1.5 Story In Kentucky

[Redoverfarm]

prohomesteader The following link shows the different aggregates and their demensions.  I use # 57 crushed limestone as it has the best (natural)compaction.  It can be compacted to increase it's density but generally the natural shape locks in the stone to each other and not much compactions can be achieved beyond that. 


http://www.alconco.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=272

[prohomesteader]

thanks glenn, you've been a great help, it is all making sense now   the post and floor part so far

at rendover - did you bother with adding cement to the mix or just the stone only?  I'm thinking of using the 5part rock to 1part cement just cause it seems logical to have "some" concrete in there   thanks for the link also

can't wait for this weekend.

[glenn kangiser]

My pleasure - hope it works well for you.

[prohomesteader]

back from our first days of building.

one thing I haven't seen mentioned much but I will pass along is that

building is HARD HARD work!  Prepare for sore muscles.

I got some pictures I'll upload in the next few posts to update our progress:

my brother and I squared the land off for the digging to happen



we paid a friend to dig the holes with a backhoe



the holes were supposed to be 24x24 inches but ended up HUGE, about 2.5x3feet, bigger the better though

[Redoverfarm]

prohomesteader looks like that is a Teramite.  They are made in Charleston.  You can do a lot of work with one if the soil is not too rocky. 

[prohomesteader]

thanks for the name rendover

next the wood was delivered

the truck pulls up, crosses their fingers that nothing gets damaged, and dumps it all

this is enough wood to do the posts, beams, and floor to the completed subfloor

cost = $1600

(note, the price could have been a bit cheaper but I forgot to measure the post heights and didn't want them too short so I told the people "make them 6x6 that are , um, 12 foot long to be safe"  OUCH they were heavy to move, but I can use the tops for other projects now)



another delivery the same day, the gravel is delivered.  we went with 25 tons of #58 gravel which was 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and chipped/square not round, the extra gravel will be used as a temporary driveway where our tire tracks go, it's starting to get muddy

[prohomesteader]

I should also mention I picked up about $300 of simpson connectors, nails, and concrete at the hardware store (concrete is optional for the holes, we mixed one bag with 1 load of gravel for luck )

the holes cost $300 to dig

next up we filled the holes with 8" of gravel and kept using a tamper to pack it down

we then placed a 2x12 cut to 12 inches on the bottom of each post and put 5 nails in the bottom (top left, top right, middle center, bottom left, bottom right) and 1 toenailed in every side.

then gently placed every post in each hole, leveled, and aligned them all and triple checked the house was square.  you can see how crazy tall the poles are in this next picture



this next pic was taken after all the holes were filled, it took BUNCHES of work to fill those holes with gravel by the wheel barrel full and then tampen each load down

one last note on the next picture, you will notice center piers, we took a few people's advice and are making a center beam, not sure if 10 foot spans on it are ok (eg 1 pole in center) but that's what we have right now, this also allowed us to go with smaller wood for the joists, 2x8x20, according to the wood store that's what is required for the new spans

[Redoverfarm]

The PT lumber is heavy.  The white wood later will be alot lighter.  Making good progress.  I didn't answer you last question regarding the mix ratio.  It sounds as if you are making a dry mix for the holes.  I really haven't done that much of dry mixes.  The wet mixes for footings is 1:2:4 for aggregate under 1-1/2".  1 being the cement, 2 being the sand and 3 being the gravel.  If it is a wet mix then you will need to use sand to bind everything together.  Just the cement and the gravel will make it brittle.

Good Luck

[prohomesteader]

remembered another thing we spent some money on, $299 for a 3500watt generator.  need some electric probably

next up we cut the poles using a circular saw and a reciprocating saw to cut the last little bit in the center,  becuase the poles were so tall they would break reciprocating saw blades too easy

we also attached simpson braces to the tops of the newly cut piers



the end result of an extended weekend with help is the next picture.  you will see all poles standing, backfilled, cut, level,square, and the first piece of wood going on to build the beam.

the wife and I will try to build the beam in place so we won't require help to lift the thing onto the poles

this is what the property looks like as I'm typing this,  we will get back to work in a couple days.



thanks again for all your support so far all 

[prohomesteader]

thanks redover, it was dry except for 1 bag of crete mixed in for each hole

the holes are real solid, it's all about the tamping, the more you tamp, the more solid the poles get, I also reckon the more gravity helps the gravel settle, the more it will really get solid

lol, it will be nice dealing with lighter wood, I'm also hoping it's lighter on the wallet

[Redoverfarm]

prohomestead I am going to have to apologize for any misunderstanding I derived from your discriptions.  No wonder you are wore out.  I would have cut the post with 2-3" margin for levelness (rough demensions) before setting them in the holes.  A lot less to wrestle around.  Then came back and cut them accurate later.  Well the end result was the same I guess.  It was ashame you didn't keep the Teramite around to use the bucket to transfer the gravel to the holes with instead of the wheel borrow.

[prohomesteader]

Redoverfarm - the backhoe was paid by the hour so we wanted to do what we could by hand, digging was too hard in the solid dry clay but gravel was obtainable but it was difficult.

I recommend to anyone else doing it to have help come at that time when filling holes

yeah the 2x12's were a wrestling match but we won   and now I've got some great left over 6x6 wood

[phalynx]

Hey prohomesteader, I found one of your neighbors   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5SVXy1f8kI

They bought the 6 acre tract #8.  They are going to build a strawbale house.

Thought it was funny how small the world is.

