Hello Everyone:
Tony here from Athens GA.
About two months ago I discovered the CountyPlans website and knew instantly it was exactly what I had been looking for. I've enjoyed reading about all the different projects and now I'm happy to be moving forward with our vacation home project near Lake Hartwell GA.
Lake Hartwell is one of the southeast's largest lakes. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1955 and 1963. Bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell comprises nearly 56,000 acres of water with 962 miles of shoreline.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Dam.jpg)
A few months ago my wife and I purchased a 2.1 acre parcel of land with an old farmhouse on it. It's a wonderful property about a mile from the lake on road that dead ends at the lake. 100+ year old trees everywhere and virtually level except for a 3% grade near the very back of the property.
We had originally planned to restore the old farmhouse but as one inspector said to me "The old house is plumb eat up with termites". A normal termite colony has about 60,000 termites. We had a Super Colony which is around 1,000,000 termites. The inspectors estimate the termites had been there for 2 or 3 decades feeding on the house.
Bottom line – Over the last month we knocked the old house down. The good news is the house didn't cost us anything since we were really only buying the land. The house would have been a bonus if we could have saved it.
Were planning to build a modified version of the 1 1/2 story cottage plan I purchased about 2 months ago.
Many thanks to our friends Steve & Adam for all their help. Our old John Deer tractor made pulling walls and floors apart a lot of fun as well saving us a lot of time. 14 trips to the landfill and 3 dumpsters later were finally done!
Before Demolition -
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0232.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0236.jpg)
During Demolition -
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0358.jpg)
It's a little hard to see but that's Steve with a sledge hammer. He broke the handles on 2 of them. I kept tellin him "Slower swing & better aim". ???
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0359.jpg)
After Demolition -
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0372.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0371.jpg)
The septic system finally goes in tomorrow. I will post the full story on that over the weekend if I have time. Health Dept. Inspectors, Permits & Certified Contractors... Oh boy was this fun!
Thanks,
Tony
Congratulations, good luck and w*! Can't wait to see your progress.
[cool] LuvHartwell and w* to the forum.
Thanks for the nice write up, Tony. Interesting.
Seems I picked up or delivered a load of rubber to or from Athens. GA once.
Looking forward to seeing your project . w* to the forum
Welcome and I look forward to following your progress. It is a shame you had to demolish that cool looking old homestead, but understandable from your description. It looks like it made for a beautiful building site.
I have 4 kids in college in Athens, and lived there myself for 15 years.
Lake Hartwell is a nice place. Congrats on the new place.
Christina
Hi Gang - Thanks for the very warm welcome.
The Old Septic System –
The old farm house was about 115 years old. Over the years it had at least three additions. A bathroom and septic system were added at some point but there is no record with the county as to when. I've spoken to several lifelong area residents who knew the former owners Mr & Mrs Fleming.
The Flemings purchased the property around 1940 and lived there for approximately 65 – 67 year. They did not have children. Several of the older locals we talked to remember the house having indoor plumbing after WWII but not prior to that.
Mr. Fleming past away sometime in late 2006. He was well into his 90's. His wife had preceded him but we haven't been able to figure out when.
Our best guess is the former septic system was put in between 1945–50. Given the age and uncertainty as to its condition we decided to abandon it and put in a new system.
The Septic Permit Process-
The first step in the process was to go to the local county building dept. They in turn sent me to the county Health Dept to obtain a Septic permit. Apparently a septic permit is required before a building permit can be issued.
Step 2 - The Health Dept provided me with a list of state approved Soil Scientist who could be hired to conduct a soil survey.
Step 3 - Looking over the list of some 300 names I found a company that was local. I called and setup an appointment to have a survey done.
Step 4 - Apparently "Perk Test" are a thing of the past at least here in GA. The Soil Scientist and his helper armed with the plat I provided drilled 6 holes examining the dirt from each. He told me they rarely do perk test with water anymore. They can tell the soil conditions just by examining the soil from their bore holes.
Step 5 - Six holes, dozens of measurements, GPS readings and 2 hours later he has what he needs to create a soil report. I write him a check for $300 and he tells me I will have the report in the mail in a few days. I remember thinking to myself " Wow this is going so smoothly." HaHa...
Step 6 – Once the soil report is received make an appointment with the county health department inspector to review the report and fill out a septic system permit application.
Step 7 – Meet with the county health inspector, review the soil report and pay the $225 permit fee.
Step 8 – County health inspector conducts an on-site property inspection in order to determine an approved location for the septic system.
Step 9 – County health inspector draws up a septic system site plan and submits it to the county health dept supervisor for review and approval.
