Next step, find a helper in Spokane...

[jtuck004]

Hey:

Well, finally made the move to Spokane.  Brought the 20 x 30 plans with me, and we bought an older house, modified the plans to add an addition which will add a bedroom and a bathroom, got the permit...and the education begins.

I have learned now that excavating contractors may not actually do what they say.     4 tries, and it looks a lot better than it did, but it has taken 7 weeks instead of 3 to get to it, and now the snow is a lot closer.  But they just kept taking other jobs, never showing up, or showing up with just a Bobcat, no transit, etc.  Their last effort was the best, and there may be enough room to squeeze the footings in, so I am going to go...

I have learned that you must be prepared for whatever you find underground.  The ground is as rocky as any I have ever seen - must have been a big river here at one time - pebbles to rocks as big as a kia - but we have a place for the footings, (mostly), and the crawlspace is dug out.  I have tried to use 18-24" 1/2" steel posts (the ones that will support the 2x6's used for footing forms), but I cannot get them stable enough for boards to hold the building strings.  Got some 36" tonite, will try those tomorrow, and if anyone has hints on how to make these more stable (I have read all the pages about how people build them from wooden stakes - those don't work in gravel pits), I would like to hear it.  The string stretched from the existing house to line up the addition looks pretty straight, so I think I can just drop a plumb bob from there, but I have to find a way to make the batter boards stable.

I am also learning that I am not 20 years old anymore, and it would be a big help to find someone to hold the other end of the tape, carry boards, etc.  I have tried a few bulletin boards at schools, but I had not considered what would happen if I moved to a new place and didn't know anyone.   I asked a couple of guys with signs on the corner that read "need help", but I guess they didn't need help that bad, but I did give 'em a couple of bucks for coffee

Great experience, however, and still better than the 65 or more hours a week I used to spend in a computer room.  I will have to go find a "normal" job soon, but I really appreciate your making the plans available, as they gave me the start on this.  

Thanks John,  and there will be another version of one of your houses fairly soon.

[jb daniels]

LOL....too funny....they obviously didn't need help THAT bad   I had to laugh...but here's an idea...check to see if there is a local community college or tech school...I know here alot of folks will contact instructors and get involved with some of the students for things like this...they want the experience and often do it for very cheap, sometimes free, if you keep offering that free coffee....

[glenn-k]

Sounds rocky--  A couple things I can think of -

Put stakes in a pile of wet cement or cemented rocks- use quick setting at $6 per 50 lb bag or mix regular if you have time-  put rocks on a pallet for weight - nail batter boards to the pallet - use railroad ties or something heavy to nail stakes to like a log.  Drill a hole in a rock with a rotohammer, put a stake in it.  You can drill a 1/4 inch hole in a rock and drive 2 or 3  16 penny nails in it for an anchor.  Sometimes I move large rocks to where I want an anchor then drill it .  I moved 4 to anchor my wind generator  tower to.  They weighed from 2000 to 8000 lbs each - had to use my cat- I guess not every one has a cat but it  a stack  of small ones may work too.  You could stack rocks on boards then nail your batter boards to them.

Hope something works out for you.

Glenn  

[keyholefarmhouse]

sometimes your best help can be found in places you already circulate.  churches, support groups, schools, fishing holes, etc.  Don't be afraid to pay someone thats a highend builder a good wage.  These people are usually cheaper in the long run.  They can also line you out on work they're not needed with  and usually know all the specialty people along with less expensive help for less technical work.  

[cancertomnpdx]

Give a thought to maybe contacting your local community college building trades program for some students that may want the experience of building with you.  I am considering having such an appointment here in Portland with the head of the building trade program, to ask questions about how the select projects for their classes that are built of campus, etc.  Also, I am going to ask how I would become a project that the students would be graded on for a quarter or two.