Project "Machine Shed to Man Cave"

[Kevin54]

How warm is it to be digging without a shirt? It looks like I still see some snow in the background of some of the pics.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I was wondering if you were going to have problems when you back filled. Usually, I've seen them wait to back fill block walls until the floor is framed.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Sheesh, and no warning?

I thought we were suppose to be a team on this site.

Ditch digging is good exercize... And the punishment fit the crime(mistake?).

I'm completely unfamilar with wood basements so I thought maybe you knew something I didn't. Sorry, I should have spoken up and atleast asked about it.

 

[Kevin54]

I'm completely unfamilar with wood basements so I thought maybe you knew something I didn't. Sorry, I should have spoken up and atleast asked about it.

IIRC, and it's been a number of years back, when Bob Vila was the top dog on This Old House. Bob and Norm went to California to look at houses being built with wood wall basements. Nothing like dlenkewich it doing though. Back at that time, i think, and again I may be wrong, but the walls were just treated stud lumber along with treated plywood. I don't remember the walls being covered with anything else. I remember telling my dad at the time when we were watching the show, that no way would those walls last for years like a block or concrete foundation.

With that......any others, or especially any Californians familiar with that, or know anyone that has a wood wall basement?

I'd be curious as to knowing whether they lasted or not, or what kind of repairs had to be done through the years.

 

[xjjeepman]

Awesome thread so far! So did we move today!? Any progress pics??

 

[Dividing Creek]

I came looking for an update ! How'd it go ?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Fingers crossed man, best of luck with the red tape.

 

[Lunker]

Scheduled now for next Wednesday...

Thats today...good luck my man...looking forward to some pics

 

[fxr rider]

Hello Neighbour! I am from next door(manitoba) excellent progress looking forward to seeing the pictures of the house on its new foundation.Looks like the beginning of a nice place

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Hopefully the 'mating' will go as smoothly as the 'foreplay'! lol

 

[Dividing Creek]

any update ?

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Congratulations to you both on the 'home coming'!

I've just got to ask - any signs of structural movement caused by the trip? It always amazes me to see large structures picked up, transported, and planted in a new location.

 

[xjjeepman]

Awesome man, love the kitchen view!

 

[Vernmotor]

wife/GF looks very happy ! nice job..been a long road to get where you are at.

 

[Kevin54]

Mommas looking happy, and if "momma's happy, everyones happy"

Nice job on the work you've done for sure. We could use a little lighter inside pics though. You have a nice view everywhere you look. You've got a few months to get things buttoned up now, and get the yard in shape. Congrats on the hard work you both have done. So far it looks like it paid off!!!

 

[Kevin54]

If you don't mind me asking.......how far did you have to move it, and what did it cost to move it?

They used to do it quite frequently around where I lived, but anymore they just tear them down. Once in awhile they will let scrappers come in and salvage what they need before tearing them down but not too often. Everyone's afraid of a lawsuit if someone gets hurt.

 

[xjjeepman]

We got the farm a present. No more renting/borrowing Bobcats.



It's a 38 horsepower John Deere.

Sweet!

 

[Dividing Creek]

I have a question about how your water system works/will work if you have to truck water in. Do you bury a large tank or have it in the basement and use an on demand pressure pump for showers and sinks ? Hot water do you use a conventional tank setup ?

 

[NUTTSGT]

All sort of good things going on in this thread since last time I visited.

 

[John in OH]

Why isn't it practical to drill a water well?

Have you considered a cistern system to collect rain water and snow melt for your water source? With your numerous barns and house there should be a nice total roof collection area. Water treatment system may be a little more sophisticated than just hauling water in, but it sure would be more convenient! We had a cistern at one of the houses I lived in when a kid (long time ago!!) and we collected all the barn roof runoff as our water source. Worked pretty good as long as there wasn't a drought!!

Of course, I know that at birth I was destined to be a billionaire genius, aka Steve Jobs, but the lead-based barn roof paint stewed my brain!!