Step 10 – Once the septic system site plan is approved by the county health dept supervisor the county health dept inspector approves the septic permit.
Step 11 – You may now pick up the septic permit and a list of county certified septic system contractors. No DIY in this county :(
Step 12 – Get bids from contractors on the approved list. If you can find any that will call you back or are still in business. I did find 4 out of a list of 20
Step 13 - Hire a contractor.Get it all in writing ;D
Step 14 – Contractor contacts the county health inspector to arrange an on-site septic plan review.
Step 14 – Contractor & county health inspector meet at the job site to review the septic plan.
(Meeting goes something like this; Inspector: Put the Septic system here. Contractor: Okay. Meeting over.)
Step 15 – Contractor installs septic system
Step 16 - County health inspector inspects the contractors work before the contractor covers up the tanks and leach lines.
(Meeting goes something like this; Inspector: I see you put the septic system where I told you to. Contractor: Yep. Meeting over.)
Step 17 – If the work was done to the specs of the septic site plan the county health inspector
Issues a final septic permit and mails it to the homeowner.
If your not dead of old age or shear bureaucratic induced frustration you may now apply for a building permit.
The Soil Report –
The soil report arrived in the mail just as our soil scientist said it would. The report has a drawing of the land, some charts, projected perk rates, system length and depth recommendations etc.
Over the next couple of days I reviewed the report several times. I started to understand what all this information means. It's at that point I noticed some inconsistencies between what's on the report and the actual topography of the land.
Copy of the soil report -
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0409.jpg)
Immediately three major things didn't look right. First the land drawing made by the soil scientist did not mach the drawing on the plat. They were both drawn to the same scale using computer software so why didn't they match? His drawing was not just a little off which you might expect... it was way off.
Copy of the Plat – Compare this with the soil report above and tell me what you think.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0411.jpg)
Second, I notice the test bore holes are not indicated on the soil report drawing correctly. As a matter of fact none of the holes on the report are anywhere near where the actual holes were drilled.
Finally, I discover the main operational well was not indicated on his drawing at all. He mapped the old inactive well in the upper right hand corner of the plat but not the newer well. By newer I mean it's been there for probably 30 years and sits in a well house 60 feet from the old farm house. It's impossible to miss especially since is says "well house" on the plat. He also parked his car about 30 feet from the well house.
At this point I'm a little worried this guy has totally screwed up the survey and it will have to be redone.
Next Posting - Meeting with the County Health Department
LuvHartwell w* to the forum and the system of fee collection. I thank goodness that my area does not regulate most of the building process. The septic is the only portion that requires inspection. They do require a "perk test" and assure that it is not within 100 ft of a well. Then if another well is drilled it is required to be no closer than 200 ft from the working septic system.
It seems that you have to almost be a "PIA" with the inspectors to make sure that they see the obvious and are on the same page. The only ace card one might have would be to delay payment for services until the services are rendered. Then if a dispute is found it can be fixed or they don't get paid.
I know you stated that you were going to build the 1-1/2 story cottage plan but what steps are you taking to address the issues of the previous home owners had regarding termites? Mason foundations, Concrete piers, wood piers, termite shield and siding choices.
Did you save the tin from the roof. A sought after commodity here.
Hi Redoverfarm and thanks for the comments -
When we were trying to figure out a way to save the old house I did a lot of research on how to avoid the termite problems in the future. It turns out GA is second only to Florida when it comes to termite problems.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0259.jpg)
The previous owner for whatever reason ignored the problem for many years and we know the end result of that. We won't be making that same mistake. Most of the experts seem to agree Termidor SC Insecticide is the way to go. It's what every major pest control company uses here in GA to knock off termites.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0264.jpg)
When we opened up this wall the beams discintigrate and pretty much turned to dust.
Termidor is made from a revolutionary new non repellent or "undetectable" chemical technology treatment. That means termites cannot see, smell, taste or avoid Termidor.
Instead they contact, ingest, and share Termidor with their nestmates.
This is in sharp contrast to older liquid termite controls, which rely on repellent barriers that termites can finds breaks in or avoid completely.
I was told once the Termidor was applied the old farm house would be free of termites within 14 days and the entire super colony would be dead within a month or so.
They, the major pest control companies, would like consumers like you and me to believe you need them to obtain and apply Termidor. In my case it was going to cost $1600 to have the house treated and an additional $200 per year to maintain the protection.
It's true you can't just go out and buy this stuff off the shelf from Home Depot or Lowes, however, you can buy it online and have it shipped. I caculated the amount I would need will cost about $300 or $400 including shipping and that protection will last 7 – 10 years.
Here a link to a website that sells it online... http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/termidor.htm
Some states do not allow Termidor to be shipped directly to consumers in which case you may have to deal with a professional. Lucky for me GA is not one of those states.
