Al and Robins 20x30 1 1/2 near Lake Eufaula, OK

Started by ajbremer, May 09, 2011, 04:01:01 AM

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ajbremer

(The next paragraph was added: Wednesday - November 29th, 2017)

This thread starts below but I want to tell you all that since photobucket website ripped off everybody I've had to meticulously download my pics from photobucket, upload them to my own hosting package, and then do some fancy modifying. This is taking a long time, a little bit everyday so please be patient and I'll try to fix the whole thing eventually.


Monday - May 9th, 2011

Well, I guess I'll begin my build thread now - after being here around 5 months. I have yet to actually start building but I felt that now is a good time to start my thread.

I bought the Little House plans here at first but then I realized that my covenants and restrictions called out a minimum of 600 sf so I purchased the 20x30 1 1/2 plans also. Speaking of covenants and restrictions, I can go into page after page of what happened between our 'Home Owners Association' and us but for now I'll stick with this introduction and cover Home Owners Associations later.

We first looked at our little 134 x 75 lot about a year ago, it only cost us $1,000 and then we bought the lot next to it from a neighbor for $2,500 and it's mostly a ditch but still added a lot to our layout. We first began to clear it last fall (2010) and then had the power company put up a main corner pole and then a shorter construction pole.

The whole lot was full of vines and brush - to the point where you almost couldn't even walk through it without a machete or something. The only thing existing on it was a small shed that was built many years ago, we ended up tearing it down. I will post videos and pictures of the shed that no longer exists later.

Speaking of pictures, I have documented our adventure very well thus far. I have just as many if not more videos of our progress than I do pictures. I post them all on my youtube account at: http://www.youtube.com/allanbremer. As I post pictures here, I will put the month and year date (to the best of my knowledge) in front of the heading.

November 2010: Here is one of the earliest pictures of our lot with Robin, my wife, in the front.


December 2010: Here is the shed way in the background.


December 2010: We start to clear land and put yarn down, on what we thought to be, our left boundary line.


December 2010: We clear a little more and run our yarn down our back boundary. You see the shed better here.


December 2010: We really tried to keep the shed but it just got in the way of what we wanted to do.


December 2010: Now we start to clear the land more and brush piles begin to appear.


December 2010: All the trees were riddled with vines like this.


December 2010: Time to put an old picnic table down and get a drink!


By the way, me and Robin have done everything here. We cleared the land, tore down the shed, all kinds of work. I'm really
proud of how hard my wife has worked...but then - we've done stuff together like this before. We are campers and pioneers at heart. One time me and her took off on a two-seater bicycle and went 4,600 miles across America (http://www.usforhim.com). So yes, we are campers, we could live in a tent and be satisfied. BUT, our countryplan 20x30 seems a little better to us - now that we're older!
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

ajbremer

#1
Monday - May 9th, 2011 @ 4:24am

Here is one of many youtube videos of us clearing our land on January 23, 2011: http://www.youtube.com/allanbremer#p/u/29/zLmwJFtS6MQ

Here we are taking some chopped wood from our lot to our other place 50 miles away.


We got an idea, let's get this 12x32 Lofted Barn Cabin and put it on our place while we build our house. The thing is a Derksen Building (http://www.derksenbuildings.com/) and it cost us $6,000. Derksen buildings are the most popular portable buildings in America, at least that's what I've been told. Them moving it to our lot was included in the price. Here's our building before they picked it up and moved it to our lot which is about 40 miles away. Ok, I know what your thinking: "$6,000 is a lot of money man, you could have put that into your house materials or something." Oh well, I did it anyway. I gave the guy $2,000 and I'm paying monthly on the rest BUT, we are going to have it payed off in about 9 months. It looks great in our woods, here it is on the sellers lot.



Here's the low-down: The covenants and restriction by our Home Owners Association state that we can't live in this 'outbuilding'. We have to get a trailer with wheels and put it on our property in order for us to spend the night there. We had to submit our plans and intents and state that we would not spend the night in this building, in order for them to allow us to keep it on our land. They actually sent us a legal 'request' from a lawyer stating that we had to do this or move it off the lot. So we are going to get a small bumper pull trailer or something and sleep in it. We are allowed to temporarily take residents on our place for up to one year while our house is being built.