[prohomesteader]

@phalynx, that's me in the video, we were originally going to try a straw bale home

update:

got the beams done.  we used 6" pole barn nails from both sides and construction adhesive plus a few c-clamps to hold it all together.  I'm not happy with the result so far because each day I see the wood pull away leaving gaps in the beam.  the wood was all slightly warped in different directions and that's causing it (eg we squeezed it together to build the beam, the warped wood is fighting back to pull apart).  I think adding some bolts will do nicely

here's a picture of the floor going together



traditionally people lay the all the joists and then do all the floor.  We did it "as we went" and found it much easier to line up the seems in the boards so they all get to rest on a joist

here's the finished floor:



note:  the front posts are 6 feet tall so we'll be adding the bracing to them eventually.

note:  we used decking/exterior wood screws to screw the subfloor instead of nailing

next steps:

ordering the wood for the walls, we start framing this weekend

picking out windows sizes - the plans call for windows that are really BIG, we don't need an 8 foot window in the house so we'll be going smaller or the same on most of them.  We also want to add a window to the other side of the front door.

calling the truss company in the area for a quote.

can't think of anything else I spent money on since last time except maybe another $60 in nails and screws.

[prohomesteader]

I'm looking at the plans for site built trusses and the they don't look too difficult to do and might be cheaper than custom built ones

this has some good photos of site built trusses for others to check out

http://www.countryplans.com/cowan.html

my questions about them if anybody knows:

1.  how long should the wood be for each rafter?  i think I read 2x6x16' somewhere but want to be sure

2.  what are the notched vents with screens that are called for in the plans?  is there any picture floating around the forum of the vents?  most of the pictures I see are lacking the vents

thanks again all.

[glenn kangiser]

The traditional dancing on the deck picture, that's good.

There is not always a standard length on the rafters.  It can vary depending on your roof pitch, choice of rafter tails etc.  I haven't checked John's plans at this time - have to go to work.

I would suggest laying them out on the floor with a chalk line and measuring to be accurate.

[phalynx]

@phalynx, that's me in the video, we were originally going to try a straw bale home

Well, you don't need to meet new neighbors then I guess.   

As for bracing.  Go ahead and do it now.  As you start to build up, the building will shake when major motions and kinda makes you feel uncomfortable.  Putting in corner bracing now will make you feel all the more solid.  We ended up putting 45 degree bracing on all corners and then put in 6 2x6 diagonals from the outside beams to the inside.  These are attached to the 2x12's underneath.. You would attach to your center beam.  It will make all the difference in the world.

[prohomesteader]

thanks glenn, that's the brother on the deck, we love having the floor done and being "on top of the world" way up there

the pitch is 12/12 per plans

plan width is 20 feet with a optional 1'4" eave extension

I might try the chalk line if noone comes up with the length.  seems like the answer should be laying around here somewhere the standard length of each rafter.  can't find it on the plans.

thanks @phalynx - will do it sooner than later.  it's surpsingly solid right now except for the very front where it's tallest but I can see what you are talking about that it will get more wobbly as we build.  I will also check your photos out again to see how you have it.

[MountainDon]

Here's a handy online calculator for gable and hip roof rafters, stairs, gazebos and other stuff. I've used this for both my gazebo and cabin. Your choice of feet/inches or metric.

http://www.blocklayer.com/Roof/GableEng.aspx


You adjust the birds mouth cuts, rafter tail length, rafter ends plumb or not, ridge thickness, etc.

[John Raabe]

Using the site built truss diagram on Sht. 6 of the 20' wide 1.5 story cottage plans the top structural rafter/chord is made from a straight 2x6. If you square cut the end of the rafter you can probably use a 16' length and get about a 16" overhang. If you plumb cut the tails for a fascia and gutters you will need to order 18 footers.

You will want to snap the first truss out on the deck before cutting any wood and to confirm any adjustments with your actual framed dimensions. Then, assuming both ends of the building are the same width, you can use the first truss as a template for the rest.

The diagram of the vent blocking is on the lower left corner of the same plan page. You can gang cut these ahead of time and staple insect screen over the vent openings. Use these as spacer blocks as you layout the trusses @ 24" o/c - two for each truss. See the wall and eave detail at the lower right of that plan page. It shows a metal bracket that secures the truss to the wall plates and vent block and protects the whole thing against uplift and heavy winds. You can use other angle brackets but that is a heavy duty one.

Note that you don't have to have the interior 2x6's in place when you place the trusses. They will be lighter and easier to install if you put these on later. They are there to provide the required insulation depth at the sloped ceiling.

[prohomesteader]

thanks again all for the helpful info on the roof.  after looking at many pictures here and talking with a local person we decided to do the basic gable framing with 2x10's (by 18') and a ridge beam.

we framed the outside walls this weekend, we still need to do the second header



two things that were EXTREMELY helpful this weekend (besides family helping)

1.  a nail gun (borrowed)

2.  the "house framing" book suggested by the countryplans site http://www.countryplans.com/books.html , I've also seen it for sale at lowes

here's a pic from the front



the order of wood for the walls framing, sheathing, roof framing, roof sheething, plastic wrap for the house, felt to cover the roof was $2900

next up is doing the internal walls, the loft, sheathing the outside and then starting the roof

[phalynx]

Fantastic progress.  It's going to be hard to wipe the smile from your faces really soon.  I have become partial to the 1.5 story and love watching them go up.  Were there any permits required in your county to start your own construction?

[prohomesteader]

lol @ phalynx - I'm ready to move in now

no permits were required, no inspections, and no codes

the only thing that is required is septic and water to be inspected where we are

[phalynx]

Hey pro,  what can you tell me about tract 7 and 8 next to you.  Is that dirt road an easement or active?  Also, does it go down hill towards tract 8 or uphill?

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the pricing info prohomesteader.  Looks like you are doing great.