As long as proper precautions are used and you follow the application directions I think the savings makes it an easy choice.
For the foundation were planning a Pier & Post with concrete form tubes making up the base and PT built up beams. Were on a tight budget so this foundation option works best for us. Treating the ground with Termidor should keep us protected.
For siding I'm leaning toward Hardiplank. I like the durabiulity, look and low cost factor.
As for the old tin roof and all metals we saved them all. We have it piled up onsite but will be taking them to the recycle center for a little cash as some point.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0400.jpg) One of 3 metal piles.
We saved a lot of the ceiling and roof lumber as well. The termites had not gotten that far up. We won't be using that in the new house but for repair of the old barns we have on the property. The barns have a lot of termite damage as well.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0395.jpg) This is the barn near the house.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0396.jpg) This is the barn near the property line. It's in pretty good shape. Were going to use it to store the lumber from the old house and some building material since we can actually lock up part of it.(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0397.jpg) Another view of the barn near the property line.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0399.jpg)
We also saved almost all of the old foundation material. A lot of granite rock and old cender block. The rock we can use for landscaping. The blocks were not sure what to do with but I will figure some good use. The only thing that we hauled off to the landfill was the infested wood. We tried to save everything else.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0402.jpg)
LuvHartwell just like many of the older homes of that era. They would place rock under the support beams and over time they would settle into the ground and once you have wood in contact with the ground the problems start.
Glad you are trying to recycle the majority. I'm with you as far as burning or dumping the old lumber. The tin can be used for a variety of things. Woodshed or woodpile roofs. Some here are even putting it up into ceilings and walls for the old country effect.
It is amazing how many little sheds, barns and out buildings one little portion of land can have on it. " Don't throw that away I will build a shed to keep it in" ;D
And so on and so on.
On my cabin I set on a block foundation and added a termite shield to help protect the logs. I also treated it with Boric acid which will have to be followed up every couple of years. If I understand correctly that if you can keep it up off the ground and dry to stand a chance.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Keep us posted on the stages of construction. As in my thread I have tried to update it as I go along to give some history & humor.
John
w* LuvHartwell! Very interesting posts - enjoyed looking & reading about your project :) Yes, please do keep us posted on your progress... can't believe all the steps/hassles you've had to go through with getting the septic permit, how inaccurate etc, not to mention the money... geeezzz
If not necessary I would not rock the boat with the plan discrepancies, but my concern is that with ignoring the real well location the "professional" soils scientist may have caused your new septic system to be installed to close to your real well thereby causing you to have to drill a new well or re-install the new septic system at the proper distance from the real well.
Professional indifference in favor of interest only in getting the check. The good ol' boy system at it's finest.
I am a licensed well driller and often have come across clearance problems in the past.
Currently only doing repair and consulting on wells and water systems.
Glenn – Thanks for your comments. The good news is I was never in any danger of having the septic system installed in the wrong place potentially running the risk of contaminating the wells . The county inspector made sure of that.
When I had my initial meeting with the inspector to apply for the permit and review the soil report she discovered all the errors/problems with the report with in 5 minutes. This prompted a call the soil scientist while I was sitting in the inspectors office. He didn't have any explanation for any of the incorrect information on the report but he was quick to point out his release of liability clause in the report.
Needless to say the inspector was not impressed and I was understandably miffed. Our next step was an on-site inspection by the inspector to see if she could make sense of his report. I was told this would be done sometime over the next 3 days and they would be giving me a call to follow-up.
I left the inspectors office and drove straight out the property. It's only about 10 miles so I figured I would swing by and do a little work since I was already in the area.
No sooner had I gotten out of the car then up pulls the county inspector. First thing she says is " We know this is important to you and we want to make sure you get the customer service you deserve" I was almost speechless! All I could say was "Thank You".
She spent the next three hours doing her own land survey. We found all the test holes the soil scientist drilled and placed them correctly on the plat. She made sure the 100 ft. buffer around the two wells was maintained. I think we were at 120' and 140'.
Two days later I had an approved site plan and was given the OK to hire a contractor. Now I don't want to minimize the red tape involved or the power these people have over our project. But I know when to smile, act dumb and look like I need help and sympathy. Believe me when I say I played all of the above. You know the old saying "You can't fight city hall".
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0403.jpg) The drain field.
The really good news is I hired a contractor. He had his meetings with the county inspector, installed the system, got its final approval and left me only $2,200 poorer.
