Hey!
I've posted a bit before about our off-the-grid, off-the-septic, off-the-hot-water cabin in Washington: http://coyotecottage.com/
Well, we lived there for seven years until we recently became aware of our growing weariness with the rural lifestyle which, with a kid in school, translates into lots of driving and still not enough peer time for an activity hungry boy.
Last labor day as a temporary distraction we loaded some camping gear on our bicycles and rode 1800 miles to Moab, Utah to revisit the place where Bjorn was born 11 years ago. Charmed by old and new friends we decided to move back here.
Now I'm starting to build a new version of our Washington cabin, this time located right in the middle of town, with all the rules, regs and red tape associated with dense neighborhoods. New to me is the concept of building permit, sewer hook up and a lot size of a mere 70 x 80 feet.
What we had in the Northwest was ideal, comfortable and simple. Except for the loneliness and remote location we found out precisely what we wanted in a house. Can it be redone to our taste under the scrutiny a narrow minded authority? Maybe. Affordable too? Prolly not.
Our little place will be in this development: http://www.mulberrygroveonline.com/
While different than the usual obscure hunting retreat and back woods hippie dwelling, I still hope there will be something of interest in this account. That is if I have time and energy to update it regularly!
On the program this week: Connecting to the grid (ouch!!) and digging a bunch of trenches.
Jan
The south elevation, with 700 sq two story house on right 520 sq shop on left:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/south_elev.jpg)
Exciting new adventure, Jan. Can't wait to see / hear more.
Good to see you back here, Jan. This should be an interesting project. I hope you do find some time for updating.
Is the development south of Mill Creek, near Pear Tree LN?
Are there many who have built already? The green points worksheet is an idea I've not seen before.
Hi Jan, good to see you post here too. I've followed your Coyote Cottage for some time too!
Have you sold the Coyote Cottage yet?
Love you boats you make. My wife's parents have a similar "i forget the name of it" sailboat as you sailed on in some of your trips you posted. It's small and green and looks like a tugboat because of the pilot house. I don't have the link anymore but they enjoyed seeing where others had gone on a the same boat.
Wishing you the best of luck.
Jan sent me an email link to the biking adventure the family took finding the property they are now building on. I'm sure they won't mind sharing these pictures with us. It is a really great story...
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=115080&v=8S
(https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/jraabe/jan.jpg)
Put up the combination meter box, cut down a few rotting cottonwoods which eventually would have crashed on the house, and staked out the corners of the future buildings. All in all a productive stretch of time spent in the sun.
Tomorrow the big machines operated by men of great wisdom will arrive and start their work.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/lot1.jpg)
The glorious dirt patch
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/meter.jpg)
Waiting for the power company
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/stump.jpg)
Not much held up that towering tree
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/pathway.jpg)
Behind the lot is the Mill creek Parkway..
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/rotarypark.jpg)
..and the Rotary Park
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/orchard1.jpg)
Orchards in bloom within Mulberry Grove
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/orchard2.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/greenbelt.jpg)
Green belt and park which is part of common area
To answer a few questions: Mulberry Grove is between Mill Creek and Pear Tree, and we are the first to break ground in the development. No, we haven't sold CoyoteCottage yet.
Today the trenches were dug with a little nifty apparatus the concrete guy had, and form work were begun. Everything ended up on layout and square, so we are happy for now. The footers are down 24" and integral with the stem walls and slab, making it what the Steve the concrete guy calls a monolithic pour. Slab height is 8-10" above grade.
On Monday I called for an inspection of my meter box work, but so far no one has shown up. The one-man framing crew (me) is anxiously wanting to plug in saws and drills by Tuesday. We'll see.
In the late afternoon I interfaced with the plumber, who also runs a mountain bike tour company. It is Moab after all. While I have a decent grasp on the more superficial aspects of plumbing, I felt it could end up being money well spent to have someone else bury the pipes under 4" of concrete slab and those hefty stem walls.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/digger.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/forms1.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/forms2.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/forms3.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/mike.jpg)
Quote from: jan nikolajsen on April 22, 2010, 08:33:32 PM
To answer a few questions: Mulberry Grove is between Mill Creek and Pear Tree,
Cool, that is a nice area, a bit of country close enough to the shops to bicycle to and fro. I have a friend with property in south Moab. Having a plumber do the pipes that will be encased in all that concrete is probably money well spent.
Do you get to share in the fruits of the orchard?
Quote from: jan nikolajsen on April 22, 2010, 08:33:32 PM
In the late afternoon I interfaced with the plumber, who also runs a mountain bike tour company. It is Moab after all. While I have a decent grasp on the more superficial aspects of plumbing, I felt it could end up being money well spent to have someone else bury the pipes under 4" of concrete slab and those hefty stem walls.
