The Log House Project

[NancysToy]

I haven't been out at the property the last couple of days, although Nancy was. I had doctor's and dentist's appointments, did the grocery shopping, and had to pick up the leaves while the weather permitted. I did go out for a while today, though, before we came back home and finished the leaves.

After we left Friday, they hooked up temporary power to the well. Monday the Amish carpenters missed work...they couldn't get a ride. Their designated driver was sick. He was better Tuesday, however. Tuesday they got a lot of the windows and doors trimmed, and several more corners installed. The corners take some pretty exact fitting and some pretty tricky cuts, so they take a while. They installed the reamaining window, in the garage (attic) gable. They also fitted more logs to the garage end wall. This morning they finished that wall. It is our first complete log wall. It looks great, even though it is not stained.

First Wall of Logs.jpg

They were working on the south wall when we left. I have to pick up some vent heads for them for tomorrow, and a few other things. I did not like the vinyl vent heads the mechanical contractor proposed. I prefer metal. Plastic houses are for toy train layouts. We got our flooring quote and it was a bit higher than we wished. We are making a few changes to try to bring the cost within bounds. We have not made any significant changes on the house, and the flooring was never specified, so I don't think this counts against us. I hate change orders, so I have tried to plan well and avoid any changes along the way. Other than shortening the kitchen island and moving it a bit closer to the kitchen cabinets, the house is being built just as the plans show it.

[NancysToy]

Today we almost had a disaster. More on that later. The carpenters split into two pairs, with one pair finishing the logs on the south gable and the other two starting logs on the north side of the house and garage. That is our longest wall at 66 feet. The helper continued putting up window and door flashing and putting up window trim. I finished putting temporary railings on the deck and stairs...after shuttling my son from the alignment shop where he dropped off his Infiniti.



It was cold (about 20 with a 25 mph wind) and snowy, but there were just flurries in the morning so things were not slippery after they cleared the inch of snow. Work progressed pretty well...but it was much more pleasant out of the wind. The carpenters kept at it past noon, but I elected to warm up my truck and eat there. As I looked up, I saw one young carpenter straining to put up the last piece on the south peak. His efforts pushed one scaffold ladder away from the wall and he fell about 20 feet to the frozen ground! He landed on his feet, and did not lose consciousness. He got up and walked to a lumber pile to sit down and collect his wits in less than a minute, exclaiming "Nothing seems to be broken!" He actually worked after lunch, but moved like an old man. He is one very lucky fellow!!!

I had a long talk with the lead carpenter about safety in general, unsafe practices, and using the right methods and gear. They have the gear and know better, but the young pup got in a hurry. I did not see how they were trying to do things until seconds before he fell, or I would have reeled them in. The lead carpenter was working on the opposite side of the building, but did check on them periodically. He didn't see what they tried to do either. Things were OK shortly before, but he did warn them to take down the scaffold and extend a single ladder...which they failed to do.

Needless to say I will be watching more than working for a while, until I see that they have improved, and learned their lessons. My builder will probably spend more time on the job, too. I am so thankful that nobody was hurt badly. It could have been a disaster as easily as not.

[MarkLawson]

Wow Scotty, glad to hear the young man is alright! Just one more thing to list as you sit around the Thanksgiving table and consider your blessings.

[Bob Denman]

He's gonna be sore today... Glad to hear that he survived the initial mistake.
You can't make a mistake fast enough; to make up for the healing time that will be involved!

[NancysToy]

Sorry I didn't check in yesterday. I had to make the pumpkin pies for today's trip to Nancy's parents' for our Thanksgiving celebration. Thanksgiving is pretty special to us this year. Last year we didn't have a family celebration, following Nancy's grandfather's death at age 100. The two of us went for a Spyder ride instead...and found our land. This is an anniversary of sorts in that respect, and we are grateful. It is also nice to have the family back together again. I have little family left, so Nancy's family is important to me.

We had only one crew of carpenters on the job yesterday. That is understandable after Marc took a fall Monday. He is OK. The doctor was amazed but pronounced him undamaged. He is very sore, however. A few days off will do him good. I imagine he is getting tired of the lectures on safe work practices, but he certainly has a lot to be thankful for today.

