The Owner-Builder Book has been our best written guide to-date, followed closely by friends & family who have gone through this experience. Pat & Norman in Sewanee, TN

Mother's Day

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 5/15/2013 9:15:20 PM

My wife has to be the most selfless person on the planet.  On Mother's Day, when most wives would bask in the adulations from their family as their day, mine was working along side our daughter and me on the house.  She and Kelsy were sanding the kitchen walls while I did the ceiling.  Afterwards, she painted it all with three coats.  I had my first go at mortising a door for an old fashioned lockset.  With a brand new chisel that cut wood like butter, it was pretty easy.  Took an hour or so, but was really stress relieving for some reason.  Turned out well!

Traveling this week so nothing is getting done until the coming weekend.  but it will be time to start hanging kitchen cabinets.  Looking at the layout and the wall on Monday before I left town, I'm still not happy with thelevelness of the floor.  as the wall cabinets are going all the way to the ceiling, I think I have to do a little more work on leveling the side of the house.  There appear to be two piers that are low.  I'll tackle those first thing Saturday.

Photos

Mothers Day! What woman would be doing this?! We did quit early and go out for dinner, but still -!	Mirror hung in bathroom	starting the mortise by drilling holes
Chisel out the wood in between	finished product!

A productive and fun Mother's Day weekend

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 5/12/2013

Started early Saturday, before dawn.  Sometimes you wake up and just can't back to sleep laying out the next items to do in your mind. While my wife and daughter were still sleeping, I headed over.  Spent the early hours in the attic, rerunning wiring for the lighting in the living room.  The permanent service was connected last Tuesday, and while I did manage to get some of the receptacles connected (primarily the one serving the alram system, the lights were not yet transferred to the new panel.  Took care of that and ran lines for the furnace and tankless water heater.  I ran the last of the drywall mud around the kitchen ceiling and recent sheetrock.  Humidity was close to 100% so the mud set up, but didn't dry very quickly.  Unless it is dry, there is no way to sand.  So leave that until Sunday.

By then Sandra and Kelsey arrived and the next item on the list was putting up the mirror in the bathroom.  Because of the cap on the wainscoting, we had to build out from the wall before we hung it.  Took a couple of hours, to figure what we wanted to do, and get it done.  Looks good!  Cellular shades arrived last week for the bath and bedrooms.  Got those up.  Really starting to look like a house!

Then came the fun! Really!  Houston has something called an "Art Car Parade" every year.  It was supposed to start mid morning, but because the weather has been wet of late, they postponed it until afternoon.  Perfect! we got a good day of work in and then could relax.  The whole thing took place literally in front of our apartment complex along a major bayou and road.  Probably a hundred "cars".  Just a few few pics posted.  It was a hoot!  Gotta take some time out sometimes!

Photos

	How about an Edsel backhoe?	Wrong caption before. This is a cockroach. The ones in Houston actually seem this big
Another shot of the Edsel backhoe

House leveling

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 5/10/2013

We had the house leveled in February, but I can't say it was the best job. We had them back once to take care of a hump in the bathroom floor, which worked. But there are other spots that need attention. After I saw him fix the hump I figured, I can do it. Easier than calling him out and scheduling a time. Yes it would be covered by warranty, but it's sometimes easier to do it yourself.

The rear corner of the house is too high. Several weeks ago, when I was working on the gas piping underneath the house, I noticed that the last section of a new beam along the outside perimeter was grossly unlevel. It's been on my list to get it fixed. I bought a couple of 8-ton hydraulic jacks as this was a corner and I figured on raising both sides at the same time. Turned out however, that one beam was notched and fit over the other and by raising the one, both came up. I removed the cedar shims that were underneath it and let it back down. Helped some, but not enough.

The pier to the left was a little low, and I next raised it and slipped the shims in. Helped some more. Last I raised the rear again, pulled out the top layer of bricks, and removed the mortar underneath. Slipped the bricks back in. This would drop the height another 1/2" - theoretically. When I released the jack, it settled a bit, but is still free-hanging about a half inch. I'll watch it over the next week and hope it settles down some more. I'll also try cutting some of the attachment of the back porch to the section as it may be helping to hold it up. Just need to get it stabilized before we set cabinets.

It's coming!

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 5/6/2013

This past weekend, we finally got the 100-year-old dental moulding finished, the shower floor detailed, and found a leak in the vanity faucet that I still need to track down and fix. The moulding ate way too much time. Trying to match a few pieces that were missing and removing and replacing a run of small crown at the bottom, I had spent several hours running with quarter round. Even my wife said no more trim! (In the bathroom, at least.) But overall, the dental moulding had the effect she was looking for. We have to set the door casing and put a new door on when it comes in, but overall we are finished with the bath. 

