# Squerly and friends build a house...



## squerly

For the last several years my wife and I have been planning a house to be built on our property in North Carolina. For the first couple of years we basically watched the sun come up and go down so that we could properly place the house to insure warmth in winter and shade in the summer. 

The goal is to build an energy efficient house that exploits the natural surroundings to heat/cool the house with a minimum of artificial heating and cooling. We will use the shade of the trees to cool during the summer and capitalize on the natural breeze that flows up the mountain side and circulates through the house via large windows at the bottom and a series of fans that pull the air upward through the house. 

In the winter, the same trees that provided shade will now be leafless, allowing the sun to shine through the large windows and naturally heat the slab/tiles on the floor. An outside wood furnace will heat 380 gallons of water that will circulate through the floors and provide radiant heat for the house as well to heat domestic water for showers, etc. We will also utilize an indoor wood stove to provide heat for those months when we don’t want to keep the outside furnace burning. Wood is not an issue for us as we live on 50 heavily wooded acres.

We will use solar tubes to provide the house with light during the day and eliminate as much as possible the power that would ordinarily be needed. Construction will use 2X6 framing techniques with blown insulation throughout. The beams used on the inside (for cosmetics) will come from the property and is being milled at a local saw mill down the road.

I’m creating this thread to keep a log of the build as it takes place and to share the process (all it’s good sides as well as its bad) with my fellow FF’ers.


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## squerly

Yesterday our crew put in several drainage pipes to direct the water coming down the mountain away from the mountain and channel it under the road and then down the mountain side.


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## squerly

Today we trenched 1,100 feet (up the middle of what will be our road) to install power lines, water lines, and supporting conduit for lighting and security camera's along the road.


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## Galvatron

I look forward to your thread...being in the building game i love to see how others from across the pond tackle a new build...materials new and old with surrounding area and building regs ect.

My first tip would be never expect the weather to play ball...it rarely does

Good Luck.


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## ki0ho

You have a fine operator to work with!!!!!    a ditch bottom like that makes laying conduit and lines a lot easer.......who ever it is thank him!!!!!!!!


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## muleman RIP

Galvatron said:


> I look forward to your thread...being in the building game i love to see how others from across the pond tackle a new build...materials new and old with surrounding area and building regs ect.
> 
> My first tip would be never expect the weather to play ball...it rarely does
> 
> Good Luck.


Squerly has an inside line with the weather gods.


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## EastTexFrank

This is going to be a great thread.  

First question:  Is that the only road in and out of the property?  

Keep this thread alive Squerly!!!!


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## FrancSevin

squerly said:


> For the last several years my wife and I have been planning a house to be built on our property in North Carolina. For the first couple of years we basically watched the sun come up and go down so that we could properly place the house to insure warmth in winter and shade in the summer.
> 
> The goal is to build an energy efficient house that exploits the natural surroundings to heat/cool the house with a minimum of artificial heating and cooling. We will use the shade of the trees to cool during the summer and capitalize on the natural breeze that flows up the mountain side and circulates through the house via large windows at the bottom and a series of fans that pull the air upward through the house.
> 
> In the winter, the same trees that provided shade will now be leafless, allowing the sun to shine through the large windows and naturally heat the slab/tiles on the floor. An outside wood furnace will heat 380 gallons of water that will circulate through the floors and provide radiant heat for the house as well to heat domestic water for showers, etc. We will also utilize an indoor wood stove to provide heat for those months when we don’t want to keep the outside furnace burning. Wood is not an issue for us as we live on 50 heavily wooded acres.
> 
> We will use solar tubes to provide the house with light during the day and eliminate as much as possible the power that would ordinarily be needed. Construction will use 2X6 framing techniques with blown insulation throughout. The beams used on the inside (for cosmetics) will come from the property and is being milled at a local saw mill down the road.
> 
> I’m creating this thread to keep a log of the build as it takes place and to share the process (all it’s good sides as well as its bad) with my fellow FF’ers.


 
I look forward to you posts in this thread. My wife and I have a vested interest as I just started a similar thread about our remote build in the Missouri Ozarks.

I doubt it will be as grand as yours but will enjoy comparing the trials, and successes of such a project with you.


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## jimbo

What part of NC are you located in?  I love the area around the Va - NC line.  From Mt Airy and Galax, Va, the area around Boone.  I'm sure there are others areas I would like, but these two are two I know.  I am seriously considering moving to one of these areas within a year or so.

Interesting thread prospects.  I will look forward to following it,


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## FrancSevin

It looks a lot like the area near Tennessee just under the Smokies.

East of Cleveland/Chattanooga?  Or Dillsborro/ Cherokee.


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## 300 H and H

Squerly,

Water lines in the trench with the power??

I would have thought you would have to dig a well...

But maybe that isn't an option in the place you are at?

Rural water systems like we have here, maybe that is what you are tapped into?

Regards, Kirk


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## squerly

FrancSevin said:


> I look forward to you posts in this thread. My wife and I have a vested interest as I just started a similar thread about our remote build in the Missouri Ozarks.
> 
> I doubt it will be as grand as yours but will enjoy comparing the trials, and successes of such a project with you.


Between the two of us we should be able to keep the board fairly well entertained!


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## squerly

jimbo said:


> What part of NC are you located in?


We are located between Murphy NC and Franklin NC at about 3,700 feet.  Great views!




300 H and H said:


> Squarly,
> 
> Water lines in the trench with the power??
> 
> I would have thought you would have to dig a well...


Kirk, I am blessed with water and there is a spring not far from the home site.  The water lines in the ditch are actually going to supply water to the cabin at the bottom of the mountain.  The upper spring provides much superior water quality so I took advantage of the ditch being open to run water down the hill.  

Typically, the power company doesn't like to share "their" ditch with anyone but in this case they allowed us to as long as we kept the additional stuff 2' away from the primary line.


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## squerly

Covered them up today.


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## FrancSevin

squerly said:


> We are located between Murphy NC and Franklin NC at about 3,700 feet. Great views!
> 
> 
> Kirk, I am blessed with water and there is a spring not far from the home site. The water lines in the ditch are actually going to supply water to the cabin at the bottom of the mountain. The upper spring provides much superior water quality so I took advantage of the ditch being open to run water down the hill.
> 
> Typically, the power company doesn't like to share "their" ditch with anyone but in this case they allowed us to as long as we kept the additional stuff 2' away from the primary line.


 

Lucky you. My spring is 250' below my house site. Excellent water but I have to pump up 250' and then over 1/4 mile. It may be cheaper to drill a well near the house. Same aquifer/same delicious water.

My Car club has spent a lot of time in Franklin, just off 441. Back roads there are awesome for sports car driving. We have an annual event every spring and fall in Lake Fontana running the 129 Dragon road and terrorizing the locals. Which is why I was able to spot the Nantahala locale.

You have any gemstones in that dirt you were digging? Great place for rubies .

That is one good looking road there! With what will you be paving it?


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## muleman RIP

A few words of advice on the road. Make sure it is wide and stable enough for a heavy firetruck to drive up it. Switchbacks are OK if they are not too tight to drive without backing and twisting. Control your water runoff so you don't get washouts. Get your base in as soon as possible so the construction trucks can compact it well.


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## Galvatron

The first thing different here is that conduit would have been on a base of pea shingle and then covered also in pea shingle before it was all back filled...buiding regs require it here,very interesting.


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## squerly

Galvatron said:


> The first thing different here is that conduit would have been on a base of pea shingle and then covered also in pea shingle before it was all back filled...buiding regs require it here,very interesting.


I assume that is to prevent rock damage to the cable?


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## FrancSevin

squerly said:


> I assume that is to prevent rock damage to the cable?


 
Absolutely.

Here in the Ozarks  many of the rocks are flint.  Freeze thaw will force them up and they will cut the cable insulations. A little moisture,,,,dead short to ground.

  We put all wire in Conduit here. Adds a buck or so per foot.


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## EastTexFrank

FrancSevin said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> Here in the Ozarks  many of the rocks are flint.  Freeze thaw will force them up and they will cut the cable insulations. A little moisture,,,,dead short to ground.
> 
> We put all wire in Conduit here. Adds a buck or so per foot.



Yup and once the wire is cut you have to dig up your road to find it.


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## squerly

EastTexFrank said:


> Yup and once the wire is cut you have to dig up your road to find it.


Yeah, that would be ugly for sure.  For the most part the ground was just dirt, with very few rocks.  On the upper side of the mountain they ran into a lot of rock, and conduit is being used in that area.


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## bczoom

squerly said:


> I assume that is to prevent rock damage to the cable?


Around here, the underground lines are bedded in and covered with sand for the same purpose.

We also lay down tape above the cable, normally about 2' below grade.





Here's the benefit for someone down the road.  Operators know to stop immediately when they find red or yellow tape in their trench.


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## muleman RIP

Zoomer, you operate in a fantasy world. That is where the tape is supposed to be. I have found it 2-3 inches above the wires it was supposed to mark. Dug up an old red shirt once along a creek and scared the crap out of me. I will tell you the phone and cable guys are the worst for not marking at all or laying it right on top the wire. Probably cut at least 20 of theirs over the years. Gas lines and primary are what you need to worry about. They both can go boom!


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## bczoom

muleman said:


> Zoomer, you operate in a fantasy world. That is where the tape is supposed to be. I have found it 2-3 inches above the wires it was supposed to mark.


Nah, I live in a non-commercial world.  It's how I do it but I'm not in the hurry others are so I have time to do it right.


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## Galvatron

squerly said:


> I assume that is to prevent rock damage to the cable?



it also allows drainage around it all....this is why your build i like for the comparing of building regs...live a little learn a little.


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## Galvatron

bczoom said:


> Around here, the underground lines are bedded in and covered with sand for the same purpose.
> 
> We also lay down tape above the cable, normally about 2' below grade.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the benefit for someone down the road.  Operators know to stop immediately when they find red or yellow tape in their trench.



we do the same here..gas..electric...water main...shit do i wsh that was every where it would have saved me shit loads on extension work


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## tiredretired

squerly said:


> Construction will use 2X6 framing techniques with blown insulation throughout.



Do yourself a favor and just take the time to study up on spray foam insulation and it's advantages.  R values alone do not tell the whole story.  I have it and would never go back to anything else.  Tight as a thermos bottle.  Sounds like this is what you striving for in your energy house.  By the looks of your pictures you have a few days to get up to speed.


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## rlk

TR, any idea of the timeline for payback between blown and sprayed insulation?  I put sprayed insulation in the walls of a recent addition, but put blown in the ceiling due to cost.

Bob


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## tiredretired

rlk said:


> TR, any idea of the timeline for payback between blown and sprayed insulation?  I put sprayed insulation in the walls of a recent addition, but put blown in the ceiling due to cost.
> 
> Bob



I do not Bob. Not officially anyway.  My studies of R ratings on different types of insulation including thermal conductivity led me to believe that foam was the best for me in the high wind area I live in.  I had R19 walls, R38 ceilings and it still felt like the wind was blowing right through the house.  Because it was.  

My most recent remodel of the second floor with all foam has resulted in a noticeable reduction in heating.  I am currently at 2400 degree days for the season and 1.5 tons of pellets used.  Last year at this point I was around the same in degree days give or take but pellet usage was up by about 15 bags or 600 pounds of pellets.  Based on this I should be down 1 ton for the season over last years usage.  Huge.  

I do not know for sure what my new R ratings are and it really doesn't matter I guess because comparing foam with fiberglass or blow in is comparing apples to oranges to a certain degree.


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## squerly

TiredRetired said:


> Do yourself a favor and just take the time to study up on spray foam insulation and it's advantages.  R values alone do not tell the whole story.  I have it and would never go back to anything else.  Tight as a thermos bottle.  Sounds like this is what you striving for in your energy house.  By the looks of your pictures you have a few days to get up to speed.



Yep, agreed TR!  We plan to use sprayed Icynene Insulation throughout the home.  Every effort will be used to make the home as energy efficient as possible.


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## BigAl RIP

squerly said:


> Yep, agreed TR! We plan to use sprayed Icynene Insulation throughout the home. Every effort will be used to make the home as energy efficient as possible.


 
 Wish I felt good enough to jump in and help ya !!!!


