Our Universal Cottage Build Near Homer, Alaska

[jennatorres84]

Hi there, my name is Jenna and I've been on the Country Plans site for the last few months, just checking things out   My husband, Ralph, and I purchased a 2 acre lot just north of Homer, AK in Dec '13, as well as ordered plans for the Universal Cottage around the same time.  We have no home building experience, but we are determined to start framing/drying in this summer as owner-builders.  If we come to something we just feel like we absolutely can't do without screwing it up, we'll call in the help of a sub-contractor. 

Any helpful advice is greatly appreciated!  We are so excited to start this project but also pretty terrified!   It's definitely an intimidating project but I know it'll be so worth it in the end when we're in our home, living mortgage free. 

[rick91351]

First hello and  from Idaho - your neighbor well minus Canada.    

As you can see there are a lot of people here that will try to help via the Forum.

We are building but we ended up building something larger than what we set out to do.  We wanted to go smaller mostly like a cabin.   We sold out down around Boise Idaho and moved up to the ranch or 'homestead' full time.  So we larger sized it....  It has been us a lot but some subbed out.  Some we used some very inventive equipment.

Concrete - but I was his laborer and was rebated back a nice chunk $$$.  But I had worked concrete a lot before.
Framing - I hired one guy that works very reasonable.  He and I framed and got it to where we could get it died in.
I out right subbed the plumbing something I know so little about and I just wanted it done with the coming winter.
Electrical I subbed again for the same reason.
As was the siding and the roof.

We are working inside now .....  It is coming along.  It will take longer than you expect and of course $$$

[pocono_couple]

sounds like an exciting project in an interesting area..  can't wait to see pics!     when my wife and i  built our house we built a shed first..  same principals..   relatively low cost..  easy to fix mistakes  ( not too high off of the ground)..  and.. the bonus.. had a place to securely store tools and materials during the actual build!  - an idea  to consider    good luck!  jt

[jennatorres84]

Thank you for your replies and input!  I feel like I should elaborate on our plans a bit. 

Even though we're having a wonderfully mild winter this year (this is also our first winter in AK!), at this point we are just playing the "hurry up and wait" game, saving up cash until mid-May when we'll order our materials.  We are having a well drilled hopefully in a few weeks, as soon as the road restrictions are lifted.  Our living situation while we're building is still up in the air- we are so fortunate to be renting a place that's decent and inexpensive.  We have 4 kids, so the idea of having a comfortable place to come home to in the evenings after working a long day does sound appealing.  However, the definite downside to that is the vulnerability of the materials left at the worksite.  Luckily our lot is on a relatively secluded road, but as I've said to my husband "All it takes is one jerk to totally derail us."  The new home site is also about 30 minutes away from the house we're renting now.  We have considered finding a cheap camper trailer to stay in for some glorified camping, as well as just buying a large wall tent and roughing it. 

Ralph works 4 day work weeks, so he already has 3 days off in a row.  He's busy saving up vacation days so that several (not necessarily consecutive) weeks this summer he can take an additional 1 or 2 days off per week.  That'll hopefully give us several weeks where we have 5 day blocks of time to bust as much out on the framing as fast as possible. 

We've chosen a location on the property that we feel is going to keep site prep to a minimum.  It's a natural clearing at the end of the driveway, near the edge of a hill and very lightly sloping.  Southwest facing.  We have a little view of the Cook Inlet Mountains to the north and a peek of the Kachemak Bay mountains to the south.  There was another spot on the property with a gorgeous view of the northern mountains, however, my gut tells me that's a bad spot because I think it might be a little too wet.  The spot we've chosen seems to have good drainage and plenty of sunlight.  I will try to figure out how to attach images and post some pics of the lot :-)

We are planning on a sonotube foundation with belled footings.  I feel like this will offer us the most flexibility as far as keeping site prep down.  We are planning on doing it ourselves, but hopefully we will be able to get one of our more experienced friends to come out and oversee our work.  Frost heaving--- I know there are sleeves that can be used on the outside of the pier for the frost to grab onto... I'd love some more input on those!  We definitely don't need our foundation moving. 

We are going to attempt our own electrical and plumbing work but once again that's one of those things where we'll call in professionals if we feel like we're just screwing things up.  We'll also have a plumber and electrician come in and inspect our work at different intervals so they can give us the thumbs up (or thumbs down)...

