I'm very impressed by your bookstore. Kim H., Auburn, CA

Floor Tiling Begun

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 3/29/2008 11:49:02 AM

Had another stallout last week when very little happened, but this week was reasonably productive.  Electrician has finished most of the fixtures and wall sockets, switches.  It's beginning to feel more like a place to live in.  Plumbing will make a big difference.

Also started the floor tiling this week.  And I started putting in shelves--staining the wood and hanging brackets.

Photos

		Testing the relationship of fixture to vessel--looks like it'll work fine.
Lots of ceiling fans--I think the total count is 15.		I'm doing "hanging metal" shelf brackets with wood or melamine shelves in all the closets and pantry, laundry, garage, etc. Lately I just buy all they have at the Lowe's or Home Depot whenever I'm there.

l" Rain = ~3300 gal

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 3/29/2008 11:28:03 AM

We've got a couple early spring rains since got my tank hooked up to the gutters, and it's over half full now.  Looks like I'm catching about 3300 gal per one inch of rainfall.  If our annual rainfall is about 35 inches, that would net us about 115,000 gal a year (actually less due to possible inability to capture if already full when it rains).

Feels like a very good situation though, considering all I'm reading nowadays about water crises all over.

Photos

Moved some dirt and fill around the tank. Still have longrange plans to build a deck up around it, but probably not this year.

More Dirt Moving--Landscaping and Driveways

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 3/16/2008 1:34:29 PM

Although I've got lots of continuing "shovelwork" work to do all around, we've got the tractorwork part of landscaping and driveways pretty well finished for now.

This is one of the more personally satisfying parts of the project for me, partly because I've always been fascinated with working in the dirt and manipulating drainage, since my mudpie days.  And partly because I'm more hands-on involved in this project.

Photos

Sometimes people have to truck away surplus dirt and rocks--for me it worked out just about right--had what looked like lots of excess dirt and rock piles, but ended up using all of it, mostly behind the house, on the downslope. Could have used more.	Added a circular driveway to make it easier to get in and out.
Scraped some dirt away from in front of the house, to make water run away and around the house.

Some Electric Fixtures In

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 3/16/2008 1:13:33 PM

Fans and lighting fixtures also seem to be a pretty good value these days.  Thanks to the Chinese, mostly, and the bigbox retailers.

Photos

Appliances Delivered

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 3/16/2008 12:05:12 PM

Got our kitchen appliances delivered a few weeks ago.  Last week, I finally moved my office and "bedroom" out of the workshop and into the house.  After all this time roughing it, feels like quite a luxury to have a full-size fridge--plenty of tv dinners, ice cream bars, etc.

Photos

After interminable shopping over many months, we bought our appliances (at Home Depot) and got them delivered. I was worried about the fridge fitting into the space, but it's going to work. We moved the fridge location after framing, so the space wasn't really designed to accomodate.	There's also a pretty modernistic looking stainless and glass vent hood that we've bought to go over the range. It's an interesting turn--we started out planning to splurge on a ridiculously overpriced antiquey-looking range.
Lots of room, at the most comfortable height. One of the perks of building a new house, is getting up to date appliances. Overall, they seem like quite a good value.

Stone Finished Inside

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 2/8/2008 11:00:36 PM

Got the stonemason crew back this week to finish the stonework inside.  It really helps to tie together the living room, floor to ceiling.

Photos

	Magic stone dust

Subs I've used

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 1/26/2008 2:00:37 PM

Over at the Texas Local Forum, under "Subs in Austin", I've posted my list of subcontractors and suppliers that I've used for my project.  So thought I'd add it here to my blog.

Of course you'll want to make your own judgments for your individual projects, but I hope these names will be  helpful in your quest for some folks in the area (Austin and mainly West of Austin, TX).  My particular housebuild is 10 miles northwest of Dripping Springs, but most all my subs seem to work an area about a hundred miles in diameter.

I know that for myself, every single recommendation that I got from anyone with direct experience of a sub was precious indeed.

Myself, the top item on my search list right now is for a trim or finish carpenter.  Anybody know any?

Real Estate Agent (Specializing in Rural Lots)--Mike Rose--512 894 0835

Construction Loan and Mortgage (1-time close) that accepts ownerbuilders--Capital One, Houston—Kristin Louviere and Ray Miller—713 435 5527.

