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Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 4/20/2017 1:49:31 PM

Been a long while, and life has pulled me away for the journal. but I will update with pictures soon.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 8/4/2016

Porch, fish tank, and sauna are all projects being worked on this week, porch ceiling is a wet area drywall, and when painted should be fine. Now that the glass has been installed for the sauna, we hooked up the heater and light. Very relaxing at night. Fish tank has a 120-gallon sump that had to be placed in the closet first, then the platform was built from 2x6 and plywood, before we could place the main 200-gallon tank in the opening. This took four people to raise and install the tank as there was 2" total on the side to spare and even less at the top, tight fit. At eight pounds per gallon of water, the tank weighs in at about 1,600 lbs., more that the weight of some cars. Add in the sump we are at 2,400 lbs. in a 18 sq. ft. area. This is a lot of weight and we had the slab designed for this item.

Photos

The deck is getting a ceiling.	Looking good	Sauna glass
Master shower	Yep, we have heat in the sauna.	Looks great
Fish tank going in	From the front	Sunrise

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/25/2016

Septic, kitchen backsplash, closets, and sauna; a little bit of several things.

Photos

Septic looking back at the house	Looking down at the septic from the corner of the main deck	Upper deck looking down at that toy
Leach field, four runs of 70-ft. 4" pipe	Trenching up to the tank, about 300-ft. down to the leach field.	Tie in to the house
Start of the backsplash	Over the stove	Bed two closet
Bath two shower system	Installing the glass wall for the sauna	From the shower you can enter the sauna.
Looking down	Master shower system

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/22/2016

After the painters walked... with most of my money... should have known better but I trusted the person... the girls went ahead and stained the stair railing and painted the balusters, looks good. They installed the upstairs carpet, doors were hung upstairs, and the baths were finished with toilets and sinks.

Photos

Couches with the Turkish rug	Delivering the couch for the media room	The girls goofing off after the delivery
Build out of the stairs....the 5th step down was a long step	and all the way down, need rails	Rails and blisters up
Couch, carpet on the loft	Living room, from the loft	Media room with spiral stairs in the corner

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/22/2016

Kitchen counter install happened earlier this month, just been unable to spend time updating the journal... sorry the granite is a gray and white, Lorie and I picked out the slabs earlier this month and got with the installers to lay out the kitchen on the slabs to take advantage of some interesting patterns in the material for the main island (28x86 inches) and the breakfast table (38x98 inches).

Photos

They used the porch to cut out the sink and fine tune the slabs.	The delivery truck	Polishing the sides
Install	By the sink	On the pass through
Cutting the media room sink	Island sink	Working on the island...look at that breakfast table!

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 6/23/2016

Pictures that I wanted added to the journal: painting, flooding and others.

Photos

I wish this was mine...nope, the neighbors and it looks great.	Living room floor after tile added	One reason I am delayed in posting: there was three 100 year rains this spring and caused us to run behind.
We have propane, 500 gallon tank	the painter starting to paint the "barn".	Yep, barn red
Home Depot, mixing the color	Dormers painted	And the Master bath window
Living room side of the house with the porch railing installed	HOG panel makes a wonderful railing for the country... might not look as good in Manhattan.	The view from the porch with the railing
Living room stairs	In progress	Far shot from the bottom of the hill (still our property; see the little red building in the background on the left?)
Look at that view of the rainbow!	This is the view from that little red building looking at the sunrise on 6-19-16 @ 6:51AM	The front door stained by Tara

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 6/23/2016

Bath floors all got the pebble rock; the crew was able to install it in one afternoon. The installation consisted of mixing the rock with a two-part epoxy and troweling it down,

Photos

Installing the pebble stone floor, this is an epoxy-coated stone that is troweled down to about 1/2 inch thick.	Pebble stone floor	Rock floor looks GREAT, some issues with the level of the stones and the slope and fall in the shower, I will wait and see.
Master bedroom (yep purple wall in here)	Master bath floor	Sauna through the shower in the master bath
Sauna looking good	Back tub being installed

