# Jim's House Rebuilding



## jwstewar

Looks like we are going to be getting started on the rebuilding of our house (In case you missed it see this thread http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=11170).

We closed the loan on Friday. The builder is supposed to start early this week. I'm assuming today or tomorrow. They want to have the basement walls completed before Dec. 15. We'll see if they make it. 

But before you can build you must demo right? Here are a few pics of the excavator tearing the old house down and the mound of debris that was left.


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## DaveNay

Is the new house going to be block foundation also, or are you switching to an insulated & poured foundation?  We see very few block foundations here in IL, they are almost entirely poured.  Given the time you are estimating foundation completion, I would guess poured.


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## jwstewar

Another shot of just the excavator. It was a Samsung SE-240. He says it is the baby of his fleet.  He has one that I think he said has a 97 foot reach. He also has one that he never takes it back to his shop because it so heavy and costs so much to move it he takes it from job to job. You just hope that he has another job to take it to. I guess it has been sitting on the last job site now for almost 2 years.   BTW, we are guess Bob (the excavator) to be about 75 years old.

At one point we thought he hit the water line as we saw water start spraying up. But then the water stopped. Turns out a piece of debris turned the valve on. He just took the hoe and turned the water valve back off.  

Finally a couple of shots of me and the New Holland. We had him pull this little Weaping Cherry tree out fo the ground. That little sucker was heavier than it looked. I ended up having to strap it to the New Holland - after I worked my butt off trying to get it in the loader. Funny he picked it up out of the ground like it was nothing.


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## jwstewar

Dave,

Around here block I would say is the most prevalant, but poured is catching up. This builder typically does block, but since we were talking with two builders and the other builder did 8' poured, this one offered 9' poured to level the playing field.  While they say the slow down hasn't hurt them, they have done some things that I probably wouldn't have gotten them to do 2 years ago.


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## DaveNay

jwstewar said:


> Dave,
> 
> Around here block I would say is the most prevalant, but poured is catching up. This builder typically does block, but since we were talking with two builders and the other builder did 8' poured, this one offered 9' poured to level the playing field.  While they say the slow down hasn't hurt them, they have done some things that I probably wouldn't have gotten them to do 2 years ago.



ooooooo....9' basement.  Me jealous!

I have a 100 yr old farmhouse w/ 7' basement, which doesn't leave much clearance for me (6'3") and the ductwork.


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## jwstewar

It will be a full basement except under the living room. It will be just a crawl space, but instead of gravel I'm having them cap it with concrete. We are planning on using it store a lot of the totes and stuff that we have holiday decorations in (they weren't lost they were in our storage buildings out back). That will keep them out of the main basement area. We got the kids (yeah, right) a big air hockey table for Christmas from Sam's Club. That is going to go to the basement. Monica would also like to get a nice pool table. That one might be a little while though. Monica doesn't know this yet, but the area under the family room Keagan and I plan on making that be our train room.

BTW, they say the foundation guys are going to have fun with our house. They had to do 45 degree angles. We have 4 of them. Including the 45s, we have a total of 19 corners. They say it should be fun for the guys putting the forms in.


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## DaveNay

jwstewar said:


> BTW, they say the foundation guys are going to have fun with our house. They had to do 45 degree angles. We have 4 of them. Including the 45s, we have a total of 19 corners. They say it should be fun for the guys putting the forms in.



I would say that will mostly be due to their inexperience (if as you say, it's mostly block around you).  There are houses around here with a dozen or more 45's, and the forms are still installed in one day.  Heck, I think Bob's house has a hexagon tower in one corner of the foundation.  Most of the 45's I have seen are pre-built corner forms, so they aren't actually creating the corner themselves, just attaching straight sections and corners to each other.


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## Melensdad

DaveNay said:


> I think Bob's house has a hexagon tower in one corner of the foundation.


Yup.  Guilty as charged.  I think I have a 24 or 25 "corners"?

BTW, ditto what Dave said about poured foundations.  We almost never see block walls here anymore.  They have been pouring walls for probably the better part of 20 years around here, before that it was mostly block.  I don't know which is better or worse, but it is what they do in this area.


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## thcri RIP

B_Skurka said:


> BTW, ditto what Dave said about poured foundations.  We almost never see block walls here anymore.  They have been pouring walls for probably the better part of 20 years around here, before that it was mostly block.  I don't know which is better or worse, but it is what they do in this area.




Bob and Dave, I don't know if this is a regional thing or if the climate has anything to do with it.  The majority of our basements are block.  My house just built 6 years ago is block.  I asked my builder about poured as I was starting to see them and he said "no.  A block wall if done right will last longer than poured".  I am starting to see poured more and more but mostly on townhouses that are slab on grade and they just pour 4 foot high sections.   Wood foundations where big about ten years ago but I don't see many of them anymore.


murph


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## jwstewar

> I asked my builder about poured as I was starting to see them and he said "no. A block wall if done right will last longer than poured".


 
Our builder didn't go quite that far, but he basically said that each have their benefits but both also have their problems and you have to know how to handle each one. He originally came from Idaho and said basically out there everything was poured walls and when he came here he was shocked to see block walls being used. Strange how it varies by region, but wouldn't think Ohio and Indiana would be that much different.


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## Cityboy

thcri said:


> I asked my builder about poured as I was starting to see them and he said "no. A block wall if done right will last longer than poured".
> murph


 
I find that statement hard to believe. An 8" block wall could be stronger than say an 8" 3000 PSI poured wall with steel rebar run horizontally and vertically on 12" center???

I've seen block walls heave from hydraulic pressure, but never a reinforced poured wall.


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## thcri RIP

Cityboy said:


> I find that statement hard to believe. An 8" block wall could be stronger than say an 8" 3000 PSI poured wall with steel rebar run horizontally and vertically on 12" center???
> 
> I've seen block walls heave from hydraulic pressure, but never a reinforced poured wall.




Well I did a Google search "Concrete wall versus poured wall"  I found that both were just as good as the other, again if installed right.  I found that the strength on a block wall can be just as good as the poured wall.  I am in the new home building industry.  My company three years ago was doing the heating and air conditioning in 600 homes per year.  The majority of builders use block.  There has to be a reason for it.  I don't know what it is but maybe can ask a few builders and ask them why.  The builder that did my house was building over 350 homes per year and he uses block.  That is all I can say but I could not find many articles about poured being some much better than block.  My walls have all of the void spaces poured full.  I am not worried nor am I second guessing my block wall.

murph


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## Cityboy

thcri said:


> Well I did a Google search "Concrete wall versus poured wall" I found that both were just as good as the other, again if installed right. I found that the strength on a block wall can be just as good as the poured wall. I am in the new home building industry. My company three years ago was doing the heating and air conditioning in 600 homes per year. The majority of builders use block. There has to be a reason for it. I don't know what it is but maybe can ask a few builders and ask them why. The builder that did my house was building over 350 homes per year and he uses block. That is all I can say but I could not find many articles about poured being some much better than block. My walls have all of the void spaces poured full. I am not worried nor am I second guessing my block wall.
> 
> murph


 
I did a Google search too and found different. I think the reason most builders use block is because it is easier to level the courses and cover mistakes; in fact, I have been told this by more than one builder. 

I wonder if the comparison between block and poured is for the same thickness? I believe a 12" block wall would be comparable to an 8" poured, but not 8" to 8". I'm just speculating here, because I really do not know for sure. I do know that block walls are more porous and more leak prone than poured, but that can be solved with sealant. Plus, the mortar joints are weak points where cracks due to settling and heave due to hydraulic pressure are more likely to occur.

Now when I built my house in Georgia, I asked every knowledgable concrete person I could find and the consensus among them was that while block was cheaper and more versitile, poured was stronger and an overall better choice if you could afford it. I'm sticking with poured. Here's an interesting article I found. Note the highlighted sections:

http://www.cfawalls.org/news_press/cfa/2005/050829_concrete_v_block.htm

Solid Concrete vs. Concrete Block 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	








*MOUNT VERNON, IOWA* (August 29, 2005) -- Solid concrete wall contractors and concrete block contractors are long time competitors, and they are constantly comparing cost of construction, structural integrity and overall product quality. The controversy has been there for years, but what may not be apparent is the information available from the Concrete Foundations Association. A facts brochure on solid concrete v. hollow core block is one example. CFA’s brochure, Solid Concrete Walls, provides you with the empirical data needed to conclude that hollow core block just doesn’t stack up to poured concrete.

The results of CFA’s study, based on engineering analysis, show that unreinforced hollow core concrete block basement walls for residential construction are not nearly as strong as solid poured walls. When compared to block construction, a concrete wall goes up fast, increases productivity, and results in a superior basement time after time. Poured concrete walls provide builders and owners with stronger, drier, better basements. They offer performance that block walls simply can’t match, and they do it at a competitive price.

