Not only did the garage foundation cause damage to my driveway and end up with a bad finish on the slab, but it turns out there's more!
Why oh why didn't I check the foundation before they poured? I just trusted that they knew better than me. However, the garage foundation turns out to be incredibly out of square, and one side is a whole 3 1/2 inches short. For reference the house foundation (which we did) is within 1/16th of an inch.
You can correct for an out-of-square foundation to some extent by hanging the walls over the edge, but not 3 1/2 inches! So I had to shrink the garage by 2 inches. This makes it a little difficult down the road since 24 feet works out just right for six 4 foot sheets of OSB, foam insulation, etc. Luckily the important dimension was accurate enough so the trusses bear on walls where they're supposed to.
Last night I figured this out and corrected it, and bolted down the accurately squared treated sill plates to build the walls on. That's one of the harder parts now done. We'll be framing this weekend, and should even have the roof on by Sunday!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
garage slab pour, chaos.
Today they decided to go ahead and pour. The first cement truck had no problem, dumped, left.
The second truck went off the side of the driveway and sunk in. Bad driver. His right wheels were dead center in the driveway. It looked like he was going to tip, and a tipped cement truck is a very bad thing. However, a few broken chains, sweated bullets and finally a huge semi-wrecker later, they pulled him out and he was able to unload with time to spare.
However, it was no easy day. While driver #2 was stuck it started to rain, which makes this type of work difficult. Then when it was time to powerstrowel (think big lawnmower with really flat blades that smooth concrete) the starter cord for the machine broke.
In pictures:
As a side note, it's pretty neat to see the guys turn a rocky slurry into a smooth surface. They work quickly and efficiently. Here's a couple video clips.
As a side-side note, I think the one guy is the incomprehensible chicken farmer from Napoleon Dynamite.
Update: Slab poured, Chaos
The slab has now been poured. It rained durring the pour and for 14 hours after so power floating (which brings the "cream" to the top for a smooth strong finish) added water which weakens the surface, and power troweling happened too late so a nice smooth surface couldn't happen. Structurally it's all fine, but it doesn't look great and may chip a bit.
The second truck went off the side of the driveway and sunk in. Bad driver. His right wheels were dead center in the driveway. It looked like he was going to tip, and a tipped cement truck is a very bad thing. However, a few broken chains, sweated bullets and finally a huge semi-wrecker later, they pulled him out and he was able to unload with time to spare.
However, it was no easy day. While driver #2 was stuck it started to rain, which makes this type of work difficult. Then when it was time to powerstrowel (think big lawnmower with really flat blades that smooth concrete) the starter cord for the machine broke.
In pictures:
As a side note, it's pretty neat to see the guys turn a rocky slurry into a smooth surface. They work quickly and efficiently. Here's a couple video clips.
As a side-side note, I think the one guy is the incomprehensible chicken farmer from Napoleon Dynamite.
Update: Slab poured, Chaos
The slab has now been poured. It rained durring the pour and for 14 hours after so power floating (which brings the "cream" to the top for a smooth strong finish) added water which weakens the surface, and power troweling happened too late so a nice smooth surface couldn't happen. Structurally it's all fine, but it doesn't look great and may chip a bit.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Garage underway
The garage is underway, though slow as we wait for record rains to pass. Today it looked good and the foundation crew even scheduled a cement truck but had to cancel.
As with the house, we're trying to insulate as much as possible. The traditional slab design uses a perimeter frost wall around the.. uh.. perimeter, which extends below frost line and keeps the foundation from heaving. This is relatively expensive. It required an excavator and a mason crew. The modern alternative is a monolithic pour, but it has heat loss because underneath the perimeter is usually left uninsulated to heat the ground slightly to avoid frost heave.
However, frost only happens when all three of the following are present: Moisture, frost susceptible soils, and freezing weather. We've eliminated two by using well draining gravel under the garage and large roof overhangs with good drainage design around the land. Because of this, we were able to use a unique design and place foam underneath the perimeter footing. This seems odd, foam is supporting the weight of the building. But with standard 25PSI compressive strength foam, you get 3600 pounds of bearing strength per square foot. This is more than the soil is rated at. Just for safety, we used 40PSI foam, which I think is a good idea. Even though we very carefully leveled the perimeter, there may be some small voids underneath the foam.
This is the sectional drawing of the perimeter. I had an engineer check just to be sure.
A rather large looking load of foam insulation. I got some funny looks pulling something twice as tall as my car.
Foundation mostly formed before the rains.
Foam placed, rebar in the perimeter trench and reinforcing mesh not quiet in place
Heat tubes placed. There are two 300 foot runs of 3/4" tube placed 12" apart They're placed a little closer together in front of where the workbenches go for added comfort.
As with the house, we're trying to insulate as much as possible. The traditional slab design uses a perimeter frost wall around the.. uh.. perimeter, which extends below frost line and keeps the foundation from heaving. This is relatively expensive. It required an excavator and a mason crew. The modern alternative is a monolithic pour, but it has heat loss because underneath the perimeter is usually left uninsulated to heat the ground slightly to avoid frost heave.