The dirt in the pictures appears like it might have a pretty good clay content. Here in SA there are many houses that are built on a slab on top of heavy clay soil. When it's wet the clay swells and the slabs move. Same when it dies out. The clay shrinks and the slabs move. Lots of older houses - 20 to 40 years old - have nasty problems with water and drain pipes breaking because of the slab movement.
Those places that were built with the live pipes inside a larger sleeve pipe don't seem to have problems - even if the slab moves 4" or more as the soil wets and dries. A work compadre just spent over $8K last summer getting broken pipes fixed under his house slab.
Might be the same thing with freezing and thawing. Dunno what's what in Moab. But might pay to get several opinions.
Leo
Good point, Leo. We followed your advice and sleeved all the pipes, including extra material where they penetrate the slab.
Here's pics of progress up to the finished foam-work before pouring:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/foam1.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/foam2.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/foam3.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/foam4.jpg)
Big day today. Covered all the blue board with 35 yards of mud.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/pour2.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/pour1.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/pour3.jpg)
Now the real fun can begin. :D
..yes, fun indeed.
Spent two days flashing the blue board surrounding the stem walls. The inspector wanted me to go 8" below grade, so I trudged around with a shovel for a bit. The vertical part of the job consisted of unrolling 50' sections of galvanized sheet metal, holding it up against the foam and then back filling to keep it in place. Wrapping around the top and over onto the slab I glued on 3"x3" corner flashing. This is just part of the job, as more detailing and weather proofing will happen later.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/flashing.jpg)
The walls will be 2x4 double walls with 3" of space between, for a total R-value of maybe 35. The first exterior part is coming along good, with most of them up by now. With the double walls there will be very few areas of thermal bridging.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may10_1.jpg)
The home made chop saw table with 9' support on one side and 5' on the other. Holding up good, considering the $20 cost.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may10_3.jpg)
I'm using O.V.E. (optimized value engineering) framing techniques. This greatly reduces the number of studs required, not only saving lumber, but also leaves a lot more space for insulation. Some of the methods used can be seen in the pic of the window framing.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may10_2.jpg)
This massive, ratcheting, over built version of the wimpy, and annoyingly over rated quick grip clamps have restored my faith in this type of tool. Use it all the time. Amazingly powerful.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/irwin.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_1.jpg)
The outer (and structural) 2x4 wall is up, all around. Next is to build the house again, inside, in shape of another off-set 2x4 wall.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_2.jpg)
Ahh, the waste.. here the window cut outs.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_3.jpg)
Looking out the big loading door of the shop, with the family quarters behind.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_4.jpg)
Bjorn helping, sort of.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_5.jpg)
Looking from the kitchen area towards the shop. Interior walls will partition it all off.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_6.jpg)
The 4 south facing windows of the downstairs.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_7.jpg)
Shop.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_8.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may13_9.jpg)
Our current residence, a 1971 Trillium. Been good to us for the last 6 months.
Another week went by. Did all the double walls on the ground floor, started the floor joists and other tidbits.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_1.jpg)
The two walls have a 3" space between them. The outer have J-bolts cast into the foundation, while the inner is fastened with drilled expansion bolts. By now I have sunk 85 of those 5" thingies into the cement.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_2.jpg)
9 1/2" engineered floor joists over the east 320 sq ft of the house.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_3.jpg)
The opening for the staircase, also showing the 10 inches deep walls, tied together with 1/2" plywood.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_4.jpg)
Another view of the top plates.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_5.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_6.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_7.jpg)
Bro-in-law Ralf is here to help for 2 weeks
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may20_8.jpg)
Shade is essential when the temps soar.
is there AC in the 1971? If not are there any options as the summer temps arrive?
No AC, but yes, there are options. A few weeks after school is out we're doing this:
(http://fivenineclimber.com/images/boats/turnstone/summer08/jervis1.jpg)
Great report Jan! Good documentation we can all learn from.
That sailing trip looks like a powerful motivator. :D :D :D
Quote from: jan nikolajsen on May 21, 2010, 09:10:37 AM
No AC, but yes, there are options. A few weeks after school is out we're doing this:
(http://fivenineclimber.com/images/boats/turnstone/summer08/jervis1.jpg)
Like your boat, It's a Nimble right? I was out on my father in law's Nimble 27 a few weeks ago. He doesn't have the rear sail though.
I spend too much time in the office! Arrrrrggghhh
Wow Jan. I've been a long time fan of your work. I felt a lot of what you were saying in your posts about being remote and growing tired of the commute. I Love the pics and the implementation of the O.V.E.
Can't wait to see how this turns out. Best of luck!