The comparison advantages do not end at hollow-core block. In order to provide similar structural performances, concrete block walls must include vertical reinforcing and solid grouting of the hollow cores. Grouting and reinforcing the cores can improve the structural performance of concrete block but at a considerable increase in cost.

Solid concrete walls are formed between durable aluminum, steel or wood form walls set on footings by skilled concrete professionals. Once the forms are secured and plumbed, concrete is placed in the forms. Today’s poured wall professionals are experiencing tremendous business growth and success by embracing technology in their companies. 
It is not uncommon for a poured wall contractor to own a concrete pump. The concrete pump gives them the freedom to place concrete at any location in the forms without bringing heavy equipment to the excavation. Concrete pumps can reach in excess of 150-ft to keep all heavy equipment clear of not just the excavation but also the apron surrounding the construction.

Truck cranes further contribute to the growth of the poured wall industry and the speed at which walls are constructed. These modified haulers arrive on the jobsite with an average of ten baskets of forms organized and ready to easily drop to the subgrade excavation level so crews no longer carry the hand-set forms into the trenches from above. This extends the use life of the forming systems and saves crucial time and energy. 

Cracks in walls have also been a long debated issue. Solid poured walls can develop cracks but the use of horizontal reinforcement keeps the number and width of these cracks to a minimum. Cracks, if the do occur, are easily detected and easily fixed. Most cracks are superficial shrinkage cracks. These cracks do not extend through the thickness of the wall and, therefore, do not leak. The CFA also offers a brochure that discusses cracking and the differences between “common” and “concerning” cracks. 

*Concrete block walls have “built-in” weak points at each horizontal and vertical joint. A typical 8’ high by 10’ long section of wall has nearly 160 lineal feet of weakened plane built into it. Most cracks in concrete block walls occur at these joints. Any increase in stress along the vertical surface of the wall expose these weakened areas.*

For more information about CFA or to purchase Solid Concrete Walls and other marketing materials call the Concrete Foundations Association at toll free, 866-232-9255, or order online at www.cfawalls.org. 

The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) represents concrete foundation contractors and suppliers dedicated to the advancement of their industry. It develops marketing and technical publications, construction codes and standards, and safety recommendations. The association also provides educational and networking opportunities for CFA members.


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## Doc

I think poured vs block might be builder preference more than regional.  I'm not far from you Jim but our builder was only doing poured 10 years ago when he built ours.  I'm surprised to hear block is more popular over your way.


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## thcri RIP

When doing my search first article.
second article. 

To me they both have their advantages and disadvantages.  It may be regional preference of all or maybe the weather dictates it.  It was twenty some years ago since I lived in the Mpls area but the majority of the builders there also used block.

murph


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## DaveNay

Doc said:


> I think poured vs block might be builder preference more than regional.



No way.  I don't know of a single new construction (<25 years) house in Illinois that is block.  I'm sure they exist, but every custom or subdivision home I have ever seen in the Chicago/Northern Illinois area is poured.

Actually, no...there was one new custom home near me that used pre-fab concrete panels for the foundation walls.  They actually looked like pre-cast concrete studs, plus concrete "sheathing".  They were literally bolted and grouted together on top of a poured footing.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Block is very prevalent here. What I see is the higher end builders using poured walls.


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## Doc

Doc said:
			
		

> I think poured vs block might be builder preference more than regional.






DaveNay said:


> No way.  I don't know of a single new construction (<25 years) house in Illinois that is block.  I'm sure they exist, but every custom or subdivision home I have ever seen in the Chicago/Northern Illinois area is poured.
> 
> Actually, no...there was one new custom home near me that used pre-fab concrete panels for the foundation walls.  They actually looked like pre-cast concrete studs, plus concrete "sheathing".  They were literally bolted and grouted together on top of a poured footing.



I should have added "in southern Ohio" to my quote above.  

Like Jerry pointed out the poured walls are more prevalent in higher end homes.  I have noticed more use of poured walls recently ...I wonder if the cost of poured is now closer to that of block?  When we built it cost more for poured, but saved time.  We started construction in November so time was important to us.  We wanted to 'get er done'.


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## jwstewar

Doc said:


> Like Jerry pointed out the poured walls are more prevalent in higher end homes. I have noticed more use of poured walls recently ...I wonder if the cost of poured is now closer to that of block? When we built it cost more for poured, but saved time. We started construction in November so time was important to us. We wanted to 'get er done'.


 
Boy this thread sure didn't go how I thought, but chat is a good thing!!! 

I can relate to the 'get er done' part.  I don't know about the cost, but I know our builder typically charged extra for them. Their standard was a 10" or 12" block (can't remember which), but they added the 9' poured wall to be on a "level playing field" with the other builder we were considering and ended up 1 upping them by doing the 9'. The other was only doing 8' and we were going to have to pay extra to get the 9'.

If/when we finish the basement I will probably just use dropped ceiling in the basement at 8' so that in case anything needs to be worked on, it can be done quite easily.

Hoping they start today....


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## NorthernRedneck

Up here, allot of people go with the wood frame foundations due to the amount of frost we get in the ground.  My house has a wood basement and it's had no problems whatsoever with water damage(cracking).  Most of the houses around here with poured or block foundations have "leaky" basements due to cracks forming in the foundation.  Plus, in the winter here, the frost can sometimes get 3-4 ft in the ground making a poured or block basement very cold and drafty.


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## Snowcat Operations

Poured walls are stronger than a same thickness of block wall because you can choose the sack mix in the concrete and the entire wall is that strength.  In a poured wall you can also go with 3/4" gravel instead of 3/8" for a block wall.  Also you dont have any joints in the wall as you do with a block wall.  at least 1/3rd of the wall on a block wall has joints.  No a poured wall is much stronger of equal thickness and equal amount of rebar.


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## Av8r3400

I think it often comes down to a matter of skilled labor.  Not saying that poured doesn't require skill, but proper block laying is a dieing art.

BTW, ours is a 9' x 12" thick poured wall.  (8' only required 10" thickness.)


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## OhioTC18 RIP

I checked with our Chief Structural Inspector today and he figures about 30% of the homes are now poured walls. It costs a little more but there are less complaints of wet walls and cracking, and the fact they can get the house out of the ground a little quicker with poured walls.


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## jwstewar

Hey guys look what happened yesterday!!!!

We had people warn us about our ground being a "swamp" and we shouldn't do a basement. Well after living there 8 years I wasn't too worried about and one of things we really wanted was a basement. I know where there can be some wet spots but it isn't even close to the house site. Well we have had 2 or 3" of rain in the past few days. The top few inches of dirt is pretty muddy, but once they started going down into the hole it was good dirt (wet obviously, but not "mud") and no signs of hitting the water table which I figure is about as high as it is going to be. So I figure with the water proofing, footer drains, and an extra large sump pump we will be more than fine.

Sorry about the quality of the pics, but this time of year it is dark when I leave work let alone get home - an the rain wasn't helping much.


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## Doc

Good for you Jim.  We sure have had the rain the past few days.  I agree, your basement should be just fine.


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## jwstewar

They finished digging the basement yesterday. I got to be home a watch them. Monica called and said the Honda wouldn't start and they needed it moved. I told her to tell them move it with the hoe. I went home and dragged it with the little NH (mental note to self, teach Monica how to follow someone when being towed so I don't have to keep dragging it sideways) to the garage. I took off the aluminum wheels and put the factory bent steel wheels back on. Finally got it started and took it to my buddy's garage/junkyard last evening and signed the title over.

Anyway, we had a couple of trees in the way so I had them pop them out of the ground and I put them on the NH and took them back to the garden and temporarily planted them. The garden was a mess from where I tilled it in the fall and with all of the rain it was like soup. The tractor just sank. I could navigate through (barely) but it was nasty and now the tractor is muddy top to bottom.

The hoe driver spread the pile of dirt around a little bit to make it easier for the cement trucks and the forms guys, but nothing great. They will do that with a dozer in a few weeks. A little side note, he said the excavator weighed 46 tons.


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## jwstewar

They poured the footer Friday. Got a few pics of them doing that. Yesterday they put the footer drains in and the dry well for the sump pump. After all the rain we had over the weekend they had to pump a bunch of water out. I don't envy their job yesterday. Cold, wet, and muddy. Sounds like a good time to me. 

I'll post a few here, but you can see all of them on google here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jwstewar1999/HouseBuilding?authkey=bB1oJN9zfM8.

OK, I'm having trouble adding pics. I will try later, but for now you can see the pics at Google.


