The Log House Project

[Bob Denman]

Scotty, I'm glad to hear that you're...


I'll bet that it hurt... wonderfully!

[NancysToy]

It's been a busy couple of days. Too busy to post here. Yesterday was a great day! The weather wasn't that great, but I rode my Spyder to the job site. After a 2 1/2 month layoff, it felt great! I took my brace (cast) off a few days early because it was rubbing me raw. After a brief ride Monday (to PT), I decided to ride the 50 miles to Allegan Tuesday.

Tuesday the Amish carpenters installed remaining floor joists and got about half the subfloor completed. The precast basement walls require a little extra work on the floor. They had to install blocking every five feet along each side, and a foot from each corner. They also had to block at the jog on one wall. That took even more time since the lumber company had not delivered materials for the blocking. We'll have to educate them about Superior Walls. They were also short on their subflooring. Not sure what happened with their take-offs for this or the basement foam, but chasing stuff after the fact slows things down and costs more. My builder isn't real happy!

Here is Tuesday's progress.



Today we had a lot of fun. While the carpenters finished the subfloor the excavators backfilled the foundation, extended the perimeter drains, did the rough grading, and dug a ditch for the electric service. The builder and I laid the conduit for the electric and CATV. I worked too hard and too long doing that and shoveling to backfill the ditch ends. If I had a longer memory I could remember that retired people aren't supposed to work that hard...LOL. The carpenters went on to raise the first wall and to lay out several more. We are moving fast!

Here is today's ant race.

[SpyderAnn01]

Looking good! I'm pretty sure that shoveling isn't part of the PT program that your doctor wants you on.

[mxz600]

Connie and I were in the area again last Saturday and I still couldn't find your property. I thought for sure with building now going on I would be able to find it, but no such luck.

It's kind of like "Looking For Waldo".

Glad things are finally moving along well.

When are you going to start building your toy box?

[MarkLawson]

I remember buying a shovel one time to dig a water line ditch from my meter to the house. It didn't take me too long before I fugred out how to pay a plumber to do it instead...

[NancysToy]

Looking good! I'm pretty sure that shoveling isn't part of the PT program that your doctor wants you on.

Possibly not, but my therapist did tell me to try impact activities like hammering. The only real problem with the shoveling (which we continued today) is that it is my thumb that needs strengthening, not my back and shoulders.

[NancysToy]

Mother Nature continues to smile on us. Threatened all day but no rain except five minutes of sprinkles in the afternoon. They laid out the plates on the floor today and we had our first chance to walk through the floor plan. You worry about this. I designed the house, so we had plenty of time to refine the plan and become familiar with it. I even built a model, and we also "walked through" many times on a computer simulation. Still, siting the house perfectly and seeing how the floor plan feels in 12 inches to a foot scale, are things that make you hold your breath until you see what real life is like. I'm happy to report that the position is ideal and the floor plan will work great...just as we envisioned.

The carpenters got the back wall up today. That is the longest, at 62 feet. Lots of headers, so it took some time. Meanwhile Nancy and I continued to fill the inaccessible parts of our electric service ditch, and I finished up the service conduits. I will say that shoveling was a lot easier when I started working in a ditch nearly 50 years ago. I worked my hand hard, and it did fine. My therapist was pleased, so don't worry, Ann. More walls tomorrow. It is a bit of a monster of a house, being just over 2,000 sq ft and a ranch...large footprint. The nine foot walls in the basement and main floor make it look even more imposing, especially on the walkout side. More than two old folks need, but it fits our needs and lifestyle well. The Universal Design features should let us age in place quite gracefully. Not ready to start on the toybox yet. The hand needs to heal a bit more, and we need to round up some cash...even more cash if we decide to have someone else build the barn. The 24'x36' attached garage (with attic) may need to do for a while.

Here is today's progress. Pay no attention to the two silly old people in the red shirts...they are kind of crazy.

[d.o.spyder-rts]

Great to hear everything is going well! I wish you continued success with the house and your PT. Dale

[NancysToy]

After several rainy days, we had sunshine today and made great progress. The carpenters got the exterior walls finished and started on the interior walls. We should be ready for the roof by Monday.



Nancy and I took advantage of a few rain days to chase flooring, weed through cabinet makers, and chase and evaluate some other things. The number of choices that have to be made building a house is amazing. I am used to such things from when I was working, but the residential process is much different from the commercial construction I was used to. First, there is no engineering firm (and dedicated staff) to narrow down and recommend the choices. Second, there is no upfront submittal of shop drawings for our approval. We pick, we choose, and we live with our results. We do get some input from the builder and the subcontractors and suppliers, but the choices are mainly ours. Since the design was ours, I suppose that is fitting. .....or maybe it is retribution for saddling them with this odd plan and these strange choices.

[flamingobabe]

It's coming together.....thanks for sharing

[Phil]

We'll well my friend..... APPARENTLY I have not been diligent to follow this. I just watched about a month go by in about 14 minutes!! I'm so proud for you Scotty! Your dream is taking shape!

I get the 'why am I doing this when I'm supposed to be retired' thing . You'll make it.

You may have already said, but what are you shooting with? I love the steady-cam effect when you're walking with it.

Now that I've commented here, maybe I'll get reminded to follow the progress. And when it's done, I may have to find an excuse to visit! Remember (I speak from experience) to take a little time off along the way. They won't screw it up in 1-2 days


Phil, Tyler TX- from my iPad 7.5 using Tapatalk HD

[NancysToy]

We had a busy day today. We got a late start at the site, after running around to some suppliers to discuss changes and get some quotes. The office work didn't stop there, with phone calls from the electrician to resolve some problems, and decisions to make about some upcoming milestones. Then the carpenter wanted to move some window locations before he framed one wall, so we looked that over and decided to go with his gut instincts. That led to chasing quotes for an additional window to let in light and vent the garage attic, and fill the big expanse of wall left after them other windows were moved. How did we ever do these jobs before the Internet and cell phones? We were chained to our desks and our catalogs, and this kind of stuff took days...not hours.

In the first video today they are finishing the top plates on the house walls and moving on to the garage. The interior wall framing was complete by the time we arrived today. They were laying out the garage walls. Makes me feel guilty that I have not started on the pole barn, but my hand needs a bit more work. The therapist added another week of OT yesterday. They got one wall built and up...then rebuilt and up again (oops). The second is framed, but there wasn't time to put it up. Too heavy to sheath first, so that will follow tomorrow and Friday.

You will notice Nancy wandering through the frames with her wagon. She has become sort of a rock hound, picking up all the exposed rocks after every rain or dig, and looking for special rocks and fossils. I am too many years removed from my geology training to help much, but she is learning anyway. It keeps her busy and she is having fun. We had her help put up a wall today, too.



The next video is fun. It is the first house tour. The fisheye lens adds and interesting perspective. I also have one taken with a plain lens, but this shows more. It is neat to see the house plan in 3-D at long last. You never know if it will work out like you envisioned, but we are very satisfied. We are looking forward to moving in.....many months from now.



I am very pleased with our relationship with the builder. He treats me as a peer, and not as the owner, architect, or engineer. He respects my ideas, knowledge, and choices, and I respect his. The job is going along as if we have been partners for years. It makes me very happy!

[NancysToy]

ya know Scotty you may not be quite as crazy as I thought.

I am not crazy.....but I may be certifiable. Did I tell you about the rubber room option we were considering?

[cuznjohn]

really looks great, how many sq. ft. is it

[NancysToy]

really looks great, how many sq. ft. is it

2014 on the main floor, with the same in the unfinished basement. That doesn't count the deck, porch, or garage attic.

[Bob Denman]

Did I tell you about the rubber room option we were considering?

Are you accepting reservations for the Rubber Room yet??

