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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 3/11/2010 7:53:19 PM
Who thought having warm weather would slow down construction?
I was planning on painting the house this weekend but the crew that was going to put on the knock down texture and spray the base coat of paint was not able to get up the driveway to the house because their truck got stuck. Seems all of the warm weather we've had knocked out the first layer of frost in the driveway (the fill we brought up) but not the lower layer (original ground). This caused the top layer to be very soft and an angry drywall crew. Sounds like we are going to have to wait about a week, everyone who knows says that the rain we are getting lately will speed the defrosting.
We were also planing on having the hardwood flooring delivered and the garage finally poured but that will have to wait until next week for both.
We did manage to get the 100,000 Btu Reznor heater installed in the garage, so that is pumping heat for when the concrete crew shows up. Note: Did you know that thermostats only go down to 50 degrees? Makes sense but I'll need to look for a "garage thermostat" that I can lower to the 40's or I be turning the heater on manually in the winter.
I've attached some photos of the geothermal unit. I'm very excited to have them hook this up. It will supply all of the HVAC needs for the house (no outside AC unit), be hooked up to my in-floor heat and preheat my water for the entire house.
Photos
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| Geothermal Unit |
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| Reznor Heater Hung in Garage |
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| Ready for knockdown and base coat of paint |
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| Kitchen & Living Room |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 2/25/2010 9:19:56 PM
They installed the drywall in two days. The insulators are scheduled to finish the R-50 in the ceiling tomorrow and the drywall crew will be back on Monday to mud and tape. One thing I did not know is the drywallers do not pick up after themselves but there is a service they use called "pickers" that come in after they have installed the drywall and pick up the scrap and recycle it. The HVAC crew has been working diligently on running the vents and should be done tomorrow. This will run heat throughout the house so the mud and taping will dry properly. We have the flooring and tile lined up so it looks like we will be painting all of the walls and ceiling next weekend. Then it is on to floor and cabinets.
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| Stairs Drywalled |
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| View from hallway towards garage door, notice open stairwell to downstairs. |
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| View of living room and breakfast nook |
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| View of master bedroom with tray ceiling |
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| View from master bedroom to walk-in closet and master bathroom (notice window in closet for natural light) |
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| View from master bathroom towards master bedroom. To the left is a walk-in shower with two shower heads. The tub is a bubble tub. Large windows look out over land. |
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| View from back door towards bedrooms. To the right is a half bath, utility room and office. To the left is the master bedroom, kitchen and living room. |
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| Kitchen and breakfast nook. The half wall will have a counter top. |
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| Another view of the kitchen includes walk in pantry closet. |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 2/20/2010 1:07:45 PM
They finished the stairs to the basement today. I had the rough carpenters do the stairs and it saved us some money. They turned out great so starting this coming Monday the HVAV/Plumbers will be back, the drywallers will be hanging the drywall, the electrician will work in the basement and the insulators will come back to finish the attic and sills in the basement. Should see a lot of progress over the next week and we are very excited.
Photos
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| Stairs installed/Geothermal Pipes and In Floor Heat Panel |
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| Brianna inspecting the stairs to make sure they are correct |
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| Brianna making sure the door is big enough (it is a 3/0 door) |
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| Enjoying the size of the basement, running from one side to the other |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 2/17/2010
Wow a month has passed since I last posted and it feels like last week. So much has happened that I don’t know where to start.
We had a little over of a week delay due to thawing out the basement frost (it was hard as a rock). Needless to say I was spending about $100/day for that week on heating the basement to make sure we were frost free for the basement pour. I had both a 100,000 BTU torpedo heater and an 80,000 BTU LP furnace running full blast during that time.
I took advantage of the fact that the electric company was going to be on site burying the electric up to the house and had the well installed the same week. Both of them had to bang through the frozen ground. Good news with the well – they only had to drill 87 feet!
I figured while the walls were open I would add insulation to a number of the common walls for sound proofing, didn’t cost me more that $150 and a couple of days to install myself. Menard's was running such a good deal on their insulation I ending up insulating the garage as well with R-13.
Once the exterior walls were insulated the fireplace company came and installed the fireplace. The inspector caught the fact that they did not install the insulation barrier in the attic they were supposed to, so we may have dodged a future fire.
I had them sheetrock the garage and install the garage doors. I thought I was going to heat the garage and pour but with what I spent on fuel for the basement I might wait a little bit until it gets over 32 degrees to run the heaters there.
