Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO 32 entries to date 3 forum posts to date
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 5/3/2008
You may have read, heard or saw on TV the storm damage done in the Midwest. We feel lucky but do have some new issues to deal with.
We live in Gladstone which was experienced a small tornado in the early house (2am) of May 2nd. We were only 3 blocks from the main damage and only had a broken storm window, one section of fence damaged and some tree's down. Just blocks away full homes and businesses were lost. Our kids school had the roof taken off and most of the windows knocked out from flying debris. School was cancelled for Friday and Monday and will resume on Tuesday at a nearby church until the repairs are made. They have school year round so we were gald to hear an alternate location was found.
By the build site in Smithville MO there was a second tornado, took out a neighborhood about 12 blocks away. One of my co-works lost his home there. The city closed down access to the area and since we have not changed our ID's to the new address they would not let us in to check on the build site. We had to drive further north (about 20 minutes) to check on the new house. Which appears to have come through with no damage. We are having both homes inspected before dismissing insurance claims. It's amazing but no one was seriously hurt.
The swing set and barn did not do as well. The new monster sized swing set did not make it. It is a crumpled pile now. The barn has a few twisted roof panels that will need replaced and a missing sheet of metal siding gone. The port-a-potty was about 12 acres away. The company got a call from the home owner asking them to come get it.
There was a ton of rain with the storm so we are waiting for things to dry out again. Still need the sewer and water hooked up... it will happen... given enough time & money. I am running low on the latter.....
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 4/26/2008 8:29:47 AM
Yes, were complaining about the weather again. It Turned cold again, dipping in to the upper 30's last night and too cold to get what we need done complete. I have the next week off and wanted to complete the exterior trim paint so I could work on the gutters. Unless it warms up, that won’t happen. We did get 1/2 of the grass cut for the first time this year. Still cutting the full 12 acres... and yes, it was cold cutting the grass. Also received the bill on the sewer hook up. More than I wanted to pay, $5700. The only other option we have is septic which will cost more for a good septic system. We are currently a family of 3 but growing...with one more coming within a month and more in the new few years. Plus we will probably have the guesthouse occupied with parents. With the number of people were going with the sewer system, despite the cost.
The estimate they gave me for the water hookup was $800, but they increase it to $1800 after additional measuring and estimates from staff. I said no to that and am working on a better price. Some friends own Jones Steel and may be able to help with the trenching and backfilling at a better rate and we may attempt to lay the plumbing main line and hire someone to do the hook up to the meter and house.
But until it gets warmer.... and stops raining (we got another 3 inches last week) we're not doing much of anything. As soon as we make some progress pictures will be posted.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 4/18/2008 5:39:42 PM
We ran the wires for the sound system today. I personally didn't think we needed a sound system. After all this is a guest house and only 850 square feet. 'Just set a radio in the middle and turn it on!' But Mike wanted it and he hasn't wanted much so..... we have a sound system. And it's expanding! That dry wall better get up before it grows more. Started as a three speaker system for main living area. Grew to a five speaker system, then to be 5 speaker surround sound inside and two out door speakers on the patio....then 4 outdoor speakers (two on each side). Well, the wires are run and it's done. And it will sound great, and will be our entertainment for some time. No more expanding....becaze there is no mo money!
Next...
1. Main Electric Trench - to change temp power to permanent power
2. Wait on Aquila (electric company to install power line to house)
3. Water and sewer in
4. Drywall installed
5. rob bank for next set of projects....