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 6/23/2016

Kitchen pictures:

Photos

Freezer being installed (this was the first freezer, as it was bad and had to be replaced.)	Pantry corner for the freezer	Tight squeeze to put it in there
Kitchen parts ready to be installed	Kitchen install in progress	WOW, 48" stove (still needed to be converted to propane)
Do not worry, it is electric stove...lol	Kitchen almost ready for countertop	Using www.xkglow.com lights, I can choose any color for the kitchen....YEP, there is an app for that.
Here it is in green

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 6/23/2016

It's been a while; I've been very busy with work and the building; we are now about two weeks to being finished and moving in. And not a moment too soon. The HVAC is installed, plumbing was finished up to the sinks that have not been installed, all toilets, tubs, showers, and outside faucets are done, now to the kitchen countertop, and wall tile, carpet, and finish paint touch-up... oh, and the septic tank.

Photos

Sauna delivered	Sauna	WOW that is a red wall
And a blue wall	Goofing off in the green room	Tara wanted a lift
Flooring in the living room

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 4/5/2016

Inside paint is done, yes we did it a little differently than some by having the final paint on the walls before trim but we kept back a quart of paint in just about each room for the trim painting, we shall see if this was a good choice or bad in about two months.

Photos

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 4/4/2016

Over the last few weeks I have had three bids for painting the inside, they have ranged from $13K to $18K plus paint. At that price I decided I would paint the house myself and acquired a spray painter and started painting the house myself and was going to have the trim painted by a pro. After just a few hours with the sprayer, I ran into Elgin to Parker Lumber, while there I picked up a card for Painter Oscar (512-801-9550) and he came out the next day to look. He agreed to paint the inside for half of what others were wanting and one-third for the outside... YEP, he got the deal... In four days he painted the entire inside, minus the trim that has not been installed, and we pulled away one quart of paint for each room to ensure a correct color match after the trim is installed (we hope). While he was painting, I was able to get the decks for the two drop-in tubs built and ready for the tile guys to lay tile. That is to start on Tuesday April 5th. They say two weeks to install four bath walls, and 2,500 sq. ft. flooring. The electrician will start on the 18th. Strange colors were only painted on one wall per bedroom.

Photos

Me painting.	Yes, I did get more on the walls.	Oscar, the PRO painter.
His dad.	My, that is a blue wall for my office.	The kids' room.
Lazy Lizard, is THAT room.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/28/2016

The drywall company brought out this GREAT scissor lift and were VERY nice to let me use it over the weekend to paint the ceiling, put in can lights and wash the windows, as the upper windows are 22+ feet up, this might be the last time they are EVER cleaned... Someone said it is a good thing I was not afraid of heights on that lift... I informed them that I am not afraid of heights, just of tall shaking things that might make me fall or are very tall.

Photos

Me painting	The before	Look at the wall, not the idiot.
The fireplace is several shades darker than the walls.	Looking good	The after
The walls on both sides are the same color, just a lighting issue.	Putting up can lights	Back row can lights, that is about 20 feet off the very hard floor.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/28/2016

The garden has been tilled over the last several months, and is ready for planting, and as you can see some planting is ongoing... We are using plastic mulch with in-ground drip irrigation under the plastic mulch. The equipment cost some $ but at my age, it will remove a lot of the hoeing to remove the weeds from the garden.

Photos

The row maker makes 4-6" high rows that are 24" across.	Two beds of the aquaponics	Ready for planting
Taken March 15th, we have squash.	Garden with row covering

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/23/2016

It took longer than the week to mud and texture the walls, but it is finally done. The tape and float took the bulk of a week and a half due to the size of the house. every day the crew of four drove up from Houston to McDade (over two hours), to work on our house. I never heard why the crew comes from Houston to us verse the drywall company getting someone more local, but they did. The texture is knock down and that part took two days, to spray with a large machine that holds A LOT of texture and the crew just points it at the wall and pulls the trigger, out comes the texture. He sprays a large area, then pause, and using a trawl to knock the top off the texture.... One idea we had was to have them texture a sheet of drywall outside, then cut it in to 2'x2' sections, this is then painted with samples of the color we are considering (good thing as some looked too blue for us).... Now, on to priming the drywall, and painting the ceiling.

