The Log House Project

[NancysToy]

A brilliant electrical engineer friend of mine and his wife designed and had their house built about 20 years ago. He told me that the only major disagreement he and his wife had was that he wanted every room wrapped with a Mylar insulation product, which added a lot to the cost to build. She eventually relented & it was done. (All except the kitchen and bathrooms). He convinced her that, in the long run, it would pay for itself in utilities savings, as he knew how to figure those kind of things. It did. Between the extra insulation and high efficiency heating & air units, the monthly utility bills for the new place was lower than for the old place. Oh, and the square footage was 8x's greater!

Will you be insulating the garage?

We're getting a bit carried away with the insulation, HVAC, etc. We were not able to include passive solar as part of the design, because the orientation to the woods was more important to us, but we did insulate well. We will have R-30 walls and R49 ceilings, with the shell completely caulked and foamed to limit air leaks (yes, there will be an ERV). Geothermal heating and cooling. The house exceeds the 2012 energy code, and could easily qualify for green cerification if we chose to do so. We weren't in disagreement on our house, however, we both had the same goals.

The garage will be insulated, but to a lesser degree. The barn, which has shrunken considerably due to circumstances, will also be insulated. Not sure of the heat for that one yet, but I'm considering a mini-split heat pump system.

 

[cuznjohn]

house

when i had my house built in upstate new york we did not have electric on the road, so we built a house with 2x4 construction and the power company wanted a 2x6 constructed wall to bring us electric, so the house was built using generators and i installed a wood stove and at that point the electric company ( new york state elect and gas ) agreed to bring us electric. they said the main reason was we were using electric heat in the house and w/o 2x6 walls it was not efficient, we also did heavy insulation in the walls and 12 inch in the floor and Attic and also had a vapor barrier put on the inside walls under the sheet rock. the house was so warm we needed to open windows in the winter

 

[NancysToy]

The carpenters kept working in the rain after we left Wednesday, then Thursday, despite rain all day, the roofing/decking crews took over. They set the deck posts and finished the felt and ice & water shield on the main roof. This morning the place was a mess. The ground is clay, and was not only slick from 36+ hours of rain, it was heavily rutted from the Pettibobe telescopic lift. Those are very heavy, to counteract the load out on that long arm, so they make deep ruts in the wet soil. I dug ditches in the morning to drain some water away from the ruts. Today they framed up the garage valley and covered one side of the garage roof, then switched over to the deck. We need the deck to build the screened porch, so we can build the porch roof before we lay the shingles. They had two crews going all day, and got the beams up and about half the deck joists installed. The entire footprint is there now, and it is very gratifying.

Our son came out today. We spent several hours hiking the woods, ravine, and stream. We laid out some trails and began improving them. We need some steps and switchbacks down the ravine and eventually back up the other side. It was great to work with my son all day, but I am tired from the hiking and climbing. Hopefully the weather, which has suddenly taken a turn for the worse, will cooperate sufficiently for us to get the roof on next week.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

It is really looking good. :2thumbs: I hope the weather holds out for your roofers.

 

[NancysToy]

It is really looking good. :2thumbs: I hope the weather holds out for your roofers.

Me too, they're talking snowflakes by the end of next week. Having fun, wish you were here. :roflblack:

 

[Pennyrick]

Scotty, I feel Guilty. Here we are touring the mountains on our spyders while you guys are working your buns off.

this is an outstanding thread. I wish we had done something similar when we did our construction project back in 2010.

will the barn be done in time to protect your vehicles?

 

[NancysToy]

Scotty, I feel Guilty. Here we are touring the mountains on our spyders while you guys are working your buns off.

this is an outstanding thread. I wish we had done something similar when we did our construction project back in 2010.

will the barn be done in time to protect your vehicles?

I'd probably be better off riding in the mountains. This is a pretty dumb thing to do at my age.

I have had to scale back the barn for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is money. It was also delayed because I ripped the UCL off my thumb and had the surgery to repair it. I will have a smaller barn/garage, plus I have the attached 24x36 with an attic, so if I can get the barn done by Spring I will have room. The existing house isn't for sale yet, so there is no worry anyway, but I would like a place for my tools that is nearby.

 

[NancysToy]

I too am marveling at how fast the house is coming together for you and applaud you on your efforts

And now a little parade rain....
The last 10% takes 60% of the time for any project.



It looks like it will be a great place to live.

It is true that the speed with which the shell is constructed gives a false sense of the progress. The remainder of the project will take 2-3 times as long. This visible part is so promising, it is easy to become discuraged later. I am a construction veteran (although never for my entire house), so I know what to expect. Hopefully I can stand it when things slow down, as they inevitably must.

 

[mxz600]

It is true that the speed with which the shell is constructed gives a false sense of the progress. The remainder of the project will take 2-3 times as long.

That is so true. Framing up a house is the fast part. Then comes the plumbing, heat ducts, electrical & drywall. And if that's not enough to slow you down, there is always the final stuff. Floor coverings, drapes, appliances, kitchen cabinets, etc.

As with any project, there will be ups and downs. But in the end you will have a beautiful home in a very nice location to live in for the rest of your lives.

