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

Called to rent a miniexcavator and the guy says,miniexcavators are only for loose dirt and stuff".

Really? Well, i might have an alternative way in that won't require as much work. I just need to clear ir with the owner south of me so i can cross about 50 feet of his property.  There is a gentle slope from there up to my building site that would be way better than trying to cut in a bunch of switchbacks.

Going to call them today and see if we can work something out. Wish me luck!

nailit69

Lesson #1  never tell em what you're really doing with it and always get the insurance.  I rented one from Midway... told em I was digging a hole. 

I needed to get a F-150 pickup truck back from Lake Shasta a few years ago and tried to rent a uhaul trailer... "sorry, our equipment isn't rated for that" so I had a buddy go back in and tell them he needed to haul his "Honda Civic" and they didn't have a problem.

Good luck with the neighbor


OlJarhead

We dug 600 feet of water line in at my place with a mini-x and it was mostly rock! ha!  BIG rocks too!  but my guy is a pro and though we broke some teeth the E35 bobcat did the job just fine.  He also dug a 10 foot deep, by ten wide and 20 long hole for a root cellar with it.

Agreed, don't tell them what it's for! ha!

JavaMan

Yeah... Lesson learned.  Next time im simply going to say im digging a hole.  Tyey dont need to know what else i might do with it.

Wanted to get the corners pinned so called a survey company.  The property to the south was suveyed year before last, so i figured it wouldnt be too big a deal.  $1500 to find the one pin that the survey put in then or $3500 for all 4 corners.   One of which is already marked with a brass monument as a cadastral marker.  Sheesh!  I think i just need a GPS thats accurate to about 20 feet and the coordinates!

Thinking of heading up next weekend to see what i can accomplish ... Stay tuned

OlJarhead

Just remember that a GPS is only accurate to, say, 20 feet in any direction.....so really a 40 foot radius.

If you can find that pin you can survey close enough with a Lensatic Compass and a partner.  Look up the Declination (I think it's 19 degrees right) and use the LARS rule (Left ADD Right SUBTRACT) to get the correct magnetic heading and then standing over the pin shoot along the azimuth (North/South, whichever) towards the corner of your property and have your partner stand on the line (you have them move until they are exactly on the azimuth you are shooting)....mark the line with engineers tape.

This will get you pretty darn close to the property line in two directions from the known pin.  If you can pick up a 1:25,000 topo map of the area and have visible terrain features in the distance that you can see (2 or 3) from approximately where the corner of the property is you could use resection to determine the corner (or intersection too) by shooting an azimuth at each terrain feature and drawing a line along that azimuth on the feature using the 'back azimuth' (180 degrees from the azimuth to the feature is the back azimuth).  Do this 2 or 3 times and where the lines intersect is where you are -- this is called 'resection' and the way you remember is 're is me' ;).....

Of course you will only know where you are but if you know the coordinates of the corner of the property (map sifter at the county will do that for you) than you can plot it on the map, do a resection as close as you can get and plot that, then you see how far off you are and move that distance to the corner :)

Or you could rent the survey gear and find someone who used to work surveying to come out and help do it ;)


JavaMan

Well, I am heading up this afternoon/evening once all my work and other appointments are done.  Deoending on when that happens I hope to get there when the lumberyard is opening in the am and get some supplies.  I might stay until Tuesday afternoon but certainly Monday. Hope to get the path for the road up to the site at least marked out.

OlJarhead

Quote from: JavaMan on July 01, 2016, 12:44:31 PM
Well, I am heading up this afternoon/evening once all my work and other appointments are done.  Deoending on when that happens I hope to get there when the lumberyard is opening in the am and get some supplies.  I might stay until Tuesday afternoon but certainly Monday. Hope to get the path for the road up to the site at least marked out.

Sounds great!  Have fun and good luck!  Can't wait to see some pics!

JavaMan

Quote from: OlJarhead on July 01, 2016, 02:56:07 PM
Sounds great!  Have fun and good luck!  Can't wait to see some pics!