BTW I received 4 bids in total. $2,200 wasn't the least expensive bid. There was 1 a little less expensive. I hired based on criteria in the following order of importance:
1. References in the area
2. Experience
3. Price
4. How much I liked them - This factor was really related to how much time the contractor spent working with me explaining how he would be doing to do the work, land impact, schedule etc.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0390.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0386.jpg)The tank
Not a bad deal all and all.
The contractor I hired lives just 2 miles down the road. He's a general contractor that's built dozens of custom homes in the area over the last 15 years. He's currently building a $400K new home just a half a mile away. I was able to visit the work-site and was impressed with the quality of the homes workmanship. I asked for 6 references. He provided 8 of which I called 5. All gave him excellent reviews.
Two other factors that impressed me about this contractor. He didn't ask for any money up front. All the rest did. He also spent over an hour at our initial meeting telling me about the history of the property and area.
When I need help with electrical or plumbing I will probably call him first.
Sounds like you got a good deal all around. An inspector who actually cares, a good contractor and a good deal. The cheapest septic system in our area is around $5000 for standard going up to $30000 for engineered systems.
I was quite surprised myself when the bids started rolling in. We had budgeted $6K for the septic. Hi bid was $3,500, low bid was $2,150. Same design and materials on all bids.
244 Linear Ft.(Chamber system, not gravel)
732 Square Ft.
Trench Width 36 inches
Trench Depth 24 (Shallow due to rock below 24 inches. The soil scientist was dead on with his analysis even if his drawing wasn't correct.)
1000 Gal Tank
Here you will never get bids that low due to the cost of living and insurance - equipment cost etc. Seems chambers are about $1300 here for 200 ft, tank around $1200 for 1500 gal plus labor - pipes etc.
Thanks for the pricing info - very useful to others.
As of right now here's the modified design were leaning toward. Rather than have an open loft we've decided to build out the entire second floor. This will allow us to have a master bedroom & bath, bunk room for the kids and some open space on the 2nd floor.
1st Floor
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/1stFlloor.jpg)
2nd Floor
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/2ndFloor.jpg)
We have increased the ceiling height to 9ft on the first floor to provide an open feeling. Were planning to use the existing fireplace from the old farm house which we left standing. It appears to be rock solid.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0381.jpg)
I'm sure we will make a few more design changes over the next couple weeks as I tinker more but it I think were 90% there. Shed dormers will be part of the design as well. I just need to figure out how to create them with the software.
You have a good design there. Check with the stairway though. Going to a higher ceiling means the stair has to get steeper or the steps will be too high. You may want to consider a standard stair with all you are planning on the upper level. The "U-shaped" standard stair will take a space about 6'-6" by 8'.
Also remember that the sidewalls are pretty low in the 1-1/2 story. Especially if you put more ceiling height into the first floor level. Your plan looks like it might work better using the 20' wide 2-story Universal Cottage. That plan has full width headroom at the upper floor and a full U-shaped stair.
Hi John,
You know your stuff for sure. The stairs and upper floor wall heights are two areas of concerns I've been struggling with. I increased the 2nd floor walls to 4ft. My 3D CAD software renders what looks to be a workable/liveable 2nd floor plan. I had considered the 2 story plan but really like the look of the 1 1/2. I guess you could call my modified plan a 1 3/4.
I do have one question for you on the foundation. Since I'm planning a pier & post and have a full top floor with a wall down the center do you think there might be the need for a center row of piers with supporting post in the center of the structure?
I'm concerned deflection might be an issue. At this point I'm just planning to double up every 4th joist. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Tony
QuoteI'm sure we will make a few more design changes over the next couple weeks as I tinker more but it I think were 90% there. Shed dormers will be part of the design as well. I just need to figure out how to create them with the software.
What software program did you use?
Looks good.
I used 3D Home Architect - Home Design Deluxe. $29.99. Very easy to use. http://www.3dhaonline.com/
Hi Gang,
I hope everyone is doing well in the new year. Between the holidays, work and this house project I haven't been on the site much over the last few months. I have however made great progress. I will post some photos soon but FYI the house is totally dried in as of this week. Over the weekend were planning to paint the hardi plank siding.
Tony
Hi! Good to hear from you & we're looking forward to reading about your progress & seeing pix! [cool]
LuvHartwell:
Your version of 3DHA is based on Punch software. Are you able to able to cut and print a scaled cross section through the house. That was one of the very helpful things that the earlier version 3 could do.
Helps a lot with stairs headroom and such.
Hi everyone,
I had fully intended to update my project on the site well before now but once again circumstances out of my control have been distracting me for the last 6 weeks or so.
My wife and I now have custody of our nephews, Jerry 6 and Landis 3. These are my brother in-law's children. He's a 1st Sargent in an MP Unit in the US Army currently stationed in Iraq. Those of you that are parents fully understand the lifestyle change implications this arrangement brings. Jennifer and I are just happy were able to step in and care for the boys until their dad is back home safe and sound.