Our goal for the summer is to get the house dried in and insulated, with sheetrock up (doesn't need to be finished), a wood stove in and basic appliances.  We'd like to move into it and get away from renting by October 1st of this year so we can put even more money into it every month and work on it as we go.  Does that sound reasonable?  Hopefully we'll be done with the interior by summer 2015.  At that point we'll get the house sided. 

That's all I can think of at the moment...but I'm sure I'll think of lots to ask!

[jennatorres84]

[suburbancowboy]

If it was me I would go all in.  Buy a cheap trailer, get rid of the rent and save money.  Build a shed first.  Something like 12X16.  This will give you a lot of building experience and it is better to learn and make mistakes on a shed than your house.  You will also have a place to store all your tools.

Sub out your foundation.  If this is not done right the rest will be a nightmare.  Will you have help?  Family buddies.  I built most of my cabin by myself and I discovered that two men can work three times as fast a one man on many things.  Meaning you can get things done much faster if you hired a man to help you or husband.  If you had the foundation done with 20 hour days you could be dried in a couple of weeks if the cabin isn't to large.

Also plan ahead.  It will take twice as long to do everything than you think and cost more.  Don't skimp on what you want.  I bought used windows in the beginning.  Cost me in the end.

Think about going solar.  I build my cabin with that in mined and have never regretted it.  Pay as you go stay out of debt and be free.
Take lots of photos, let the kids help where they can.  Never be to proud to ask for advice or help.

Good luck

[jennatorres84]

I wonder how much it would cost to sub out the foundation.  I haven't gotten bids on that but perhaps I should ask around.  I guess we have just figured that a sonotube foundation will be pretty inexpensive if we have to pay for is materials.  We will be starting out the summer with around 35k cash to work with, and presumably put about 45k into the house, total, by the end of this summer.  So we have to be frugal, but I don't want to cut corners and be disappointed with the result.  We do have friends who have built their own homes/cabins and we will have some help from them- maybe even have a wall raising party :-)  I also have a few friends who's husbands are contractors- and I think we will be able to get a little advice from them here and there. 

I've been keeping an eye out for a cheap trailer but I'm not 100% convinced it's worth it to leave our rental so soon.  We only pay $900 a month and heat is included, so by the time we pay up front for a camper, really how much will we actually be saving...

Windows... We have several used windows we are planning on using for the first year or so to cut initial costs.  Ralph wasn't thrilled with that idea but it'll save us $1500 or so up front.

Roofing...we are going with a metal roof.  Originally I figured a composite roof would be the most cost efficient but after comparing quotes we realized it would be a much better choice to go with metal right off the bat.

[jennatorres84]

And just to be clear we will be putting around 45k into it this summer and then a couple thousand a month into it after that.  Total, we are hoping to finish it by next summer for around 100k total. 

[pocono_couple]

mountain don  has some  well-thought-out ideas  regarding  pier ( sono tube) foundations..    I can speak from experience of having one end of my deck lift significantly this winter..  and I was down 42 inches..  i wonder how deep you have to go in Alaska!!   ( of course there may have been other factors)   But,  a few folks here on the site like to point out that EVERYTHING ( no i was not shouting.. just making a point    rests on the foundation..   so it is not a place to cut corners..   it is good that you are soliciting ideas now..  gives you some time to gather as much information as possible and then come up with a plan that best suits your needs..   and isn't that what decision making is all about      btw..  decision making skills are absolutely essential, because you will be making  a whole bunch of them.. but don't let that deter you.. just be prepared   jt

[jennatorres84]

The foundation is definitely a nerve wracking issue for us right now!  I actually just got off the phone with a contractor who could install a helical pile foundation and it's guaranteed not to heave.  They're relatively spendy (around $400 each).  My plans are calling for 12 piers (I'm not counting the deck because we can just do that later) but I'm wondering if we could get away with using 10 instead of 12.  I sent him a photo of the foundation plan to see what he thinks.  That would save us $800 and would be a little more doable. 

[akwoodchuck]

Hi there Jenna; your family's situation is remarkably similar to mine....we also live in Homer, have four kids at home, and are planning to build something like the universal cottage on 5 acres here. We even are renting a house at $900 too, lol.  Our advantage lies in the fact that I've been building here on the bay my entire life...I'm familiar with what works and what doesn't, and I make a living tearing out old work and making it right. If you guys run into a real stumper, I love to talk shop....just shoot me a message on here. Bye the bye, I wouldn't put a house that size on sonotubes, and definitely not on Techno Posts.

