Way to go on the whole house project.
The Concrete Underground
- Thread starter ConCretin
- Start date
Terrick down Under
Well-known member
http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/fdnewman/media/DSCN2438_zps9de278f5.jpg.html
I used a similar product for the roof on our underground house down here. Works really well.
I used a similar product for the roof on our underground house down here. Works really well.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
LLWillysfan thank you for the update, looking fantastic..
Jim_No_Garage
Well-known member
You should go write for the Cliff's Notes people - you took a 2,900+ post thread and wrote a clear synopsis of the project with less than 20 pictures.
I'm glad your back and hope you keep us updated as you move along with your house.
Cheers
Jim
I'm glad your back and hope you keep us updated as you move along with your house.
Cheers
Jim
JDMjunkies.ch
Well-known member
nice to see the Project coming to an end. gives me Motivation to push my own "concrete Underground" Project 
Thirdyfivepickup
Well-known member
man.... I'm a huge fan of the older styles with rustic flair. This house just floors me every time I look at the pictures. Top to bottom this is the most amazing build. I was so bummed when the post got locked and super excited when it reopened.
memphisnate
Well-known member
We need more pics
Hugo L.
Well-known member
You know you’ve done something special when you’re on a garage forum, that your garage itself is boring yet your thread has over 2900 views. 
gipraw
Well-known member
I am a little late to the welcome back party, but just wanted to say I am very happy to see you back, Doug. Hopefully all is well and you are enjoying the process of finishing up.
Love the handrail solution for the stairs.
Love the handrail solution for the stairs.
jack stand
Well-known member
I had one of those goals too
, although I think you'll make yours.
Doug concrete is obviously in your blood, what was your inspiration for this whole project?
As usual, keep up the amazing work and thanks for keeping us "dreamers'' in the loop!
homer66
New member
@LLWillysfan, I am so stoked you are back. Your house has turned out incredible. Awesome job. I have followed this thread since the very beginning. It took me a couple pages to get caught up, But well worth the wait. Thank you for sharing again and welcome back. Best wishes
Pbindesign
Well-known member
The whole project is stunning. Great work!
wingnutthehutt
Well-known member
My mind is blown. Incredible build. Great lines. And I wish I lived in an area where I could install those same garage doors. Nice work!
LL,
I've also been following from day 1. When you went MIA I checked in from time to time to see how you were doing, but alas no posts.
Words can't describe how thrilled I am to see you're back. You and your build will always be a source of inspiration.
Nick
I've also been following from day 1. When you went MIA I checked in from time to time to see how you were doing, but alas no posts.
Words can't describe how thrilled I am to see you're back. You and your build will always be a source of inspiration.
Nick
pwschuh
Well-known member
Doug, I've been off GJ for quite a while and just now noticed you came back in January
I too am sorry to hear of all of your troubles and am happy to hear you have moved in to the lair.
The pictures no longer load for me, but just reading about the details is still fascinating.
I too am sorry to hear of all of your troubles and am happy to hear you have moved in to the lair.
The pictures no longer load for me, but just reading about the details is still fascinating.
iowa4x4dieselman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2012
- Messages
- 224
Hats off to you sir. AMAZING Shop/house build. I have a question regarding the ICF. I am looking to build a home with an attached shop that will have a finished basement. I live in Iowa and was wondering your thoughts on ICF vs regular concrete forms for the basement foundation of my house. I plan on going 9ft ceilings in the basement, with 9 ft. ceilings with possibly vaulted portions on the main level. It will be a ranch home with a daylight basement. If budget allows I will have in-floor radiant heat in the garage. I was going to do the basement also so I could stain the concrete, but the wife wants some carpet down there, so I'm not sure if I will be doing the basement. I have not started a thread yet of the build process, as I am currently in the design phase using Sweet Home 3D. TIA!!
wssix99
Well-known member
A few additional variables will probably be helpful here:
- Are you going to do the build yourself or will you hire a contractor?
- Is time/speed-of-build important?
Remember, you can always do the tubing now (inexpensive) and add the pumps and boiler later.
You may also look at epoxy coatings for the concrete floor. You may find that they give you other dimensions of maintainability and finish that stain can't deliver.
