Progress On The House Site

[Local diggers]

Thats a big steel!!! Two man job?

[B4D2USA]

Thats a big steel!!! Two man job?

LOL, yep, one to operate the crane, and one (me) on the ladder trying to drive it into the beam pocket...

[B4D2USA]

Rain Delay Lets Me Post A Picture Or Two

It is a stormy day here in the Midwest, with winds up to 50 MPH and waves on Lake Michigan to 34 feet forecast. Rain amounts to exceed 2 or 3 inches as well. Rather than spend another day drenched to the skin with little to show for the effort, I am staying home to manage some paperwork and ordering for the site. Some questions were asked about the drainage and waterproofing concerns for the foundation. Here's a few pictures to address the curious. One is of me applying the rubberized (spelled it right this time) waterproofing material and the other is of me dumping a load of drainage gravel into the trench to cover the 4" perforated drain tile. The black fabric is filter cloth to prevent fines from clogging the drain gravel. The drain tile is encased in another filter "sock" to keep the tile open. All of this is rather redundant because the entire site is sand, so I doubt that the drain tiles will do anything other than provide shelter to the chipmunks and mice.

[Stock]

You giving it one or two coats of Black Jack?? Is there a pipe at the bottom of basement wall?? Is there a protective membrane to be placed up against the finished wall.............

[B4D2USA]

You giving it one or two coats of Black Jack?? Is there a pipe at the bottom of basement wall?? Is there a protective membrane to be placed up against the finished wall.............

Here's the stuff I am using to waterproof the concrete http://sealbest.com/pdf/td/h3405td.pdf I am applpying 2 coats (heavy) then will be covering it with XPS panels for insulation http://insulation.owenscorning.com/h...s/foamular-is/ Once it is all backfilled, the exposed foam will either get a coat of neutral coloer sealant or capped with some treated trim boards. At the bottom of the foundation, there is a 4" pipe that allows water to percolate into it and carry away to either a sump pump or downhill to daylight, depending on which point it gets into the drain pipe.

[Wazza]

Hows the build progressing Bruce ? ,I think we are overdue for an update ,have you finished it and christened it with a Champagne bottle already ? ..

[ianoz]

Hows the build progressing Bruce ? ,I think we are overdue for an update ,have you finished it and christened it with a Champagne bottle already ? ..

Great Minds think alike.Was thinking that myself .
I would hazzard a guess that he has been flat out trying to get it to roof on stage , so he can work on the inside over winter . I don't think I have seen an update on any of the other forums either , so i don't think we have been snobbed .

[Stock]

is he still hoping to be in for the turkey.............

[245dlc]

I'll bug him on Facebook if you like he's on there from time to time.

[B4D2USA]

I'll bug him on Facebook if you like he's on there from time to time.

It worked! Thanks Bert. Very slow going here. My concrete contractor has been juggling jobs, so he has been slow to return I was away in Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday (USA) visiting Julie's parents. Her dad had some surgery and it was complicated by age and other concerns, so we stayed a bit longer. When we returned to the site this past Weds, the concrete guy was finally finishing the piers for the porch, so I can backfill. I had planned on getting more accomplished, but his slow performance has slowed me down too. Then, the lumberyard has been very delayed in getting me shop drawings for trusses and wall sections. I plan on decking the foundation next week, but they are dragging their feet. Nontheless, I spent the last two days laying out the sills and installing them in anticipation of the deck next week. Prior to leaving, we were able to get the basement floor poured after I roughed in the bathroom drains. I also installed all the foam insulation and finished the perimeter drains. This was slowed because the little John Deere is having fuel issues, so I used the ATV to ferry 5 gallong buckets of gravel from the stock pile to the trenches. All in time for the weather to turn cold and snowy. Still, I'd rather frame in the snow, where I can shovel the moisture instead of dealing with torrential downpours.

[245dlc]

Yeah I've always found house construction to be a more pleasant affair in the winter. No mud or water to deal with makes life so much easier. lol Hope it goes well Bruce we've hardly got any snow here yet, usually we have a bit by now, but the weather has been staying pretty mild.

[Dan]

It worked! Thanks Bert. Very slow going here. My concrete contractor has been juggling jobs, so he has been slow to return I was away in Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday (USA) visiting Julie's parents. Her dad had some surgery and it was complicated by age and other concerns, so we stayed a bit longer. When we returned to the site this past Weds, the concrete guy was finally finishing the piers for the porch, so I can backfill. I had planned on getting more accomplished, but his slow performance has slowed me down too. Then, the lumberyard has been very delayed in getting me shop drawings for trusses and wall sections. I plan on decking the foundation next week, but they are dragging their feet. Nontheless, I spent the last two days laying out the sills and installing them in anticipation of the deck next week. Prior to leaving, we were able to get the basement floor poured after I roughed in the bathroom drains. I also installed all the foam insulation and finished the perimeter drains. This was slowed because the little John Deere is having fuel issues, so I used the ATV to ferry 5 gallong buckets of gravel from the stock pile to the trenches. All in time for the weather to turn cold and snowy. Still, I'd rather frame in the snow, where I can shovel the moisture instead of dealing with torrential downpours.

Why do you build so much under ground with all the associated costs ? .. heat .. frost protection ?

[B4D2USA]

In the upper midwest of the USA, we typically build to a depth of 48 inches to stay below the frost line. Most concrete contrators have 4' and 8 or 9' forms. The footings are the same, the labor to erect the 9' forms is almost the same as for the 4 footers, and for the cost of the concrete, you can double the square footage of the home for a minimal expense. PLUS, more space to store your stuff (until you die)

[245dlc]

I live probably close to 500 miles north of Bruce or somewhere around there, and our frost can go as deep as 8 feet if the snow is plowed off and the ground is driven on a lot. So because our weather conditions are so extreme many newer built houses feature poured in place concrete friction piles that I have heard going as deep as twenty feet in good ground. In other places that are closer to water bodies like creeks and rivers driven piles are used usually made out of preserved timber, basement walls here are also poured in place with quite a bit of rebar in them too. Other places in Canada like southern Ontario where the weather is a little more tame they'll use concrete footings but cinder block or pre-cast block walls. Oh and not only are basements a great place to hide your stuff, but you can keep the furnace and hot water heater down there, as well the washer and dryer. For me when I finally buy or build my first house I'll also have a room to myself for my model railroad.

[B4D2USA]

I spent the last day and a half backfilling and building up the garage fill. The concrete piers have had a week to set up, but I am still being careful filling around them (I don't want to knock them out of plumb). It's taking a long time because the spoil piles are scattered a bit further than I would have liked them and I am weaving between smaller pines that I would like to keep, but the 933 manages just fine. I will trim up the fill with the John Deere compact after moving most of the spoil with the Cat. At an operating weight under 3000 lbs, I can get right next to the foundation and piers without fear of cracking something. I was solo, so no "action" shots. Sorry.

P.S. Bert, RE: Model train layout. I will post up something in another thread.