My timber frame build

[Magicman]

Looking good.  I know that you are anxious to reach a point where you can say; "OK, I'm finished with that". 

[RPF2509]

Looking at your first pictures I can see your property is way overstocked for the mixed conifer zone of California.  If you are not experiencing drought mortality or bug infestations, they are coming your way.  Don't be too sure the next fire will be years down the road - it may be this summer!  If it was me building where you are I'd be clearing ALL small trees and brush out to at least 150' and better 200'.  Big trees are fine to leave closer if limbed up past your future roof but be aware of windthrow during winter snow storms.  I know you are eager to get your house up but it will all disappear in minutes if you are not prepared for fire. 

Winter is a good time to cut and burn brush and small trees instead of laying blocks - save that for summer when its warm and you can't burn.  The power of a wildfire is awesome and humbling to behold and CA has seen fires recently that even 200' of firebreak cannot stop or slowdown.  Fire will really move through young / overstocked stands.

Don't know how long you've been in CA or what you've seen but it is getting worse each year.  Don't expect the firefighters to save your house - make it so it can save itself.  You don't want to be there when a wildfire is coming (and it will come!).  Talk to a local consulting forester or a CALFIRE forester on what you need to do to protect your future home and property.  What you've done so far is the minimum to protect it from a mild fire.  A rager will take it all. 

For 10 acres there are options for thinning that won't be too painful in paperwork but may cost you a bit to get a logger in there depending on how much marketable volume you have.  Don't know if you filed a 3 acre conversion with CALFIRE for your home site but that would be a good start towards clearing around your house.  CALFIRE frowns on not getting the proper paperwork done. When you talk to CALFIRE don't say you've cut a tree yet just "I'm PLANNING on building a home in such and such an area - what do I need to do to make it safe from wildfire and how can I go about thinning my 10 acre forest" and go from there.

Markets are soft (mills are choked with burnt wood from wildfires) now but its a good time to start looking at options to get something done when the snow melts.  You will want to enjoy your new home for the rest of your life and maybe pass it on - don't let a wildfire take it all from you!

[Ljohnsaw]

Well, I've actually had CalFire on my property to discuss the layout of my driveway (required for permit) and clearing trees.  Really nice guy and said I was on the right track.  Didn't mention any forms to fill out.  I pointed out what I was going to clear and he said that was a good idea.  I will not have ANY trees or bushes within 100' and low trees or bushes (don't really like the brush on my property at all - too many thorns) for the next 100-150'.  That will put the tall trees 200'+ away and all down-slope.  They will be even with or lower than my eve line.

I'm a native Californian and have been in Northern California since 1979.  I've seen my share of fires so I'm being very cautious.

My property is very steep and I don't want to sell timber.  What is useful, I will use to make my cabin.  What is not useful will be thinned and become firewood.  Yes, there is bug kill but for the moment, only the trees that were damaged during putting the forest road in for the septic plus a few here and there.

Most of the bug kill is about 2,000' lower elevation.  My property has seen rain throughout the drought during the summer (thunderstorms) so that has probably been saving the trees.

[RPF2509]

Glad to hear you are making informed decisions.  Remember that it is Cal Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection and the fire guys are often not up on what the forestry guys require and vice versa.  You've got plusses going for you in that you're not selling wood so most permits go away and you're doing the work yourself so no Licensed Timber Operator required.  Remember fire travels fast and hot on steep ground so I'd go at least 300' below and take out all small trees and brush. Prune bigger trees up to 20' an have no trees where the crowns touch and better to have two crown widths  between leave trees.  You're probably good clearing 150' uphill and on the contour.  Your ideal driveway would be able to turn a 40' RV around without backing up (think fire engines and water trucks) but if the fire guy says ok with what you got keep at it.  Don't get lulled when it comes to bugs as they will come no matter where you are if your forest is overstocked; they just come quicker to drought stressed trees.  10 acres is a big job by yourself no matter what and sooner is better than later to get it thinned.  Just so you know Im a registered professional forester in CA (the great State of Jefferson) and I hate to see people put houses up and not be informed about fire and the rules and regs that govern CA forests.  Looking forward to seeing your project come together!