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## squerly

The weather and holidays put a stop on work until day-before-yesterday.  Funny about these guys up here, they won’t work on weekends.  Now Sunday I understand, but wouldn’t you think that if you hadn’t worked in 3 weeks because of rain/snow/mud that you would be anxious to get to the jobsite on the next sunny day, even if it was Saturday?  But that’s now how it works out here.   Hell could freeze over but the job site will not be visited on Saturday...

So we finally hit a couple of sunny days (that didn’t fall on a weekend) and we got the last 500’ of ditch covered up.   I hope to get rock on the driveway on Monday if it doesn't rain.  Couldn't do it today even though the sun is shinning and the weather is perfect and nobody has worked but 2 days in the last month.  Know why?  Cuz it's friggen Saturday, don't you know...

This first picture is taken standing just below the pad and looking down the driveway.  The square cement mini-pad is for the power company to set their transformer on.  






This picture below shows the driveway that will go in front of the house with an auxiliary parking space to the left in the picture.  






And picture 3 is taken looking back at the house site when standing in the auxiliary parking space shown above.


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## tiredretired

It you wern't so friggin' cheap and dug down a little and paid time and a half you might get these guys to show up on Saturday.


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## BigAl RIP

squerly said:


>


 
I take it from looking at the last picture , you will have a "Day light" basement on the first floor .

The bank in front of the cut looks pretty steep ??? Any way of grading it to low slope angle . Sure would be a lot easier to get around if need be ?
Just asking ????


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## squerly

BigAl said:


> I take it from looking at the last picture , you will have a "Day light" basement on the first floor .
> 
> The bank in front of the cut looks pretty steep ??? Any way of grading it to low slope angle . Sure would be a lot easier to get around if need be ?
> Just asking ????


Yes to the day light basement, or what we prefer to call the game room.    And no to grading it as to do so would cut into the walkway / landscaping that is in front of the day light basement (game room).  The _current_ plan is to put some stacked stone on the bank so it will have some "curb appeal".


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## luvs

squerly, that machine in post 2, has that got a name~

there's 1 over by the Church & u can see them using it here & there.
the other conversation is on u guys. except for spray insulation. that stuff worked fer 2 minutes @ my Dad's.


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## squerly

luvs said:


> squerly, that machine in post 2, has that got a name~
> 
> there's 1 over by the Church & u can see them using it here & there.


That machine is called a track hoe.  Mostly they're used to ski with but you can use them to dig holes too.  

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiRqEdWjvkQ&feature=player_detailpage"]Track Hoe[/ame]


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## Kane

squerly said:


> Beautiful site.  I imagine you'll drop a number of tress along the roadway to capture the view.  Can't wait!  Hurry up!


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## squerly

*Road finished, footers dug, tree's harvested and porta-john arrives!*

Finally getting a run at it; got the road finished and covered with rock.  Footers are dug and rebar will be going in tomorrow.  











Rebar arrives!
















Porta-John showed up next!  






Wife (Trish) is watching as her front yard is being cleared!






And this nice Oak was harvested for the beams that will cross the living room ceiling.  The tree measured 30" in diameter and is 45' long.  The world rocked for about 5 seconds when it came down!


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## bczoom

Squerly,

Do you have a driveway to the upper floor of the house or just to the walk-out basement?

I ask because at least around here, the front door is by some definition the primary entry and the tax man taxes from that floor up as living area.  Basements are taxed at a lower rate.  I have a "front door" from the driveway and from that floor up is "living area".  My back doors are for a walk-out family room and office.  They tax that as "basement".


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## FrancSevin

*Re: Road finished, footers dug, tree's harvested and porta-john arrives!*

WOW!
I love all those toys!


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## squerly

bczoom said:


> Squerly,
> 
> Do you have a driveway to the upper floor of the house or just to the walk-out basement?
> 
> I ask because at least around here, the front door is by some definition the primary entry and the tax man taxes from that floor up as living area. Basements are taxed at a lower rate. I have a "front door" from the driveway and from that floor up is "living area". My back doors are for a walk-out family room and office. They tax that as "basement".


No driveway to the top floor Zoomer but there will be steps that take you there. There are also french doors that take you into the game room on the bottom.


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## luvs

squerly said:


> That machine is called a track hoe. Mostly they're used to ski with but you can use them to dig holes too.
> 
> Track Hoe


 

thanx, squerly. is another machine, tho. looks similar in structure. i took a close look @ it. this has an arm that literally raises to the roof of the church. i should be passing by there in a day/2, & i'll get a pic if it's raised. there's a name on the arm, so i'll get that if not a pic.


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## muleman RIP

It could be a crane or a Genie lift or a tele handler for raising materials up. Usually on churches they are man lifts to get up and repaint or repair on the high steeples or repoint masonry.


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## squerly

We passed inspection and will pour the footers tomorrow AM!


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## muleman RIP

Is the step footer for a garage?


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## squerly

muleman said:


> Is the step footer for a garage?


Yes!


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## squerly

*Pouring Footers!*

It's a rainy day but the crew has a lot of heart!


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## muleman RIP

You better scuff it up on the surface for the mud to grab. Rain tends to make it slick off too smooth.


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## squerly

Joined You Tube! Here is the first cement on the project! lol, humor me...

Cement!


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## luvs

i humored u, squerly. that cement sure is takin' its time!

here's that machine, guys. muley was correct.


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## bczoom

That looks like the Genie I've been thinking about buying.  Friend up the road just bought one so I may just use his instead...  I was close to getting one but the weight at 20,000 pounds scared me off.  Too heavy to trailer with my existing equipment.


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## luvs

bczoom said:


> That looks like the Genie I've been thinking about buying. Friend up the road just bought one so I may just use his instead... I was close to getting one but the weight at 20,000 pounds scared me off. Too heavy to trailer with my existing equipment.


 
woah, those weigh plenty enough. that one here is quite hefty-lookin'.


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## squerly

It’s rained for a week straight and when I say “rained”, I don’t mean your common everyday household variety of rain. This has been monsoon grade stuff.  Anyhow, we now have the forms up for the back wall.  When concrete is poured between these forms, a 12" thick wall will be created, thus creating the back wall of the house as well as a barterer to hold the mountain up.


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## FrancSevin

Looking good their Squerly.

That looks to be a 14' high wall. With buttresses. I presume mostly as a retaining wall?
Is it also part of the foundations of the house?


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## squerly

FrancSevin said:


> Looking good their Squerly.
> 
> That looks to be a 14' high wall. With buttresses. I presume mostly as a retaining wall?
> Is it also part of the foundations of the house?


Pretty close Franc, they’re 12’ high and they serve as a retaining wall as well as the outside wall for the downstairs.  The buttresses will be hidden within interior walls and serve to hold up the retaining wall.


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## FrancSevin

Impressive!


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## muleman RIP

Cool!


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## squerly

*Busy day today.*

We poured the walls for the back and side of the house.  Just a side note... Mexicans are crazy, that's a long ways down!





















Also ran wire through the conduit that will control the pump in the lower holding tank and connected the water pipes we installed in the ditch under the road 6 weeks ago.  The pipes will take water from the lower (1,000 gallon) holding tank up to the upper 1,000 gallon holding tank which is located above where the house will sit.  (Holding tank 2 is well above where the house will sit so in times of no power the water will gravity flow to the house, eliminating any interruption of service.

Another underground water line takes water from the lower holding tank and gravity feeds it 600’ down the mountain to my current cabin.  Note: the cabin I’m living in now will become a weekly rental after the house is built.  The cabin is currently fed by its own spring but the spring up the mountain is of much better quality. 

Setting the pump in holding tank 1 and connecting the pipes that direct water both up and down the mountain was challenging and required we first remove the water (1,000 gallons).   This was accomplished with a 100GPM pump driven by a 3.5 gas engine.   Once the tank was empty we drilled holes in the tank, connected the water pipes and set the pump.  

Draining the lower 1,000 gallon tank.











This is the spring output being channeled through an overflow tube.  I would guess it is producing about 20 GPH.






Me testing the water...  it's g-double 0-good!






And finally, a couple of pictures of the site after everyone left.  Quiet again...


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## Kane

*Re: Busy day today.*



squerly said:


> And finally, a couple of pictures of the site after everyone left.  Quiet again...


Beautiful home site, squerly.

Do you plan on thinning some of the trees along the road to enhance the view of the yonder hills?


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## squerly

*Re: Busy day today.*



Kane said:


> Beautiful home site, squerly.
> 
> Do you plan on thinning some of the trees along the road to enhance the view of the yonder hills?


Absolutely!  The view is much different during the spring/summer months so we will wait until the house is complete and the leaves are on the trees before we selectively thin them out.


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## Kane

*Re: Busy day today.*



squerly said:


> Absolutely!  The view is much different during the spring/summer months so we will wait until the house is complete and the leaves are on the trees before we selectively thin them out.


Firewood! Lots and lots a' firewood!


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## squerly

Removed the forms today and we have walls!


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## REDDOGTWO

I have had the walls in the ground for four weeks now.  Back filled inside and out and that is where it is going to be at for at least another week.


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## FrancSevin

That spring water looks very good.  You have the advantage of a decent spring above the house site..

All of ours are 250 feet below the house site so we must pump it up.  However, I will be using  Solar powered 6 gph systems to the 2 holding tanks with the overflows returning the excess back to the creek.  One tank at 120 feet elevation will series via a second solar pump to the tower tank.  And since the tower tank is only 360 gallons we have it going into in the upper story of the barn.

I like your set up better.  Wish we had that option.


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## luvs

neat to see yinz' progress. cool, squerls


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## squerly

Starting block work.


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## squerly

Got a break between rain and snow and we wasted no time in getting the foundation ready for rebar.


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## squerly

Plumber got started today.


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## muleman RIP

Will that pass inspection down there? I would never use 90's or T's by choice. But I am just the asshole who had to open clean and change too many like that.


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## squerly

muleman said:


> Will that pass inspection down there? I would never use 90's or T's by choice.


Just being inside give us a lot of credits Mule.  Most of my neighbors measure the quality of their services by the depth of the hole...


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## squerly

Waterproofed the cement wall today.


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## ki0ho

are ya going to put on another coat and then insolate? just wondering


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## squerly

ki0ho said:


> are ya going to put on another coat and then insolate? just wondering


Nope, what you see is 5/8" thick already.


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## FrancSevin

I( presume a drain tile and loose gravel goes next and then a backfill?

Lookin' good Squerly!


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## squerly

FrancSevin said:


> I( presume a drain tile and loose gravel goes next and then a backfill?


Yes, you're right on the money there Mr. Franc!


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## Kane

muleman said:


> Will that pass inspection down there? I would never use 90's or T's by choice. But I am just the asshole who had to open clean and change too many like that.


Yes, sweeps might have been the better way to go.  And a couple of floor drains might have been nice, too.

Hey, Squerly.  Instead of 'sidewalk' superintendents, don't you just love all of us 'internet' superintendents criticizing your work?

But I like the clever way you dealt with earth pressures along the back wall.  The concrete wing walls will certainly do the job.  And I guess the wooden forms along the irregular CMU foundation will make the floor pour dead level.  Great.

It's gotta' be exciting for you to watch it go up!
.


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## EastTexFrank

Squerly, I just thought I'd tell you that I'm enjoying the everloving heck out of this thread.


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## FrancSevin

EastTexFrank said:


> Squerly, I just thought I'd tell you that I'm enjoying the everloving heck out of this thread.


 
I agree!

It is better than* "HomeTime*" or *"This Old House!"*


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## squerly

Kane said:


> Hey, Squerly. Instead of 'sidewalk' superintendents, don't you just love all of us 'internet' superintendents criticizing your work?


Lol, couldn't do it without you all!  What really puzzles me is how come nobody has asked about that big ol pipe sticking through the wall...


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## FrancSevin

squerly said:


> Lol, couldn't do it without you all! What really puzzles me is how come nobody has asked about that big ol pipe sticking through the wall...


 
I presumed it was the inlet for a big watertank inside the lower level.

That or an air vent for the "Safe room"


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## squerly

*RE: What's the pipe for?*

The pipe sticking through the rear cement wall will connect to 300’ of 12” diameter pipe (buried between the cement wall and the mountain) approximately 12’ underground where the temperature is a constant 55 degrees.

