Plans Change, and now I'm starting with a 12 X 12

Started by JavaMan, April 20, 2010, 12:37:41 PM

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JavaMan

Well, it seems that I will be able to de-stress for a bit since I got notice that my contract will end at the end of this month.  Which leads me to think that I might go up to the ranch this weekend and see how things are up there.  If the snow isn't too deep and I can actually get back into the property, I can mark some trees, etc... and  maybe even figure out a new, let steep, way up to the building site.

I figure I should be back to work well before the snow is out in the spring and will be able to begin construction on time, hopefully.

OlJarhead

It's been cold but not much snow yet.  I bet you drive right up....it will dust today/tonight I think (maybe a trace) and it's supposed to for the next week but I don't see it as more than an inch or two....and with chains nothing under 10 inches even gives me pause.


JavaMan

Cool. Thanks for the weather update. 

I'd move the trailer up there and stay there to save some cash, but I don't have a place for the sewage and I'd be making regular runs for water (and interviews, hopefully).  It would have been great if this had run another three to six months.  At that point a few months off would have simply given me time to get a good start on things.

JavaMan

Well, got up to the road up to the property last weekend.  Actually, I got to the end of the county maintained part.  Started up along the part beyond that, but by the time I got to the lake (probably 1/2 - 3/4 mile), I was pretty darn sure that the rest of the road was NOT going to be passable.  So, turned around at the lake, forgot to get out and take the pictures I was going to, and headed back out.  Just to much snow and it felt really slippery for some reason.  Perhaps there was ice under the snow.

So, that's decided.  Not heading back until May, I think.

Meanwhile, the folks at where I'm working decided that the last working day of the year will also be my last day working for them, so now the search begins anew.  All I need is 3 or 4 more good, solid years of work and the discipline to save like there is no tomorrow.

Meanwhile I will be cutting back on expenditures.

Adam Roby

Well that's not a fun way to start the holidays...  kind of crappy of them to do that if you ask me.
Here's hoping that the new year also brings you some better fortune.



JavaMan

Quote from: Adam Roby on December 23, 2017, 10:31:38 PM
Well that's not a fun way to start the holidays...  kind of crappy of them to do that if you ask me.
Here's hoping that the new year also brings you some better fortune.

Thanks Adam.  Yeah, it is a bit crappy, but I've already got a few possibilities in the hopper, so it looks good for the new year.

OlJarhead

Sorry to hear it!

Do you not have ice chains?  With those and 4 wheel drive you should be able to get anywhere the road goes as long as there isn't more then 14-15 inches of snow.

JavaMan

Quote from: OlJarhead on December 26, 2017, 09:02:28 AM
Sorry to hear it!

Do you not have ice chains?  With those and 4 wheel drive you should be able to get anywhere the road goes as long as there isn't more then 14-15 inches of snow.

No, I need to get some chains for the truck.  Years ago I went up there in the early spring and nearly made it up to the property - until the snow was actually at or just above the axles.  And I got stuck.  Of course, I'm also older and less willing to have that adventure of walking out 6+ miles in the snow ;)  And that's just to the county part of the road  d*  If I had brought the quad I would have taken it in and at least checked out the property.


OlJarhead

I got some snow shoes for Christmas :)  Now I'm really set ;) but I have the tractor, chains on the truck and tractor and now the chains -- not to mention the woodstove at the cabin etc


JavaMan

Quote from: OlJarhead on December 27, 2017, 09:15:32 AM
I got some snow shoes for Christmas :)  Now I'm really set ;) but I have the tractor, chains on the truck and tractor and now the chains -- not to mention the woodstove at the cabin etc

Well, I might have snowshoes... I know I did have some a few years ago that I got for Christmas, but I was told to "come get your stuff" and when I did found it all packed up already.  On the one hand that made the job easier, but on the other hand, I have no idea what, if anything, I'm missing!

But even if I actually still have them, I am not sure I want to snowshoe nearly 7 miles in to the property, especially if I have to drag a sled of supplies behind me.  Going to save up for a snowmobile! :)

JavaMan

Ok, I got to thinking about a modification to the build plan and to decide if it's worth it or not, I need more information.

I know how to read floor joist span tables, etc... and can find a lot of good info there, but... I need information on specific beam sizes and spans.  The tables I find cover laminated beams, configurations of 2 or 3 2xN "laminated" together, but none of the info I find covers how to determine the maximum span of a 6X8 beam made from either Doug Fir, Poderosa Pine, or any other species of wood.

So, my question is, does anyone know where I can find information about this.  Even if it's "math"  d* it would be appreciated - as long as the application description can be clearly understood.

The basis of my question is, what would be the dimensions of a solid beam to span 20' without support in the middle.  If this is impossible without a huge beam, what would it be with a support in the middle?

Would a 6x8 handle it? Or 6x10? or 8x10? or???

Thanks for anyone's input!

Peaceful Ambition

This is a great resource that Don showed me a while back:

http://www.timbertoolbox.com/Calcs/beamcalc.htm

and these are the values you put in (other than the dimensions)
Fb 1200
E 1.4
Fv 135

Dimensions are inches and load is lbs

It needs to pass all 3 tests, if it doesn't and you want to simulate a beam in the middle, just half the span on the calc.