Thanks, Bishopknight.
Here's a couple of new pics from the last days;
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_5.jpg)
67 kwh to build the house so far. Quite affordable at 8 cents per kwh. Too bad the electricity comes from the coal fired plants south of here.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_6.jpg)
Looking thru a shop window at the nearly completed second story
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_4.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_3.jpg)
View from the east facing kitchen window.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_2.jpg)
Living room/kitchen. Looks a lot bigger than the actual 320 sq ft inside measurement, thanks to the 24mm wide angle lens on my Ricoh.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_1.jpg)
With 2x4 double walls there's lots of room in the corner for insulation, an area that's typically is nothing but studs.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may24_7.jpg)
Late yesterday afternoon we put the last nail in the wall framing of the house. The biggest dimensional lumber that has gone into it so far was a couple of 16' 2x6's cut up for headers. Not bad for a house with 10" thick walls.
Spent a day and a half struggling with the staircase. Despite having built 3 of these in various configurations before, I still have a hard time getting it all right.
Fitting a staircase in small house with space constraints is even trickier and it means going right up to the allowed sizes to make this massive, overwhelming hulk as small as possible. The max riser size per code is 7 3/4". In the end my risers ended up at 7 7/8, some even at nearly 8". Hopefully the inspector will not whip out his tape. Treads can be no smaller than 10", which is what I got.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may29_5.jpg)
I managed to get all the treads from the left over sub flooring scraps. Later I will find some suitable solid wood to stick on there. The risers are 3/8" cdx that actually looked alright, and I'm contemplating making those the finished surface. The width from wall to wall is 37".
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may29_4.jpg)
I'm still missing to do the sheet rock blocking.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may29_3.jpg)
Another issue was meeting the 6'8" headroom requirement. Well, I didn't. Simply no room here. So the action needed is to take out the double I-beams marked BCI in the pic and transfer the wall load to those headers above. Luckily it is not a bearing wall. Poor planning on my part, but in the end it will hopefully work out.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may29_2.jpg)
The treads are supported at the ends by two notched 1x12's glued, screwed and nailed to some nice 2x12's. In the center is a notched 2x.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/may29_1.jpg)
looks like you will have a very snug little home there! I'm surprised more people don't double frame the walls. If you seal it up real tight ..just make sure you have some way of getting fresh air in there. Looking forward to the rest of your build ..nice job! [cool]
Are you going to use blown in cellulose or maybe sprayfoam??
speedfunk: the plan for insulation is one inch of spray foam followed by blown in blankets (BIB's) or as you suggest, wet spray cellulose.
Cool. I had to look up blown in blankets . Never heard of it before.
The BIBS system is very good at filling all the voids that reduce the performance of batt insulation. I have been using BIBS in custom homes (and the addition to my own) since the mid 1980's. It is a specialty contractor install and its higher performance comes at little additional cost.
I did a study in the Superinsulated Design and Construction (http://www.amazon.com/Superinsulated-Design-Construction-Building-Energy-Efficient/dp/0442260512) book on the importance of insulation voids. In short, the higher the cavity insulation the larger the percentage of heat that is getting out through the voids. For superinsulation levels you have to deal effectively with this issue.
http://www.bibs.com/
When BIBS is used with spray foam as a air sealing/high-R insulation barrier at the framing stage it is an unbeatable combination. In Jan's double wall configuration this should result in an astoundingly low heat transfer rate.
Thanks for the encouragement, John. Your comments tipped the scale in favor of a foam/BIBS envelope.
But all that will have to wait a few more weeks - maybe months! Today a very skilled forklift operator stacked three sets of trusses on our building, here show positioning the first set of the shop roof:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/forklift1.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/forklift2.jpg)
Sure beats pulling those things up there yourself! :D
Been absent here for a while. Last post was June 2. Well, to make a long story short; on June 3 I fell off a ladder and broke my calcaenus (heel bone). While relatively minor, it is painful and slow to heel. After having 10 screws and some Ti inserted, I pretty much sat on the couch (and our sailboat) until a few weeks ago. Still unable to put in an honest day of work, so progress is slow.
After the injury we had to hire a contractor to put the remaining trusses up then sheath and paper the roof (ouch: $2000 labor!!) to weather proof things until I could get back.
As is evident from the pic I have yet to brave the tall ladder work!
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept15.jpg)
Oh no, very sorry to hear of your accident. I thought you were simply taking the summer off and had gone someplace less hot. Best of luck with the healing and welcome to the titanium club.
Sorry to hear about the ladder incident. That's a real bummer. I fell in my workshop about 2 months ago landing on my knee (concrete floor). It's slow to heal but I was lucky. Your place is looking great!