[WmFritz]

I know how important that snowfall is up there, but I'll bet your ready to see it gone.
Looking good though.

[Ljohnsaw]

Prune bigger trees up to 20' an have no trees where the crowns touch and better to have two crown widths  between leave trees.  You're probably good clearing 150' uphill and on the contour.  Your ideal driveway would be able to turn a 40' RV around without backing up (think fire engines and water trucks) but if the fire guy says ok with what you got keep at it.

Thanks for all the info.  There are some BIG Incense Cedars (some pictures way above) that I will not be taking down and I will be clearing so they won't be in danger.  The Planning Department gave me guidelines for the driveway requirements for the fire department.  That is why I had them come out to actually see what I had in mind.  There is a requirement for a hammerhead turnaround because of the distance from the main road.  That turnaround must be within something like 30' of the structure.  Seems crazy to me - who would want to bring their firetruck that close to a burning building?  These are NOT ladder trucks!  They also want a 50' radius on the curve from the easement to my driveway.  It is actually about 45' R but he was fine with that.

I know how important that snowfall is up there, but I'll bet your ready to see it gone.
Looking good though.

Yes, yes I am.  I just got another 8 to 12" of slush dropped on my property Saturday and Sunday. :-\

Temps will be holding in the 50s and 60s during the day so by next week, I should be able to wrap up this and call for an inspection so they can see I'm making progress.

[Ljohnsaw]

Update 4/13/2016:

I went up today to straighten the walls (tapping the blocks in line) and got a little side tracked.  I moved out 10 empty pallets and shuffled 2 partial pallets out of the way.  Then I used the Skytrac to move some dirt.  I did straighten one of the long walls.  Most of the snow is gone now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm going back up on Friday to finish the blocks and take my Case Trencher up to use the blade to move some more dirt.
Here is what 4 or 5 feet of snow does to a bucket!

 

[Magicman]

I know that you are anxious to get back to that project.   8)

[fishfighter]

Y'all sure do have to go thru hell to build something out there. Sure glad we don't. ;D

Looks like you should be getting close to start throwing some timbers up.

[Ljohnsaw]

Y'all sure do have to go thru hell to build something out there. Sure glad we don't. ;D

Looks like you should be getting close to start throwing some timbers up.

Well not quite.  I have another 9 courses of block to put up (6') after I fill these with concrete!  It should go faster with no snow, however.  Of course, it snowed Wednesday night and probably a little more last night.  On the traffic cam, it looked like some really wet snow - about 1" - but most of it melted by yesterday evening.  Going up today to check and finish prepping for the inspection.

[Ljohnsaw]

Made it up today.  Got about 1" dusting of snow Wednesday night and maybe some of it last night.  But more snow melted.  I took up my Case Davis trencher to use as a bulldozer.  There is a bit too much play in the cables and linkages so the steering was a bit difficult.  But I did manage to fill in the water pit.  Now it's quick sand (dirt)!  Hope it sets up soon.

 
The long walls (62') are nice and straight and plumb.  Ready for inspection on Monday.

 

 

Just for reference: The two blocks high you see in the doorways - the slab will be even with the top of the Third block.  So a lot of fill is needed.  The walls as they exist now are only 4' above the slab (6 blocks).  I have another 6' (9 blocks) to place on top after this pour to fill the cores.

[Magicman]

I am enjoying watching your progress.  Keep on keeping on.   ;D

[Ljohnsaw]

I had my inspection today and sort of passed  :-\

Because of the slope of my building site, the north-west corner drops down 3'-4".  The block wall will go from 12' to 15'-4".  He wants the engineer to sign off that it will be strong enough.  Since I'm putting a mile of rebar (now over 6,400' ), I think it should be good.

Also, he's not comfortable with lifts more than 6' in height.  My back corner is 9'-4".  The second lift will be an even 6' all around.  I need something in writing that this is ok.