When it starts to get warm upstairs (which doesn’t generally happen until late in the afternoon and then only in the months of August and September) we will turn on a fan that pulls the air from the downstairs (where it’s the coolest), through the 300’ of underground piping (further cooling the air as it travels through the pipe) and dump it into the upstairs living area just above a couple of ceiling fans which distribute the cool air throughout the room.  

The fan pulls 2,850 CFM and only uses 177.6 watts of power per hour, which is quite efficient should we need to run it on backup battery power.


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## FrancSevin

*Re: What's the pipe for?*



squerly said:


> The pipe sticking through the rear cement wall will connect to 300’ of 12” diameter pipe (buried between the cement wall and the mountain) approximately 12’ underground where the temperature is a constant 55 degrees.
> 
> When it starts to get warm upstairs (which doesn’t generally happen until late in the afternoon and then only in the months of August and September) we will turn on a fan that pulls the air from the downstairs (where it’s the coolest), through the 300’ of underground piping (further cooling the air as it travels through the pipe) and dump it into the upstairs living area just above a couple of ceiling fans which distribute the cool air throughout the room.
> 
> The fan pulls 2,850 CFM and only uses 177.6 watts of power per hour, which is quite efficient should we need to run it on backup battery power.


 
Sort of a Tome wall cooling system?? Very clever.

I would think a flow from the spring would give you a constant supply of fresh heat sink. Hence my suggestion of a water tank inlet. I was close.
Our chicago house used an exchanger cooled with swimming pool water.  Heated the pool and cooled the house. Very efficient.  Never hadned it install whole house AC.

BTW, your system will need a condesate drain.


----------



## Kane

*Re: What's the pipe for?*



squerly said:


> The pipe sticking through the rear cement wall will connect to 300’ of 12” diameter pipe (buried between the cement wall and the mountain) approximately 12’ underground where the temperature is a constant 55 degrees.
> 
> When it starts to get warm upstairs (which doesn’t generally happen until late in the afternoon and then only in the months of August and September) we will turn on a fan that pulls the air from the downstairs (where it’s the coolest), through the 300’ of underground piping (further cooling the air as it travels through the pipe) and dump it into the upstairs living area just above a couple of ceiling fans which distribute the cool air throughout the room.
> 
> The fan pulls 2,850 CFM and only uses 177.6 watts of power per hour, which is quite efficient should we need to run it on backup battery power.


Very kool!  I'm told that sub-surface ground temperature is a rather constant 55 degrees.  Very kool.  Is Al Gore rubbing off on you?  Say it ain't so.


----------



## FrancSevin

*Re: What's the pipe for?*



Kane said:


> Very kool! I'm told that sub-surface ground temperature is a rather constant 55 degrees. Very kool. Is Al Gore rubbing off on you? Say it ain't so.


 
Tha's a perty mean thing to say to a gentleman.

Al Gore thought the temperature was 10 million degrees just few miles down in the earth. That's a bit differ't than 55. And his suggestions for earth heating and cooling were old technologies. Which he didn't understand but found ways from which to make money.

When we rebuilt my house in 1977( when Al Gore was selling oil for Occidental Petrolem) we added a Tome wall for heat and cooling. I didn't run an AC unit until 1995 when my asthma kicked in. That and the 1200 square feet of additions were too much for it to handle. It still modifies and balances the temperature in the house


----------



## squerly

Look what arrived yesterday!  This is the Classic 6048 outdoor wood burning furnace with 393 gallon water jacket.   The furnace heats water to the desired temperature, (typically around 200 degrees) where it is then pumped through the radiant heating system in the floor of the house.  (Or in Muleman’s system, the greenhouse, driveway, etc.) The warmth of the floors heats the room(s) and a thermostat monitors the room temperature and manages the water flow through the floors.  A heat exchanger is used to heat domestic water.  

BTW, that stuff behind it is called "sunshine" and this is the first we've see of it in about forever...    And no, the gazebo is not crooked, it just looks that way because of the way I was holding the camera.


----------



## muleman RIP

Did you get the foundation plans? Don't forget to pour a nice area in front of it for loading the wood.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Did you get the foundation plans? Don't forget to pour a nice area in front of it for loading the wood.


Roger that Mule.  We will start installing the radiant floor tubing on Monday (maybe Tuesday) depending on the weather.  Meanwhile, the rebar was finished today!


----------



## Doc

Looking good squerly.     Coming right along.   That is one impressive burner/boiler.


----------



## squerly

Installed the pipe that will pull the air from the lower part of the house and redistribute it in the upper part of the house.  Here is a (very poor) drawing of how the pipe is installed.   


Air is pulled from the lower, cooler regions of the house.
As the air is pulled through the pipe it is cooled by the underground temperatures (55 degrees) and then 
Distributed into the top section of the house, just above a series of ceiling fans.






The following pictures are of different stages of the pipe being installed.  Note: The original plan called for 12' pipe but the costs were just prohibitive so in the interests of saving some cash we substituted 8" pipe instead.  There should still be plenty of air (volume) flow.  Below are pics of the first layer of pipe.  The last pictures are after the 4 rows of pipe have been buried and the pipe is sticking up through the ground, later to be attached (in the attic) to the fan that will put the air from the lower sections of the house.


----------



## bczoom

Squerly - interesting setup.  A couple questions.
Will there be an inline blower or will flow be controlled by the ceiling fan(s)?
When the pipe goes above grade, are you going to use insulated flex piping (so the air stays cool)?


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Squerly - interesting setup.  A couple questions.
> Will there be an inline blower or will flow be controlled by the ceiling fan(s)?
> When the pipe goes above grade, are you going to use insulated flex piping (so the air stays cool)?


The fan will be located in the attic and will pull air through the pipe, vs pushing it from the bottom.  A variable speed switch (dial) will allow me to regulate the amount of "pull" applied so we don't pull the air faster than it can be cooled on its trip through the pipe.

As for the pipe being above ground, I hope that to be negligible as we plan to re-enter the building at floor level and then continue the journey up through the wall (on the inside).  But any time the pipe is above ground we will make sure it is well insulated.  

I guess it should be noted that I have no solid statistics showing that this setup will actually work.  It works on paper but aside from that it's all speculative.  Hell, it may turn out to be a major waste of money.  But if it does work, it should all but eliminate my cooling bills and that would be well worth the effort.  Firing it up for the first time will be a real 0-hero moment, or visa-versa...


----------



## Kane

squerly said:


> The fan will be located in the attic and will pull air through the pipe, vs pushing it from the bottom.  A variable speed switch (dial) will allow me to regulate the amount of "pull" applied so we don't pull the air faster than it can be cooled on its trip through the pipe.
> 
> As for the pipe being above ground, I hope that to be negligible as we plan to re-enter the building at floor level and then continue the journey up through the wall (on the inside).  But any time the pipe is above ground we will make sure it is well insulated.
> 
> I guess it should be noted that I have no solid statistics showing that this setup will actually work.  It works on paper but aside from that it's all speculative.  Hell, it may turn out to be a major waste of money.  But if it does work, it should all but eliminate my cooling bills and that would be well worth the effort.  Firing it up for the first time will be a real 0-hero moment, or visa-versa...


The theory is certainly convincing and you'll take advantage of some mighty cool air.  But based upon the relatively small volume of air, it'll be moving at relatively high speed.  So expect a 'whistling' somewhere in the system during high season.  Or not.

Very kool, squerly.  You must be having a ball (insert 'Envy' emoticon).
.


----------



## squerly

Kane said:


> The theory is certainly convincing and you'll take advantage of some mighty cool air.  But based upon the relatively small volume of air, it'll be moving at relatively high speed.  So expect a 'whistling' somewhere in the system during high season.


I agree Kane.  Wish I had gone with the larger volume pipe now that I'm thinking about it.  But on a project like this one you have to draw the (budget) line somewhere.  All the equipment, labor and materials can get out of hand in a hurry.  And building on the side of a mountain (and this far away) means you can double the price of building right from the start.  Then throw in the whims/ideas/wants/desires of a squerly wildman and the bottom line becomes challenging for the faint of heart.   

Oh, and my wife mentioned something about a stove, refrigerator and dishwasher!  I mean, WTF???


----------



## bczoom

I'm actually thinking there's plenty of air.  I'm no thermal engineer but sitting here pondering a garden hose for comparison.  Lay out a 1/2" garden hose in the sun and set it to some value of GPM's and measure the temp on the far end.  Let's say it's 20 degrees warmer.  Now, using the same length and GPM flow, use a 2" hose.  I'm "thinking" it may not gain the same warmth.

If you want more circulation from the basement (and assuming forced air heating system), just run the fan on the furnace air handler.  Our _newer_ furnace has a low speed for the fan.  We use that fan 24/7/365 to equalize the temp/humidity from the lower levels to the upper levels of the house.

Which brings me to another question.  When running through this duct, you're going to have high pressure upstairs, low pressure in the basement.  Do you have returns or an open doorway/hallway to the lower level?


----------



## FrancSevin

It is an ingenious sysem.  My concerns are the plastic pipe.  That High density pipe does not transfer heat very well.

Secondly, the air flow is the reverse of efficient transfer.  The pipe should start at the top of the ground and go down for best results.

That said, the length of the pipe should be sufficient to make an effective exchanger. And the smaller diameter  may be a benefit if air flow rates are low.

End of the day, the system will certainly "balance" the temps between the upper floors and the basement.  It will also dehumidify your summer air because of the condensation flow.  All with low energy useage.


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Which brings me to another question.  When running through this duct, you're going to have high pressure upstairs, low pressure in the basement.  Do you have returns or an open doorway/hallway to the lower level?


Yes BC, there is a stairwell that will allow the cool air from upstairs to "fall" back down where it will again be picked up by the intake.  Repeat as necessary.



bczoom said:


> If you want more circulation from the basement (and assuming forced air heating system), just run the fan on the furnace air handler.  Our _newer_ furnace has a low speed for the fan.  We use that fan 24/7/365 to equalize the temp/humidity from the lower levels to the upper levels of the house.


Yep, the original plan called for using the fan on the air handler but I wanted something that I could run off my solar system and the air handler was not efficient enough.  The fan of choice uses 177.6 watts (full on) and I can generate that with very little effort (should we loose grid power).



FrancSevin said:


> It is an ingenious sysem.  My concerns are the plastic pipe.  That High density pipe does not transfer heat very well.


Yeah, that bothered me for awhile too Franc.  But I've come to the conclusion that the insulating factor of the pipe is about -0- so it should do no more than to hold the dirt from falling into the cylindrical tube-hole through the dirt.  And if there were nothing but a virtual hold in the dirt, any air flowing through it should rapidly become the same temp as its surroundings.

But I guess we won't know for sure until that big day when I flip the switch...


----------



## FrancSevin

I used Schd 40 pipe, 6.0" & 12.0" in my last powder plant for all air handling.. Including HVAC. Primarily because of it's thermal insulating properties.

No condesaction occurs as would happen with metal pipes. Important in a plant producing instant coffee, chocolate milk and Kool-aid drink mixes. But PVC is the best solution for your application because it will not rust or corrode.

Are you going to put a filter on the make up air intake?


----------



## rlk

How will humidity be controlled in the house?  

Since the humidity, at least in Central NC, is 90%+, it seems to me that some type of humidity management system will be required otherwise you're adding so much humidity to the interior that it will feel damp.

Bob


----------



## rlk

Squerly, thanks for posting your progress and thoughts on your new house.  It is a very interesting thread and I look forward to understanding how your "home made" cooling system performs.

Bob


----------



## squerly

rlk said:


> How will humidity be controlled in the house?
> 
> Since the humidity, at least in Central NC, is 90%+, it seems to me that some type of humidity management system will be required otherwise you're adding so much humidity to the interior that it will feel damp.
> 
> Bob



Hi Bob, and thanks for following my thread.  I'm just short of 4,000 foot elevation and we don’t get high humidity here until August, even then it’s not bad.  So during those months we don’t have humidity we will open the windows downstairs and the cool temp will be stored in the cement/tile floors.  (During the summer nights the temps consistently get down to the high 50’s / low 60’s.)  We close the windows in the morning and it stays cool downstairs all day.  In the afternoon when the upstairs needs a little help we will turn on the fan/pipe system and bring the cool air up to the top level.  

