Vi's home construction blog: Spring 2011 Update - Landscape Torment

[vi edit]

http://cid-e46bb480e134a82a.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/house



After sitting around on a signed contract since last October we finally broke ground today on our house. Weather outlook is crummy for the next several days so footings & foundation will either be slowed or unable to move...but it's a start anyway!

At some point this mud pit:
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...gI6KwLr5P3jbnEqm5ecmPSQ6nnbAacxw/IMG_3917.jpg


Will have something similar to this sitting on it:
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...dbaWxrZaxyJeivxh48xBM1W4Lpdx9usLEA/house1.jpg

Yay!

12/29/10:
Damn near done.....just need to put up my lanterns on the pillars

http://xuvxbq.bay.livefilestore.com...1fElS6-Qn__-UCtlmdm_2r0e6/IMG_3907.JPG?psid=1
http://xuvxbq.bay.livefilestore.com...okuSYIlN5-4TNGy9X_aUZCEm3/IMG_3909.JPG?psid=1

 

[meltdown75]

congrats on getting the ball rolling... i have an album of pics beginning with a hole in the ground around here somewhere well... now that i think of it... maybe it's gone 0_0 LOL

it's an exciting time... enjoy it... i wasn't the type to be onsite all the time, and i couldn't believe how quickly my house was built... every time i came back there seemed to be something major done! kinda crazy! cheers man!!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Nice! Later down the road if I want to move, think I will get it built too. Always fun to be involved in the entire process. I actually wish I had the time to do lot of it myself, would be a fun project to build a house from ground up, leaving some of the more serious stuff like foundation and main utility hookups to pros.

Is there more digging to be done? It looks like it will be a low basement, unless it just looks that way because of the angle.

 

[spidey07]

Looks like a nice location/lot. Extra kudos for having plenty of trees.

I see a lot of conifers, you up north?

 

[StageLeft]

Make sure they keep the concrete warm while curing. You don't want to be on an episode of Holmes on Homes

 

[BassBomb]

are you supervising the build or was it just a preselected house from a builder?

our house was built in 2003 !

 

[vi edit]

Yeh, they've got another half day of work yet bringing the back down and making the slope for a walk out. The lot isn't a natural walkout setup, but I've got enough room that I can make it work.

I'm just amazed at how fast they worked. In about 6 hours they took a bare lot and made it look like a bomb blew up and ready to mostly drop a house in there. It was funny watching them unload the excavator. He drove it right off the trailer without using ramps. He drove to the end of the trailer, extened the bucket and proped it against the ground. Drove off half way. Turned the bucket around and braced it on the trailer and drove off the rest of the way. Wish I had been filming it. Pretty crazy to watch.

 

[techs]

Now would be a great time to get rid of those pesky bodies.

 

[StageLeft]

Yeh, they've got another half day of work yet bringing the back down and making the slope for a walk out. The lot isn't a natural walkout setup, but I've got enough room that I can make it work.

I'm just amazed at how fast they worked. In about 6 hours they took a bare lot and made it look like a bomb blew up and ready to mostly drop a house in there. It was funny watching them unload the excavator. He drove it right off the trailer without using ramps. He drove to the end of the trailer, extened the bucket and proped it against the ground. Drove off half way. Turned the bucket around and braced it on the trailer and drove off the rest of the way. Wish I had been filming it. Pretty crazy to watch.

I've seen that. It looks initially like they are begging for an accident or clowning around but I guess it's common.

 

[lupi]

how big of a basement?

 

[Rubycon]

What no pics of excavators?

 

[StageLeft]

how big of a basement?

Also, are you getting exterior foam insulation for this basement? Now is the time and yuo know it's the in-thing to do these days. Protects the foundation from freeze/thaw cycle and also moisture and maximizes interior space in the basement when you decide to finish it, too.

 

[vi edit]

What no pics of excavators?

http://cid-e46bb480e134a82a.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/house/IMG^_3915.jpg



Here's the open dir:
http://cid-e46bb480e134a82a.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/house

Basement is around 1870 sq/ft. The entire house will have 2" of rigid foam wrapped around it top to bottom(including outside of foundation).

 

[Rubycon]

Haha awesome!

 

[StageLeft]

Sweet, it is officially Skoorb endorsed!

 

[isekii]

how much ?

 

[vi edit]

how much ?

Hopefully under $350k. And that includes damn near $30k in well & septic. My well is going to be over $20,000. Probably looking at 450ft before I hit water. Bleh. I don't care if city people have a water bill....I'll have the 30 year mortgage paid off before I come out ahead ahead on water bills.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Speaking of foundation make sure they put good weeping tiles in, looks like you got a very wet soil. I would expect the soil to be like a big chunk of ice at this time of year.

But I'm sure they know what they're doing. They are the pros, not me.

 

[skyking]

I don't see any batter boards. Did the guys dig that to paint marks, staking, what?
Was it laid out before they arrived?

 

[grohl]

love heavy machinery. maybe in my next life.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

In the upper left corner of the mud pit is some mud that is oddly shaped like a body. Can you explain this?

 

[Praetor]

Now would be a great time to get rid of those pesky bodies.

Noooooo. In a few years, he'd have to deal with the ghosts.

 

[Born2bwire]

Noooooo. In a few years, he'd have to deal with the ghosts.

 

[Number1]

Wow, congratulation, nice.

My daughter is moving into her new house at the end of the month. At $550,000. in the Barrie area, its going to be a nice. She is a flight attendant and he is a pilot so they have lots of money.

Good luck with your house and keep us posted.

 

[drnickriviera]

Basement is around 1870 sq/ft. ... Including under the slab? If not, do it.