We had 2 inches of rigid foam laid in the basement and the radiant tubes installed before they poured the basement floor. Now that the basement is poured next week they will sheetrock the rest of the house and the HVAC/Plumbers will come back to finish the rest of the rough. I hope to have the drywall installed on the ceiling first, that way I can have the insulation company come back to blow the attic and finish their part.
Photos
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| Well Installed |
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| Garage Door Installed |
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| Tubing Down |
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| More Tubes! |
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| Fireplace Installed |
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| Sound Insulation |
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| More Sound Insulation |
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| Basement being poured (cover up the tubes) |
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| Basement poured |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 1/12/2010
Interesting how they do inspections here. I was never told that it was completed as the inspectors only work Tuesdays and Thursdays (you have got to love a rural setting). It was discovered as I was meeting with the electrician over the weekend to discuss some details on the placement of a few electrical boxes. I noticed a sticker on the wall of the master bedroom bathroom doorway framing. I said "What is this?" and the electrician said, "Yeah, I noticed that earlier today. Looks like you passed inspection." My first thought was I wish I was there when they walked through but then I thought, well it passed so what did I need to be here for? The rough electrical should be done this week as the inspection is on Thursday (remember they only work two days a week).
I'm having the LP tank delivered later this week for temp heat. I am planning to have the basement floor poured in a week and a half. First the concrete company will level off the basement floors, remove their bracing and lay down the two inch rigid foam insulation then the plumbers will come out and lay down the radiant floor heat tubing. The concrete company will come out the following day to pour the floors. So, in the span of three days we should have a solid slab in the basement.
I also have the well driller coming next week and the power company scheduled for the week of the 25th to hook up the power. Following the power install I have the insulators coming to spray the walls with an inch of closed cell foam and put in batt insulation, that way I'll get R-25 on the walls (I have rigid foam on the exterior as well). I chose this way to cut down on air infiltration and get the greatest R-value for the buck.
Has anyone looked into "Energy Star Certification"? I'm wondering if it is worth the consulting fee to obtain their seal of approval. I've chosen to following the standards they publish as it makes a lot of sense and costs very little in the grand scheme of things. Would love feedback if you have looked into it.
Oh, I forgot to mention that they also installed the tanks for the mound septic system. This will allow us to take occupancy of the house even if they are not able to put down the sand in the spring.
Photos
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| Installing the septic tanks |
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| Basement before floor poured |
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| Pond nearly half full on January 9th |
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| Pond with open water on January 9th at 7 degrees |
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| West side of house |
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| Window Wells in two of the four basement egress windows |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 1/2/2010 12:27:50 PM
We finished the pond last night and we went out today to snap some photos.
The pond ended up around 138’ to 117’ feet, it is about 20 feet deep in areas and has excellent structure built into it for fish habitat. The photo I snapped of my wife on the other side gives perspective on how big the pond really is (follow the tape line I’m holding to where she is standing).
It will have a beach, after it fills up with water we will bring in sand. There is about eight feet of water in it already and we anticipate that it will fill up sometime after spring thaw.
We figured we moved 400-500 off road dump truck loads to get enough fill around the house. It is now graded to the point where we will be able to move topsoil around in the spring to finish it off.
The inside is coming along with the rough plumbing and HVAC completed. The electricians figure they will be done with their rough in about a week. Next we have to get the power company to hook up power for us, get it insulated and drywall. If we can get this all done by the end of January we are in good shape.
Photos
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| Me Driving the Off-Road Dump Truck |
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| My Wife Across Pond - Can you find her? |
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| Front of House Graded |
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| Garage Sided Graded |
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| Backside of House with Exposed Windows |
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| Backside of House with the Two Window Wells |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 12/14/2009
I apologize, it's been far too long between my postings. No excuses, just been busy with work. We have walls and the roof decking is up. The roofers are scheduled to shingle on Wednesday of this week (weather permitting) and the framers will be installing the windows and exterior doors this week. The schedule has not been as tight as I would have liked, and I figure I'm about three weeks behind schedule. Having my lumber salesman let go from his job is partly to blame, and weather has set us back a bit. If the weather holds we should be able to get it buttoned up so we can rough the plumbing and HVAC next.