They continued to apply the logs to the north wall yesterday. It is our longest wall, being continuous with the garage. I left after lunch and it was less than halfway after two days. I expect they have 2-3 more days before they move on. We had to shovel about an inch of snow from overnight, but the sun shone nicely. Too bad they had to work in the shade. It was chilly! Monday they had the better of the sides, as they were out of the wind. The boys on the south side not only had 20 degree temperatures to contend with, but also 25-35 mph winds that brought the windchills near 10 much of the time.

I was pretty lazy yesterday. I shoveled, swept, and ran some errands for them, but I didn't work as hard as I typically do. The fireplace was delivered Tuesday, so it is ready for the mechanical contractor. He was supposed to show yesterday to start on the geothermal system, but he didn't. It would be nice to have heat (and insulation).



Happy Thanksgiving!

[SpyRyd]

Sorry I didn't check in yesterday. I had to make the pumpkin pies for today's trip to Nancy's parents' for our Thanksgiving celebration. Thanksgiving is pretty special to us this year. Last year we didn't have a family celebration, following Nancy's grandfather's death at age 100. The two of us went for a Spyder ride instead...and found our land. This is an anniversary of sorts in that respect, and we are grateful. It is also nice to have the family back together again. I have little family left, so Nancy's family is important to me.

We had only one crew of carpenters on the job yesterday. That is understandable after Marc took a fall Monday. He is OK. The doctor was amazed but pronounced him undamaged. He is very sore, however. A few days off will do him good. I imagine he is getting tired of the lectures on safe work practices, but he certainly has a lot to be thankful for today.

They continued to apply the logs to the north wall yesterday. It is our longest wall, being continuous with the garage. I left after lunch and it was less than halfway after two days. I expect they have 2-3 more days before they move on. We had to shovel about an inch of snow from overnight, but the sun shone nicely. Too bad they had to work in the shade. It was chilly! Monday they had the better of the sides, as they were out of the wind. The boys on the south side not only had 20 degree temperatures to contend with, but also 25-35 mph winds that brought the windchills near 10 much of the time.

I was pretty lazy yesterday. I shoveled, swept, and ran some errands for them, but I didn't work as hard as I typically do. The fireplace was delivered Tuesday, so it is ready for the mechanical contractor. He was supposed to show yesterday to start on the geothermal system, but he didn't. It would be nice to have heat (and insulation).



Happy Thanksgiving!

Scotty, you and Nancy will always have "family" as long as there are Spyders and Spyderlovers.
Thanks for all your help over the past 18 months since I've been a member of the Spyderlovers family.

[Phil]

Lookin good Scotty!


Sent from my iPhone7 using Tapatalk

[NancysToy]

After a shortened week last week, we had a crew on the job again today. If we are going to beat the weather, we have to keep moving. I actually went out Friday and cut some trees, but I didn't stay long. The remainder of the day was spent chasing some of our selections and trying to make the budget balance. Today felt quite normal by comparison.

The progress is pretty boring at this point. We have over 5,700 linear feet of 4"x8" half logs to apply to the house. It goes pretty fast on the straight sections, and more slowly where the logs have to be cut to fit windows, doors, and especially the soffits. It takes a long time to make significant headway as a result. They got a lot done today, but there is still a day or two left on this wall...mostly high work with every piece fitted from here on.



I kept busy, too. I installed a temporary lockset in the rear garage door so we wouldn't have to screw it closed each night. I waterproofed the beams on the rear porch, to protect them until they can be covered next Spring. I also moved about a yard of gravel to backfill where they ran the water from the well to the house. A brief thaw in the afternoon allowed that. I have been waiting patiently for a thaw. Our ground has been frozen for a couple of weeks. I have about another yard of gravel to move, then I have to bring in a yard of crushed stone as a paver base. We have a lot of dirt to move. I really need a tractor. I looked at a nice Kubota wit a loader and backhoe last week, but with frozen ground it is probably not so practical right now. The money might be better spent on my pole barn.

