Our House

[Tommy13]

Greetings all!

I don't get around to posting often, but I do spend a lot of time reading about what everyone else has going on always appreciate the sharing of knowledge. 

I figured it was time to start my own thread to share our latest and biggest adventure to date. 

My wife and I have been planning and dreaming about this house for over 10 years and we are blessed to be able to make this happen. 

God is Good!

Here are the plan drawings of the house.  We plan to stick with most of the design elements in these drawings.



Excavation Beings

[Tommy13]

We signed our contract back on April 1 and things started rolling along mid month.  Our builder is starting to wind down toward retirement and really liked the plans we had picked so he decided to take on the job.  We are looking at an extended build time due to the complexity of the build.

Footprint is staked out and a rough outline painted in the dirt.


Driveway roughed in.


Luckily they didn't hit solid rock until the corner near the garage.


Footings and crawlspace being dug.



This little Kubota with a rockhammer did a slick job on the rock.

[Tommy13]

Footings going in.


The first concrete is poured.


We aren't usually able to get to the job site while work is going on, but I did manage to sneak in during one day of concrete.
Funny seeing a ready mix truck parked in our future great room/kitchen.


Most of the footings are in.  Forms for garage are being set.

[Tommy13]

Then they began forming up the walls for the crawlspace.


Water, sewer, electric, and drainage are being put in place during this phase as well.




Gravel going in the crawlspace along with additional footings.

[Tommy13]

At this point it seems like we've been in this hole for months and we have.  Our builder reminded us that this house will have 31 exterior corners not counting porches.  I'm happy with letting him take his time to get everything right. 

The foundation walls are complete, sealing of the exterior is complete along with drains on both sides of all of the footings. 

[Atkinsmatt]

Sure does look great.  It will be worth the wait.

[Tommy13]

I will continue to update as progress is made.  At this point framing should begin within the next couple of weeks.  The exterminator was on site late last week pretreating everything.

Our builder has given us allowances for what my wife calls, "The fun stuff." Cabinets, appliances, flooring, and large fixtures so we have been working on that.  I mostly just nod, add encouragement, and make sure to feed my wife to keep her strength up while she makes major decisions. 

She was able to find a tub that she likes and fits in.  A challenge considering she's nearly 6ft tall. 

[EL TATE]

Looks great Tommy! That's one heck of a floor plan and I'm happy for ya!

[Bob Smith]

New homes are so much fun, it will be a challenge for sure until  it is completed but so worth it in the end.

[cudakidd53]

Really like the exterior design there Tommy!  Nice to see something other than a cracker box with gutters and shutters - very nice!  That is a huge tub!

[Tommy13]

Thanks for the compliments.  We wanted character and this plan fits our tastes.  Everything is on one level except for a bonus room above the garage that the kids are going to use as a tv/game room.

Today they moved some dirt next to the driveway.  We are still working with the builder to figure out exactly how everything will grade out. The garage is now fully of gravel fill as well.  More dirt work will continue as they backfill and get things closer to grade.

[Dawg25385]

Awesome, congratulations on your new custom home. And thanks for sharing with us!


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[Flyin6]

Good golly, miss molly! I am compressed!

That thing is big.

I remember well coming back from the stan and seeing my house in about that point of the construction. I was thinking the same thing..."That's a pretty big house...We need all this space?"

Turns out we don't. But we own it and its a beautiful house

Congrats on fulfilling your dreams. Will be fun watching it grow.

[dave945]

Congrats on the house, looks like it's going to be beautiful.  I like the tub, that is huge. It would be a swim pool for my wife, she's 5'3".

[Bigdave_185]

Fantastic.  Curious of color choices on the outside?


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[Tommy13]

Right now the plan is gray tones with white trim.  Similar to Dawg's.

[KensAuto]

That looks like a great house Tommy. Thanks for sharing with the family here.

[TexasRedNeck]

 Very Nice Tommy. Like the Russians, trust but verify. Hire your own inspectors to inspect along the way.


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[cruizng]

Congrats on your 10 year dream! I like the design. Where's the shop? 

 

[Wilbur]

That looks very nice! I like the one level idea too. My "dream house" is similar in that regard. Good luck! As TRN says trust but verify. Easier to fix things along the way then after more things get heaped on top. 

[Sammconn]

Looks great. Like the plans.
Stay on top of things as others have mentioned.
Easy to fix now, not so much once done.

Man that is a size large tub.
Enjoy your dream!

[Tommy13]

Congrats on your 10 year dream! I like the design. Where's the shop? 

 

The third garage bay has a small shop space that will get me by for a couple of years until I can build my shop.  The plan is for the shop to sit on the upper end of our property. 

Our builder actually suggested we hire an independent inspector which we did. He has been on site once a week during the excavation and foundation process.

All advice and observations from those who have gone through the process are appreciated.  Things you would change if you were to do it again and things that would be sure to do the same.

[cudakidd53]

Make sure you have enough outlets in the garage, especially the shop area!  A separate circuit for a compressor and a 220 for a welder if you are so disposed.

[Bigdave_185]

This is a good spot to read through.

Buy/building home construction opinions and good ideas.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=1020467&share_tid=2181&url=http%3A%2F%2Freal-man-truckworks-and-survival%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephp%3Ftopic%3D2181&share_type=t


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[kampfitt]

Wow nice house! My Wife would love that tub!! where did you get it?

