Well one of my buddies from work and I started cutting down trees a couple of weeks ago, to clear a cabin site and driveway. It has been a lot of work so far I can't wait to get to the actual building part. We have been cutting and stacking logs to get them out of the excavator's way. There are some pretty big piles! Plus this will give me a stock pile of wood to burn in the future. This weekend the excavator started pulling out stumps and will hopefully at get a rough building site and driveway in. I am not sure how far my finances will let me get this summer, but at least we finally picked a plan and have started working.
We are planning on a walkout basement, if I am lucky enough I will get the foundation done and the first floor deck on before winter. LOL I have some pictures of the progress so far and will try to get them posted in the next couple of days.
Chuck
Sounds great...keep us psoted!
I have found out that you can use the down time between material affordability to your advantage.
This is the time when I sit back and use the thought process.
Try to figure out what the nest step will be and work out only that part of the building process.
But at the same time try to think of how each step will affect the next step.
Use this time to ask the great minds on this forum all the question you have.
You will get the info that you need!
Most important!!!!!
When it seem like nothing is getting done, look at the pictures of when you first started. That always helps me!
Good Luck and Happy Building..
Thanks for the input. I have a feeling I will be building in spurts, which will give me time to think about the next steps.
Well I still haven't downloaded my pictures from my digital camera, but I will. Did a lot of cutting, stacking and burning this weekend. Talked to the well driller and he will be starting my well tomorrow. :) Can't wait to get that done, then on to the septic system. :)
Well I sure haven't been keeping this up to date, but I thought I would catch up before spring arrives and I make more progress.
Last summer:
1. I finally got the well driller to put my well in. Only 60 feet deep with 30 feet of standing water and a flow of 30 gallons a minute. Some of my buddies are very jealous as their wells are over 300 feet with a lessor flow.
2. Clear a lot of the land and the cabin site.
3. My neighbor is an excavator he pulled the stumps and dug the foundation hole for a full walk out basement.
4. I had a mason build my foundation. I had thought about usig ICF and I even took a class from a manaufacture here in Alaska, but he was switching molds and was having a hard time producing enough ICF to meet the demand. Because of that and the timing of things I had a block basement build an added an extra course of block for improved head room in the basement. It is a walk out so I have 3 block walls and I framed the rest.
5. Before the slab was poured, my 8 yr old daughter and I level the floor and she ran the plate compactor (with some help). She then helped my lay the vapor barrier and 2" blue board. We had a good Father and Daughter weekend.
6. The next weekend my wife, daughter and I ran pex for radiant heat attaching it to the blueboard before the slab was poured. Once the slab was poured the rains began. I think the slab definately cured well. My uncle and I waterproofed the basement walls with graces bit. I also used the dimple board drainage for added protection. We installed perimeter drain and 2" blue board before the backfill was added ( not until I had the I joist and decking installed first).
7. A friend of mine helped me frame the walkout end of the basement in between the rain drops. Because of all of the rain we had in august and september things really slowed down.
8. My friend and I finally found a break in the weather and we installed 3 glue lam beams (to hopefully support a masonary heater (yes I had the support engineneered) and all of the i joist for the floor including the rim in a couple of days. Then on to the decking 1 1/8" t&g plywood.
9. Winter weather hit and my wallet was pretty empty, so we wrapped up for the season. I covered the stairwell hole, added a layer of 6 mil plastic and then a huge gray tarp, to keep things as dry as possible. I have checked on thing numerous times this winter along with shoveling off the snow. If spring ever arrives I will start back up.
I have picture of the whole process, I just need to get off my butt and get them load so I can share.
Thanks for the progress update, Chuck. Sounds like you did everything right. Looking forward to seeing pictures when you get to it.
Finally some pictures :) I hope, sorry they are out of order, but at least you can see the progress we are making. We have the second floor deck (or third floor if you count the walkout basement) on and get our lumber delivery for the second floor walls this friday. I have the roof trusses scheduled for delivery the week of the 4th of July.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00001.jpg)
Memorial day weekend
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00003.jpg)
Daughter testing a door opening
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00022.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00036.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00067.jpg)
second/third floor joists
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00035.jpg)
first floor walls yep they are 10 footers!
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00049.jpg)
Daughter just loves the ladders
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00050.jpg)
interior walls
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00079.jpg)
wife helping out finally!!
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00068.jpg)
view from the back
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00076.jpg)
view to the pond/wetland where the moose hang out.
Nice family project Chuck!
Thanks for posting. Hope you have a good 4th of July. Getting the place out of the weather will be a major milestone.
John
Movin right along, Chuck. Looks great. :)
Now that I have figured out this photo posting I will try to post some more. I can't wait to get the roof on.
Looking forward to seeing it. Good job on the cabin and the posting.
Great job Chuck! Happy 4th of July! I can't think of a better celebration of America than building your own house!
Thanks Jimmy,
I get my lumber delivery for the second floor walls this friday. This weekend I am planning on filling in the sheathing, except maybe in the back. That way we have access to the interior as we are not completely back filled under the door openings the first step would be a big one :o. I also hope to start the second floor walls. Hopefully they will go faster as I purchased precut studs and I have had some practice laying things out. I denfinately want to get the trusses and the roof sheathing on the week of the 4th if possible.
The first floor was a little slow as we had to precut all of the 2"x6" - 10's to size. I didn't get precut as they were more expensive (by $. 50 a board). Our biggest milestone was the first wall. We framed one of the 34' walls and sheathed it prior to lifting it. It would still be laying on the deck if I didn't purchase some used wall jacks. All I have to say is it was a hair raising experience putting that wall up with only two of us. :o After that I split the rest of the walls in half to facilitate lifting them into place, it made thing more managable.
My daughter has been a big help. School is out for the summer here already and she has been my go for. I even bought her a small tool belt, hammer, tape and square. It is neat to see her picking up on things. I do the layout with small marks and let her go back over everything and strike the lines and put the big xs on. She really likes helping where she can. She really likes the cordless framing guns the mose. She has nailed every header in the cabin so far.
Great job on teaching your daughter and great that she is interested in learning. By the time you are done she will have most of the knowledge necessary to build her own house and will remember it the rest of her life.... at least until she gets as old as me. :-?
Well we got some more work done this weekend. I tell you the worse part about building on a hill is hauling all the lumber up. Well at least I am in better shape than when I started. ;D After we hauled up all the lumber for the second floor we built one of the long walls and one of the short walls. Hopefully next weekend we can finish the other two exterior walls. Then on to the interior walls. I will try to post some more pictures of our tower tonight.
The hills will toughen you up. I'm in better shape now than when I came up here as a flatlander 5 years ago.