I also had a chance to discuss a number of things with the builder. There are a number of things coming in above the allowances and we have to make some adjustments. Typical for these things, but still not pleasant. Our flooring and garage doors have both landed on us at once in that department. I am going to do some work myself to temper the costs...incuding making my own doors for the back of the garage. The builder isn't thrilled with that prospect. He feels he has let us down, but I keep explaining that I really prefer to have a hand in this job myself. My dad built his own house shortly after my parents were married. He even dug the basement by hand with a shovel and wheelbarrow. That's a bit more than I am willing to contribute, but I do like to get my hands dirty and I am skilled in a number of areas.

It is beginning to look like a log house, at any rate.

[spyder3]

Looking great Scotty. Very nice.

[NancysToy]

Day off yesterday for the carpenters. The lead carpenter's grandsons had oral surgery under anesthetic. Around three hours for each of them...Yech! Everything went well, though. The carpenters finished putting logs on the north wall today. This is our longest wall at 66 feet. That's a lot of logs! It put my heart in my throat to see Marc back up at the gable, after his fall from the other one, but things went well today. Tomorrow they should move to the back for the better part of a week.



The mechanical contractor was on site again. One guy worked on the fireplace installation. I had to chase some stack parts for him, and will have to do the same tomorrow. We guessed at what we needed from the drawings, but sometimes it works out differently in the field. They also started on the geothermal system. They are doing horizontal boring to install the tubes. It is a neat process. There is a transducer in the shaft head that relays the depth, direction, and pipe bend. They adjust the horizontal and lateral bends to guide the drill to the depth and location they want to achieve. They then run the bit back out of the ground about 200 feet away, hook on their pipe, and pull it back. It didn't go well on the first try. They hit a rock or something and went deep. On the pull back they caught and broke the drill pipe. Fortunately they were able to retrieve the drill head and transducer. They were trying again when I left at dusk. I hope it went better. This will take a few days, then more than a week to pressure test, dig a pit, tie together, and bore under the garage and basement to enter under the center of the basement floor.



Nancy and I worked hard, chasing parts, moving logs, emptying the water off the tarp covering the pole barn trusses and re-covering the trusses, and opening the ditches to shed the rain and digging to expose the cable TV conduit the electric company buried. The roofer finally got the skylift off site after their trailer broke an axle. They made more ruts in the process...but they are the last we will have to fix. I had some carpentry to do, but I didn't get to it between the builder and the contractors taking my day. The garage doors were finalized yesterday and ordered today. I will have to build the doors for the back, as the allowance was insufficient to cover the cost of the three doors. I'm thinking tongue & groove cedar.

[arntufun]

What sold you on Geothermal ?????? VERY VERY expensive and takes many many years to start to see it payoff. I used to work for a company that does vertical Geothermal drilling/installs and it never really took off in my area due to the up front costs.

Your house is looking great Scotty........

[NancysToy]

What sold you on Geothermal ?????? VERY VERY expensive and takes many many years to start to see it payoff. I used to work for a company that does vertical Geothermal drilling/installs and it never really took off in my area due to the up front costs.

Your house is looking great Scotty........

No natural gas available on the street and the payback is much quicker vs. propane. The 30% tax rebate helps, too. The costs for horizontal boring or trenching are much lower than for vertical wells at $16-$20 a foot. That can add $10,000-$15,000 to the cost in a heartbeat. Besides, if we are going to the trouble to build a house that is energy efficient, geothermal is the best available option right now, having the higest efficiency.

[MarkLawson]

No natural gas available on the street and the payback is much quicker vs. propane. The 30% tax rebate helps, too. The costs for horizontal boring or trenching are much lower than for vertical wells at $16-$20 a foot. That can add $10,000-$15,000 to the cost in a heartbeat. Besides, if we are going to the trouble to build a house that is energy efficient, geothermal is the best available option right now, having the higest efficiency.

Can you give those of us who are ignorant a brief tutorial of how it works? I'm assuming it is getting heat from the earth, but would like a better understanding.

[retired1]

Can you give those of us who are ignorant a brief tutorial of how it works? I'm assuming it is getting heat from the earth, but would like a better understanding.

Mark; the second video on post #148 explains it pretty clearly.

[cuznjohn]

Can you give those of us who are ignorant a brief tutorial of how it works? I'm assuming it is getting heat from the earth, but would like a better understanding.

if i get it right it draws water from a well drilled for it, than the pipe is run in a loop or section and recycled back to the well so it is maintaining a constant temp. summer and winter.

