Shelter

Once the flooring system was complete, the walls were quickly raised.  I say quickly because that's how these framers work.  I have only built a few wood structures in my life and I know basically how walls are built.  But, to do it in an efficient and timely manner is another thing.  I spent a little time watching the crew work and it is amazing how well they work together.  The verbal and non-verbal communication, unique to each framing crew I am sure, is still effective at getting the walls laid out correctly and raised in the best and safest manner.

Rear kitchen wall

Front walls

Walls are typically laid out and constructed flat on the floor and then tilted up into place and then temporarily braced until they can be permanently straightened and fastened in place.  Because this house is basically a square box, there are some long exterior walls and these are built in place and then raised.

Well, after all the framing lumber is put together and covered with plywood sheathing, it is extremely heavy.  So heavy, in fact, that when it comes time to raise them, mechanical help is needed.  On a couple of the longest walls, they used wall jacks to lift them in place.  It is a process that requires coordination among the crew as the wall is jacked up and then nailed in place.  It is not one for the faint of heart, I might add, as one would not want to be under a wall should it accidentally fall in the process of raising.

View from living room toward kitchen

After all the walls were raised they had to be trued.  This is also a well-orchestrated process that has to be done or your house is going filled with walls that all out of whack.  This house will have none of those, I can assure you.  After walls are trued, there remains a maze of braces and cross braces that will stay in place until the second floor is in place and the roof rafters are installed, which comes later.

Maze of bracing after walls are trued

Rear view looking towards kitchen

Walls nearing completion

First floor walls complete

The excitement of building a house grows as walls are built because the definition are spaces are established.  The feeling of protection that walls provide is certainly real and as these walls are built that feeling becomes real.  Now, if we can only get a roof on this place and some protection from the rains that are surely going to fall.

Working on the Backbone

Once the foundation was completed, it was time for wood to arrive.  Once the house is completed, very little of the foundation portion will even be showing with the wooden structure rising into the sky.  I consider the floor joist system the backbone of the house because all of the entire structure load will be transferred down through these onto the foundation.  The foundation cannot really do its' job properly if the backbone of the house does not rest properly on it.

Prior to the laying of the first joists, there was discussion and disagreement that floor trusses could even be used.  One company even declined to design trusses because they were afraid of the house design and whether the design spans could be accommodated by appropriate truss sizes.  We were able to find another company that used Boise Cascade floor I joists in combination with open trusses and Versa Lam beams to span the required distances.  By using the open truss design we will be able to easily run wiring, plumbing and HVAC components through the flooring system instead of hanging down underneath it.  This will make a much cleaner and serviceable basement area while meeting load carrying requirements and maximum beam deflection amounts.

The process of designing the flooring system highlighted the importance of using a qualified, experienced builder in concert with a building materials salesman who has experience with similar situations and confidence that a safe and workable solution can be devised.  Our builder, Ben Beatty, has worked for many years with Webb Building Supplies and trusts their expertise in cases just like this.

Foundation Complete

With the last pass of the power screeder over the vast expanse of concrete in the basement, the foundation is essentially complete.

Foundation complete

Basement slab

After a few modifications and additions the base from which our home will rise sits ready to be saddled with wood to become the framework for floors, walls and roof.  We intend for this to be the last house we build, at least for ourselves, but it sure would be nice to apply some lessons learned.  The main lesson, as is usually the case, is there will be surprises along the way.  What you budget will usually not be realistic and the only hope is that you minimize the overruns.  The main, unplanned, expenditure was the addition of a couple of retaining walls.

Retaining wall at right, rear corner of house

Retaining wall at right, front corner of house

Because of the lay of the land and the amount of slope on the lot, we had to build walls to control the movement of water around the house.  The most significant wall is at the front, left corner of the house in the area of the carport.  Our intentions for the carport were that it be on the same level as the house so there will be no steps to navigate as we exit our cars and go into the house.  This should be more appreciated as the years go by.  Because the carport is on the same level as the first floor of the house and because the lot slopes drastically on that side, we are going to have to build up the area in front of the carport.  This is going to require a wall be built to hold up the earthen buildup.

Retaining wall at carport entrance

Next week, hopefully we will begin the framing.  I say, "hopefully" because we have yet to get the floor trusses ordered.  We had a minor complication with this portion of the project but that is a story for another post.  For now, I will leave you with this verse to highlight the completion of our foundation.  It comes from the book of Luke, chapter 6, verses 47-49.   

47 I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and hears my words and obeys. 48 That person is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the floods came, the water tried to wash the house away, but it could not shake it, because the house was built well. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not obey is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. When the floods came, the house quickly fell and was completely destroyed.”

A Bunch of Block

After a couple of rainy days, our busy block-laying crew is about 95% complete.  I am extremely pleased with the great work this crew has done.  Instead of relying only on strings to keep the walls level and true, there was a transit on site that was used to shoot elevations as the walls went up.  A lot of block layers would not do this.  If the rain holds off for a few more days, we should have the basement floor poured and be ready to start putting up floor joists next week.

Foundation Work Continues

When I first starting the design process for this house, I had thought I would have the foundation out of poured concrete.  This seemed to be the current trend and the way many home builders were going.  However, as the budgeting process ensued, I realized poured basement walls were extremely expensive and really did not offer any advantages over one built from concrete blocks (or CMUs as they are sometimes called).  With proper waterproofing and drainage provisions, the block walls should never leak and provide a much better looking wall, in my opinion.  So, the block-laying process began with a very experienced crew doing the work.  As the walls went up, they were straight and true and my confidence build that this was going to be a well-built foundation.

In case I mislead anyone into thinking that I am doing all the work on this house, I want to be quick to say that I am most fortunate to be working with the principal contractor for this job, Ben Beatty.  Ben has built many houses in this area through the years and he has built a great reputation.  I am hoping he will be able to take my design concept and make it work.  So far, things have gone well.  He has been a pleasure to work with already and I am looking forward to working with him through the whole process.  The other contractors who have worked with us on this, so far, are DeWayne and Scotty Grier who have done the excavation and concrete work and Joe and Tom Smith who are doing the concrete block laying.

Putting Down a Firm Footing

I would venture to say one of the least romantic phases of the construction process would be the foundation work.  Who can really get excited about a bunch of trenches dug in the dirt and slabs of concrete?  That would probably stand true for many but not for me.  I personally have gotten a thrill from watching the process of anchoring this house to the ground on which it will stand.  I certainly have not taken any of this process for granted.

During the 30 years my parents have lived on this land, I have heard hundreds of times how rocky this hilltop is.  My mom has dug thousands upon ten thousands of rocks out of the earth as she and my dad have cultivated and landscaped the property.  Though I do not have a background in civil engineering, I know enough to say that this rocky ground makes excellent support for a house foundation. So, it is with confidence that I can say that this house is going to stand on solid ground. 

Digging Deeper

With half of the year gone, in July, we finally sold and closed out our house in Columbus, GA making way for our house building plans to move ahead.  Our lot had sat untouched since January of this year and aside from some minor soil erosion, everything looked as it did when the equipment vacated the premises.   Since our house is to have a full basement a good bit of excavation still needed to be done.  So, on Monday, August 13th, we once again broke ground and dug deeper.

It is amazing how much dirt came out of this hole but it was put to good use on the driveway to level and better prepare the road bed.

After removing many truckloads of good rocky soil well suitable for a good firm foundation, we were ready to layout and prepare the footings.