Well we got the second floor exterior walls all framed. Now on to the interior walls. I would have gotten them done this weekend too, except it rained all day Sunday. :( The rain is driving me crazy, I just want to get the roof on! That being said, we did need the rain to slow down the forest fires up here, but I can't stand watching all my hard work getting soaked. :'( I know it isn't the first place to get wet during construction, but I was hoping to get the roof on before we got an extended period of rain. Hopefully I can finish the interior walls this weekend and get all the wall sheathing nailed off before the trusses arrive the week of July 4th. We built the walls in sections so two of us could lift them, before standing them up we sheathed them so I will have to do some ladder work this weekend to nail off the sheathing where it laps wall sections and floors. This should be great fun. ;)
Hello Chuck
That is certainly a stunning location.
Knowing how the love and knowledge of gardening learned by working with my father when I was your daughter's age, I can say that you're offering her a treasure that is priceless.
One question I have to ask (living in a medium bushfire area myself) is whether you have a fire plan. Are you, like us, required by law to submit a personal strategy for dealing with bushfire. Building permits are only issued here (Victoria, Australia) when a feasible fire plan is supplied.
Look forward to seeing more photos (on my newly acquired and almost worn out broadband)
cecilia
www.duckpond-design.com.au/theduckpond
Cecilia,
I don't have a fire plan in place, but I need to get one together. There is no need for building permits at my location, but even then I wouldn't have to have a fire plan. Here there is a program called firewise which aids homeowners in make your lot fire safe. I am planning on jumping right on the bandwagons as soon as I get a roof on.
I definately need to cut a few more trees down around the perimeter of the cabin. We didn't want to clear cut everything as most builders do here. We started with a small foot print and need to expand things.
Great progress so far and I'm glad you found a silver lining to those rain clouds ;D. So with fire as a concern, are you going to go with metal siding and a metal roof? I've never lived in a forest fire area so I'm curious as to what a fireplan would have. How do you make your lot safer?
Kodakjello
Thanks for the comments. I plan on metal roofing and maybe hardiplank siding. I have thought of metal siding too. I needed to follow some firewise guideline about keeping areas clear a certian distance from the cabin. Keeping the propane tank a certian distance from the structure. I also need to develop an evacuation plan, etc.
Here is a good link for firewise planning http://forestry.alaska.gov/pdfs/02firewise.pdf
here are some recent photos
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00134.jpg)
The first two walls on the second floor.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00140.jpg)
my little helper
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00144.jpg)
the tower from down below
Wow, you are moving right along! Beautiful area :)
Yep we are moving along. Not to bad for really only two people working on the place during weekends. I hope to have 4 or so people helping when we set the trusses. We are getting ready to order windows. Hopefully we can get the roof on in a couple of weeks then once the windows get here I will start putting them in.
Well we got the windows and doors ordered. This weekend was wet, but we managed to get all the interior walls built and up. I also was up and down the ladder a lot nailing off all of the sheathing. I still have some ladder work to do, but I needed a longer ladder to reach the top. I got a 32' this weekend that should do the trick. I didn't get any update photos because of the rain, but I will get some this week.
Trusses get delivered tuesday, but I don't think there is any way they can place them on the wall, so I will hopefully have enough manpower to get them on the wall.
I don't understand where you people are finding all of this rain. Send me some. :)
Glenn i would gladly send you all of it for a week or two if I could!
:)
Well the trusses got delivered just this morning just before the rain started. >:( I sure hope it lets up later this week so I can get the roof started. While I was there I took a few pictures of the second floor interior walls we built this weekend.
(https://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00154.jpg)
(https://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00153.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00147.jpg)
Well we have made some more progress. Not as far as I would like but we are getting there. The trusses took longer than expected. A buddy and I had to pull them all up to the top of the walls as the crane was short by 20'. The it took a while to get the gables sheathed and all the trusses tipped up. We got all the trusses up on Saturday. Sunday we worked on the gable end ladders and the fascia, etc. Monday we could only work for 4 hours so we got one side of the roof basically sheathed. Pics below.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00224.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00245.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00261.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00272.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00277.jpg)
(//)
Quote... the crane was short by 20'...
Short crane - you sure it wasn't a heron? ;)
Looks great!
i think it was a sandhill! ;)
here are a few more pictures.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00243.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00239.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00275.jpg)
Quotei think it was a sandhill! ;)
Are Sandhills hard of Heron :-?
QuoteQuotei think it was a sandhill! ;)
Are Sandhills hard of Heron :-?
I think you're looking for the red herons.
Been working on the cabin, but progress has been slow >:( The darn rain won't stop everytime I am out at the cabin with some help it pours :'( It wouldn't be so bad except I am trying to get the roof sheathing done (thus the helpers to hand it up) and the graces ice and water shield on. The sheathing will go on in the rain, so long as I don't slide off the roof (yes I am wearing a harness) but the sheathing has to be dry to put the graces on! >:(
PRAY FOR SUN!! My sun dance hasn't been working. ;D
Well one of my friends flew over the cabin site and took some aerial pictures. :) He just sent them to me this morning. As soon as I get home I will try to post them. Living in Alaska has some perks...there are more people up here with small planes than you can count.
Sounds cool Chuck, but I have still never heard of rain in the summer. -- Well - OK we got a 10 second sprinkle last night and a few minutes a couple weeks ago. I attribute that to gov. weather modification. HAARP and such - from up your way. :)
Well I haven't gotten around to downloading any new pictures, but I will. I finally feel like I am making some head way on the roof. :) I got everything sheathed on saturday and I covered the entire roof with graces ice and water. In theory I should be water tight. ;) On sunday, since I bought my roofing on the cheap($1 a foot from the lumber yard it was an over order they were trying to unload) I spent my day cutting the 24' long pieces down to size. I also predrilled for the screws that way all the spacing is the same. I have enough extra roofing for porches and out building. Next weekend I plan to start putting the steel roofing on. Once that is done I will feel much more relaxed. :)
here are the aerial shots and some pics from this weekend.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00287.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00288.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00289.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00278.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00281.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00282.jpg)
Looks impressive - busy - things happening. Good job.
Well,
just to keep up to date. More rain this past weekend = no metal roof. >:( However some good news is that the graces ice and water shield is doing its job, with no leaks. Things are drying out nicely. The walkout basement is still a little wet, but it is getting there. I took Saturday off to relax it is the first one I haven't been working on the cabin all summer. It was a nice break. Sunday my wife and I went up to check on things and worked on some of the punch list items I have been putting off while trying to get the roof on. Keep your fingers crossed that this weekend will be nice or at least it won't rain. One of these days I hope to post pictures of a finished roof.