Yeah, and they would be decent pics if i had remembered the decebt camera!  I will have to settle for phone came pics.

Things are moving much more slowly than i had originally planned due to events happening on the home front, but if it doesnt happen this year yet, it will definitely happen next year.  (The building of the 'main' cabin, that is)


JavaMan

Well finally!

It only took 8 years but I finally installed a window! Siding on that side as high as the loft floor.  Then i ran putta wood. Good thing the orange box is open tomorrow.

But i might just use up the other lumber i have and cone back in a week or two to finish that up. I might be able to draft some help by then.


OlJarhead

You heading back today?  I plan on heading up tomorrow so if you are sticking around I might be able to pop by.

JavaMan

Well, I decided to head back on the 4th itself.  I needed to get back to the office on Tuesday, and couldn't quite swing it driving back really early on Tuesday - especially since I don't have a shower setup yet.

Last weekend I went and took a 5 hour "How to weld" class.  So, while they don't look pretty, I do know how to weld at this point. Now to just get a welder.  At that point I can put together a stand for the 235 gallon tank I have, and a matching set of rails in the bed of the truck so I can slide it in and out easily when it's got water in it.  That will give me a shower (well, that and an on demand water heater with some propane)...  Then I won't need to actually get home to take a shower before leaving.

I am heading back this weekend, and if all goes well, will break ground on the first of two cabins up there.  This one isn't the one I originally was planning for this year, although it is identical and from the same plans.  The biggest differences will be the height of the stem wall on the foundation and the location of the cabin.  It's only going to be a couple courses of block from the footer, max - just enough to get it off the ground.  And it's going to be in a place on the property that I can already get to without having to grade a road to it.

So OJH, if you read this, it will probably be mid to late August, but I'm looking at starting the floor by the end of Aug.... hope that mill is in shape! and you have some time! ;)  I'll let you know once it gets closer and i've selected the trees. I have a few that got scorched, but should be good for what I'm going to use them for.

OlJarhead

Sounds great!  I'm booked for the next few weeks now but when you think you'll be getting close let me know so we can get you on the calendar.  I'm milling in Republic this weekend (about 100 logs) and hope to finish it by Sunday at the latest (should be done Saturday if I'm right on the amount of lumber coming out of those logs)...then I'm way up north of Reardon for a weekend and likely back milling in the OK (Tunk) the following weekend....busy busy busy!

JavaMan

Quote from: OlJarhead on July 11, 2016, 03:25:12 PM
Sounds great!  I'm booked for the next few weeks now but when you think you'll be getting close let me know so we can get you on the calendar.  I'm milling in Republic this weekend (about 100 logs) and hope to finish it by Sunday at the latest (should be done Saturday if I'm right on the amount of lumber coming out of those logs)...then I'm way up north of Reardon for a weekend and likely back milling in the OK (Tunk) the following weekend....busy busy busy!

Sounds good. And busy is good too, right? Gotta make hay while the sun shines!

In other news the equipment supply place in okanogan apparently really doesnt want my business.  Won't deliver on Saturday, which means I have to be ther by close of business Friday... And wont pick up until Tuesday!  I cant afford that much time off.

I cam work with them on the Friday end, but id have t stay two extra days... And pay for them, too, I think!

Gotta talk with the boss about this.


JavaMan

So sometime this afternoon I will be heading up to Omak.  Spend the night there and work remotely from the Starbucks, or McDonald's tomorrow.  That will give me lunch time (or whenever) to get to the hardware/lumber yard (orange box) and get a few things I need for working on the property.  Then up to the property well before dark, I should be able to get a few things accomplished by the time the light fades.

On the agenda is work on the siding on the shed, mark out where the cabin goes, and take the GPS and mark any possible routes up to the top for the primary cabin site (and mark that too with the GPS).  I am also going to do some brush clearing and such as I can at the lower cabin site.