Photos
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| Side and back of house |
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| Front porch |
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| Garage side of house |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 11/21/2009
Well, they delivered the rough lumber yesterday afternoon.
The framers are going to start early next week and the trusses are scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday.
We also have twenty more dump trucks scheduled to deliver fill on Monday.
Photos
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| Rough lumber delivered |
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| Rough lumber waiting to be installed |
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| Rough lumber with our dogs snooping |
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| Fill being delivered |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 11/20/2009
The egress window wells were delivered. I chose this style over the standard steel surrounds, they are Rockwell Elite Tan Window Wells that are 66" wide, project out 44", are 72" high and weigh 102#. The following are some photos after they backfilled most of the house. We are going to be digging a pond over the next couple of weeks to get the rest of the fill. I will be meeting the DNR next week to discuss the placement of the pond. Finally we had them create a wine room/cellar under the front porch (this area was supposed to be unexcavated) for which I have attached a photo. This room will not be heated or cooled and should remain a fairly constant temperature throughout the year. They start framing next week!
Photos
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| Egress Window Wells Delivered |
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| Egress Window Well Inside |
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| West side of house that is going to be exposed |
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| Wine Room |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 11/19/2009
Well, they got the loop field installed in about four hours for the geothermal system (300 feet long, 8 feet deep and 12 feet wide - five "race tracks" of PEX tubing), sprayed the waterproofing Tuff-N-Dri Membrane and fastened the 2" insulation to the exterior of the walls. The excavator suggested that he remove the fill under the covered porch, that way I can create a wine cellar in the space. Notified the foundation contractor and he created an awesome usable space for the cost of added tile!
Photos
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| geothermal hole 300 feet long |
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| We hit a tile and the water flowed! |
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| Starting the geothermal loop install |
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| Loop field fun! |
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| Loop field heading to house |
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| Starting to backfill the loop field |
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| Continuing to backfill the geothermal field |
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| Backfill complete |
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| Four egress windows in basement |
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| Basement complete |
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Videos
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 11/12/2009
Well, it has been a bit since I last posted. My rough lumber salesman (worked at the same company 15 years) was let go with three weeks severance and no warning so it held me up a little as I had to educate his replacement. Things are tough around here for the building industry. I have had subs call me up and tell me "let me know where I have to be to win the job, I need the work".
I've attached photos to show our progress. The tract driveway is in, the footings are down and the walls are up!
Photos
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| Basement prior to footings installed |
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| Digging the geothermal loop field |
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| Tract driveway installed |
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| Footings finished |
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| Getting ready to install stone and concrete |
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| Installing the concrete |
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| Installing the forms (these also act as the tile) |
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| Pouring concrete after stone is in |
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| Building the walls |
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| Finishing the walls |
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| Geothermal field getting bigger |
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| Loading the concrete in the walls |
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| Masterbath Arrived!!!! |
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| Offloading the forms for the walls |
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| Two of our four basement egress windows |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 11/5/2009
Here we go! I've got the building permit in hand, let the fun begin.
I am meeting both excavators at the land tomorrow. Per my previous post the reason I have two is because one is going to be bringing in about 13,000 cubic yards of fill (400' x 200' x 4' tall), they estimate it will be about 700 quad axle dumptrucks, and the other will be moving the fill around for the driveway (about 450 feet long). The contractor with the fill is also going to be supplying the recycled concrete and a compactor for building the driveway.
My excavator estimates he will be punching the hole for the basement and we will be pouring the foundation next Thursday. I've got the framers scheduled for the following week. Keep your fingers crossed that we can get this things buttoned up before the weather turns. I'll try to post photos next week.
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 10/29/2009
My wife gave birth to our second daughter today! She is very healthy and beautiful. My wife was amazing during her two and a half hours of labor. It actually happened fairly quickly once the ball was rolling. The obstetrician actually showed up just in time to "catch the baby"... a few minutes later and another doc would have had the pleasure.
Also, I got a competing quote back for rough lumber yesterday just before I was going to order the trusses, and to my surprise, my vendor of choice was 20% higher than their competitor (it pays to shop around). I called my salesman this morning (prior to my wife's labor) and informed him that he was 20% higher for rough lumber. At first he was taken aback and accused me of providing their takeoff to a competitor. I simply explained that I supplied them with the same plans for which they had worked up their bid, after he pulled up my quote he admitted that they "missed" on the trusses and would requote. I've informed him that I want to work with them, as they are known for exceptional service (my framer also prefers them) but their pricing would have to be in line. It will be interesting to see how they approach their revisions. I'm ordering the rough lumber next week, so it's put up or shut up.