Just another update. No new picture, but we finally got the chimney install and a few more piece of roofing. Hopefully I can get the rest of the roof on in the next couple of weeks, before the snow starts to fly. What happened to summer? School has started, the days are geting shorter and there is s chill in the air.
Finally got the roof on! I don't want to see another roof for a while. ;D
here are a few pictures.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00292.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00291.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00290.jpg)
Know I have to move back inside and finish up all the little things I have been putting off while trying to get the roof on. :)
Great! looks pretty high & steep :o nice job!
it was high and pretty steep! Thank god for my roofing harness as I took a few unplanned trips down the roof when it was wet. Just for reference that is a 32' ladder on the up hill side of the walk out basement. I couldn't get any of my buddies to take a step on the roof. I did all the sheathing, graces ice and water shield and roofing by my self. My wife handed everything up to me. :)
Pat yourself on the back. Good job
Kevin
Friends are always there when you need them, ain't they! Nice job :)
Wow, it looks great... it makes me nervous just seeing pictures of you up on that roof! Can't say I blame your friends!! I would've probably chickened out, too! :o I bet it is a great feeling to be done with that part!
Yes... thank heaven for the harness!!!
House looks great. Please post inside pics when you can.
Everyone,
Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement! Now it is time to start finishing the rest of the interior framing ....like stairs. They have me a little worried as I have never had to frame stairs before. I also have to finish the top floor walls, they need to be extended to the ceiling. Not to mention a load of little things here and there. Hopefully I can pull wire and pex this winter. I will keep posting pictures as I make progress.
QuoteFinally got the roof on!
How was the Installing the Metal Roofing? I'm planning on doing that for ours. How long did it take you?
Houses looks great btw!
Preston,
sorry i didn't respond sooner, but i hadn't noticed your post until today. I must say the steel roof was the hardest thing I have done on the cabin. If I was smart and had more money I would have rented some scaffolding. I had access to a manlift, but due to the hill we are on it we couldn't use it. I will say predrill for all your screws, it saves a lot of time, keeps the screws in line and makes it a lot easier while on the roof. A C-clamp is also great to temporarily hold the steel at the peak through the ridge vent opening. My biggest problem was I was the only one on the roof and I spent a long time trying to get every thing square, but by the time I got to the far end of the roof I was about an inch or so off. I will have to rework my gable trim this spring. Definately invest in a roofing harness. I wouldn't be here if I didn't have one!! My roof is a 7/12 pitch and as you can see in the pictures quite a ways up! If the roof is wet or if it happens to rain while you are on the roof it gets slick fast. I took several unplanned trips down the roof, but never off of it. good luck on your roof and be safe.
Chuck
A few new pictures.
We wanted to get all the windows in and house wrap on, but time and mother nature didn't agree with us. We are now working on the inside trying to finish up all the little things we postponed until after we got the roof on.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00294.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00303.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00315.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00309.jpg)
Nice and tall on the basement side. :)
Hey Rdzone, looks real good.
Hey I am building a modified 1 1/2 story up in Caswell Lakes, north of Willow, Ak, right now.
I have not started a thread yet.
I have been working on it during the weekends, fighting the snow and ice.
Will get started on my first floor walls soon.
sdextereo,
thats not to far away since I am near Big Lake. You are braver than me. I am only working on the inside now. Thank god for my 35,000 btu propane heater. It makes it fairly pleasant. So are you building on a full foundation or post and piers. I only work on the weekend too. It takes a lot longer to get things done especially if you are hauling tools and supplies. I hope to take a few weeks this spring to knock out the windows and siding.
Glenn,
Definately a long way down on that side. I am going to have to get a porch deck built and rent some scaffolding to finish off that side of the cabin. The floor above the basement has 10' walls and the I joists are 16 inchers with 1 1/8 T&G. it all adds up quickly. I am not quite sure what I was thinking. :)
Scaffold rent is fairly expensive and cumbersome. I don't have these but have seen them used on several jobs around here. Just nail up double 2x4's and support them top- bottom - maybe in between as you go up and you have an easy to use portable scaffold.
http://www.amazon.com/Qual-Craft-Pump-Steel-Scaffolding-2200Q/dp/B0000224MP/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1196705772&sr=1-3
I used to have pump jacks in Colorado. I haven't seen any in years. 2 2X4's scabbed together at that height may get a little spooky and require some X bracing between the poles. And of course you will want to put some 2X4 handrail once you get to working height. Lots of 2X4's. Once you get the house sided you can build another building.
Hey, rdzone I built my foundation with pier and beam.
I am experimenting a bit. I hand dug through the veg and root layer, then dug through the clay mucky layer, then hit the solid gravel.
The total depth is a whopping 2+/- feet. 10" sauna tube, redi base, and talkeetna's finest 5000psi mud.
I then surround the entire foundation 4' with 2" blue board and covered with 20 yards of pit run to a depth of 4 to six inches.
I think with the snow insulation I will not have any frost heave.
How tall is your basement side?
Most of the people I know who put siding on for a living in Alaska use extension ladders and ladder jacks with a planks.
When I worked in Washington state the siders there used the pump jacks described by kangiser but they were engineered systems with aluminum tube posts instead of 2x4.
One thing I would do is incorporate your fall protection in case something happens.
And remember that if you do fall somebody must be there to help you down.
A full body harness will cut off the blood supply to your legs!
p.s. Great job! It looks like you really have your ducks in order.
They have some more expensive aluminum systems from Qualcraft too.
Aluminum Scaffold (http://www.amazon.com/Qual-Craft-Aluminum-Scaffolding-2000-Ultra-Kit/dp/B0000224MX/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1196996647&sr=1-9)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61KDMSDY6KL._AA280_.jpg)
Hey, kangiser those are the ones the siders used in Puyallup, Wa.
I'm sure that rental on those babies are expensive.
I bet in Alaska you might find them at United Rentals. They would probably ship them from Seattle.
Everything up here cost $$$$$
T-111 siding is very popular here, install with wall and done.
Even those are not unreasonable if you are a contractor or have some other use for them, but I assumed that for owner builders the 2x4 jacks would be more reasonable cost wise.
I need to buy some myself, but I have so many toys I don't usually need them. Still there are the plasces that the toys can't get to.