[DynamoBT]

Following this thread is the biggest reason I return to Spyderlovers from time to time. It's really looking good, Scotty!! Bet you can't wait to get in it!!!

[NancysToy]

Can you give those of us who are ignorant a brief tutorial of how it works? I'm assuming it is getting heat from the earth, but would like a better understanding.

There are several variations, but ours will be the closed-loop variety. Liquid is pumped through tubes buried in the ground. A heat pump extracts heat from that liquid (much more efficiently than from the air) or gives up excess heat to the liquid. The systems give off three to five times the energy they consume for their pumps and fans.

[Frank G]

The bottom Line. We have a 2600 sq ft Full Log House, Total Electric with Geothermal. (Pond Loop System) 14 years old. 3 Adults and 2 children. We average $225.00 per month electric in northwest Ohio. First Energy is the Local and have a locked in rate with someone. Best system we ever had. Comfortable.

Scotty should do even better, He will have a better insulation package, and the newer systems have a better efficiency rating. You also get free hot water during the cooling season.

Back to the construction zone

[NancysToy]

Today they started applying the logs to the back wall. It is slow going! The windows and doors are mostly a foot apart, so each piece must be carefully cut to fit, then half beveled at the ends. There is also added trim where the logs meet the deck, and under the doors. Even with two miter saws right there, and four carpenters, it went very slowly. It looks like we may have underestimated the time until the logs are done.



The geothermal installation came to a screeching halt. The boring machine broke a large steel block attached to a hydraulic cylinder. It isn't easy to crack a 1 1/2" x 5" portion of a larger steel block. The part is on order, but it is hard to tell whether the arctic cold and snow or the part will arrive first.

I chased chimney parts, moved materials, cleaned up, and cut and fit some blocking for the shower. Nancy stayed home to try to get started preparing for Christmas and our daughter's upcoming baby shower. I wish there were more hours in a day!

[Bob Denman]

Try to remember: "Patience is a virtue"
But it may just be one of the annoying ones!
Hang in there; progress is being made each day!

[NancysToy]

No work on the logs on Friday or today, I'm sorry to say. Today (and tomorrow) they were pulled off for another job, and nobody knows why they were missing Friday. I figure we have 5-8 days more of log application, so at this rate it could well be Christmas by the time they get done. We did make some progress, however. Friday the electricians were there for more rough-in. They have another day or two before they finish. They would really like to have the HVAC system installed so they can wire that...at least temporarily.

We got about 5" of snow overnight, so we had to deal with that and the cold. It was windy, too, so that made things a bit worse. We were all quite cold by the time we knocked off for the day. The part came in for the boring machine and they worked on it for a while...until they ran out of welding gas. They have a cap screw that locked into place in the cold, so they needed their heat wrench. They also had to find a machine shop, since the new part had a different sized eye than the bigger old one. With luck they may be boring again tomorrow. That should be quite a mess, as they have to use lots of water and it is very cold. Another 2"-5" of snow expected tomorrow, too. Actually, we expect snow all week.

The roofing crew was back to put up the porch ceiling. They were blind-sided by the builder, who told them it was all ready to go. In actuality we had to install some strapping first. They did not bring the tools for that, and there were no materials on site, so I chased to Home Depot for some strapping and a hand saw. When I got back I had to show one of the young guys how to use a hand saw. They are seriously spoiled with their power tools. Their pneumatic tools froze up in the cold, so they also had to resort to using hammers. I helped out and we got things handled, including trimming a 4x4 that was in the way. That wasn't fun! The ceiling looks real good. On the way out the driveway they sideswiped my truck, damaging the side of the box and the rear wheelwell trim. Some days you fight it all the way! Terrible time of year to have to visit the body shop.