Danshell
Well-known member
Definitely one of my favourite threads on here thanks for taking the time to show us.
memphisnate
Well-known member
Any more updates?
The withdrawals faded over time but references (of your garage/house) in other threads awakening them.
The withdrawals faded over time but references (of your garage/house) in other threads awakening them.
Same here....
Merbesfield
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Messages
- 44
Having stripped the aprons, we're finally able to do some rough grading. I don't want the frost lifting them so I laid some rigid insulation 4' out in all directions.
The rigid will retain the natural heat from the ground and keep the frost out.
We also stripped the hearth and mantel. We still need to clean up all the concrete but it's looking pretty good.
We also had some actual garage related progress - the garage doors are in!
They are manufactured by Raynor and consist of anodized aluminum frames with insulated glass panels. The work shop door is 9' wide;
The garage is serviced by an 18' door;
They look as good from inside;
The photos really don't do the doors justice - they are really beautiful. The glass looks mirrored but they are just tinted grey to match the rest of the glass in the house.
As I mentioned in a prior post, we converted the 9' door to a sliding configuration while maintaining the appearance of a overhead door.
If you recall, overhead door tracks would have conflicted with the bridge crane,lift and skylight. My overhead door company ordered some high strength hardware and engineered a custom set up. I'll post some details of the install when I get a chance to get some pics.
The glass paneled doors really let in some much needed natural light. The work shop really is mostly underground after all.
Here's a shot you might get a kick out of. We're playing around with some accent lighting at the cantilevered stairs. Here's a shot of lighting from below. We'd probably do three of these lights.
We've also finished up most of the odds and ends of metal framing. Here's a shot of the stairs to the second floor of the house that I modified to eliminate the sloped ceiling. Hopefully you can see what we are trying to achieve. It's interesting to note that this is a detail that consumed many hours in the planning and execution and yet when it's done, no one will ever know it's exists.
Finally please allow me to share a spring ritual that means all the more for the rough winter we just endured. The docks are in. We put them in in the pouring rain Saturday morning.
There'a actually a lot going on right now. Hopefully we're generating some momentum to push this thing through to completion. It's about time! In case you didn't notice, we recently passed the 2 year anniversary of our start. Sheesh!
Garage doors look great. Exactly the look I am going for. What brand doors are they?
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The doors are Raynor AlumaView doors in dark bronze with insulated smoke gray glazing
Let me take thus opportunity to thank all of you for the kind comments over the last few months. I don't come back to this thread very often but I still notice an occasional comment and appreciate your continued interest
We are obviously living in the house now but it is still a work in progress. I haven't posted much of the recent activity because it seems a little mundane. I keep telling myself I need to do a final series of posts to bring the project through to completion and share my thoughts on the process and what it is like to finally live and work in this thing that I have wrought. I definitely miss the amazing interaction I had with so many of you over the years.
Until then, Thanks again.
Looks like I need to catch up on the build Doug.
stillp
Well-known member
Kirmet
Well-known member
Can’t wait to see your craftsmanship when you start the Willy’s build thread.
Doug: GLAD you are back, please share any progress, as you have time to, your house and Garage / shop are beautiful, and many of us here on GJ can only dream and drool about having such a great home !!!! I know you have spent lots of sweat and $$'s on it, but it REALLY looks GREAT !!!!
James in Jacksonville, FL (eokie1)
James in Jacksonville, FL (eokie1)
Jim 68 cuda
Well-known member
I stumbled across this thread 3 days ago. It's been an amazing journey watching the progress of this build. I would hate to admit how much time I have already spent reading the first 110 pages. I still have 40 pages and 4 1/2 years to go to catch up. The advantage for me is that I don't have to wait for updates, so I'm only aware of construction delays when they are mentioned.
I love the design of the house, the unique construction method, and the picturesque building site. I've learned quite a bit about some of the unusual construction challenges you've tackled making this dream a reality.
In all the first 110 pages, there has been one picture of the floor plan for the garage/shop area, and one fuzzy picture of the plans for the main level of the main house. I haven't yet seen any floor plans for the second floor or the basement/foundation of the main house, or for either floor of the guest quarters part of the house.
As I've read along, I have found myself looking back and forth between the model photo and the actual construction to visualize how it's all coming together. So last night I decided to look at your plans and pictures and build a model of my own.