Well Really old pictures that I finally got off my old computer. The humble beginings of our cabin. The first picture is where the cabin now sits.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00328.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00336.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00353.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00365.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00386.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00389.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00394.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00399.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00405.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00409.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00415.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00425.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00319.jpg)
Well the weather has been cooperating and the snow has finally melted. [cool] We have been busy doing little things here and there on the inside of the cabin until yesterday. We finally got back to installing windows. We intalled 3 more (two in the front and one on the side) and of course I forgot my camera. d* I will post pictures once I take some. The worse part has been installing the house wrap. Lots of up and down the ladder, but we are getting there. The t 111 siding gets delivered next weekend. I can't wait to get the outside wrapped up. :)
Are you going to put any kind of screen wall drainage space between the T111 and the house wrap, Chuck?
House wrap doesn't have the greatest reputation where water may get against it - get into a hole in it then not get out of the wall causing mold problems. A vertical batten spacer every 2 feet to put the T111 on could eliminate nearly all of the problem without going to felt to be safer.
Just a thought as it's pretty easy now.
Glenn,
I hadn't planned on it as it is not a common practice here in Alaska. I was counting on the t111 and the current osb to give me basically two layers of sheathing to add rigidity for earthquakes.
See you still have the whole family - had missed the pix you'd posted of earlier work - when I'm at work, I can't see the pictures so takes a lot of the fun out of reading stuff... then when I get back to the cabin I miss some of the older postings.
You're doing great work - the area is so beautiful!
Thanks. The new windows we installed yesteday give us a great view of the pond/wetland, on the down hill side of the cabin. A much better view than I anticipated. The pond was full of waterfowl and cranes. The bigger lake behind our cabin is still frozen over. My wife can't wait to get the windows in upstairs so she can check out the lake view.
You may not have as much water problem there as things are likely froze a lot of the time anyway I would guess.
If your house wrap has been exposed all winter check it to make sure it's chemicals are still effective. Some are not rated for much exposure and I have heard of having to re-wrap it after long exposure.
I promised some new pictures of our progress. I will be halibut and salmon fishing this weekend, so no updates until next weekend.
walls finished to ceiling.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00442.jpg)
interior shot of some of the 1st floor windows.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00444.jpg)
exterior shots.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00450.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00453.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00449.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00446.jpg)
Looks good. That last step's a doozy.
It sure is! :) We are planning on a small deck, which will be off the master bedroom. It will over look the lake. My wife can't wait.
Well some more progress photos. More house wrap and retaining walls. We also did more interior work (blocking, floor span connectors, ect) I must say I did a lot of up and down the ladder to install the wrap. Nothing like pushing the limits of a 32' ladder. Boy is my back killing me ...those rocks are heavy! ;)
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Very nice job, Chuck. I also am doing the dry stack rock retaining wall in various areas. As I do more of them I am not as intimidated by them and the big ones get much easier to move. :)
Looks like you knew what you were doing on the walls and for those who don't there is a book linked in the free stuff area about building them.
Glenn thanks for the comment, but I actually can't take credit for the walls. My neighbor did them for me. Hopefully he will have them completely done this week. There is approximately 56 tons of rock in them walls. The biggest rocks are the size of two 55 gallon drums.
My daughter loves them...she now has her own rock walls to climb, makes my wife extremely nervous. The walls look small in the pictures, but they must be 9+ feet tall.
They look to be properly done -- slight lean in - earth backed and well fit. Raelly great -- rock is avbout 165 lbs per cubic foot. Your big ones are probably 4 to 6 thousand lbs - rough guess.
I love the rock retaining walls & the rock steps [cool] What type of support & waterproofing did you put in the walls before placing the rocks? I see that the basement is brick with the bituthane wrap... just thinking about our place - one of these days we'll be berming a lot of it that sticks out front of the mtn & putting rocks - but our walls aren't real strong yet - I'm sure Glenn will figure it out. Can't wait until we get back to finishing up some stuff on our place...
Sassy,
the block walls have bituthane wrap, a layer of the delta dimple board and then 2 inches of blue board foam. My neighbor was very careful to make sure the rock wall doesn't lean on the block foundation it only touches the foam. I need to figure out what to do with the foam that is showing. I will probably trim it back to the rock face.
How about cover it with stucco lath then stucco it with colored stucco - maybe a natural color of some sort.
Glenn I never thought of that. Is it very hard to do? I would be willing to give it a try. Would I tapcon the lathe to the block through the foam? Any insights would be appreciated! Love this board learn something new every day. [cool]
I love those walls and steps. I've done a fair amount of cement plaster on stucco lath. I use 2 parts portland 3 or 4 sand 1 lime. It would closly match your stone in color I think but might be a little lighter once you clean up the stone. Maybe if it was too light you could throw in a little dark masonery cement. I use 2 coats, fair amount of work though.
In the old days concrete coloring was a dry powder, We used to use yellow for chalk boxes you could snap a ton of lines with out re-chalking, anyway I don't know if they still make it but I always wanted to try to see if I could get some green and try to copy moss or licken.
Mike
What a great project. Thanks for keeping up posted on this thread.
Great job. [cool] That's a really tall house btw.
thanks for all the positive comments! I will keep posting until I finish....which may take a while. ;)
ScottA - It is pretty tall! Many of my friends refer to it as the tower or something much worse as we carried every piece of lumber, etc. up the hill.
I haven't actually measured from the peak to the ground, but I did add an extra course of block to the foundation, the next floor has 10' walls, the top floor is 8' and the roof pitch is 7/12, so some where over 30 feet. d* I don't know what I was thinking. ???
Well,
We have been busy. We built an 8'x18' deck on the front of the cabin on Saturday. Hopefully we can use it as a platform for scaffolding to finish the down hill side (read extremely tall side) of the cabin. My neighbor has also finished the rock walls and steps. He even put in a landing at the top. That project definitely grew in scope. I will be broke paying for all that work, but it will be worth it in the long run. The amount of rock used even surprised my neighbor. He had to put in at least 12 steps to get up the slope. The result is very impressive however.
My wife and I are taking some extra time off in conjunction with the holiday weekend, so we will start my daughter's mini cabin (i.e. playhouse). It will be 10'x12' with the same 7:12 roof pitch as the cabin and the same steel roofing as we have tons of extra material. We also hope to get more windows in and start siding the place. I will post more pictures of the progress as soon as possible.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th!
Well we didn't accomplish as much as we wanted on the 4th of July weekend. We had to make an unscheduled trip to the emergency room. :( We thought my daughter might have appendicitis. Lucky for her she didn't, but she did have a severe case of the intestinal flu with all the associated cramping and pains. It definately put a damper on things.