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 4/17/2008
We’ll we managed to find a break in the weather that was long enough to allow the ground (mud) to dry out some so the drywall could be delivered. And there was no extra time. Ordered on Monday with the forecast calling for rain early Thursday. They could not deliver until Thursday but we would be the first drop. Forecast was updated for rain to be delayed until late morning Thursday. They called to say there were at the site at 8:30, dropped the sheets (up and down) and it was raining by 9:30. Making it a muddy mess again. At least we made the delivery and can get the installation going. Going after the water, sewer and electric is hooked up. We thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and have the main water hooked up and pipes checked before we installed the drywall.....just in case there's a leak. The plumber says there wont be. I'm not taking his word for it. We'll see.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 4/16/2008
Have been putting off the big expense of the sewer line and grinder pump installation and the not so big expense of the main water line. Now we are at the point that we can not wait any longer. Called to place the order for the installation. They (they being the county planning and zoning department) required us to pay fro the water meter before they would issue a building permit so the meter has been paid for since Jan 2007 and in place since last year sometime. Then we are responsible for running the water line from the meter to the house. I didn’t want to have to run the heat through the winter so we have been waiting to put the main water line in and always planned on doing it with the sewer line...saving the cost of a second company to come out and run the line. So, the sewer company that we are required to use (which still bugs me...certain I could get it done for less) is working on the cost figures for the main water line (around $800 ...and its over 800 feet long...I just hope we have good water pressure) the sewer hook up (with 'Y' for future expansion to main house) and grinder pump (this is required due to the small private sewer plant we are hooked to). I'll get the bill next week...which has to be paid before they do the work...I'm estimating it to be around $6000. Any more and well be waiting again. After the bill is paid they said they could complete the work within 14 days. We're making progress again.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 4/11/2008
We have not made much progress due to the weather. It's been horrible. If we're not fighting super cold temperatures than it's snowing! Now it's April and it's still in the 30's and 40' and RAINING! We're located in the Midwest (northern Missouri) and yes we're the ones that decided to live here and are fully aware of the seasons but this year has been ridiculous. We're ready for a break from it all! Well... actually, we did take a break from it for a while. We spent part of February in Florida... boy you guys down there have it rough. All that warm weather and sunshine, can't imagine how you get anything done. We went to the builder show in Orlando and while there had to hit all the attractions. Disney, Universal, Sea World and of our favorite... Discovery Cove. What a great time! It was nice to feel the warmth of the sun again. Temperatures were in the 80's when we were there, 75 the day we left, arriving home to a balmy 5 degree's and, you guessed it .... snow! Maybe we’ll retire to Florida. Even the 5 year old has had enough... I'll never forget a few days before we left the quite questions from the backseat on the way to school. "Mommy, is there snow in Florida?" I replied "No". Which was meet with a booming.... "GOOD!"
The builder show was great. Tons of vendors with far too many products to see. Great place for ideas. Next years show will be in Las Vegas and we've already decided to go back. Figured there is not as many attractions and since we don't have any money left we shouldn't have a problem staying out of the casino. (we'll see)
We have been waiting on the weather to break for what seems like FOREVER now. All we have managed to get completed is the insulation. They came back and finished, touching up the areas I wasn't impressed with. I've had 4 to 5 drywall estimates done with several of them coming in around 5k. Which I think is too high. Since we are not on a timeline I am waiting them out. Construction is slowing down in the area and subs need the work, which to me means prices should be coming down. I had a installation crew come out and give me a list of board sizes I need and estimate for installation labor. This was considerably less the quotes received. $1200 for installation the materials added to just under $1200. This is the route we are going to go. I am going to re-measure and estimate the number of boards need, the installed figures seem high to me and I want to ensure I am only purchasing materials for my project... not any others they are working on. Now, if only we could get a break from this rain and cold. The cold is not the bigger issue. We are on acreage and to get the delivery of the drywall we need the ground to dry out so the truck wont sink. I'm keeping my figures crossed for next week. Sorry to anyone out there that needs the rain.... we'd just like a short break from it, possibly 6 months or so... Hope to have more to update everyone on soon. I can report that the new baby will be here before the guest house is done. No name yet.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 1/7/2008
The foam insulation is going in. The extreme cold weather we had held them back a bit; we do not have heat hooked up yet and they needed the temperature to be 40 or higher for a few days. We went with the spray-in open-cell foam. Hope to recover the additional cost through the energy savings. I think the crew got a little tired, frustrated or overcome by the fumes toward the end. It took them three days to spray our small space. The living area is only 850 sq ft but the full basement ceiling had to be insulated and the basement down walls, pull the entire ceiling on the main level is vaulted, so they had to do it too.
We have one cold wall on the stairway from the basement that we installed drywall on one side so the other could be sprayed... they forgot to spay it. I think they just wanted to get out of there and overlooked it. They said they would be back next week to spray the wall and cut down some areas of overspray that will need to be drywalled. They will also be touching up some areas on the basement ceiling. The joist are 10" and the foam is supposed to be an average of 5" to get the R-value required. They got a little sloppy and 1/2 of the joist has 10" in it and the other 1/2 has about 3". Not too happy with this and expect it to be corrected.
Other than the few areas to fix we are insulated and even without heat it's warmer inside. Warmer than the 20 degrees outside anyway. Pictures to come.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 12/19/2007
They called to let us know that the wood flooring arrived... 19 days, not the 7 weeks that we expected. Now, where do we store it?
We asked to leave it at the dealer 'til the new year and they agreed since it was already paid for so while it sits there we can clear out a spot in our jam-packed garage. We cannot keep it at the new house because we have not insulated or had drywall installed and they don't want it in the way.
