The house looks great but it is still in Michigan. All of that rain and cold and lack of sunshine is precisely why we left.
2017 F3T-SM6 Squared Away Mirror Wedgies & Alignment
2014 RTS-SM6 123,600 miles Sold 11/2017
2014 RTL-SE6 8,600 miles
2011 RTS-SM5 5,000 miles
2013 RTS-SM5 burned up with 13,200 miles in 13 weeks
2010 RTS-SM5 59,148 miles
2010 RT- 622
As promised, Friday my son and I drove the 425 miles to Wisconsin Rapids, exchanged the log corners, and drove back home. Other than being a long trip, and almost buying the farm in Chicago on the way home when some idiot turned in front of all of us from the left lane to hit our exit and a semi had to lock it up in front of us, it went well. Long day, though, at a 16 hour road trip. Saturday I unloaded the 12' long, square corners by myself. They sure were heavy! They put the pump in Friday, and made a huge mess of things with the water they pumped. It was better today, but the rain stopped progress in drying things out.
Today we were worried when there was nobody there when we arrived. About an hour later the builder showed up and we went over some things. The carpenters then showed for a couple of hours to take care of some details. They had some loose ends, and spotted a problem with the roof overhang that they corrected. We should be ready for a framing inspection soon. They also covered the garage entry door to prevent damage when they pour concrete. The flatwork contractor showed up as the rain began to pour heavier, but he was able to move the sand into the garage and level and compact it. He finished as the rain and following rain/snow turned to plain snow. Big flakes and low visibility on our way home! We are all set to pour a floor...if the weather ever permits. The driveway is a mudhole, so I don't know if we can even get concrete trucks in there for a few days. Maybe while the ground is frozen during the next day or two?
As usual lately, I shoveled, moving fill and digging drainage ditches. The latter is a constant battle, as the traffic messes up the ditches and creates new low spots daily. I also did some caulking. Nancy dug a little, but spent more time sweeping and cleaning up. That was pretty impossible lately with so much going on and the crews there so late most days. The house is quite cold, with open soffits remaining, no front door, and no garage separating wall and no garage doors. The basement is pretty comfortable, though, with the insulated floor and foundation walls, and the windows and doors closed. I am pretty certain that the water system will be OK for a week or two, once they activate it.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
The house looks great but it is still in Michigan. All of that rain and cold and lack of sunshine is precisely why we left.
All that heat and desert and lack of trees is precisely why we stayed.
Originally Posted by Woody
Are you your own General Contractor on this project?
No, I have a builder experienced in log homes. I retired 8 1/2 years ago, so I had very few contacts left in the business, and my experience was in public works construction, which is very different. I probably spend more time on the job and do more than I should, but I am the architect and engineer, so I seem to be in demand every day. Besides, I get a bit of satisfaction from getting my hands dirty.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
WOW have not checked in lately. It looks like things are shaping up nicely. Great job. Too bad you couldn't have had Mother Nature co- operate. Can't wait to see the finished project... I bet you can't either
2013 Mag Silver SE5 RT BahaRon Sway bar & Sway bar links, Grip Puppies, Kuryakyn Helmet locks , Ultimate Seat w/Utopia Backrest, Dash power outlet, Spyderpops BumpSkid, Swagman Cup holders, Full size Brake Pedal, Seal DLX Floorboards, Freeway Blaster horns, Sylvania Super Bright fender LEDs, Scotchlite 680 Rear & Fender Reflectors, BRP Fog Light Kit, LED Mirror turn signal strips, 2014 RT grille mod. Outlaw Laser Alignment
Can't even imagine building in the weather conditions you're dealing with. Well done, and, it's looking good you guys!
"Today they drilled our well. They found a good water bearing formation at 143 feet, after hitting 40 feet of solid clay from 70 to 110. They had never seen that much clay that deep before. We are mostly sand and gravel SW Michigan. "
Good news, and beats the heck out of my last well drilling experience. Down, down, down they went for three days, through solid granite. All told, 800 feet later we had a 100 gal.(+-) per minute producer, with a static level in the thirty foot range. Budget, what budget
Identify what you have control over and find peace with what you don't.
Scotty.... this is an awe inspiring project and you and Nancy are accomplishing something to be very proud of.
If you are planning to come to Spyderfest next year, Penny and I will buy the drinks....(maybe even dinner) to toast the the job you guys are doing (will have done).
Once the house is done, can you turn your attention to the Affordable Care Act website next?
Penny and Rick have owned many motorcycles starting in 1974 with Honda’s, then to Suzukis, Gold Wings and ultimately Spyders.
‘74 Honda 360T (pair); ‘78 Suzuki GS 1000 (pair); ‘’82 Honda Aspencade; ‘84 Honda 400; ‘87 Yamaha 1100; ‘99 Honda Valkyrie; ‘01 Suzuki Burgman(triked); ‘02 Honda GL 1800(triked); ‘10 Spyder RTSE; ‘11 Spyder RTSM; ‘12 Spyder RTSL (pair); ‘20 Spyder RTL (current)
I sure enjoy watching your home come together. How high is the garage ceiling?