Friday evening I had gotten set up with the small wall section and the double 2x4 post that the beam in the kitchen was to rest upon. I cut the beam down to 11" from 11 7/8" to ensure that we transition smoothly to the new 9' ceiling height in the addition. Got the first beam section ready by straddling it over two ladders in preparation for the morning install. Installation went flawlessly once I kicked out the small wall at the bottom to allow the beam more vertical room. Needed extra because of the sag of the roof in the center. Once it was lifted into place, I knocked the bottom back where it needed to be and everything lifted as it should. No sag! I left some temporary supports under the old porch ceiling, as there is nothing I see that is holding it up now. I'll leave those in place until we tear that section down.

Sunday, I showed Sandra and Kelsey how to lay flooring, and they did that while I went back to work running sheetrock over sections of the kitchen that had not yet been done (as they involved more tedious preparations).

Cabinets arrive today!! We'll store them in the porch section while we finish the sheetrock in the kitchen and lay the floor there. Perhaps we might be able to get them started the latter part of next weekend.

It's starting to finally look like we can see the end of this part of the project!!!

Photos

I took a 2x6 and screwed it to the lower rafters as a point to attach a temporary supporting post. This post would take the roof load that would be transferred when I removed the only center support.	A closeup of how by temporary support was mated to the 2x6.	The beam is laid out on two ladders in preparation for installation. Notice there is no horizontal beam in place at the time. There used to be two other 4x4 posts holding in addition to one (near the center of the pic). But these had been removed years ago when the wall was opened up.
Beam in place. Two pieces on 1/3/4" by 11" Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL). These get nailed all over to connect the two together solidly.	Sheetrock over the old siding, doorway framed properly now and the attic access has been shrunk down. The old access and drop-down has been removed so the ceiling is flush all the way across the room now. We will put the attic access in the addition later, and will finish closing off this hole then.	Sandra and Kelsy beginning the wood floor install.
They got a pretty good way the first day!

Slow spring progress

Posted to NorthPoleHome by Tim in North Pole, AK on 5/5/2013

I haven't made much progress on the house lately, since being in a house with almost no windows like a cave has curbed my motivation to work inside. However, I have windows on order and they should be here in a couple of weeks. Then I'll start sheetrocking like crazy. We did manage to wrap up the last bit of rough-in plumbing and electrical and the inspector cleared us to close it all up with sheetrock.

What I have been doing is building a solar hot water system. Yes, a solar hot water system in Alaska. I built two 4x10 collectors and mounted them on the south wall of the house and built a 250-gallon drainback tank in the crawlspace. I'm still sealing up the tank, but hopefully in about two weeks I'll be up and running with it. The temp outside today was 38 degrees and sunny, but in the collector it was 157 degrees! My well water is a constant 38 degrees so I see some big savings in the near future. The cold water going to our electric hot water heater will first go though a heat exchanger in the drainback tank and be preheated before it makes it to the electric water heater.  I'll probably disconnect one of the elements.

We put all eight windows in the back porch to create a nice four-season porch. I also built a 4x16 wood shed using pallets, some 2x4s, and a little metal roofing. No more messing around with tarps and plywood to cover up our firewood. On with the pics...

Photos

Collector half finished, with the copper tubing encased in homemade aluminum fins, painted on the back to prevent galvanic corrosion. My wife did all the painting	Collectors mounted on the south wall without glazing. Note the sloping pipes, so the water drains back to the tank when the controller shuts down the pump. This summer I'll install windows above and below them.	Collectors with SUNTUF glazing installed. The water comes up, tees off to both collectors at the bottom, then flows across and upwards, the turns back to the center, and tees together again to return to the tank.
Close up of one of the collectors.	Back porch all opened up.	View from inside the back porch. This year the snow is about 2-3 weeks late in melting away.
Wood shed built from pallets. I used pallets for the base and vertical dividers between each base pallet to create a row of stalls covered under one roof. I put this together in two evenings, pretty easy to make. Two more to be built.

Posted by Brian in Dome-ville, central, FL on 5/9/2013 Brian's Forum Posts: 86 Journal Entries: 135 Interview Answers: 248 Average Forum Rating: 3.89 Image from Brian's blog 5/9/2013

The solar hot water collectors look great! Sheetrocking was pretty easy, but I paid someone else to do the mudding. Probably saved me months of time, and it looks better than I would have done.

No more Home Depot breaks!

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 5/1/2013

Houston - we have a functional bathroom! Got toilet and vanity set on Sunday. Shower surfaces tiled during Saturday and grouted Sunday. The shower pan was not my best tile job. It'll pass, but I'm not really happy with it. Now have to order glass for it and get it in place. Just when I thought we could finish this room, my wife and daughter hit a salvage place and found just enough 100-year-old dental moulding to put into the bathroom. One more project! Argh! Started to put it up last night and it really will look good. Lends some "weight" visually to offset that of the wainscoting. Which by the way was finished the past weekend as well.