 

[gazza]

Great Progress, I have been following this thread for ages.
A quick question if I can, how did they move your house onto the basement structure? a big crane or did the set up a steel rails and slide it across.

On another note we are on tank water here (no snow at all) and after more than 10 years of drought and buying in water our 2 water tanks were full for the first time last Friday.
cheers
Gazza

 

[gipraw]

Very impressive. Congrats on the progress so far. I bet the views and lack of neighbors out there definitely make the hard work worth it.

 

[Lunker]

Nice work, congrats.

 

[MoparTrucks]

I just went through 11 pages and saw a very ********* and something about a garage and a home. Looks great so far and the home and shop arent bad either!

 

[oldldh]

You and "Significant Other" deserve a---

YA DUN GUD!!!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

I read this and keep thinking of the phrase 'Pioneer Spirit'; well done!

 

[madoc1]

love this project and your determination to git er dun.!

 

[Kevin54]

You can't beat a girl that knows how to use power tools and also isn't afraid to use them. And with a girl like that, you must make sure to stay on her good side. Not just for being handy, but also for your safety

You say that a well is cost prohibitive? What about it that makes it so cost prohibitive? I'm just curious. Is it the depth they have to go to hit water, or what they have to go through to hit water or a combination of both?

I'm not sure what it cost to have a well put in around here anymore. The last I had one put it was $13/ft. And almost all of the wells around here are 125' deep, give or take a couple of feet.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

You two are quite the team! Great progress and please work safe; the both of you!

 

[24X26]

Just read the entire thread and I gotta say, You must be a helluva guy. A hard worker who has an awesome GF and some great friends and a boss who obviously thinks a lot of you.

All of which doesn't surprise me at all though. I used to live in Weyburn for a few years and the friends I met there are still some of the best friends and hardest workers I have ever met.

I have some good friends here in Alberta but I know if I ever needed anything my Sask friends wouldn't hesitate to drive to Edmonton to help me out if I needed it and visa-versa.

When my father died here in Edmonton, about 10 of my Weyburn friends drove down for the funeral. Good guys like yourself.

Anyway, Enjoying your thread. Awesome work!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Looks like some great progress. Work safe!

What else 'needs' to be done before the snow flies?

 

[Kevin54]

Whew, hate to say it... Lots!

I will say, we do plan to be moved in before the snow flies, but nothing is certain so, worst case, for the good of the house we need:

-Locked in: As far is it goes, we have 3 windows left to put in and hopefully replace the rear door that will lead to the deck (this door is not an exterior door and need's to be replaced badly). So as it goes, we are really not far from lock up.

-Electric: The electrician is booked for the first week of September to upgrade our house with a new panel and run the service for the power, but we are on a waiting list for our service provider (SaskPower) to come and upgrade the service to the property. We don't know when they will be coming but it should be well before freeze up. I suspect and hope that the electrical will be complete before the end of September.

-Insulation: I hope to spray foam the basement with 2" and will insulate the rest with batts, porch will just be batted.

-Furnace: I suspect the house would hold up much better being heated rather than not being heated.

-Basement floor: I'm tossing back and forth from doing a concrete floor or wood. Wood would be cheaper and Concrete would be faster. It's a catch. But do to the load on the walls from the earth I'm leaning towards concrete for the strength factor and the time it would save us. We need a floor in before the earth freezes so that the walls are supported from the ground conditions. Kicker is we need to get the septic installed before we can put the floor in.

-Siding: Although I don't believe it would make or break anything one way or the other, it would be best if the exterior of the house was completed just to prevent the weather from getting in. Building wrap by itself does go a long way but doesn't last very long in the direct elements. I'd also rather be done this part before winter sets in.

Off the top of my head this is all we need worst case to protect our home, I don't forsee any issues getting all this done, of course though, to get living in it we also need to put together our plumbing, water system, etc.