By the way. . .is that a Byer of Maine Acadian Cot in that one picture? If it is a Byer cot, and was purchased within the last 10 years, I made the wood parts for it. Also, the drawing on the instruction tag was done by me. ;)
I fell off my roof as well! hurt my knee. I think we all need to put together a safety sticky with tips on how to build scaffolding and different safety tips.
Jan I love your area down there. Good choice - no great choice of location. I have plates in my right ankle and screws from a horse accident. Great news! It healed up just great with a little rehab and time. Don't rush it. It never gives me a minutes trouble. The surgeon told me it might be cold sensitive, however I never have found that at all.
Jan:
Best wishes for a full recovery. Nasty thing those tall ladders. Have taken a ride or two myself.
Thanks, everybody. However, the show must go on, as Pink said. So I waddle around the site with my big boot velcro'ed on, avoiding the tall ladders for now.
Here's a few more pics:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_1.jpg)
Wrapping the lower wall sections in galv metal.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_7.jpg)
I got the cheap stuff off the shelf at the yard, and cut it to size myself.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_2.jpg)
The skirt is capped by cedar boards. I first envisioned using Hardi-Trim for the cap, to keep it durable and fire proof as high up as possible, but at almost $2 per foot that idea was scrapped.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_6.jpg)
The skirting is bumped out 2 1/2 inches, to make room for a band of insulation running around the building just above foundation level. Why this in a house with R-35 walls? Well, the foundation is wrapped in 2" blue board right up to the sill. But since I couldn't frame the walls on top of the foam, I had to move them in 2" and thereby creating a little step, ready to collect water and other mischief. Also now there was a thermal break, which is one of my phobias. So when a friend gave me a ton of left over ICF foam I could solve both issues.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_5.jpg)
I sleep in the house every night to keep unwanted visitors at bay until lock sets and all windows are in. The cot is indeed a Maine Acadian which Jeff922 skillfully produced!!
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_4.jpg)
Shavings..
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_3.jpg)
Also spent three days building a little insignificant overhang to meet the Architectural Design Committee's strict requirements for unbroken wall height (serious!!) and shade the downstairs windows from summer sun.
That eyebrow overhang does look good and may keep the place cooler in the summer. You may grow to love it even if it didn't come about in the best way possible. :D :D :D
Wow amazing job guys!
Ya Hardi-trim is a rip off. I would've done the same thing.
Finally done with the framing, including the hundreds of little details that all take a ton time. Cleaned up the entire house, vacuumed and swept, hauled out scraps and nails and tools, then set up for the next chore: Electrical.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct1.jpg)
A pile of stuff, including a small fortune of copper.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct1_2.jpg)
Having lived in a 12V off-the-grid home for the last 8 years, all this high voltage stuff is a bit overwhelming...
Well, you are cleaned up and ready to go... you have the right books, and you're a careful and thorough guy so I'm sure you will do a fine job.
One memory I have is of working with an owner-builder design client of mine almost 30 years ago. He was a very meticulous dentist and did a great job on his wiring only to be informed by the inspector that the wire specification had changed 3 weeks before and he would have to replace all the cable.
Electrical codes change often and it could be valuable to check your materials and layout with a local journeyman.
Nice build ! I have a few Q's
I did'nt see a damp course membrane between the ground and the concrete, or are you taking the nicely done foam as the barrier ?
Plumbing -nothing worse than a cemented in line that springs a leak, and you spend 2 weeks chasing it across the house to locate the leak and not just where the water flows up.
Is there any US reason why you can't put in a duct,ie a 4" duct for a 2" pipe, and if and when it fails can be replaced without hammering through anything ? this is a question to all ?
You mention ducting yours but can't see from clearly from the photo's
UK4X4:
All the supply lines are PEX (http://www.pexinfo.com/ (http://www.pexinfo.com/)), which is stiff but still flexible. They are sleeved with oversized black poly irrigation pipes and slides freely therein.
The drains are not sleeved, just buried below the slab. Being large rigid PVC with many bends and joints I can't really see how that could be done otherwise.
No 'damp course membrane' installed. Concrete contractor and inspector said not necessary. It is desert here.