Now… in the humid months we will keep the windows closed and run the air conditioner for a couple of hours, or until the humidity has been pulled from the house.  Then when the fan/pipe system is turned on we are simply recirculating the dehumidified air throughout the house, cooling/re-cooling it as it moves through the underground pipes.


----------



## bczoom

Squerly - In your drawing, you have a pipe to outside.  Is that going to have a valve or cap or something to shut it down when you don't want to pull outside air?  I'm assuming there will be at least some screening on the outside to keep the varmints out...


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Squerly - In your drawing, you have a pipe to outside.  Is that going to have a valve or cap or something to shut it down when you don't want to pull outside air?  I'm assuming there will be at least some screening on the outside to keep the varmints out...


(That's a hell of a drawing, isn't it... )  Yes, nothing elaborate, just a manual gate valve.  I honestly don't know if it will be open much but it seemed like a good idea to add it just in case.  Also, we will probably  drill a small hole in the bottom of it to serve as a drain for the humidity that may/or may not build up in the pipe.  (BTW, the pipes are all angled so that if you drop a golf ball in the top it will roll all the way through the pipe(s) and roll on out the end.)


----------



## rlk

Squerly, I think you plan for managing humidity will work.  

I believe you are west of Asheville, but didn't realize you were at 4000 ft.

It'll be interesting following your utility usage once you occupy your new house.

I have all my utility bills since I completed my house in 1972.  The data is in a spread sheet and it's interesting to look back over the years to see the changes when a more efficient heat pump was installed; or when we put in a wood stove; added more insulation in the attic; etc.

Bob


----------



## squerly

Piping for radiant heat installed today.


----------



## muleman RIP

Get it poured! Monday should be a good day for it.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Get it poured! Monday should be a good day for it.


Shooting for Monday, weather is supposed to be favorable.


----------



## squerly

It's 7:15AM boys, government workers need not apply...


----------



## 300 H and H

Looking good! 

Hope you were able to pump your cement. I really like your choice of an area to build. You are going to enjoy the solitude, and the beauty of the area for sure. The elevation is remarkable for a flatlander like me. I don't think of the appilattian range very much, and tend to forget about it. Don't make it that far East very often.

The floor heat is a great thing. In colder climates it has fast become the most popular way to heat. If I should biuld, it's the way I will go..

Regards, Kirk


----------



## squerly

300 H and H said:


> Looking good!
> 
> I really like your choice of an area to build. You are going to enjoy the solitude, and the beauty of the area for sure. The elevation is remarkable for a flatlander like me. I don't think of the appilattian range very much, and tend to forget about it. Don't make it that far East very often.
> 
> The floor heat is a great thing. In colder climates it has fast become the most popular way to heat. If I should biuld, it's the way I will go..
> 
> Regards, Kirk



Thank you Kirk.  

More cement pictures (Video Here!) and a shot of my back yard.  It's pretty foggy here today but that's a mountain over there.


----------



## REDDOGTWO

Nice pumper truck, have had to use it twice so far and two more times to go.  Around here it runs 5-600 each time depending on who you can get.  How much down there?


----------



## squerly

REDDOGTWO said:


> Nice pumper truck, have had to use it twice so far and two more times to go.  Around here it runs 5-600 each time depending on who you can get.  How much down there?


It was part of the cement costs RDT, so I'm not sure how it breaks down.  But I'll find out!

Meanwhile,the finished product.


----------



## bczoom

Looking good!  Now, are you going to hit that crete with a good sealer tomorrow?


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Looking good!  Now, are you going to hit that crete with a good sealer tomorrow?


Well eventually it will be a stained, etched concrete interior, similar to the attached picture.  But I don't know what the procedure is for doing that.  It's one of the last things to happen but I don't know if a sealer is going to be applied earlier or not.

When it comes to interior stuff, I'm just here for the ride...


----------



## FrancSevin

squerly said:


> Well eventually it will be a stained, etched concrete interior, similar to the attached picture. But I don't know what the procedure is for doing that. It's one of the last things to happen but I don't know if a sealer is going to be applied earlier or not.
> 
> When it comes to interior stuff, I'm just here for the ride...


 
That is a beautiful technique.  They usualy do not seal before it is stained.

I have seen guys make concrete look like wide plank hardwood flooring.  With dowling and everything.


----------



## EastTexFrank

squerly said:


> Well eventually it will be a stained, etched concrete interior, similar to the attached picture.  But I don't know what the procedure is for doing that.  It's one of the last things to happen but I don't know if a sealer is going to be applied earlier or not.
> 
> When it comes to interior stuff, I'm just here for the ride...



That's a beautiful floor.  I could live with that!!!!


----------



## squerly

EastTexFrank said:


> That's a beautiful floor.  I could live with that!!!!


Yeah, pretty huh?  Wait until my 2 GSD's come running through the house, mud and all...    And you know they will!  I've seen em do it, doesn't bother them in the least.


----------



## bczoom

squerly said:


> Yeah, pretty huh?  Wait until my 2 GSD's come running through the house, mud and all...    And you know they will!  I've seen em do it, doesn't bother them in the least.


Is that finished concrete slick (to dogs) like a Pergo floor?  I think it's a riot when the dog tries running on it and just sits there not moving much.


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Is that finished concrete slick (to dogs) like a Pergo floor?  I think it's a riot when the dog tries running on it and just sits there not moving much.


My guess is yes, but I won't know for sure until it's in.  Never had it before.  

Today we dug out the trench for the water line down to the house.


----------



## squerly

Backfill finished.


----------



## ylisa7

Wow...great story and pictures.

I have to show my husband.  He will love this

Thanks for sharing


----------



## muleman RIP

Squerly has been goofing off lately. Concrete should be cured by now to start framing. Of course, turkey hunting will be starting and that will slow things down.


----------



## FrancSevin

muleman said:


> Squerly has been goofing off lately. Concrete should be cured by now to start framing. Of course, turkey hunting will be starting and that will slow things down.


 
North Carolina????,,,,We are talking turkey now,,,,and Bear if I'm not mistaken. Half the guys on the contruction crew will be in the woods


----------



## ylisa7

muleman said:


> Squerly has been goofing off lately. Concrete should be cured by now to start framing. Of course, turkey hunting will be starting and that will slow things down.





FrancSevin said:


> North Carolina????,,,,We are talking turkey now,,,,and Bear if I'm not mistaken. Half the guys on the contruction crew will be in the woods





Calling all turkeys...hop the border and come to my house


Happy hunting.


----------



## muleman RIP

Had 31 turkeys and 11 deer out front this morning. Ain't no wonder I go through 2 bags of ear corn every couple of days. They have it so stomped and pecked up I will need to reseed after I clean up the cobs.


----------



## squerly

If anyone gets bored we can go ice skate at Mules house!






Anyhow, we finally got some sun!  We hydro-seeded the hill behind the house and got the sidewalk and furnace pad formed.  Passed inspection this afternoon and will pour tomorrow AM!


----------



## Daxman

Good news on the inspection, i cant wait until you start building the house.


----------



## FrancSevin

Thanks for the pictures. Now, with the added pours, the design is starting to make more sense.


----------



## squerly

Daxman said:


> Good news on the inspection, i cant wait until you start building the house.


Weather permitting we will start framing on Monday!  


FrancSevin said:


> Thanks for the pictures. Now, with the added pours, the design is starting to make more sense.


Wait until you see the cool compass I will have imprinted in the downstairs patio cement!  Pics tomorrow!


----------



## muleman RIP

Where is the notch for the pipe and electric  for the boiler? You do have the pipe in already I hope.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Where is the notch for the pipe and electric  for the boiler? You do have the pipe in already I hope.


It's there, I just didn't post a picture with the proper perspective.  I'll lift the boiler up and sit it right over the water pipe, which is now just draped over the furnace.  The pad was originally 15' deep and 25' wide but I cut it back to 10'X25' because I wanted the extra 5' for the driveway.  Helps me back my truck back around that area.  And I still have 4' of concrete in front of the furnace which I feel should be enough room to keep my feet out of the mud.


----------



## muleman RIP

What is the rest of the pad for? Woodshed? What had to be inspected? the walk?


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> What is the rest of the pad for? Woodshed? What had to be inspected? the walk?


I've got room for a genset and the rest will be for wood.  I'll have walls on all sides except the front so the wood should stay dry and it'll be easy to work with.  

Yes, the walkway has to be inspected.  Go figure...


----------



## squerly

We got the sidewalk poured and here is the compass that I mentioned.  Also, check out the "stamped slate border" around the edges.  Nice touch.


----------



## Daxman

Wow that looks great, nice job...


----------



## bczoom

Looks real nice.

_Should we tell him his compass is off?  On my computer it's off by about 20 degrees in the first pic._


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> _Should we tell him his compass is off?  On my computer it's off by about 20 degrees in the first pic._


This coming from a man who's flag is upside down...


----------



## squerly

A couple more pictures of the stamped slate border now that it's finished.


----------



## Kane

Squerly,  whats becomes of the 2X4's used as forms along the existing floor slab? ...  just as well, the 2X2's used earlier as forms for the floor pour along the foundation wall?  A fool-proof form to hold grade, yes, but are they to be left in place?

Color me curious.


----------



## squerly

Kane said:


> Squerly,  whats becomes of the 2X4's used as forms along the existing floor slab? ...  just as well, the 2X2's used earlier as forms for the floor pour along the foundation wall?  A fool-proof form to hold grade, yes, but are they to be left in place?
> 
> Color me curious.


Dear Color-Me-Curious.  This is special wood designed for one-time use.  It was chosen especially because of its kamikaze traits and it will now spend the rest of eternity wedged between two concrete slabs.  But don't feel bad for the wood, it knew its fate going in as only volunteers are accepted for the job.  Thank you for asking!


----------



## Kane

squerly said:


> Dear Color-Me-Curious.  This is special wood designed for one-time use.  It was chosen especially because of its kamikaze traits and it will now spend the rest of eternity wedged between two concrete slabs.  But don't feel bad for the wood, it knew its fate going in as only volunteers are accepted for the job.  Thank you for asking!


Sounds good to me.  Been around the biz a long time and just never saw that before. I guess termites were an issue where I worked in the South and Mid-Atlantic.  We always used a form-grade expansion board as the grade line along walls and slabs.

But jeeeezie.  That Kamikaze-grade lumber must cost a fortune!

Gonna' be a beautiful home, squerly.  I bet you're havin' a ball.

.


----------



## squerly

Kane said:


> Gonna' be a beautiful home, squerly.  I bet you're havin' a ball.
> 
> .


Thank you Kane!


----------



## muleman RIP

squerly said:


> Dear Color-Me-Curious.  This is special wood designed for one-time use.  It was chosen especially because of its kamikaze traits and it will now spend the rest of eternity wedged between two concrete slabs.  But don't feel bad for the wood, it knew its fate going in as only volunteers are accepted for the job.  Thank you for asking!


It is an expansion joint. I would have used treated outside though.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> It is an expansion joint. I would have used treated outside though.


 Not to worry Mule, we only allow treated wood to volunteer.


----------



## ylisa7

It's looking good.  I love the compass in the concrete.

Do you have a picture of the floor plan?  Are you putting glass on the front?

Need more info

Great job.  The weather is changing now so you should be ready to get a lot of work done now.


----------



## squerly

Lumber was delivered earlier in the week and today the framing starts!


----------



## muleman RIP

Looks like a good start.


----------



## squerly

Major thunderstorms came through last night and left us with considerable damage.  Just spent $1,400.00 2 weeks ago to have everything hydro seeded.  Now I'll have to bring in a track hoe to reach high enough to spread soil across the hill to fill the trenches caused by the storm.  Mother nature can be a bitch!


----------



## muleman RIP

Look on the bright side, the swale worked. I have some wash on my lane from the cloudbursts we had. It is a swamp in the garden.Might want to try some of that coconut matting. Probably cheaper than hydro seeding.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Look on the bright side, the swale worked. I have some wash on my lane from the cloudbursts we had. It is a swamp in the garden.Might want to try some of that coconut matting. Probably cheaper than hydro seeding.


