1.5 Story In Kentucky

[prohomesteader]

lot 8 isn't much to look at imho

lot 7 is a mix of flat and hill, more hill.  however it's pretty cheap at 32000 for 12 acres (after the 10% discount)

the road is a county road but was privately built, haven't got all the details but the county trims it's edges of weeds and it was paved a long time ago, one lane, gravelly now.  lot 7 has road access on both sides, abners mill is for sure a county road, they just added a guard rail last weekend.

if you are serious about wanting more info I can do a walk around with the video camera for you, however I'm off the to the farm now again so it might be a few days before I get it done

[prohomesteader]

@phalynx - I see you used 6x6 bracing for your corners, how didi you secure the 6x6 to the beams?  seems like a heavy piece of wood to be hanging there.

I've got plenty of leftover 6x6 material and would like to use it for some bracing but would be interested in the method you used to attach them.  thanks

[phalynx]

pro, thanks for the offer.  We may actually take you up on it, but not immediately.  On the road, I am actually interested in the dirt road that cuts across tract 6-7 going to the homestead behind it.  Is this an easemented road? in use? etc..

On the 6x6's, we used 10-12" lag bolts.  PRE-DRILL!! otherwise you will split the wood.  It's a very tight connection.  If you have an impact wrench, you'll want it.  Otherwise you'll have forearms of steel.  You might look like Popeye afterwards.

[prohomesteader]

i see what you are talking about now.  it's not actually a road, but tire tracks in the grass

a younger farmer bought lot 3, his name is james, he stopped by and introduced himself and was super friendly/helpful about local info, the only reason he bought it was he wanted to use the barn

there is no easement there however after talking to the guy we have no problem allowing him to cross our land to the barn once in a blue moon.  the choice is yours though, he could also have access around on the main road just takes him a bit longer to get there.

so he owns farmland on one side of the lots and a barn on the other side, that's where the road/tire tracks come from

he will also be cutting our 6 acres of grass/weeds/hay for us this week (he takes the hay bales) so it should nicer looking and not overgrown again real soon, can't wait.

[phalynx]

Did you mean he bought lot 1 with the barn? or was it lot 9 that the road connects to.  Also, what would you describe the dirt as?  Is it rocky? sandy? clay?

[prohomesteader]

@phalynx - yeah, he owns lot #9 and it has a barn on it.  the land is clay, rock solid when dry and after a good rain very manageable for the first few inches to a foot

tried doing some sheathing, this was one of the more frustrating things I've tried so far.  at first I tried lifting the panels with brute force and up a ladder, but after dropping them a dozen or more times I am now using a nylon rope rated at 350 lbs, going inside and pulling the board up

currently I only own a couple 6 foot ladders.  I'm all ears on how to manage doing things at a height and safely, the 12/12 pitch roof is gonna be a challenge



also got the first interior walls framed



anybody know the exact dimensions of the washer/dryer room down to the inch?

off for a day now,  this weekend hopefully will be finishing the internal wall framing and starting on the loft.

[phalynx]

Ah, there is a trick to the sheathing.  Glenn had the tip somewhere and I used it.  Basically, use 2 2x4s vertically and put a crosspiece on the front of the 2x4's and then cross pieces on the top and bottom on the back.  Think of a ladder 10' tall with 1 step at the very bottom on the back, one step in the middle on the front, and one step at the top on the back.  You walk the osb to the ladder, place the top of the osb on the middle run, then walk/flip the osb up.  It will stand up basically 5-6' off the ground where you can actually pick it up.  Also, put a few small nails in the studs where the next sheet will go and it will sit on there while you nail.

Update, I stole it from Jimmy Cason.
Here is a pic. 

[Redoverfarm]

Well I would go ahead and buy a extension ladder.  Werner is a good brand. Fiberglass heavy duty.  You will need it as time goes on.  As for the sheeting it can be done by yourself but is so much easier with two people.  You might take a couple of 16d nails and drive them into the studs about half way in at the location just about where the bottom would be. Then once you get the sheets  up to there they should hold the sheet(footing) until you get it positioned and attached.  Then remove the nails and move to the next location.  

As far as lifting the sheets up without a ladder. You can drive 16d again about 6" from the top and 12" from the ends of the sheet.  Take your rope and loop it on the inside and outside of the nail and tie.    Do this on both ends.  Now with the middle of the rope over the top plate and out the stud wall.  You can probably pull on the center to lift adjusting your hold one direction or the other to lift it level.  If you have your nails in place once the sheet reaches that point it should rest on the nails until you can tie off the rope. Yes the rope will be in the way but if it supported on the nails(into studs) you can just lift the shet and push back through the opening.  Pulleys and winches will work if it is too much to lift.

The roof can be accessed from the loft floor once done.  Then nailers or roof jacks will give you footing for yourself and the sheet you are handling.  

Maybe you can find a local to give you a hand for a meager pay. Be well worth the money.  

[apaknad]

you can also use a C-clamp on one end of sheet and pull it up behind you.you can also attach a rope higher than sheet needs to be,run it threw said handle, bring other end back up to where you need it and pull sheet up. clamp acts almost like a pulley on sheet. this would work well with the skids posted earlier too i think. i hope i explained this well enough, i don't know how to download a pic to this site.

[prohomesteader]

great advice all, I used a mixture of everything

I bought a 20 ft werner ladder, I placed some nails in the studs where the panels went, I pushed the panels up the ladder instead of using boards to push it up  (felt like bench pressing), then used a nail gun to nail.

here's the nail gun we bought, should have bought the this from day one.  It's a cordless pasload.  They are EXPENSIVE but worth every penny.  All together with nails, refills for the gas, and gun cost us $430.



