rockblast video-


Osprey

3-08

Digging footers and setting up forms.

Footers will be 24" as we will be using 12" block for the 9 foot stem wall.



Finished the digging and forming the footer. Putting in the rebar now. Next step is to get it inspected and sprayed for termites then time to pour the concrete.

alcowboy

Not meant to hijack your thread but I have ridden the Tail and whew was it a ride! Brother drove his truck while I gripped the door on the passenger side but I survived  :).

Rode it for the full length all the way back to Marysville/Townsend from Deals Gap.


Osprey

Yeah, Tail of the Dragon is a great ride.

311 curves in 11 miles or something like that.

Before I got my Jeep with an automatic transmission I had a permanent sore knee from pushing in the clutch on my manual truck.

MountainDon

Cool Osprey.




A/T's rule off road. On road too for the most part.  :)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

IronRanger

In the 30-ton rock picture, I thought it was a part of a wall you were digging around. 

Dynamite.  Fun.  Two words, but lots of fun.
"They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as authority"- G.Massey

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." - Alan Dean Foster

alcowboy

For those not familiar:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps.html

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps_dragon_road.html

We actually wound up on the Tail by mistake. We had gone to Cades Cove and taken an very off road that led onto the Tail. We then took a left and wound up at Deals Gap on the NC line then turned around and ran the Tail the full length.  It was fun!


Osprey

Quote from: IronRanger on March 11, 2009, 10:05:56 PM
In the 30-ton rock picture, I thought it was a part of a wall you were digging around. 

Dynamite.  Fun.  Two words, but lots of fun.

FUN?

I was the one perched on top of the rock jack hammering holes in it for 2 days. d*

glenn kangiser

Cool dynamite. :)

Did you have to hire a licensed powder monkey for that or can I pick it up off of Craigs list? ... [waiting]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

Bishopknight

I'm curious about the dynamite as well. Got a pesky rock on my land as well.

Love to hear an update too  ;D

pagan

All I can think about is Jimmy Walker.

Don_P

Explosives are strictly regulated ever since... but for shattering pesky pasture rocks I use fire and water. Stack a bonfire around the boulder light it and enjoy yourself for as long as possible getting it hot as possible. Then throw as much of the coldest water you can on it, repeat as neccessary. I've shattered rocks the dozer couldn't budge. A good excuse to sit around, drink beer and tell the wife you're doing something useful too.


Alasdair

lol good advice Don!

Osprey, what an awesome spot for a cabin - that road looks crazy :D

looking forward to seeing more

glenn kangiser

I really like watching things explode - I'm from Oregon, and as a kid I watched some loggers as they blew a stump out of the way with 12 sticks of dynamite.  It went about 1/4 mile estimated.

The Oregon Highway department is better though.

We are a proud bunch there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cBC5-eqS2s&feature=player_embedded
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

Osprey

Sorry I have been so slack and haven't updated. Seemed to never stop raining and being on a mountain with a steep grade even when the rain stops it takes awhile for things to dry out especially for cement trucks , giant well drilling rigs and whatnot.

Finally got the footers poured, used more cement than I care to mention and had to hire a pump and pump the cement down. I had to use 2 cement trucks because the grade was so steep the cement would have spilled from the back of the cement trucks. One cement truck got to close to the edge of switchback, on the mountain side thankfully, and got sucked into a ditch and damaged his trough.  He got out without to much trouble. Fixed road.




Since everything was still soaking wet what better time to bring a large (40 ton) well drilling rig up with associated equipment?   ;D 






It took them 2 days to drill my 6 inch diameter 450 ft deep well.



Static water level in the well was around 120 ft from the top of the well so quite a bit of storage (330ft storage at 1.5 gallons per foot) with a sort of disappointing flow of 1 gallon a minute. Some of my full time neigbors have less flow than that so I think i will be OK with my small cabin.



Next step is to fix the road AGAIN.

I plan to install the pump, water pipe and wiring myself so I need to do some research and check through the forums here for pointers. It was interesting and expensive drilling the well. It was $11ft plus an extra $5ft for the 33ft casing. This price included grouting., so a little over $5K for a 450ft well. It was not an easy location by any means and the guys who drilled besides being nice guys were also real pros and did a good job.

I'll try to post as the 20X30 progresses but I may be a little slow  as work has been keeping me busy and I can only get a couple weeks at a time to work.


Osprey

Making some progress.

Spent some time improving the area around the footers and installed the french drain along the back so I don't spend any more time than necessary between the block and cutaway hill after the block is laid.

.



Block is laid for the walkout basement.

.


I am now in the process of digging the 9 footers for the deck piers. I will have a 10 foot wrap around porch with roof facing the downhill side and along the rear of the house. My house should end up looking something like this one. My 20x30 will have a 10x12 pitch, no dormers or fireplace and the porch will be screened in for the most part.

.


I will be waterproofing the uphill wall before back filling with gravel, creek rock and soil. My plan is to use 2 coats Drylock and then cover the wall with plastic sheeting from the top to the edge of the exposed footers. If anyone has any other suggestions I would love to hear them.

Osprey

#18
Hi all.

Still plugging away up here on the mountain.

We finished digging the 9 pier footers for the deck, laid the block and filled with concrete.










It took approximately 50 tons of gravel to backfill the back wall to 3ft and to fill the inside of the foundation for the concrete slab.



Slab is poured.



Osprey

Yay!!  ::)

Finally getting out of the hole and building a house.

Framed the basement with pressure treated 2X8's.







Osprey

Anyone know what this plant is?



It is wild Ginseng. It is all over the property and the surrounding hills. At times this slow growing plant sells for up to $1,000 or more a pound.  :o

A few hours walking the hills turned up about a half pound.



Floor trusses should arrive soon and then back to work!

MushCreek

Nice find! Oddly enough, wild American ginseng is one of the priciest varieties. I make green tea w/ ginseng all the time, but I have to settle for dried Chinese stuff.
Jay

I'm not poor- I'm financially underpowered.

Sassy

http://glennkathystroglodytecabin.blogspot.com/

You will know the truth & the truth will set you free

Osprey

Quote from: MushCreek on October 02, 2009, 04:17:27 PM
Nice find! Oddly enough, wild American ginseng is one of the priciest varieties. I make green tea w/ ginseng all the time, but I have to settle for dried Chinese stuff.

Yes the wild American is the most sought after form of Ginseng. Even cultivated Ginseng grown here is not as valuable as the wild. There are subtle differences in the ring formation on the root and number and size rootlets that separate it from other varieties. This time of year people are walking all over the hills hunting "sang".

Osprey

#24
Quote from: Sassy on October 02, 2009, 09:58:09 PM
Great progress!   8)

Thanks.

Just went to your blog and looked at your amazing house. The cob cat is a sight to behold. I was thinking of making a small wood fired pizza oven. I may just have to do something like you did and sculpt something as well instead of just a generic dome. It is sort of moist around here, how does the cob hold up in a wet climate?