So here's a pictorial rundown of the project so far:
I used a standard post and pier reinforced w/re-bar foundation to reduce cost.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0448-1.jpg)
The floor turned out pretty beefy since I used 2x12x20's spaced at 16" OC.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0449-1.jpg)
Working alone and inexperience got me on the floor a bit. I used OSB for the sub-floor. BIG mistake! I spent the next month covering and uncovering the 20 x 40 deck with plastic. Talk about a nightmare.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0443.jpg)
The old fireplace is just a facade. We will be using a gas fireplace inside. This is pretty much the only thing we saved from the old house.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0444.jpg)
For the next three weeks I worked every day on the framing by myself. I have to admit this is the part I liked the best. I had to get very creative about how to manipulate material safely without killing myself.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0471.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0472.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0474.jpg)
Putting the Metal Roof on - This is the one area (so far) that I hired professionals to do the work and I'm really glad I did. I ordered the metal roofing material directly from Georgia Metals, a local company. They make all types of metal roofing material and treated me very fair on the price. They recommended Scott as an installer. Scott and his crew were great. It took them (4 man crew) 2 full days days. It included laying the decking, felt, 1x4 yellow pine and installing the metal.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0476.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0477.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0478.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0479.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0481.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0484.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0486.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0487.jpg)
Day Two - The metal goes on!
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0491.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0494.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0495.jpg)
I finished up the sheathing, installed the windows and doors, put up the lower section of the house wrap and started the hardie plank installation......
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0503.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0505.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0506.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0506.jpg)
This is pretty much where I stopped until this weekend. I painted three side of the house on Friday and Saturday. I had planned to finish today but we got more rain.
The color is actually a little darker an more brown in real life. It's Ceder Grove from Baer paints. The hardie plank was very easy to paint.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0693.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0694.jpg)
The light patches you might see on the house is areas of wet paint where I did a little touch up and it hadn't dried before taking the pictures.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/FILE0696-1.jpg)
Next I will be trimming out the windows and doors. I already pulled about half the electrical wire inside. After I finish-up outside with the paint its back to the electrical. Inside pics coming soon.
Thanks,
Tony
Nice work Tony! Looking good! :D
It's always a nice breather to have the roof on and be out of the weather.
Some of the framing pictures. Unfortunately taken at night.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_121808_007.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_121808_006.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_121808_005.jpg)
Were re-using the 45 year old cast iron tub. I had to lift it in place with the old John Deer and a chain before framing the walls.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_121808_004.jpg)
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_121808_003.jpg)
Inside after the framing was about 90% complete. I still have a few things to do in the loft area.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_020109_001.jpg)
The open space living area is about 20' x 27' and feels very large with the open space and window above.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_020109_002.jpg)
Where the ladder is standing is the kitchen area. The bedroom is directly behind the kitchen. Laundry closet for stackable unit in the middle and the bathroom to the right. The loft above. Stairs yet to be build.
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/Photo_020109_003.jpg)
I just realized I had not posted the updated design/floorplan. We reverted back to the more standard 1 1/2 story plan and scratched the idea of extending the loft to the entire second floor. We liked the open feel better. If we end up with more bodies than beds on some weekend we will just roll out the sleeping bags in front of the fireplace for the kids.
This design more closley reflects the actual layout as built:
(https://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo316/LuvHartwell/lakehouse.jpg)
Hi Everyone
I wont bore you with the details as to why but after over a year and a half of not working on my little house I'm finally back into it. I've spent the last 3 weekends working on the electircal and putting in the oak hardwood floors. I can see real progress. I'm traveling for a couple of days on business but will be back at it this weekend. New pictures coming as soon as I can transfer them.
Tony
You have a nice open feel to the layout you have worked up. It will be helpful for others using the same plans.
I just finished transfering a buch of photos. Please let me know your thoughts... :)
Not wanting to be left behind Duke lets me know he's ready to go..... As you can see he's a bit big so in the back he went.
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A little over 800 sq ft (42 bundles) of #1 Red Oak. In the end I had about 25% waste. I knew this when I purchased it. Paid $.99 cents a sq ft.
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The main room is 20x27 or about 540 sq ft.
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This floor nailer turned out to be a great buy for $160. It can use two types of floor nails or floor staples. It jammed once but that was my fault for not releasing the spring after putting two new staple clips in it.
The BOSCH similar model at Home Depot is over $400. I'm sure BOSCH offers better quality then this one but I'm not planning to install floors for a living. This one worked just fine. I didnt want to rent since I would be installing these floors over a couple of weekends and also may do another project at our main home next year.
