our S.E. TX story and a half

[jbiehl]

I am excited to see your building take shape beacuse from the sounds of it, my future plans sound about the same as yours. I am in E. Central TX and know all about that sand/clay/more sand lol

Take plenty of photos of your foundation if you can!  

Also, I have been looking into getting a fifth wheel for my project and just looking on craigslist I have seen a lot of very nice ones very reasonably priced, I would try stay away from those FEMA trailers though, a lot of places are trying to move those for dirt cheap.

[CjAl]

I am probably going to buy a rv this weekend. Fifth wheels are pretty cheap if you have the truck to move one. I have a suburban not a pickup. I could move one with my semi but id like my wife to be able to hook it and move it if need be. Motor homes can be had at a steal once they hit a certain age. They are breaking down all the time mostly from sitting but they have generators already and.im not planning on moving it.

What town are you near? Im near woodville. I set up some batter boards last weekend. Im waiting on my tax return check to get the septic installed. My wife is calling the city today to ask some questions about foundation. I was planing to use the bigfoot systems, they are a bit spendy tho so i might just do post n beam. Im building in the ivanhoe lake comunity so unfortunatly i do have a few hoops to.jump through. Not many tho, they basicly just want a few bucks for permits for every little thing imaginable

im trying to stay away from the fema trailers. They have no waste tanks and they have alot of problems with air quality from cheap materials and no quality control. My wife has alergies which is one reason im building this cabin. Im going to try and build it with as alergen free as i can.

[UK4X4]

For doing a ridge beam calc take a look at Ilevel Forte software- its free and does most things you'll need for sizing

We just bought a 5th wheel for our property while we work through the foundation problems and start building

and I don't even have a car - just got a guy to deliver it to site, stuck it on timbers

Its a large toy hauler style with a garage and everything- its probably big enough that I actually never have to build anything

But we will slowly progress the project- living in comfort along the way

[CjAl]

My problem is the lots.i bought are house only. I cant live on it in a rv. They allow it for a short time while building but its not long enough. So i need to be able to drag it out if something happens. I have a house on the other side of town so for now i.just want to be able and stay out there on the weekends while i work on the house so i dont have to be driving back and forth all the time. However i will probably be loosing my house at some point so i need options.

[CjAl]

I found a guy in lufkin with 400 sheets of old rusty galvanized tin for sale. I want to do my roof in.that and use it for siding in the gable areas but i think my wife is less then impressed. She wants a nice new green metal roof. I love the look of the rusty old.tin. Plus its about 300% heavier then this new stuff is.

[MountainDon]

There's a certain something to be said for giving her the roof she wants.... 

There are different gauges for new materials; 29 is common but too light IMO; 26 is better and there is 24 wgich is usually heavier than most residential roofing. We used 26 over OSB. Good roof and my wife loves the color.     Me too for that matter.

[CjAl]

Happy wife, happy life. Im no dummy.

We had our tenth aniversary last week and id like a few more in the future.  

[dablack]

I was down in Woodville for the heritage festival last weekend. 

We will be finally looking at last this weekend.  Once I start building you and I will have to help each other find the cheap stuff.

Austin

[CjAl]

Lol. I will be calling you all when its wall raising day. And roofing day 

[jbiehl]

I am probably going to buy a rv this weekend. Fifth wheels are pretty cheap if you have the truck to move one. I have a suburban not a pickup. I could move one with my semi but id like my wife to be able to hook it and move it if need be. Motor homes can be had at a steal once they hit a certain age. They are breaking down all the time mostly from sitting but they have generators already and.im not planning on moving it.

What town are you near? Im near woodville. I set up some batter boards last weekend. Im waiting on my tax return check to get the septic installed. My wife is calling the city today to ask some questions about foundation. I was planing to use the bigfoot systems, they are a bit spendy tho so i might just do post n beam. Im building in the ivanhoe lake comunity so unfortunatly i do have a few hoops to.jump through. Not many tho, they basicly just want a few bucks for permits for every little thing imaginable

im trying to stay away from the fema trailers. They have no waste tanks and they have alot of problems with air quality from cheap materials and no quality control. My wife has alergies which is one reason im building this cabin. Im going to try and build it with as alergen free as i can.

Im in College Station, so about an 2 hours away, west, from woodville, there are some good travel trailers down in houston that I have seen that could be pulled by your suburban no problem. Probably alot more that I haven seen in my radius closer to you. but it all depends on how much you actually want to spend, there are cosmetically nicer ones around 3500-5000 or deer lease trailers that dont look that great but functional for 3500 on down.