He signed and put "pour at your own risk"! :

[danreed76]

Congratulations on the inspection!  I always sweat them no matter how much I've prepared and haven't failed one yet.

I poured my ICF walls at 9'6" with no issues with a very flowable pump mix.  We did it in 3 lifts of 3' each.  only "near incident" we had was when the vibrator got hung up on some rebar and the power switch broke at the same time and wouldn't turn off (what's the odds).  The forms started to bulge just as I got to the power plug.  We also used a 3" cement hose to make the flow more controllable.

Seeing your ICFs are of a different design, they may be able to handle more pressure.  If you have one available, you could always pour the taller sections up to 6', give them 30 or so minutes to kick over, then finish them up to final height and consolidate the lifts with a vibrator or by swabbing a piece of rebar up and down in each cell a few times.

-Dan

[Ljohnsaw]

Thanks for the vote of confidence!  The manufacture's sales rep said he regularly sees 8' lifts and "professionals" do 12'.  I figure I'll just jiggle the rebar that is in every hole to get it to settle.  The manufacture says to pour 24" at a time going around and around.  Not exactly sure how you can measure that down a really deep hole...  I plan to use my Skytrac boom with scaffolding on the forks for them, especially on the tall walls.

[Jim_Rogers]

I read a book on concrete one time. And it said not to pour a deep wall from the top. The reason why is because all the stones in the concrete will hit the rebar on the way down and not get mixed into the concrete correctly.

You need to fill it from the bottom up using a pump and hose to make sure that it is mixed right and sets up right.

Good luck with your pour.

Jim Rogers

[Ljohnsaw]

I read a book on concrete one time. And it said not to pour a deep wall from the top. The reason why is because all the stones in the concrete will hit the rebar on the way down and not get mixed into the concrete correctly.

You need to fill it from the bottom up using a pump and hose to make sure that it is mixed right and sets up right.

Good luck with your pour.

Jim Rogers

That would probably hold true with "normal" concrete mixtures.  I have to use 3/8" pea gravel concrete for these blocks.  The manufacturer has worked out all the kinks (I hope!).  They also recommend using a 2" to 2½" hose to limit the delivery and to let the concrete flow into all the cavities.  They recommend against using a boom truck - too much velocity coming down the hose.

[Jim_Rogers]

How are you going to pour it?

Jim Rogers

Some pumps are just the pump and the hose no boom truck.

[Ljohnsaw]

How are you going to pour it?

Jim Rogers

Some pumps are just the pump and the hose no boom truck.

yes, hiring a pumper trailer guy.

[danreed76]

Not exactly sure how you can measure that down a really deep hole... 

I had a bit of an advantage as I could see (at first) the horizontal rebar in my forms for a depth gauge.  By the time the day ended, we had just established a pace that we moved at steadily that kept us filling at a 2-1/2 to 3 foot rate.

yes, hiring a pumper trailer guy.

A line pump (trailer pump) should definitely be easier to handle and to control your flow rate.  When the boom truck operator started the pump it was a minute or two before you could hear it break over at the highest point of the boom and he said "Here it comes!"  There wasn't a lie in that little 3 word sentence... it was a-comin'!

A few lessons I learned; wear good heavy jeans and a long sleeve shirt, and have a change of clothes ready for when you're done.  Also, you may want to make sure you have a bottle of white vinegar.  I ended up with a few burns from the concrete (my shirt got saturated and I kept it on the whole day).  When I peeled the shirt off and realized I was burned, I tried putting aloe gel on it; painful mistake!  Vinegar neutralizes the caustic and while it stings at first, it stops the burning action of the lime.  Nowadays I keep some vinegar in the toolshed and even after little concrete projects I wash up and then wipe down with a vinegar soaked cloth just in case (yeah, the burns hurt that bad that now I'm over-cautious).  As I was dealing with that, one of the truck drivers was standing there waiting for me to sign his ticket and said "You gotta watch them pump mixes... They run kinda hot".