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End of Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3 - Starting Point...
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Very messy!
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End of Day 3....Done!
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The next morning .... Looking toward the kitchen area. For those of you concerned about the electrical wires coming out of the panel they arent hooked up to anything and arnt live. I will finish those runs next weekend.
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I also finished the hallway, bedroom and bedroom closet on Sunday. I willl post pictures of those areas in a few days when I'm back from Kansas City.
Oh yeah one more picture .... Duke sleeping with his head on my chest Saturday night about 11 PM. It's hard work watching daddy lay floors all day!
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Very nice job! I really like the floor and the walls. So how long did it take to scribe the floor around the fireplace?
The easy part is done. Now to the sanding and finishing ;D
Thanks for your comment Chuck. Working around the firelace was probably the most difficult part of the entire project. Not only was it time consuming scribing around the rocks but I reached a point, 18" or so from the wall where I could no longer use the floor nailer and had to us a nail gun. For some reason things just did not lin up correctly and required me to tear 2 lines out on the left side and start over.
In the end it turned out nice. That area took about 3 hours or so.
I totally forgot that I've never posted any pick of the interior walls. I will take more this weekend and post them.
I also hooked the fireplace up for the first time yesterday. It works great. Heated up the entire house in about 45 min. The hi yesterday was 43. This inside temp was a cozy 68.
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John,
Your so right! Were not going to use a stain but go natural with polyurathane. I did 4 coats on a few scraps and it looked great.
Tony
Tony hindsight is truely 20/20. It would have probably been easier to place a 3/4" (flooring thickness) shim or strip around the heart on the subfloor and laid the stone on that. Then you could have easily just inserted the flooring into that vaccant space one it was removed. Wouldn't have had to scribe. Looks good though.
Hello everyone. I'm back again with some major updates on my project. I've been pretty busy as you will see.... :)
The hardwoods are in and finished! We think they look pretty darn good. What do you think?
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In these you can see the lower kitchen cabinets I had started building. The workbench you see sitting on top of the cabinets will be re-tasked into the kitchen island.
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Looking toward the main living area from the bedroom/bathroom hall area.
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We just used a water based polyurethane from Parks. No stain was used. We like the natural contrasting color of the wood. Parks was $50 a gallon but very easy to use and dries fast. We put down 5 coats total over a 1 week period.
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Here are a few pics of my lower cabinets when under construction. This part of the project was fun for about 10 minuets then it turned into WORK!. The next 3 days sucked but they turned out okay. Home depot had a nice grade of plywood on sale for $24 a sheet so that's what I used. For the facing I used a nice cabinet grade pine also from Home Depot.
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Below is a picture of the workbench I built that was used all during the construction phase.
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I re-tasked the workbench which is now our center island. My wife calls it little Australia. It's about 7'6"x4'.
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It was about this time our lab "Duke" had to go under the knife to remove three tumors. He's doing fine now. Our little cocker "Serena" took good care of her big little brother during his recovery. She's the black mass in the third pic.
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We decided to go with granite tiles on the countertops. I found a great deal on them at a place in Atlanta. $2 per tile! 3/4 plywood and hardbacker board on top of that. Very solid base.
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We got a great deal on this sink. Would have rather had porcelain but the budget was getting tight. It included the faucet and the racks as part of the sink package.
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Fast forward a month and I decided to redo the front of the fireplace with stone.
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This is where I had a little accident. I was trying to make some of the grout lines darker with some stain and accidentally got some on the main slate tile. Well to make a long story short the stain soaked right into he slate. So as you can see in the next pic we now have a totally stained slate fireplace front. Looks okay but not what we had intended. Its growing on us.
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Another week and its time to move some more furniture in.... ;D
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I decided to go with shelves rather than upper cabinets. We like the country look.
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Duke hangin out on the back deck. He's fully recovered from his surgery.
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Well that's about it for now. Only 99 more thing on my to-do list and were done....:) We hope you all enjoyed.
Really enjoyed your story & pix! It all looks great [cool]
Following your build with interest. I am strongly leaning to the same size as yours!. The floors look great! Like the Tile tops. The fireplace from the pics looks interesting. the stain seemed to give it a rich, warm, older feel/look.
Thanks for the comments. I agree the fireplace has a warmer look now. One additional advantage is the slate is now sealed and less likely to flake off.
Last night about 11 PM it was raining pretty hard. I was on my computer in the living room and heard a loud crash that sounded like it came from the bedroom or bathroom. I looked around and found nothing out of place.
This morning I found out what it was. A 50 - 60 ft tree that was about 20 feet from the house had fallen. Luckily it fell away from the house.
