Northern MI Homestead

[NorthernMich]

It was great to browse the projects here....wow.  So many of us know the work, time and money involved.

I'd like to share my journey.  It started with two wooded lots in 1998 or so.  I built a small 7x13 "trapper cabin".  While very small it does have a treated beam foundation...so it could be moved.  Totally insulated.

Rough oak 24" OC trusses, rough cut sidewalls.  It was gray at first to blend into the woods, I later decided to dress it up with cedar and could not bear to paint the cedar gray.  It has a sleeping loft with two pexiglass skylights.  Piped for propane to an RV heater, sink and uninstalled woodstove.  A lantern will keep it warm, although it was -17 this winter and I have not tested that theory

Projects in order-trapper cabin, road, electric to H panel, garage-needs siding (has loft), second drive, Morton pole barn (30x60)-they do an awesome barn, basement dug out....decided to as 12x20 sunroom...so excavation needed again.  chicken coop, 4x8 deer blind

WOODS

Trapper Cabin

ROAD

Electric

Garage

more later....

[NorthernMich]

more...

garage foundation...had to join the ROCK crowd in here....I have rocks too

garage foundation

Pole Barn, tractor with flat  

Door On Garage

Garage in background, house excavation

[NorthernMich]

Basement dig

more...

2006 garden (raised beds)

Sorta what I want....ICF all the way up, open loft 28x44 walkout with sunroom

Thanks for looking....the chicken coop pics disappeared  

[glenn-k]

Nice area, scenery and projects.  Glad I'm not the only one with rocks.  We just circled a bunch up and made raised bed garden between them and behind a rock wall.  Can't let the gophers go hungry. :-/

[MountainDon]

Lovely woods. Lots of work you've done there. Very nice.

[desdawg]

Nice area. Man I hate this dialup connection. It try's to load all of the pictures at one time and I wind up with none of them for a long time.

[NorthernMich]

Updates to follow-garage, gravel, looking to build 12 x 24 cabin in one west 2 acre section

[NorthernMich]

Family can be awesome.  I arrived at the property last week to find them removing the culvert that I had been made to buy and put in by the county.  They are redoing the road and a ditch was open and a new longer one had been laid.  As I crossed by foot across the ditch, one of the four-man crew was my cousin.  

In conversation, I said if I knew you guys were tearing up the road I'd have gotten some of that gravel with my tractor...and laughed.  I also asked my cousin if he was part of the crew that brought in new gravel and he said no....to bad I said, I would take a couple loads of gravel. He said he wasn't.

I returned two days later to find BOTH driveways graveled and leveled.  My first thought was THAT cousin of mine, the second was that my local excavating guy came before I got an estimate and got the communication mixed up.  A return phone call confirmed I had no bill from him coming.  Finally found my cousin  and asked him if he was the gravel "fairy".  He laughed and said yes.  He told me they hit some high spots and brought 150 yards in....wow, 150 yards.

I brought him three packages of landjaegars for lunch (yep you non hicks can Google that).  I now plan to get #20 of venison landjaegars made up for him this fall.


West drive

East drive

[glenn-k]

Garage looks great and nice surprise on the driveway.

[MountainDon]

No need to be a hick. Just have German ancestry. Type of dried snack sausage. At least the Grandma made were.

And that's a very nice road, BTW.

[nyvinny]

NorthenMich Glad you posted your projects,looks terrific so far,Your property looks similar to ours with the long driveway and sites up in back for buildings. we are considering a morton barn, one drawback is a long waiting list,but sales office close by. How was your experience with them. Many people have ordered and had them built by them.They have a style and size for everyone.The benchmark around here is morton and no I don't work for them.Just curious about details on your barn ,looks great.Maybe you could post a  few pics on construction of your barn.How about info on your electric service to your site,length of run ,difficulty with rock,etc. thanks for sharing.

[NorthernMich]

NorthenMich Glad you posted your projects,looks terrific so far,Your property looks similar to ours with the long driveway and sites up in back for buildings. we are considering a morton barn, one drawback is a long waiting list,but sales office close by. How was your experience with them. Many people have ordered and had them built by them.They have a style and size for everyone.The benchmark around here is morton and no I don't work for them.Just curious about details on your barn ,looks great.Maybe you could post a  few pics on construction of your barn.How about info on your electric service to your site,length of run ,difficulty with rock,etc. thanks for sharing.