Good luck on the pour.  If it goes like mine, you'll be anxious the night before, nervous the morning of, working like a one legged field goal kicker all day, and slap wore-out that night!  Wish I was closer, I'd come watch help!

[Ljohnsaw]

I haven't looked down the holes lately to see how far I can see but a good idea to use the rebar as a guage.  The holes are 8" x 5" (because of the insulation).  I've worked in concrete and had it on me for a while - never had burns - but I never took a bath in it either ;)

Went up today and laid out the three 4½ foot square footings for the posts.  Sure takes a while to do things.  I thought I would have made a lot more progress.

 

I still need to mount the 12" Sono-tubes.  The last footing has this boulder inclusion.  It has lots of sharp pockets so I don't think I'll need to drill for rebar pins.  I really don't want to do that again!

 

 

Rain and some snow predicted :-\ so not sure when I will be back up to finish (also bracing the walls for the pour).  There is a possibility of getting this done before May...

[Ljohnsaw]

Update: 4/26/2016

Got a little bit of snow last Saturday - 4" of slush that melted off.  Went up today and put up about 1/2 of my stem wall that marks the back end of my slab.  It will be filled with gravel up to the top of the wall in front of the tank and about one foot of gravel will be on the back side for the tank to sit on.  Still need to run the stem wall to the west side over the boulder.

 

 
Also moved out all the scaffolding.  Will be setting that up on the outside for the concrete pumper guys to use.  I will be bracing the wall on the inside.

My engineer is good with the extra wall height and will be sending a letter to that effect soon.  He was good with 12" sonotube but my inspector wants 14 or 16" so there will be enough concrete around the 8" Simpson CB that will be imbedded.  Now I just need to get the Faswall guy to put something in writing about filling a 9' wall section is ok...

[Ljohnsaw]

Update: 5/3/2106

Got a little accomplished today, pretty much what I planned.  I've finally learned not to plan too much. :-\  I pre-cut most of the rebar for the post footing grids at home so I only had to assemble it.  The column rebar is a real pain to tie.  Keeps shifting and wanting to fall over so the rings look a little funky.  I don't think the concrete will mind. ;)

 

I set up my rag-tag scaffolding along the west wall.  Yes, it is pouring down rain.  At least it isn't snow.  After taking this picture, I tried it out but didn't like the sloped section.  I've got three 4' high frames that I will replace the first two 7' frames.  I'll extend the foot pads so they will be up around 5½' and be somewhat level with the rest of the structure.  That will also give me an additional 10' of plank coming toward the camera.

 

 

The third and fourth frames are the same 7' high as the first two - that is how much the ground drops off in 20'.  I'll probably move these two frames to the north (back) wall.

[Ljohnsaw]

Update 5/11/2016:

Went back up today to work on the scaffolding.  I spent yesterday making a bunch of feet for all the odds and ends I have.  I think I made 20 so far.  I pulled down the first two 7 foot uprights on the west wall and replaced with low wide ones.  I gathered up my planks, added 2x4 "beams" under them to stiffen them up a bit.  I know it is acceptable to have some give in the planks, but I didn't like it and when the pumper guys are up there wrestling with the hose, I don't want any issues.  A lot better walk now.

 

I also installed all the plywood cut into 8" boards along the top of the wall.  I still need to do the walls in the foreground.  I screwed it on catching the top two course of blocks.  Its not required but I figure that should keep them from shifting as we pump the concrete inside the wall.

 

I ended up taking the two 7 foot uprights from the west wall and combining them with the 4 others I found on CL to cover the east wall.  Now all I need is some planks.  I have about 6 different kinds of scaffolding uprights - its a challenge to get the bracing to work correctly.

 

I made a log lifting arch for my trailer and there are a bunch of logs piled on landing on the side of the freeway where CalTrans/Forest Service cleared beetle killed pines.  They are about 20 miles before my property.  They have been sitting a few months and I see people cutting them up for firewood.  I think I will put them to better use.  Plus, it will give me an excuse to fire up the mill!

[Magicman]

   Your foundation is mind boggling to me.