20x45 1 1/2 Story Home-TX

drbuilder · October 18, 2012, 08:22:06 PM

My wife and I have been following this website for some time now, and have decided to purchase the 20x30 1 ½ story plans and expand it to 45'. We plan to include a 10' wrap around porch on the front and sides, with a 20x10' enclosed expansion on the rear. We decided to go with the pier and beam foundation after reading several studies on the foundation types, their costs, and benefits in my area. I have just completed 3 rows of rebar, footers, 12" concrete piers, and 6x6 brackets. The four corner pier footers are appropriately 36" wide, and 2 ½' deep. The others are around 24" at the same depth. The concrete piers and their footers are 5500psi concrete. Our progress will be slow but steady, with lots of pictures to come.

Redoverfarm · October 18, 2012, 08:30:38 PM

Keep the pictures and updates coming. One thing nice about the forum is that there is always someone who has "been there and done that" which might prove vital later. Just ask.

October 18, 2012, 09:45:45 PM

Where at in Texas? I spent the 1st 2 weeks of my life in Texas

Looking forward to watching your build!

drbuilder · October 19, 2012, 02:34:09 PM

Quick clarification to my original post: The two end pier footers at each corner are 36" wide. I want to clarify this given that I read somewhere that the second to the last corner piers carry the most weight when compared to the others.

drbuilder · November 10, 2012, 08:54:16 PM

Our foundation construction is nearing completion. Below are a set of pictures of our progress.

The 6X6 wood piers were leveled using a water level created from a 2$ dollar plastic tube. You can see it in the background on the right. It was surprisingly easy and accurate, once we got the hang of it.

Each of the three built-up beams is made up of 10 2X12X16s and 4 2X12X8s. They were built on top of the piers with each splice positioned over a pier.

While I obviously disagree with the position of some people regarding the use of pier and beam foundations, I certainly agree with the need to adequately brace them. I utilized 4X6s and 4X4s for this task. The interior is braced at every other pier. While it feels as sturdy as a tank, I am considering adding bracing to the rest of the interior piers.

November 11, 2012, 10:15:43 AM

Wow, looks solid. I don't think you'll ever look back and say, "darn I wish I hadn't added that extra bracing". But on the other hand if you don't add it, you might wish you did.

drbuilder · November 11, 2012, 01:52:59 PM

Quote from: Mike 870 on November 11, 2012, 10:15:43 AM
Wow, looks solid. I don't think you'll ever look back and say, "darn I wish I hadn't added that extra bracing". But on the other hand if you don't add it, you might wish you did.

I think you are right. An $100 of extra braces is worth the potential of avoiding damage from unusally strong winds.

dablack · November 12, 2012, 11:02:04 AM

Looks great. I'm glad to see another TX build. Now that it has cooled off, this is our prime building time. I'm taking next week off to get more done on mine.

drbuilder · November 12, 2012, 10:58:45 PM

The heat in TX is something to avoid. It is nice to have some cooler weather roll through during this build.

November 18, 2012, 11:16:37 AM

This is an example of bracing piers, if I can say so myself! I am sure we will not regret the extra work of bracing all piers in all directions. Next up is the floor platform.

Don_P · November 18, 2012, 02:42:52 PM

Quote from: drbuilder on October 18, 2012, 08:22:06 PM
We decided to go with the pier and beam foundation after reading several studies on the foundation types, their costs, and benefits in my area.

I'm interested in some outside input on this, do you have some links to resources you used for the design of this foundation?

MJW · November 18, 2012, 04:02:11 PM

Can someone explain how to level wooden piers using a water level or direct me to a site that explains this? Pictures or video would be outstanding.

Is the water level the simplest way to do this?

drbuilder · November 18, 2012, 04:30:12 PM

Quote from: Don_P on November 18, 2012, 02:42:52 PM
I'm interested in some outside input on this, do you have some links to resources you used for the design of this foundation?

Many sources were used to help me with two objectives:

1)Gain a better understanding of the costs and benefits of many foundation types on expansive clay soils. One of the most useful sources was provided by Structural Committee of the Foundation Performance Association (2004). Foundation Design Options for Residential and Low-Rise Buildings on Expansive Soils, Document #FPA-SC-01-0; Houston Texas. A must read for anyone looking for a balanced approach on the topic.