Photos
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| Baby Josephine |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 10/26/2009
We had a number of meetings this past week, and we are preparing to break ground the second week of November. It is eerie how close the foundation guys come in with their bids (one was within $13), this on bids north of $20,000! As they say though, the devil is in the details. I am putting four egress windows in the basement and some of the contractors include the window well and with others it is an added charge ($800 each). As I approach the winter season (after Nov. 1st) I've also noticed that some bids include their "winter charges" and some do not. So I've locked down on one that is very reputable and competitive.
I found additional fantastic deals through Craigslist. A couple of local millwork companies were liquidating their inventory so I was able to pick up solid maple turned balusters (fits our craftsman style) for $4 each, a heavy duty pre-hung steel garage service door for $60, solid stainless steel drawer pulls and bathroom towel/toilet bars for $25 (enough for all bathrooms) and all of our exterior door handles/locks/deadbolts (beautiful/heavy stainless) for $40. All of the items are brand new, so we are very excited with the savings. Still looking for additional bargains to drive our cost down.
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 10/20/2009
Well, I usually don't do the voyeur thing (I think it is a little creepy to throw yourself into cyberspace), nor do I use Facebook or Twitter and I really struggled about committing the time to post on a blog. The reason I'm doing this is because I've learned a lot from others and feel it is necessary to pay it forward by sharing some of that knowledge with other potential OB's. I'll try to update this on a semi-regular basis.
First to introduce the Ries': I work full time selling a Real Time Location System (RTLS) software application to the healthcare industry. My wife is a fulltime mother and runs the household; she has more formal education that me (an MBA) and worked for several years at a major local insurance company prior to committing herself fulltime at home. We have one child and another due in TEN DAYS.
One of the reasons we are building is that we wanted a custom home with the layout and finishes we could control. A reason we are taking the OB plunge is we started out trying to work with a company that "assists" you in building a new home. You know the type of company; they help with construction management and putting your project out to build. Well, we were close to signing the paperwork until there was a $25k budget miss on their end (they "forgot" to include their management fee until they presented the contract). I could go on with the difficulties we had when trying to work with this company but I like to focus on the positive; which is that we learned a lot during the process and were convinced we can do exactly what they were going to do and use the $25k towards our new build.
Turning back the clock a little I want to share how we purchased our land, sold our house and found a rental home – Craigslist – that’s right we did not pay realtor fees on either end. We purchased our land (27 acres) from an individual that posted it on Craigslist, we sold as a 'For Sale by Owner' directly to the buyers on Craigslist (used a title company to close the transaction) and we located a house to rent from an owner that winters in Texas (she will be back in June).
We’ve also located some great deals on Craigslist – brand new three rail horse fence for 25% of the retail price (2,000 linear feet), brand new maple cabinets (using these in our laundry room and garage) for 30% of the retail price, brand new closet doors for 40% of the retail price, 26 ton of decorative stone (that’s a semi trailer full), large evergreen trees and Tyvek window rap for a fraction of the retail price. We expect to find additional deals as we are always keeping our eyes out for items that will fit the style we are trying to create.
Short story for you – last Sunday, I had the decorative stone delivered and got to meet a neighbor at the same time. It has been raining off and on for a couple of weeks and when I spoke to the gentleman about delivering the stone he was confident it was dry enough to deliver. He got into the site okay, but once he stopped the truck to dump he sunk a bit. I ended up asking my neighbor (a farmer) if he could help with a tug. He dropped what he was working on at the time to assist (Thanks Charles!!) and pulled it enough to dislodge the truck. I’ll try to post photos of the boulders in the future.
Photos
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| Buck on property |
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| Button buck on property |
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Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI
on 10/20/2009
Well, I learned an important lesson today. I finally got the septic approval from the state (putting in a mound system) and went over to the county for their septic approval. Seems where I am building my house falls into a "shoreland" district, thus I have to apply for another permit. I need to provide additional information on the building site and have my surveyor complete some additional elevations for the approval. Note: If you are going to be putting in a septic system in Washington County, I used a gentleman who used to be an inspector for the county and does excellent work (I would start this process early as it took about a month for approval).
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