Starting New House Finally!

[WhyNot]

Also in there is the TV/Satellite junction box where all of the cables for TV go to various locations in the house, plus the rotor cable. The splitters and such will be mounted to the wall in that space and I can work on them without getting so hot in the summer. There are 3 RG6 (quad shielded) to each TV location - one for antenna and two for the satellite (so I can record two channels at once on TIVO).

Alan, you did not mention anything about how you are going to wire up your telephones (if you are even going to use a land line) so I'll make a suggestion. run a 6 pair from where the nid is going to be (usually under the electric meter) up to you attic next to your cable splitter. From there home run 4pr to your jacks and don't forget to run cable to each place that rg6 terminates since most sat. companies require a phone line to hook into their box. If you do it this way you can add/change numbers with out any troubl where a lot of times they run the phone cable in a loop and if you use up all the pairs you have to run new wires.

 

[Alan L.]

Every room does have a phone jack wired, back to someplace near the electric meter. I think the phones are wired with Cat 5e cable.

We got up late this morning and decided to go to IHOP about 30 miles away to eat breakfast. I had big plans to burn stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes full of scraps, wire insulation and sawdust when we got back. The garage is so full of trash its hard to get around in there. It was 61 degrees and sunny.

By the time we got back from breakfast it was raining, 42 degrees and high winds from the north, so we didn't get a chance to burn anything, but did get the house swept out and looking pretty good. We have $1500 in our budget for dumpsters but are saving that by cleaning it out ourselves and burning what will burn. At the end I will rent a trailer for $150 from my trash pickup company. We fill it up and they haul it off. Its about 4 by 6 by 10 and holds quite a bit. About 90% of all the trash will burn. Even if I need it twice we'll save quite a bit of money.

When Mrs. Alan L. went to the staircase company pickout our railings and skirting and whatnot for the stairs, she found that they also do cedar shutters. These are fake shutters that don't actually operate but just mount on the sides of the brick. They use 1.5 inch thick rough cedar and do the installation also. But the price is about $160 per window which seems a little steep. We have 7 front windows that we want shutters on. I keep saying I will build them but I don't know when I'll find the time to build and install them.

The stair work using black wrought iron ballisters of a couple of different patterns and red oak railings, posts, and skirting is going to be about $2200 including taxes, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

Since our balcony is ready for railings we now are going to look into wrought iron for that too, but we really need to keep the cost down. There is an iron works outfit about 20 miles away that my builder says will do the work reasonably. Its probably about 35 running feet of railings, I'm hoping we can get it done for $600 or less.

I wil try to get some pics of the balcony when the weather improves. I think the brick layers will be here in a week or two also, so that will be some visible progress.

 

[rox]

Alan,
I continue to follow your new home construction and enjoy all the details.
Before they drywall would you consider putting in one of these?
http://www.dryerbox.com/
A recessed Dryer venting box. I always wanted to get my dryer pushed back to the wall and never could because of the venting hose. I love this idea and whished I would have installed it. When your dryer goes out and you need a new one you don't have to worry about getting a tight fit on the existing pipe stub to the outside venting. This recessed box makes installaion of a new dryer a breeze ++++ the biggest fact for me is that you can push the dryer back flush with the wall and not stick out into the room a couple inches from the washer.

 

[Alan L.]

Rox - that dryer box looks like a great idea. The duct goes out the back of the dryer, through the wall, and into the garage, and from there it turns 90 degrees and exits the garage wall about 4 feet away. The framers had to build a chase around the duct, which we will put some shelves on top of. Not sure if the dryer box would work in this application, but I will check into it.

 

[Alan L.]

Alan, you did not mention anything about how you are going to wire up your telephones (if you are even going to use a land line) so I'll make a suggestion. run a 6 pair from where the nid is going to be (usually under the electric meter) up to you attic next to your cable splitter. From there home run 4pr to your jacks and don't forget to run cable to each place that rg6 terminates since most sat. companies require a phone line to hook into their box. If you do it this way you can add/change numbers with out any troubl where a lot of times they run the phone cable in a loop and if you use up all the pairs you have to run new wires.

I forgot to mention that there is a phone jack in the living room next to where the TV goes.

 

[midlf]

If I was building a house today I would put a double box on each wall. Connected to this box would be 3/4" smurf tube (the flexible blue stuff). The tube would run to somewhere accessible and have a pull string in it. That way whatever changes I could easily get the telcom, computer, cat99, or whatever wires to where ever I needed.

 

[Alan L.]

If I was building a house today I would put a double box on each wall. Connected to this box would be 3/4" smurf tube (the flexible blue stuff). The tube would run to somewhere accessible and have a pull string in it. That way whatever changes I could easily get the telcom, computer, cat99, or whatever wires to where ever I needed.

Probably a good idea. I find myself wanting the project to go faster but yet wish I had more time too.

 

[Alan L.]

Here are some pics of the slow progress, especially the cement balcony. There is a 2 x 4 under the lip edge of the concrete that will be removed later. Also, the fireplace inside is framed in per my plan, which is derived from Mrs. Alan L's plan from 20 years ago, so the fireplace is pretty much identical to the one we had in our previous home, and we loved it. Difference is this ceiling is much taller.

 

[Alan L.]

More pics of the back porches. In the blue area (to be bricked) to the right on the back porch area (this is the back of the garage mostly), there is a 6" duct sticking out about halfway up the wall on the left, and another one on the right. The one on the right is the fresh air intake for the ERV unit, the one on the left is the stale air exhaust.

Hopefully they will be spraying foam insulation this week some time.

 

[ronjhall]

Wow Alan. You & Mrs Alan are sure building a great home.
What are you planning on doing with the place you currently live in?

 

[jinman]

Alan, I really like that thinset concrete. We have been considering adding a half bath under our deck for direct access from our walkout basement. That thinset looks like the "ticket" for covering the existing deck and making a waterproof ceiling.

 

[EddieWalker]

Alan,

The rear porch and balcony are just amazing!! The cedar really makes it look impressive and sets the tone for the entire house. I can't wait to see how the brick looks.

Thanks for sharing,
Eddie

 

[Alan L.]

Wow Alan. You & Mrs Alan are sure building a great home.
What are you planning on doing with the place you currently live in?

Thanks, the existing living quarters will become a sort of guest house I guess. The living room with kitchen might become a game room, with pool table, etc.

 

[Alan L.]

Alan,

The rear porch and balcony are just amazing!! The cedar really makes it look impressive and sets the tone for the entire house. I can't wait to see how the brick looks.

Thanks for sharing,
Eddie

Thanks, Eddie. I goofed up over a month ago and ordered 3- foot exterior doors for upstairs while the plan called for 2'8" doors up there. They just discovered yesterday that they were wrong, and had to re-order. So I guess we are going to be held up some more. Normally the guy at Foxworth fills the order based on the plan but he had given his copy to the framer and I made the order myself, obviously wrong.

The foam guy is starting his caulking and such today but can't foam until the fireplace is installed so that he can foam around the fresh air intake vent.

 

[mikim]

Thanks, the existing living quarters will become a sort of guest house I guess. The living room with kitchen might become a game room, with pool table, etc.....OK ... now that's where I'm doing something different with my barn apt. that we will live in while building....my wife knows up front that what I am presently building is my future wood shop and that we will simply be staying in my wood shop temporarily. I'm claiming it back no more than a week after we move into a house. If we want a guest house I'll build one outside the barn.

 

[midlf]

More pics of the back porches. In the blue area (to be bricked) to the right on the back porch area (this is the back of the garage mostly), there is a 6" duct sticking out about halfway up the wall on the left, and another one on the right. The one on the right is the fresh air intake for the ERV unit, the one on the left is the stale air exhaust.

Hopefully they will be spraying foam insulation this week some time.

What is the box for that is shown in the "balcony51" picture?

 

[Alan L.]

What is the box for that is shown in the "balcony51" picture?

I forgot to mention it. That is the housing for the tankless water heater. Just inside that wall is my shower in the master bath. It is a Rinaii 9-gpm unit that runs on LP gas.

 

[Alan L.]

Finally got the fireplace people in, the house has been sitting idle for about 10 days. I designed the corner fireplace to sort of match the old house we lived in for 20 years.

After waiting for the fireplace before we could get the foam insulation sprayed, which holds up drywall etc, and they finally show up, they ran into a problem. There was not enough clearance front to back for the stack. The choices were to call the framers back in to rip it out and start over, or push the fireplace back 3", which is what we did. Now we have some work to do before putting the cultured stone on there, since the black areas are not supposed to be covered with anything other than noncombustible materials. I'd really like to bring the top part back flush down to the firebox opening if possible.

The mantle will be covered with wood, probably cedar.

This house is killing me. Tomorrow will be 3 months since we broke ground, and we have at least 2 months left. We were planning a big Easter celebration but looks like we might not make it. It just seems like everything is held up by the foam insulation and the concrete balcony. The foam has REALLY been a pain in special preparation, I hope its worth it.

Next after foam will be drywall, tape bed & texture, hardwood floors, trim and stairs, etc etc etc. A long ways to go and we have spent half the budget so far. Not really too far off budget, but will go over maybe $10K. I had left almost that much fluff anyway, so am not surprised.

Everyone is now telling me that appliances and HVAC equipment does not last near as long as it used to and to expect to have to replace it in 10 years. If I have to replace all the appliances and HVAC in 10 years I'll have to move at that point unless my care package comes in before then.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the update. Steph and I were just talking about you last night and wondering how it was coming along. Were your ears burnign? hahaha

Ten days is sure a long time for nothing to happen, but when you have to wait on subs, and they are busy, it could be allot worse. I sometimes wonder which is worse, the 4 hour work day some of them have, or the days of nobody even showing up. What really kills me is I've been the General on some of these projects and I know they are out at the golf course or just hungover from getting paid the day before!!!

Your moving along nicely and it's going to be an amazing home. Thanks for th updates.

Eddie

 

[gsganzer]

Alan,
Is that a "majestic" fireplace insert? Is it wood burning or gas logs only? If it has a "outside combustion air" provision, I strongly suggest you hook it up. I have 42" majestic wood burner in my living room that has the circulating blower and it works real well. The circulating blower makes all the difference between the fireplace being just for looks or being functional. In fact, ours will pretty much heat our entire house. I just wish the installer would have hooked up the outside air duct on ours .

I have another majestic out on our back porch. It doesn't have the circulating blower.