This weekend I've got to try to get the LVL beam sections in place in the kitchen/porch wall so I can begin finishing the sheetrock in the kitchen. Cabinets come this weekend and we'll have to store them in the porch area until we get the kitchen ready for them - sheetrock, wood floor (through most of the house to get there). But hope to be ready in a couple of weeks to get them set. When that's done, we can close off the porch completely from the rest of the house and begin the demo on that. I'll hire some locals for the demo and we'll continue to finish the kitchen.

A never ending list of things to do!

Photos

The "After" picture compared to the next one - the before.	The "Before"	The new/100-year-old dental moulding. Actually each rectangle and triangle piece you see are individual pieces, nailed to the 1x4 backing.That must have taken forever!

More work on electrical and lights

Posted to TheHoskensProject by Brian in Dome-ville, central, FL on 4/22/2013 7:03:35 PM

Got a ceiling fan, a few lights and outlets installed (I thought I was DONE with all the outlets!), while Cindy took pictures, installed the towel bars and TP holder and the final miniblinds, and generally cleaned up after me. She got a bunch of outlet covers on, too.

Photos

Completed fan	The outside coach lights	We got this funky track light from IKEA. We plan to wrap it in fake ivy, and have already removed the halogen bulbs and replaced them with LED's
The moose sconce light.	Measuring the blades to see if the fan will hit the wall... we got lucky.

Bathroom Progress

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 4/22/2013

I tend to be a bit A.D.D. - let's make that a l-i-i-i-ittle more than a bit. I like to say I'm an extreme multi-tasker. When working on a large project as this, (I believe I once said it was going to be a small project), jumping around from task to task in my mind isn't bad as long as the overall result is to make continued progress. It keeps me from getting bored working on one thing. My darling wife on the other hand is extremely well organized and since she is working alongside me, so to speak, on this project, what appears to her to be little progress, as it is spread over lots of things, is not sitting well with her. She wants to finish a room! I understand her need and with her help to focus my energy, we are focusing on finishing the bathroom. Now that's a logical choice I suppose, as she and my daughter are tired of running to McDonald's every time a bathroom call is needed. Yeah - it takes my help away! So we are focusing on the bathroom at the moment. We made good progress this weekend. Got most of the wainscoting up. We're using 1x6x5/8" beaded ceiling. Primed all sides to help with humidity before it went on the wall, and finish painted after it was up. Still have the top trim, which will consist a a 2 1/2" crown moulding piece between the wainscot and a 1x3 laid flat at the top. I'll post a pic when we're done.

Laid the Ditra floor membrane. So much easier than running Durock. All the cuts are simple to make with a utility knife instead for scoring and snapping or using a cutoff blade on a skill saw. Went down quickly with thinset. While I was putting that down, Sandra and Kelsey went back to Lowe's for the trim and found a tile saw for under $200. I hadn't planned on buying a saw, since of course, I have one in storage in Angel Fire, but on renting instead. But HD wanted $45/day for a tile saw! Now we have the bathroom floors (2) the showers (2) and the kitchen backsplash. That's a week's worth of days easily or about $350 of rental costs. Buy a saw and sell it later on Craig's List when we're finished. Actually it's better than the Ryobi I have in AF. Easier to set up the fence, the 45, and a 45 miter accurately. I'll sell the Ryobi and keep this one!

With my wife painting what is ready on the arch wall and kitchen, I showed my daughter how to cut tile. She cut as I laid and called out dimensions. She was great with the cuts - spot on, even on the curved sections under the toilet flange. In about two hours, we had the entire bathroom floor down. Remember, we have a shower sticking out from the wall to cut around as well. We used a polished porcelain tile that is a dead ringer for Carrara marble, and cost about $2.50/foot. You had to pay greater attention to the levelness as well as the grout lines, since like real stone, the edges are very square and sharp. You want a smooth flat floor. It turned out great. In fact I believe it was the best tile job I've done, and I've done a number.

After a 13-hour day, we cleaned up packed tools and staggered out. Grout, wainscot trim, baseboard later this week. Then shower floor by Friday so we can lay up the wall on Saturday. Put in the vanity on Sunday. Let's see if I can keep this schedule!

Photos

Looking into the bathroom. Wainscoting wrapping around behind where the vanity will be over to the shower. Ditra membrane is visible on the floor.	View from inside the bath outwards. Again wainscoting without trim top and bottom, of course.	Full bath shot of Ditra
Tile going down.	Tile finished. Little green spacers everywhere. Grout will be next.