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## jwstewar

I wasn't able to get any pics last night, but they have most of the forms and rebar set for the basement. Looks like they were missing a 45 corner. They also have to do the forms yet for the porch, living room, and garage. I'm assuming they will do these do. Don't know if they will try to pour this afternoon or if they will wait until tomorrow. Kinda hope they wait as I'm off tomorrow. But it looks like either way we will have basement walls for Christmas.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Any progress pics yet Jim?


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## jwstewar

Yep, I finally got some. It took them longer than I thought to pour the walls. They started out pretty good with the footer drains and all, but they spent the rest of the week just putting rebar in and straigtening the walls. This week they didn't work because of Christmas until Wednesday. They worked Wednesday and came up higher with the panels. Thursday they put the windows in and install the bracing. They were planning on pouring put the concrete company could only commit 2 trucks and they didn't want to do that so they waited until yesterday to pour. It ended up being 7 trucks and 61 yards of concrete. They said they would be back Wednesday to start stripping the forms. They said once some of the framing is done they will come back and pour the floors when they can throw some heat to it. I asked about finishing it, they will finish it by hand. The owner of the company says he won't let them use the trowel machines, he has them but won't use them unless it is absolutely a huge job.


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## Doc

Good pics Jim.

Your moving right along.  Won't be long now.


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## jwstewar

Here are some pics of the guys actually doing to the pouring. They had 2 or 3 guys down in the hole beating the forms all of the times to get the air out of it. I was actually a little surprised they didn't use a vibrator (it might have enjoyed it ) on it. They even had the owner of the company down in the hole beating on the wall. One of the young guys couldn't figure out why he "got promoted" and didn't have to be down in the hole and instead got to be on top placing the anchor bolts.

I'm having trouble adding the pics because of the air card. I'll have to try to add the rest of them later.


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## jwstewar

OK, sorry I missed my edit window. So I'm posting the pics now. Notice the guy in the 3rd pic. That is the owner of the sub-contractor company. That guy hit those forms for probably an hour and didn't stop. He was drenched in sweat when he came up out of that trench. The site foreman is the one that was controlling the concrete hose, he kept having the "accidents" with the hose and kept covering him in concrete if he was a little low in a spot and had to go back. The funny part was the owner got his payback. As they were pouring the porch (which is 4" inches higher than the basement walls) the owner kept telling them he was high, he response was "I don't smoke pot, I'm not high." Well, he was pretty quiet as he was shoveling the concrete back out of the wall like you can see in the last picture.


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## jwstewar

There I was snoozing pretty good this morning and all of a sudden I started hearing the pounding of hammers. They were taking the forms off. I knew I had to get out of bed and go move the vehicles out of their way. I told them they caught me by surprise , he said our builder got on to them and made them work.  Works for me.


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## jwstewar

They worked and got most of the exterior forms down. They started crating them back up as well. Heard another truck running. Looked out and it was a load of lumber. It was the floor joists for the first and second floor. Because they don't have the back fill done the only place we could drop them was in the front yard. This had gotten torn up pretty good with the semi that brought the first excavator in. Once he backed that Freightliner in the tires just filled with mud and that is all she wrote. He couldn't go forward and he couldn't go farther back. We shoveled some gravel under the tires but it didn't help. He had a chain and I put a receiver on my Silverado. Took me a couple of tries, but my 1/2 ton Silverado with all 4 tires spinning in the gravel jerked that Freightliner out. One of the contractors was laughing at it and said he saw smoke rolling from all 4 tires, I knew I was spinning some, but really didn't want to spin that much as I didn't want to dig holes.


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## Doc

Ahh yeah, reminds me of the inevitable muddy mess associated with building a new home.  At least you already have a tractor so you'll be able to fix the yard back when the building is done.  I wasn't as lucky, I had to repair the mess by hand when we built.


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## jwstewar

I know that feeling all too well as well Doc. When we built the first time I had Dad's old Sears with a disc & plow. Didn't use those, but I did buy an old harrow for $25. I also had Dad's walk behind front-tine tiller that maybe only weighs 200 hundred pounds. This time around I still have that front tine tiller and the harrow. I also have a tiller for the Ryobi string trimmer, 20" Troy-Bilt Horse and of course the 60" Agric to go behind the New Holland. Along with the box blade, scraper blade I think I'll be in pretty good shape, but I am starting to throw some hints toward a landscape rake.


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## Doc

You'll like the landscape rake.  
But in case your hints don't work out, I have one that you are welcome to borrow.  It's a 6' one without guide wheels.  Works great for my purposes.


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## jwstewar

We are finally starting to see some progress. The framers are pretty upset the concrete guys took so long. They were supposed to have started December 26, but didn't get to start until January 8 so they sat around twiddling their thumbs for almost 2 weeks.

Anyway, here are a few shots from Tuesday. I stay home to fix a leak in our camper roof and got to be around for the action. It actually worked out well as the builder show up and I got to go over some things with him. We actually talked for about 3 hours.

The first shot is of the stack of lumber and some of the vehicles in the parking lot Formerly Known as my front yard. 

Next one is the first beam that was put in place and some of the waterproofing/insulation around the basement.

Last one is just of the cement mixer pouring the cap for the living room. I was impressed that truck went up that hill of dirt w/o any problems. The hoe operator had litteraly just spread that dirt out while the truck was out front waiting.


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## jwstewar

Here is a shot of one of the beams down in the basement. As well as a header for the opening to the crawl space under the living room. Finally there are some shots of the basement windows as well as the beams and sill plates in place.


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## jwstewar

First shot is the concrete in the living room crawl space. Next is a better basement window shot. Next are a couple of shots of the beams and posts in place. Then yesterday they worked and got the floor joists  in place. Looks like there might be a few more for the living room yet.


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## jwstewar

Next are just some "extras."

First it is starting to look like a construction site.

We've had 3 issues/questions so far.

First when they brought the lumber the lumber company sent 2x4s for the sill plate instead of 2x8s. No biggie, the builder just went and picked up 2x8s and brought them to the jobsite.

Second when they dropped the trusses off yesterday they broke one. I'm a little upset w/ the builder at this point they are saying the framer should be able to fix it. I say every joint on it is messed up, several of the boards split, and they broke the bottom cord, the truss company should send a new one.

Last one is more of a logistical question. They said they wouldn't poured the basement floor until the framers had completed the decking on the first floor. I said OK, how will you get the concrete in. They said through a basement window. As you can see, these are already installed. I'm waiting to see how they pull this one off once the framer starts building the walls.


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## Doc

Looking good Jim.
In post 41 the third pic down shows the joists.  The longest one ends and a shorter one starts up  offset a few feet.  Why the offset?  What will go in that area. 
Being nosy as that end of your basement is much like mine.


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## jwstewar

I'm not sure why the one long beam couldn't go all the way through. I know the long one had to be offset because of the stairs, but not sure why it couldn't have continued. Maybe the way the upstairs walls are made they will put some weight down. Another thought, that is about where the sink and appliances end up, so maybe an offset to get away from the drains. I'll ask the builder the next time I see him.


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## k-dog

I like the idea of waiting until the decking is complete before pouring the basement, just not crazy about the idea of going through the window as some damage is most likely going to happen to the window.  They poured by basement right after the walls were done.  It rained that night.  All in all it isn't too bad, but I think its best if you can keep the elements (wind, sun and rain) away from the cement as it is drying.

It's looking good.  I bet the wife is getting anxious and all ready placing the furniture in her mind.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

jwstewar said:


> I'm not sure why the one long beam couldn't go all the way through. I know the long one had to be offset because of the stairs, but not sure why it couldn't have continued. Maybe the way the upstairs walls are made they will put some weight down. Another thought, that is about where the sink and appliances end up, so maybe an offset to get away from the drains. I'll ask the builder the next time I see him.



Jim, Doc,
Probably to catch the weight of the load bearing walls upstairs. If the walls upstairs stopped short, there's no need to continue the beam with the post right there.

Jim a truss cannot be repaired unless the engineer that designed it approves the fix (in my jurisdiction). It's cheaper to just pick up another truss. I would not accept one damaged like that one is.


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## Doc

k-dog said:


> I like the idea of waiting until the decking is complete before pouring the basement, just not crazy about the idea of going through the window as some damage is most likely going to happen to the window.  They poured by basement right after the walls were done.  It rained that night.  All in all it isn't too bad, but I think its best if you can keep the elements (wind, sun and rain) away from the cement as it is drying.
> 
> It's looking good.  I bet the wife is getting anxious and all ready placing the furniture in her mind.



My basement was poured before it was coverd.  What a muddy mess it was.  It took numerous moppings of the concrete to get it clean.  

Good info on the truss Jerry.  I suspected the same but didn't have the knowledge to back it up.