Busy doing the wiring. Initially bought 40 of those blue boxes, thinking that this is a modest sized house and I could always take the extras back for a refund. Think again. I have since had to get at least 25 more! Outlets, receptacles, switches, fire alarms, junction boxes, etc. I have run more than 1200' of wire, and I'm not done yet. The wire is fastened with almost 300 of those big insulated staples:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct10_electrical.jpg)
Hopefully this panel will clean up and look neat when I'm done..:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct10_panel.jpg)
These are nice fall days here in Moab, so in between all the wiring I snug outside and did the metal on the smaller half of the house. The product is called SL-16, and snap together like Lego, with no exposed fasteners. Regular metal roof with a screw hole every 16 inches just seem silly to me, rubber washers or not. The color is 'bone' for maximum heat reflection:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct10_sl16.jpg)
SL-16 is about the most expensive of the regular metal roofing options. But compared to a neighbor who chose the ever popular rusted look, I got out downright cheap. Pre-rusted and aged metal may be the latest fad in the West, and admittedly looks right at home above hand plastered bale walls, but the cost is high and it still got all those holes!!:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct10_rust.jpg)
In another thread on this forum I whined about the Tri-Flex roofing paper leaking like a sieve here before putting the metal on. My roof is only 3/12, the Tri-Flex is specified with a rather modest overlap and fastened with nails and washers. Not having the 'greasy' attributes of tar paper I can easily imagine those nails admitting moisture (yes, more holes-in-the-roof phobia!). Whatever the reason for the leaks I wasn't about to rely only on one barrier (the metal) against wind driven rain. No matter how bomber it is you wouldn't hang from just one anchor ten pitches up a granite wall, right? So we went and got a few more rolls and laid them down perpendicular, running up and down, to the first layer. It got a tight row of staples right at the overlap and nowhere else, and then I covered the staples and overlap with strips of that tenacious self stick tar product called Ice Guard. The result is a tight roof even during recent very ferocious thunderstorms.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct10_triflex.jpg)
OMG, this house building takes so long time... mid October already, and we really want to get out of the little 12' trailer before winter comes, even though the winter here is not so threatening as in other places featured on this forum. Waiting for the tankless water heater to come in so the plumber can do his thing (one thing I decided not to learn about) before the officials do their framing-plumbing-electrical-mechanical inspection, which around here is called the '4-way'.
After that, if all's okay, we won't see them until the final.
Sheet rocking is around the corner.
The roof is 99.9% done. As we all know that remaining 0.1 percent will be left undone for years, together with the last piece of door trim and that little corner of missing paint, forever bugging us and always making us think, 'next weekend, for sure'.
Anyway, almost $3K in material to cover a 26x22 roof, and a 34x30 roof.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct15_roof1.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct15_roof2.jpg)
Speaking of roofs, don't leave tar paper up exposed for several weeks, while busily turning your back:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct15_paper.jpg)
That 30 spot breaker panel sure filled up quick! A couple of 240V base board circuits, 2 dedicated kitchen runs, plus a separate fridge outlet, smoke alarms on their own circuit, more 240V for shop and stove, bathroom GFCI's, etc.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct15_panel.jpg)
All that's left of the electrical is figuring out what to do with this 200' bundle of Cat5 data cable:
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct15_cat5.jpg)
Jan,
About the hard-wired smoke alarms. I've noticed that the last few years the electricians I know have started wiring the smoke alarms on a lighting circuit that is used daily. Usually kitchen, family room, or master bedroom. That way if the breaker trips or is turned off you know right away.
I like the roof metal and color choice. Too bad your on the grid there, I bet a P.V. system would rock in that climate!
Good suggestion, Shawn, on the wiring of smoke alarms. Will talk to the inspector about it.
Started siding a bit, while simultaneously getting water heater and electrical wrapped up. A while ago the nearby Big Box had a good deal on cedar fence boards. My thrifty mind wondered if this sixty cents per square material could be used as siding? They are only six feet long, but that happened to be very close to the vertical run from the top of my galvanized skirting the the next horizontal break.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct20_siding1.jpg)
The reason why these are cheap is two fold: the grade is mixed from poor to more than okay, and they are sopping wet. Well, at said Big Box you load your own lumber, so grading can be redone right there at the tailgate, with an eye to the whereabouts of department managers... and, if one plans sufficiently ahead, the boards should be stacked and stickered for several weeks before use.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct20_stack.jpg)
To further ensure even drying and for a nice golden color I applied a coat of Tung oil mixed 50/50 with solvent on both sides.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct20_tung.jpg)
They went on with very little effort. As a vertical siding the ladder work on the second story was easy, as opposed to hanging 12' Hardi planks without a helper and scaffolding. I don't plan to put on battens so there's no spacing between the boards. But they will shrink a bit, and looking at pure white house-wrap in the cracks would be less than desirable, so I backed each board with a 3" strip of tar paper standing proud of the leading edge. With that and all the flashing and house-wrap I'm not too worried about water infiltration. Plus it's the desert here. The biggest enemies of these boards are going to be relentless sun and heat. 8 screws in each, with a pre-drilled pattern and screws inserted halfway on the ground.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct20_siding2.jpg)
I haven't decided yet if this is a whole house scenario or just on the hard to do second story. That will probably end up being it, with aforementioned Hardi plank ship lap siding on the much larger first story run. On the south side of the house where there's lots of windows and other embellishments it will be a lot easier to do cedar that the cement planks, so it will likely end being a confusing mix of siding choices, mostly based on convenience and cost.