2)Design a strong pier and beam foundation. I studied reports/information from the State of Texas and Brazos County (i.e., soil surveys, building practices, etc.), construction/tradesman websites (such as this one), construction books, and personal experience.

drbuilder · November 18, 2012, 04:42:27 PM

Quote from: MJW on November 18, 2012, 04:02:11 PM
Can someone explain how to level wooden piers using a water level or direct me to a site that explains this? Pictures or video would be outstanding.

Is the water level the simplest way to do this?

You can simply Google "water level" and you will get several sources including YouTube videos. However, I believe it is a tool that you will not fully understand how to use until you use it. It is very, very simple to use.

December 07, 2012, 10:11:47 PM

What's the latest in Texas?

hpinson · December 07, 2012, 10:17:32 PM

Hi drbuilder. Can you explain how you attach your braces to your piers and beams? Are they nailed? Screwed? What holds them in place?

drbuilder · December 14, 2012, 01:14:30 PM

Quote from: grover on December 07, 2012, 10:11:47 PM
What's the latest in Texas?

The build is coming along nicely. I will post pictures of our progress within the next week or so.

drbuilder · December 14, 2012, 01:19:07 PM

Quote from: hpinson on December 07, 2012, 10:17:32 PM
Hi drbuilder. Can you explain how you attach your braces to your piers and beams? Are they nailed? Screwed? What holds them in place?

The braces are nailed in place using 60D commons and ring shanks.

drbuilder · December 21, 2012, 09:45:18 PM

I want to post a few pictures of our progress. The floor platform is complete, and I am nearing completion of the first floor framing. See the pictures below.

The floor joists are 2x10x20s.

The floor sheathing is 23x32 T&G nailed in place with ring shanks. I added 3 "joists to girder/beam" ties per joists for uplift protection

I am platform framing my 1 ½ story home. As a result, the wall studs are 2x6x8s.

The walls were built in sections of 12', squared, sheathed with 19/32 plywood, lifted them in place, and braced.

We are starting to see a home emerge from all the work!

John Raabe · December 21, 2012, 10:00:56 PM

Nice solid work on your floor and foundation. It becomes a real place once the walls start to define the space.

January 26, 2013, 11:36:28 PM

John, thanks for the kind words. We have continued our work on our house and have made good progress. Below are some pictures:

The second floor includes 2x12x20 joists, 23/32 T&G, glue, and ring shanks. The joists were heavy, but manageable. It is very neat to see and feel the building getting stronger by every sheet, stud, and joist.

The stairs were tricky, given the clearance requirements and our desire to have a comfortable set of stairs. We got it right after a couple tries.

We are very happy that we extended the building to 45'. It is very roomy.

Don_P · January 27, 2013, 07:11:21 AM

Stairs are tough. Minimum headroom is 6'8" from the stairs to anything overhead. The measurement is taken by laying a board down the finish nosings of the stairs and measuring plumb from the bottom edge of the board to the headbanger above. Stairs should definitely be fully drawn out during the planning stage and made to fit correctly within the building. There's no fun like getting to the stairs and realizing they don't work. It is tempting to put a window at the landing to light a stairway but also think about a person taking a tumble.

drbuilder · January 27, 2013, 05:32:41 PM

Don_P, it was no fun realizing that those beautiful stairs had to be torn back down and redone! The good thing is that it is now up to code and comfortable. We have re-thought the window at the staircase. If we go with one, it will be a Hopper Window.

drbuilder · February 20, 2013, 10:23:06 PM

Progress has continued.

I have completed the second floor walls. As I previously mentioned in an earlier post, I am platform framing this home. After some advice from Don_P, I decided to go with 6' walls to avoid the hinged joint effects. I did build the foundation with the potential of going with taller walls in mind.

Most of the rafters are up. When complete, they will have rafter ties in the lower 3rd of the rise, collar ties will be just below the ridge, and Simpson-type ties on the tails. I considered going with a steeper pitch like 9/12 or higher, but I went with a 6/12 for safety and ease of installation.

There is still much more rafter framing to be done. Here, I am working on the barge and fly rafters. Surprisingly, I have not had too much trouble installing this one. We hope to have this home dried in within a month.

drbuilder · February 28, 2013, 07:27:40 PM

I finally completed the barge and fly rafters. While I had no real problems, if I had to do it again I will use dablack's hinge technique. Here are a couple of pictures of me working on them.

This home feels like it has always been where it is. It fits our land so well that we can hardly image the land without it. Built for us by us.