We did install our french door in the basement....finally getting rid of that darn OSB, that I have put up and taken down at least a thousand times. [cool] We also started the siding. I know we are a little a head of ourselves, but we are trying to juggle window installation, house wrap and siding. I haven't been able to get all the windows and wrap on as my wife and I can't do the big windows by ourselves we need a third person and all my friends have been busy. (It is salmon fishing season here in Alaska!) We also started my daughters playhouse...not as far a long as I would like, but we do have a post and pier foundation, and the deck done. It is probably the only playhouse around with 1 1/8" T&G floor decking. I had some left over from the cabin build and decided to use it up.
This past weekend I finally convinced one of my buddies to take a few hours to help out. We install all but 3 of the cabin windows. Hopefully next weekend we can finish the house wrap and install the last of the windows. Then I will be in full siding mode...I can't wait.
I know post some pictures!! d* I will!!
Any progress is good progress, Chuck. :)
Well went to do some work this weekend, but it rained like crazy so we didn't get any out door work done. He are some of the pictures that I owe you all.
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Nice progress and fine rock work!
Quote from: rdzone on June 11, 2008, 04:55:55 PM
Glenn I never thought of that. Is it very hard to do? I would be willing to give it a try. Would I tapcon the lathe to the block through the foam? Any insights would be appreciated! Love this board learn something new every day. [cool]
Sorry I missed this -
Tapcons could be good but a cheaper alternative would be to drill a 3/16 or 1/4 inch hole in the block as required. get a proper sized washer - maybe 5/16 and drive 2 or 3 nails through it at the same time through the washer over the lath and into the drilled hole. This also makes a great temporary or permanent anchor into concrete for wall braces, etc.
I use 16d screw nails peeled off a strip for my nail gun. Smooth will work also. A very versatile anchor. 60d's will also go tight into a 1/4 inch hole for bigger stuff or anchoring into rocks etc. Not approved for code specs.
Thanks Glenn I will have to give it a try after I get farther along. I am still trying to get the last 3 windows in and the siding on. We have had a cloudy and rainy summer, even worse than last year when I was worried about getting the roof on. >:( Hopefully we can get several nice weekends before the snow flies and I can get a lot done. I am using 4'x10' sheets of t-111 so I should be able to make some progress fast if the weather cooperates. I just checked on renting scaffolding, which was surprisingly cheap. I need to be able to touch at least 30', so a single tower 10' wide, with all the outriggers, adjustable feet, hand rails, etc will cost me $195 for a month. Less than I expected. I will have to move it around, but I can't afford to put scaffolding around the whole place. I hope to pick the scaffolding up next week and start working hard.
Sounds real reasonable. We'll be watching.
Well I rented the scaffolding and the weather finally cooperated a little this weekend. We got another row of siding on all around the first floor. Took longer that expected, but it is done. Cutting out the window and door opening was time consuming. Looks like I will have another couple of rows to get to the top. (except of course on the TALL side :o ) I will post pictures once we take some, of course I forgot the camera d*!
Cool - I understand I soon get to work on a 5 story parking garage off a scaffold. That will be like standing on the ground, eh? d*
Boy Glenn that sounds like lots of fun. I am just glad I am not afraid of heights. The thing I hate the most is climbing all the way to the top and realizing I forgot something, then having to climb back down. d*
"The thing I hate the most is climbing all the way to the top and realizing I forgot something, then having to climb back down."
That's what you need a rope, a pail and kids for. ;D
Quote from: rdzone on August 19, 2008, 09:40:26 PM
Boy Glenn that sounds like lots of fun. I am just glad I am not afraid of heights. The thing I hate the most is climbing all the way to the top and realizing I forgot something, then having to climb back down. d*
After about 10 feet it all seems the same. Hopefully we can carry the steel up the different levels from the inside with a forklift. We'll see if I actually get the job -- I quit taking recreational jobs and only take the ones I can make a decent profit on. If I'm losing money I stay home. d*
I have used the pail and rope trick when working on the roof. It works great..when I can get my daughter out to help out!
Well we made some good progress this week. [cool] If you are afraid of heights don't look at the pictures. I thought I had enough scoffolding to reach the peak, but I guess that will be a project for the spring. We installed the last 3 windows. I only have one opening to fill a door on the back side on the top floor, my wife wants an elevated deck off our bedroom. I have the door and I will have to install the ledger board, just like I did for the porches, maybe next weekend. Hopefully this fall we will have decent weather to finish siding. The scaffolding took probably 75% of our time putting it up and taking it down to move, but it definately beats a ladder.
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My friend Chuck and I the only two not afraid of heights.
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My daughter and Chuck relaxing a bit.
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This is a shot of the last window installed on the top floor on the right. My wife made me put it in before I could leave. :)
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My work crew...not a bad bunch....
Looks good, Chuck. That house is really tall on the low side, eh? :)
Yep Glenn,
definately not for those who dislike heights, which includes most of my friends. ;D
I'm not afraid of heights and find that falling off a roof doesn't hurt. It's that sudden stop at the end of the fall that causes the pain. heh
Glenn I would agree with you. I have been trying to avoid the sudden stops on this project. I don't think my wife or daughter would appreciate picking up the mess. :o
Likely be paperwork for them to take care of also. Best not to bother them. ::)
pictures of progress from this weekend. :)
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Far out.... I mean far up. :)
Lookin good [cool] - how many square feet altogether? Looks pretty big. Great progress!
Sassy,
This is John universal 2 story plan with a full walkout basement. The structure is 20" x 34" so approximately 2000 square feet if you count all the floors. I call it a cabin, all my friends call it a house, actually it is bigger than my house. :)
Wow! That's some BIG cabin!
Great job!
I'll be interested to see how you fit the elevator in...
:D
I blame my wife for picking the building site. ;) I wish I could afford an elevator. On the bright side I have been getting in shape hauling everything up and down that darn hill.
I don't know what happened we were only going to build a small place. Then we ordered...I think 4 different sets of plans from John and this is what we ended up with. Definately bigger than I expected. On top of the 3 stories we made the basement taller and the second floor has ten foot ceilings not to mention the third floor has cathedral ceilings (13+ feet). I don't know what I was thinking or I guess I wasn't thinking, but in the long run it will be worth it.
Chuck,
Looking absolutely awesome!!! I remember when you were first getting the property. It's come a long way since then. BTW ... this is your cousin, Dan from Colorado. We've just started building my new shop (34'x40' gambrel post and beam) ... I've been 5 years without a shop and I'm dying to get back to my hobbies. Dad sent the link so I could see what you've been up to, and I'm suitably impressed by what you have all accomplished.
Later,
Dan
Hey Dan!
Good to hear from you! Mom said you were starting a shop. You need to post some pictures, as you move along.
Denise, Paige and I are trying to get the siding on before the first snow. It is going to be close a lot of the taller peaks already have termination dust on them. Building on the weekends with just the family and a friend or two sure has taken longer than expected, but we are getting there. We went up on Sunday and put in the last door. [cool] No more openings to fill. It was the balcony door for the master bedroom upstairs.