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## Cowboyjg

OhioTC18 said:


> Jim a truss cannot be repaired unless the engineer that designed it approves the fix (in my jurisdiction). It's cheaper to just pick up another truss. I would not accept one damaged like that one is.


 
Jim, Jerry's correct about getting the engineer at the truss company to provide a repair to the carpenters. Truss repairs are very common place and generally not an issue. The truss lay-out for your house is not complicated and the load on your roof is minimal in that it's not carrying additional stories or has excessive spans. The repair should be quite easy and more than adequite. Chances are the engineer will require either a plywood gusset with specific sized nails and spacing or the sistering of like material with the nailing pattern and nail size called out. The Truss company is accoustomed to providing repairs and it is a much quicker turn around than waiting for a new one to be built and delivered. The key is to make sure your carpenters get the repair information and perform it as stated. Your truss package should have come with a set of profiles and other technical information. They should get a sheet similar to one of the profiles identifying the details of the repair. If a framing inspection is required by your municipality the inspector should look at this for compliance. If not then by all means inspect it yourself to be sure they followed the repair instructions.


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## jwstewar

The framers are here now. Here in a few minutes when it looks like they are taking a break I'll go out and talk to him about the truss. Thanks for the input guys.


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## Cowboyjg

BTW....There shouldn't be any extra charge to you or the contractor (if there is one other than yourself) by the framers for the repair unless it is excessive or extensive and they should tell you that up front. Typically that's part of the deal. If there is going to be a charge then the truss company should pick it up as the breakage occured when they dropped the load.


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## jwstewar

Sorry, little late getting back. Just a few things going on.

It is a truss that will go out over the porch, since it won't be carrying a lot of weight,t he framer is just going to build a new truss and charge it back to the truss company.

These guys aren't wasting much time. They've already framed almost the entire first floor. Sorry for the dark pics, but it was late and I haven't had a chance to lighten them.


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## jwstewar

Here are some interior shots.

First is of the utility room that Monica claims isn't big enough. It is 7'6" x 12'

Next is looking from the dining room across the French door opening to the Great Room. Next is looking at the kitchen from the dining room. 

4th is looking from the kitchen to the dining room with the guest bathroom and bedroom located in the back ground.

Next is a picture of the office which is 14 x 11 with 2 big windows facing the front.

Last is a picture of the living room including the framing for the Vent-free fireplace that we just decided to add last week. It will stick out in the garage a little bit, but not much and it will be in the "middle" of the cars so it shouldn't affect the parking area.


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## Doc

It sure is moving right along.  Once underroof things seem to come to a stand still.  They'll be working but it takes more time for the results to show.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

jwstewar said:


> Here are some interior shots.
> 
> First is of the utility room that Monica claims isn't big enough. It is 7'6" x 12'



I know it will work, but doesn't the header belong down by the top of the window?


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## Cowboyjg

OhioTC18 said:


> I know it will work, but doesn't the header belong down by the top of the window?


 

The header can be at the top or bottom. It's all about load and so long as the support is there it's ok. Personally, I like the carrying member right under the top plate. It provides continuous bearing from one side to the other. Also, every now and again there is a change in the window opening. The header being at the top allows for an adjustment without ever having to involve the header. I notice that your guys appear to be using engineered lumber for your headers Jim. Is this something called out in the plans or did your framer elect to do this. I can see how this could be a cost savings for alot of reasons.


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## jwstewar

> I know it will work, but doesn't the header belong down by the top of the window?


 
Jerry, I actually asked that same question. Got the same response from the builder that Cowboy gave us. Now the ironic part about this. There is a mistake in the location of the windows. They are too low. They are going to have to be moved up. The head at the top will make that a little easier. I'm not happy about the OSB going to have a joint below the window, but things happen and Monica isn't happy with the windows being low. She mentioned it to me last night even before I had told her. The builder just told me last night and wanted to know if we wanted them moved or left alone.



> I notice that your guys appear to be using engineered lumber for your headers Jim. Is this something called out in the plans or did your framer elect to do this. I can see how this could be a cost savings for alot of reasons.


 
Not sure how that came about. I don't see where it was speced out in the plan - of course the plans we have don't include the engineered floor joists either. It called for so many doubled joists the builder decided to send it off to the joists company and had them redraw it for the engineered lumber. We were able to get rid of a couple of poles out of the basement and didn't have so many 2x12s doubled in the basement. So maybe when they drew it they recommended them. I know it is the first time the framers had used them. I know along the same lines, I know our builder had lunch with as he said "Our MicroLam Man" and the OMLM wanted to see our house  I can't say so far one way or the other if I'm happy with them. I know the builder said these little 4x6 blocks are probably at least the equivalent of 3 2x10s.


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## Cowboyjg

Jim, I wouldn't worry about the joint in the OSB. Just ask the framers to put blocks in along the joint. That will be sufficiant. They may balk a little but it's no skin off thier nose so don't let them talk you out of it.

Typically, there is a savings in using the engineered floor system over standard lumber. There is also greater design flexability. Last and certainly not least is the qualitative aspect of an engineered floor system. From squeaking to movement and making openings for other systems like plumbing and electric. All around it's a better thing and I don't expect for you to be unhappy with them. I like to incorporate floor trusses with I-joists to accomodate HVAC and such. A floor truss is alot like your roof truss in that there are openings thru which you can pass things. This helps in placing things up in what is the ceiling of the basement and reducing the amount of "Living" space used for things like duct work and such. Gives a cleaner look if you will.

TJI is a brand name and has become the "Kleenex" of the engineered lumber world. Chances are the "Microlam Guy" is either a lumber company rep or a rep from the vendor that supplies the lumber company with thier engineered lumber. It is common for them to visit job sites. It's just a little politic-ing on the part of the lumber rep or vendor. The idea is to maintain those customer/ builder relations.


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## jwstewar

Oooopppps, just went back and reread my last reply and man even had myself confused. When we went looking I actually wanted the engineered floor joists. I was a little disappointed that the builder didn't do them standard, I was glad when they sent the plans off and had them redrawn for engineered lumber. The framer has used the engineered joists before.

I am neutral on the engineered headers as I didn't know they had them. These are what the framer hadn't used before.


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## jwstewar

Sorry, I hadn't posted in this thread in awhile. Been a little busy both at home and work. The air card doesn't help a whole lot. We are right on the fringe of service so sometimes it is good and sometimes...well it isn't.

I've kept the Pacasa site up to date that I listed earlier, but haven't posted here. Anyway, here are a few up-to-date pics.

I'm having trouble uploading attachments again. Visit Pacasa for now.


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## fogtender

jwstewar said:


> Sorry, I hadn't posted in this thread in awhile. Been a little busy both at home and work. The air card doesn't help a whole lot. We are right on the fringe of service so sometimes it is good and sometimes...well it isn't.
> 
> I've kept the Pacasa site up to date that I listed earlier, but haven't posted here. Anyway, here are a few up-to-date pics.
> 
> I'm having trouble uploading attachments again. Visit Pacasa for now.


 
You might look into www.hughesnet.com they are highspeed internet from "space". I do installs up here in Alaska in my spare time for a friend. Have it here at the house and it requires no phone lines to operate, the dish is .78 of a meter accross so it isn't very big, and in most cases bolts to the side of the house or can be mounted on a pole.  About $400.00 in the States and they run a hundred dollar rebate.  I think they even finace the cost at about twenty bucks a month for two years now, at no interest.


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## jwstewar

OK, got it going. It had to do with file sizes. Normally it would either resize them for me, or worst case it would say it is too big. It just wouldn't say it failed. Anyway....

Here are some outside shots of the house.

One thing you'll notice in the shot of the garage doors, they are the standard 9'x7' doors. They were supposed to be 9'x8'. They got missed on the final plans. Along with the window on that side that is just a cutout. They had to order that window in and reframe that wall. The window came in Friday, but they hadn't installed it yet. They have yet to redo the garage doors. Wish I would have notice it before they set the trusses.


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## jwstewar

OK, here are a couple of the inside. They are the great room and of the French door that is in the dining room/great room/kitchen.

Also Doc and I were having a conversation about mud over on NTT. This is why the tractor hasn't been out. Did I happen to mention that it is a good that our Silverado and our Trailblazer are 4wd? We had the insurance company bring us some gravel in, but before that it was a muddy mess. Still might have to go off of the driveway depending upon how many construction vehicles are there.


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## jwstewar

fogtender said:


> You might look into www.hughesnet.com they are highspeed internet from "space". I do installs up here in Alaska in my spare time for a friend. Have it here at the house and it requires no phone lines to operate, the dish is .78 of a meter accross so it isn't very big, and in most cases bolts to the side of the house or can be mounted on a pole. About $400.00 in the States and they run a hundred dollar rebate. I think they even finace the cost at about twenty bucks a month for two years now, at no interest.