Winter Project 2012 3.2 -- Big Garage Cabinet Finds a Home

Posted to Tanglewood by Steven in Colorado Springs, CO on 4/20/2013

With the Winter of 2012 seemingly never wanting to end (I love the snow but come on--where's my Spring?!?) I found myself with another day of decent, sunny weather but nearly impossible to actually work outside--the recent 9" of global warming we got a couple of days ago is now melting, rendering everything outside a  muddy, snowy, slushy mess. So I looked over the Winter 2012 Projects list and decided it was time to work on hanging up stuff again.

The target of my attention this time was a very large cabinet that needed putting up in the garage--specifically the apartment garage area. This cabinet once was the top of a computer hutch that sadly didn't survive the move to Tanglewood. Ordinarily putting up a cabinet wouldn't be much of a problem, but in this case it was large (4'x4'), heavy (~150 pounds), with the whole endeavor complicated by a desire to mount it up fairly high from the floor (a good 4'). This height made it impossible for Colleen to reach when we tried to lift it up together, and the weight was too much for me to get it that high on my own. The awkward size combined with the higher placement and the problems I discovered recently when I put up my TV in the master bedroom meant that getting this cabinet into place was a bit of a puzzle.

I eventually solved the problem with a combination of heavy duty brackets mounted down into the concrete and a large ramp fashioned out of a long leftover porch railing section to slide the cabinet up. Execution after that was relatively simple. I fastened the railing section to the brackets so it couldn't slip, "walked" the cabinet over to the far end of the railing, and then began using a series of automotive jacks and jack stands to slowly lift it all up to the height of the brackets. This was far and away the longest part of the entire exercise, as I had to go slowly and carefully so the railing wouldn't tilt too far and the cabinet fall off. I ended up repositioning and raising jack stands and such several times throughout the effort as it got higher, but eventually I got the railing fairly level with the mounting brackets. At that point the job got fairly easy--I slid the cabinet along the rail to the mounts, made sure it was centered properly on the brackets, fastened the cabinet to the wall (so it wouldn't tilt) and then to the mounts (so it wouldn't move). When all was said and done, I took down all of the ramps and jack stands and such--and the cabinet was installed!

Assuming it doesn't fall down overnight, we'll put other things back in the garage tomorrow and I'll move on to the next chore. If it does fall down, of course, I have a bonfire planned where it will be the guest of honor--getting it up there was ultimately way harder than it should have been! ;)

So there we go--another chore knocked off of the list and a little bit less disorganization in the garage. All in all, a fine day.


Steven in Colorado

Permits

Posted to Dream-Build-Austin-Texas by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 1:28:40 PM

We are waiting for one last permit from our subdivision, then the foundation will begin. Yippee!!!

Funded

Posted to Dream-Build-Austin-Texas by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 1:21:34 PM

Just about to get started, after five long years of securing financing and selling our home, we are finally on the way. Construction loan just got funded!! PTL...

Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Canyon view....
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	The home will be 2,500 sq ft with four bedrooms and two baths. Single-story open floor plan with family room, kitchen, dining room all together. Of course one of the rooms will be a audio/game room and one room will be home gym. :)

Before lot pics....

Posted to Dream-Build-Austin-Texas by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 8:08:08 AM

Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Street side and top of drive, house will sit back some 100' from street. :)
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Excavation we did a few years back, 3' cut to save on foundation costs.
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Views out family room windows. :)
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Build mascot... Samson da Magnificent.
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Trail down to rest of lot and dry creek at the bottom.
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	Horseshoe pits!
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013
Posted by Keith in Austin, TX on 4/17/2013 Keith's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 3 Keith's Selected Image 4/17/2013	View looking up at the street.

Construction docs in two weeks!

Posted to The-Last-Rodeo by Larry in Angel Fire, NM on 4/17/2013

Short update:

Taping and floating

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 4/15/2013

Took Friday off my day job to meet the plumbing inspector for the shower pan inspection. Passed without issue. Then spent the rest of the weekend working on hanging and finishing sheetrock in the bath and kitchen. I'm not very fast at finishing (or hanging, for that matter) but my price is right. Had to pick up a couple more pieces of 1/2" and a piece of 1/4" (yes they make it that thin, but you can't buy it at the box stores. It's made to go over existing wall surfaces without covering too much of window and door trim). 

Electrical and plumbing inspection passed!!

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 4/7/2013

This has been a great week! Electricians came on Monday and got the new service installed and started on the kitchen. Four guys moving everywhere. I had to leave, couldn't take all the commotion being used to working by myself. Finished on Tuesday. They did a few things I wish they hadn't, like run the main cable through the attic, which meant they cut holes in the bedroom wall to fish it through, and as they drilled quite large holes for the branch circuits to the kitchen, they hit joists and carved out a significant amount of wood on a couple joists. Bear in mind that the ceiling joists on this old of a house are 2x4's. I'm going to have to scab on another to make me feel comfortable.

