Building a stick frame house in the woods in 90 days

[pclausen]

Good point on the pea gravel. I like the idea of crusher run, as long as I can find some that is not grey around here. A clay color that matches the stamped concrete on the porch would be perfect. What mom has at her house right now does not feel like walking on ball bearings, but it is probably not pea gravel since the the individual stones are different sizes. Here's a shot of it again.

What type of stone is that?

 

[pclausen]

Map out those breakers now so you can do something like this later.

That's my plan already. I told the electricians to not hand write anything on the cover plate. I plan to print out labels with my computer to attach.

And yes, I plan to remove those zip ties as well, and clean up a few of the wires, but they did a good job I think.

 

[pclausen]

Nice technique on getting the generator in place. Where did you get it from? Online or locally?

Online from Norwall.

And the exterior outlet covers are code and have been for several years now, so you are stuck with them. They are required to be weathertight when "in use" (something plugged in) so they are all giant bubbles now. Arlington products has some nice boxes they call "In box" that recesses into the wall for a cleaner look, but you are way too late for that kind of work here. Weatherproof Products | Low Profile InBox for New Vinyl Siding Construction

Those look much nicer. As I said, they have all the other exterior outlets completely torn back down to just the square opening cut out in the hardy plank. So they might be able to cut out the mdf to allow recessing those "In box" style units. I'll print out that page and show it to the electricians, who hopefully will be there today.

 

[pacerron]

That's my plan already. I told the electricians to not hand write anything on the cover plate. I plan to print out labels with my computer to attach.

Some breaker boxes have a sheet of labels that come with them with numbers and special ones for 220 v devices.
I put printed number stick ons beside each breaker. Then I print a 8.5 x 11 sheet with the numbers and a description and put it in a clear protector sleeve fastened to the inside of the cover door.
That gives room for a more detailed description of each home run, i.e. Living room south wall, living room north wall, etc.
It is nice if you ever have to add another 220 breaker/s and need to move some 110 breakers down. All you have to do is revise the sheet and leave the numbers stuck to the panel alone.
Ron

 

[Buppies]

There is a quarry off of 81 near Staunton that sells brown colored stone in that size. There is also one north of Lynchburg that sells green colored stone. In both quarries that is their natural color. In North Carolina there is a quarry whose stone is black in color near Va border between Greensboro and Mount Airy. The size appears to be a 57 stone

 

[pacerron]

I can't tell from your self-portrait day 116-8 if you are using the viewfinder or the LCD to compose your shots?
If you use the LCD in Live View mode, you can turn on a choice of a couple of grid overlays. The "rule of thirds" grid which is normally thought of
to compose a pleasing picture is also extremely helpful in lining up the camera to get a horizontal or vertical shot so that it is not crooked.
Your inside shots where you are trying to show how walls and flooring line up, outside shots of buildings; really all shots are much straighter
by using the simple grid. It does not show in the final image, just on the LCD.
Most of us have a tendency to shoot crooked shots because of the tiny viewfinders in digital cameras and one hand shooting.
As the LCD's are becoming much brighter in daylight, a lot of the newer cameras don't even have EVF. Of course that is really about
the camera makers saving money.
If you haven't used the 3 rd's grid before, give it a try. I think you will like it.
Ron

 

[pacerron]

In the master bedroom and bathroom since the jogs and the junk in the middle of the room make measuring diagonals
difficult, you could use multiples of the 3-4-5 triangle to see which wall are out of square. It appears they really are way beyond any building tolerance code from your pictures. You can look up the Virginia code on the net.

Here is a simple explanation of the 3-4-5 rule that any beginning carpenter apprentice or helper is taught.

Carpenters 3-4-5 Rule
Ron

 

[Obed]

Doesn't Virginia require hard wired smoke detectors in new construction?

Whether they do or not, now would be a good time to do it, before the cellulose insulation is blown into the ceiling.

The interconnection, so that if one goes off they all go off is a great improvement over the old single area type.

I despise the interconnection between all the smoke detectors. In my house, when one smoke detector goes off, they all go off. I can't tell where the problem is. I have to search three floors, 5000 SF when I include the unfinished basement and unfinished upstairs, to try to find the issue. I'm sniffing around hoping my nose will identify the troubled spot. By the time I find which detector was set off, the house might burn down. If only one detector would alarm, I could go directly to that area and maybe prevent my whole house from burning down.

I've been threatening to disconnect them all from each other. I realize that might be against code. I understand the argument about not being able to hear a distant smoke detector. Trust me, when any one of these things goes off, I'll hear it unless I'm already dead. I'd have to be almost completely deaf not to be able to wake up and hear one of them in any part of our house.

 

[sodamo]

I despise the interconnection between all the smoke detectors. In my house, when one smoke detector goes off, they all go off. I can't tell where the problem is. I have to search three floors, 5000 SF when I include the unfinished basement and unfinished upstairs, to try to find the issue. I'm sniffing around hoping my nose will identify the troubled spot. By the time I find which detector was set off, the house might burn down. If only one detector would alarm, I could go directly to that area and maybe prevent my whole house from burning down.

I've been threatening to disconnect them all from each other. I realize that might be against code. I understand the argument about not being able to hear a distant smoke detector. Trust me, when any one of these things goes off, I'll hear it unless I'm already dead. I'd have to be almost completely deaf not to be able to wake up and hear one of them in any part of our house.

Add to that when they go off at 2 or 3AM, not for smoke but sensitivity to the humidity or some other change in the air. Additionally, the fact they are 15 ft off the floor - really do NOT like them. Inspector made me install an extra in the livingroom, not code, but to please him. Just a battery job, but apparently they are "dated" and must be changed. I had to drown it in a 5 gallon bucket of water. A good friend simply beat his to death with a hammer.

David Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[jdonovan]

Just a battery job, but apparently they are "dated" and must be changed. I had to drown it in a 5 gallon bucket of water. A good friend simply beat his to death with a hammer.

Not a great choice as almost all the battery powered ones have a radioactive source in them. This is a component you dont want to break open.