Photos

Every time I see this, I am reminded how large of an area it is: about 30 feet long and 33 feet wide.	Got to love the view.	The door to the upper deck
Using the trawl to knock down the texture on the ceiling	The trailer for the knock down spray	Texture
Long way up there	The back stairs	Color samples, far right was too blue, center will be ceiling and dark accent wall, just need to find the correct light gray color.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/9/2016

We have started the application of drywall mud (i.e. tape and float). And they are guessing three days to have it sanded and floated out for the texture guys to come in and spray the walls.

Photos

The lift for the upper part of the great room	Walking on stilts	Master bedroom
Spiral stairs	Lift for the ceiling, about 24 feet to the peak	Looking good
Towards the fireplace, window for upper bathroom	The loft	And reverse
I keep saying it: LOOK AT THAT VIEW!!!	Kitchen, looking through the master

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/8/2016

They are done attaching the drywall to the studs, now they are taping out the joints, estimate is to take about four days, then another three to texture the walls, then paint. As a side note, Rubbish Inc. dumpster and company had the best price I could find, next day delivery, and I called them on Saturday afternoon to swap and they were able to make it on Monday morning.

Photos

Man, it looks large in this picture.	Loft over bedrooms	So high...
	The lift arrived on Monday.
Sneak peek (yep, start of the mud).	Dumpster is full.	Swap out with empty one
Almost forgot a shot of the ceiling beams in the kitchen.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/4/2016

Third day. People on the job. The work is flying by and the stacks are being reduced FAST.

Photos

Media room	Kitchen ceiling	Master (as seen thru the closet wall
"Hidden" stairs	Main wall for family pictures in the dining room	Media room upstairs
Media room from the other side	Back upstairs bedroom joint bath with pocket doors	Master closet pocket door
Looking down at the drywall mud to be used	Upstairs dormer bench seat	Media room wall leading to back bedrooms
Great room	Another view of great room	Master bedroom

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/1/2016

It has been a busy weekend, most of the punch list was done, blocking, photos for record of wires and pipes, HVAC closets, deck was not finished but progress is being made.

Photos

Looking down on the living room	Media room staged	Bobber and I adding arches to the Kitchen
Bed two closet	Dining room ceiling	Up the fireplace putting wires thru the media closet wall
Media closet, will be tight	Lots and lots and LOTS of wires	Internet, phone, and TV distribution boxes
	The back side	Audio and video wires
Window in bathroom, (Lorie in the tub)	Bedroom dormer

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 2/27/2016

It took two trips, there was three people. One dropped off the trailer and forklift, then after unloading the truck headed back for the second load. The other two loaded the house with stacks of drywall all over the place. Drywall to start this coming week Wednesday, March 2nd and take about four days to hang. Then another two weeks to tape/texture. Planning to be done about March 18th.

Photos

Load number one, first floor	Second load is for the second floor.	Drywall mud
That lift has some reach, from ground to 22 feet to the upper deck.	They brought it in the second floor door.	Look at that Tonka toy. So small!
Waiting on the lift to bring it up	Not quite so small from this angle	Small again from the top deck
Lifting verse carrying up the stairs	Look at that view...WOW	WOW is right, that thing is tall.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 2/26/2016