Yep, it could have been worse.  I think I am done with hydroseeding.  The grass doesn't germinate any faster and if a storm comes through it wipes out the whatever you happen to have done anyway. So spending the money on HS hasn't really helped me much.  I would have been better off to toss some seed and throw some straw over it.  Oh well, live and learn, right?


----------



## muleman RIP

Hard to beat hand shook straw for holding seed and shedding excess rain. Sounds like a good job for Trish.... Seems she is doing a lot of supervising in the pics so far.


----------



## ki0ho

Squerly...
I worked a job in denver colo...where the general had some steep and rather high banks to grass......they used a product that looked like excelser pads...that they rolled out downe the bank...then they took what looked like double end stakes and with bucket trucks staked the pads down and then laid sod on top of that...and it seemed to hold up right well....the pads had fairly hevy netting in it...that and the stakes held the sod in place and the grass seemed to shed the water and kept it from washing....just a thought...you might look into......oh...for the record....Im not a landscaper and I dont even play one on TV......and I dont know how to run a shovel!!!!!!
 AND Trish can do what ever she wants to......


----------



## squerly

ki0ho said:


> AND Trish can do what ever she wants to......


LOL, she's gonna anyway...


----------



## Kane

muleman said:


> Hard to beat hand shook straw for holding seed and shedding excess rain.


Those are some mighty steep grades, and gonna' be a bitch to get stable. That hard rain you had sux! 

May want to use erosion-control matting with seed/saturation and get some groundcover plants started.





> they used a product that looked like excelser pads...that they rolled  out downe the bank...then they took what looked like double end stakes





> Might want to try some of that coconut matting.


 Right now, with all the hydro-seed washed down, looks like you'll soon have the grassiest road on the mountain.


----------



## bczoom

That sucks/ 

I've had great success just using clear/translucent 6-mil plastic over new seed.  Spread the seed, water thoroughly then cover with the plastic (a few rocks on top and the perimeter to hold it down).  Acts like a greenhouse and the grass comes up quickly.


----------



## ylisa7

I'm sorry about your back hill.  Welcome to the mountains.  Been there done that and it is never fun or cheap.

We have a lot of hills like you do and we used a combination of Kentucky 31 Fescue(grows great here) and Curlex rolls with staples.  That will hold your hill better than hydroseeding.

Check your local Farm Supply and see if they can get you this product.  It works well for erosion control...not perfect but very good.
http://www.americanexcelsior.com/erosioncontrol/products/clblankets.php


One of our hills.





And a close up next to the house.







Did the water go "around" your house?  If not see if the graders can divert the water away from your home and off to the sides.


Good luck.  Sorry about the mess.


----------



## Kane

ylisa7 said:


> One of our hills.
> 
> 
> And a close up next to the house.


Gorgeous view, ylisa7.  Looks like a perfect spot for a


----------



## squerly

Thank you ylisa7!  Meanwhile, pictures of the house today.


----------



## ylisa7

How exciting to see it coming together and really starting to look like a house


Is that Mrs. Squerly?  It looks like she is ready to move in.


----------



## muleman RIP

ylisa7 said:


> How exciting to see it coming together and really starting to look like a house
> 
> 
> Is that Mrs. Squerly?  It looks like she is ready to move in.


She also is the chief inspector. If it don't suit her Squerly is in trouble.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> If it don't suit her Squerly is in trouble.


----------



## ki0ho

Squerly,
Just happened to think...if you havent redone your grass banks yet....see if ya can locate a Grade-All....it can do a lot better job than a backhoe...Dont know why I didnt mention it before.....


----------



## squerly

ki0ho said:


> Squerly,
> Just happened to think...if you havent redone your grass banks yet....see if ya can locate a Grade-All....it can do a lot better job than a backhoe...Dont know why I didnt mention it before.....



OK thanks, I'll look into it!


----------



## squerly

An outdoor firepit arrived today, a suprise gift from my wife.  We call our property "Deer Springs" and the firepit is heavy with deer!


----------



## bczoom

That things looks really nice.  Is it a sphere with the back pretty much open for loading wood?


----------



## Daxman

Wow, that's pretty damn nice man, nice job


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> That things looks really nice.  Is it a sphere with the back pretty much open for loading wood?


The back is similar to the front but there is ample room to feed wood.  It's also designed to accept a gas line and burner, which is what we will probably do.  It's a pretty cool surprise!



Daxman said:


> Wow, that's pretty damn nice man, nice job


Thanks!  BTW, how did your back feel on your first day back to work?


----------



## Doc

A great surprise gift indeed.       That's a beauty.


----------



## bczoom

Can you ask Mrs. Squerly if she'll tell us more about it (like who makes it)?


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Can you ask Mrs. Squerly if she'll tell us more about it (like who makes it)?



Sure BC, here is the link.


----------



## bczoom

Thanks!  Big gulp when I saw the prices...  I'd better get a job (I haven't worked in over 5 months) before splurging on one of these.  I'll just bookmark the page for now.


----------



## squerly

Trusses between 1st and 2nd floors were installed today.


----------



## muleman RIP

Great news. Hope the good weather holds for you. Looks like it was all staying north of you.


----------



## squerly

Finished the downstairs trusses today. Underlayment tomorrow and framming of the upstairs starts on Monday. (Weather Permiting!)


----------



## squerly

Made some progress over the last few days.


----------



## Daxman

Wow, the house is starting to take shape, looks awesome... Great job Squerly


----------



## ki0ho

Looking good !!!!  the boss looks like she is happy with it...........lucky Squerly!!!!!!!


----------



## Doc

wow.  Beautiful.  And what a view you'll have.      

Thanks so much for sharing the whole process Squerly.


----------



## squerly

Thank you everyone!


----------



## rlk

Squerly, what's the spacing on the floor trusses?  As deep as they are, and as close as they are, that will be a very strong floor system.

Bob


----------



## EastTexFrank

I haven't posted on this thread in a long time because it's obvious to me that many (most) others are a lot more knowledgeable than I am.  But Squerly, I wanted you to know that I am following it closely and am awestruck.  

Please keep it coming.


----------



## Mama

EastTexFrank said:


> I haven't posted on this thread in a long time because it's obvious to me that many (most) others are a lot more knowledgeable than I am.  But Squerly, I wanted you to know that I am following it closely and am awestruck.
> 
> Please keep it coming.



ME TOO!


----------



## squerly

rlk said:


> Squerly, what's the spacing on the floor trusses?  As deep as they are, and as close as they are, that will be a very strong floor system.
> 
> Bob


Bob, these are 24" engineered web trusses set on 16" center.  Very strong system indeed!

We finally got a break in the rain and today we are taking delivery of the second floor roof trusses.  Hopefully they will be set by this evening.  But in the meantime, here are some pictures of the jobsite this AM.

 Video


----------



## bczoom

I look at that last picture and all I can think of is Noah's Ark with windows. 

Spray some foam between your studs for floatation and you're all set should it rain for 40 days and 40 nights.


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> I look at that last picture and all I can think of is Noah's Ark with windows.


Yeah, but check out the (future) view!


----------



## bczoom

Sweet!  I'm jealous.  My last house I had a view like that but with this house (deep in a valley), I can't even see the back of the property which is about 1/4 mile away.  The farthest I can see is about 500' and sunrise/sunset is cut short by about 2 hours on both ends.

What direction is that view? (N/S/E/W)


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Sweet!  I'm jealous.  My last house I had a view like that but with this house (deep in a valley), I can't even see the back of the property which is about 1/4 mile away.  The farthest I can see is about 500' and sunrise/sunset is cut short by about 2 hours on both ends.
> 
> What direction is that view? (N/S/E/W)


That would be due East BC.   I'll see if I can get some decent pics of the sun coming up tomorrow, depending on the attitude of the rain Gods...


----------



## Doc

Yep, a beautiful view for sure.   What a nice place you are going to have.   Awesome.    If you ever want to host a FF party there just say the word.  
That is a huge boom on that truck.  Has to be to get your trusses up there but wow.  What a long boom.   Good luck with getting them up there with no issues.


----------



## squerly

Got 2/3 of the trusses set, hope to finish tomorrow!   I would also like to report that I've been working out lately and I'm now able to lift 20 tons...


----------



## muleman RIP

You were only able to lift it cause the boom was all the way out in the back. I thought you had another story going on it yet?


----------



## squerly

It's actually easier when you put your back into it...


----------



## squerly

oops!


----------



## squerly

Today's progress...


----------



## squerly

Really starting to get green up here!


----------



## Daxman

Holy shit man, that house is coming along and looks awesome. I need to get on your exercise program too, damn.... lol


----------



## squerly

Hey Daxman!  Whatzup???


----------



## Daxman

Hi bud, i've been dealing with a really hyper dog and this freaking heat. It was close to 90 today and the humidity is terrible, thats Florida weather.. Been awhile since i've been here and the house looks great, im really impressed.


----------



## rlk

Squerly, please help me understand something about the framing.  I don't have a tremendous amount of experience, but have framed a few houses, and your house has something I have never seen before.  

Please don't think I'm criticizing the framing, because I'm not.  I am  just not familiar with something and would like to understand it.

In the attached photo, see the yellow arrows.  I have not seen the extra framing on top of the exterior walls.  It looks like there is a short knee wall built on top of the exterior walls.  I assume that was done to get additional ceiling height????

Since I have never seen that before, I'm curious as to whether it is more efficient to do it like that instead of using longer studs, or is there some other advantage I'm not familiar with.   

Thanks for posting the photos of the house construction.  I'm greatly enjoying following your progress.

Bob


----------



## waybomb

Looks like long studs, just added nailers in between for the sheathing?


----------



## rlk

waybomb said:


> Looks like long studs, just added nailers in between for the sheathing?



I think you are probably right.  Looks like what I thought was a top plate may be a nailer turned on edge making it look like 2 top plates.  Thanks.

Bob


----------



## Kane

waybomb said:


> Looks like long studs, just added nailers in between for the sheathing?


Yep.  I know ya' can get 9' interior GWB, but I guess exterior sheathing is still all 8' long.

It's really coming along, squerly.  You must be having a ball!


----------



## squerly

Kane said:


> It's really coming along, squerly.  You must be having a ball!


Thank you Kane.  Having a ball? ummm, maybe...  

Bob, what you are looking at are 9' 2X6's with nailers at 8'.  Here are some pictures that will clarify.


----------



## squerly

Serious mathematics employed here...


----------



## rlk

squerly said:


> Bob, what you are looking at are 9' 2X6's with nailers at 8'.  Here are some pictures that will clarify.



Thanks Squerly.  My old eyes couldn't tell, but these photos make it clear.

Bob


----------



## rlk

The last building I built, I was disappointed at the amount of wood waste we had to dispose of.  I rented a dumpster and ended up loading all the waste myself.  One of my subs and I guess-timated that we threw away about 20% of the wood we bought. 

Most of the wood was very short pieces, but there were quite a few 4' - 7' pieces in the scrap pile.  I'm sure we could have done a better job estimating and ordering the lumber, but you know what is said about hindsight.

Bob


----------



## JEV

When I was building back in the 70's & 80's, I was the only one allowed to cut when framing and trimming. Otherwise I ended up with a sinful amount of waste. I also did all my own takeoffs and ordering materials. If I let the lumber yard do it, I always ended up with overage that I ended up returning, via one of my laborers and my truck. Since I had to pay the laborer, I lost money on my materials when the assholes did that to me. I finally got the lumber yard to send a truck to pick up the overage on their nickle.


----------



## squerly

JEV said:


> When I was building back in the 70's & 80's, I was the only one allowed to cut when framing and trimming. Otherwise I ended up with a sinful amount of waste. I also did all my own takeoffs and ordering materials. If I let the lumber yard do it, I always ended up with overage that I ended up returning, via one of my laborers and my truck. Since I had to pay the laborer, I lost money on my materials when the assholes did that to me. I finally got the lumber yard to send a truck to pick up the overage on their nickle.


Well guy's, I'm not in charge of ordering _anything_.  We have a general contractor and he's the man in charge.  He's really got his stuff together!


----------



## squerly

Got quite a bit done today.


----------



## bczoom

The more I see it finished, the more holes in walls I see for windows.  Can you tell us which window mfgr. you're going to use?  I'd like to buy some stock before you order your windows.