But those have been the guiding principles here at Coyote Cottage #2 since the start!!
"About the hard-wired smoke alarms. I've noticed that the last few years the electricians I know have started wiring the smoke alarms on a lighting circuit that is used daily. Usually kitchen, family room, or master bedroom. That way if the breaker trips or is turned off you know right away."
I wanted to comment on this. I am not sure about american code, but canadian electrical amendments forbid placing smoke detectors on dedicated breakers. They must be connected to a daily use circuit as Shawn B stated above.
About using up breaker spaces in your panel. Looks like a cutler hammer or commander style panel to me. If you run out of spaces you can purchase twins for a single pole space, or quads for a two pole space. A twin is just two mini breakers built on one case, and a quad is a two pole case with four minis built in. You can get different amperages on a quad such as 30 amp two pole in the middle and 2- single 15 amp breakers on the outside.
Your building looks great. Very inspiring.
Putting up Hardi-Plank siding the last few days, as the fall colors intensify and cooler temps lurk longer in the mornings.
Why not forget about that and get the inside done so we can move in and get comfy for winter? Plumbers, is the answer. Waiting for subs is aggravating, but it is partially because of my poor foresight and planning, partly because of hunting season and the maybe less than ideal work ethics of the chosen company. Anyway, they got fired and the better guy is coming (fingers crossed) on Monday morning. After that I can finally get inspected and move on to drywall and insulation. We'll see...
The Hardi stuff is actually really fun to work with. Goes up quick, looks good, feels very solid. The process is vastly improved with a few essential aids: A dedicated Hardi blade for the Skilsaw, and the SoloSiders that I got recommended form someone here on this forum. Working alone is no problem with those nifty little gadgets.
A couple of questions for the experts: I like the factory primed color. But Hardi tells me to topcoat with house paint within 180 days. Has anyone left their primed boards up for a long time?
Does this material shrink and swell with changes in moisture? Some of my joints are tighter than Hardi recommends and the planks are really dry right now. Don't want to have it buckle out and distort.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct31_solosider.jpg)
The tools. A hundred dollar investment made the process much easier.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct31_east2.jpg)
With a near perfect starter course the rest will look decent enough to pass most casual inspections...
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct31_west.jpg)
The west side of the shop is lots of wall, less windows. The 'crack' under the window is an extension cord.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/oct31_east.jpg)
The awkwardly tall and narrow east side. The original plan was to have a second story porch here, but the allocated funds disappeared. Hence the wooden belly band over the Hardi Plank, so if we get rich we can revert to porch idea.
I really like your mix of diff siding choices, gives alot of character to your project [cool]
Those SoloSiders are slick aren't they? Almost makes me want to build something else so I can use them again.
I never let our Hardi Plank sit in the manufacturers primer for too long once on our cabins walls, but I've had a couple pieces of scrap sitting around for about two years now. They've been rained on, snowed on, beat by the sun. Only the lower end that has been sitting on the ground shows any deterioration. Two to four inches or so are pretty bad with delamination happening at the ground contact end. The rest of the board looks fine with the rotten part cut off. It seems to be a fairly stable product. The primer even looks okay.
I was a bit tight in places with end gap clearances too. No problems have shown up and it's been 2 years. One thing I have wondered about is why are high altitude applications given wider recommended clearances?
When I painted it was late in the year (2 years ago November) with the temps dipping lower than most paints recommended application limits. I used Home Depot Ultra-something or other. It's fairly new with primer "built-in". The paint has one of the lower temperature ratings available. Sherwin Williams has one too. No issues.
In post 43 you show a roof end detail second pic down
with a half cut panel under the side trim
Should'nt the cut side of the panel be bent up a 90 deg underneath the trim ?
To channel water down and off the roof, as if its left flat water can get under the trim and presumably down to the wood etc
UK4X4:
Bending the edge of the last roof panel would be good. In the past on another building without 2' eaves I've attempted this, using channel lock pliers. It was not pretty, and long deformation 'bulges' spread out from the edge. Being a low pitch roof here, that sort of hack work would be clearly visible. I wonder what other tools available to regular folks could bent a neat edge?
Anyway, to stop water from getting to the plywood the plastic roof membrane was wrapped several inches down the fascia trim, and then cut flush with the underside of the trim piece after I installed it.