Insulation is being installed by: bestinsulationaustin.com. Thanks to: Michael (sales rep) who came by to look over my house and determine any issues that needed to be resolved before the spray foam installers came out. Travis who kept in touch with me about the schedule and techs. Double kudos to Robert, and his crew of two. All three of them came to my house at 7:50 AM the 1st day and got started, we walked the house and discussed the problems that needed to be overcome: 24-foot ceiling,  tight quarters, etc. They ran around the house, sprayed low expansion foam around all windows and doors, then placed plastic over the windows and doors. While this was going on, their generator on their trailer was fired up, running multiple pumps heating the fluid in the drums. It took about an hour to heat the fluids and prep the house, Robert was very knowledgeable, with 9 years in the spray foam business, The other sprayer on the team had 5 years, and the third member was on cleanup and he was kept running all day. With the 2'x6' walls, we went against the advice and elected to have 5.5 inches sprayed. (recommendation was three as that provides 94% heat transfer blockage and the next inch only provides 2%.  Five adds another 1% and the .5 even less..., with 5.5 I can guess about 97%) ((https://www.finehomebuilding.com/assets/downloads/guide-to-spray-foam-insulation-kits.pdf)) With 5.5" I know I am getting above the minimum but the cost difference was less than $1K and I just did it. Michael said three days. However If the installers wanted to, they could have been done in one, but it would have been a VERY long day, as it was that stopped about 6:00 PM, and started the next day...They got there about 8:00 AM but have to get the spray to temp first. finished around 2:00 PM for the foaming. After foam came the sound abatement install with fiberglass batt insulation. Now on to drywall!!!

Photos

Inside the trailer	Covering windows	start foaming from upstairs to down
laying down on the job...lol	shavings cleanup	shaving with a LONG saw blade in a reciprocating saw
Above windows	And under the pony walls	https://www.finehomebuilding.com/assets/downloads/guide-to-spray-foam-insulation-kits.pdf
One thing about a barn style roof is the angles	Dormer with bench seat	Dormer finished
Look at the foam in the loft roof area	Looking up at the loft dormer	Top of the house not much crawl space
Working above the great room	Look closely, monkey man at work	Media wall, look close you will see the audio wires
Upstairs looking to the master retreat	Master retreat looking to the media room	Loft restroom and media closet behind it

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 2/23/2016

Just a few days since last post and a few items of note.

Photos

Main deck, staging the lumber	Progress on the right side of the house deck, Seth is really booking on this side, about one day to get this done.	The corner is not at 45 degrees as the main deck is 12 feet and the side deck is 8 feet so it takes some careful cutting to match the boards.
Inside the Hide a Hose box and floor sweeps have been installed. Thanks to Patrick.	Tomatoes that were planted December 26th... Did not have another way to put a scale other than my hammer.	The left side of the house, lumber staged for Seth this weekend
Another view from the upper deck	Digging to locate a good location for the leach field of the septic	Back up to the top of the hill.... need to level out a location for the barn, as seen from the back house, upper window
Location for the barn, as seen from the upper deck	Looking level	Went down about four feet, then realized it would be the bottom of a pit... changed and went down about 20" and floated out to level.
The picture does not show it but almost level spot for the barn.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 2/16/2016

as a side note, our Aquaponics tank is back up and we have started some items.

Photos

Tomatoes about 6 weeks	Tomatoes about 6 weeks	Aquaponics tank, and two grow beds

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 2/16/2016

Well it has been a while, not a lot has happened, just some minor work.