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> The more I see it finished, the more holes in walls I see for windows.  Can you tell us which window mfgr. you're going to use?  I'd like to buy some stock before you order your windows.


lol, yeah there's a lot of windows.  That's part of the passive heat/cool design.  Jeld-Wen for those future investors.  

The answer to magic question #1 is $22K.  A whole lot less than Anderson and Marvin.  Their quote was in the $50K range and after some research I just couldn't see a $30K difference.


----------



## ki0ho

Looken good Squerly...that boss lady knowes her stuf!!!!!!Get out of her way...hand her the check book and watch her go!!!!!  that house will bedone in no-time!!!!!!


----------



## squerly

ki0ho said:


> Get out of her way...hand her the check book and watch her go!!!!!  that house will bedone in no-time!!!!!!


Don't be silly Ki0ho, the plan is to stiff everyone for the bill...


----------



## ki0ho

squerly said:


> Don't be silly Ki0ho, the plan is to stiff everyone for the bill...



Im betting ....Not!! You would have a Whole buntch of company ...up on that mountin if ya did that... Any way it sure looks like it is going to be a fine home....good show!!!!


----------



## squerly

Windows / Doors arrived today as well as getting the deck started.


----------



## muleman RIP

Are you putting Trex boards down for the decking? I have it on mine and like it a lot.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Are you putting Trex boards down for the decking? I have it on mine and like it a lot.


I sure wish I could Mule but it's just too expensive.   I think the 5/4 treated decking will be OK on this job given that it will receive only a couple of hours direct sun every day.


----------



## muleman RIP

No splinters or splitting and no staining and worrying about slopping it. It has impressed me.


----------



## ylisa7

It's really looking great.  I bet you and the Mrs. are very excited


----------



## squerly

More deck.


----------



## squerly

Windows going in.


----------



## OhioTC18 RIP

Looking great squerly


----------



## REDDOGTWO

Looking good.  My builder will not put the windows in until it is shingled to prevent breakage in case the shingle rs get a little wild with the pieces.


----------



## FrancSevin

Things are moving fast SQUERLY. But now we get into the details.

Electrical, plumbing, finishes.

Keep those pictures coming.  Fasinating


----------



## squerly

Removed a couple of trees to enhance the long range view's.  I'll take a few more out over the rest of the week.  Taking my time on the tree removal as they are easy to take down and long to regrow!  

If we have any horticulturist's on the board, tell me what these orange flowered trees are.  I have them growing all over the place and they are quite pretty.  

And last, looks like Google Earth has found me, looks like they flew over during a bleak winter day.  Walls had just been poured.


----------



## Daxman

Hey i see things are moving along and looking great. Man thats going to be one bad ass house, cant wait to see it.


----------



## squerly

Daxman said:


> Hey i see things are moving along and looking great. Man thats going to be one bad ass house, cant wait to see it.


Hope in that big ol black ford and come on up!


----------



## Daxman

Wow, that's cool, won't see that in Florida. I really don't have any vacation time left after my surgery, but theres always next year.


----------



## FrancSevin

The pictures aren't real clear but the orange blooms with those small oval leaves suggest a flowering quince.

We have them here in Missouri but they are all done now. Perhaps your elevation and unseasonaly cold spring has delayed them.


----------



## ylisa7

Love the satellite view

How far are you from a town?

Make sure you get a plow blade for your truck


----------



## squerly

ylisa7 said:


> Love the satellite view


Easy target for a drone...


----------



## squerly

Pictures in no particular order...


----------



## squerly

...


----------



## muleman RIP

Hope you specified all 36" doors. Makes it handicap accessible for later years. I did all mine and it was not much more $ in the overall price. Makes it a lot easier to carry things also.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Hope you specified all 36" doors. Makes it handicap accessible for later years. I did all mine and it was not much more $ in the overall price. Makes it a lot easier to carry things also.


Well, yes... the doors are all 36" and the halls are 48". But how these people will ever get up the stairs and into the house in the first place is going to be interesting ...


----------



## muleman RIP

You will be driving around back and using that as your main door shortly after you move there. I ended up doing the same thing basically.


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> You will be driving around back and using that as your main door shortly after you move there. I ended up doing the same thing basically.


That's the plan Mule.  The kitchen is right there so all we need to do is back the SUV up to the door and unload the groceries.


----------



## squerly

On page 11 there is an obvious mistake that is caught in the photos.  On the same page, that mistake has been corrected.  What is/was that mistake? 

Please don’t post it when/if you find it.  Instead, PM me and I’ll let you know if you’re correct or not.


----------



## squerly

Lot's going on although little of it projects well in pictures.  Wiring is underway, rough plumbing is all but finished, HVAC ducts are being installed and we are moving/adding some windows to exploit the breeze that works its way up the mountain.  

Sometime today or tomorrow I'll be taking my "energy saver" fan up and temporarily setting it up to see how well it pulls air through the 300' of buried pipe and what kind of air temps we can actually expect to get.


----------



## squerly

Rain finally lightened up and we got the last two trapezoid windows in, some other miscellaneous framing tasks and the chimney for the wood stove. We're going to install a Harman TL-300 which aside from its frugal consumption of fire wood, has some other neat features.


Outdoor air ready.
Top and front loading access.
 3 cubic foot firebox.
Up to 17 hours of burn time.  (Or so its advertised, we'll see...)  
Slide out ash box that only needs to be emptied twice a month, even with the stove in continuous use.


----------



## squerly

HVAC is coming along great.  Wiring for surround sound, security and everything else is getting close too.  Picture of the pad where the backup generator will sit.  (We're expecting the generator to be delivered end of next week.)  Next week we will be putting siding on and hopefully laying the Trex.  Thanks Mule for the Trex advise!  I'm sure we'll be happy we spent the extra money.


----------



## Doc

Looking good.  That is going to be one NICE place!!!!!!


----------



## bczoom

Squerly - In this picture, the bundle on the right is red, white and blue.  The left bundle is yellow and white (12/2 and 14/2 romex).  On the right bundle, is the white 14/2 romex or is it something else.

Whenever possible, you shouldn't run your CAT-5 (from the pic, the blue and probably the gray _with the gray being phone?_) in parallel right with your 110V electric.  The electric can create interference/noise on your network and phone lines.


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> On the right bundle, is the white 14/2 romex or is it something else.


BC, the white wires are going to several different room, are are coax for the satellite/cable.


----------



## bczoom

OK, cool.  

Are you running 12v or 24v emergency lighting throughout the place?


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> OK, cool.
> 
> Are you running 12v or 24v emergency lighting throughout the  place?


I can't do it right now but when in the future I plan to  put a whole-house battery backup system in place.  It will take up the  space between the time grid power goes down and the generator picks up, a total of about 15 seconds.   (btw, here is the generator I bought, it's being delivered on Monday)

Over time I can add batteries to the  backup system and expand the amount of available battery run-time.    There will be some juggling to do to limit the amount of appliances that  are on the system but that shouldn't be to difficult.  I would like the extended  battery system to be able to run the mission critical things for 8-10 hours (or more) before the generator was called on to recharge the batteries.  Solar charger might be an option too but around here I can't depend on the sun all that much and I don't think the investment in panels would be justified.  

Anyhow, I don't have the whole-house battery backup yet but I'll be keeping my eyes open for one.  I found this one on ebay awhile back but couldn't get enough info on it to make me jump on it but it's an example of what I think will work.


----------



## bczoom

That's a sweet genset!  At 57db you'll barely hear the thing.


----------



## squerly

Trim is going on around the windows and the generator arrived.  The deliver guy said this is the first time he's offloaded his cargo in the middle of a field!    But given the amount of available space on the job site it was easier to take the generator up via tractor.


----------



## squerly

Got started on siding and the scratch coat in the areas that will have rock.


----------



## ki0ho

Looking good Squerly!!!


----------



## squerly

ki0ho said:


> Looking good Squerly!!!


Thank you Ki0ho!


----------



## squerly

Wood furnace and generator are finally at home!  It was my general contractor's birthday and someone brought him lunch.  Thinly sliced deer, hot mustard, and some spicy vegetables.  It was really good!


----------



## bczoom

Where does the fuel tank for the genset reside?  Is it underneath the generator itself (inside the case)?



squerly said:


> It was my general contractor's birthday and someone brought him lunch.  Thinly sliced deer, hot mustard, and some spicy vegetables.  It was really good!


Looks really good.  Better than the salad I just ate for dinner _which was actually pretty good since everything except the cheese came from the garden._


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Where does the fuel tank for the genset reside?  Is it underneath the generator itself (inside the case)?


Yep, there is a 18.5 gallon fuel cell underneath the generator.  The built in fuel tank was a real plus with me as I didn't want an external tank to look at all the time.  And the size (lack of capacity) isn't an issue for me as I always have several hundred gallons of diesel down at the barn.

Yeah, the food was really good!


----------



## muleman RIP

Looks like things are coming together nicely. That lunch looks pretty good. Cold drinks after those spicy veggies?


----------



## squerly

More siding and started the rock today.


----------



## ki0ho

Ya gona have a fine shack up in them thar hills!!!!!!


----------



## bczoom

What's the plan on the deck supports (as seen in this picture)?


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> What's the plan on the deck supports...


  Yeah, didn’t want posts for Trish to dodge.  The supports will be stained (along with the deck posts) the same color as the cedar shake shingles that go on the front of the second story.


----------



## Doc

I like that idea for supports.    Better than dodging posts for sure.   

Do you have a target completion date in mind?  Maybe by Turkeyday?


----------



## squerly

Doc said:


> Do you have a target completion date in mind?  Maybe by Turkeyday?


The original completion target was August 30th but the rain has killed any chance of that.  At this time I'm reluctant to guess anything for fear it'll start raining again!


----------



## squerly

About 1/2 way through the stonework.  Will start applying Trex on the upstairs deck next week (I hope).


----------



## muleman RIP

When I did my Trex is used flat carpenter's pencils on edge for nice even spacing. Worked great and was easy to pull out and move to the next board. I ended up using my variable speed Makita corded drill as those screws use some power quick with cordless tools.


----------



## ki0ho

squerly said:


> The original completion target was August 30th but the rain has killed any chance of that.  At this time I'm reluctant to guess anything for fear it'll start raining again!





AWWW...go on shake your fist at the sky!!!!     where is your sence of adventure??????


----------



## EastTexFrank

You know, when I built my deck many years ago, Trex came in one color ... grey.  I'll be interested to see what yours looks like.


----------



## squerly

A little progress on the Trex today.  More siding, a couple random pics of the view, and the stairs wired for lighting.  Video here of stair lighting in action...


----------



## bczoom

Someone has to ask so here goes....

When is the housewarming/breaking in party?


----------



## squerly

bczoom said:


> Someone has to ask so here goes....
> 
> When is the housewarming/breaking in party?


Great idea BC!  Let's have it at Muley's!


----------



## bczoom

Watch out for FF parties...

Anyone know where the thread is where we had a party at MelensDads house when he wasn't there?  I'm thinking that had to be 5 years ago.

I don't remember a lot of that night/weekend but it was one hell of a bash.


----------



## FrancSevin

muleman said:


> When I did my Trex is used flat carpenter's pencils on edge for nice even spacing. Worked great and was easy to pull out and move to the next board. I ended up using my variable speed Makita corded drill as those screws use some power quick with cordless tools.


The new Trex has clips which eliminate the need for screws through the planks. They are not visible and make the spacing automatically. Kinda cool. 

The clips fit in the grooves on each side of the planks.

No need to cover screws with plugs and the final product is flawless.


----------



## squerly

Deck is getting closer!


----------



## Jim_S RIP

bczoom said:


> Watch out for FF parties...
> 
> Anyone know where the thread is where we had a party at MelensDads house when he wasn't there?  I'm thinking that had to be 5 years ago.
> 
> I don't remember a lot of that night/weekend but it was one hell of a bash.



You mean this thread?

http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=1948

I don't know anything about it. 

Jim


----------



## ki0ho

With a young clean up lady like that....ya better hope the wife dont catch ya....Squrly!!!!!




















Mom said I could say that!!!!!


----------



## squerly

Well, I'll tell ya about that clean-up lady... she smiles for the camera and then beats me with the broom!