I want to say first off that I am really enjoying watching the progression of your build. It looks fantastic. [cool] We will likely do a skirting similar to yours. :)
EDIT: For thread clarity and ease of future reference I removed general question and placed it under General Forum as "Question on wall insulation"
MountainDon
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9762.new#new (http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9762.new#new)
bending sheet steel is a pain but doable by hand,
Lay sheet steel on flat surface or timber,clamp down another beam or angle iron on top having the lip you want to bend sticking out from the beams, walk along lightly tapping along its whole length moving the steel about a 1/2" per pass, you don't need 90deg a 45 a inch high would be sufficient
don't try one end fully bent 90 and then try going along the length the steel will pull out as you go along and the bendwil become curved.
and don't tell me you don't get heavy rain in Moab !....yep not everyday like the NW , but something eroded all those lovely rock formations ! and canyons !
This is going on right now, to the tune of $500/hour...
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov10_2.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov10_1.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov10_3.jpg)
Progress... What is your plan for insulation? Having the seperate stud walls would lead me to believe you will have 2 seperate insulations with an air gap or one continuous insulated space. If the latter, I cannot imagine what the bill will be to fill it all with foam.. It would be insulated though!
I believe Jan has a double wall framing system to break conduction through framing. There will be a 2nd layer of insulation to fill out to the interior wall finish. Not sure what he will use for that.
wet blown cellulose?
The insulation guys are done. Two days, full on. Good crew, mostly Navajo. And tonight winter is coming with this years first snow!
2000 sq.ft walls with 3 1/2" of SPF foam, then HD R-21 batts. Theoretical total around R-45.
900 sq.ft ceilings with 2" of SPF foam, then 16" of blown in fiberglass. Theoretical total around R-50.
All interior walls and ceilings insulated.
Cost: $8700.
Original plan for walls was 1" SPF foam, then wet spray fiberglass (BIB's). Contractor thought this combo, at roughly the same cost would be more effective. Not having to worry about settling issues is alright with me. Their cost for supplying & installing all those batts was less than my slightly discounted cost for the batts only at the local lumberyard. Then I would have had to spend a couple of days fitting them in, and still not saving anything.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov10_4.jpg)
Downstairs living room.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov10_5.jpg)
Shop
Looks like you could heat the place with a candle.
Nice progress!
The big candle in the sky is what we hope will do most of the work.
All us DIY's have something we're obsessing about. Insulation is mine.
Judging from your clothing, you don't need to plug the fridge in yet. ;D
Today we were hooking up to sewer and water. The sewer connection was somewhere at the 6' level, below gas, power and phone. We dug down and found an 18" gap between gas and power, just enough to gingerly get the bucket down, aided by lots of hand-digging and crossing fingers that we didn't rip any utilities apart.
The whole process was complicated by the termites that months ago had eaten the stake marking the stub out from the main sewer line. An old photo somebody had showed its relative position to the phone and power boxes, so we weren't totally in the dark.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov11_1.jpg)
The yellow thing down in the hole is the gas line at 3'. Sewer eventually showed up a 6'
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov11_2.jpg)
Found it!!
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov11_3.jpg)
The finished line, gently sloping until the big drop into the pit.
I want to install cedar trim on my cabin the same as in your picture here, how did you attach it to the house and keep the angle?
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/sept17_2.jpg)
We are at this point very close to having spent all our funds. This is not a bank loan kinda thing but pay as you go cash. I think we can pull it off to a point where the house is usable, but far from fancy. After all, what's left? Hang some sheet rock, tape and mud, paint, a few fancy floors upstairs, some counters and a couch. What more do we really need?
The account had $70000 in it when we started building.
The insulated concrete stem walls/slab cost $15000. Insulation $8700. Plumber $2500.
The rest I did myself. Just went to the lumberyard and dropped money every morning over the last many months. 140 sheets of plywood. A couple of units of two by fours. $2000 metal roof. $1200 electrical supplies. $2600 window and door package. 140 sheets of drywall. $1100 worth of Hardi-Plank. Water heater, sinks, vents, screws, trim wood, house wrap....
Not to mention the original $95000 lot, the $5000 sewer 'impact fee', $1000 to have my rough sketches turned into a permit worthy set of drawings.
Never again will I spend that amount of money, so fast, without blinking.
Quote from: astidham on November 11, 2010, 11:01:59 PM
I want to install cedar trim on my cabin the same as in your picture here, how did you attach it to the house and keep the angle?
I nailed on a 2x3, with the 3" side horizontal. The I nailed a 3/4" square batten on top, against the wall. The trim piece got a beveled inside corner, slightly undercut so it would flush against the wall at the top edge. The I screwed it to the 2x3/batten arrangement.
Not the best description, hope you can follow.