Friday I am going to call a couple of excavators and see if they can give me an estimate of what it would take to dig the foundation(s) and/or cut the drive in to the top (primary cabin).  I know of one that specifically states they are available on weekends, so hopefully he can take a look and let me know what I'm looking at.  I would think that someone that knows what they are doing could do it all in an 8-12 hour day or less.  I think getting on-site would be the biggest issue, really.

So, hopefully it will be a very productive weekend!


OlJarhead

give me a call.  i'm milling in republic and at the cabin at night

JavaMan

Got back from the property Sunday and was wiped out.

But that's a good thing!  It means I got a lot of good stuff done.  Except for pictures.  Didn't get any of those taken

So, Hung the door, put in the "picture" window on the front wall, and put more "siding" up.  Next time I hope to get all the siding on except the gable ends ... and maybe put the sheathing on the gable ends.  It will all depend on how much time I have and how much energy I have, and if I have help.

But it's moving along again

nailit69

Glad to hear you're back at your cabin and making progress again... can't wait to see some new pics  [cool]

I just got back from 17 days at my place... can't wait to get back out there.

JavaMan

Well, I was thinking of heading up this weekend, but it's still unsure.

I did buy a new memory card for the "good" camera, so I should be able to take some pictures this time (whenever that will be) and get them posted.

If I don't go this weekend, it will be next weekend!

JavaMan

So I am definitly going up this weekend.  Made an appointment with a guy to come look at putting in the drive to the main building site, and dig the hole for the foundation.

I figure it just might be less hassle to have someone else actually do the dirt work than for me to rent an excavator and do it myself.

Talking to the guy he tells me it's finally got hot here.  103 degrees in the river valley near his place.

nailit69

Ya... i'm glad I got my place up before it got really hot.  It was 100 the first day and then never got above about 85 the rest of the time.  The wind blew pretty good every day and it also rained for an hour or so at least every other day for the 17 days we were there... it stayed pretty cool and kept the dust down so it was actually kind of nice.

I'm hoping to get back to my place in about 3 weeks to finish off the framing, roof it, and button it up for winter... might go back in October but... you never know.


OlJarhead

Guess it was over 100 down in the valley today but up in Republic it only got to 95 in the sun (thankfully I was milling in the shade by then)...was 81F at the cabin when I arrived and I'm loving that!

I'm here until Tuesday so if you decide you need a shower and a place to hide out feel free to come by and use the facilities ;)  I'd enjy the company but won't get home until about 6:30pm tomorrow....if you drink Wiskey or Scotch I'll provide ;)

JavaMan

I just might take you up on it, if I get done what I hope to.

it's been a rough week, and I really wish the place was finished so that I could just crash there for a week or so.  But alas, it's not finished enough for that.

I'll let you know if I'm headed your way

OlJarhead

Quote from: JavaMan on July 29, 2016, 10:15:49 PM
I just might take you up on it, if I get done what I hope to.

it's been a rough week, and I really wish the place was finished so that I could just crash there for a week or so.  But alas, it's not finished enough for that.

I'll let you know if I'm headed your way

You are more than welcome and I even have a couch downstairs you can use (Futon), food, snacks and booze :)  What could be better?  Besides running water, a shower etc and good company! :D

I'll have my cell on me though don't check it often during the day when I'm milling but if you want to head my way just plan to arrive around 6:00 or so (a little earlier is ok too but I might not be back yet though I will definitely try to make it back before then)/


JavaMan

Weekend went good! ... But we are now into another weekend and i am back at my place. Yesterday i over did it a bit and stressed my knee going up to tye cabin site and back down 3 times trying to find the best path for a road up.  I think i have found a really good one and tue marked where the cabin foundation hole should get dug.

Guy is coming Saturday (or sooner if I can talk him into it) to do the road and hole.

I am planning on being here all week, leaving next Sunday.  I might have a friend coming up Wed or Thurs to help with a few things.

I think things might begin to move along now.  Hoping to get the foundation finished before the snow flies.