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View from the bedroom.
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We managed to get the bedroom furniture in this morning before a mega storm hit. It's raining cats and dogs right now.
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The bed is a king and fits pretty well. About 3 ft clearance on either side.
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The bedroom has its own small wall mounted AC unit.
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We decided to go with on an demand propane hot water heater. I couldn't be more pleased with it. Its been working perfectly. It heats up 4 gallons per minute to between 109 and 125 in less than 20 seconds. It can be adjusted to any max temperature desired up to 140.
It's vented to the outside. The venting hardware was included with the unit. It has a srong fan than runs for about 15 to 20 secounds after the unit stops heating to ensure all the fumes are vented.
I installed two safety shutoff valves, one inside and one outside. Right now were using a standard size refillable propane tank. Same size as you might use for your grill. We have two larger tanks on our RV. I may swipe one for greater capacity....:) When we leave I just shut all the valves off an unplug the unit and disconnect the regulator outside.
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Another milestone today. Even with the bad weather Direct TV managed to get the Satellite dish installed. It's working perfectly.
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Below is my little office space in the corner by the front door. I had the internet installed last week. Unfortunately I need to be connected for business reasons. Of course Duke is nearby as always.... ::)
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WELL documented build you have here with many detailed pics of the inside almost finished look....
I never would of liked a kitchen with the layout you have BUT it looks and works very well in the pictures and it all comes together with that huge honking island in the middle which defines the kitchen!
Very well done sir...
Did I miss the upstairs pics/print?
No you didn't miss them saince I had not posted any but I just took these. I still have a lot of work to do up there but its on my list of to-do's.
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Hi Everyone,
It's been well over a year since my last posting. We've really been enjoying our little Lakehouse. The pictures below are from the week of 4th of July. In the first picture you'll see four of our five nephews. Josh 16, Jackson 11, Kingsley 10, Landis 7 and of course Duke 10 (the yellow lab) in the middle of it all. Jordan 19, was still sleeping up in the loft.
What I find interesting about this picture is that if you look closely you'll see each of them has their head buried into a computer, iPad or other device. After I snapped this picture they were all kicked out of the house without their computer/devices to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.
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Josh doing what most 16 year old's do a lot of. He's 6'2" with size 13 feet and still growing!
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Jerry and Yvonne having fun on the lake. I was running at about 30 MPH.
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This fall/winter I'm planning to install a backup solar power system. My next post will focus on that project.
Best,
Tony
I have also bought the 1.5 story plans and have been trying to figure out how I want to modify the basic plans. Taller walls, full loft, longer etc. After seeing your pictures I really like what you have done. Other than lengthening the standard plans to 40ft what othe changes did you make? It is a bit hard to tell but did you use 8 or 10 ft studds for the walls?
Keep up the good work, very inspirational!
Going longer is more or less simple as long as the foundation keeps pace. Other changes such as increased width and/or height gets you into changes in material sizes at the least and may require engineering in some circumstances. Best advice on changes is to post what you would like to do in a topic you can start.
Nice work! I love what your doing with the house. I live in Loganville and have property close to Lake Oconee. I should start building a 20X34 cottage in the next week.
I wanted to mention about your septic system. I had to take a test with the State of Ga and got a one time license to install my septic system. I had to call 5 different state depts till I finally got in touch with someone that knew the rules for DIY septic systems.
Hi Cougr,
Thanks for your comments. There were a number of small changes I made to the plan. As Mountain Don commented theres really no magic to extending the length. You can make it as long as you want as long as the foundation is there to support it. The walls are 8ft. Technically they're 8'5" when you add the bottom and top plates. This was a departure from the plan. At the time I didn't think we really needed the extra height since it was going to be 16' to the ceiling peak and since the room length was being extended from 20 to 27 feet long.
Hindsight is 20/20. If I had to do over again I would've follow the plan more closely and put in the higher walls. Not that I necessarily wanted higher walls but not having them impacted my ability to build the stairs correctly. I spent nearly a month trying to configure stairs that worked. Ultimately I built and ripped them out three times. That's one of the reasons we went with the loft ladder instead of stairs. The loft ladder works out pretty well since mostly it's just kids that are staying up in the loft.
Another area I changed were the floor joists. I used 2x 20's to make them extra beefy. I guess I was a little paranoid about my wife's family spending some holiday at the lake house and the floor sagging under the weight of 25+ people. I kept having flashbacks to when I was about 10 years old and a floor jack gave way in the crawl space at my parents house on Christmas day.
We hosted a new year's day dinner with 25 - 30 people in and out of the house and the floor was rock solid.