It should be about 11'6", but that is a guess. They poured the garage floor today, so I will get an accurate measurement (needed to order the attic ladder) tomorrow.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
This morning when I arrived at the house it was 23 degrees (minus 5 to you in the Spyder's homeland). It was nice to not walk in mud for a while, but I sure wish the heat was in. When I can't shovel, I get cold quickly. The flatwork contractor poured the garage floor, despite the cold. It should be fine, between air-entrainment, chloride, and using limestone instead of gravel in the mix, as well as using a seven bag mix, it should be OK. The garage fill was not frozen, being somewhat protected, so that should help, too. With the heat from curing and closing the openings, we should do OK. Coldest night in seven months, though, a sign of things to come. We are behind, and this is a painful reminder. Yes, that is a little light snow in the video. None on the ground though, although we had some accumulation at home.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
Well, I did take some video today, but it did not record properly so I have nothing moving to show you. We did make some progress. The carpenters were back and they reinforced the roof gable overhangs. I guess a question I asked about them the other day started to worry them. The weatherman last night predicted 101" of snow for us there this winter, so I think the reinforcement may have been a good idea.
The roofing/deck crew did soffits and fascia all morning. They are about half done now. They finished decking the front porch, too. Lots easier to get around with that heavy sky-lift with the ground frozen...and no ruts to backfill or fight. It was 22 degrees this morning.
The poor concrete guys were there until 10 PM yesterday. The garage floor just wouldn't set. It was too cold, and I found that they had not added chloride to the mix, just limestone as aggregate. The concrete will be stronger this way, but will take more time to cure to full strength. I had put up tarps for the doors, but they needed some adjustment and reinforcement today (several times in the wind). It should be less exposed tonight. No way to put heat in there with the high roof and a ridge vent, as well as an open wall into the house. We will just have to be gentle for a couple of weeks.
The carpenters brought in the log siding corners today, preparing to begin installation tomorrow. They will likely trim the windows and doors, too, and the remaining doors and window are due to arrive in the morning. The logs themselves will have to wait until next week...Friday is a national holiday. It seems that way, at least, it is the first day of firearm deer season. We had intended to pre-stain the logs, but between being a week or two behind schedule, and with the garage floor too soft to work there, we decided to put the logs up now and wait until Spring to stain and do most of the caulk (unless we get a nice stretch of weather for the caulking). It should not be a problem to do it that way, many logs homes are done in that order. The only effect may be in delaying the move-in time, as the bank won't sign off until things are finished.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
It is looking good! I had to laugh about your concrete guys working until 10:00 pm in my neighborhood most of the slabs were finished in the middle of the night with light from their pick up trucks. That explains why it took about 6 extra bags of thinset to level the slab when we installed tile.
2017 F3T-SM6 Squared Away Mirror Wedgies & Alignment
2014 RTS-SM6 123,600 miles Sold 11/2017
2014 RTL-SE6 8,600 miles
2011 RTS-SM5 5,000 miles
2013 RTS-SM5 burned up with 13,200 miles in 13 weeks
2010 RTS-SM5 59,148 miles
2010 RT- 622
Today was a great day. Long and busy, but great. The deck and roof crew finished the soffits and fascia, finished the deck railing posts, and screwed down the last of the deck boards. The door company delivered the remaining two doors, and later the carpenters installed the front door and the rear garage entry door. The carpenters fitted the first of the vertical corners, then began installing the logs. It is an intense process, requiring lots of fitting and half miter cuts, as well as some other fancy details. They toe-nail the logs into the studs, then screw one log into the one below every couple of feet of the length. We wanted to prestain the logs, but in the interests of time and weather we decided to put the logs up now and stain them later. We are already fighting the caulk and window sealing tape, needing to warm it in the truck before use. If the weather gets as cold as it was earlier this week, we will have to build a heater box to store it and keep it warm. If we had delayed, the matter would get worse.
It was very satisfying to see the logs go up at long last. We have found nothing we have wanted to change in my design or with our decision about using (half) logs. The project was well thought out and it has translated to real life just as we thought it would, thus far. From computer, to paper, to a model, to concrete and lumber, it has never surprised us. Lots of work and lots of money, but it will be worth it.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
Today was a State holiday! Well, it was really the opening day of firearm deer season, so two-thirds of the able-bodied male population was out in the woods, and not on our job. The electricians showed, however, and got a lot done with nobody in the way. With the carpenters busy cutting logs and trim in the garage since the floor was poured, and no good place to set their ladders prior to that, the electricians had not been able to rough-in the garage until now. Nancy and I stayed busy with cleanup, ditch repair, caulking, and putting up some OSB so the electricians could wire the well.
I decided it was time to do a quick tour again, so you could see how the overall house is taking shape, and get a feel for how it sits on the land. It is easier to see the lot with the leaves gone. Still a very pretty view from the deck. The only drawback is that we can see our neighbor for six months of the year.
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
Looks great Scotty and have been following your progress and looking forward to seeing it finished. As for the neighbor at least they are not right outside your door. I really miss that living here but I do enjoy the weather here except when its in the 90's.
Happy Spyder Owner
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I finally got to looking at all your videos. I am so impressed with your house and know your guys are eager to get moved into it. Just watching the vids today, from excavation to the current state, makes me anxious for you to get it done. Thanks for sharing the progress with us.
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Originally Posted by SpyderAnn01
Drilling
The flatwork contractor poured the garage floor, despite the cold. It should be fine, between air-entrainment, chloride, and using limestone instead of gravel in the mix, as well as using a seven bag mix, it should be OK. The garage fill was not frozen, being somewhat protected, so that should help, too. With the heat from curing and closing the openings, we should do OK. Coldest night in seven months, though, a sign of things to come. We are behind, and this is a painful reminder. Yes, that is a little light snow in the video. None on the ground though, although we had some accumulation at home.
We did make some progress. The carpenters were back and they reinforced the roof gable overhangs. I guess a question I asked about them the other day started to worry them. The weatherman last night predicted 101" of snow for us there this winter, so I think the reinforcement may have been a good idea.