Connie had to attend a baby shower in Otsego today, so I dropped her off and I went over to check out your new place. Very nice location Scotty. I like how the house is kind of tucked in there surrounded by trees. I was going to get a closer look at things, but nobody was there, and there was a lot of MUD!!!:yikes:

 

[Bob Denman]

It'll be done when it's done; not one second sooner... :thumbup:
So don't sweat the small stuff!
It's important to enjoy the satisfaction that you can take in your role in this project... :clap::2thumbs:

 

[cuznjohn]

when mine was built

when i had my house built in upstate ny i was still working at the time so we could only get up there on weekends to see how things were going. i understand what you mean about how long it feel it going to take but it does move fast. i would get a call saying what they were doing and when i would get up there that and other things would be done. we had them sheet rock and tape the whole inside of the house and than paint all the ceilings, 4 bedrooms a bath a great room and a living room. than i would take 3 day weekends and go up and i paneled the whole house. it went pretty fast.

 

[NancysToy]

Ours will take a little longer....real plaster rather than drywall. A few other luxuries, too. For now I'll be glad when we get the roof on it. 10-4 on the mud. That clay gets slippery when wet. The high-lift ruts didn't help, either. Sorry I missed you, I didn't stay long today. I just had to shore up a wall until they can put it back together. They had to relocate a door.

 

[C3517C]

Log Cabin

You're moving pretty darn fast ! When you get to the log portion, please let me know what brand or type of sealant/stain / or calking/ chinking you decide to use. I have a log cabin myself and I'm due for a new batch of each. I'm deciding what to use and keeping my eyes on what is turning out nice. I'm sure it seems petty after the major construction, but its actually expensive and time consuming. Its also a job that is never done. Thanks !

 

[NancysToy]

You're moving pretty darn fast ! When you get to the log portion, please let me know what brand or type of sealant/stain / or calking/ chinking you decide to use. I have a log cabin myself and I'm due for a new batch of each. I'm deciding what to use and keeping my eyes on what is turning out nice. I'm sure it seems petty after the major construction, but its actually expensive and time consuming. Its also a job that is never done. Thanks !

We are using Outlast Q8 stain/preservative. There is no chinking with this half-log system, but we are using Sikaflex 219LM caulk, as recommended by the stain manufacturer. We were going to use Log Builder caulk, but it is not compatible with the oil stains, like Outlast Q8 or Woodgard. What you use will depend a lot on what was used before, and wheter you remove it to apply the new stain. Each stain has its own criteria as far as recoating. These oil stains are nice...one coat application and no stripping before recoating over the same product. Not sure if they will apply over a water based product.

 

[NancysToy]

Today it was raining pretty hard when we awoke at 5:30. The radar showed rain at the house site, too (it is an hour away). We drove through some pretty hard rain, but it was gone by the time we got to the property. The carpenters spent all day gloating a little. They did not show up Friday, thinking rain but finding out that it was dry instead. The deck/roofing crews did show, and rubbed it in. Today the tables were turned. While the carpenters worked in dry air, the roofers got nearly drowned on another job. I spent my first hour on site digging drainage ditches to try to drain the water from the high-lift ruts.

There was one main focus today, getting the rest of the garage valley built and finishing that roof. They accomplished what they wanted to, and got the roofing felt fastened down againt the wind with button nails, so we should be relatively dry until the shingles can go on. There is still one roof to finish. The end of the deck is to be screened in and covered, off our master bedroom. The deck beams are up but the joists are not done and the decking remains to be finished before the porch framing can go up and the roof can be built. No trusses here...it will be open rafters and an open, screened gable. Our master carpenter spent much of the day cutting rafters and beams, while his crew did roofing and buttoned down the house wrap.

Here is today's progress video. I haven't worn those guys out yet...they still move mighty fast! You get to see a side of the house you haven't seen yet. This is the back side of the garage, facing North. Note the Spyder-sized roll-up door in the back of the garage. More likely to get used for a tractor, but Spyder Door sounds pretty cool. :roflblack:

 

[MarkLawson]

I learned more about roofing watching that video than the guy who did my roof probably knows!

 

[NancysToy]

I learned more about roofing watching that video than the guy who did my roof probably knows!

Learned it quick, too. :roflblack:

 

[Bob Denman]

I remember doing stuff like that several lifetimes' ago... several... :shocked:
Getting things buttoned up against the weather will be a major tipping point; you're almost there!! :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

Busy day today! Three crews working...we have to strike while it is dry. Cold morning, though...34 here when we left, and about 38 there. They finished the screened porch end of the deck today, in preparation for framing the porch and roof. They may have even started that after we left. They also framed more of the rest of the deck. Normally, the deck would come later, but part of ours is covered, so we needed to get that up to build on top of it and add that portion of the roof. Up front, they started shingling the roof. Inside they worked on some necessary interior framing details and truss bracing. They also removed all the temporary braces and cut out the sills in the doorways.

I did my usual...dug ditches for draining away rain water, and backfilled holes where the high-lift got stuck. I also squeegeed the water off the basement floor, now that we are mostly dry. That went well until I backed up too far and stepped into the water-filled sump. Gore-tex boot linings don't let water out any better than they let it in. :roflblack: Too cold to stay wet for long. Fortunately they were burning scraps, so I dried a bit and warmed by the fire. Nancy and I worked on planning and measurements for cabinetry. She also did her usual rockhounding, and took a lok walk in the woods. She slid down the bank of the ravine and got pretty muddy, too. Our son is cutting in some steps and some trails, but he has a way to go.

 

[cuznjohn]

thanks

i really enjoy watching it come together thanks