Colorado 26X36 - Build has started !

[MountainDon]

Glad to see you got some time there. Also good to hear about the foundation working!

[Colorado Eric]

UK 4x4 - Please continue to update us all on this build, absolutely love what you've done so far. I'm actually a Junction resident myself and have been on the hunt for property on the mesa for a few years now, and your build thread has proved invaluable. I was a oil/gas worker myself til prices S*** the bed a few years ago...Been watching the rebound in WTI and Brent with great interest, hoping if prices come back up US companies will start hiring again, in the meantime back to school. We got slammed this winter, don't know if you made it out but whoa, some epic snow conditions, they got feet in days more then once. Anyways, I feel like I'm rambling but wanted to pop in and say hi, I've read this entire thread oh 20 times now, hope all is well over the other side of the pond.

Eric

[UK4X4]

Eric, yep been slacking ......I've been laid off too from the oilfield....2 weeks after I booked our tickets for Christmas in co.......which we cancelled hopefully we'll be out there this summer for some fishing.

Been catching up with powderhorns snow on facebook and I often check the webcams to see the weather up at the house...meanwhile I did get some more work done on the house ....just before the brown envelope arrived...

We got the whole house dry lined and the upstairs ceiling covered with T&G......right now project is on hold...due to funds and a new adventure..

I'll probably do the second fix electric etc when I'm out in the summer, decide on what we are going to do with the house, either finish and rent or sell as a blank canvas...we are not sure yet.

Down in mesa the lands easier to build on.....only 10 mins from the lift......up on the hill you have to consider the expense of the foundation......of which I'm happy with the investment we made...still no movement or damage seen to date, but it did add to the build cost over simpler foundations.

Have fun on the slopes !














Anyway some updated pics of this years progress....

[Adam Roby]

It looks awesome, I hope things turn around for you this year.

[Catahoula]

Hi,
New member living in Colorado.  Like to follow your progress.  We are going to build a small permanent structure ourselves. Just curious I cannot seem to upload your photos am  doing something wrong?
Thanks!

[UK4X4]

No your doing nothing wrong.......photobucket wants 400usd a year to host the photos.....sadly out of my price range so they have all gone sorry any Q's about the process, the land issues etc just ask.

When I have time I'll find a different host and post a selection of the photo's

[w1ck3tt]

I've been using Google Photos (free) to do mine.  You can tag all the photos you take on your phone for specific albums, and share the albums out.  Its working really well for me so far - if its something you wanna try out let me know and I'd be happy to help you with it.

[UK4X4]

test for embedded photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LIbQuz2mWdZVgQfn2

[UK4X4]

So aftermath of the photobucket saga, I have populated a shared folder in google drive and below is the link to the photo's
there are 3-4 pics of every stage of the build.

If anyone wants more details of particular parts, just post and I will add more photos and description

House is now dry lined and awaiting paint, bathrooms, kitchens etc and second fix on the electrics

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QDHQ0lbOeQWxiVZTtbKp3XxZzYc8muel


Can some one please check to see if the link works for you !

[Adam Roby]

Link works...  pictures are awesome.

[MountainDon]

   works!!

[Rys]

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

[GaryT]

Great photos...but this is not the home built on helical piers?
Gary

[UK4X4]

Gary, looked at them along the way, but was concerned about the lack of lateral support, disimilar movement from pier to pier.

The foundation I ended up with is a 4 ft deep drained  crushed rock base under a monolithic single pour waffle grid solid foundation

The whole construction is on the one foundation, it's strong enough to move without breaking.....porches decks and all supported.

If the ground moves ....maybe the house does too.....but stays in one piece !

The joke in the village is that if the mountain moves and the house ends up on the road below, well just put wheels on it and drag it back up !

[Alan Gage]

Been away from this site for quite a few years but had some time to kill online and wandered back to take a look. I remember you planning this build and the foundation concerns and wonder about it now and again. Was happy to see there has been no movement so far. Too bad you haven't been able to get much time there. Hopefully that will change.