Let's see if I can help...first off I am so glad that I use an accordion type plastic file box where I keep receipts, paperwork and info on projected projects...makes it real easy to retrieve things ,I work at being organized-not natural

Morton- I viewed several Morton buildings locally, for a rural community we have many.  One local body shop had one close and near the size I wanted....but has the paint room and full insulation and an office....the owner could not say enough good things about his.  I find mine to be straight and "heavy-duty" as far as it's thickness of metal, paint, attention to detail.....my specifics: local construction quotrd me $32,000, my Morton was $35,566.  (30 x 60) The single overhead door is big enough to allow my 26' camper to be housed inside....I recommend the height option...for trucks, I can even build a small building inside and haul it out when finished.  I did not have a long wait...all in supply and demand I suppose.

My original dozing and leveling of driveways was $2250.  The slab for barn was estimated at $6560 but I added in a 4 inch pipe with drain that brought it to $7200. The electrical was $1527.

Electrical service crossed overhead and they drilled three poles with a carbide....I paid less than $150 for the local Coop to bring in the electric.  The H panel allows me to underground the rest.  H panel install was $750.  I had two trenches dug with a backhoe....H panel to garage and H panel to polebarn (down lower unimproved drive that follows base of hill.  The electrician does the type of wire based on length of run, not sure what it was but I have a rolling measurer if you need that info.  The PB is wired for 220 as well.

I imagine the Morton site will show you HOW the do the posts...quite unique and plenty of treated wood.

Speaking of H panel and gravel, check out the new visitors I had

[glenn-k]

Thanks for the numbers, NorthernMich.  Don will love them --- I'll bet he's already written them down somewhere so he can crunch them in his pocket calculator.  Lots of people benefit here.

Looks like a bunch of wild turkeys.  W have quite a few here too.  I likem.

[NorthernMich]

I have spent hours viewing other's plans and types of foundations...42 inches is the frost line in Michigan but I see many building in Washington and Canada with a pier foundation block atop gravel...here's a hole where I want cabin, that's how much rock I have at 17 inches...mostly clay surrounding?

I'd hate to do a poured footing back here.

12 x 24

Suggestions??

Thanks, Earl






Cabin spot   (added pics)

[glenn-k]

Any possibility of getting a tractor or truck mounted auger or post hole digger to come in and drill the holes for you?

[NorthernMich]

possible Glenn or maybe a two man power auger, I don't mind the dig but need info on freeze/winter/movement on pier type.

I have seen the use of insulation to keep the temperature stable....just wish I knew about stability.  The companies that make the deck blocks do NOT advise using them in a house foundation.   I suppose worse comes to worse I could jack it up and do footings....just looking for something cheaper.

http://www.summerwood.com/construction/cabins/foundation.html

http://www.bellsouthpwp.net/n/i/nibblet/land/cabin/floor.html  I think this one is in Washington State

http://www.countryplans.com/wing.html New York, uses 12 Sonotubes (14x24)

 12 Sonotubes (14x24)

12 deck blocks and gravel

[MountainDon]

Thanks for the numbers, NorthernMich.  Don will love them --- I'll bet he's already written them down somewhere so he can crunch them in his pocket calculator.  Lots of people benefit here.

Only one thing wrong there Glenn. I prefer to use my Windows calculator with the numeric keypad.  

And those look like turkeys to me too. Saw several this weekend walking across our land. Hope they another visit between Sept 15 or 16...

[glenn kangiser]

I must have been close Don-- missed the computer part.  Hmmm :-/

[NorthernMich]

Hey this summer I got the basement under the sunroom dug for the house...so waiting on $$ and finishing other sidetracked projects.

I am building that 14 x 24 cabin I talked about....because of the rocks here I had to have holes excavated...plus he moved a huge ash tree that would have disturbed the cabin potentially with roots.  That was $500.  I poured 6 12" 48 inch deep concrete tubes, added the threaded bolt and miraculously it is perfectly level   The piers are 12 foot apart all ways, I added simpson brackets...I know..show pics.  They are coming soon.  The 14 foot span then will be cantilevered.  I used carriage bolts and 3/8 plywood with treated 2x8x12's to create the parallel bases.  I have added like 9-2x8x14s on those so far and filled in a few holes...before I fill in two holes I will rig up a graywater pvc drainage into them.