At least it's here and we won't have to wait on it when we need it.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 12/1/2007 1:58:02 PM
It may be a little early, but we ordered the wood flooring today. The only reason we ordered it now was, well two reasons, 1st they said it could take up to 6 to 7 weeks for it to come in (but sometimes only 2 weeks) and 2nd, we had the money to pay for it now. Got 1,100 sq ft of flooring and supplies for $1,300. We decided to go with wide plank rustic floors. I have always wanted this look but had a hard time convincing Mike of it. After looking at several pictures and seeing some he really liked plus reading many reviews from others that have gone this way, he decided it would work.
I would have loved to have some of our barn siding pulled off, refinished and used for flooring... it's aged and looks wonderful, but the cost to mill it is way out of my budget. (the barn was re-sided with metal over the old barn boards so the barn would still have sides if we removed some) Instead we went with new wood that is 7" wide in tongue and grooved planks 6 to 8 feet long. We liked the 9"-wide boards too but opted to save the $500 cost difference and go with the smaller size. We'll leave them rustic with a medium to dark stain. We were a little worried about them clashing with the kitchen cabinets, which are maple with straight lines and a more modern look, but we figured unless you're cooking outside over an open fire... kitchens are modern and can have elements that look that way even in a country cottage. I guess we'll see because it's on the way... Now if we could only get the insulation and drywall done before the flooring gets here everything would be perfect! Anyone have $10 grand we could borrow?
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| Unstained Floor |
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 12/1/2007 1:36:34 PM
We went back and forth on if we would have the metal accent on the garage but thought it would tie into the house (if the house ever gets built). The bids from the local roofers were far too high for our budget so after talking with others on the site we decided to order it and do it ourselves... we're handy. After several bids we found that ordering through Sutherlands was the best price. Most other companies were adding on $500 plus for crating and shipping. Sutherlands purchased through a company that had a local distribution center so no shipping costs.
We wanted to buy straight from the Metal Sales Manufacturing Company but they said they can't sell to the public. Regardless, the roof cost came in at $1,200 and while the area is not that large, it is a standing seam roof, heavy gauge and all the panels were factory cut to our dimensions. So all that was left was the installation... but we didn’t want to install until the painting about the roof was done... so we waited, and waited and waited and now.... IT'S COLD and there is still no roof installed. The weather here is hard to figure, some days it's 50 and the next is 30. I finally gave in and called around to the local roofers again but found that they didn’t want to mess with it. A. it was too small of a job (they apparently have too much work or money) or B. they don't do standing seam installs.
I did find one good company that will be installing the roof next Tuesday/Wednesday for $500. All in all, it's a lot less that the bids we got up front but I sure could use that 500 bucks someplace else. And the time we saved by hiring out the roof can be spent finishing the trim paint so gutters can go on. I'll post pictures once the roof is on.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 11/28/2007 6:00:02 PM
What's Next -- EXTERIOR--
- Metal Roof
- Caulk area under covered porch
- Finish Trim Paint
- Paint Doors
- Gutters
- Main Electrical Hookup
- Sewer and Water Hooked up
- Install Walkway to front porch
- Driveway (pad in front of Garage - if money is available)
- Light Fixtures
- Landscaping (Spring 2008)
What's Next -- INTERIOR--
- Insulation
- Drywall
- Interior base coat Paint
- Doors and Trim work
- Flooring
- Cabinets
- Final Paint Coat
- Light Fixtures
- Plumbing Fixtures
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 11/28/2007 5:49:22 PM
Inside we still have lots to do, but we are making progress on the exterior. The stone veneer is up. Needed about 250 sq. ft of stone one the foundation and two columns (Which I forgot to take pictures of). We did several bids with the prices being $3,200 and up, we decided we would tackle it ourselves. We bought the stone through Lowe's (who gave us a 10% discount -- just said we wouldn't buy it unless they did... so they did) Come to find out the stone supplier was local (Which is why they probably gave us the discount). The total for the stone and all supplies ran $1,500, which was more in line with our budget.
As the weather got colder and the stone was not getting put up I got some bids from local workers (not the companies but the guys actually doing the work -- I just stopped by job sites in new homes communities) You should note that some simple Spanish helps in the communication. I found a couple of guys that would do it all for $1,000. All included installing some substrate and trim, installing felt and lath and all stonework. We were now up to $2,500 but it got done and looks great. They even changed things I did not like and did not charge extra. They also created corners when I ran out... I'd use them again. OH, and I forgot to mention... they started the job on Thanksgiving at 8 AM. It's the day they picked, not me, and since it was cold, only 38 degrees they had to tent the house and heat the space. They just got the prep work done in the cold and came back on Sunday to put up the stone. They got most of it done, finishing things up on Monday.