Surveyer--Gary Pennington--512 894 0664

Foundation--Texsun Concrete—Shane Pot—512 858 7001

Framing--L & M Const.--Mike Steel—512 585 7140

Plumbing--Bowman Plumbing—Tom Combs—512 263 9495

Electric and HVAC--Jack Ward—512 497 7982

Metal Building: Blanco Metal Buildings--Chip Northcutt—830 385 1351

Septic System:  Dirtco—Jake Lindsey—512 845 5470

Concrete Rain Catchment tanks and systems—Bowerbird Const.—Keith Miller—512 858 5395

Stonemason--Gabriel Ugalde—512 395 4829

Metal Roofing--Atomic Roofing—Tim Moss—512 787 8965

Painter--Taylor Painting--David Taylor--512 393 9009

Demilac Foam Insulation--Bobby Key--Central Texas Foam--512 563 8624

Sheetrock,tape,bed, texture--Mary Jane Allen--Action Drywall--512 280 9609

Seamless Gutters--T&E Services--Lewis & Heath--512 947 8191, 832 868 8290

Some suppliers:

Windows:--American Window Systems—Bryant—817 654 9050

Lumber, etc.--McCoy’s Bee Caves—Donna—512 263 3527

Trusses--Lampasas Building Components—Dan Clausen—512 556 2180

Stone--Brooks Stone Ranch, New Braunfels—830 608 0387

Sheetmetal Roofing--Mueller, New Braunfels—830 620 5141

Paint--Kelly Moore, San Marcos--Art Lopez--512 393 3202

Cabinets--Jimmy Carter--Parish Co (Quality Cabinets)--512 748 1789

Fireplaces--Anthony's--512 263 5115

Garage Doors--Precision Doors--512 280 2300

Tile--William @ World of Tile (Dallas)--972 243 0115

General--Lowes and Home Depot everywhere, 2nds and Surplus (Dallas)--214 637 3131

Line of Sight Wireless Internet--Billy Byrnes--Texas Data--512 264 8787

Tank, Texture, and Cabinets Done

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 1/26/2008 11:47:20 AM

The rainfall catchment tank is finished, and got a delivery of water to test it out.  Also, there's been a slow but nearly continuous mist in the air for days, so it'll will be interesting to see if that's added any significant quantity of water.

The sheetrock/tape/bed/texture process is finished, and we've decided on the wall color, and bought the paint.  The painter is hopefully starting taping off this weekend, and will finish the interior paint next week.  Gratefully, we're keeping it simple, with just one wall color for everywhere.  We might get into some other colors after we're finished.  But right now I'm trying to focus toward reaching a zeropoint where we can close out the construction loan to the final mortgage, and move in.

Forgot to take any pictures of them yet, but the cabinets are finished being installed.

Photos

The finished rainfall catchment tank. 20,000 gallon capacity. Later I'll extend the back porch with a deck incorporating the tank, which will give me a great perch view over the valley below.	Testing paint colors. The colors on the wall were persistently darker than the paint chips, perceptually. Ended up with a color choice one or two steps lighter than these shown.	Lynda's retired now (from over 20 yrs at the Dallas VA hospital), and so she's been able to come down to the house to look it over a couple times lately.

Rainfall Catchment System

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 1/6/2008 4:49:20 PM

There's no water utility serving my rural location.  I could do a well, but they're expensive and the water quality is pretty poor (the limestone underground makes the wellwater very hard).  So I decided to go with a rainfall catchment system. 

I'm feeding it with runoff from both my house and it's porches, and also from the workshop building, so I'm pretty confident that once I fill up my tank, I'll be good to go indefinitely.  In the worst case, there's lots of local suppliers who deliver water pretty economically.

It turned out that I could get a 20,000 gal concrete tank for less than fiberglass or even plastic, plus you can incorporate it into your deck and walk on it, so that's the way I'm going.

Photos

The site behind my back porch.	The metal "cage" that will form the sides.
	"Plastering" the sides with concrete, which is done from the outside, and then from the inside.

Sheetrock, Tape & Bed

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 1/5/2008

I've been away from the housebuild for a few days, and I'm hoping they sheetrock crew has made good progress and is getting close to finished. 

Getting the sheetrocking done seems like a pretty significant step in finishing the house.  Much of the openendedness of the project is over.  Now the spaces are clearly delineated.  If some wiring or plumbing or framing or caulking detail isn't done yet--well--it probably ain't gonna get done now, so I don't have to worry about it any more. 