Hope all is well.
Well we have been working, but forgetting to take pictures. here are some updated photos. I did have some fun 2 weekends ago. I had left some house wrap intentionally loose so I could shingle in another piece. When I added the piece weeks later, while smoothing it out and adding staples I felt a bump under my hand, which was warm and started to make noise and move. I lifted up my hand and I could see something under the wrap moving, but I had stapled most of the wrap down. Good thing I am a wildlife biologist and recognized the little brown bat now trapped. I had to cut an access flap to get him out. Scared the heck out of my daughter when it finally flew out. [cool]
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Glad the little bug eater got out OK.
Looks good and tall, Chuck.
Yes, must be a great view from the upper floor windows. :)
Glenn I am glad the bug eater got out too. I had to explain to my daughter that Bats are a good thing as thy eat lots of bugs. Now my daughter and I will be building some bat houses over the winter to hopefully keep some around the cabin, sure beats buying one of those Mosquito magnet things. It is amazing they can make it up here in Alaska.
MountainDon,
The view is great over looking a pond/wetland out front (the reason want to keep the bats around) and out the back where I plan to put an elevated deck there is a good view of a lake.
I have to admit I was once scared by a bat too. Tell her not to feel bad. :(
I was checking out old mines in the coast range -went up hill through the brush, climbed up a pile of rocks, looked into the mine and a giant bat flew right into my face. Not the small variety but the big ones with a wingspan of 6 feet...... [scared]
OK -- probably about 20 inches I guess.
I had to see if I was exaggerating - I wasn't. Up to 22" d*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_mastiff_bat
Well this weekend I had some friends come over to help. We actually got all the siding done! [cool] Even the gable on the high end. I am much more comfortable with the scaffolding and actually had no real problem getting the last bit of house wrap and siding up. We didn't however get the last corner boards on. It will have to wait until next spring. As I was putting the last piece of siding on, it started to snow like crazy :( Things were getting slick so we decided not to push our luck. By the time we got the scaffolding down there was over an inch of snow on the bottom plank, oh what fun. I have pictures and will post them as soon as possible.
That's one big cabin you got there. Plenty of head room. I like it :)
Are you going to add a porch [cool]
Well as we say everything is bigger in Alaska. You know if you split Alaska in half - Texas would be the third largest state.
Yep a small porch on one side, a larger one on the other and a elevated deck out back. To get the siding on before the snow we just put the ledgers and flashing on as place holders.
OK Pictures as promised [cool]
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Well no new pictures. :( He have changed gears and are starting to work inside as the temp has been in the single digits. Our first order of business was to clean things up and organize the inside of the cabin. We hauled out all of the scraps and had a huge bonfire. I think we lit it around 10 am and still had embers around 5 pm. It sure put out the heat and melted the snow for quite a distance. We also shuffled things (mainly all the insulation still in bundles) around inside so we have access to do the plumbing and electrical.
This weekend, I also ordered a nice soaker tub for the upstairs bathroom, one of those 6 footers that are 21 inches deep, so you can actually get more than your butt wet. :) Scored points with the wife. [cool]
rdzone I also change my jobs depending on the weather. Last week I had full intentions of getting the plumbing and drywall started. The the forecast changed for this week so outside I go. Hopefully the weather will hold off for a couple of more days to finish the stone work I started on Friday. If not I will go back inside only when I am forced to. ;D
Sorry no new pictures. We have been organizing and gathering supplies. We bought $1600 worth of plumbing supplies and fixtures. We hauled up a really nice 6'Lx 3'W x 2'D tub to the cabin last weekend (one of my wife's must haves, no jets just a soaker ) and this weekend we hauled in ABS pipe and did a little work. We started to install some more floor span connectors (Simpson FSC), but it was pretty cold -12 F, so my daughter and I only stayed for 3 hours. Of course everything was metal including the tools so my fingers just wouldn't stay warm. My 10 year old is a trooper though she shoveled the deck and was sledding for at least an hour. Hopefully this weekend I will get some more work done. I seem to be at a sticking point. Plumbing and Stairs. I have never done either and I am a bit reluctant to jump in. I understand the basics, but for the stairs I have to add winders, because I strayed from John's plans and made the basement 100" tall and the second floor 10' tall. As far as plumbing goes I know the basic rule that it flows down hill (1/4" per foot), but the venting combined with the drains has me scratching my head. I will just have to take things slow.
Well we have finally started back up. My wife and I have been doing the little time consuming things here and there. Floor span connectors, blocking, cleaning and organizing. This was the first weekend that was snow free. Two weeks ago we still had 2+ feet of snow, but now everything is drying up. We had to sweep the volcanic ash off the deck from Mt. Redoubt's past eruptions, but the place looks great. I have a buddy who is going to help with the plumbing and another that will help with the electrical. My wife and I reworked the stairwell walls in the basement and actually started stairs, well sort of. We put in the landing between the basement and the first floor. I hope we can get the stringers done correctly. Of course nothing is perfectly plumb or square, just to make it more difficult. The concrete slab has a dip in it and some how the damn framer (that would be me) didn't square up the stairwell hole perfectly. Hopefully I won't mess up to many stringers. I thinking of making an OSB template (cut to the width of a 2"x12") that way if I mess up it won't cost so much $$ as I have lots of strap OSB.
I will be taking a week off at the end of May to paint and do the remaining trim work around the windows, belly bands and the final coner boards. Then I will probably move to interior work. I still will have the porches and rear deck to do, but those will have to wait for now.
Well my daughter and I went up to the cabin to do a little work today. It was a very nice day. We added one more platform to the stair landing and finally got around to shimming all the windows. I have attached a few pictures. One of my helper trimming shims, one of the stair landing and one of the pond out front.
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Well I took a week off to paint and of course it rained 3 out of five days. We got the front painted and all the trim on. We also finish the flight of stairs from the basement to the first floor.
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Finally have the whole cabin painted with all the trim installed. I am definitely glad to see the scaffolding gone. We finished the painting last weekend and my wife installed all the window screens after removing all of the manufacture stickers and washing the insides and outsides. The place looks pretty finished from the outside, but still all of the inside work to do. (plumbing, electrical, insulation...etc).
My daughter, one of my friends and I worked on my daughters playhouse. We started the foundation and deck work last fall, but never got to the walls due to weather and lack of time. Saturday we built all of the walls and got them sheathed. Sunday my daughter and I worked on the trusses. We finished them all and have them stacked and ready to go for next weekend, hopefully the weather will hold, so we can install the trusses and get the roof sheathed and tar papered.
