20 X 36 1 1/2 story in north Georgia

[CWhite]

Thanks Al,
I keep meaning to take some more pictures and post them, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

This forum helped me a lot through the process, and hopefully, when you start your house, you'll follow suit and show us your creative differences.  They are all so unique, even when built off of the same plans.

Good luck to you.
Christina

[Sassy]

Christina, I was just thinking about you yesterday that we hadn't heard from you for awhile.  Glad you checked in!  I am anxiously awaiting updated pics as I'm sure others are    Bet you are really enjoying your place! 

[John Raabe]

I'll grab and post a few pictures from the Snapfish album for Christina...


Installing the spray foam insulation in the sloped rafter bay. Notice how it will seal right to the bottom of the metal roofing and seal the entire space.


View of the loft and dormer framing.


The gable addition and french doors.

[CWhite]

I have finally added a few more pics to the very bottom of my snapfish.com site.
If you scroll down to the bottom you'll see the newer images.

You think you're done being busy when you move in, but NO.  You have so many details, and details, and living, and maybe just sitting there looking at stuff, or taking a hot shower....sleeping in a real bed....

Life is much better living in my new house, than living in "other places". 

I know the images are large, but I've tried to shrink them on my program 2 times.  Let me know if you can't access them.  John, you're welcome to do your transfer thing if there are pics you like especially.

Christina

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the update, Christina.  Glad your in your house.

[CWhite]

I thought someone might like an update on how the house actually "lives" during the year. 

Well, the cold temps haven't hurt anything.  We are snug as bugs in there.  The woodstove is awesome, and heats the entire house easily.  We haven't used the gas back up heaters at all.  The insulation in the roof probably helps more than can be measured. 

The real surprise is the concrete floor.  I thought our main investment this winter would be really good slippers!  No need.  The floor is the thermal mass that keeps the temperature constant!  I couldn't be more amazed at the immediate temp change from just inside and outside the doors onto the concrete porch! 

It does the same thing when it's hot outside, by the way.  The cooler slab can keep the temps cooler inside when it's hot outside. 

Now, please remember that we do not have thermal heating tubes inside the floor.  It is kept warm by the woodstove.  I'm so curious now, why more folks don't build on a slab.  I used to hate them, but elevating it took that kind of low look away for me which was my main objection. 

The finish on the slab is a little bit of a disappointment.  The epoxy finish does scratch easily, and we've had to be very careful with little felt bumpers on the bottom of every table, and chair leg.  The dark color shows every dog hair and bit of dust too, but I still really like the lagoon green.  It seems to absorb the heat of the morning sun coming in the windows too. 

Well, I'm more than satisfied with the house.  It is home now.  I'll post more pictures when I finish the 50 feet of carvings I'm working on that will be installed around the box beds. 

Christina

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the evaluation Christina.  Looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Much of California is built with slab floors.

[considerations]

Now that is a house you can really live in. 

I love your box beds, what a cool way to use space.

[Sassy]

Hi Christina, thanks for letting us know how things are going - sounds like you guys are quite comfortable!  I'd read that the epoxy acid wash finish floors were easily scratched although some friends of ours who have a strawbale house & the cement floors, haven't had much problem - their floors are more of a turquoise color & they have lots of animals plus clay ground that kicks up a lot of dust.  They are also on solar & are hooked up to the grid.

I forgot my password to your pix, have to request it again.  I love your house!

[CWhite]

Hi all,
Been awhile since I posted, but I check in to see the houses going up occassionally.   I had to get back to work doing what I do, and not spend so much time building a house, talking about building a house, and collecting things to build the house with.

I have continued, however, to carve installations for the house.   I'll post a picture of my installed, carved box beds with curtains on them when I get a decent picture of them.

I have a question for the finer woodworkers on the forum. 

My staircase has a nice area under it that I'm using as a pantry.  I am carving 2 doors that will open outward and measure 20 1/2" X 71" each, and be built with 3 1/2 " shelves on the inside to hold canned food.

My question is how to determine the space needed between the doors to have them swing open without getting hung up on each other.  I am not a woodworker so much as a woodcarver, and would rather have this information ahead of time than have to fix it later.   Any answers? 

Thanks in advance,
Christina, who has lived happily in her house for one year now. 

[Sassy]

Hi Christina!  Good to hear from you.  Glad you are enjoying your house - been wondering how you've been & what new stuff you might have done on the house.  Looking forward to seeing more pics!   

[CWhite]

Hi Sassy,
Nice to be remembered.  I'll try to get some more pictures in the next few days.  The house is wonderful and very livable, even with the unplanned baby-grand piano that I didn't expect to be living with. 
Christina

[Redoverfarm]

Christina good to hear from you again.  Hope you are enjoying your new house.

As for the doors.  Are you afraid that the 3-1/2" protrusion will effect the doors closing?  I would set back the shelves by 1" from the edges.  I am not sure this is actually what you are talking about. Just a SWAG.

[CWhite]

Hi John,

First of all, good to hear from you too.  I've been watching (lurking) your progress for all this time, and I love the floors you've finished.  Those cabinets are well done too, but then, I would expect no less from your work.  The cabin is wonderful. 

Thanks for replying to my question.  Your suggestion is probably the best way to go.  I'm carving several points of interest on the pantry doors, and that part is naturally taking much longer than building the doors will take.  I'm almost done with the carvings, so naturally, I have to plan the construction of the doors themselves.  I keep going to sleep thinking about them and usually I find a solution to any problem while I'm asleep.   These doors have me a bit worried that my plans will prove to be faulty after I've spent time building them. 

To be on the "safe" side, I believe I will push the shelves back behind the edge a bit.  I hadn't thought of that, and now that it seems to be the solution, I wonder why I didn't.

Thanks again John,
Christina

[CWhite]

Not much added to my photo album (linked from the bottom of page), but the last 3 pictures at the bottom are of the box beds with some of the carvings in place.  It at least shows where I'm going with it.

These two double bed sized box beds serve as private quarters for visiting grown children.  Not enough room to move back in, but makes them comfortable for visits. 

I think you can still just click right to the album.


Christina

[Redoverfarm]

Christinia are each of those cubes a double bed.  If so are they divided by the verticle mid point. Unique. 

[CWhite]

Yes, they are both double beds, and yes there is a wooden wall between them. 
They are just platform beds with the mattresses on the plywood bottom, and are more comfortable than my own bed downstairs.  My grown kids love them. 
Christina

[CWhite]

I have been "missing" for so long, that few will remember me here, but the house we built is still wonderful.

I am going to sell it though so I can move on to the next stage of existence. 

If the state of things will let me, I hope to buy an older cabin further up into the mountains of north Georgia and be mortgage free and even small than what we are here.   Scaling down can be done in stages as it turns out.   

Hope all of my old buddies are doing well here, and I'll try to look through many of the threads to see what you've been up to.
Christina

[Redoverfarm]

Still here Christine.   Keep us informed on what you do and what you end up with.  Remember we are just a ping away.

John

[CWhite]

HI ya'll,  It is me again.
I still haven't sold my place, but we have purchased a bit of land north of Blue Ridge, GA in the Cohutta Wilderness to build our next home to live in.  We are still working on the final plans, but I know it will be small, and we will be doing most of the work ourselves.  We are using the country plans again, but will go a bit smaller this time.


I just reviewed all of my snapfish photos and got tired just looking at them.  We have a long way to go "again".   

Our new place is on a small pond and I'll show it to you when I start a new thread on building the house and studio that we want. 
Christina

[Redoverfarm]

Christina look forward to it. 

[UperJoe]

Also truly looking forward to it !
How much smaller are you contemplating?
Small is always good