Photos

Deer, about 100 yards out, standing still, waiting on me to get the site picture JUST right, then BAM! Gone before I could get a better picture .with my good camera.	Our worker bees allows us to AG exempt the property.	Feeding them takes a little time and colored sugar water.
One idea for the fireplace	Strange table, but WAY too much $$$$$.	Two flooring colors, both are pebble stone, mixed with epoxy and trowed down, cost about $5K more than tile, not sure if this is in the budget at this time.
This is the person doing our septic, nice guy, and reasonable rates, it will be turnkey. I just fill out the forms, and he does the rest... NICE.	BORA-CARE, the directions say two ft. up the wall, I went over four ft. on most walls.... I can only get there when walls are open, and I would rather spend an extra $50 now than thousands later.	Clean out of the grass under the decks
Big hunks of concrete dug out from under the deck	More hunks of concrete.... wish I had gotten them out BEFORE the deck was framed.	Clean and level for the weed barrier and the glass mulch
Another shot of the before	And after weed barrier was laid	Deck boards, with the tools to clean out under the deck
Upper deck almost done	Cannot wait till I can sit out here and enjoy a beverage and RELAX.	Looking down, about 12 feet to the lower deck, then another 8 to the ground
Look at that view!	I built a area 12x16 for the delivery, and here is what I will be putting UNDER the deck. Delivered by Texas Disposal System, from Garden-Ville, GLASS MULCH	Unload and they delivered 14 yards of glass mulch on a 40-yard dumpster
With this shot, looks almost empty, the 2x6 is for the Kubota bucket to ride on and (I hope) not tear up the tarp.	Unload, and SHAKE	(He almost got stuck...this was his front tires)
I paid for this????	Oh, once cleaned it is... interesting. several advantages of glass mulch: due to the refractory of the glass: Weeds do not like it Ants do not grow a bed under it Critters and snakes HATE IT It is long lasting, takes over 1,000 years to decompose! Permanent landscaping mulch that never fades or needs replacing Glass mulches are a unique alternative to traditional bark or gravel mulches.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 9/4/2015

Well it has been a while and a very busy summer with my company, so the house has been put on the back burner while the summer ran its course.

Over the last several months we have been running all the low voltage wires, placing blocking in the walls,  building ceilings in closets and doing all the little punch list items on the house that were needed to get ready for spray foam.

We have also been working on the "guest house" that we will be staying in for the next few months as we head down the last stretch to finishing the home.

Keep an eye here in about a month for update on spray foam, drywall, and finish out of the inside and outside.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 2/3/2015 9:36:46 PM

Roof is on...

Photos

From the lower roof, 180 bundles plus starters	the easy way to put the shingles on the roof	80 bundles on the top back and forth walking the ridge.....NOT ME
almost done with the top load	on to the lower sides loading the shingles	South side, rain and the roofers were up there
north side of house, as seen from the garden	the roofers were fearless and they hussled	standing on the slope using foam pad to keep from slipping
they even painted the stacks and all metal trim to make them less visible	Roof done, as seen from the red barn

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 1/21/2015 10:54:11 PM

Plumbing is now done for the top out, all pipes ran, and verified, gas line is in place

Photos

Structured wiring panels	inside the panels black is coax white coax antenna red phone purple Ethernet	yellow whole home audio white zig zag is speaker wire for later install of speaker
TV location, blue is power, coax, antenna, and Ethernet.	wire, wire, and more WIRE....ARRRR	The fog this morning
plumbing joined to the house	and the trench

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 12/27/2014 5:07:07 PM

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 12/13/2014

Into December, and it is a painful month...

If you are in the Austin Area and want to buy a GREAT chandelier CHEAP, let me know.

Photos

Chandelier that my wife found at a auction, Just over $500 and we now have 10 chandeliers in storage, as of 12/26, need NONE	Seth climbing above the windows to get that sticker that the window manufactures left on them	Trees of silver as the HVAC people putting up
More HVAC	Still more HVAC Stuff	My arm. the sweatshirt I was wearing got caught in the saw and dragged my arm in to the blade...Trip to the ER and lots of stitches later, I might live.
Caulking the outside for paint

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 12/1/2014

November has come and gone.

I have been too busy on other projects to work on my house but that is going to change.

December has the plumber, HVAC, and electric scheduled...hope to put a roof on too.

So lets see how it goes.

On another note, Lorie found a 48" stove that she just HAD to have....LOL, with her cooking and canning I did not object...lol.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 9/10/2014

Siding done

Photos

In great room looking to kitchen	"Hidden" stairs in bath	Looking up main stairs in great room
The view	Siding going up	Great room windows and the arches
Finished wall	Man, look at that glass!