The utility company hasn't been out to install the new meter and wire it to the pole, so we're still running off the old box for the moment. But everything passed inspection, so that was a milestone. I set up a plumbing inspection for Wednesday. Inspector came bright and early. I explained that this was my first time in this jurisdiction so if you would, walk me through the process. He was quite nice and took me through what I needed to do - primarily get all the drains plugged and the entire drain system filled with water to the roof. Pressure was already on the water lines. He walked around and reviewed everything - saw some minor things he called out. I asked him about the procedure for the rough-in on the gas line, as I had so many different versions from different folks. He wrote up a list I needed to take care of and left without failing - or passing me. Just to trying to help educate me.

That afternoon I took care of the three or four things he had, got everything ready for inspection and called in for an inspection the following day. He arrived again and we went through and other than the shower pan inspection which I hadn't set up for, everything was good especially the gas (which was tested at 25 psi).

With the electrical and plumbing rough-ins passing, I was free to cover the walls!!! Shower pan inspection will be next week.

Spent the rest of Friday working on the sheetrock in the bathroom and taped it. Saturday, with some help from the family to get the upper pieces of rock on, I proceeded close the exterior kitchen wall. What a pain! All the electrical boxes to cut around and then when I thought I was done - where is the box for the microwave??!  Luckily, I screwed the rock on so it came back off far enough so I could find it and cut it out. Taped the seams before quitting on Saturday. 

Those of you who have been through this process understand the joy and the transformation when sheetrock goes on. For weeks/months you are working behind the scenes, running plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. that really doesn't look impressive. You (more so your wife) question whether anything is really getting done. And then-!! it now becomes a room! It's bright and airy! Still a lot of things to do, but it is a very visible change that really lifts your spirits!

Gonna be a slow day today (like yesterday really was) as our daughter from Virginia is in for the weekend and we'll take some family time. But now I feel I can take one!

Photos

Kitchen wiring. Now I have to figure this out!	More kitchen wiring. The lower box is the microwave's that I covered up by mistake.	The upper wall still had the 3/4" shiplap on it, so I furred out the lower section bfore hanging sheetrock.
what a difference!	This is the bathroom wall with rock on. The shower system I'm using can go right over standard sheetrock, but I went ahead a bought a piece of moisture resistant anyway and used it where the greatest amount of moisture would be present. I'm sure I don't need it, but it gives Ma a little piece of mind for $2 more.	Shower pan. The window guy nicked it with a ladder foot and I had to patch it, thus the white section by the drain. I'm not using curbs and there won't be a door. So I waterproofed the floor in front of where the opening will be with membrane, to take care of any wet feet over the years.

Big TVs, Heavy Cabinets, and Concrete Walls

Posted to Tanglewood by Steven in Colorado Springs, CO on 4/7/2013

Well now... this has been a bit of a learning experience.

Since my last entry it's mostly been dismal and wet and cold outside and I've been pretty busy at work, so the upshot is that I haven't been able to get much worked off of my Winter 2012 Chores List. The weather is getting better now though and that should change shortly, thank goodness. 

In the meantime though I've accidentally run into another learning experience that I thought I might share with other ICF (and probably SIP) O-Bs. This is precisely the kind of thing you probably won't think about ahead of time--I certainly didn't--and there are some implications for how you build that might come in handy during the construction process.

For Christmas I gave myself a large LED TV (60"). It's not all that heavy, but it's large enough to be awkward for a single person to handle. It's intended destination was the master bedroom between the two large windows opposite the bed; this allows me to watch it from bed if so desired or from my desk if I'm surfing around on the computer or watching TV just before bedtime. The TV didn't come with any hardware to mount it, so I had to buy that separately.

The kit is a good one--no complaints there--but I quickly realized that I was going to have a problem with it. These kits are of necessity made for the vast majority of folks who might buy them, and the vast majority of folks have stud frame houses. The 3" bolts that came with the kit would no doubt do a fine job of anchoring it to the studs of a wall for mounting, but wouldn't even reach through the drywall-and-styrofoam of the BuildBlock ICFs.

"Well that's no problem", I thought to myself. "I'll just mount into the plastic webbing studs that BuildBlock helpfully integrates into their blocks at 6-inch intervals for just this reason!" (Okay, I cleaned that up a bit.) That's when I ran into my second problem...