As I've said before, I've got a lot to say about the Homeowners Association (and so do most of my neighbors) but I don't want to take up space about that just yet.

We had to buy 30 blocks and 30 caps for the building to set upon.


My closest call with the chainsaw, it got my pants but not me, whew!.


Tearing down the shed was a major task. I wasn't really sure how to go about it so I just went around the bottom of the outside with the chainsay and cut the whole thing. Then I thought I would just kind of 'lift it off' but it was way heavier then I expected. I finally used a come-along and we tipped it over and then beat it up till it busted - it was a major job.



We found a 'rat in the shack' just before we had to tear down the shed. Robin tried to get him out but he didn't want to go. I was taking the video while Robin was poking it with a stick. I was almost screaming like a school girl when it finally fell to the ground and disappeared from my camera view and went under my feet. Here's the youtube video of that:

http://www.youtube.com/allanbremer#p/u/5/_z59R9NDwyc

Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.


ajbremer

#2
January 2011: I got the perk holes dug and paid the perk man $140 to do the test. It passed and I'm going to need 310 feet of lateral line.


January 2011: We tore down the shed and moved the building in its place.


January 2011: Youtube video of lot preparation for 12x32 building.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR1uMLNrV_4

February 2011: First mow and building moved in onto the lot.


Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

MountainDon

Quote from: ajbremer on May 09, 2011, 05:17:33 AM

My closest call with the chainsaw, it got my pants but not me, whew!.





That's what chaps are for. Chain Saw Chaps

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

ScottA

Looks like you're off to a good start. That mini cabin will come in handy for storage and naps.


MushCreek

Better get a set of chaps NOW. Nick your femoral artery, and you'll bleed out before you can finish your last cigarette.
Jay

I'm not poor- I'm financially underpowered.

MountainDon

Quote from: MushCreek on May 09, 2011, 04:12:40 PM
Better get a set of chaps NOW. Nick your femoral artery, and you'll bleed out before you can finish your last cigarette.

Not every chain saw injury leads to bleeding out but a friend who is a nurse in the Santa Fe hospital (closest ER to where our cabin is) sees a few leg vs chain saw encounters every year. They are very nasty cuts what with the dirt, oil, wood chips and the raggedness of the cut. All of them cost more than a pair of chaps. Mine are dirty as all get out and hot in summer. There are some summer weight ones available. It only takes a second for an accident. Add to the chaps eye and ear protection plus a hard hat to ward off those falling dead branches. I always get a shower of dead wood when dealing with a hung up tree.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

ajbremer

#7
Thank you for all of the advice about the chaps guys, I'm going to get some asap. These look pretty good: Husqvarna Pro Forest Logging Chainsaw Chaps
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

Tickhill

aj, we bought a Derksen building and use it for a storage shed, it is lofted on each end, much smaller, cheaper than yours but it seems to be well built. Can't wait to see more, Tickhill
"You will find the key to success under the alarm Glock"  Ben Franklin
Forget it Ben, just remember, the check comes at the first of the month and it's not your fault, your a victim.

Pray while there is still time


ajbremer

#9
Here are youtube videos of the 12x32 Derksen building being towed into our lot. If you've ever wondered how they move around a huge building like this then you need to see these videos.

At one time I thought that we were going to have to move the building 50 miles down the road to our other place, due to restrictions and covenants. I priced the move with this man and he said it'll be $1,000. Well, we found out that we don't have to move it but I do want to reposition it in the near future. The mover said that the minimum is $200 and that he could do it for the minimum because there was no road permit required. Here are the videos of the move.

Building Move 01: Building first comes off truck and heads up our road.
Building Move 02: Heads up our road and gets ready to turn in driveway.
Building Move 03: Takes the turn into our driveway and goes between some tight spots.
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

ajbremer

Thanks for your comment Tickhill. Yes, we do love our Derksen building. Check out those videos above and you'll see what it was like for us to have ours moved. But, now that I think about it, you had yours moved didn't you?
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

Pine Cone

Quote from: ajbremer on May 09, 2011, 05:55:45 PM
Thank you for all of the advice about the chaps guys, I'm going to get some asap. These look pretty good: Husqvarna Pro Forest Logging Chainsaw Chaps

Your project is looking great!   [cool]  Sorry about your homeowner's ass...(...ociation)

You might consider these chaps
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=164+ORG+RG&catID=11604

These safety goggles
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=35750&catID=12180

And these fabulous styling boots
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=VW59+10&catID=12234

I have the earlier version of the chaps and have used variants of the goggles for 30+ years.  The boots aren't cheap, but I really like my feet. 