Pictures are attached but I will need to add some of the details and the columns... just forgot to take them.
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| East Side Stone |
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| South Side |
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| Before Redo |
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 11/10/2007
The house is small; painting should be no big deal. So why is it taking so long? We decided to do the painting ourselves to save some money and while it is being done with a good paint and two good coats it is taking awhile to complete.
First came the caulking... and caulking... and caulking. Yes, it is an important step and CANNOT be skipped but I had NO IDEA for how much caulking would be needed and we still have the covered porch area to caulk.
Then came painting. Since the place is SO small we opted to not rent a sprayer as "it should not take that long to get done". Famous last words. We started with the body, which actually went quickly, and then I was put on bed rest for a week. And it had to be our last week of good weather. It was a beautiful week, sunny days, temperatures in the 60's and 70's and no progress as I was stuck in bed and my husband works nights and sleeps during the daylight hours of the day. After the doc gave me the all clear it seemed we had rain, extreme cold or on the few nice days... I had to work. SO, the trim part of the painting is STILL underway. We have the East side done, part of the West side (which is the largest side), a very small part of the North side and a very small part of the south side. OH, and that sprayer decision... for the trim I would suggest renting one. You will get done A LOT faster. Regardless it will get done.
Painting so far has run (with the cost of brushes, tape etc...) just over $250.
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| East Side |
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 10/19/2007 4:37:14 PM
At times it seems we are getting nowhere fast. To help motivate us I like to go through all the little things we have done that are adding up to the big picture. With some seeming unimportant or something that could have waited but to me and Summer... the Swing Set was a big deal and will get done before the house does. We have completed the following "little things": Driveway grading, foundation dug, Footings installed, plumbing ground rough completed, passed inspection, foundation walls up, drain tile and waterproof system completed, Framing completed (with windows and doors installed), installed two retaining walls, backfilled, had the garage doors installed, finished the Garage doors, had the HVAC Installed, set the electrical boxes, gotten far too many electrical bids, finalized the cost to run the sewer line and water lines, talked with installer about sewer/water installation, had the water meter set, put up a mail box (we'll work on straightening it up), Caulked the house (well most of it before I fell off the roof -- I'm fine), decided on an exterior color and bought the paint, installed locks on the doors, ordered rock for the third retaining wall, ordered the wall too but they have not shown up, paid all the construction bills, mowed the 12 acres of grass/hay every two weeks, leveled a 40' x 40' area for the play set, designed the play set, ordered lumber and built most of the play set, ordered 28 TONS of pea gravel for play set and planting beds, spread about 14 ton of pea gravel around the play set, watched Summer play on the play set... once! Plus Mike did a fantastic job cleaning up sawdust and building debris inside.
Things we still have to do... finish the play set (install straight slide, fire pole, monkey bars, bridge, rope ladder), spread 14 tons of pea gravel, paint exterior, have gutters installed, complete electrical, fir down around HVAC, pass inspection, complete water and sewer hookup, insulation, drywall, install doors and trim, prime/paint, install flooring, install kitchen and bath cabinets, install plumbing fixtures, install light fixtures, possibly if funds allow - have driveway poured, CLEAN, pass occupancy inspection.
At least the list left to do is shorter than the done list. And I'm certain there are SEVERAL things missing from the to do list.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 10/19/2007
We now have garage doors which had held us up for a while... it seems they stopped making the T-111 4" on-center siding that they are made from. Have them now and they are up and after several mornings of work, stained. I hired a painter to stain and seal them but he failed to show up... and after I did it I know why, he underbid the work. Quoted me $300 to do both doors. It took me 24 hours over several days to get them done. Granted, I'm no professional painter but I'm pretty sure $300 was going to be a great deal. Well it's done and instead of $300 it was only $65 for the stain and spar varnish (my labor was free).
Other things that we have accomplished include the HVAC. Set the unit after the doors went up, so we could lock it up, Was able to get a 2-ton electric heat pump and air conditioner installed at $3,200. Would have liked to get it for less but it's a good price for a Lenexa system installed. Most other companies wanted $800 to $1,000 more for the same job.
We need to now finalize electrical... which is a sore subject for me. We started the work ourselves and thought about doing the entire job, just getting someone to set the main box and run the main line to the transformer, but... we really don't know what we're doing and I'd really rather not do it wrong and have the place go up in smoke... or have the light dim when the dishwasher kicks on. So I am back to getting bids... I have two clients that are electricians so I may be able to get good bids on the side. One client gave me a per square foot charge to do it and another client keeps telling me he is going to get me a bid but it's been weeks and he just keep putting me off. I've given up on him. Regardless, we will be adding to the budget... which is going up daily.