[CjAl]

I am in huntsvill right now. Not too far.from.you.

Problem right now is.its hunting season so what i consider to be deer lease campers (sub $1000) are all of a sudden being sold for $2500. But im not in a hurry and my cheapness is known world wide. Lol

[jbiehl]

Good point, nothing wrong with the classic tent camping 

[CjAl]

I dont suppose any of my TX neighbors have a mini excavator or backhoe and will travel?  Lol


im waiting my my tax return to put the septic in. $2300 for the septic and $310 for the permit.

Spent the weekend cleaning up more on the land. Cut down more trees and cleaned it up. I sure hope we get more rain and this burn ban gets lifted. I have a huge slash pile that needs to be burned.

I started building a 10x10 shed. I had the lumber from a horse shed i took down after i got rid of the hay burners. Next weekend i hope to get it decked and get the walls up. Hopefully get started on the roof too.

[dablack]

Looks like a great start to a shed. 

We just found our land up in Rusk ( will start my own thread soon ).

What all is included in the $2300 for the septic?  How big of a tank?  How many feet of field line?  Sounds like a good price to me.

thanks
Austin

[CjAl]

I forget exactly, the paperwork is qt home and im back on the road. I believe its a 500 gal tank amd 180' of lines. Its the minimum needed for two bedroom/ one bath house whatever it is, we have pure sand which is as perfect as you can get for drain lines from what the test guy told us.

Those portable buildings are flimsy and i cant rationalize paying over $2k for a 10x10. You can get them cheaper but they have 2x4 floor joists on 2 4x4 beams, 6' walls.  Ive got 2x6 on three beams and will have 8foot walls so i can have room for loft storage. I have to have room for a washer and dryer, shower in there and possibly a toilet. We are getting a camper to stay in but at 6'2" and 350 lbs me and rv bathrooms dont get along well.

[dablack]

CjAl,

Thanks for the info.  Once you get home, send me a PM with the specifics.  I haven't priced anything around Rusk yet, but that sounds pretty good.  I might want the guys contact info. 

thanks again,
Austin

[CjAl]

got the walls up on the shed last weekend. was planning to get it sided and get the roof on this weekend but my semi broke down and is in the shop. there goes the.money i had saved for a septic system.

[dablack]

I'm about to start getting bids.  Who were you going to use?

thanks
Austin

[CjAl]

there is a local guy who everyone in the family uses. id have to look up his name.


found out they want $5k to fix the egr in my truck. i dont have it so back to building and i will just drive the truck till it blows and thrn be unemployed. guess i better hurry up on the house. lol

[CjAl]

home depot in lufkin has a porter pancake compressor on.sale for under $100. i have to run up there to pick my truck up from the shop so i am going to stop by and buy the compressor and a framing gun. my elbow hasnt forgiven me yet for all the hammering.

[dablack]

Thanks for the heads up!  I will run by there later today as well.  I think my sister has a framing gun I'm going to use.

[CjAl]

well i went and got the compressor. i also picked out the rigid framing nailer. when.he was up on the ladder getting it down for me i saw one on the shelf not in a box and asked about it. it was a return that they sent off for reconditioning. he said alot of people buy tools then return them when they are done since home depot has a 30 day no questions asked return policy.

new it was $229, i got the recon for $159 and it still has its lifetime warrantee and 30 day return.  i ran a full slide through it and had no problems what so ever

[CjAl]

note to self: when you take your 8yo to do some building you dont get anything done.

i used reclaimed lumber for the deck. the pressure treated beams were twisted and that front right corner dropped. i leveled the blocks for the flundation, i just need to jack that corner up and inch and put a shim in it. guess i should have just used new lumber. live and learn, at least its not the house

[CjAl]

i believe its time i replace my 1960's era black n decker worm drive saw. its so heavy and im not getting any younger. i lifted that thing so many times cutting rafters today that by the end i had to get a good swing going to hoist it up on the wood.  

i was really looking forward to getting some ice on my shoulder(the saw killed it) then i walk in the door and one of the stupid cats opened the freezer door and all the ice was melted. now.im stuck with a heating pad.

[Don_P]

Hey, but you're making progress  .
I feel your pain on the shoulder, I've been doing 4 ibuprofen 3 times a day for 2 weeks. Tripped and landed on the elbow and drove the shoulder up hard, I've got a feeling it isn't going to let me forget it for quite some time. Getting old sucks but it sure beats the alternative 
I switched over to Makita sidewinders years ago when my wife started working, very good power/weight IMO.