Don't forget hearing protection as well. 

And keep those pictures coming... :)

Tickhill

Yes, it was quite a trailer they used. All they had to do was get it close to where you wanted it and the trailer pretty much did the rest, with operator pulling the levers!
"You will find the key to success under the alarm Glock"  Ben Franklin
Forget it Ben, just remember, the check comes at the first of the month and it's not your fault, your a victim.

Pray while there is still time

Crappie Slayer

I had some land picked out near me and had paper work going on it and it fell through, so I grew up down there on Eufaula, and I am currently looking at locating a good lot for a cabin build.

How big is your lot, I know down there in certain places on the lake the lots have to be so big in order to even have a septic tank.

Are you getting a new style tank or an old style tank, and if what kind of tank you are getting what is the cost of the septic tank install,,, that is the only thing I am still a little shaky on is the cost of a septic system down in that part of the country.

maybe I will see you down that way one of these days, I am looking at lots on thurs and fri this week, but the prices vary greatly depending on what part of the lake you want to be on or near. 

take it easy

Chris


ajbremer

#14
Hi Chris,

My lot is only 134 x 75 but then I bought the lot next to me so now my dimensions are 134 deep by 150. My total septic system cost me $3,000 and is the infiltrator leach-field system type. Here is a great video of how it works and the installation of it.

youtube video

I passed my perk test (barely), I have hard clay about 2 to 3 feet under the sandy loam.

Also, your right about the prices varying greatly on or near Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma. Even a small lot like mine can go from $1000 to $75,000. A lot of it depends on your view and if your right on the water or not. Hope to see ya around someday Chris.
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

ajbremer

#15
Wednesday - May 11th, 2011

I thought I would add more pics Today:

1/28/2011: Robin on the inside of our Derksen 12 x 32 building, trying to make it like a home.


2/20/2011: Here you can see that we've cleared a lot more land. You can also see one of the perk hole flags in the foreground.


2/26/2011: Here you can see more of the cleared lot in front of the building.


5/05/2011: Here is the septic man digging the tank hole. (He got stuck in the soft ground right after this)



5/05/2011: My septic man got stuck in the mud after he dug the tank hole. The ground was softer than we thought. I found a really good weather website for Oklahoma that even lets me know the soil moisture content of all the counties in Oklahoma. The measurements are at 2 inches, 10 inches, and 24 inches. Click here: www.mesonet.org



5/05/2011: When the septic man was just about done digging the tank hole, just before he was going to tackle the infiltrator digging, he called the tank dudes to come out with the tank. He had to send the tank back to its home because it was just too soft for the tank truck. I think he told me that the tank weighed 8000 lbs.
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

ajbremer

#16
Thursday Morning - May 12th, 2011

Read this then check out the youtube video link at the end, it will help you to understand my situation. Any ideas or suggestions is always appreciated.

I put a ladder down into the septic tank hole just to get a better idea of the different layers of soil my lot contains. The first couple feet are sandy loam and then after that it's very hard clay. I'm concerned about how this type of soil will effect my foundation and I'm also wondering what type of foundation is best for this condition.

Water from nearby hills seem to soak the top layer of soil as it makes its way down through it. It seems to me that the top-soil of my lot can hold water and be saturated for too long (because the hard clay doesn't let it go down) and possibly be a bad situation for my foundation. I've been looking into French-drains lately and I think if I put one at the top of my lot, about 10 feet in front of the foundation, then that would move the water/moisture away from the soil at the foundation. I see that there is a French-drain system on page 3 of the 20 x 30 plans going around the stem-wall. I would also do that along with this other one near the top of my lot.

I'm also wondering if redirecting the water away from my lot by way of these French-drains will also make my septic lateral lines (infiltrator) system do a better job.