[NancysToy]

Today the last garage walls went up. The Spyders will have a home. They also put in the posts for the front porch, and the electricians installed the meter socket and transfer switch for our backup generator. We need the meter socket before the power company will install a pole for the primary and run the secondary electric service to the house.

Here is today's rapid progress video. I'm not sure what I will be able to share once the shell is closed in and complete. It is harder to take meaningful videos inside.



I also took a video of the view out our back door. The deck isn't built yet, but it was nice to sit there and have a snack and do my hand exercises for OT. What you can't see from here is the rest of the woods, the ravine, and the stream that crosses the property. Very peaceful, quiet, and tranquil.



There is a long way to go, but we are looking forward to being here full time someday. If you come to visit, there is still lots of work to do.

BTW, the thumb is coming along well. They extended my OT by a week, and I regressed a little in my testing after I got off the pain meds, but the hand is moving much better. Not quite as much range of motion as the other, and a bit painful at times, but the rate of progress has been amazing. The doctor did a great job!

[NancysToy]

It certainly looks as if it is going swimmingly!

We have no choice but to make rapid progress while we can. Sooner or later the weather will change for the worse. We are hoping to have the roof on by the time the rains hit next week, but that looks a little tight, even with a second crew working. The trusses start to go up Monday, and the roof sheathing immediately following. The rain may delay the shingles, though.

[NancysToy]

It's been a rough couple of days. Jousted with the electrician yesterday. It ended in a draw. He got his way on one item and I got my way on another. At least I got him moving so we could get the electric service installed. I found a supplier wo could provide what his could not. This morning we found the trusses, which were due to be delivered at 9 AM, unceremoniously dropped in the middle of the driveway sometime after we left yesterday. They had to be moved by hand. They got a couple of parts of the order wrong, so we wrestled with that all day. Second round of wrestling Monday.

Progress was still steady today. The carpenters finished the front porch posts and beams, sheathed the garage and wrapped it, moved the trusses, put together the separate halves of the gable trusses and sheathed them, then built the overhang framing for the gable ends. I backfilled a ditch and finished the cable conduit. I rode the Spyder, and did some chasing to the store in the warm sunshine...very welcome after the 40 degree morning ride. Mid-seventies by the time I rode home, about ten degrees above normal. Good therapy after the frustration with the electrician and trusses. Nancy drove out later, after her dentist appointment.

Today's video shows the walls completed, awaiting the trusses Monday...or at least part of them. There are a couple of problems and some will be delayed, while others will have to be discussed, since the plans clearly showed rafters instead of trusses on the back porch. Those two roofs will have to be done the hard way, a few days later at best. Rain in the foecast may stretch it out even more. I hope we can get the place closed in before the weather goes to pot. The house really looks big now, with the garage attached. It sure looked smaller in the model I built!

[Bob Denman]

Those busy bees were working so fast in the prior video; it's obvious that they're not union labor!

[NancysToy]

Those busy bees were working so fast in the prior video; it's obvious that they're not union labor!

Of course not, they're Amish.

I just wish we could time lapse until March, and move in.

[cuznjohn]

Of course not, they're Amish.

I just wish we could time lapse until March, and move in.

hey bob i resemble that union remark

[Bob Denman]

Scotty,
"Patience is a virtue that none of us can wait to acquire..."

[NancysToy]

I grew up among the Amish.
No I'm not Amish but I have a healthy respect for their hard work,business acumen and outlook.

I will certainly second that motion, not to mention their traditional skills.

[NancysToy]

The place is finally starting to look like a house. The main roof trusses went on today. It is really neat to see it taking shape at this point, much like the plans and model, but full size and in 3-D. If the rain holds off until afternoon tomorrow, we can get the roof sheathing finished (if they didn't finish after I left for OT). Then comes the deck, setting the garage trusses after the replacements arrive (they built the wrong kind of trusses), framing the valleys and sheathing the garage, and framing the screened porch. Then they put on the shingles. I'm not sure what the weather will do to us. Last nights raindrops were frozen on the trusses this morning. Hoping to have the roof complete by early next week.