Next Steps -- Painting, installing the metal roof and ordering the exterior stone. I hoped to have the exterior painted weeks ago but that did not happen, and will not happen this weekend since I'm working... and will hopefully sell a house (to pay for the electrical work) I'm a Realtor and things have slowed down. The metal roof comes in on Wednesday -- finally! And it will be in... has to be in NOW.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 9/9/2007 4:08:33 PM
Hello again...
Not a ton new other than I have made it a point to add something to the journal. We have been making some progress with the details but hit a bump that really slowed us down. We are putting carriage-style garage doors on and no one had the material we needed so it had to be ordered and the mills that supplied it could not get it either. It took about 45 days to just get the wood and then the doors had to be made. Since we didn't have garage doors we had no way to secure the property and did not feel comfortable installing the HVAC or electrical.. we did not want to have to replace anything that 'disappeared'.
The doors are now in so we should be moving forward at a faster pace now... well I hope so anyway. Before the doors can be kept closed they have to be stained and sealed so I have to select a color... no pressure... just to have the perfect color for stain and paint done NOW!!! And no time to check out colors with all that is going on with work and the build.
Things that we have been able to get done include the following:
- Installed two retaining walls -- They turned out great!
- Started the electrical installation of the boxes and mapped out a wiring plan
- Top rough plumbing done
- Installed the cedar shake shingles on the porch eaves. Still working on completing the area above the garage doors... need more shingles
- Decided on and ordered the roofing for above the garage door -- we're going with copper! (Which just adds a layer of complexity to the paint and stain selections)
- painted swatches of paint colors -- don't like any of them so we'll try again
- And most importantly --- leveled an area and started installing the play set. It is so had to keep a 5 year old entertained out here while we try to work.
Once we get the electrical done we will be ready for our first inspection. Can’t wait! I’m ready to get the insulation and wall board in to make some major progress. Posting a few pictures now but will get more soon.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 7/2/2007
Posting renderings of the home we hope to build... I used to say 'someday' but it looks like someday is right around the corner. Right now we are working on the garage with an apartment above to live in while the BIG build is underway. The garage has been a learning experience and planned it this way so if there were costly mistakes they would be on a smaller scale.
One of the main things we have leaned is to plan and keep organized. It's hard to keep in front of the tasks at all times but we're getting there.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 6/19/2007
Not really a free roof, but a funny experience. We are ready for a roof and I have been finalizing estimates for two weeks or so while the framers finish up. Today I had a 10 o'clock meeting for a retaining wall estimate and to my surprise there was a team of roofers working away. They had the felt almost complete. I asked them who they worked for and let them know I did not know they were coming today. There was a language barrier but I got the name of the company from one of the workers shirts, or so I thought.
I dialed the number but it was disconnected. I called information and got the new number but the person in the office indicated that it wasn't their crew... "don't have anyone out that way today"
I went ahead and talked with the retaining wall guy and let the crew work away. When they got to a part of the roof that I had planned on installing metal I stopped them and asked that the get down from the roof so we could figure this out.
They pulled from the truck a wrinkled map quest page with a hand written address and directions. The numbers where close to mine.... but no match, and the street was 30 blocks away. They were roofing the wrong house. What did they do, get lost and just drive around until they found something that looked ready to roof???
Anyway, I called the office back with the new address, the reply "We've been wondering where that crew was". How can they stay in business?!? So in the end, I got the felt installed for free, still need the roofing materials installed... the materials had not been delivered to the incorrect address or I probably would have let them keep working...well, only if I liked the product they were installing.
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Posted to Homestead by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO
on 6/19/2007
The columns were finished today and we now have concerns about the design. It may be that we need to see them with the stone, which will add 4 inches to the base size... not sure, not sure! Just think they look out of scale. Also wonder about the color. They are currently base coated with white sealer but they will be dark brown or black when completed. We may have to paint them to see if that changes anything.
The design called for 4 posts to be on top of a tapered stone base. The base frame you see will be 4 inches bigger when the stone is applied. We think the four posts on top appear out of scale for the column. We don't want to spend any more money, say on round columns, which may look very nice, so we have to work with what we have.
We are thinking about the following option;
1. Do nothing until the stone is installed to see if the scale works then
2. Move the 4 posts together to create one square 8"x8" post in the center of each base.
3. Move the 4 posts together slightly to reduce the space between them to about 3 inches
Other opinions are always helpful; let us know what you think.
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