I will post some pictures when I get a chance.
some pictures as promised.
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Looking very good, Chuck. Thanks
Thanks Glenn. Now on to the inside, once I get the roof on my daughters 10'x12' playhouse. (read daddy's shed once she is to old to appreciate it) :)
I will post so pictures of the playhouse as things progress.
Great pics rdzone!
I bet the decks and view will look amazing. Do you mind if I ask what you estimate the house to cost? ( not land ) Or rather what you've paid up till now including labor for what we see in the pics?
It is a very nice house. Great job! :)
Thanks Bishopknight!
My wife can't wait to get the decks and porches done as the views will be amazing as you said.
I am a little afraid to run the numbers but I will guesstimate:
The foundation, stump pulling, rock work and well are the only things I paid to have done. I have done all of the other work with some help of friends, my wife and daughter.
The foundation was around $10,000. The rock work was around $6,000 and the well was around $2,500. As far as the rest I think around $5,000 per floor for framing, sheathing and siding. The roof trusses, sheathing and metal roof probably $3,500. The windows and doors were the most expensive things around $7,000. So if I round up because of the other things I have bought but not installed, the electrical supplies, plumbing supplies, insulation and other supplies(connectors. paint, ceiling fans, toilets, tub, ect), not to mention my daughter playhouse. Somewhere around $50,000+. (My wife just came home and told me $75,000+) Still Not bad when you consider a 2000 sq ft house here runs well over $300,000 and the lot sizes are very small.
Really nice! 8) I'm sure you & your wife are pretty proud of what you've accomplished!
Thanks for breaking down the costs, its cool to get an idea of others peoples projects. c*
I'm looking forward to more pics!
I can't wait for more pictures too. That means I got more done. :)
I will post pics of my father/daughter project ...the playhouse/shed as soon as I can get things downloaded.
I started another thread to cover my daughters playhouse/mini cabin. But I did squeeze in some work on the big cabin. While it was raining my wife and I got another flight of stairs completed.
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Well my wife and I took yesterday off and we got our stairs done, winders and all. [cool] My buddy also came over and we started the rough plumbing. :) No pictures, but we will take some this weekend. I must say I over thought ??? the stairs, once I broke it down into pieces they really were not to bad. They are not strictly to code, but the cabin is in an area without any codes. It sure beats climbing up and down a ladder!
Ok more stair pictures and some rough plumbing pictures finally. I hope to get some more work done the next couple of weekends.
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You're moving right along - great job! :)
Hey, that stair landing looks just like mine....only mirrored - good job! [cool]
Thanks for the comments. I had hoped to get more done this weekend, but I took a spill and fractured a few ribs and sprained a finger. We did manage to move our construction door to my daughters playhouse and install our new door which helped to reduce some of the clutter inside the cabin. We really need to do a thorough clean job moving all the extra materials down to the basement. I hope to start drilling holes so I can pull electrical wire this weekend.
Well we have done a lot of work since my last post. One of my friends has been helping with the plumbing and electrical. We have pulled over 2000' feet of 12-2, 12-3, cable and telephone wire. I hope to do one last check of things this weekend and hook everything to the breaker box, that way we can start insulating!!!!!!! :) I never thought we would get to this point. Pictures to follow.
rdzone I would take the extra time to DOUBLE check the wiring and the plumbing. Make sure that there is no wire staples into the wire. Run an OHM check on the wiring. Pressure test your plumbing. Once the insulation and subsequent wall covering is attached it is almost impossible to fix something.
Not a problem. Thanks for the advise. WE have been checking and double checking along the way. As far as plumbing goes 99% of it is in the interior walls, but we will also triple check it.
some pictures
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/IMG_1806.jpg)
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Finally started the insulation!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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That will make a lot of difference with the temperatures! Looking good!
OK, I just have to ask; why all the outlets going up the stairs? ???
Perhaps it is preinstalled wiring for making a home version of this:
http://ixdstudio2009.ning.com/video/musicalstaircase-1 (http://ixdstudio2009.ning.com/video/musicalstaircase-1)
I think someone else already posted this link but I couldn't find it.
Back to reality, perhaps it is for installing something like these:
http://www.destinationlighting.com/storeitem.jhtml?iid=214619 (http://www.destinationlighting.com/storeitem.jhtml?iid=214619)
Sassy,
just what we have done so far makes a huge difference in the inside temps.
My buddy is an electrician and talked my wife into the stair lights. I lost that discussion, but they are pretty neat.
Looks Awesome. Do you have a running cost figure yet?
Dave
Thanks for the positive comments. It has been a large project to say the least.
I don't have a real good number, as I am afraid to add everything up. I think if you look back in some of my older posts I have an approximate figure. My wife and I disagree on how much I have spent d*
I need to update my pictures also. I guess this weekend I will have a chance. Everything is looking mighty pink now. My wife and I have almost everything insulated, just have to do around the chimney and the upstairs bathroom. I haven't finished roughing in the vent line and the bathroom fan yet, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
Well finally had some time to run up to the cabin, not much work being done as we are trying to get my daughters mini cabin finished so we can use it as a base camp and not have to take the camper up every weekend. We did get the alarm company up to prewire for and alarm system, now we can install the vapor barrier. :)
I am curious to know what your plans are for the vapor barrier - what will you use, and will you just do the exterior walls or will you use a barrier on the ceilings as well? i talked with my inspector last week and he seemed to indicate that i should use a vapor barrier in the ceiling , but he left the decision up to me..
Up here in Alaska vapor barrier is a must. We will be installing 6 mil poly. We also used energyblocks (http://www.energyblock.com) around all of the electrical boxes. We just installed them last week, a pretty neat product helps seal around the boxes.
A couple of pictures of our cabin with our vapor barrier installed. We finished the first floor and started the second floor and did some work on my daughters mini cabin too.
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00679.jpg)
(https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/rdzone/DSC00678.jpg)
Sorry for no updates in a long time. Progress has been slow due to cash flow. I will post some more recent photos when I get a chance. Not a whole lot of noticable progess. Working on insulation details, vapor barrier, cutting and chopping some trees that the high winds blew down.
I've been debating moisture barrier or not. I've been concerned by several folks in SE who had mold problems with it. I see you consider it a must up there.
Also took note of the polystyrene electrical box enclosures. Hadn't seen those before. The price surprised me.
I could empathize with a lot of your build as I read the posts. Especially about the roof being the roughtest portion. Doing ours on a 12/12 pitch was almost beyond my capability working alone. My hat's off to you. Way to go. You you appear to be on the home stretch.