Lynda's going to visit Monday, and I think she'll be able to visualize spaces, room sizes, wall areas, etc. better now.  Before she'd look at the framing and say she had a hard time telling much about it, because "there weren't any walls."

According to the draw I got authorized this week, we're 70% finished.  I figure it's more like 75%, because the bank's draw schedule doesn't account for or include septic or rainfall catchment systems, which my septic is finished and the rainfall catchment system is past half-way.

Photos

Demilac Spray Foam Insulation

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 1/4/2008 9:28:16 PM

I'm very glad that I did spray foam insulation.  I've had enough experience with fiberglass insulation, seeing how many gaps are inevitable in installation, and seeing how it it tends to pack down in attic areas after some years in place, to see it as a very mediocre solution, especially in a high-energy cost world.

The spray foam product really seems to give a very tightly sealed envelope for thermal insulation and to prevent air infiltration, and also good sound insulation. 

I also am happy being situated in a practical middle ground between the ICF and SIP purists on the one side, and what you'd think from so many discussions is the only alternative--the drafty frame slackers on the other side.

Photos

Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX 72 forum posts and 48 journal entries and 58 interview answers Send Private Message My Construction Website 1/13/2008

No, I didn't do it myself and can't imagine doing so, having seen the rig used and the claustrophopic application process.  There may be simpler, more beginner friendly rigs available, but it definitely looked to me like a process left to the pros.  The crew came with a big truck, loaded with relatively high maintenance equipment.  There was a supervisor who didn't do too much hands-on, and two applicators, who worked in shifts.  Each only worked as an applicator half-time, they said because it wasn't practical or humane to do it fulltime. I never priced out fiberglass.  Got about 5 bids for foam.  Maybe I got one bid that was foam on the underside of the roof, and sprayed cellulose in the walls.  So I don't really have hard numbers, but my impression was that the premium for foam was something like 60 to 90%.  At most about $5000 extra, which is pretty small potatoes in a high energy cost future, if you extrapolate it out more than a few years. On the other hand, my unscientific but somewhat informed perspective is that SIP and ICF solutions have a cost premium many 10's of thousands.

Russell in Houston, TX 1 forum post and 4 interview answers Send Private Message 1/12/2008

Michael: I've been exploring the use of foam as well and have a few questions: Did you do it yourself? How does it compare from a cost persective to the typical pink fiberglass products? Did you get a bid for each type and then choose the foam? I mentioned my desire to use foam to my architect, and he said on a recent project the quote difference for a 3500 sq. ft. home was about $5,000 greater for the foam. I'd like to know if your experience was similar. Thanks, Russ Johns

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Seamless Gutters

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 1/1/2008 2:15:34 PM

I've had the lines buried to carry rainfall to the catchment tank, and now have got the gutters hooked up to them.

Photos

The gutters are formed onsite in whatever length is necessary, starting with a roll of colored metal back on the truck, which is run thru an extruding machine. Looks like a pretty nice little business to me.

Some Progress on Modern Utilities

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 11/29/2007 3:01:37 PM

Progress in general has slowed over the last month--it's moving, but just barely it seems.

But I have got some of the utilities in, including line of site wifi, Direct TV dish, permanent telephone cable buried, most of the trenching and pvc piping to feed water from my roof gutters to my water tank, hot water heater, permanent electric meter.  And the septic installation is finished--my installer also did other trenching for me, and dug out the place behind the house for the concrete water tank (20,000 gal) to be built.

I'm not getting down to my build site this week for the first week I've missed since the housebuild started.

Hopefully, this week the fireplaces install is getting finished, and progress is being made on HVAC.

I'll be calling for a propane tank next week, and the water tank construction is supposed to start.

Photos

quite small receiver for "line of site" wi-fi type broadband internet.	The dishes seem to be getting bigger again, but there's lots more HD now.	Trenches to carry water from workshop gutters.
	Noritz tankless hot water heater

Proud Papa with Big Baby

Posted to PennsmithLostValleyTX by Michael Penn in Dripping Springs, TX on 10/20/2007 12:16:28 PM

Made a first stab at taking my picture with my project baby--holding the camera at arm's length.  Next time I'll try with a tripod, which should work a lot ea