At some point I am going to collect my thoughts and really go in to detail about my experience building. I will say this forum was beyond helpful, and a great reliever of stress. Bryan in Reynoldsburg, OH

Chad 's Forum Posts: 7
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Average Forum Rating: 3.60



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Cabinets Installed/Tiling the Floors/Concrete Poured in Garage and on Porch

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 4/21/2010

We've had a lot of activity in the last few weeks. The tiling has started, and we should finish up this coming weekend! 

This week, the concrete was poured in the garage and on the front porch. Now we have our wine cellar/man cave under the front porch. My wife purchased a chandelier for this space, so I'm not sure it will qualify as a "man cave"...

The stonework on the outside of the house is moving along, and the stone is nearly complete around the fireplace. The stone is a veneer that is handmade by Amish craftsmen. We think it looks wonderful and can't wait until it is complete.

We installed the kitchen and master bath cabinets last weekend. The granite countertops will be installed tomorrow.  

All in all, the progress is really starting to show! Now we just have to make sure we stay on schedule to move in during May...

Photos

Main bath tile	Laundry room tile	Fireplace
Exterior stonework	Kitchen cabinets (1)	Kitchen cabinets (2)
Master bathroom cabinets	Front porch pour prep (1)	Front porch pour prep (2)
Garage floor	Stoning the side of the house

Painted, Hardwood Installed, Light Fixtures In

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 4/3/2010

The progress is really starting to show!

Last weekend we painted the entire interior of the house. The individuals who helped out were most appreciated. My wife did an exceptional job of coordinating the wall color in each room, and has had a lot of positive comments already.

Today the last of the hardwood was installed. We got a great deal ($1.73/sq. ft.) for 3 1/4" # 2 Common Red Oak, and had it professionally installed for less than $1/ft. Essentially, it was cheaper to install the hardwood than it was to carpet the place, so we put hardwood in every room but the bathrooms and utility room (they will be tiled). We used to own an older home with all hardwood floors, so this will not be new to us.

The electrician has installed 85% of the lights and outlets, so we are starting to get excited about moving in.

One of the biggest concerns I have right now is that the ground is not dry enough to install the mound septic system. We tried to do it last fall, but every time it is tested, the soil continues to "ball up". If anyone knows a "trick" on moving along a mound install, I would appreciate any words of wisdom. My fear is the rest of the house will be done, but we will not have our sanitary system fully installed.

I've attached a number of photos, but the one I'm most proud of is the fireplace mantel. We found the wood on Craigslist.com and I used a belt sander to smooth out the top and cut it down to size (6 feet long). The mantel is Red Oak and is 5" wide, 11" deep and 7 1/2 feet long (before I cut it down.) We hid the support bracings and recessed an outlet (see photo) with a Fein tool. Man! Is that thing impressive! All that and we only spent $75 on the mantel.

Kitchen cabinets will go in next week, and hopefully we will be pouring the garage and front porch (it's been too wet on the driveway for big trucks). Next weekend we hope to tackle the tile (I've traded deer hunting rights for tile labor from a guy who owns a tile shop).

Photos

Fireplace mantel	Fireplace mantel and TV inset	Front entry
Breakfast nook	Master bedroom	Recessed mantel outlet

Siding Nearly Complete

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 4/2/2010

I've attached some photos of the hardwood being installed.

The siding crew is doing a bang-up job, and they are nearly complete (just the chimney left).

We are adding stone to the front and sides of our house, so that will follow once the siding is completed.

I've included a photo of our pond; it is full and nearly 23 feet deep. Swimming anyone?

Photos

Hardwood being installed	Flush mount vents	Hardwood being installed (part two)
Pond side of house

Minor Setback

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 3/11/2010

Who would have thought that 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 knockdown 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 a drywall crew to be very angry. 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 conventional 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 else 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

Geothermal unit	Reznor heater hung in garage	Ready for knockdown and base coat of paint
Kitchen and living room

Posted by David in Pittsburg, CA on 3/30/2010 David's Forum Posts: 2 Journal Entries: 2 Interview Answers: 54 Average Forum Rating: 4.00 David's Selected Image 3/30/2010	Very nice pictures! Looks like you are very far along on your project. I love the angled wall in the kitchen. Is that where the sink goes? My kitchen in the house I live in now has a similar design. Would like to use that look in the house I will design. David
Posted by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 4/3/2010 Chad 's Forum Posts: 7 Journal Entries: 19 Interview Answers: 64 Average Forum Rating: 3.60 Chad 's Selected Image 4/3/2010	Hi David, Yes, that wall is where the sink will be installed. My wife and I designed this house ourselves, and had a local lumber company draw up the plans. I'd be happy to share them with you if you are looking for ideas. Chad

Drywall Installed

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 2/25/2010

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.

Photos

Stairs drywalled	View from hallway towards garage door, notice open stairwell to downstairs.	View of living room and breakfast nook
View of master bedroom with tray ceiling	View from master bedroom to walk-in closet and master bathroom (notice window in closet for natural light)	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.
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.	Kitchen and breakfast nook. The half wall will have a countertop.	Another view of the kitchen includes walk-in pantry closet.