The plastic stud mounts that are part of the BuildBlock system are something you can detect with a simple stud finder, so I hauled out my trusty Black & Decker and began scanning the wall. BEEP... found one. BEEP... found another, but not really 6" over from the first... more like 9". That's odd. BEEP... wait, this one seems to be only 2" over from that one... that's odd. Let's try higher up... what, NO BEEP? Oh wait, there's one... over by the window?!? What?

Chatting with Colleen revealed what had happened. To handle the irregular areas extending between the two windows in the master bedroom (which are arched) the builders used a lot of "scrap ICF"... bits and pieces that they had left over from the longer, fuller runs. And those, as it happens sometimes are small enough that they don't have webbing in them at all--or they only have a single brace, and in piecing them together you sometimes get two webbing studs within a couple of inches of each other. Colleen remembered this area being particular problematic for the builders (in fact all of the arched windows were) and she wasn't a bit surprised that the plastic studs were irregular at best through this region.

Well smeg. That's a problem, since I couldn't tie into the wall securely. Those 3" bolts just weren't going to cut it if all they could tie into were Styrofoam. For me to make the mount work, I'd have to anchor into the concrete--which of course required a longer bolt.

After much searching, I ended up going with the same things the crew used for anchoring the stairs to the concrete walls--Red Head Wedge Anchors. I got mine at Lowe's, but I'm sure Ace and Home Depot have them too. These are 5" long and have a flared end that expands into the concrete when you cinch down the locking nut on the outside end. I was able to drill my mounting holes as I "normally" would (into the drywall), then switched to a concrete bit to punch those holes deeper into the concrete for the bolts to anchor properly. Once I got them in and cinched down, I had a mount that held anything I put on it--I even grabbed it for a quick chin-up! 

The TV went up the next day.

I'll be using these again later today (as it happens) to mount a heavy cabinet in the garage. Again, it's on the outer wall and weight wise it's actually heavier than the TV; I briefly tried putting mounting brackets into the webbing there (not quite as irregular as it as in the master bedroom) but I don't really trust them to be secure enough, so it's back to the concrete wedges. I suspect I'll be happier with that anyway.

I would have preferred to go 6" deep, but they didn't seem to offer anything like that in the 3/8" bolts. The larger ones that are 6" longer are 5/8" bolts, and that was too large for the TV mounts. These seem pretty strong though, so I'm not too concerned.

So out of all of this are a couple of Lessons Learned for folks:

• Don't trust the advertised ICF spacing. Just because they sell it with 6" or 9" spacing doesn't mean you know that's actually what's in your walls where you want to put something. If you didn't do it yourself and know that the spacing is as delivered, then it's almost a cinch that it won't be. I would guess that since SIPs are somewhat more engineered there might be less trouble with those, but any trimming to make something fit could still end up biting you.
  
  
• Take pictures or video of your walls before the drywall goes up. This is particularly true if you build with ICFs and SIPs, but I could see value to it with regular stud construction as well. We didn't do this and at the time I would have said that was a silly waste of time, but in retrospect I wish I had a record so I could compare what my stud finder is telling me to an actual picture. Of course this could take a lot of time and at a guess there will be portions where you want more detail than you have, but at least it would be something you could refer to.
  

Started tiling the shower/bathtub surround.

Posted to TheHoskensProject by Brian in Dome-ville, central, FL on 3/31/2013

Finally Cindy talked me into starting the tile. I was a little scared since it's so permanent and such a big deal, but we dove in and got about half of the tile up. Looks REALLY good. We also found a nice mirror for the bath vanity and a clock for the wall. 

Photos

Closeup of the tile	Tile done so far. We're trying to do all the tile we DON'T have to cut, then fill in all the pieces that need to be cut.	The new wall clock.
The new vanity mirror

Mini-blinds installed, refrigerator and stove in place.

Posted to TheHoskensProject by Brian in Dome-ville, central, FL on 3/27/2013 8:40:28 PM

While I finished up the electrical outlets, Cindy cleaned off the HEAVY layer of dirt/dust on and in the refrigerator and all over the stove. Apparently the garage is not even close to airtight, and the stove and fridge have been sitting in the corner of the garage for close to five years. Matt put up the remaining window blinds and did a really good job on them, too!

Photos

Matt installs window blinds.	An almost finished kitchen!	The LAST electrical outlet...

Waiting for the Electrician or someone like him

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 3/27/2013

Now, very few of you will get that title. You have to be an old hippy and have listened to Firesign Theater. Not sure there are many of us left ;-)

But waiting for him we are. We decided Sunday to bite the bullet and sign on with the electrician who had the better price for the new service work, even though his quote for wiring the kitchen was really outrageous at $900. Yesterday - Tuesday I finally get a quote back from another guy that came out two weeks ago. A good quote for a larger service and additionally he would supervise my rough-in work and charge me $130 more. And he would supply all the permits in his bill. If I wasn't pressed for time, it was a far better deal. But he seemed to be less than reliable on showing up the first time and getting the quote back quickly. Sometimes low bid may not be best, eh?  But I will certainly get ahold of him when we start the addition and plan ahead.