 
Thanks for the info, once we get back in the house we will go back to DSL. We didn't have phone service installed into the trailer the insurance company is renting for us. Work is providing the air card for me, so for the few months, I can get buy with the air card.



jwstewar said:


> Here are some interior shots.
> 
> First is of the utility room that Monica claims isn't big enough. It is 7'6" x 12'
> 
> Next is looking from the dining room across the French door opening to the Great Room. Next is looking at the kitchen from the dining room.
> 
> 4th is looking from the kitchen to the dining room with the guest bathroom and bedroom located in the back ground.
> 
> Next is a picture of the office which is 14 x 11 with 2 big windows facing the front.
> 
> Last is a picture of the living room including the framing for the Vent-free fireplace that we just decided to add last week. It will stick out in the garage a little bit, but not much and it will be in the "middle" of the cars so it shouldn't affect the parking area.


 
I mentioned a guest bedroom in this post. Looks like it won't be a guest bedroom after all.


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## Doc

Congrats Jim.  That is big news.  I'll have to add a cigar smilie so you can pass them out when the time comes.   

Your house is looking great.  Coming right along.  Is there a chance you'll be in by April?  Ahhhh, I remember the muddy mess from building all to well.  No fun at all ... especially once you get your new flooring or carpet down.  

Thanks for BOTH updates!  and Congrats!!!!!!!


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## jwstewar

Doc said:


> Is there a chance you'll be in by April?


 
Well, we are 2 months in and a month behind schedule.  They originally told us 4 - 6 months, we have planned/hoped for by June 1st - Monica's birthday. The way things are heading that is right where we are going to be. Hopefully we make that as we run out of rent on the trailer around the first part of July. We might be living in our camper if it isn't ready by then.

Thanks for the congrats, it came as a bit of a surprise to us. Now that the    has worn off, we are pretty excited. The kids weren't excited at first (that might be an understatement), but they are starting to get excited when we go look at toys and outfits for the baby. One will be a lot more excited and one not so excited though once we find out the sex of the baby.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Jim, Both of those updates are great news. Looking good on the house. Give Monica a congratulatory hugs from me.


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## fogtender

jwstewar said:


> Thanks for the info, once we get back in the house we will go back to DSL. We didn't have phone service installed into the trailer the insurance company is renting for us. Work is providing the air card for me, so for the few months, I can get buy with the air card.


 
Well for what is it worth, the Hughesnet is much faster than DSL. I had that for a number of years and now don't have to wait for something to keep "Buffering" to watch a video and such like I did witht the DSL..

Very nice looking house job by the way!


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## Galvatron

hi jim looks great....can i ask what material the fascia and soffit will be....heres a link to a local company i use over here in the uk ....just curious if you use anything similar.

link
http://www.eurocell.co.uk/


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## XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Congrats Jim!  Nothing like going all out!  This will be a big year for you!


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## Av8r3400

Looks awesome, Jim.  Best of luck on the whole schedule thing! (never goes right, does it?)

We started our house May 1, 2005 hoping for a August 31st move in.  We moved in on Thanksgiving (2005) to bare sub floors and no interior walls.  I hope you do better than we did!


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## OhioTC18 RIP

kimi said:


> hi jim looks great....can i ask what material the fascia and soffit will be....heres a link to a local company i use over here in the uk ....just curious if you use anything similar.
> 
> link
> http://www.eurocell.co.uk/



kimi,
That is a very interesting product. I REALLY like that. Something like that is not very widely used here in Ohio. I'm guessing his facia/soffits will be aluminum, vinyl or redwood/cedar. They are the most commonly used materials used around here.
It tends to get pretty cold here at times, so I wonder how well the PVC would hold up. I've only seen temps as low as -30C here though


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## Galvatron

OhioTC18 said:


> kimi,
> That is a very interesting product. I REALLY like that. Something like that is not very widely used here in Ohio. I'm guessing his facia/soffits will be aluminum, vinyl or redwood/cedar. They are the most commonly used materials used around here.
> It tends to get pretty cold here at times, so I wonder how well the PVC would hold up. I've only seen temps as low as -30C here though



im pretty sure the temp would not be an issue....main reason i use it and recommend it to my customers is it will never rot or fade in color....just every few years get the ladder out and give it a wipe and it's as good as new again.


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## jwstewar

That is looks pretty interesting Kimi. I like the looks of the facia. Our facia will be aluminum and the soffit will be vinyl. That is pretty much the norm around here. One thing you have to remember is the US is about 20 years behind Europe in their building techniques. I know you guys have had tankless water heaters for years. They are just now starting to be used here and still aren't very common. We are going with one though.

Av8r, I hope it doesn't take that long - our rent money from the insurance company runs out in July and I sure can't afford to pay the rent on this trailer at almost 3000 month! 

I haven't been out to take any pics (been a little under the weather with the flu - haven't worked all week) but the plumber has been here. He has started running the drain lines.  The basement guys came yesterday and hooked the sewer lines up to the septic tank. The HVAC guy was here today and ran a lot of the ducts. Oh, also forgot the van load of Mexicans showed up and roofed almost the whole house in about 5 hours on Saturday. They would have finished but they were about 2 bundles short.


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## jwstewar

WOW!!!, we went from standing still to moving at 150 MPH. The water line is now hooked up, the framers are there today doing final "punch out," plumbers have been there yesterday and today finishing up that, the electrician is there today expecting to finish tomorrow. They poured the garage and basement floors yesterday. The insulator is supposed to be there Thursday expecting to start blowing on Friday. Been waiting for some of the other stuff to finish up so that I could start running some cable & Ethernet wires. Guess I'll have a couple of long nights the next couple of nights getting at least the lines on the exterior walls in. Wouldn't surprise me if they don't want to start drywalling next week. They are supposed to dig the trench so I can get the conduit installed the electric company can come out and hook up the power. 

I love it when a plan starts coming together!!!!


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## Cowboyjg

Better get your stuff in before ichalation Jim. How about HVAC? Have they been in yet? Sure glad things are coming along for you..


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## OhioTC18 RIP

jwstewar said:


> Been waiting for some of the other stuff to finish up so that I could start running some cable & Ethernet wires. Guess I'll have a couple of long nights the next couple of nights getting at least the lines on the exterior walls in.



Jim,
That all sounds like it's coming together FAST. Instead of running your cables in the exterior walls, go to Lowes and get some "smurf tube", blue corrugated tubing in the electrical department. The correct name is Electrical Non-metallic Tubing or ENT. They have 1/2" and 3/4", get the larger size. Nail up some plaster rings and run a sleeve of tubing from there to the basement. Leave a foot or so hang out at the plaster rings for now. That way, you can always add/change cables later when needed. Leave 2 feet hang in the basement. Drill holes and do the same thing for the interior walls while they are insulating the exterior walls. DON'T loop from one location to another. Make them all separate runs to the basement.

If I can help with any ideas let me know. I think you have my work number, right?


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## jwstewar

Yep Cowboy, HVAC has been there, I just forgot to mention it.

That is interesting stuff Jerry. I'll have stop and get some on my way home today. I'm going to try to do half day vacation today. I didn't get to do much last night. This daggone flu won't go away. I'm having these coughing spells right now and they cause some serious headache/migraines. They usually don't last too long from them, but the one last night wouldn't go away. Coupled with the darkness and I bought cheap electrical box, I decided I would give it another shot today - hopefully I can prevent a coughing spell and I'll get the electrical boxes I normally buy. I've got your home & cell so I think I'm good to go. I appreciate the offer. I would like for you to come down and give it an inspection before everything gets covered up.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

jwstewar said:


> I would like for you to come down and give it an inspection before everything gets covered up.



I REALLY want to take a "look" at it for you (as in a thorough inspection). 
These past 4 weeks, I've been doing 6-7 days a week 11-12 hours each day. New computer system rolled out on the 25th and of course even with all of the testing before roll out it doesn't work. Data migration and upgrade patches caused corrupt data and now we're scrambling to correct it. Doesn't help that part of the testing team thought it was monotonous and boring, so they goofed off and reported no "fail point" issues. I'm hoping for this Saturday/Sunday off. If the insulators get there Friday and start blowing, I still may be able to see what I'd like to see by the weekend. I asked if you had my work number, I can't answer it right now   and I don't have time to answer voice mails, so the cell is the best number.


----------



## jwstewar

It looks like the insulators have been pushed back. Electricians haven't gotten as far as hoped. I had thought it was a bit ambitious to get the whole thing wired in 2 days. They done a lot, but not quite that far. I would think by weekend though they should be pretty much "wrapped up" ready for the next step.