I don't think pier and beam would be a good choice for me. I wanted to do a stem-wall but now I'm wondering if a slab-on-grade would be the strongest. I really want a stem-wall because I like the idea of a crawl-space, the wood floor, and me doing the plumbing.
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

SkagitDrifter

Great looking project so far AJ-

A curtian drain would do a lot to re-direct water away from the building site.

We have a large hillside behind our place and a pretty good slope down into the garage.
During snow melt we always had standing water in the crawl/garage.
I ran a curtian drain in front of the garage door and ran it all around the backside of the building.
Never had an issue with water again.
Good luck!
Tom

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=5327.0

 
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Abraham Lincoln

duncanshannon

hey aj-

congrats on starting your build thread!  [cool] [cool]  i'm very jealous but also excited to follow your progress from start to finish!
Home: Minneapolis, MN area.  Land: (no cabin yet) Spooner, WI area.  Plan: 20x34 1 1/2 Story. Experience Level: n00b. 
Build Thread: http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10784.0

ajbremer

#19
Friday - May 13th, 2011

Was out at my land a few days ago. Robin and I cleaned up a big brush pile in a couple of hours. I sure am going to have
to get some granules to spread out over the land for tick removal, we have to inspect each other every time we go to our land.

Here is the brush pile before we started


And here is a view from about the same spot a couple of hours later
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.


MountainDon

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

ajbremer

Hi Don, I bought the lot next to me and it is 2/3rds ditch. I've been throwing all the brush in the ditch. But, one day soon I hope to burn it all. I most certainly hate having to handle it twice and I really don't like the burning idea. I thought about renting a chipper too.

One more thing Don, I've always wanted to let you know that I love that little bug that crawls around after all of your comments. I swatted my screen with the fly-swatter for about five minutes the first time I saw it.
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

MountainDon

Chipper is a good idea if it is big enough for the materials.   We burn in winter when there is good snow cover.  
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

ajbremer

#23
Saturday Morning - May 14th, 2011

Here is a recent picture (5/10/2011) of the very front view of our lot and some of the things we plan to do with it. I would like to hear any suggestions you may have and if what I'm thinking of doing is the right thing.

I want to make extensive use of this website and the builders associated with it, people who have built their place using countryplans plans. I don't want to build my place and then show everybody here what I've done. I want to ask people here what I should do, show them what I've been doing, and then show them that I've done what most people here suggested was the 'right-way'. Thank you all for your knowledge and time.

Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.

ajbremer

#24
Saturday Night - May 14th, 2011

Today was a good day and another step in my building process was completed, getting a trailer.

Most peoples builds that I see show how they stayed in a trailer while they built their countryplan home. Well, I purchased a real nice Derksen lofted barn cabin (12x32) but kind of got in trouble with my Homeowners Association which lead me to submit my building plans and intents to them. They required me to do that or I would have had to remove my building (I think that's so stupid...but anyway). In my submitted plans I had to state that I would not spend the night in the building. The restrictions and covenants say that you can bring in a trailer and live there for up to one year while the permanent dwelling is being dried-in. I guess their line of thinking is that a trailer has wheels and can be moved very quickly. The portable building can be moved also but it is costly and could be time consuming.

So I went to looking for a travel trailer and as I looked through craigslist for a couple of days, I realized that they usually don't go for cheap and there are not many of them. It was hard for me to find anything under $1,000 that wasn't completely gutted or had major damage or had everything missing inside. Well, I found one and I'll tell you what I paid for it at the end of this post.











I don't have any pics of the inside yet but it has everything in it, stove, frig, water tank and pump, shower, potty, sinks, sewage tank, and more. Yes, it needs some work on the inside but very little bit.

As I was looking through all of the cupboards I was pretty excited when I opened one and found the users guide to 3D Home Architect version 4. I know we use version 3 here but I'm sure I can glean a lot from this version 4 book. I take this as a sign of doing the right thing. Here's a pic of the book and after that I'll tell you what I paid for the trailer.



Ok, I paid $250 for it!

I had to drive 160 miles to get it home and I had to use my small 4 cylinder Chevy S-10 but I did it! I'll update with more pics of the inside later, ya know, before and after pics of my trailer build?.
Click here to see our 20x30 and here to see our 14x24.