Thanks, I can follow that!
cannot go wrong with too much insulation ... ( well to a point i guess lol. )
your place is looking great jan. You might be out of cash..but not creativity :)
having limited funds adds lots of character.
[cool] [cool] [cool]
Moved in!!
We sheet-rocked the future living room on Saturday, cleaned up all the debris and dust on Sunday, and after a wet mop of the floor we set up camp. A blanket over the door opening keeps out the dust from working in the rest of the house. A little electric heater does the job of keeping us warm. We have a two burner propane camping stove, a bucket for a sink, a frost-free hydrant in the yard for water, but there's still, for a few days, a need to use the city park for the other bathroom affairs.
Feels good to be out of the miniature Trillium trailer, after a little more than a year. Especially with the winter season approaching.
The plan now is to finish the bathroom and Bjorn's room. But the race is over. Things will slow down a bit on the construction site as other pressing, but neglected issues are attended to, like mountain biking with my son.
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov14.jpg)
Congratulations [cool]
The whole project looks great!
Great Jan!
Quote from: jan nikolajsen on November 15, 2010, 10:12:31 AM
Moved in!!
We sheet-rocked the future living room on Saturday, cleaned up all the debris and dust on Sunday, and after a wet mop of the floor we set up camp. A blanket over the door opening keeps out the dust from working in the rest of the house. A little electric heater does the job of keeping us warm. We have a two burner propane camping stove, a bucket for a sink, a frost-free hydrant in the yard for water, but there's still, for a few days, a need to use the city park for the other bathroom affairs.
Near 31 years ago I done did the same thing! Winter comin' on. Closed in enough to shelter (the then) wife and baby (he's now 32 with 4 kids of his own!) All out in the hinterlands of north Idaho. Weren't much sunshine like you have in Moab, we had lots snow, dry wood and a barrel stove. Good memories - but I 'spose there were iffy times that I've forgot too.
All I can say is enjoy this special few weeks/months when you're camping inside.
But the whole project is lookin' real fine! [cool]
Yes, Leo, northern Idaho would be a more severe challenge, and as such a better experience (isn't that how it goes?!?). In fact this latest 'adventure' of ours is pretty tame. While cold, there's little snow, we're in the middle of town, etc.
The biggest danger is the city getting on our case for squatting without a CO.
Used up 4 full 10 hour days taping, mudding and painting just one room, Bjorn's. With a whole house waiting for that treatment I'd say there's job security in this project.
Maybe I'll get faster as I practice more, and maybe those seams will actually disappear at some point down the learning curve...
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov27_2.jpg)
(http://coyotecottage.com/mulberry/nov27_1.jpg)
Seams disappear with a little thing called texture! I'll give you credit. I have tried taping and floating many times and I usually invent new words to yell and find someone else to do it for me.. Your job looks pretty good.
"The biggest danger is the city getting on our case for squatting without a CO."
If they do, maybe presenting the scenario of your family draining local funds by utilizing the services of a homeless shelter will keep you only dancing with them until spring and more progress has been made.
Alot different from the eco friendly, small footprint home that inspired much of my build. What changed to make you want to head in this direction?
There is a learning curve. It took me a while but I found that working with three sizes of knives, going larger for successive coats and using thin layers more than thick. It also minimizes sanding.
Quote from: EaglesSJ on November 28, 2010, 03:21:04 PM
Alot different from the eco friendly, small footprint home that inspired much of my build. What changed to make you want to head in this direction?
You're right. Less innovative for sure.
Moving back within city limits basically limited my options to what's allowed.
We had a composting toilet. This is now out.
Gray water is technically permitted, but so contrived that the added expense rules it out.
Off the grid is legal, but impractical when the grid is there. We will have a 1000w PV inter-tie system.
The home part of the current house is about 700, the other was 550. What makes this look big is the shop which now is attached.
Got the grid inter-tie solar array installed.
(https://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx40/jan_nikolajsen/jan03_2.jpg)
(https://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx40/jan_nikolajsen/jan03_1.jpg)
When you have time some of us (me) would like details on your PV grid tie syste, including how good or how poor the power company buy back plan is.
Looks great, but doesn't look so small! c*
Quote from: Sassy on January 04, 2011, 02:07:08 PM
Looks great, but doesn't look so small! c*
You're right, not that small. Bigger than the last one, for sure. We have 12" thick walls, so for a real idea about square footage we calculate it on the inside (like you would a strawbale house, for instance), and it gives us 640'-ish for living divided on two stories, plus a 500'-ish shop.
Hi
Any news?
Hope you are all well.
xyz
??
Moab in summer is hot as hell. Jan and family are probably off somewhere more cool.
Sounds a good plan