Here's a view from far away.  I spent a couple days mowing the hay with an old lawnmowever.  I reckon it wasn't worth the cost/benefits of the farmer taking the hay from it.  You can also squint and see the panels going up.



Here's the panels.  This is where we are now, wrapped with about 8 foot of panels.  There is small opening in the back to get in and out.



You can actually here an echo in the place now, can't wait to finish the siding an dmove on to the roof although I'm dreading trying to get the 3/4 inch panels for the roof up there.

Inside the place, starting to look like something from on the deck now

[glenn kangiser]

Looks good.  I had an old Paslode gun I liked but bought it used and it quit working after while.

They take 30 degree angle nails so you are stuck buying theirs if I remember right.  Still a handy tool.

[Redoverfarm]

prohomes nice toy. Too high dollar for me. I just have the Bostic.  Just curious why you chose a gas nailer than a air powered. I think they make a air nailer as well.  The cost to me of the gas will pay for a compressor not too far down the road.  You would have the compressor for other jobs later on like pumping up the tires on your farm tractor to make you hay with.  

You are making good progress.  The shorter pieces of sheeting will be lighter if that is any comfort.

[phalynx]

It's definately more cordless..  I heard that Paslode was moving away from the gas operated nailers though and going to pneumatic. 

Prohome,,,  great progress...  making jealous looking at the property....  STOP POSTING PICTURES!!!!!! 

[prohomesteader]

@glen - yeah as far as i know you need to buy the pasload name brand only

@glenover - I liked not being tied to an air compressor.  Should really help when doing the roof.  The cartridges of gas are only $6 and last for about 1500 nails from what I see so far.

my wallet says sell the nail gun when the project is done, my nailing hand/arm says keep it forever.

@phalynx - lol, looks real good mowed   and the people were driving around to the barn and loading it with tobacco, they aren't using that "road" or pass in the back of the property but staying on the county road

the cordless was only $40 higher if i remember right.  $230 vs. $270 for the gun only

[prohomesteader]

videos when researching framing on youtube

how to frame the roof?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLWQouYEaKI

the alternative to not having a nail gun, have a hammering party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjGjKeoYpg

[soomb]

Amazing progress in such short order.  Are you working weekends only or full time on the construction?  Thank you for keeping such a close track on the dollars spent.  My wife and I hope to be doing this with in the next 2-5 years, so I am reading all I can to be "well learned" by that time.  I am very interested to see the $$ tally over time.

Do you camp on the site full time? or is the camping just during multiple day construction stretches?

Best of luck.

[prohomesteader]

@soomb - I work weekends and 2-3 days in the week.  I would do it 7 days a week if i could but my body couldn't handle it.

the only paid help we had was digging the holes for the posts.  the rest of the time has been me and the wife with family sometimes on the weekends.

the two times I've needed/appreciated the help the most was when doing the piers/filling the holes with gravel and with the wall raising's, so far

I will for sure do the $ tally at the end.

[soomb]

thanks for the reply.

Is the camping (tent) just when on site?

[phalynx]

Prohome, 

I don't see the cut-ins for the ledger board that goes down the 30' length of wall.  Were you planning on cutting this in afterward or planning on doing something else for the 2nd floor support?

[prohomesteader]

@soomb - yeah the tent with the canopy over it worked nicely.  I just moved the tent inside the house today to get up and away from the spiders

@phalynx - we aren't doing the full second story, just a loft.  the ledger is there just in the back.  I actually messed it up a bit and cut it 6 inches too high but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

[soomb]

oh... another question: Full time place or weekend get-a-way?

[prohomesteader]

@soomb - this will be our full time place.  Can't wait.  Going from a home with almost no yard to 6 acres 

here's an update

finishing up the sheathing at the top and starting to wrap the house.



Here is a contraption I'm building to be able to reach all of the rafters.  Notice the loft isn't done all the way.  That's because I'm going to use that wood to place across this contraption to make a temporary floor that is only a few feet wide and spans the front of the house.  this should allow me access to the ridge beam and rafters, then I will disassemble this when done.

It's under construction right now, needs some more supports, vertical and horizontal.  More on the roof below.



We are going to try doing the roof in the next week.  I'm most nervous about the height and our ability to get the wood that high and manipulate it enough to build it correctly.

I'm going to lowes today to inquire about what type of safety harness I can buy to keep me safe.

I'm debating lowering the pitch to a 10/12 instead of 12/12 to make it easier on us for building now and later.  Would this change make a big difference to the living space in the loft or to helping us building the roof?  Thanks all

[soomb]

good for you.  quite an adventure you are on.

[MountainDon]

I'm debating lowering the pitch to a 10/12 instead of 12/12 to make it easier on us for building now and later.  Would this change make a big difference to the living space in the loft or to helping us building the roof?  Thanks all

My thoughts are that a pitch change from 12/12 to 10/12 will do little or nothing in making it easier to work on. For me anything over 5/12 is for someone else to do. But that's just me speaking. As my age has increased the pitch of the roofs I am okay with has decreased.  Some day I'll be happiest with a flat roof I suppose.   

As for interior room, the headroom will decrease some nearest the side walls. I'd draw it up on paper to scale and measure.

[John Raabe]

I agree with Don that a 10/12 pitch will not be easier to work on.

You can see what it would do to the space by laying a bit of tracing paper over your cross section on Sht 2. It will narrow the width of the usable headroom and make the cross tie ceiling narrower and less able to triangulate the roof pressures. I don't think it is a good idea.

Doing a steep roof safely and properly involves good help, good roof jacks and a good harness. It's not the best place to learn brand new roofing skills so many folks get professional help with this part of the project.