Building my Retirement Home or "My First 5 Year Plan"

[kensfarm]

My back is hurting just thinking about having to carry all those blocks..  looks really nice! 

[customsawyer]

I like the progress. You've come far pilgrim.

[isawlogs]

 My arms hurt from looking at all those blocks.  :-\    Sure looks good, you will have such a nice building once it"s all done.  8)

[SwampDonkey]

Work hard now, to enjoy things later. I guess everyone strives for that. 

[Weekend_Sawyer]

The last couple of weekends we capped the top of the foundation with a PT 2x12s, I rolled on 2 coats of asphalt tar, put on a layer of 6mil plastic and started back filling. Man I got tar all over everything.



 

We have been using a 12' concrete chute to pour in the gravel. Some times it gets backed up and you have to shovel it down. Still better than having to have to shuttle it down in 5 gal buckets.



 
At the far end of the last pic you can just make out my drum smoker. While we are working I will smoke something for dinner. So far I have done a pork shoulder, a beef bottom round roast and a whole haunch of venison. Wow was that good!

[Roxie]

This is getting exciting!   

[SwampDonkey]

All that hard work, one has to eat good to. 

[Raider Bill]

Jon I'm envious, building my Tenn house was one of the best times of my life.

[OneWithWood]

Nothing like a good project to keep you focused.
Staying nourished is important too.

[WDH]

Also, stay hydrated  ;D. 

[Carson-saws]

Outstanding...quite the endeavor....keep up the good work!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Thanks for the encouraging words. I look forward to going up every weekend.

[Bricklayer51]

Most basements I have built are 12 or 13 courses high so I got to ask how tall are you?

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I used to be 6'2 but I seem to be shrinking a little.  :D

It will be 12' inside the garage minus the 4" slab.

[Bricklayer51]

You have a very nice place  every mans dream I will be following this very closely.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

It was a wonderful weekend in the woods. As I told a friend of mine slow and steady keeps me from breaking things, myself included.


 

[Roxie]

It was such a beautiful weekend to be in the woods. 

Yes, slow and steady, after all, it is a five year plan.   :D

[Don_Papenburg]

Yep, my five year plan is going on past fifteen now .  Just trim a little inside and outside , some porch railing and steps and sidewalks tile in the basement and the attic stairs and ................................................................................and .......................................................................and.....................................................................

[Weekend_Sawyer]

My father built my house. He started it in 1957 and it's almost done...

[Weekend_Sawyer]

One more picture from last weekend.

 

[Weekend_Sawyer]

 Not much happened over the winter. I tinkered a bit but nothing to write home about and then suddenly Spring! Time to get going again. It's going to be a very busy year for me at my daytime job this summer so not much is going to get done that you can see but there's lots to do. We need to run the plumbing that is going under the slab, then we need to pour the slab. there's landscaping to do around the foundation and a set of garage doors to build.

What I'm working on now is to bury the power lines you can see in the last picture. The pole with my transformer is right next to the foundation and a guy wire comes right down where the door will open. The power company says they will move the transformer down one pole and run a whip back to the power head which we will go ahead and mount on the building. They also said we can put in our breaker box as long as it is covered. I figure I'll build a little open backed dog looking house to place over it to shield it from the weather.

Believe it or not I still don't know what the living area is going to look like. I have sketched up a couple of plans but I haven't come to a conclusion. I had to let my architect go he just wasn't producing. Luckily My builder and mason are experienced enough that they knew what specs to build to.

Right now I am thinking about a timber frame. I would absolutely love to have a timber frame but it all comes down to price. I am in contact with 2 timber framers and have my fingers and toes crossed.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening.
Jon

[SwampDonkey]

Thanks for the update John.

I have the place in Grafton listed since last week. I also have an architect designing from my sketches. He probably won't start until another week. We have used him before on the Grafton house. The neighbors next door are also selling and going to Saskatchewan where the money is. Teaching and gas/oil business.

Have a good one. 

[GRANITEstateMP]

Really enjoy following this thread.  Always fun to watch the step by step process.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Wow, what a summer. My daytime job has had me hopping all around the country!

Still very little has physically changed on the foundation. I finished back filling, Did a little more block work For a rock facade to sit on.

I had a handshake deal with a timber framer to frame the house but my last communication with him was back in may. I honestly do not know what happened to him. I am assuming he is no longer interested. :

I'm back to trying to get some drawings done so my next potential builder can cost out the work. Last weekend I had a drafter meet me at the foundation. We walked the property, kicked the foundation, talked about his past projects. I liked his easy style. I told him that my original plan was to build this BIG garage and then build a small house next door later. Now my plans have changed I plan on putting the house on top of the garage. My problem is I want a huge garage and a small house. He sketched an Idea while we were talking and I think he really nailed it. We deck over the whole foundation but part of the decked area will be porches with roof over them, reducing the sq ft of the house. So instead of running the roof line along the 60' side we run it along the 40' side. A smaller house with decks sitting on top of a large foundation.

Here's the sketch he came up with.

 

I like this a lot. It is part post and beam mixed with conventional framing. right in the neighborhood of 1500 sq ft.

I have also started talking to another builder. My original builder wants to retire and the timber framer disappeared. This next possibility is a younger guy full of energy. I have asked him for referances and to see some of the houses he has built.

We will see how this goes.
Good thing I have given myself until 2020 to make the house livable. Livable and finished are two very different things.

Jon

[Raider Bill]

Turn the house 1/4 turn and you have my first drawing. I decided to make the house the same size as the lower so my garage ceiling didn't leak around the outside deck area.