Electrician is to show up Monday. In the meantime I need to set a larger panel. Now that arc fault breakers are required on nearly everything. They require more space. They are, to me, a good idea that has been taken too far. If there is a significant spark on the circuit, they trip the breaker. Initially they were required for bedrooms only, under I think 2006 code. That's reasonable. If you're sleeping, it might be a good thing to have that bad space heater or fan trip a breaker. But 2009 or certainly 2011 code requires them on all inhabited areas. Really, if you are awake, do you need them everywhere else on every circuit including lighting? I'm sure most of us have at one time or another plugged in an appliance and had a spark jump out. A big surprise, but you're right there if it went any further. At $35 or more each, these things add up pretty quickly.

This past week, Kelsey had painted the beaded 1x6 that we'll use for wainscoting, and Sandra got it up on one wall of the bathroom. Couldn't go any further, as the wall next to it has an original window that needs work. The window guy my daughter found back in early February actually started today, so hopefully that window will be repaired by the weekend. He is going around and rebuilding all the original double-hung windows so that they will open and seal. New ropes, finding the old weights down in the sash and connecting them back up. They all have the handblown (wavy) glass panes, and while not very efficient in today's world, they are very much sought after in these old houses. It'll run about $150/window. Much cheaper than replacing them, as these are very tall. They are 6 ft tall and about 30 inches wide.

I spent Saturday under the house connecting the water supply line to the main PEX line. Pressure tested it and the only leaks were in a couple of solder joints in copper transitions - the problem with using a propane torch. Just not hot enough to ensure 100% success. Fixed those and all is well. Been under pressure now for several days. Spent the rest of the day running 1" gas line to the attic for the tankless and the furnace. Ran all the way to under the kitchen where I'll stub out for the stove and continue on to the meter about 15 feet further on.  Pressure test that when done and we should be ready for plumbing inspection. Get electrical inspection afterwards and by the weekend after Easter, we might be able to close up the walls with sheetrock! And start running tile in the shower. We've got wood floor to run before cabinets are set and they come in the 20th. A lot to do and a short time to get there! But it's coming along!

Photos

Water lines coming down from the tankless in the attic into the kitchen.	Vent lines from the vanity and shower, as well as water lines. Nice with PEX that you can't mix up hot and cold!	Arch that is now sheetrocked on the one side. First coat of mud. Other side has to wait unit plumbing and electrical inspection.
Kitchen water supply and vent. That horizontal run is supposed to be 4" higher. I can't without tearing out the window. I hoping the inspector will be kind.

Quick update

Posted to The-Last-Rodeo by Larry in Angel Fire, NM on 3/19/2013

Been two months since my last post. Nothing much has transpired on the construction documents. Talked to the architect last week. He's calling in a marker with a local engineer to review his plans. Was waiting for him to review the curved wall section for shear support. Other than that, no more news. At this moment because of the project in Houston (Barrel Race blog) I can wait a bit longer, but in the not too distant future, I really want to get started on estimates and need the prints and material list.

Permits!

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 3/18/2013

This past week, it was definitely time to get permits. While we were clear on tearing things out of the house without one, rebuilding certain things, especially as much as we plan to do, requires permits.

Monday afternoon I went to the permit office. Office is not the correct word. It is an entire four-story building. I would guess it is about 150,000 square feet or more. A little intimidating. I ask at the information desk what to do and where to go. I got through the first step in about 15 minutes, getting a project number and then up to the third floor. There was an hour wait. Finally got to see someone and when he asked if we were going to do any structural changes, I replied we were going to put an archway in the wall between the kitchen and dining room (the one already removed and rebuilt). Wrong Answer!!  He pulls out 2006 structural codes for the allowable span and wants to see ceiling and floor joist plans to meet those codes - on a 108-year-old house for a wall that was non-supporting. And I had to bring back detailed drawings on the new wall. :-(.

Was I bummed. And when he asked about moving plumbing fixtures around I replied I was going to do that. "Hmmmm I don't think you can do that. Has to be a licensed plumber." He asks someone - "Yes it has to be a licensed plumber" Double bummed.

I leave and decide to ask a plumbing inspector. So I sign in on the 4th floor - Inspections. Get to see a fellow and ask. "The homeowner can apply for their own permit. Are you the homeowner?" "No, I am her father." "Your daughter has to apply for the permit. You can help her with the plumbing. But you can't sub out the work to someone else." Yes!!! One small victory!