Alan

[Ozark_Lady]

Wow! Your home is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing the photos. I am hoping to do a hybrid of traditional framing, with a few logs added to the mix, for my own project. Therefore, I find your photos especially inspiring.

Incidentally, the Hubs and I visit Meeker, CO every year for our annual elk hunting trip. The area around Grand Junction, the Grand Hogback, etc. are all spectacular, and dear to my heart. I commend you on your choice of locale.

[HillGirl]

This story caughty Colorado Hill girl interest!  Reading about little girl and the 'doggie' which turned out to be a grazing deer was just heartwarming!

Hope you're still there all this time later

[UK4X4]

yep my daughter Scarlet, she was probably 5ish at the time, shes eleventeen now !

[UK4X4]

well after a few years without not even visiting the property, we as a family had many discussions over what to do with the house.

In may this year we had a blind enquiry, who found us on the local tax site, which made us think about selling, come July this enquire did not pan out, but we were sort of ineterested in the thought of selling.

A friend of ours in CO offered to act as our local -sell by owner and it was put up for sale in July.

In my heart I did'nt want to sell, but we are chasing a diferent dream in Spain right now and the trip to Grand mesa for the family would take a huge chunk of my "semi retirement".

Long story short we had an offer in September on the house that we accepted and I flew over to do the paperwork.

The house will be greatly missed and all the help from this site and its members brought it from a dream to a dreams end, the new owner just has to paint and second fix to their desire.

The photobucket crash really ruined this thread and many others, and its dificult to have the heart to re-populate the whole thread. Going back a few posts theres a link to a selection of photos and I'm still available for any questions.

Again I'd like to thank the site and its members over this memorable journey of building a cabin in Colorado with all your help.

My project now is my house in Spain, but its brick and rock rather than a timber built project, so maybe not really aplicable to this site.

I wish you all well and hope that at least the 100's of words here are some value to others who follow in our footsteps.

Kind regards

Paul and Family

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QDHQ0lbOeQWxiVZTtbKp3XxZzYc8muel

[MountainDon]

Thanks for thinking of us.  It is too bad this dream didn't work out, Paul, but I guess that is a part of what can happen when the economy os connected globally. Good luck with your home in Spain.   Don

[pmichelsen]

Thinking about how hard it can be to find time to visit/work on our cabin 175 miles away, I can't even imagine how hard it would be if it were in a whole other country. Kudos to you for what you were able to accomplish. Best of luck on your next venture.

[UK4X4]

Well its been a while, we sold the house, the foundation is in one piece and the house has not moved, which in comparison to my ex neighbors is a complete success. The responce we got from this site was much apreciated and helped so much during the planning and build..

Since I was a busy poster, the family and I have settled in Spain, built a restaurant in an old garage, and have been busy getting that up and running, we are in year 2, with it doing well every month since opening, thanks to my wifes cooking and control. Me I'm just the maintenance guy, profesional plantain and avacodo shopper and recycling expert, I now have time to spare.

I will be shortly posting a new thread, hopefully with photos that last. Its something diferent but probably aplicable.

Site- mountainside, but within a village, 400 year old dry stone terraces with solid rock below....Will need input again for foundation, as I'm not planning on chisling away tons of solid rock !

Best wishes to all

[MountainDon]

Hi Paul.  I'm very happy to hear that the engineered foundation is still solid.  Your present solid rock base is quite the change.

Did you get settled in Spain before Brexit?

Many changes here as well. Our cabin property was involved in a wildfire 3 years ago last month. Most of the trees on our 3 acres were burned or toasted dead. The cabin was not touched, but the gazebo to the west and 2 outbuildings to the east were incinerated. Fire hot enough to melt the aluminum chiminea fireplace in the gazebo. 100's of surrounding acres of national forest turned into black sticks.

Good to hear from you.

Don