So…after rain showers off and on almost every day this week, the first floor framing is complete. By the end of next week the house should be under roof. My first mishap today-the framer had issues laying out the bathroom. After a lot of measuring and drawing review, it came to light that the surveyor inadvertently laid an interior foundation wall a few inches off. So while the hubby has a slightly larger garage, I have a smaller closet. Anyone that knows me knows I need that closet space!!! Our surveyor recognized the error and reimbursed us voluntarily for the cost of layout and will complete our as built free of charge. He said we could make him rip the wall out. I would not want someone to make me pay for an honest mistake, and was more than happy with the resolution he offered us. All the walls are still square and level. So this hick up was overcome and on to the next.
Framing-and a view
July 20th, 2007Beams and Rough in
July 11th, 2007
Our beams and lolly columns are set, green board installed, and rough in for the basement bathroom inspected! Wednesday starts the framing. The floor won’t be poured until after the first floor deck is in. I need more patience…
Foundation-in Progress
July 1st, 2007
The foundation is over half done. This picture is a few days old. We will have 14 course total. After that is in, the contractor will put 4″ of stone, a drain, and 4″ of concrete for the basement floor, pouring around the lolly columns. The outside will be parged and the section of basement that will be underground will be sprayed with tar. Most of the back and all of the right side is above ground, full walk out. Now you can actually start to visualize it!
The excavation
June 19th, 2007
Check it out! This is the excavation for the foundation…it is big! Second picture is the footers.
Clearing the lot
June 10th, 2007
Yesterday we had the lot cleared. They found three snakes. One of them was about 6′ long. Yikes! We left up some trees in the front thatI would like to save but may need to come down eventually, and we have trees along the rear property line. Behind us is approx. 98 acres of ag preserve (from what we have been told. I have not yet researched to verify). When you are standing where the back porch will be, it is so peaceful. You can’t see the neighbors, only grass and trees. Our foundation will start about where the big bush is in the middle of the first picture. It is a full walk out from the rear and the east side of the basement. Next week our foundation starts!
Eye opener
June 5th, 2007
Yes, I realize the floor plan has backwards text. However, this is how the house actually sits. We had to reverse it from the prints, so I reversed the image here so you get a true view of what it will look like.
Word of advice…if you are trying to do a house for a low set cost…build UP, not OUT!
We chose a rancher with a two car, side entry garage, front and back porches. We do have a small second floor that the architect refers to as a “bonus” area. ( I still haven’t figured out the whole “bonus” thing. It’s not like they threw it in for free?!?) The exterior resembles a country/cape cod house, with a 12/12 roof pitch (did I write that properly?) Our foundation footprint is rather large, with multiple off sets. So, the major costs-foundation, framing, rafters, are much higher than your typical square house. I found out that to build the same amount of square footage on say… a 40′ x 40′ foundation and compensate for the square footage by adding an additional floor is cheaper…WAY cheaper, than to build the same amount of sq ft on a 60′ x 80′ foundation. Go figure. Just like shoe shopping, I always manage to pick out the most expensive pair…
Our Permit!!
June 4th, 2007Yes! Our permit was finally approved! This was the last item on our list prior to breaking ground! After changes to our house design ( we had to flip the house so the garage entered on the west side instead of the east side of the house) and house location (we had to move the house back an additional 25′), our final building permit was approved today! I can’t wait to pick it up tomorrow…
Let the adventure begin!
Getting Our Ducks in a Row
June 4th, 2007
You think getting a house mortgage is challenging? Try getting a building loan! Very few banks are willing to put money up for a loan for something that doesn’t exist yet. Typically, you will need to successfully build ten homes before bankers greet you and your building project with open arms. This is why so many people buy lots and then have builders come in and put up the house. It’s just so much easier to get financing. After an extensive report to the bank, listing all our subs, pricing, options…iq’s, height, weight…just kidding on the last three, the bank gave s our loan.
Well, anyone that knows me knows I love a challenge. So, here we go!
The Adventure Begins
June 3rd, 2007We’re so excited! After months of planning and discussing whether we should just buy a pre-built house or build our own, it is time to start on our house building adventure (off to see the wizard…)
Then came the hard part-finding the right lot. It is really hard to find a nice, affordable, buildable lot without a builder tie-in, but we finally managed to find the perfect one for us. There are nice neighbors, the land perced and we were able to install a well.
Here’s our dream lot:
