Above 1200 Sq/FT The Suburban Working Garage in VA...now building the Highland House in the Teton Valley
- Thread starter Nolift911
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Thanks - its been a year for sure. I will post up some better truss pics, yes they are beefy!
That is what my better half said - like all the times...and my builder too. For me I was like - not sure I made it big enough (since I had not seen it in person ...yet)
He sent me a picture of what 3 cars would look like if I just started stacking them in there in the first single bay side by side together - maybe I need some of those jacking storage dollies to shuffle cars around?
Anyway, I did decide on the 4 post left corner, 2 post centered in the middle rear. Lots of reasoning behind these decisions, probably all wrong. One single wash bay/drain in the single bay all the way to the right or the "daily driver bay"
So looking from front to rear with my "modified" trusses the lift setup looks like this:
So for the "4 post" above - if I had the Defender on top with the lift at the highest setting I would incur about 2.5 inches of ceiling incursion. Obviously that wont happen and likely the 911 will be up there anyway so loads of space to spare - I went with worst case scenario with my tallest vehicle.
Here is the single drain location in the first bay, plumbing to the right and wash basin back wall under the loft. (ignore lift placement in this pic)
Again one drain vs. multiple all over the space. Wherever there is a drain there must be slope...so walking across the garage would be like a whoop-de-doo affair. Exaggerated example I know but I am going to be rolling lots of equipment around and need large wide open flat spaces.
More pics coming...
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
No man has ever said, "My garage is too big".
Thanks - it's been a journey!
I hear you. Same.
Ok so where were we...most of these pics are from the cameras or what my builder has time to send me...roof and exterior walls going on.
Flat roofs are new to me...
Local visitors checking out the updates:
More to come...
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
That is a fantastic garage to house ratio. I saw a short video the other day on sealing those flat roof sections. Pretty interesting stuff. I had never seen it before.
Back to roofs - but first an aerial assessment of where we are...
Then more roof - flat roofs are "interesting" in terms of keeping the water out...establishing the pitch and drainage paths.
Cast iron drains...that believe it or not, drain inside the house
Membrane going on...
Roof hot tub taking shape...
Can't wait to throw parties up there...
Then more roof - flat roofs are "interesting" in terms of keeping the water out...establishing the pitch and drainage paths.
Cast iron drains...that believe it or not, drain inside the house
Membrane going on...
Roof hot tub taking shape...
Can't wait to throw parties up there...
bunks-tj
Well-known member
why di they drain inside? temps?
Cdubu52
Well-known member
Jeff, what about the snow accumulation on the flat roofs? I have no idea how to build a house in the Teton's but is that an issue? Im sure its been addressed, i guess I'm just curious.
The build looks great and Im really enjoying the updates. Its hard to believe you are having to go through this excitement remotely.
The build looks great and Im really enjoying the updates. Its hard to believe you are having to go through this excitement remotely.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Very cool seeing the detailed pictures of handling the slope for the flat roof drainage. I am also surprised about flat roofs with all the snow out there.
Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Fantastic! In every way, Jeff!
Such amazing views you'll have! The drone footage really adds perspective to the site.
Drains inside are common in commercial buildings. Or where cold is as advertised...
Such amazing views you'll have! The drone footage really adds perspective to the site.
Drains inside are common in commercial buildings. Or where cold is as advertised...
Jon69RagTop
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2014
- Messages
- 57
Such a great thread, really appreciate the time you put into updating. Keep’em rolling!
I assume temps and otherwise they would have to drain external and downpipes down the side of the house. There is a network of heat tape as well for the flat roof.
Thanks!
The house was spec'd with certain load rating for snow - so I would assume that is taken care of. They also accounted for earthquakes but not sure how that was determined.
out there.
Thanks - definitely a process. They intend to flood the flat roofs to check for leaks and drainage at some point.
Thanks! Yes I believe routing inside due to cold. Again there is some thermal system for the flat roofs, need to see how that works.Fantastic! In every way, Jeff!
Such amazing views you'll have! The drone footage really adds perspective to the site.
Drains inside are common in commercial buildings. Or where cold is as advertised...
There is some type of trap system it drains to, I think it amounts to a big box of sand with a catch basin that will require periodic maintenance or cleaning.
Thanks will try to be more diligent with updates!
Well I said no cracks...so maybe they took that to the next level. Honestly I was never consulted on the control joints. I think the concrete guys took some "artistic liberties" That concrete is final finish so there will be a degree of polish - nothing crazy, matte finish. I do know they come back and seal those joints. You can do seam sealer of metal - that later might be cost prohibitive.
Some stats from the structural calculations on the project: (yes I fed the entire 45 page structural assessment document into ChatGTP for plain English)
Snow
Your home is engineered for 122 psf ground snow and 85 psf roof snow, which is extremely robust and appropriate for Teton Valley’s heavy-snow climate. This is a high design load.Earthquake
The project is designed under Seismic Design Category D, meaning:- The house must resist strong earthquake forces.
- It uses engineered wood shearwalls to take lateral loads.
- The engineer applied standard IBC 2021 seismic parameters with a base shear equal to ≈ 9% of the structural weight.
This is a solid and typical structural strategy for your region and site class.
Couple other other updates. After losing our dog Ruckus back in February the house seemed a bit empty and our other lab McCrae seemed a bit lonely. We arrived at the conclusion with everything going on with work and the house build we determined the best thing to do was to get a puppy.
introducing "Disco"...cousin of McCrae...he is the one in the middle - trying to escape.
Brought him home Aug 1
Disco is doing great and really enjoying McCrae and vice versa.
Then - it was around the first part of October we decided to head out west for a trip to see what all the fuss was about.
I'll be honest, it was a bit of a dream of mine to one day head west on my bike to see this thing being built. With work being crazy I was only able to sneak away for about 10 days on the bike.
My better half had crazy work going on also but flew into Jackson Hole and we met up there for a few days...
But first some bike maintenance:
I think the spark plugs where changed at around 12k miles...and I was coming up on 50k fast.
I think they were due - 4-5 hours at 85+ mph and 5,500 RPMS and you get this: still running great and no issues with the old ones.
More to come...
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So bike prep -
Plugs are easy to change on a thumper - they are right there hanging off the side pods (heads).
Just drop the crash bars and dig in:
I think that is some Alaska detritus from 2019 in the head covers...
Spark plugs live in here -
Quick oil change and final drive change -
Last trip at 4300 miles - (Moab)
I guess grips start to wear at 50k..no way to replace these as they are heated unless you replace the whole assembly (thanks BMW)
Tool roll check - (I need to look into the latest and greatest with regard to tire pluggers, saw rubber nails or screws for plugs)
Days of this...
The plan was to head straight for Jackson Hole via Indianapolis, Lincoln, Cheyenne and pick up some slugs from the airport...
Then head over to Driggs - found a nice VRBO in town as a base of operations.
Thanks for tuning in - more to come...
Plugs are easy to change on a thumper - they are right there hanging off the side pods (heads).
Just drop the crash bars and dig in:
I think that is some Alaska detritus from 2019 in the head covers...
Spark plugs live in here -
Quick oil change and final drive change -
Last trip at 4300 miles - (Moab)
I guess grips start to wear at 50k..no way to replace these as they are heated unless you replace the whole assembly (thanks BMW)
Tool roll check - (I need to look into the latest and greatest with regard to tire pluggers, saw rubber nails or screws for plugs)
Days of this...
The plan was to head straight for Jackson Hole via Indianapolis, Lincoln, Cheyenne and pick up some slugs from the airport...
Then head over to Driggs - found a nice VRBO in town as a base of operations.
Thanks for tuning in - more to come...
So first drive up to the property since we were last there (last December) and over the last 5 years where there was absolutely nothing - was definitely interesting.
First view driving up -
Incidentally the windows for the project were supposed to be delivered the day we arrived that day as well. My builder had teed up the cabinet guy, electrical guy, and stone guy - along with hours of walk through and Q&A sessions.
But first we just wandered around and took pics...
Garage:
Window delivery had started, those are most of the upper transom units to make them 10 feet tall.
Big Holes behind the house with Aspens doing their thing...
They also started framing out the interior...
More to come...
First view driving up -
Incidentally the windows for the project were supposed to be delivered the day we arrived that day as well. My builder had teed up the cabinet guy, electrical guy, and stone guy - along with hours of walk through and Q&A sessions.
But first we just wandered around and took pics...
Garage:
Window delivery had started, those are most of the upper transom units to make them 10 feet tall.
Big Holes behind the house with Aspens doing their thing...
They also started framing out the interior...
More to come...
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ericm
Well-known member
The interlocking metal roof panels they put on our house are flat in between the seams. Yours has some texture, sort of like R panel. I wonder if that's to reduce oil canning from expansion? Your environment has greater winter to summer temp differences than ours. Or maybe it's just a style difference.
ErickForest
Well-known member
Looking awesome. Definitely going to be a beautiful home with a spectacular garage. I really like unique modern looking homes.
I had talked to the builder about "waves" and wanted to make sure the roof was flat and not wavy, because I have seen metal roofs that look like that - so I suppose that means "no oil canning". It is an R panel or a subtle “corrugated” / “R-panel-like” (I think I heard the builder refer to it as "flat pan standing seam"?) texture helps to reduce visible oil canning. Affirmative on the winter/temp differences for the Teton Valley
Thanks - credit goes to my better half and architect. They spent a lot of time on the design. My contribution: "garage...4 cars wide, 2 cars deep" and I sang that refrain through the design process.