Right now half the battle is priorities. It's +30 C today and has been beautiful all week but it's easy to forget that the nice weather is on it's way out. Focus is needed to make sure that what's needed is in before freeze up and it's a small bit of a balancing act figuring out what can be reasonably left off until we move in all the while not wanting to leave off all the finishing to burden us when we live there, it's one thing to have small indoor projects over the winter but ongoing complete construction is another... It would also be nice to knock off complete areas from the to-do list, because as I'm sure you can tell right now there is something to be done everywhere I look!

But as close as winter is, the real freeze up is 3-4 months away (hopefully). A lot can be done in that time and I'm interested to see where we stand come Christmas. (Hopefully we won't be standing, but sitting in our house enjoying a spiked hot chocolate)

What about your buddies, are they willing to put another round of help in as long as you buy the beer?

Your siding can be wrapped up in two days if you have everything or can get everything. The first thing you want to do is run your "J" Channel where needed, get your "Starter Strip" on around the bottom and any boxes where you are going to mount lights or get the siding mount boxes and eliminate that step. Then get all of your outside corners (6) and your (2) inside corner up. Your "J" will run under all of your eaves. That's it for day one. Day two, start cutting and hanging siding. I am assuming you are going with vinyl (guess I should have asked before typing) Anyways, if you're using vinyl, one person cut, and one person or two hang it. You want to cut it in 4' increments. Start at the back of the house and work forward. In doing so, you won't see the seam. You want to cut your siding in 4' increments. So your first piece will be a full piece @ 12', the piece above it will be an 8' piece, and above it a 4' piece. this give your seams a pattern. Then put up the next bottom piece. What you cut off gets used on the next three courses. And so on.

One day for hanging corners and "J" and one day for siding, and add a day in for soffit if you are doing that.

As far as your basement, pour a pad where you want the furnace to set and get that completed. If the basement isn't going to be fixed up into a room with a pool table or anything, then I would centrally locate it. If you are going to fix the basement up, locate the furnace at the far end opposite where the bedrooms are as most people tend to like a colder room. For one, you always have comforters to cover up with, and two, a couple can always generate heat Seriously, though, put it at the end opposite. In doing so, the main house will be warmer and the bedrooms cooler. And if you pour one pad for now, you can get the furnace set, ducts ran, and the flue ran. If you don't have a 95% fuel efficient furnace minimum, then I don't think you can run the flue out the wall. I could be wrong as they change things all of the time. But if you have a flue that has to go up through the roof, you may have to locate the furnace under a closet so the duct will be hidden.

If per chance you get the pad poured, then next year, drill and pin the tab for your remaining concrete floor. Also, if you have ducts ran, have a duct in the basement. You can then worry about all of the insulating either this winter for something to do, or put it off until next year as you will have heat there to keep pipes from freezing.

Septic and water would be a concern for now and get that done before the frost and cold hits. I did ask before when you were talking about water....can they not dig a well for you where you are at?

All in all if you get things scheduled rather quickly and have the funds, you could have the big things done in a month. One thing that you are lucky to have is a girl that is not afraid to get dirty and not afraid to use power tools. That makes things go way quicker.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Sounds like you two have your work cut out for you; no 'playtime' this year! lol

 

[el Pedro]

Great job. Loving the views, what a great way to end a day with a beer.

 

[dgarage]

Just read the whole thread. My hat's off to you and your SO!

Press on!

 

[Dividing Creek]

Eager for an update ? Did you make the house habitable before the arctic air hit ?

 

[188slo50]

All I can say is WOW! The two of you work so well together and the fact your doing it all basically yourself amazes me. Can't wait to see the progress keep moving along and when your done you two can truly say you built your home with your own two hands.

 

[e-tek]

Also chiming in to say WOW - great job, great place your building - and GREAT Missus! What's better than a mate, friend and helper? A pretty one! Guess the snow is slowing things down on the outside - anything new on the insides?

 

[davo727]

Yes cool wife! I don't have one any more, must be too ugly or maybe its my tree stump like personality......

 

[Vernmotor]

Glad to hear from you and happy to see things are getting done. I sure the weather is not nice there . Place is looking good !