----------



## ki0ho

If I was guessen I would say ya just might have had it comming!!!!!  [the broming that is!!!!!!]   Mom says that if ever we build a new house we should call Trish to run the project!


----------



## squerly

OK, put the party on hold for just a little while longer.  First, we need to spray some insulation!  

Click HERE to see it spray on!
.
.
.


----------



## FrancSevin

Spray Foam. The best way to seal and insulate.


----------



## squerly

Course, it doesn't always work out as planned...    

Link


----------



## squerly

Shep says "roof, roof..."


----------



## FrancSevin

Metal roof! Again, you have my applause.

It's almost as if you are building this house for yourself


----------



## muleman RIP

Metal roofs are like a big tin foil hat...............


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Metal roofs are like a big tin foil hat...............



This is an eleven foil roof Mule, gives me a little extra protection during these dangerous times...


----------



## ki0ho

muleman said:


> Metal roofs are like a big tin foil hat...............



They give good protection from flying Mulie dolls!!!!!!!!  Good show Squrly!! we enjoy our metal roof......


----------



## squerly

...


----------



## squerly

More roof, more rock, more insulation.  Also, got the wood shed framed.


----------



## squerly

Finally get to start filling the woodshed this weekend.  Actually kind of excited to get the chainsaw and splitter going, it's been awhile.


----------



## squerly

Starting to get the woodshed stocked up, sheet rock is moving along now, and Shep is confused.


----------



## squerly

Sheetrock in media room is just about complete.


Picture 1 shows where the seats will go,
Picture 2 shows where the bar will be installed, and
Picture 3 shows where the hideaway flat screen will be.
 The flat screen will emerge from a custom cabinet that serves as a built in piece of furniture.  When the amp is turned on the cabinet top opens and the flat screen lifts into position.

Superbowl should be exceptional this year!


----------



## muleman RIP

Coming together nicely. Should I plan on turkey day dinner at your place?


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> Coming together nicely. Should I plan on turkey day dinner at your place?


I would be truly honored!  (You're bringing the bird, right???)


----------



## muleman RIP

squerly said:


> I would be truly honored!  (You're bringing the bird, right???)


How big do you want it? Live or frozen?


----------



## squerly

Sheetrock is hung! Taping it next week.


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## JEV

muleman said:


> How big do you want it? Live or frozen?


I'll bring the bread, dinner rolls and dessert...and my appetite!


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## FrancSevin

JEV said:


> I'll bring the bread, dinner rolls and dessert...and my appetite!


 
JEV,


Would you please stop posting such pictures.  I am trying to loose weight.
Bread, especially yeast breads, are my weakness.

You're killin' me man.


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## JEV

I've lost 10# in the past 2 weeks by NOT eating my own bread. I feel your pain. I l o v e bread...all kinds. Gotta drop total 15# by 9-15 when I see the doc for my semi-annual checkup. 2/3 of the way there, then I can go back to bread.


----------



## squerly

Random photo's as we get ready for kickoff of the 2014 season.  Sheetrock is completed and texture has been applied.  Upstairs has been primed and is ready for paint.  Roof is only a couple of pieces from being finished.     We picked out the wood and stain for the interior and hopefully we are able to get that moving in a week or so.   Taking tomorrow off and plan to fill the woodshed.  Winter is only a couple of months away!  

Go Denver!


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## Daxman

Holy shit, that house looks amazing, nice job Squerly.. I sent you a email earlier and tried to call but didn't get a answer so figured your busy. Give me a call tomorrow or this weekend if you get a chance.


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## squerly

Wood shed is just about finished.  Still need to put a side on it so the interior isn't visible from the house but at least it's to the stage that I can start storing wood.  Winter feels like it's just around the corner!


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## Doc

Just catching up on your work.  Great progress.  Looking good!!!!!  

Looks like you have enough wood to last you a week or two.      Good start for sure.


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## muleman RIP

You have about as much in there as I have in mine. Need to get those Amish boys back to work on it. With 2 weddings in a row and today they are digging 60 post holes for their older sister they have not been around much.


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## squerly

Wood (Spruce) arrived for the walls.  All this wood is stained and then delivered to the site, vs having to stain it after it is on the wall.  I flipped over a couple of boards to show the color although it doesn't show up well in the pictures.  

A couple of pics of the wood going up on the wall and the last one is me moving some firewood in its "pre-cut state"


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## muleman RIP

That is cheating using a grapple. You are supposed to use a peavy pole like us poor folks!


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## Kane

squerly said:


> Wood shed is just about finished.  Still need to put a side on it so the interior isn't visible from the house but at least it's to the stage that I can start storing wood.  Winter feels like it's just around the corner!


Now you need to hire a couple of college girls to stoke the fire.  Maybe cum to a live-in arrangement this winter.

Lookin' good, squerly!


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## ki0ho

Kane said:


> Now you need to hire a couple of college girls to stoke the fire.  Maybe cum to a live-in arrangement this winter.
> 
> Lookin' good, squerly!




Me thinks that if squerly tried that ....HE would be liveing in the wood shed and the two college girls would be in the house with the boss lady!!!!!!  Bet boss lady is a lot like mom.....she dont cotten to sharing !!!!!!!!  Not one little bit!!!!!!!!


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## squerly

Wood's going up.


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## ki0ho

Looking fine there Squerly!!!!Boss lady got great taste..............but then we should know that ......,she is stuck....err Picked you!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Mama

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!


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## bczoom

What kind of lights are you going to use in that room?

Our ceiling is similar to what you're doing and we have can lights.  When built, they were centered down the room but that was inadequate light near the walls (which sucked for reading or otherwise on the couch).  We installed another set of lights when we were putting a new roof on by coming in from above.


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## squerly

bczoom said:


> What kind of lights are you going to use in that room?
> 
> Our ceiling is similar to what you're doing and we have can lights.  When built, they were centered down the room but that was inadequate light near the walls (which sucked for reading or otherwise on the couch).  We installed another set of lights when we were putting a new roof on by coming in from above.


There's 4 can lights BC, 2 on each side of the room and then there is whatever lights there are on the ceiling fan.  I hope it's enough.  Given the amount of windows in the room I think we'll be OK.  Sure hope so anyway...


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## muleman RIP

Don't worry about it. Wives are great at finding expensive lamps to trip over.


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## squerly

Garage doors, (behind all the trash) wood in the loft, and 1st coat of paint in the master bedroom.


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## squerly

2 panel arched doors arrived.  Wood is on the dining room ceiling and Trish directs the framing of the bedroom windows.  Good day overall!


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## Mama

Is he rolling his eyes or just looking at the bill of his cap?


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## squerly

Mama said:


> Is he rolling his eyes or just looking at the bill of his cap?


LOL, that's Vic, he's a great carpenter and one hell of a nice guy.  I think I heard him say "Women aren't wrong, sometimes they're just not right..."  or something of that nature.


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## Mama

Me being a woman with OCD, I would be willing to bet she's telling him about the outlet not being centered below the window....just sayin' .....LOL


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## Mama

I absolutely LOVE your dinning room ceiling!  That is just beautiful!


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## muleman RIP

Mama said:


> Me being a woman with OCD, I would be willing to bet she's telling him about the outlet not being centered below the window....just sayin' .....LOL


Yep! got to have an equal amount of cord showing for the lamp that is never in front of the window.....


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## squerly

Ceiling fans going up. Tile in master bathroom, kitchen and hallway going down.  The tile in the hallway is bordered with strips of Asian Teak for a checkerboard effect and will blend in with more Asian Teak which covers the rest of the living room, office and master bedroom.


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## squerly

Cabinets are starting to go in.


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## FrancSevin

I didn't really grasp the concept of the wood lattice floor as you described it Squerly.  That is amazing.

The house looks way better in person.  Amazing use of space and technology thruout. Thoughtful little touches that will make living there special. Very well planned and executed design high on the side of the mountain.


Absolutely to die for!


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## ki0ho

Looks to me like the boss lady is doing a fine job of ram--roding!!!!!


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## Mama

JUST BEAUTIFUL!  Love that lattice floor!


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## NorthernRedneck

wow


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## squerly

Mama said:


> JUST BEAUTIFUL!  Love that lattice floor!


Thanks Mama!


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## squerly

Cloudy day but lots going on.  Equipment room is filling up fast with all the duct work.  Tile guy's are humping it (finally), and floor almost finished in living room.


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## muleman RIP

OSHA worksite rules require a rope or railing on those decks.....


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## ki0ho

Osha  no longer has anyone with enough smarts to find their way out there.......and if they did they wouldnt be able to get back to file a report!!!   besides the nebors might think they were revernewers!!!!!!!!  BAD  position to be in!!!!!


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## FrancSevin

OSHA would get ther Chevy Volts stuck halfway up the mountain, and begin sliding back down.  the would lock their wheels trying to prvent  falling off the mountain and would fail in the attempt.

Saw it happen (to a rear wheel drive Dodge pickup ) when I was there. Scary road up to that place.


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## squerly

FrancSevin said:


> Saw it happen (to a rear wheel drive Dodge pickup ) when I was there. Scary road up to that place.


LOL that's right, I forgot about that!    All wheel drive is required if you don't have a heavy vehicle.


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## squerly

ki0ho said:


> Osha  no longer has anyone with enough smarts to find their way out there.......


Here is a picture of the house from the mountain across from me, about 5 miles away.  I am alone up here except for a few families down at the base of the mountain.  All good people.   When considering the effort that went into this project, just think about running underground power to the job site.


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## Doc

That does help put it in perspective.   My house is 3/4 mile from the river, with a number of steep hills and ravines with lots of rock tween here and there.  I have hopes to get power to the river one day, underground or via telephone poles, one way or another.  Electric company wanted 15 k 12 years ago to do the job.  Lord only knows what the cost would be now for them to do it.


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## squerly

Doc said:


> That does help put it in perspective.   My house is 3/4 mile from the river, with a number of steep hills and ravines with lots of rock tween here and there.  I have hopes to get power to the river one day, underground or via telephone poles, one way or another.  Electric company wanted 15 k 12 years ago to do the job.  Lord only knows what the cost would be now for them to do it.


Yep, be prepared for double digit numbers when going underground!  You can save some by doing the trenching yourself (if they will allow it) but regardless, it's going to cost a bit.  But _it's worth it!  _Is for me anyway.  I really don't want to look out over God's creation(s) and be sidetracked by a bunch of ugly power lines.

But that's just me...


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## FrancSevin

As it happens, I am burying 110 feet of power lines at my place this week end. Not fun in these OZARK rocks but I don't want a house with the lines hanging on the side.

I do have a small backhoe on the Dozer, so unless it doesn't start my 2.50" conduit and wire go in Saturday. Finally

We will end up with about 300 feet coming in thru the trees and then it goes underground to the barn. Later to the house.

I plan a future run of 1000 feet down to the creek when I trench for the irrigation water lines.  That'll cost big bucks but we can light the gazebo.


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## squerly

FrancSevin said:


> I plan a future run of 1000 feet down to the  creek when I trench for the irrigation water lines.  That'll cost big  bucks but we can light the gazebo.


Good luck Franc, hope that beast starts!



muleman said:


> OSHA worksite rules require a rope or railing on those decks.....


Thank you Mr. Mule, we got right on it!  These are alumunum rails that will guide 6 stainless steel cables around the deck, keeping kids, dogs and drunk adult's from crawling under the top rail!  

Also, another picture of the tile around the shower in the hallway bathroom, and check out these drop dead gorgeous doors and the casings around the dinning room windows.


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## muleman RIP

It is coming together nicely. Are we still on for Thanksgiving?


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## squerly

muleman said:


> It is coming together nicely. Are we still on for Thanksgiving?


You say that cuz you know there ain't no way in hell this puppy will be finished by Thanksgiving...


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## muleman RIP

You are not doing too bad for the shitty weather you had to deal with. It takes time to do things right but you will appreciate it for years to come. Trish is the one who has to like the end results.


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## squerly

Cabinets and Island going in and stonework behind wood stove almost finished.


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## FrancSevin

Ya'll have been busy since my Crossfire friends poached a free lunch there.

WOW what beautiful finishes.

BTW, The old Case started right up.  However, it was low on Hydraulic fluid.  Maybe next week end.