Last week during the project as fall rapidly comes here, I was able to obtain FREE from a house in town some nice 3 1/2? wide pine T&G flooring....from like the 40's.  Then on a second trip I procured some nice...12 foot plus 2 by rough cut beams.  I also got tons of 2x4 material with plenty more there.  Idea pops in head 

Backup...walls were planned as 2x6...anyway the idea...back wall with no window, 14' width...aha, use the 2x4s for a double stud wall, alternating on a 2x6 plate at 16" intervals...free 2x4s...why not?  I may have enough 2x4s to do another wall that way.  It actually seems that it would have an even greater R value than a conventional 2x6 wall.

Cabin will also get a deck...recommendations out there?  size of deck? 14 foot width by...4,6?

Thanks, Earl
so the posting and the work continues 

Photos and updates forthcoming....we are getting scattered frost, deer season next week for some antlerless...

[MountainDon]

Good to hear about the progress. 

"alternating on a 2x6 plate at 16" intervals." This would result in an incresed R factor for the entire wall. Your description is not clear on one thing though, is there an inner row and an outer row on 16" centers. Or do you mean you alternated the 16" spaced 2x4's, one to the outside, one to the inside, and so on in an alternating pattern?

Looking forward to seeing pictures. 

[glenn kangiser]

Glad to hear things are moving along. 

[NorthernMich]

Don:

like this

http://corvallisdowntownliving.com/Double%20Offset%20Stud%20Wall_files/2%20double%20wall%20fixed.png


With many free 2x4s why not just make it happen?

[MountainDon]

I can't tell what the spacing is from the picture. If I'm interpretting you correctly you are saying each stud is 16" apart, the following applies. If you are saying that each stud on the inside is 16 inches apart and each stud on the outside is 16 inches apart, and they are staggered as illustrated, then the following does NOT apply and this whole question of mine should be disregarded.



The reason I asked is while that method should produce a wall with good thermal insulation properties it also gives an effective 32 inch OC spacing on either side of the wall. I believe you have to consider each side of the wall separately when considering what sheathing is going to be installed.

That method would seem to make the use of 48 inch wide material a problem.    Sheetrock would not work on 32 inch spacing. Check the span ratings on any sheathing you plan to use. If I'm correct even if the sheathing is stamped 32/16, for walls 24" is the max recognized by the IRC. I'd check that out.

Are you building in a code compliance area? That could also be a problem.

I don't want to discourage your recycling of materials, recycling added to free is good all round. I simply want to be sure you don't get into unforeseen problems.

[NorthernMich]

thanks for the input Don...two things...first is that I am blocked on this network from online communities, which in this case means also to links to servers like photobucket...so I can't access MY photobucket or most of the photos linked here...just nice red X's

All outside and inside dimensions would fall on 16 inch centers in the scenario I presented yesterday.  However, I had another idea over 2x6 construction.  If the 2x4s were spaced alternately at 24 OC that would still give a load as if one had 2x4 walls spaced at 12 inch intervals, you would use way less lumber, and 24 + 24 is still giving those 48 inch increments. A jack stud could be added in the corners.

New thought, less wood...also I unloaded and found 14-2x4x14s with taper cuts on end (so figure it a 12 footer), 7 studs, 7-2x6x12 rough cuts (and while, non standard they are all cut EXACTLY 2x6), some trim boards, pine siding and misc. 2x4s.  So I have enough for plates. Next to get calculator and graph paper out...yes I do it the old way 

By the way, that first photo shows three studs, with alternating, the two outside studs seen would be 16 OC, my latest thought...24 OC..and one in center of that..so 12-12-12-12, etc.

[NorthernMich]

Here are some photos of the pier work loaded from my dialup connection.








Once it stops raining from the hurricanes down south I will take/load more photos.  I have the 14 foot floor joists on over more than half. I have my flooring stacked, 2x4s ready...next comes some pest deterrent panels around the perimeter, then the R30 insulation for the floor, vapor barrier and the T&G 4x8 plywood glued and screwed until I have the floor done.  I may just cover that with the metal roofing and tarps and wait until spring.  I can build 12 foot wall sections in the polebarn or garage to move later.

BTW, $500 solved my rock problem...I will add some pier blocks for more support and PVC air intake for woodstove through floor and PVC gray water drains into some of the footing holes I haven't filled in yet.

Also I want to note the 30 gallon water tank that I purchased, fits nice in a trailer with square bottom, I bought it for the spring maple syrup but used it to bring rainwater to site to do the pouring of the piers. It will come in handy. I also used rock from dig to add into the 12 inch piers.

Earl

ED: inserted spaces between pictures for better visibility - MD