I stopped at Lowes and bought me some Smurf tube. Pretty neat stuff. I went ahead and bought the low-voltage "boxes." They work pretty well with the ENT. At this point I'm only worried about getting that put it in and I'll come back later for wire. I'm putting it "everywhere" even if we don't have plans for something there. Easier to put it there with a blank plate and not use it then it would be if I ever needed it. I'm only going to worry about the Great Room TV & our bedroom TV. These are the where the satellite boxes will go. They need 3 coax cables (I'm running 4) and they also need a phone and/or Ethernet so I'm going to put both at these locations. This could be kind of tight so I might have to actually put 2 lines in.

Here are a couple of the jacks that I put in the Great Room. I haven't run the wire yet. Hopefully this weekend when it gets up to a balmy 40.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

jwstewar said:


> Here are a couple of the jacks that I put in the Great Room. I haven't run the wire yet. Hopefully this weekend when it gets up to a balmy 40.



Do yourself a favor, run the wires later. They'll only get screwed up during insulating, drywalling, painting and trim out. Just get as much of the smurf tube and boxes in as you can. As long as you have a drop to the basement, you can figure out the wiring later.

edit......the drywallers may use a router to cut out the box openings. They have a tendency to nick the wires making them useless.


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## jwstewar

That is a good point about the wires. I guess I will focus on finishing up my boxes and tubes. I will also run the wire for the rear speakers in the Great Room. We are not doing a whole house entertainment system, just want to get speakers in the ceiling for surround sound. I always hated those speakers sitting on the floor.


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## Bobcat

Bundled cable might be an easier pull. http://www.futurehomesystems.com/w177.shtml Also, when you pull ethernet, you've got your phone line as well. Only two pair of the four pair are used for the net.


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## jwstewar

Thanks for the tip Bob. I've done that a few times when the wire was already run and I needed something else, but typically if I'm running new wires I will keep them seperate. I guess it gives me the ability to use the other should something damage one or I need an extra. I guess just me being a little paranoid. As far as the wire, I've already got my Cat6 wire. Our wire rep here at work gave me a 1000' box of Cat6. Saved me a few $ by him giving me a "sample."


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Jim,
I should be able to come down tomorrow. I'd like to run a few errands first and be down your way 11-1 or so.


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## jwstewar

I'll be here. I was hoping they would have gotten the meter base hooked up to the breaker box, but they didn't. They didn't have the parts to do it. There boss was supposed to show up with the parts and he didn't.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

WOW, that is going to be a nice house. Went down today to have a look see at the electric since Jim lives in an area that doesn't have inspections. The electricians did a pretty good job. A few things here and there that might need some attention. Mainly aesthetics, but a couple of safety issues.  The siding guys were there sloshing around in the mud. 
I've been in the construction trades for a number of years and kinda know my way around the framing portions as well. The framers and GC seem to know what they're doing as well. Nice framing job. I think they're gonna be happy with this house. The plumber has been in and is running the PEX. The HVAC dude has been there and looked to be done with the rough.
Didn't get to say HI to the expecting Mom  , she was at work, but did get to see the kids and say Hi to them.

Very nice Jim.........


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## Bulldog1401

Wow, I have heard of places not requiring licensing, but none that do not require an inspection.


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## Doc

I guess AEP made some kind of deal so that inspections are not needed.  I've run a new power line to my pole building and just now picked up the meter socket.  Once I have that and the panel in place AEP comes out and runs the wire.  I guess they are the installers and inspectors.


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## Bulldog1401

Who is AEP and what wires do they run?


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## Doc

Sorry.  
AEP = American Electric Power.  The electric provider for South Easter Ohio (and maybe more).  
So the power company will come out and run the wires.  They also inspected my ditch before I buried the conduit.  No county inspector needed.


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## Bulldog1401

So they run the service lateral, and you connect the meter and service entrance?


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## Doc

Bulldog1401 said:


> So they run the service lateral, and you connect the meter and service entrance?


Yep, I will have the service entrance wired up so that it meets their approval before they hook up the power.


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## Bulldog1401

Here we supply all threnching, secondary cabling and entrance equipment. They supply the meter itself. Then a state certified electrical inspector inspects it and calls it in to the utility as "clear to connect". They then come, check things over, energize, and set and seal the meter. If they discover something wrong, they have the option not to connect until it is corrected.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Bulldog1401 said:


> Here we supply all threnching, secondary cabling and entrance equipment. They supply the meter itself. Then a state certified electrical inspector inspects it and calls it in to the utility as "clear to connect". They then come, check things over, energize, and set and seal the meter. If they discover something wrong, they have the option not to connect until it is corrected.



That's the way it's done here too Bulldog, but where Jim and Doc live there are no inspections. The utility company throws a tester across the terminals in the meter box. If it doesn't show a short they turn the juice on.......more or less.


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## Bulldog1401

It is interesting to see how other people in other places get things done.


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## jwstewar

Thanks for the compliments Jerry. I left my notes and your recommendations for the electrician last night.

You are right on how AEP does it. I basically have a paper that I can sign if I do it myself or I can have the electrician sign that says it is OK. That basically relieves them of any liability of problems when they energize the meter base. Needless to day in this case I'm having the electrician sign it, but when I installed the service for the old house, I installed it myself and signed it myself.

They siding guys came back yesterday and did a whole lot more sloshing around in the mud. They completed the South side and the back. Still have a little more to go on the great room. They also started the North side yesterday. Front is completed except for the a strip around the top of the windows. They are waiting on the trim for the arched windows to come in before they do that.

I joined them in the slop yesterday. I ran the 3" conduit for the service entrance. Boy that ended up being a chore. Not so much the task itself but fighting the mud and the water at the bottom of the trench was the painful part. I tried to keep as much mud and water out of the pipe as I could, but I know there is some in it. Couldn't help as the one spot was a real bear as I was trying to turn the corner and go underneath the water line going to the barn (so as not to rest on it as I had to patch it as they knicked it digging the trench). If they hook the meter base up today and the conduit going from the meter base to what I installed I'll get to send my check to AEP and they will come out and pull the line through in about 10 business days. I will also start backfilling it tonight - hopefully before the rain starts. I would like to get my truck out of the back yard. 

BTW, when they were digging the trench for the conduit, I wasn't there and they head to the wrong electric pole. The snagged our water line - because I didn't tell them it was there because they weren't supposed to be digging there. But they also dug across the driving. Well, that it interesting right now. Trying to get that filled and stable enough with the ground being so saturated is almost like trying to fill a sponge. The car isn't too happy going back and forth acrossed it. I put some more gravel on it last night, but that only helped marginally. Probably about as good as it is going to get until it dries out some.


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## Doc

Boy and there is nothing but rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.  Today will be nice with rain Tues, Weds, Thurs.  With rain or snow on Friday.  

Use the big big rocks for your base Jim.  They'll sink in but won't go as far as smaller stones.  We ended up with a lot of cash in gravel before our build was done.  Sounds like you will too.

Thought of you guys last night when a reporter from 60 minutes we in downtown Chillicothe.  Saying it is the 'heart' of it all, not just of Ohio but the whole US.


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## jwstewar

I knew they were in town and wanted to see it, but I was out working in the house. I was putting some more of the "Smurf tube" in as Jerry calls it. The upstairs is turning out to be a bit tricky. I've got the kids' rooms done, now I'm trying to do our room. I've got 2 in it, would like to get about 3 more in it. One of those I know where it'll go and it'll go fairly easily. The other 2, I'm not sure about how to get them on that wall, while it is an outside wall, there is a big beam under them as there isn't a wall there. I may end up having to go up for those 2 runs. That and a couple in the dining room and I think I'll be done with those. Just need to stick a couple around the entertainment center in the great room, 2 in the dining room, and one more in the living room. Those will all be pretty easy though. When I'm all said and done, I should have about 30 places that I can pull coax, Ethernet, phone wire, or any other low voltage wire to. Should come in pretty handy in the future. For now it'll leave a bunch of blank plates on the wall. I would rather have that though and not be able to put a wire where I want it later.


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## jwstewar

Electricians & plumbers have finished up for now. Siding guys worked Monday, but aren't quite finished yet. Too much rain for them yesterday. Insulators came yesterday. They started blowing the insulation. Pretty much got the upstairs finished yesterday except the 2 story foyer. They then started the downstairs. They were supposed to be back today and try to finish. Worst case would be they would send one guy back tomorrow. HVAC was there yesterday. He was going to put the furnace in. He couldn't there was probably a foot of water in the basement. Someone had unplugged the sump pump. With all of the rain we had 2.5+" in a 24 hour on an already soaked ground. We had a lot of water. Especially since the rough grading isn't finished and I have the trench open for the electrical conduit. It has caught a ton of water and is basically filled pushing up against the basement wall. I'm going to have to pump it out so I can finish the conduit up. Right now it is floating at the top of the trench.