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 9/4/2014

Almost done with the frame out, the Hardie was almost done, just 1 dormer and upper 1/2 the "view" wall left. they should be done today or Friday.

Photos

Hardie on the dormers, north side	Starting the tar paper, that person walking the ridge	North side papered
DONE!!! With the papering of the roof... now on to the last dormer	Living room	Living room other view
Kitchen look at the cedar beams	Kitchen other view looking to the master	The pantry off the kitchen
LR fireplace	24 ft. inside to the highest point	Loft
Loft looking out	The best price I found for Dry in and shingling; tell him the BIG BARN sent you.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 9/2/2014

Working on the Hardie siding, the dormers, and the fur downs in the house.

The frame out is almost done and WAY over budget on the material... The roof took a lot of wood to build and they are not done with the fur downs and blocking yet...

Photos

Working on the south side of the house, siding almost done	Door frames in place	Look at that siding!
Cedar beams in the kitchen	Dormer water over proofing	Side slider looking to kitchen with the arches
Main view wall getting siding	Fur down in the back bedroom	South side siding done, middle dormer water proofing installed
East "view wall"	North side of house

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 8/28/2014

Putting on the siding and roof, lots of pictures

It rained and the fellas were out till it started to come down in buckets.

Photos

Install on doors	And windows	This is the bathroom window.
Install overhang	Raining and still out there	Second bedroom
Taking out the fireplace	And it is down	Putting up house wrap
Roof sheeting going on	Roof going on	Dropping the roof sheeting
Steeper than it looks	Told ya	Taking shape
"Hidden" passage upstairs	Inside	Scaffolding to up the peek, working on the Hardie

Posted by Mark in APO, AE on 8/30/2014 Mark's Forum Posts: 18 Interview Answers: 63 Private Message Randomly Selected Image 8/30/2014

Wow, you are almost closed in.  Must be exciting.

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Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 8/23/2014

Still on the trusses... As you can see there is a LOT of work that went into the trusses, but they are almost done as of 8-23-14.

Photos

Working on the trusses	Nailing the web trusses together	Dormers all will be flat on the inside
Look at that view, and he is WAY up there, about 18 ft to the bottom of his feet.	Climbing in the truss	Look at all that lumber making the scaffolding.
Upstairs	View of the trusses and the gussets, they were both glued and nailed	Upstairs loft, still some bracing for the scaffolding
Working on the second floor porch... It will be about 20 feet up.		About 16" on center
Looking good	WOW, looks WAY up there	6x6 posts for the deck and roof
6x6 posts for the deck and roof, other side

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 8/18/2014

Roof framing is SLOW, lots of time building the trusses, putting on the 6x6 porch posts, and then there is the TRUSSES... ARRRR

Photos

6x6 cedar posts, we used a spar urethane to treat the posts so they will keep their color longer	The south side of the house facing east	Again south side... Look at them posts... Hehe
East side of the house	West and north side	Pressure treated ply on the dormers
West and south sides, as seen from our "little red barn"	Sconce that Lorie likes about three feet tall

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 8/13/2014

sheath·ing (shng)

n.

1. A layer of boards or of other wood or fiber materials applied to the outer studs, joists, and rafters of a building to strengthen the structure and serve as a base for an exterior weatherproof cladding.

2. Nautical An exterior covering on the underwater part of a ship's hull that protects it against marine growths.

3. The act of providing sheathing.

Photos

Two dormers on the rafters, they had the third and chimney built but I did not get a picture yet	Here is the pressure treated ply on the bottom four feet	And around the corners for about 4-8 foot under the deck
OSB under the porch roof	SHEATHING DONE on this end... Look at the scaffolding they use, 24' tall posts, and the top held by a 1/2" OSB at the top.	The end wall before the sheathing, lower right side is our bedroom
View wall from the loft	Inside view of our bedroom wall, you can see the pressure treated plywood on the corner	Long view of the house, as seen from the far hill top about 3/4 mile away
OSB on the side with one lonely post installed

Posted by Kristi in Elgin, TX on 8/15/2014 Kristi's Forum Posts: 3 Interview Answers: 21 Private Message Randomly Selected Image 8/15/2014

Your framing is looking great!  Any interest in sharing your framers with me (once they're done with you, of course)?  How are they working out?