You are not illiterate

ChugiakTinkerer

It all depends on the load.  You can get some estimates of the load based on what you want the beam to support.
My cabin build thread: Alaskan remote 16x28 1.5 story

OlJarhead

Quote from: JavaMan on December 26, 2017, 09:28:50 PM
No, I need to get some chains for the truck.  Years ago I went up there in the early spring and nearly made it up to the property - until the snow was actually at or just above the axles.  And I got stuck.  Of course, I'm also older and less willing to have that adventure of walking out 6+ miles in the snow ;)  And that's just to the county part of the road  d*  If I had brought the quad I would have taken it in and at least checked out the property.

I thought your neighbor was full time?


JavaMan

Quote from: OlJarhead on January 19, 2018, 08:19:47 AM
I thought your neighbor was full time?

Sadly, no.  The folks he bought it from 10 years ago were nearly full timers.  She would stay during the winter and he would head back to Orcas Island to take care of his construction business (at least that's the story I heard)  The guy at the end of the county maintained part of the road is full time, but I think he's getting close to 90 these days...  There are a few on that part of the road that are.  There's one guy building a timber frame house lower down.


JavaMan

Quote from: Peaceful Ambition on January 18, 2018, 09:47:06 PM
This is a great resource that Don showed me a while back:

http://www.timbertoolbox.com/Calcs/beamcalc.htm

and these are the values you put in (other than the dimensions)
Fb 1200
E 1.4
Fv 135

Dimensions are inches and load is lbs

It needs to pass all 3 tests, if it doesn't and you want to simulate a beam in the middle, just half the span on the calc.

Sweet! It looks like exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!

JavaMan

#466
So the career is back in gear!  :D  I Interviewed earlier this week for a position near Seattle and will be starting for them a week from Monday.  It's not remote, but it does pay and I'll keep the trailer east of the mountains as a waystop.  I plan on still looking for that elusive remote position, though.  If I find one that is remote I plan on jumping on it.

So, It will take 3 or 4 weeks before things get back to full speed, but it's moving again, and I can't wait for the snow to go out at the property.  It's been unusually warm this year.  Yesterday it was 55 and last night it got down to 32 before starting back up for the day... and this is east of Snoqualmie.

OlJarhead

Congrats!

Was still a good 8 to 10 inches of snow at my place where it is untouched but the roads are just ice rinks now ;)  Chain up or go for a ride!  Weeeee!

Adam Roby

We're getting clobbered by snow...  been non stop, and now another 8 inches coming this weekend.

Apparently a town in Japan got 54" of snow in one storm... can you imagine that? 

JavaMan

Wow - it was 60 here on Thursday!... of course, I'm only at about 1700 ft and 2 hours or so south of my property... which is at 4000 ft.

While I know it might mean a bit of a dry summer, I'm hoping for an early spring.  I'd love to start getting in up there in May, if I can, so I can get working on things.


JavaMan

Was up at the property this weekend!  It was a good trip and helped me renew some motivation.  It also revealed some of the scale of what I am trying to accomplish.

I've come to the conclusion that the footers, to be done well, are going to take as long as 4 weeks (working on the weekends).  My biggest challenge is going to be getting the 160-180, 8# bags of quikrete up the hill. that and a couple hundred gallons of water for mixing.  Thankfully I bought a quad last year.  Used.  It runs, but is a pain to get started.  But I think I've worked out the logistics of getting the concrete up there and all the rest.  I just need to register my trailer this week so I can use it to haul the quad. (and I need to buy a "wagon" that can hold bags while I drive the thing.

So, I am tempted to rush through this part, but I really don't want to because it is the most important part of the entire build and the foundation (pun intended) of the entire project.  And I need to bring sunblock next time.

I'd love to get it dried in by my birthday (in October), but I will be satisfied if I am starting to put the walls up by then.  I'm going to give myself until mid July to get the footer done, and then early August for the stem wall (making the crawl space/basement)  After that will be the floor system and then walls and roofing.

I am trying to research various flooring systems - I know the most common subfloor material is OSB or Ply... but I'd love to be able to use 1 or 2 x 6 T&G if I can.  From what I've actually seen (In a house I lived in) is that they should run at an angle to the joists and walls. If anyone has done anything like this, I'd appreciate it.

The plan is that next weekend I will head up and place the form boards (I'm using fastforms, so these are the support boards) and leveling the tops of them.  Maybe, time permitting, I will also try to prepare (not place) rebar.  But I've left an extra weekend in there just in case.  Then a weekend up to put the form fabric in, and pour.

It may sound like a lot to put the form fabric on and pour all in one weekend, so let me define "a weekend" for you  :D   Since my employer allows me to work remotely on Fridays, a weekend actually begins on Thursday when I leave the office. I will grab what I need from the locker (If I don't have it already), and head up on Thursday night.  Friday, I'll get up and work remotely and at the end of the day on Friday, I'll already be on site to do some of the work, so in this case I think I can get the form fabric installed, if there's time, I can place the rebar. If not, that will happen on Saturday morning. Then (hopefully) the materials will be on site by the afternoon (many trips to HD), so that Sunday I can pour the entire thing in 10-12 hours. Yeah,  LONG day.  d*

I plan on videoing most of it - God willing and the creek don't rise.

Then I'm taking a weekend off  ;D (gotta edit all that video down)

JavaMan

So I attempted to get the foundation started yesterday.

The mechanical advantage that I had to move materials up the hill failed to work properly.  I need something more dependable. I am hoping that someone here might have some ideas.  The drive up to the site is pretty steep and while I can get my truck up there, but if it's pulling a trailer - especially one with a few hundred pounds of concrete on it, it doesn't make it.

Any thoughts?