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## Mama

If I was standing in that kitchen I'd be smiling too! It's gonna be beautiful!


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## squerly

Washer and dryer installed behind their cabinet.  The cabinet is designed in such a way that the entire front comes off with a couple of screws in case we need to repair the equipment.  Part of the crown left to be installed and the counter isn't on, but you get the idea.


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## FrancSevin

I love that laundry room.


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## muleman RIP

How come my wife wants her Samsung machines twice that high in the air??


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## ki0ho

so you will have to lift them twice as high when ya install them!!!!!


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## FrancSevin

muleman said:


> How come my wife wants her Samsung machines twice that high in the air??


 
So you will stop making those sarcastic whistles when she bends over to load them.


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## squerly

Granite arrived and installed today.


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## ki0ho

Damit Squerly!!!!!! Mom has been happy with her polished maple counter tops untill now..........now she is saying maby we should switch to granite!!!!!



I fixed that...told her the maple stayed along with me..package deal.....they go I go....


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## squerly

ki0ho said:


> I fixed that...told her the maple stayed along with me..package deal.....they go I go....


I don't know Ki0ho, that was a dangerous ultimatum.  Could have gone either way...


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## ki0ho

Im usely real sure before I go there!!!!!  We have been married sence June of 1964......still seems like yesterday!!!!and dated for 3+ years prior to that.
And as an extra precation..I make darn sure Ive got a smile on my face when I do go there!!!!!    On the first date....her dad ment me at the front door with a greener in his hand...and some rules on his lips......about how his little girl was to be treated!!!!!!!!and I obayed every one of them
sort of.....       and one of the proudest memorys is just before he died he shook my hand and thanked me for doing right by his little girl.  many years later...Mom always laughes and says  and if she had told him the truth  he would have filled my ass with buckshot and rock salt years ago!!!!!!!!


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## bczoom

Make sure you seal that granite Squerly!

Mrs. Zoom sealed it with some high strength/quality stuff.  I don't recall what it was but do remember it was something like $150 per pint.  It's been holding up very well.


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## Mama

I love the setup of that kitchen.  That will be very easy to work in.  

That looks like the same GE Profile refrigerator we bought a couple of months ago.  If it is, you're gonna love it!


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## Daxman

Dammit Squerly, what a beautiful house!!! Im really impressed with how its turned out so far... nicely done.. We cant wait to come visit, you may never get rid of us...LOL


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## BigAl RIP

Damn nice work !!!


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## squerly

bczoom said:


> Make sure you seal that granite Squerly!


Absolutely!  The granite has a reasonable finish on it as it is but when the light hits it just right (on the pores regions) you can tell it needs something more.



Mama said:


> I love the setup of that kitchen.  That will be very easy to work in.
> 
> That looks like the same GE Profile refrigerator we bought a couple of months ago.  If it is, you're gonna love it!


We bought those appliances a year ago and I had forgotten what they looked like. But yes, they are all GE Profile.  Low energy usage and supposedly good performance/reliability.  We'll see! 



BigAl said:


> Damn nice work !!!


Thanks Al!  Coming from a perfectionist like yourself that's a real complement!



Daxman said:


> Dammit Squerly, what a beautiful house!!! Im really impressed with how its turned out so far... nicely done.. We cant wait to come visit, you may never get rid of us...LOL


Yipes!  I guess it's not to late to move...


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## squerly

Busy day!  Loft now has a floor, Harman TL 300 wood stove arrived, beams in dinning room are almost up (these are the beams we harvested from a huge oak earlier this year) and stainless steal railings have been installed.


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## Mama

What a cool stove!  Did you get the optional "self-cleaning cooking grill"?  That would be sooooo neat to have!


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## squerly

Mama said:


> What a cool stove!  Did you get the optional "self-cleaning cooking grill"?  That would be sooooo neat to have!


But of course!


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## Mama




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## squerly

Permanent power connection was made today so Trish and I just had to take the 4-wheeler up and play with the lights.  It is awesome!  Took some pictures of the internal plumbing that is required to connect the outside wood furnace to the internal house plumbing.  I guess it's old hat for Muleman but for me, this is some really cool stuff.  

Anyhow, random pictures in no particular manner.


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## ki0ho

Squerly....Every elect.job I was ever involved in was always exciting to see the finish of it...all trades seemed to get the same satisfaction of seeing a job well done!!! as the owners you folks can and should be proud....it is a wonderful house....and now you folks can make it a home!!!!!  and I for one want to thank you for letting us see the prosess.......Most of my working life was spent in the industrial side of the trade....power plants ect.....but I always found working on a home to be sort of special......Now comes the cleaning up and tieing up loose ends and moving in....wishing you good luck and God speed.....And maby a strong gate at the end of the lane to ward off folks of self invite!!!!!!!!


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## squerly

Getting real close to moving in.  Furniture is scheduled for delivery on the 18th (10 days away) so everything needs to run like clockwork.  Lots of stuff happening today but these pictures are limited to the master bedroom (and one picture from the deck looking back to the MB).


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## muleman RIP

So are you making turkey for Thanksgiving??? Looking good! Bet Trish is getting antsy about now.


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## squerly

muleman said:


> So are you making turkey for Thanksgiving??? Looking good! Bet Trish is getting antsy about now.


I think we're going with a Honey Baked Ham this year instead of turkey.  Trish's family will be driving out from Pensacola and (believe this or not) they don't like turkey!  I know, that's just nuts but they're my cross to bear...   

Anyhow, gutters are on and we passed the final inspection, so we now have a Certificate of Occupancy!  Lots of stuff still to do but we're good to go with bringing in furniture and stocking up the fridge.    We still have the etched stain to do on the downstairs and some baseboard to install.  Dishwasher still needs the front (to match the cabinets) to be installed and a bunch of clean up both outside and inside.  

Last night we sat outside and played with Trish's birthday present, which was an outside gas fire pit.  So here are the pictures of the fire pit last night and some of the kitchen/dinning area now that the appliances are in and functional.  Also a picture of the inside of the steam shower.  Hard to take a picture of a steam shower, just too small to accommodate my camera but I did the best I could.


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## squerly

Our “Jupe” table was delivered today.  In its normal size is 54” and fully opened it is 82".

Watch the Jupe Table open/close.


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## ki0ho

Looking good Squrly.....nice table!!!!!


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## squerly

These are pictures as we prep the floor in the media room.  The process involves sanding off 1/8"-1/4" of the top layer of concrete.  Then they apply some quick set and knock the top off of it.  This will provide a 3-D effect for the finished product.  

After the quick-set sets up, a sealer and stain is applied.  This takes 24+ hours to set up.  Next they apply an epoxy solution which brings out the 3-D effect.

The first couple of pics show the cement after it has been sanded and the quick-set applied, kind of hard to see the detail but it's there.  The next pics show the floor after the stain has been applied.  Tomorrow (hopefully) they will be able to apply the epoxy, it's all dependent on the humidity.  High humidity=bad, low humidity=good.


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## FrancSevin

I love that table. Very clever design.

The floor looks like my concrete porch after the leaves stain it.  But much nicer!


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## squerly

Got a second coat of epoxy on the floor tonight.  Also moved furniture into the upstairs.  A little hasty given the amount of work left to do but damn... I'm tired of waiting.


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## Doc

Looking good.  I'd be moving in furniture too.   How far away are you moving from?   

That floor looks fantastic.   I think I know how I want to finish my basement floor now.  That is awesome.


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## FrancSevin

Yes, that floor is something special.

What is the process called and how do I get it done up here in St Louis?

WOW!

Your project continues to impress and amaze


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## muleman RIP

Pretty floors. Enjoy them now. In 6 months you will have rugs everywhere...


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## squerly

muleman said:


> Pretty floors. Enjoy them now. In 6 months you will have rugs everywhere...


Yes, I'm sure you're right, it's pretty hollow in there.   Definitely needs something to absorb the echo echo echo


----------



## squerly

Almost a year to the day and it’s time to bring this thread to a conclusion.  Overall, the build went pretty smooth.   Still some small things to do to finish up but we got anxious and moved in about 2 weeks ago.   Got the outdoor wood furnace fired up last week and it’s just great.  I feed the black dragon once a day and then forget about it.  Radiant floor heat is absolutely awesome!   The wood furnace also sends hot water to a heat exchanger in the plenum that provides on-demand heat through the duct-work when we turn on the blower.  Don’t really need it much but it’s there for when/if we do.    I still have to plumb in a hot water storage tank to provide domestic hot water, but that shouldn’t take long once I get to working on it.

Much thanks to everyone who participated in the thread, it’s been fun and I appreciate everyone’s input/feedback.


----------



## bczoom

This was an awesome thread to watch.  Thanks for sharing!

So much fun that I think you should new build a matching garage/shop and deck it out with full descriptions in a new thread.


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## jimbo

squerly said:


> Yes, I'm sure you're right, it's pretty hollow in there.   Definitely needs something to absorb the echo echo echo



Question, Squerly.  I was in Bass Pro this weekend and noticed that they have the same concrete finish floors as your home. Nice looking, but theirs need refinishing.  Can these floors be repaired or refinished?

Granted, the traffic at Bass Pro is more in an hour than yours will be in a decade, so probably no problem, but I was thinking of uses like kitchen counters.


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## FrancSevin

I'm thinking about Bing Crosby's "I'll be home for Christmas" song as I view the final product of your one year efforts.

Nice home to be in for Christmas.

Well done Jim.


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## REDDOGTWO

Glad you are in.  We are in month nineteen and still not in.  They started moving dirt in June of 012, footings Monday after Thanksgiving last year, foundation wall the second of January.  Getting close but not there yet, soon like any day now.


----------



## Doc

Thanks for this thread Squerly.  I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the progress and all the kewl things you did with this build.  The concrete floor finish is awesome and the outdoor wood heater are both items I will eventually be adding to my place.   And your house overall is beautiful and what a location / view.   

Give us plenty of notice when you plan to have your FF House warming party.  I suspect you will be shocked and maybe scared by who all will show up.


----------



## muleman RIP

Looks good. From the pic you are already sucked in to doing Christmas crap. When is the tree going up?


----------



## squerly

jimbo said:


> Question, Squerly.  I was in Bass Pro this weekend and noticed that they have the same concrete finish floors as your home. Nice looking, but theirs need refinishing.  Can these floors be repaired or refinished?
> 
> Granted, the traffic at Bass Pro is more in an hour than yours will be in a decade, so probably no problem, but I was thinking of uses like kitchen counters.


To be honest, I don't think they're done the same way as this stuff is almost indestructible. These should hold up regardless of  the traffic, lots of urethane covering the initial surface.


----------



## squerly

Doc said:


> Thanks for this thread Squerly.  I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the progress and all the kewl things you did with this build.  The concrete floor finish is awesome and the outdoor wood heater are both items I will eventually be adding to my place.   And your house overall is beautiful and what a location / view.


Thanks Doc!


----------



## squerly

muleman said:


> When is the tree going up?


Come On Man...  How can you miss that tree???     OK, it's a small one but there's only Trish and myself so no need for a big ol "white house" tree.


----------



## squerly

REDDOGTWO said:


> Glad you are in.  We are in month nineteen and still not in.  They started moving dirt in June of 012, footings Monday after Thanksgiving last year, foundation wall the second of January.  Getting close but not there yet, soon like any day now.


  Yipes!, that's a long time!  Good luck, it'll be worth it!


----------



## JEV

Beautiful build. Many, many years of great memories for both of you. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## REDDOGTWO

squerly said:


> Yipes!, that's a long time!  Good luck, it'll be worth it!



Moved the mattress sand box spring in last night.  Shower doors and mirrors go in tonight.  Hopefully they will finish up the piddly stuff this weekend but my best guess is it will be finished while we are in Florida.


----------



## FrancSevin

I ran into this old thread whilst looking for something else.  But, I couldn't help but post that Jim and his beautiful wife Trish have hosted several Crossfire club gatherings at their new place.  We were just there last week end and the pictures do not do it justice.

 Or illustrate the  graciousness of our hosts.

 Thank you Jim and Trish.  May your lives be long , happy, and together in that magnificent house.


----------



## Doc

Did you get to see his latest toy ....a saw mill.    I've seen some of the wood he was working with.  Very NICE.  Sure looked like fun.


----------