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Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 8/13/2014

Roof is started, lots of work when the framers show up... They were finishing up other projects and were only working on mine for three days a week... With a total of about eight full days on the job they have been rocking when there, frustrating when not as nothing gets done.

Photos

First rafter has been put up	Goes quickly after the first	Looking up from below
Hope you are not scared of heights	Scaffolding to get to build the rafters	Yep a pair of boots above that cowboy hat, this guy is NOT afraid of heights
From the dormer looking over the trusses	The first part of the custom built trusses	Now putting up the top part of the trusses
Look at the cut in the lower boards; this is to keep the upper part of the roof from pushing out.	Putting the rafters to the ridge	Joining to the ridge
See the bird mouth cut, it is better than an angle cut as it keeps the board from just slipping out.	once the first was done the rest were easy, they cut all the boards one day and built this the next.	Look at the windows... and the view... too bad all openings were put at 24" as the plans called for 30... OOPS
SPOILER ALERT... here is the windows with the corrected sizes and sheathing installed LOOK AT THAT VIEW... WOW can not wait for the deck to be built and enjoy a drink with this view in the evening... this is facing east so will be shaded by the house

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/28/2014

Second floor is almost done and they have been figuring the truss layout for the roof, and MAN, this is looking bigger that I expected.

Photos

Second floor walls	Look at the upper truss, just started but it shows the soon to be roof line.	Eight-foot wide deck on the two long sides will be covered
Wrap around deck

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/26/2014

Man, let's count the days:

Wednesday all the lower walls up
Saturday trusses on, bracing
Thursday decking, start of second floor
Friday second floor and frame porch

That is it to this point, and the pictures are noon on Friday.

The contractor is saying he will be sheathing the house on Tuesday, and we have windows scheduled for delivery Wednesday, he thinks it will go fast at that point...?????? And this is slow????... LOL

Photos

Second floor deck over the kitchen	We have stairs.	Looking down over the master at the porch going it
Porch on Master side	Framers working FAST	Looking down from loft
This shows the second floor but not the trusses; once they put the trusses up they will cut down where needed.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/24/2014

The day started with rain, but cleared up and we were able to put in the strong backs (2x6 for stiffening the joists), and put up the second floor deck.

Photos

Long view of trusses up	This is the glulam beam that goes above the stairs.	Weight, just about A LOT
	Had to NUDGE it over	Fearless
Fearless walking on the joists		1st Advantec deck... YAY
Coming along

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/23/2014

Third delivery of lumber, total wood cost is $22K.

Weight of deliveries (I think it is interesting) was:

First: 16,446 lbs.

Second: 25,548 lbs.

Third: 39,944 lbs. max for the truck was reported as 42,000 lbs. material and 6,000 lbs. for the lift on the back.

Total so far is 81,939 lbs. of wood.

This does not take in to account the OSB for the roof or the siding nor the Hardie exterior, just the wood for the frame and decks skeleton...

Photos

Full truck	1/2 full... LOL	Interesting how they load this on the back for transport
First truck to get stuck... 14+ concrete trucks, and the third delivery by Pro Build and he was the first to get stuck.	Tried to pull out but no-go, had to call the "boss" but I had to leave before he could be rescued.	Deer was less than 100 feet from the construction site on a day off by the crew.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/22/2014

Trusses are up!

By end of day two they had the wind bracing up and had finished putting up all the trusses for the first floor.