On a side note, when they brought the house trailer in they damaged our culvert. It has been fine since Oct. Yesterday we had so much rain and the ground was so wet it actually raised the end of the culvert straight up into the air. Now of course now water is flowing through it. It has pretty much flooded that whole section of our yard and the water is flowing over the driveway. I'm going to try to take the tractor tonight when I get home and see if I can push it down to drain the water out of the yard - at least until the next rain. I'm probably going to have to dig the culvert out and replace it - or at least attach some cement to the ends of it.


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## Doc

Sounds like your going to get your tractor stuck tonight.  Be sure to take pics.   
In that much mud you might just want to let it set and dry out a bit.
More rain predicted tomorrow to.


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## jwstewar

Sorry to disappoint ya Doc, but the tractor was able to push the end of the culvert back down w/o any problems. It had the water drained within about 10 minutes. I then picked the loader up and the culvert stayed down so at least as the water continued to run to the ditch it would continue to flow. Just left a few marks in the yard getting to there. Of course, at this point like that really matters. The rest of the yard is mud from construction and there is a huge ditch running through the back yard for the electric. So my tire marks didn't hurt anything. Just another area to till come spring - if it ever gets here.


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## jwstewar

I've been a little lax lately in getting pictures - that and I was afraid I would get lead poisoning when I sunk to China in all of the mud. 

Anyway, most of the siding is done, most electrical and water lines are in. The walls are insulated. They finished the drywall yesterday. The are supposed to come back this week and start finishing the drywall and insulate the ceiling now that the drywall is up.

Electric is supposed to be hooked up this week. I had the propane guy out last week to hook the propane up. Turned out the line was cut when they put the sewer line in for the house trailer. I rented a Kubota mini-excavator yesterday and dug a new trench. First time I had ever operated one. Boy was it fun, I want one!!!! Took a little bit of getting used to and the first digging wasn't pretty, but I got some dirt moved at least. When I was digging the actual trench for the gas line I only had one issue. I kept getting the trench deeper and deeper. I must have been 4'+ down. 

Anyway, here are some updated pictures of the house. There are more here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jwstewar1999/HouseBuilding?authkey=bB1oJN9zfM8


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Jim,
Looks good so far Buddy. When I looked at the pictures, it was like I was still there. Yep, the sump pump line got extended, the ledger board for the deck got put on and it appears the cans on the South side of the great room are evenly spaced as on the North side, which you pointed out. It looks like they moved the recessed can that was blocking the 1st floor bath fan vent. I hope the GC or electrician didn't mind me walking through and making a few suggestions.


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## jwstewar

Nobody said anything, but you know what, I don't care if they did mind. It is my house and my money paying them. 

They didn't move that canned light in the kitchen, but they did move the vent line around. They also got the recessed lights in the great room fixed, the foyer light center, the porch lights straight, and they also got the second circuit in for the whirlpool tub.

I'm walking through the house trying to figure out what all of the 3-way switches control. We are going from a house that didn't have any 3-way switches (and should have) to one that almost everything is 3-(or 4) way it seems.

BTW, you know something funny. Right after we signed the contract to build the house we bought a doorbell, transformer, and buttons for it. They would provide a simple one, but we wanted a nicer one. It is somewhere in the garage/barn. Be damned if we can find it right now. Might have to buy it again and take this one back as we start clearing it out.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Buying the doorbell before the house means you want company......get ready...


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## jwstewar

Anytime, anytime, buddy. That goes out to anyone else as well. 

It is funny, Monica and I both were pretty depressed about that time. That doorbell that day seemed very important and it a lot of ways it was. Buying that doorbell symbolized the rebuilding had started. I think it helped both of us get through until the actual construction started. Right now I'm too busy to be depressed. Monica isn't depressed now, but the pregnancy is making her tired. Of course, we both have said that we are physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out and ready to get back to normal - if we can ever figure out what the hell that is.


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## Doc

Don't worry, you'll find it as soon as you buy another one.    Usually works that way for me.  

Your house is looking good.


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## tilt

Thats a beautifull home. How much do you think you have or will have invested in it?. And where can I get some designs/plans for something like that?. Thanks in advance.


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## Cowboyjg

Dang Jim, Sorry about that post between the kitchen and family room. They could've engineered around that pretty cheaply and it would have been all open. Otherwise, comin along REALLY nice. Whatcha got planned for the outside?


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Cowboyjg said:


> Dang Jim, Sorry about that post between the kitchen and family room.



Yeah I saw that too. We talked about it when I was there. That post does help support the 2nd floor even with an engineered beam. But they plan on having bar type chairs(I think) there at the eating bar so it may not be much of an obstacle anyway.


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## jwstewar

tilt said:


> Thats a beautifull home. How much do you think you have or will have invested in it?. And where can I get some designs/plans for something like that?. Thanks in advance.


 
This "plan" started out with a stock plan the builder had. We then went through with pens and White-out and customized it to fit our need. About the only walls we didn't move were the 4 surrounding the stairs. As far as $s go, we are in the mid to high 2s. I think the builder provides and really nice house and decent square footage for the dollars spent.



Cowboyjg said:


> Dang Jim, Sorry about that post between the kitchen and family room. They could've engineered around that pretty cheaply and it would have been all open. Otherwise, comin along REALLY nice. Whatcha got planned for the outside?


 
Yeah, I wasn't real happy with that post either. But the builder actually had the plan drawn by 2 different companies. One that prefered using conventional lumber and one that preferred using engineered lumber. Both ended up specing engineered lumber for that span and neither one wanted to go over a 16' span. Because of the 45 on that French door it ends up being about 24 or 25 foot span. I would have been interested in some other solutions.

As far as the outside, pretty much just the vinyl siding you see in the first couple of pics. We are going to put a deck on the back. I'll be doing it myself as time and budget allows. I plan on using Timbertech with the hidden fasteners. There will also be a concrete walk to go around the house and a concrete drive in front of the garage. Landscaping wise we have some trees and shrubs that we saved from the old house that we will put back once the grading is done. Monica also has a few ideas, I don't come up with them I just provide the labor Though normally Monica does too, she just won't be this year with the pregnancy.

Longer term we want to take the siding off the front of the garage and/or living room and do a stone front. Some of the new engineered stones don't require a brick ledge from the foundation so we will be able to do that. That was one of the things we decided to scale back on to keep from totally blowing the budget. Another area were the doors. Instead of doing solid 6 panel doors, we are doing hollow flush doors. Per door the price isn't terrible, <$200, but by the time you to 20 or so of them, it starts adding up. I figure that is someting I can do a little at a time. Once we start finishing the basement, I'll buy the solid doors and take a few of the hollow cores downstairs for things like the closet that will hide the furnace and a storage room, so they won't be totally lost.



OhioTC18 said:


> Yeah I saw that too. We talked about it when I was there. That post does help support the 2nd floor even with an engineered beam. But they plan on having bar type chairs(I think) there at the eating bar so it may not be much of an obstacle anyway.


 
You are correct Jerry. I think Monica has found the ones she likes from Overstock.com - of all places. She can't seem to find them anywhere else. Now whether or not they still have them is another question. She bought a bedroom bench from there a couple of years ago and really liked(s) is. It survived the fire, but one of the arms was damaged pretty bad. She is going to see if she can get someone to recover it.


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## Homesec

What a great house Jim! I stare those pics and start imagening I had one in my home-town (west sumatera).


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## Galvatron

come on Jim i need more pictures......what a great home.

by the way how are the kids coping with all this going on??

Kimi.


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## jwstewar

Sorry, I've been real busy this week. We did the painting. Started Tuesday with clean-up. Finished most of it Saturday. Just had a few touch-ups to do yesterday. Had to come back to work today to rest. I think every part of my body hurts.  The typical house the builder does is about 2200 Sq. Ft. They try to give the customers 2 weekends with the week in between to paint. Because of some scheduling delays we had from Tuesday to Sunday to paint almost 3100 Sq. Ft. We finished everything but the garage. They are supposed to start doing the floors in the bathrooms today. The cabinets are supposed to be delivered / started to be installed tomorrow. They are also supposed to deliver the wood railings for the front porch today. I think I'm going to take half day off so I can go home and get a coat of primer and one coat of paint on them.

As far as they kids they've done pretty well. They have gotten a little stir crazy because of not a lot of room in the house trailer, but not terrible. Every time we go to the school the teachers and everyone can't believe how well they are still doing given everything they've been through this year - that was our goal, as little impact to them as possible. They are starting to get a little excited about the house, but they are both more excited about the new baby. Each lobbying for what they want, we keep telling them we'll find out on April 18th. That will make it a little easier to buy clothes and stuff knowing if it is a boy or girl.


