We've been doing a lot of research over the past month and a half since the class, it's amazing how those two days change your perspective on things.
We've made some progress and we're having fun along the way.
Progress so far:
We've finalized the house plan modifications. For the most part we're going with the stock 35 by 35 with a few minor additions to the floor plan and some changes to the bathrooms. These Plans Rock! (pun intended)
We've decided on a slab on grade with a stem wall if at all possible, depending on the soil analysis. I'll pour the footers and the stem wall, we'll have the pad poured after the walls and roof are up. We are going to go with concrete all the way around the house for the wrap around porch. The slab will be stained and patterned to give us a ready made floor, other flooring options will come later. The decision to use a slab on grade was a tough one, however, 90% of our HVAC needs are air conditioning and in our tropical climate a Slab will reduce our overall energy needs significantly. Right now I'm not planning on insulating the slab. Most of the Heating needs are confined to the 6 weeks of January and just after Christmas, which can be tempered by a good wood stove. As such, the bulk of our air conditioning needs will be de-humidification. This follows with most of the new construction I see here in the Houston area.
We've also decided on a Red metal roof, which took Pam a while to convince me, but after seeing our new friend Jeremy's shed it was a lock. It looks really good by the way Jeremy!
Looking forward to making more new friends as we progress down this path. The people we've all met so far are FANTASTIC!
I've found a source for the rafters and beams for $0.60 a board foot out of post oak. We've located several salvage yards for building materials such as windows and are planning a trip out to take a look. Still looking for the T&G supplier of choice and a good logger. The build date is still 18 months out, so we're on schedule IMO.
Today we are meeting with our Land Guy to make the final decision on lot clearing for the house spot on our little slice of the forest.
We're going to start the scale model soon ... should be fun!
Comments
Logger Found
Well it looks like I've found a House Log Friendly Logger at last who has done this before. $80 a ton delivered and I can pick my own trees while they are still standing. Not a bad deal I think .... a 14 inch average diameter log, 41 feet long (in loblolly) is about 1 ton if I'm doing my math right, I'm figuring as much as 50% more for really choice logs .... so, it will probably average out to about $100 a log, perhaps a bit more for the main house. $80 a log for the Garage, and about $60 a log for the shed, just as a rough estimate.
Lot Clearing should be done in the next two weeks and I've ordered a sack of white clover to plant some ground cover for the 3/4 of an acre that we're having cleared .... Just to keep out the local Texas jungle fauna (white clover is good at crowding out seedlings.)
I'll order the soil analysis as soon as it's cleared so we can finalize the foundation plans then go for my permit for the shed. Since I have to get a permit to build the shed anyway, I'm going to build it a bit bigger than the stock 15 x 15 .... thinking 20 x 20 right now ... that will be a good size for my wood shop down the road.
I'm planning on starting the Shed as soon as the temperatures break. I need somewhere to store my materials for the main house build. I'm thinking that I should have logs delivered sometime in September, foundation during October, then start laying the first course right around the 1st of November.
logger
I am assuming your getting your logs from East Texas.......I am on Oklahoma and I am curious where you are getting your logs from...........It will be several years before I get to build though.........My wife and I attended the school a few years ago.........good luck and be careful.
The Magnolia area of Texas
The Magnolia area of Texas .... it is prime timber land and has been a major source of lumber for 150 years in this area.