Tuesday dawns. I have my detailed wall framing drawing and head to the permit building. I've learned to NEVER go on Monday. Tuesday is like a ghost town. I pull a number and it is called before I even sit down, to start the process. Go on back to the third floor, wait two minutes and get to see someone. Different fellow than the day before. I explain I am confused. Don't challenge, act like Columbo (or as my wife says about me - like Mr. Magoo). 2006 codes applying to a 1905 house. He smiles and looks up the previous clerk's comments in the system. "Ah, he pulled down the wrong stuff. You don't need all of this. It's existing construction and since the ceiling spans... you didn't need to draw this nice drawing." Everything is fine. He makes copies of the Before and After hand-drawn plans on 8 1/2x11, stamps everything, hands me a copy, I go downstairs pay my $98 and I have my permit!! And I tape it to the front window of the house!

Daughter goes down the following day to pull the plumbing permit. She gets some jerk who runs her around about whether it is really her house, and how is she going to do the work as she's just a girl - really! She has her closing docs, her title insurance, etc. and because it doesn't yet show she has a Homestead exemption (only given on January 1 of each year (she closed on the 24th) he keeps running her around. She stands her ground and he reluctantly gives the permit. Government jerks!

Interior paint DONE, finishing continues.

Posted to TheHoskensProject by Brian in Dome-ville, central, FL on 3/10/2013

It's amazing how much time things take. I thought one or two days for painting would be enough... no, more like two to three days for primering, and three days for painting and that's ALL day. Finally done, all drop cloths picked up and most of the dust/etc. vacuumed up. While the paint was being finished, we put in most of the electrical outlets and switches and put up a few blinds. Wow, the blinds are SO much nicer to look at than the old sheets draped over a spring rod...

Photos

My brother was helping paint, and had nice shoes he didn't want to get paint on. Painter's tape to the rescue.	Mini blinds on the lakefront windows.	Cindy cleaned a LOT of paint off these stairs. They look beautiful again!!

Rebuilding begins

Posted to Barrel-Race by Larry in Houston, TX on 3/7/2013

The title is not quite correct, as there has been some progress forward all the time that we have been tearing things out. Can lights installed, rooms and trim painted and 5/8" sheathing over the original pine floor. But week after week we continued to do more destruction than construction. We're beginning to get to the other side now - for the original house.

This past weekend Sandra and Kelsey destructed the interior of the porch that we will remove later. I worked on laying out a new wall separating the kitchen and dining/living room. Yes, this is the one we destructed the week before. In its new form it'll be an arched opening. I began by removing the 2x4's that were part of the original wall. Although it wasn't a bearing wall. Additional load had been placed upon it in the attic from a board that been used to help brace the roof.  As I removed more of the 2x4's, this became apparent. So I placed some temporary supports up while I continued with the last 2 x 4's.

Sunday, I made a truss 17" tall (deep) to span the opening. With help from the girls, we got it in place with temporary blocking while I then created the side walls that extend out 27" from either side. Nothing in the house is plumb. A lot of negotiation to actually get things to fit and be solid. The opening that exists now is plumb. Glued and screwed  OSB across the upper four feet on front side before closing down Sunday. Monday after work I fit the two remaining pieces along the sides. The thing is rock solid and will act as a sturdy shear wall especially during a hurricane. 

Wednesday while waiting for the house levelers to return and take care of a large lump, and for the electrician to look at what I wanted to do for a new service install, I scribed out the arch and cut it out. Looks great! I'll have to wait on the backside of the wall as electrical and kitchen plumbing will route through. Things forward need permits and now that we finally have Historic Commission approval on the addition, we can apply for permits. I'll continue to piddle this weekend setting things up, like hanging the new tankless water heater that arrived today and finishing the floor sheathing. 

A dumpster arrives Friday! Yeah! Saturday will be spent cleaning the HUGE pile of debris we've taken out. It is totally unbelievable just how much stuff comes out of stripping two rooms and a porch. I would never have guessed! Weather will be great for cleanup! 72 F, no rain. The best time of year in Houston!

Photos

View of what's left of the wall that Sandra blasted out last weekend. Studs out, temporary supports in.	Another view of the empty wall and supports.	Truss beam in place. I could have used a 2x12 beam, but I wanted more depth at 17".
side walls in and sheathed with OSB on the one side.	The arch is cut. Nice smooth shallow.	Kitchen pine floor. Most of this has been sheathed now.
Kitchen floor mostly sheathed.	Old porch section after Sandra stripped off the cedar boards and the old paneling underneath. We'll remove this siding carefully to be reused if necessary for repairs to other sections on the old house. The new addition will used same style (Type 105) but dimensions are a bit off from that used 108 years ago. So, best to keep this old stuff around.