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## jwstewar

OK, finally got around to getting some pictures on Sunday. They are outdated as well now, but at least it shows some of the progress.

First pic is of our living room and the fireplace. I still can't believe the guy makes these stones and they look so real.

Second is of the kitchen. Next is from the dining room to the great room.

Next is my daughter's room, and then Keagan's room. Last is our room.

They are looking up finishing the trim work tomorrow. Hardwood floor is supposed to be installed Thursday & Friday. Next week is plumbers and electricians. I think we are getting there.


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## Doc

Looking good Jim.  It won't be long now.  Very nice looking fireplace.  Heck the whole house is extra nice.  You have to be getting extra anxious now.


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## Cowboyjg

Looking real good Jim.. 

Like Doc said, it won't be long.

How about a little design suggestion.

Wrap the post between the kitchen and family room with wood to match the trim, about 36" off the floor, and cap it with chair rail and base the bottom. It will give it a more finished/ furniture like look vs just painted drywall.


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## jwstewar

That is a good idea Cowboy. That would look really good since we are putting oak on the back side of the island as well. That may help protect it as well - that was the reasoning for going the island.

Thanks for the compliments Doc. Someday you might have to come out Rt. 50 and take a look in person.

Thought I had mentioned, but looking back I guess I didn't. The builder is doing an Open House May 4th. They will then install the carpet the following week. We should be able to move in then at least by the weekend of May 10th. Not too bad, I think we broke ground Dec. 15. Right at 5 months. We can't wait to get in it. It has been weird the last couple of evenings just me and Monica over there working on it installing the ceiling fans. It is making it start to seem like "home."

Don't forget to check out more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jwstewar1999/HouseBuilding?authkey=bB1oJN9zfM8


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Jim, It looks really good. You'll be getting in a bit earlier than you expected.

Hope Monica is doing okay...........


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## jwstewar

Monica is doing pretty well, a little tired, but otherwise OK. She was actually pretty happy yesterday was tax day - that meant her job ended. She'll miss the money, but not the job. 

You would be proud Jerry. I had to change the power going to my pole barn. I had most of the conduit already in place a couple of weeks ago. Last night I decided to make the cut.  I turned the existing power off, cut the existing pipe with the cordless reciprocating saw, attached the new pipe. I then sucked a Wal-mart bag with fishing line attached to it through the pipe. Which then allowed me to pull a rope through. Then using electric tape, I taped the rope and wire together. Monica got the joy of wearing the rubber gloves and spreading the lubricant.   I then pulled the rope until I couldn't pull it by hand.  It was then New Holland time. I would wrap the rope around the center hook on the bucket and slowly lift the loader. I then it took about 6 pulls and finally it appeared. I had bought about 100', cut about 1' off the house end and maybe a total of 5' off the barn end. Glad I didn't buy any shorter. Got everything reconnected and didn't have any problems. Only one more circuit to move (sheds and pond area) off the existing power pole and I can remove the pole once the trailer is gone.


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## jwstewar

Cowboy,

I talked to the builder yesterday. We had enough material to do what you suggested. He was talking to the carpenter yesterday about doing it. I then talked to Monica.  She like her pole the way it was. I had to do another quick phone call to get the change stopped. They were just about to start removing the moulding that was already up when I called.


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## Cowboyjg

Yep.....I'm familiar with that movie... ... 

Sorry for the added excitement...


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## OhioTC18 RIP

jwstewar said:


> Monica is doing pretty well, a little tired, but otherwise OK.
> 
> 
> 
> I had bought about 100', cut about 1' off the house end and maybe a total of 5' off the barn end. Glad I didn't buy any shorter.



Glad to hear she is dealing with all this and the upcoming arrival well. I missed seeing her when I was there last.

Isn't it great when it works out that close?


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## jwstewar

I need to get some more pictures, but the builder did their open house this weekend. Here is a link to their promo of it  - http://www.affordcustom.com/OpenHouse.html,

Pretty much everything is finished except for pouring the driveway. It is supposed to happen today. With that, the bank will release the final draw. With that we should be able to start moving in. We can't wait.


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## Doc

Congrats Jim.  This coming weekend is supposed to be the move in date for my SIL and daughter up in Hilliard.  They are putting the last coat on the hardwood floors so they probably can't move anything in until Sunday, but just like you guys they are very excited.


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## Bobcat

Well, now we all have his address, but I didn't see a grill set up in the back yard yet.


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## jwstewar

bobpierce said:


> Well, now we all have his address, but I didn't see a grill set up in the back yard yet.


 
It is in the old garage. Just have to dig through some junk to get it out.

Quick update, just talked to Monica. They are there working on the driveway so it looks like they will be pouring it today. We've got some furniture scheduled to be delivered throughout the week, I'll have to make sure I keep it blocked off so they don't drive the trucks on it and crack it.


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## Galvatron

Tell you what Jim i have full respect for you and your family for getting through what as been such an awful time.

You have stayed positive throughout and shared the new build with us here with such honesty and passion.....i really do hope your new home gives you and your family all the happiness in the world for one simple fact....you all deserve it. 

That's one great home.

Kimi.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Looks awesome, my friend.


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## Galvatron

I'm guessing your now moved in and all is well....any little updates we should have or did it all go that well??

final pics would be nice too.


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## jwstewar

Finally I've gotten a few more pics - at least of the outside.

We've been in the house now about 3 months and love it. We picked up most of the rest of our furniture a few weeks ago and now we are getting used to everything so it is starting to feel like home. Now we are getting in baby prep mode.

I'll post a few pics here, but you can see more here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jwstewar1999/HouseBuilding?authkey=bB1oJN9zfM8 I'll try to get some of the interior in a few days.


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## Doc

Looks good Jim.  It looks HUGE!  Next comes the landscaping.  At least you can use your tractor for that.


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## jwstewar

Ah come on Doc, you don't like that look? That is my new Arizona look. I've done a little bit of playing around of moving the dirt to where I want it, but decided I might as well get the spouting drains in because I would be tearing it all back up. I want to pull quite a bit more dirt up to around the porch and sidewalk area as I was that to be a level before it starts to slope away. Monica has already been doing some planting up next to the house between the sidewalk. No mulch yet though, she is wanting to go with the lava rock instead. Only a one time deal, but much more $ up front. Looking for someplace we can buy it by the truck load vs. bag a Lowes. We've heard of something called brick chips that we can buy pretty reasonably, but haven't actually seen it yet.


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## Bulldog1401

Nice job

Is that a standard 200 amp service? By the size of the can it looks like a 320-400.


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## jwstewar

Bulldog1401 said:


> Nice job
> 
> Is that a standard 200 amp service? By the size of the can it looks like a 320-400.


 
400 Amp service. The house itself is only set for 200, but I split it off and I have 100 AMP going to the barn. They don't do 300 so we have 400 AMP available should we ever need to bump the house. With the panel being right below that in the basement, other than the panel itself being a pain, it wouldn't be a big deal to upgrade service.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Jim, no need to mess with the existing panel if you ever decide to go larger. Just add a 100 Amp panel beside the 200 Amp one.


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## Bulldog1401

OhioTC18 said:


> Jim, no need to mess with the existing panel if you ever decide to go larger. Just add a 100 Amp panel beside the 200 Amp one.



Yeah, what he said. When I do 400 amp services, I commonly do two 200 amp loadcenters side by side. Then I can easily configure one for a generator later. They are also much cheaper that a 400 amp panel.


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## jwstewar

Now that Christmas is over, Monica has started adding to her Honey Do list - OK, it actually started before Christmas. Currently the kids have their Xbox, Wii, and PS2 set up in the 1st floor bedroom. Well, that is OK for a few more months until Addyson needs her own room. At that point Keagan is going to move to that room and leave the 2 girls on the 2nd floor.

So we needed more space (that doesn't seem possible since this house is about 800 Sq. Ft more than the old one). We decided to finish the basement - which was the original plans just not quite this soon.

So starting the first part of December we started Dry Locking the basement. 20 gallons of Dry Lock Extreme and $500 later the basement was all Dry Locked with 2 coats - OK, I need to buy another bucket yet but that is for a section we aren't going to finish right now. So just before Christmas we made a trip to Lowes and started buying lumber.

I think I pretty much have everything framed now except the support poles and a couple of stub walls that will allow us to drop part of the ceiling down to hide the ductwork & plumbing.

We will be doing a dropped ceiling in it to allow access to the mechanicals as needed.

Once I get the last bit of framing completed, I'll start the electrical work. I'll want someone to take a look at it to make sure everything I do is Kosher. Don't want to go through what we just went through again. I don't know where I could find an electrical inspector.


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