Hello everyone! I have been reading all of the forum posts for months and have learned a lot. Kerri D.

Jeff's Forum Posts: 2
Journal Entries: 19
Interview Answers: 35
Average Forum Rating: 3.50



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Stormwater Management

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 1/11/2012

A stormwater management plan was required to accommodate the roof runoff (impermeable surface). This part of the project came in at $3,000, including the engineer's design and me doing the manual labor. Gravel-less chambers were used due to the topography of site. 

Photos

Roof drainage line.	Two 75-foot runs of gravel-less chambers.	Type-30 catch basin
After backfill

Sheetrock

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 1/11/2012

Sheetrock is in. What a change! Even though this structure is under 1000 sq. ft. of living space, there was a large amount of sheetrock needed to include the unheated entryway and the garage on the lower level. We're very pleased with the outcome.

Photos

Vaulted ceiling	Very nice job on the arched windows.	Sheetrock in unheated entryway. (The wall on the left is concrete)
Office area	Bedroom

Plumbing

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 11/26/2011 9:43:54 PM

PEX plumbing

Photos

Posted by Justin on 2/2/2012 Justin's Forum Posts: 0 Journal Entries: 1 Interview Answers: 64 Randomly Selected Image 2/2/2012

Did you install the PEX? We are interested in using PEX, but it's pretty new to the Florida market... A lot of plumbers haven't heard of it and think anything new is bad... Thanks! Justin

Fire Suppression

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 11/26/2011

We decided to install a fire suppression system (given the history of the property). On mechanical inspection, the fire suppression system failed because the sprinkler design (by a company no longer in business) called for a pump that was oversized for this phase of the project. The 400-gallon tank was emptied in less than 10 minutes; the requirement was for supply of water for 10 minutes. After installing flanges and an orifice plate, the system finally passed. Interestingly, all 400 gallons were easily emptied into the stormwater management system in less than 10 minutes; we consider the test of the stormwater management system very successful!

Photos

400-gallon tank	Pump skid	overhead piping
piping and sprinkler head

Siding

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 11/26/2011

Not completed yet, but siding is well underway.   This was yet another great deal for us - traded a floor refinish for a few days pay and labor for an unemployed construction worker.  He was very knowledgeable, a great help.  He was genuinely grateful for the work, and we were blessed to have his help.

Photos

Windows

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/21/2011 10:20:15 PM

The windows were installed today. 

Photos

Windows finally installed.

Trusses

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/9/2011

Trusses are up. Another week of framing to go!  

The Project Manager (my wife) came to inspect today. Good thing she did - she saw right away that the kitchen window was framed about 8 inches too low. Not too late for the framers to fix it.

Photos

Scissor trusses for vaulted ceiling.

The remainder of the dormer will be stick-framed.

Framing

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/3/2011

Framing started a little over a week ago. I'm on the job site daily helping move material, doing minor laborer tasks - hoping to defray some of the framing expense. 

Photos

Two 5-1/2"x21"x25' glulams support the first floor over the garage.	Garage is framed... on to living space upstairs.	Room with a view.
Front of the ADU.	Outer walls

Foundation

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/3/2011

We were a little surprised at the engineering requirement for the footings for this 1,000 sq ft auxiliary dwelling unit (mother-in-law suite) we are building in advance of the main house. Because of the steep slope and 9'6" foundation wall height, the footings were engineered at 3 feet wide by 12 inches deep.  

We helped defray the cost of excavation by running the Bobcat and shovel while our excavation contractor ran the excavator. We saved money by installing the foundation drains, waterproofing, and laying and tying the reinforcement steel for the slab ourselves.

The foundation footing and walls ultimately required 61 yards of concrete.

Photos

Carrying buckets of gravel to install drains.	Installing steel reinforcement for slab.	Footings
Pumping	Finished foundation.

Well

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/20/2010

Very happy to have a well. At 86 feet and 20 gallons per minute, we're below budget on this one!

Photos

Well in progress

Driveway

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 11/28/2009

Dirtwork for 650 feet of driveway/road. We pondered several options for the road, but ultimately decided ease of access takes precedence over cost. 

Photos

		120 tons of gravel (will be laying more). Ditches lined with 95 tons of 2-4 rock.
Our focus through the winter is ensuring erosion control measures are working. So far, the rock, jute mesh, and 300 pounds of grass seed are doing the job.

Fire - Spring 2009

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 11/28/2009

Unfortunate and expensive, but we haven't given up hope. We lost the 250 trees we planted in fall 2008 to replace the trees we logged...

Photos

Friends and family pitched in to help haul burned slash down the hill...		We decided to combine the clean-up operation with the road operation; removed stumps in the path of the road.
		We'll be replanting fir trees this month.