However, frost only happens when all three of the following are present: Moisture, frost susceptible soils, and freezing weather. We've eliminated two by using well draining gravel under the garage and large roof overhangs with good drainage design around the land. Because of this, we were able to use a unique design and place foam underneath the perimeter footing. This seems odd, foam is supporting the weight of the building. But with standard 25PSI compressive strength foam, you get 3600 pounds of bearing strength per square foot. This is more than the soil is rated at. Just for safety, we used 40PSI foam, which I think is a good idea. Even though we very carefully leveled the perimeter, there may be some small voids underneath the foam.
This is the sectional drawing of the perimeter. I had an engineer check just to be sure.
A rather large looking load of foam insulation. I got some funny looks pulling something twice as tall as my car.
Foundation mostly formed before the rains.
Foam placed, rebar in the perimeter trench and reinforcing mesh not quiet in place
Heat tubes placed. There are two 300 foot runs of 3/4" tube placed 12" apart They're placed a little closer together in front of where the workbenches go for added comfort.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Garage and other stuff
So work has begun on our garage. Thankfully, it's work being done by someone other than me this time. We are having some contractors do the garage foundation. Below is what it looks like right now.
Also, my garden did pretty well below are the plants that are already bearing some fruit.
Peas
Yellow squash
Chop'n Broccoli
Finally some current and past Roland cuteness. In that order:
Catching some zzz's on the fouton (only piece of furniture he is allowed on)
Sometimes we just can't help ourselves...
Also, my garden did pretty well below are the plants that are already bearing some fruit.
Peas
Yellow squash
Chop'n Broccoli
Finally some current and past Roland cuteness. In that order:
Catching some zzz's on the fouton (only piece of furniture he is allowed on)
Sometimes we just can't help ourselves...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Final steps done, just a few days till closing
We now have everything required for closing done! The last of which was the as-built survey which was just completed. That's the last of the stress for me! Now we know the house is officially recognized as occupancy-ready, recognized as built to the highest standards and energy efficiency, and no parts of it encroach on any property lines. We only have to wait one more week for the notice of completion, then we can close!
Then, on to a much more fun project: the garage...
update: Closing time set: Monday July 21st at 3:30pm!
update: Closing went great! Funds dispersed on the 24th, which is Marcy's birthday.
Then, on to a much more fun project: the garage...
update: Closing time set: Monday July 21st at 3:30pm!
update: Closing went great! Funds dispersed on the 24th, which is Marcy's birthday.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Fun!
Last Friday Andrew and I actually had some good old quality time together. We went on a short hike and took some candid pictures of our puppy.
Roland looks more heroic then Rin Tin Tin
Nothing like a 40 after a 3 mile hike.
Sad Andrew hugging sleeping Roland. Too much cute for one picture!
Where did our puppy go?
Roland looks more heroic then Rin Tin Tin
Nothing like a 40 after a 3 mile hike.
Sad Andrew hugging sleeping Roland. Too much cute for one picture!
Where did our puppy go?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Inspection done
Inspection done, passed with flying colors! Blower door tester guy said it was the most air-tight house he's tested. Hurray!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
All coming together
Tonight we finish (we MUST finish) the final details to "complete" the house. This is gates on the deck, a tiny section of custom railing inside,and two outlet covers. I hope.
Tomorrow is final inspection day! We also get our energy rating done. If we're 5 star plus, we should get a $7500 rebate from Alaska Housing Finance Corp. This was unexpected, and as you can imagine, a very pleasant surprise!
We have been dealing with getting our mortgage so we can pay everyone back and have one simple monthly payment. First we got the house appraised. I had been very nervous about that for a few months. It would tell us if we made money building this house.
We got appraised for $224,000, which is quite good! It's the upper end of what I thought were my optimistic hopes! It also lets us get the best loan available with only 70% loan-to-value ratio, and we'll still have enough to build a garage this summer.
There are a lot of other little details required. We needed to file a notice of completion with the borough so anyone can see it and put a lien on our house if we owe them money. We got a water test done, even though we don't even have a well. They need to be sure our holding tank isn't tainted. We ordered an as-built survey to be sure we don't encroach on any property lines. We got our septic system DEC stamped paperwork. We also had to compile all our receipts for the loan.
It's lots of work getting a loan on a house! At the end of this week we should be done and we just need to wait 15 days for the notice of completion to set in. Then, we should get our check! Hurray!
Tomorrow is final inspection day! We also get our energy rating done. If we're 5 star plus, we should get a $7500 rebate from Alaska Housing Finance Corp. This was unexpected, and as you can imagine, a very pleasant surprise!
We have been dealing with getting our mortgage so we can pay everyone back and have one simple monthly payment. First we got the house appraised. I had been very nervous about that for a few months. It would tell us if we made money building this house.
We got appraised for $224,000, which is quite good! It's the upper end of what I thought were my optimistic hopes! It also lets us get the best loan available with only 70% loan-to-value ratio, and we'll still have enough to build a garage this summer.
There are a lot of other little details required. We needed to file a notice of completion with the borough so anyone can see it and put a lien on our house if we owe them money. We got a water test done, even though we don't even have a well. They need to be sure our holding tank isn't tainted. We ordered an as-built survey to be sure we don't encroach on any property lines. We got our septic system DEC stamped paperwork. We also had to compile all our receipts for the loan.
It's lots of work getting a loan on a house! At the end of this week we should be done and we just need to wait 15 days for the notice of completion to set in. Then, we should get our check! Hurray!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
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