Nancy went to the hand doctor today, to check out some pain she has been having. A couple of years ago she had to have the trapezius bone removed from the base of her right thumb, and have it replaced by a rolled up piece of tendon taken from her wrist. It was badly deteriorated from arthritis. Today she found that the left side is even worse...bone on bone and in jeopardy of collapsing and becoming unrepairable, if not addressed soon. They wanted to do surgery Thursday morning, but we have to get a Christmas tree this week and decorate it, and she is giving a baby shower for our daughter Saturday. She may have to have the surgery next week, however. That will sure make wrapping Christmas presents difficult. I guess I won't get any more shoveling out of her for a while. I hope she is fully healed by the time we move. The last time it was 9-10 weeks before she was out of the cast permanently. It's rough to get old!

[Frank G]

Winter months inflect many construction challenges. Spring will come and everything will come together as planned. You and your wife take care of yourselves so you may enjoy the fruit of your labor.

[NancysToy]

Winter months inflect many construction challenges. Spring will come and everything will come together as planned. You and your wife take care of yourselves so you may enjoy the fruit of your labor.

We fully intend to be in there by Spring...in fact we have to, as the construction loan will have expired by mid-Spring. They only give you nine months. I am not complaining about anything but the fact that we are behind schedule. I worked construction for several decades and I fully understand. In the "old days" work would stop soon after the snow flew. These days the work goes on almost all year.

[bruiser]

I feel for Nancy. I'm in a similar situation. My right thumb is really beginning to act up too. I haven't been back to the doctor yet. I'll probably have to have it done after the first of the year.

[NancysToy]

Before anyone sends out an all-points bulletin again, I thought I would check in. I'm afraid there has been precious little progress for a while, for a variety of reasons. The boring rig for the geothermal system is still out of business being repaired. Earliest possible return is the end of the week. Meanwhile the ground has frozen harder and we have had over a foot and a half of snow while the machine was down, so it may not be able to finish the job until Spring. They are looking at the possibility of a jackhammer bit attachment for the drill head, but they are also looking at the possibility of a temporary furnace as pPlan B if we can't achive the geothermal. Neither sounds good, and neither sounds cheap. Stay tuned for further developments.

The carpenters have not been on the job for the last 12 days, so the log application is stalled, too. I hope to have them back tomorrow, but we are expecting snow again and it could scare them off. For December, this year has been more like January. Normally we would not have seen this much cold or snow...especially as a steady diet. I figure we have 5-8 days more for the logs, plus a few punch list items on the framing. Getting the shell completed before New Years seems remote at this point, with more down time expected for the holidays.

I have been spending much of my time shoveling. The driveway is 300 feet long, and I have no equipment out there as yet...and no available help. Geezers really shouldn't work this hard! Today I took a break and and ran audio wires. Friday we chased to the other side of Michigan and found a dandy reclaimed barnwood mantle.

On a brighter note, we passed the electrical rough-in inspection. The porch ceiling was finished last week...with one casualty. The fireplace is also installed...except for the cap. We will leave that until Spring when it is safer to work on the roof. We have a few loose ends to complete the main floor mechanical and then we can get the mechanical and plumbing rough-in inspections and the framing inspection. At that point we can insulate and then begin the plastering...if we get heat. Unfortunately we are 2-4 weeks behind schedule, stuck in the middle of the holidays, and stalled on the heat and the logs. Things are going painfully slowly, but when I started in the construction business many years ago, we shut down completely for several months each winter, so this isn't as bad as it could be.

More about that casualty I mentioned. When the roofers were leaving the site they sideswiped my truck, creasing the side of the box and killing the wheelwell molding. My insurance says theirs has to cover, and theirs says it is mine's responsibility. I am stuck in the middle and will probably end up with nobody paying for it. Needless to say I am not happy. I expect to park in the road and hike in from here on out.

Nancy has to have hand surgery next week (two days before Christmas). She also gave a baby shower for our daughter last week and has been ambushed by Christmas. As a result, she hasn't been to the property since Thanksgiving or so. Now because of the upcoming surgery she is working feverishly to try to finish a baby quilt for our daughter for Christmas. It is mostly hand quilted and appliqued, so she needs that thumb. The surgery is just like what they did to her other hand a couple of years ago, before she retired. They will remove the trapezius bone from her left thumb, and replace it with a rolled up piece of tendon they will swipe from her wrist. 9-10 weeks in a cast after that, so she won't be helping shovel for a while. I have missed her on the road trips each day, and to bounce things off of at the job site. It's looking like a long winter.