Did you do anything at the roof peak to keep bats out?
Maybe Dons post on Building Science Article will help you determining a vapor barrier
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10056.msg128564#msg128564
Not to step on rdzone's thread I can speak for myself in that I used hardware cloth(Batts & flying squirrels) over the ridge vent as well as window screen(bugs). There is a gasket that will allow you to seal up the openings in the roofing if you are using metal roofing at the eve area as well as the gable ends.
Vapor barriers should be used everywhere except in areas of the SE USA. Also do not confuse a vapor barrier with an air barrier.
I'll dig up some references and post them later. I'll look back and see if we have a dedicated topic in referral links.
ED: New topic will be placed in referral links later
I'll start a new thread on vapor barriers in the general section so we don't hijack this thread.
MolFol,
I used screen to cover up the ridge vent to keep insects and bats out. Definately used 6mil Poly as a vapor barrier. All the seams are taped and I sealed the top, bottom and around the windows with acoustical caulk. It is important to keep the warm moist air away from the cold walls not just to keep things warm, but to prevent mold. It gest into the -30s at timse at the cabin.
The energy blocks were pricey, but I think they have sealed things up extremely well. I think you could easily make something similar, but it would take more time, something I have little of.
I hope to get more done this spring and summer, compared to last summer. Only time will tell. I will keep plugging along.
Good luck with you project I look forward to more progress photos.
Great work so far! Can't wait to see the latest progress. [cool]
Thanks. I have some pictures I need to post. The first floor walls are mostly drywalled and we started the walls upstairs. We are not drywalling the ceilings, using T&G pine. I left the ceilings open for now still need to run plumbing supplies line and heat.
Looks great! I really want to see the finshed inside pictures, particularly the upper level. How much head room are you going to have up there?
Dang how time flies. Still have pictures to post. Seems like progress is slow, but we keep moving forward. Several weeks ago we built and installed a remote meter base, and the underground cable up to the cabin.
My wife, daughter, friend and neighbor worked on the project. My neighbor used his mini excavator to dig the trench (supposed to be 3' more like 5' deep) and set the meter base. Once the trench was dug we (the rest of us) ran the cable and slid the conduit down the hill over the pre strung cable. I was the one in the ditch, up to my shoulders, I should have had my neighbor use the bigger shovel as it was a tight squeeze for my big butt. :) Got the meter base set, trench dug, cable laid in conduit, the trench filled and everything nicely graded in 6 hours. Did I mention it was 175'? Not a bad bit of work.
Since then I finished wiring the meter base, and panel. Another buddy wired some outlets and switches throughout the cabin no more generator. [cool]
This past weekend we finished the plumbing vent, only been waiting months to do that... :) I cut the hole in my beautiful metal roof and put the last piece of pipe in put the flashing boot on and sealed it up tight. Good thing I got it done and it rained that night and the forcast is for rain all week. :( Once that was done my wife, daughter and I worked on finishing up the insulation. Now all I have to do is finish the vapor barrier and we can drywall!!
Talked to my neighbor about doing the septic system, he bought a new tank from someone this winter whose project fell through. Said it is mine for a $1000...good deal as the same tank from the company that builds them here in town is $1500 and I have to move it. Feel like we are making some progress, hope to get the well pump in this summer too. Maybe even some heat. :) My wife want this cabin done to the point we can enjoy it sooner rather than later.. [cool]
What an awesome project. I love this house plan! What amazing work you have done.
Thanks. Only wish I could get it done, seems like a never ending project, but it has been a lot of fun and my wife and daughter have learned a lot about construction. [cool]
All I can say is sorry I still need to post some pictures.
The vapor barrier and all of the insulation on the 1st and 2nd floor is complete.
We are in various stages of drywall work throughout the cabin.
All of the walls have been drywalled on the first floor, but I haven't done the ceiling. Still figuring out what I want to do for permanent heat, probably going to land on slant fin baseboard heat, instead of radiant floor, just so it can be done. I also need to finish the plumbing before I close up the lid.
We continue to make progress hanging drywall on the 2nd floor. My daughters room only needs another coat of mud. We hung the drywall in the stairwell and hallway and started in our bathroom. Still need to hang rock in the Master Bedroom, then I will finish the mud.
This fall my neighbor installed my septic tank and leach field. Additionally, I installed a toyo heater to keep the place warm. I keep it set a 50 degrees and it works like a charm. We ramp up the heat when we get there to 65 and start working. What a difference from last year when the outside temp was -20 and the inside temp was -10ish. LOL
Hopefully over the holidays I can continue to make progress. We didn't get the well pump in, but we did buy the pump and pressure tank and are working on purchasing the smalller nuts and bolts, so we will be ready this spring.
I hate to be a "Monday Morning Quarterback" but the professional way to hang the drywall is ceilings first then followed by the walls. It is a lot easier to hide the seam at the top. When installing the ceilings last it is hard to get a good fit without a large joint. Generally the factory edge of the wall sheets fits snuggly to the ceiling. If doing horizontal sheets the bottom sheet also uses the factory edge to meet the upper sheet factory edge. The bottom sheet if it has to be cut(normally does) then this is at the bottom so that the baseboard will cover. If installing verticle try to make all sheets factory edges meet and leave the cut edge for corners. Utilize the factory edges to tape as much as possible as it will be less noticable than a "butt " edge seam. Well if it's too late so be it. Maybe someone else will pick up on the post for their project.
Thanks for the comments.
I have hung lots of drywall and understand what you are saying. Usually I would rock the ceiling then the walls, but been trying to make progress where we can, so I hung all of the rock on the walls first before running the heat and plumbing (My buddy the plumber hasn't been available to help me finish). I do have the factory edges up, cuts on the bottom near the floor.
I haven't decided, but I will probably rock the ceiling and fire tape. Then the plan is for T&G pine on the ceiling. Don't worry it will look fine. d*
Looking good. :)
Thanks. Got to get off my butt and post some pictures. The upstairs if almost completely drywalled, not taped but getting there. Still have to run my plumbing supply lines, before I can finish drywalling downstairs, not to mention I need to haul in some more drywall. We have had lots of snow and cold weather, which have hindered progress somewhat to difficult to haul in lots of supplies.
All finally done! (For the most part). Been slacking lots going on in my life, but thought I needed to post pictures of the final project. Sorry for any repeat photos.
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Chuck thanks for sharing the photos. Looks real nice. I don't know how I missed the stove but anyway interesting one. Now it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. :)
Missing this Place. Got it done and moved to Texas, for a number of reasons - work, closer to Family. Still have the cabin, have friends checking on it regularly. Can't wait to get back for a vacation and to be able to enjoy the place.