Posted by Rachal in Janesville, CA on 11/29/2009 Rachal's Forum Posts: 79 Journal Entries: 31 Interview Answers: 62 Average Forum Rating: 3.84 Rachal's Selected Image 11/29/2009	What caused the fire?
Posted by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 12/1/2009 Jeff's Forum Posts: 2 Journal Entries: 19 Interview Answers: 35 Average Forum Rating: 3.50 Image from Jeff's blog 12/1/2009	Run, Bambi; man is in the forest!

Logging

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 8/14/2008

Logging almost complete...

Photos

Before	Cedar, alder, maple. Not much fir or hemlock. No word yet on any volume of alder peelers. Jury is out on figured maple at this point (probably a pipe dream).
Trees near highway will be logged last. Will need to hire flaggers for traffic control.	This is a huge harvest, not for the faint of heart... not to worry, two plus acres left unharvested, and we will be replanting in the fall.

Silt Fence

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/16/2008 2:50:05 PM

350+ feet of silt fence before logging can begin.  We've discovered this is why we had sons!  Terrain did not accommodate power equipment.  Back-breaking work, but we finished.  On to the next step.

Photos

Logging Permit

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 7/2/2008 10:48:11 AM

A mere 8 months later, the logging permit (Forest Practices Application) has finally been approved!

Still waiting...

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 6/10/2008 12:04:38 PM

Seven months later...

After singing Kumbaya for pileated woodpeckers and preparing an alternative habitat for them, apparently not endangered but a species of concern, we have continued to wait.  (Translated - either cut down 2 woodpecker snags and REPLANT THE DEAD TREES somewhere else, or pay $1500 to a biologist to kill two other trees and make sure they stay dead for 2 years!   I'm NOT kidding. I thought those birds had wings and could fly to any one of the other wood pecker snags on this 6-acre parcel, but apparently not.) 

Public Works appears to be the picture of inefficiency.  It took them 5 months to tell us they didn't like our storm water management plan, and another 1 month to say they like it, but now they need to ask the state about it.  

We've built in Mason County before, but never had to deal with public works.  The Building Department is Great.  The people in Planning are fine.  We've recently learned that other folks have had similar issues with Public Works here as well.

So, here we are, still waiting to log.   Would really like for it to happen this summer.

Posted by RogerC in Phoenix, AZ on 6/11/2008 RogerC's Forum Posts: 54 Interview Answers: 3 Average Forum Rating: 3.36 Randomly Selected Image 6/11/2008	Yikes!  I feel for you.  That is just crazy.  As a lover of birds, I can't help thinking there just has to be a better way to make all parties happy...  land-owners, biologists, and Dryocopus pileatus alike. By the way, that is a beautiful lot!  If you ever get beyond the Public Works, what type of house are you planning?
Posted by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 6/11/2008 Jeff's Forum Posts: 2 Journal Entries: 19 Interview Answers: 35 Average Forum Rating: 3.50 Image from Jeff's blog 6/11/2008	Struggling between keeping the size down and "having what we want."    We can't even get a complete take on the view because it is so heavily treed.  Definitely a view though.  Because of the slope of the lot, we're going to end up with a basement, but probably won't finish the basement.   Probably will be about 3500-4000 sq ft. at this point.   Looking to build a high-end house on a budget.  Still LOTs of site prep to do though.
Posted by RogerC in Phoenix, AZ on 7/17/2008 RogerC's Forum Posts: 54 Interview Answers: 3 Average Forum Rating: 3.36 Randomly Selected Image 7/17/2008	Your project sounds very similar to mine, which is yet to begin.  I'm planning on around 4000 sq ft with basement, on a hillside 1.25 acres, hoping to do high-end finishes (we'll see how that goes).   All I've done so far is purchase the land.  Very different terrains though...  you'll cutting down trees; I'll be moving saguaros.   It looks like you're making great progress!...  I'll be watching your journal closely.  :)

Slow Going

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 10/31/2007 8:05:50 AM

Summer has come and gone.  We had hoped to be done logging by the end of summer, but the survey took MUCH longer than promised.   That said, the survey is complete, the geotechnical report is done, and the logging permit has been submitted.   Maybe we can hope to have the property logged by spring . . .

Photos

Approach in progress

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 6/27/2007

40 feet of culvert, extending 30-40 feet of the future driveway (only another 600 feet to go!)

Haul out 

• 15 loads of organic material (13 of which a guy a mile down the road took as clean fill.)

Crushed rock 1-1/4

• 7 loads

4x8 rip rap

• 3 loads

Heavy Equipment

• Traded a hardwood floor (prefinished) installation for labor!

Photos

Approach

Posted to 302 by Jeff in Belfair, WA on 6/27/2007

Need a culvert!

Photos