More pics and window arrival...
Windows are Pella Contemporary Reserve, we spent a lot of time and $$ on windows. Pretty much the focal design of the house.
Start stacking them in...this is one of the offices that will have a glass wall out to the garage.
Mud, laundry room
Family room south side -
Kitchen with stubs for two islands in the center
Other side of office
Office with one of the zones for the radiant system junction
Took about 3 hours to unload this truck - windows were HEAVY!
Sections for the 6 panel slider in the family room
The utility room is central to the house for short runs on everything, water, HVAC, electrical related
More to come -
First time I was able to walk around and just take shots of the exterior...you see my perfectly flat land is not that. About a 6 foot drop off from the cantilever.
Those 3 white pipes (PVC) are drains and will be heated rain chains that go into the ground - lots of trenching for those...the three drains for the 3 flat roof portions that do not drain inside the house and will be heated also.
Master and deck off of the kitchen area
Cool shot - window in great room
More framing - one of the guest rooms looking out into the hallway
More guest rooms and bathrooms they mirror each other
Hallway from master to rest of the house
Office bathroom looking out to the garage
More to come...
Those 3 white pipes (PVC) are drains and will be heated rain chains that go into the ground - lots of trenching for those...the three drains for the 3 flat roof portions that do not drain inside the house and will be heated also.
Master and deck off of the kitchen area
Cool shot - window in great room
More framing - one of the guest rooms looking out into the hallway
More guest rooms and bathrooms they mirror each other
Hallway from master to rest of the house
Office bathroom looking out to the garage
More to come...
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Horror Business
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2014
- Messages
- 505
What are you targeting as a date for completion of construction?
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Everything is looking fantastic. I bet it was quite a moment driving up to it for the first time like that. Those views are amazing.
Are those 3 big rolls in the garage the final flat roof material?
Are those 3 big rolls in the garage the final flat roof material?
Target is early fall 2026...but we all know how that goes. Winter will be interesting.
I believe that the flat roof is all completed. Those big rolls of material are for what goes underneath the wood siding, I think it is some kind breathable, waterproof membrane that is impermeable to rain but can breath and let vapor out under the Luna Wood siding, which incidentally also arrived when we were there. I think I heard the term Hydra Wrap. The builder was also waiting on stainless screws so no rust drip marks. The siding should be able to go on soon, weather permitting.
Siding and stone - 2 colors for siding. Siding starts out light tan/beige then turns weathered greyish over the years. We are using the OEM greyish color from new under the porches/eves etc. which will in turn match the external over the years. Those pieces, since not really being exposed to weather cycles like the exterior facing pieces will all eventually match.
The stone - when finished will look like this, tight joints and the colors blend into the surroundings...that will not kick off until the spring though.
Humor from my builder - funny - not funny after many delivery trucks got stuck. They have been using the back of the property for access vs. the actual driveway in the front.
With winter coming up I have been poking and prodding the county commissioner for the 25/26 plow season regarding plowing. Maybe poking and prodding to much. My builder took a different tact...that went the route of f-bombs etc.
So the back of the property sits on a seldom used county road - like 4 cars a day. It is however a county road and that is the one leading up to the property that we would like to have plowed. Since it runs through a number of potato fields when the wind gets going - so do the drifts. So someone needs to stay on top of it. Anyway the back part of our property had a deep culvert separating the property from the road. My builder filled this in once construction started.
After calls and emails from me, a few neighbors and my builder - the commission was like "hold my beer" lets go poke around this construction site and see what we can find. So the county came out an filled in the culvert. My builder removed the fill the next day and its "battle royale" for snow maintenance.
My builder said fine - he will plow the road and the commissioner said - "sure, but you need a permit from the county to plow a state road"
So the score is...Commissioner 2, Team Highland House - 0So we shall see...also we have a loose form of an HOA and it states that the HOA will maintain plowed roads for the subdivision. Since I am the first house actually needing said plowed services. We will see how that goes.
Did everyone sign up and pay HOA dues with the understanding that when we/they bought land you may be paying for plow services you never use if you have no house on it? We did.
So while we were there in October it had snowed a bit with a quick storm but we were treated to a full moon and a fantastic sunset after the storm rolled through.
Here are some pics - this is from the great room slider:
From the Teton River -
This is our favorite "bend" in the Teton River to fish from...
More to come...
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
That is interesting that the flat roof will stay white. I would have guessed the fine membrane would have been black from the few I had seen. Obviously, imagine white is better for summer sun and black might be better for snow melt, but I think you said it was a heated roof anyway.
That is an amazing view from the great room.
The fun of dealing with county/township issues. Hopefully, the builder ends up with some success.
That is an amazing view from the great room.