[Tommy13]

Thanks for the link Dave.

The tub is coming from a regional supply company.  I can get the make and model for you if you'd like.

[kampfitt]

Yea that would be great wifey wants to redo the main bath next year!

[Tommy13]

Tub info:

MTI Baths: Boutique Collection Tubs Model #185 Juliet 1

[Flyin6]

Tub info:

MTI Baths: Boutique Collection Tubs Model #185 Juliet 1

That tub would be a "Juliet!"

[Tommy13]

Time for an update.

Backfill and drains are complete.  More dirt work has been completed.  Plastic sheeting has been laid in the crawl space and framing has begun.  Floor joists have been delivered and insulation should be going on the foundation walls this week.  We are close to having a floor.

[Bigdave_185]

Looks good,  I am not real familiar with crawl spaces, do they install ventilation fans to keep them dry?


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[Tommy13]

Some do have vent fans.  Some have multiple vents.  Ours will be sealed and have a very small amount of HVAC supplied to pressurize the space.  Treating it like a small basement.

[JR]

It all looks great, thats a ranch house!

+ pressure crawl space? I like that idea. Do they cover the plastic?

What size shop you looking at?

[Tommy13]

I've seen a few that actually have concrete floors, but we won't be covering the vapor barrier with anything. Gorilla tape at the walls and seams and it's good to go.  The theory is warm humid air from outside can't get in to create condensation on plumbing and duct work which is no good.  Drains remove any water that collects around the footings and the foam insulation that was sprayed on the foundation walls also works as a moisture barrier.

I'm thinking 30x40 for the shop.  With a partial loft.  I want enough height for a lift on one side.

[JR]

Sounds like the crawlspace will be good.

I like the shop plan. Loft for the guy hangout besides the shop itself!

[Tommy13]

Yes Sir!

TV, Couch, Fridge.... DONE!

[Tommy13]

More progress.  The floor will be completed today and we should see the beginning of walls.

Insulation sprayed on walls.




Floor joists are in along with additional insulation.








AdvanTech subflooring in and nearly complete.  All that hard work and engineering covered up, and I couldn't be more pleased.

[JR]

Is that 1 1/8 tg or something better?

[Tommy13]

Yes it's 1 1/8" TG.  This stuff is solid as a rock.

[Tommy13]

Actually JR I need to check thickness.  I'm not 100% sure it is 1 1/8. 

[TexasRedNeck]

Tommy, usually they call it 1 1/8 and its actual 1inch.  I have that in my weekend place and am using it in the casita I'm building.  Its approved for use on 24 inch center joists.

[JR]

Used the OSB on my garage with 16 ctr, 16 eng beams like you have, glued and screwed.  8 years now and not a squeak. Better than the house!!

[Dawg25385]

You'll rarely see a framer screw down a subfloor that big. If you use enough construction adhesive and ring shanks, it ain't gonna squeak. Good surface bonding with the glue is what really matters.

In a small area, id probably screw it down too tho


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[Tommy13]

It is 1 1/8.  Glued with AdvanTech adhesive and screwed down every 6 inches.  I have been impressed with our builder every step of the way.  Like many of us he over builds things and that's fine by me.

[Tommy13]

We had some severe weather this afternoon that cut the day short.  All of the small pieces have been cut and fitted.  The floor is complete and the wall locations have been marked.  Lumber is on site.  Looking forward to some walls tomorrow if all goes well.

[TexasRedNeck]

That subfloor adhesive is awesome.  I couldnt justify the system and components (gun, cleaning solution etc)for my little project so I'll stick with normal subfloor adhesive and screws. 

[Dawg25385]

Dang, your builder is the real deal if he's screwing down, on a 6" schedule to boot. That's unheard of around here to be honest, unless you're paying big money. Happy you got a good one!

My folks are building a house right now, and their builder could be related to yours lol. He refuses to use OSB, and only uses #1 grade lumber. Pretty crazy, bit overkill if you ask me... cost for CDX vs OSB and #1 vs 2 and better is approaching double

Congrats on your progress, keep us updated with more pics!


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[Tommy13]

I'm doing my best to chronicle this build daily.  My wife wants to put a book together and also frame the plans. 
 
I have been reading up on some of these materials.  AdvanTech and everything Huber makes is top notch.  These systems carry great warranties and are guaranteed to not squeak.  AdvanTech flooring has a 500 day no sanding guarantee.  After seeing the stuff, handling it, looking at the finished product I'm impressed.  I've never been a fan of OSB, I've always known it has it's place, but this stuff is pretty amazing.  It is not cheap, but the quality shows.  I'll be using Huber products from now on when I can.

[Bob Smith]

Dang, your builder is the real deal if he's screwing down, on a 6" schedule to boot. That's unheard of around here to be honest, unless you're paying big money. Happy you got a good one!

My folks are building a house right now, and their builder could be related to yours lol. He refuses to use OSB, and only uses #1 grade lumber. Pretty crazy, bit overkill if you ask me... cost for CDX vs OSB and #1 vs 2 and better is approaching double

Congrats on your progress, keep us updated with more pics!

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And the stamped  #2 or better now was considered utility or scrap not so many years ago

[Tommy13]

We have walls!