Still needed to put up the the big glulam and add the bracing for the trusses but we are almost ready for the 1 1/8" flooring.

Photos

Delivery. They use a roll-off truck for delivery.	Start of hauling the trusses around the house. See all the cross bracing in the house?	This was a long one for over the kitchen/dining room.
GLULAM... This thing is two feet tall and ten feet long, about 400 lbs and took six men to raise it up to the level of the slab.	Start of putting up the trusses

Files

• Floor-trusses.pdf

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/17/2014

One day and the framers had the walls up and ready for the trusses...




Tonight however... rain.

Photos

Long view, almost all walls in place	Living room: you can now see the view out the three 8-feet-tall by 9-feet-long glass walls.	And another 8' tall, 9' long view going in the master bedroom... Imagine waking up to this every morning.
Picture window from the bath	In the living room, looking to the kitchen, we still need a wall between to be built.	This will be the pantry (hidden) for the kitchen; there will be lots of storage space.
Bedroom number two: still has nice view out the back of the house	Rain tonight... Have about a half-bundle of 2x lumber and 6 sheets of OSB on the ground... Oops, I knew I should have used that tarp... :-(

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/16/2014

Well it is time to start framing today and yesterday they delivered the first $5K of material.

Did not look like much to me.

The framers arrived today to start framing and I arrived about two hours later to see that they had the walls drawn out and were putting in windows and door opening on the foundation.

Friday: trusses and second-floor material to arrive, but interested in seeing what they have done on Thursday...

Photos

$5K of lumber	About to start raising walls	#1 wall
Had to leave about noon and this is what they had done.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 7/10/2014

Well, I was going to start framing in April, however the truss people messed up my schedule by changing the roof truss placing a beam down the center of the ceiling and a post in the middle of the stairs...

Four-ft. wide stairs and a post in the middle...

Yeah, right.

Then the next set of drawings cut the ceiling down two-ft. right in the middle of the upper windows at that end.

NOPE

Finally we decided to just site-build the trusses, but the delay caused another issue with the framer... He was too busy for me... Back to looking for someone else.

SO, windows have been delivered and are sitting in Austin warehouse.

Second floor trusses to be delivered next Friday.

Wood package out for final price.

OOPS, need to order tubs and three 8' exterior doors.

Type at you next week when the framers have started.

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/15/2014

3/14/14

Photos

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/15/2014

Due to vacation on the first of April (no joke), we will be putting the project on hold 'til April 8th.

Photos

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/12/2014 7:23:45 AM

Photos

interesting view of the rebar on the side wall	pumper truck getting ready. look at that bracing	and it starts on the tall walls, build up a few feet then move on, come back later for another few feet...repeat as needed till full
18" side walls on the house(most foundation walls are 12"	12" end wall about 8 foot tall	2 of the 13 trucks that brought the concrete
look at that rebar and beams....this slab is 6" thick on the far side and 4" on this end	ok, that is my finger in the way...lol	optical illusion shows a ramp being built but it is level
looking across the disked up garden

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/12/2014 7:11:56 AM

we have slab part 2

Photos

visiting wildlife checking out the activity		step down for the shower...OOPS....my goof in verification before the big day
I found a shady spot. (Should have stayed there, I got a sun burn...OUCH)	looking up hill at the foundation	This is the view guests will have after parking there car. Getting close to being finished
	12 full trucks, just needed 6 more yards	THAT'S IT.....
now to level off the last area	I took a little of the left over for the gully....	but Thanks to Gail I used it for the final step off the porch.... (the truck was washing out and had added a lot of water to the mix before I got to it)
View of the drive and slab	Looking good guys

Posted to 697-Marlin by TC in Austin/McDade, TX on 3/9/2014 10:05:47 AM

steel work progressing

Photos

kitchen plumbing	steel for beams	tall wall
8 foot down	grid work	column to 3x3 footer about 6 foot down
stair plumbing	unused steal	master bath plumbing