The fun of dealing with county/township issues. Hopefully, the builder ends up with some success.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Definitely did not think about that idea. Good point.
So my only concern with the flat roof is what you can see driving up and leaving the house but it sits high enough up on the property you can't see the flat roof portions coming or going - I don't think I weighed in on color. Obviously white roof in hot areas and black roof in cold areas.
So for Tetonia it looks like this: So I think it is 6's or 6/7 as the kids say these days.
- January: High 27°F / Low 10°F
- February: High 32°F / Low 13°F
- March: High 40°F / Low 21°F
- April: High 51°F / Low 29°F
- May: High 61°F / Low 37°F
- June: High 72°F / Low 44°F
- July: High 81°F / Low 49°F (Warmest Month)
- August: High 80°F / Low 48°F
- September: High 70°F / Low 40°F
- October: High 55°F / Low 31°F
- November: High 39°F / Low 21°F
- December: High 29°F / Low 12°F
My builder says I will get drifts on the roofs and not much you can do about it. It will melt and freeze and cycle over and over.
That was one of the main reasons he went up so high on the sides -
But he is worried about this area -
Flat roofs are more of a commercial thing - my architect has designed and installed hundreds and he says they are no different in terms of sloped roofs for reliability. We shall see.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
So my only concern with the flat roof is what you can see driving up and leaving the house but it sits high enough up on the property you can't see the flat roof portions coming or going - I don't think I weighed in on color. Obviously white roof in hot areas and black roof in cold areas.
Flat roofs are more of a commercial thing - my architect has designed and installed hundreds and he says they are no different in terms of sloped roofs for reliability. We shall see.
I wouldn't worry as long as the architect designed it correctly for the environment. I have quite an extensive working relationship with flat membrane covered roofs in the industrial world and have overseen many repairs over the years and several full replacements. All of our 750k square foot warehouse roofs are membrane covered flat roofs. Some with standard downspouts and drainage whereas others with parapet walls will have scuppers for drainage.
When I first started back in the late 80's most of them were ballasted roofs, but over the years when roof replacements were due, we have replaced them with mechanically fastened, which is what I prefer. I'm not a fan of ballasted roofs personally as I don't think the pros outweigh the cons. There are several manufacturers of membrane for the roofs, Firestone probably being the most prevalent, but the main thing is just routine inspections and keeping drains clear of debris to prevent standing water, which can possibly work its way under a seam, but for the most part I wouldn't hesitate about a few flat sections.
cs26k
Member
I can add some more details to this as well after replacing the flat roof on our warehouse this past summer. From what I learned in that process, black flat roofs are a rubber EPDM compound. White roofs are either a TPO membrane or a PVC membrane. We went from a ballasted EPDM roof to a fully adhered (glued down) EPDM roof. So rather than the weight of the rocks holding down our roof insulation and rubber membrane that were both just laying on our steel roof deck, we had the insulation mechanically fastened down to our steel and the membrane was glued down to the insualtion. There's pros and cons to just about every material and style of installation, but I decided on our course of action after talking with a roofing specialist at a major engineering firm in our state. It was great to get an unbiased opinion rather than getting a sales pitch for whatever system each particular contractor that I had bid was trying to sell me.
But bottom line, I'd also trust the architect to know what they're doing out there. Snow loads *should* have been taken in to account when engineering the framing. I second what Zmotorsports said about getting routine inspections on it. You can probably handle making sure everything drains properly (i.e. go watch it during a rain, look for puddles remaining after a rain, remove any debris that gets up there) but I would definitely get a professional out there to do annual inspections of the membrane after a few years have gone by. They'll know what to look for in terms of seal integrity and membrane deterioration. With our roof, annual inspections by our contractor are requirement from the membrane manufacturer as part of their warranty. That reminds me, check to see what warranty you may or may not have on your flat roof.
With flat roofs an ounce of prevention is absolutely worth about 10 pounds of cure.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Good point @cs26k about the manufacturer's warranty. The Firestone TPO roof membrane that we use has a 20-year warranty, but that is contingent on annual surveys. We have a 3rd party come in annually and do thermal scanning to look for wet spots in the substrate as well as anything that we may have missed during our monthly and quarterly in-house inspections. These findings are well documented along with an action register to ensure if there is an issue that we as the responsible party followed the proper recommendations to maintain the warranty.
I've had a house with a flat roof for 14 years now without any issues. I believe it's a TPO membrane. I've heard it's not very puncture resistant but you don't have any tall trees next to your house so you'll be fine. Looking out at my neighbors houses it seems most have a white roof but a few have black. Can't say I've noticed a difference with who's roof has snow melt the fastest.
Great set of updates @Nolift911 Since few people will ever notice nor comment, I’ll be that guy: “Damn bro, nice slot drains in the slab.”