Finished The Stairs to The Basement

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 2/20/2010

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 HVAC/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

Stairs installed/geothermal pipes and in-floor heat panel	Brianna inspecting the stairs to make sure they are correct	Brianna making sure the door is big enough (it is a 3/0 door)
Enjoying the size of the basement, running from one side to the other

Well Installed/Power In/Insulation on Walls/Basement Radiant Tubes Down/Basement Floor Poured

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-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, so I 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 soundproofing. It 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 two 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

Well installed	Garage door installed	Tubing down
More tubes!	Fireplace installed	Sound insulation
More sound insulation	Basement being poured (cover up the tubes)	Basement poured

Rough Plumbing/HVAC/Framing Inspection Passed

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 follow 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

Installing the septic tanks	Basement before floor poured	Pond nearly half full on January 9th
Pond with open water on January 9th at 7 degrees	West side of house	Window wells in two of the four basement egress windows

Posted by Mary in PA on 1/13/2010 Mary's Forum Posts: 101 Journal Entries: 60 Interview Answers: 15 Average Forum Rating: 4.17 Image from Mary's blog 1/13/2010

Hi Chad, looks great and you're progressing really fast! I'm still in planning stages and would like to have windows in the basement, too. Yours look great. Is that exterior stone? Was is laid block or a single unit? Thanks for any info you can provide. Mary

Posted by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 1/13/2010 Chad 's Forum Posts: 7 Journal Entries: 19 Interview Answers: 64 Average Forum Rating: 3.60 Chad 's Selected Image 1/13/2010

Thanks Mary for the comments.  The window wells actually have a stone texture that looks and feels like real stone but is made out of a rigid composite (it is all one piece).  Check out the following website for more information http://www.rockwellinc.com They were very easy to install (I did it with one other person helping) and are supposed to be maintenance free.  I also purchased Polycarbonate Covers that I will install once the final grading is done.  I really like the look of them and the safety features (escape steps built right in) as I am planning on using the basement as living space in the future.  From a cost perspective they were very reasonable.

Pond Built

Posted to The-New-Ries-Homestead by Chad in Polk/Richfield/Erin/Hartford, WI on 1/2/2010

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 are 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

Me driving the off-road dump truck.	My wife across pond - can you find her?	Front of House Graded
Garage Sided, Graded	Back Side of House with Exposed Windows	Backside of House with the Two Window Wells

The Exterior Is Up

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

Side and back of house	Front porch	Garage side of house

Posted by Rachal in Janesville, CA on 12/16/2009 Rachal's Forum Posts: 79 Journal Entries: 31 Interview Answers: 62 Average Forum Rating: 3.86 Rachal's Selected Image 12/16/2009	Yay!  It looks like a house.  Very exciting.  Now the hard work starts.
Posted by Jeff in Hartland, WI on 12/21/2009 2009, 2010 Merit Award Winner Jeff's Forum Posts: 74 Journal Entries: 20 Interview Answers: 250 Average Forum Rating: 4.37 My Construction Website Jeff's Selected Image 12/21/2009	Like Rachal said--it looks like a house now!  You've come a long way in a short period of time. Keep on posting! Jeff

Rough Lumber Delivered!!

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

Rough lumber delivered	Rough lumber waiting to be installed	Rough lumber with our dogs snooping
Fill being delivered

Window wells for egress windows

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

Egress Window Wells Delivered	Egress Window Well Inside	West side of house that is going to be exposed
Wine Room

Geothermal Install

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).

They 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

Geothermal hole 300 feet long	We hit a tile and the water flowed!	Starting the geothermal loop install
Loop field fun!	Loop field heading to house	Starting to backfill the loop field
Continuing to backfill the geothermal field	Backfill complete	Four egress windows in basement
Basement complete

The Walls Are Up!

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

Basement prior to footings installed	Digging the geothermal loop field	Tract driveway installed
Footings finished	Getting ready to install stone and concrete	Installing the concrete
Installing the forms (these also act as the tile)	Pouring concrete after stone is in	Building the walls
Finishing the walls	Geothermal field getting bigger	Loading the concrete in the walls
Masterbath Arrived!!!!	Offloading the forms for the walls	Two of our four basement egress windows

Building Permit in Hand!

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'x200'x4' tall), they estimate it will be about 700 quad-axle dump trucks, 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 thing buttoned up before the weather turns. I'll try to post photos next week.

Posted by Mary in PA on 11/6/2009 Mary's Forum Posts: 101 Journal Entries: 60 Interview Answers: 15 Average Forum Rating: 4.17 Image from Mary's blog 11/6/2009

Chad: Congrats on the building permit! We just put in our driveway today, 16 dump truck loads to do 670x12 ft. This was just for the driveway construction, no fill was needed. Did I read that right in your post? 700 truck loads of fill? Wow. WOW! I can't even imagine that much. Good luck with your kickoff - I hope you'll be able to post some pictures of the progress. Mary