[jennatorres84]

Oh wow, small world!  What is your argument against the helical piles or sonotubes?  I can see frost heaving being more of an issue with sonotubes but if the helical piles are guaranteed not to move then what do you see the risk being?  Just curious and open to suggestions  

[kenhill]

I also talked to the guy that does the helical footings.  I have heard good things about the system and think it would make a solid foundation.  People are right, you will regret cutting corners on foundation.  Beacuse I am remote, I did 6 x 6 pressure treated posts down 48 inches in the Willow area on the 20 x 32 plan.  I have a noticable slant now and need to adjust my beam to post brackets to relevel after 8 years.

[jennatorres84]

Oh man sorry you're having issues!  At least they CAN be re-leveled though.  I have heard good things about the helical piles as well...it was actually first recommended to us at the contractor desk at our builder supply store.  We will need to do a little more research before we make a decision, however.

[North Sask]

Your options for selecting a proper foundation range from hiring a geotechnical engineer to just winging it. A geotech. engineer will dig test pits and provide a soil/foundation report. That will cost big bucks in the short term but should result in long lasting, problem free foundation. The "winging it" option will be free in the short term but may very likely cost a lot to fix in the long term. Most people only focus on the initial cost when it would be more prudent to look at the life cycle cost. For example, Scenario A: engineering report = $10,000, foundation cost = $10,000, future cost to fix = $0, life cycle cost = $20,000. Scenario B: winging it = $0, foundation cost = $5,000, future cost to fix = $30,000, life cycle cost = $35,000. Those costs are just numbers I plucked from the sky to illustrate a point. In reality, it is much more complicated (time-value of money, your current financial situation, etc). The complexity of the project should dictate the level of effort you put into the design/analysis. If you are building a skyscraper, hire the engineer. If you are putting up a shed, just wing it. Obviously you lie somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. Getting advice from reputable local contractors on successful foundation systems might only cost you a cup of coffee and a box of donuts. You might also be able to swing by your county office (borough office???) and get some input from them.

Anyway, back to your foundation options. I would definitely not rule out screw piles, but make sure you are using a well-engineered product. Screw piles have a proven track record in a wide variety of settings, including bridges, transmission towers, industrial facilities, etc. They need to be sized properly for your soil type and your building load. Once that is dealt with, your next concern is connecting them to your house. Don't overlook this detail, thus allowing it to become your weakest link. One caveat: if you have a dense soil with a lot of cobbles and boulders, screw piles may not be your best bet.

A conventional concrete footing (below the frost line) and stem wall is a tried and true system. You could rent equipment and dig your own hole or hire out the excavation. Depending on the type of stem wall, you could build it yourself.

[UK4X4]

In Colorado my soil test and report was 1350usd, in my case required by the permit office, hated spending it

but am happier now, we are 3 winters in and zero movement, where some of the neighbors had movement before they'd even finished the shell of the build !

[rick91351]

To me that is one large structure to be up on piers.  Basically two homes stacked.  Lots of sail in the wind and a lot of weight shoving down on them if you cannot get to something to hold them like bed rock. 

But then I am not a fan of pier and post.  Myself I would do a conventional foundation and lots of rebar.

BTW is there a local building code, or state code governing what you can and can not do?  I'm sure if there was much akwoodchuck would have weight in but never hurts to drop into the local office and say Hi...  and this is what we have in mind.       

[jennatorres84]

Where our property is located there is no required building code.  The biggest issue is being able to sell the house later on which is why we wanted to buy plans rather than just slapping together a house that might not meet basic building standards.  The guy who does Techno Posts (helical piles) reviewed the foundation plan and he feels that adding a center beam would be highly beneficial to help disperse the weight.  I appreciated his honesty and concern for having the job done right.  What North Sask said makes sense to me, that we fall somewhere in the middle of complexity of the project and while it would be great to go all out and pay someone to put in a basement foundation or a slab (which btw I got an estimate of $13k for a slab with dirt work done), it's just more money than we have to spend right now.  If we do the concrete piers ourself, we might spend a grand on materials.  If we pay someone to do the concrete piers, or go with helical piles, that may be a good middle ground.  Not the absolute ideal, but at least doing our best to make sure it's done as well as our budget allows. 

[MountainDon]

Helicals with an adjustment screw on the upper end???  For future possible re=leveling?  I believe that is what the engineer / contractor used on the project UK4X4 did in Colorado.