The only other structural area change I can think of was putting collar ties on every rafter. I don't think that was required per plan but I figured what the heck.
Best,
Tony
Hi Frank,
We're practically neighbors! I'm excited about following the progress on your project.
The Hart County health department would not allow me to put the septic system in myself. I had to hire a contractor that was on their approved list to do the work. I think they're overriding concern was an inexperience landowner putting in a septic system that might somehow leach into the waters of Lake Hartwell and or the surrounding water wells.
Best,
Tony
R/L Carriers just delivered my 4 Renogy 300Watt panels purchased from Solar Systems USA. Unfortunately the delivery was not without issues.
One of the straps was broken, the plastic ripped and a perfect indentation of a boot heel punched through the top cardboard indicating someone had stepped on the shipment.
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The R/L driver would not allow me to inspect the shipment before signing the delivery paperwork. On the delivery paperwork it clearly states by signing you agree to have received the shipment in good condition.
When I told the driver in order for me to determine if the shipment arrived in good condition I must inspect it. He responded that it's against company policy to allow shipments to be inspected before signing the delivery paperwork indicating you received it in good condition. Yes he really did say that.... Twice!
Anyone else have a problem with this oxymoron approach? This wasn't my first time dealing with companies like this so I simply told him since I wasn't going to be allowed to inspect the shipment I was refusing it and he could load it back on his truck.
He then got on the phone with his customer service team and about 5 minutes later he gave me the go ahead to open and inspect the shipment.
The good news is the panels were not damaged and I signed the paperwork. The bad news is I'm giving Solar Systems USA and their carrier R/L Carriers a customer service score of "F" for putting me through this crap.
From and overall customer service point of view I'm giving Solar Systems USA "D+". They have extremely poor internal communications. Evidenced by the fact multiple people contacted me multiple times regarding placing the same order. All of these people were independent contractors trying to book the same sales order. This went on and on for over a week via phone and email before they finally figured out my order had already been booked and paid for.
I'm sure they've got explanations to everything that happened but for all the readers out there these are the facts man!
Now let's just hope everything else arrives without incident.
Best,
Tony
Freight companies vary and in most cases we can not specify who we want to bring it. That is too bad as we've had better experiences with some than others. Some are more friendly in that their drivers volunteer the info that you can inspect the shipment before signing. Maybe that varies with the individual driver too as they all want to get home sooner than later. We've never had an issue with inspecting anything brought to us by Yellow. Maybe we've been lucky. That is not to say no problems, but inspecting never a problem and getting problems solved never a big deal. They have had some of the nicest delivery drivers.
Hidden in among all the terms and conditions there is usually ways to deal with hidden damage, but that too is sometimes not talked about.
In my checkered past I co-owned a small OTR trucking company. We had our own Authority. I pretty much did everything from A-Z on the business side of things including negotiating rates on loads with brokers to having the trucks repaired to dealing with customers with damaged loads. That led to starting and operating a small chain of shipping stores similar to the UPS store or FedEx/Kinko's. Sold my interests in both businesses early 2008 before the bottom fell out of the economy. I've been that guy on the phone talking to the driver making the decision what to do next when somethings gone wrong. When I said in my original post this was my first time dealing with companies like this I really meant it.
I know exactly what their angle was. The driver knew the shipment could've possibly been damaged. He was standing right there with me looking at the damage packaging. Once that little piece of paper indicating you received you shipment in "good condition" is signed their off the hook for any damage. At best if there had been damage discovered after I sign a piece of paper I would've been an uphill battle trying to get someone to do the right thing.
Solar Systems USA policy related to receiving shipments clearly states all damage must be identified and documented before acceptance of the shipment. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it and say it was a misunderstanding or I didn't understand the policy or there's probably some language buried someplace in the contract that would protect me. Thats just not the way it was.
Am I saying all transport companies operate like this. Absolutely not. But I am saying this one tried to today. Call me old-fashioned but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect professional courteous service and the ability to inspect something I paid thousands of dollars for especially when I'm the one footing the bill.
Hi,
I'm not surprised to hear about your expirience with trucking company. While ago I ordered toilet seat from internet company. I needed 10in rough-in and stores only carry 12in. Faucets.com company that I placed order with had exactly same policy inspect before signing and absolutly no returns. Since I missed the delivery I went to UPS branch to pick it up myself, UPS person told me that I need to sign first. I took a risk I was already waiting few days :( . After I installed the tank it started to leak..., hairline crack. I called faucets.com explain sitiuation and they send me new tank. I would miss that crack even if I had oportunity to inspect it. It was not visible. But in the retrospect I should have refuse that package, but then what I still need that toilet. Thanks to faucets.com it worked out okay.
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