I have four Arckit sets and a bunch of extra components. Arckit is an architectural model building tool thats pretty much like Legos for adults or architecture students. I used the Arckit to build a model of my own garage/workshop, so with everything I had, I thought I would have enough to model your house. I was wrong. I ran short of roofing before I finished the garage roof, and a shortage of short walls meant I couldn't do the foundation and also left me with 12' high garage door openings, rather than a more reasonable 8' high opening.
In building the model, I was better able to grasp how it all fits together. I didn't realize the second floor of the main house hung out past the first floor until I found the stairway wouldn't fit which sent me back to studying the plans and your model photo. Also, it really wasn't until I really studied the plans that I figured out that your main entrance wasn't on the long front glass wall.
It was fun building the model, and at 1/4"=1', I can clearly see just how big this place is. There are limitations building a model with Arckit. The walls are limited to multiples of 4' in both length and height. That makes doing small spaces like bathrooms and closets nearly impossible. Also, walls can only go together at 90 degrees and there are separate pieces that allow a 45 degree angle, so my garage wing is at a different angle than the one on your model. Still I think it turned out okay. From the location of windows in your photos, I could figure out the location of the bathroom in the guest quarters, but I didn't know if there were any interior walls at all on the second floor of the main house.
Once I've finished reading the next 40 pages, I'll be all caught up and will take the model back apart.
Thanks for bringing us along on your building adventure.
I love the design of the house, the unique construction method, and the picturesque building site. I've learned quite a bit about some of the unusual construction challenges you've tackled making this dream a reality.
In all the first 110 pages, there has been one picture of the floor plan for the garage/shop area, and one fuzzy picture of the plans for the main level of the main house. I haven't yet seen any floor plans for the second floor or the basement/foundation of the main house, or for either floor of the guest quarters part of the house.
As I've read along, I have found myself looking back and forth between the model photo and the actual construction to visualize how it's all coming together. So last night I decided to look at your plans and pictures and build a model of my own.
I have four Arckit sets and a bunch of extra components. Arckit is an architectural model building tool thats pretty much like Legos for adults or architecture students. I used the Arckit to build a model of my own garage/workshop, so with everything I had, I thought I would have enough to model your house. I was wrong. I ran short of roofing before I finished the garage roof, and a shortage of short walls meant I couldn't do the foundation and also left me with 12' high garage door openings, rather than a more reasonable 8' high opening.
In building the model, I was better able to grasp how it all fits together. I didn't realize the second floor of the main house hung out past the first floor until I found the stairway wouldn't fit which sent me back to studying the plans and your model photo. Also, it really wasn't until I really studied the plans that I figured out that your main entrance wasn't on the long front glass wall.
It was fun building the model, and at 1/4"=1', I can clearly see just how big this place is. There are limitations building a model with Arckit. The walls are limited to multiples of 4' in both length and height. That makes doing small spaces like bathrooms and closets nearly impossible. Also, walls can only go together at 90 degrees and there are separate pieces that allow a 45 degree angle, so my garage wing is at a different angle than the one on your model. Still I think it turned out okay. From the location of windows in your photos, I could figure out the location of the bathroom in the guest quarters, but I didn't know if there were any interior walls at all on the second floor of the main house.
Once I've finished reading the next 40 pages, I'll be all caught up and will take the model back apart.
Thanks for bringing us along on your building adventure.
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Merbesfield
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Messages
- 44
Love the look. How tall are your garage doors? What are your plans to seal the bottom of the sliding door? I can relate to long term house builds. It took us five years to finish our Adirondack mountain home. It takes perseverance for sure. Thx for sharing the build.
Boosted1
Well-known member
Cool model. Gives very good image and perspective.
casmurbax
Well-known member
That has to be a first, someone building a model of another poster's build to understand the build better.
Weird that those kits have limitations on the angles of the walls....
I am not sure but I think that post belongs in the the thread of awesome and the WTF thread.
Showing that that level of interest is great and obviously it shows.
Thanks building that model and sharing it.
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wssix99
Well-known member
Or for Seal Team 6 before they load up for a mission. Wow! That kit looks like it has everything except for the little black helicopters!