[jennatorres84]

Right.  I think we're going to go with a contractor to put in a sonotube foundation with Bigfoot footings.  We are going to beef it up by adding 2 additional piers to the existing plan with a center beam to support the joists..  I talked to an engineer earlier today and he said that our plan sounded fine unless we just had horrible soil, in which the helical piers would be a better choice because they are best suited for problem sites.

I'm going to ask a question now that's probably extremely silly but I've googled til my brain hurts and I can't figure it out   The 34' beam that will be mounted to the piers- is that one solid length of lumber, or is the beam made up of smaller lengths of lumber that are connected?  Please have mercy on me, I'm new to this!

[MountainDon]

Either a laminated factory made item or a site built laminated from 2x material.

[jennatorres84]

Thank you!  That's exactly what I was thinking but I wasn't 100% sure. 

[astidham]

 I used a post and beam on my foundation, tomorrow Im getting a quote for concrete being poured up to the beams.
I dont regret using pier and beam construction. The budget for my cabin build gave me restrictions, and a concrete perimeter footing was more than I could afford at the time.
If I had the money to start with, and the knowledge I have today, I would have used a concrete perimeter. 
and good luck.
Todd

[pocono_couple]

well Jenna,  it has been quite a day - lots of responses  - so many opinions offered .. but nothing concrete - sorry just could not pass that one up     there certainly is a lot of advice - all well intended for sure - to sift through - varying opinions based on experiences in different parts of the country..  I had actually never heard of screw piles used for house foundations, so i spent some time researching them just for fun..  apparently, many of the light houses in the Chesapeake Bay used similar systems.. and they have been around for a while.. but they don't contend with quite the same freeze thaw forces that your house will have to deal with..    local knowledge might have a slight edge in terms of credibility, but even local folks have agendas - systems that they are comfortable installing but which may or may not make the most sense or be the best option..     so, best of luck with this and the many other decisions that will come your way!  One thing that we can all agree on is that there is very little in life that will compare with the sense of satisfaction that comes from living in a home you built yourself!  jt

[UK4X4]

Don, yes we looked at the piles, but being on a mountain side meant we had to look at sideways movement as well, which the piles gave no help at all. both from the ground movement and the wind on the exposed site

Basicly for this reason sited earlier
"To me that is one large structure to be up on piers.  Basically two homes stacked.  Lots of sail in the wind and a lot of weight shoving down on them


I think everyone starts at post and beam - cheap cheerfull and easily done as a self build, I certainly did

The issues are varied and we have discussed them many many times on this site, in fact I think we do it monthly !

Cost- a foundation is meant to be the base of the house designed to support and hold the structure in place and in one piece.

Everything else you are buying and building goes on top of it......if it fails you have way more cost than just the foundation itself.

Things to consider for foundations, from my lengthy research, took me almost a year to start the physical foundation after the soils report came in.....and a new house about 800ft away had the deck seperate from the house before they had even moved in !

Frost depth - frost heave- design has to reach and or pass the depth, plus resist the upheave forces

Soil, whats in it, what can it support, whats the probable weight of the structure ?

including max snow weight..........

when I did the calculations for my site for a 16x16 shed, I found I was up to 36diameter big foots, spacing was so close it was worthless and would have required a full trench to get them in.

Do you have a hill behind you ? are you on a slope, you will have spring run off to contend with, this plays havoc on sandy silts and clays.

Like most are advising, post and beam on a suitable plot with a small shed or small house is a workable solution, it does however come with its own designed in weeknesses......

Lack of support,,size of the footings required - fine in louisiana, not so with 90# snow load
Lack off sideways support, lots of bracing required, triangulation to prevent sideways shifting front,back,side to side and diagonaly
Open underneath - need more insulation in the floor, need to install sides, more cost
Uplift, big foot footings required.


We eventually went with a huge monolithic foundation over 48" of crushed rock across the whole footprint with drainage.
The deck too is part of the same structure all interconnected.........I expect the foundation to be on the mountainside for a least 3 generations......wether its on my plot of the one beneath me.....we'll find out later !

The joke in the village is that if Pauls house moves , we can just tow it back into its place...


Work out the loads first from top to bottom, then divide the total weight by the quantity of posts
Check the soil capacity and work out how many square inches/ feet of support you'll need.

errrr to the safe side on soil capacity...errr to the generous side on the weight

In my area they take full ground snow load, no reductions for angle or roof material

There is an online soil report available which should give you some idea of whats in your area

http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm