Slab Day

Concrete finishing is more of an art than a science.  There are a lot of guys that can do it and only a few that can do it well.  The extra $0.50 a foot for the good ones is WELL worth it.

Underslab Prep

Next stage is code compliance - thermal break, slab insulation, Plumbing ground work and steel. 

Tip: ALWAYS double check your plumbers work!  I checked his locations but didn't check his flange heights.  I don't know what it is about plumbers but NEVER seem to get the flange height right.  I even gave him a grade stake then falsely assumed (Assume = make an ASS out of U and ME) he knew how to use it...  He ended up being 3" LOW!!!  Should have babysat him - more work and expense.

Backfill

 

This site is about as perfect as they come.  Easy to move the machines around, great local material and generally flat.

 

Backfill required more than 200 yards of compactible fill.  We had plenty, it was nearby it only cost machine time!  Typically the old building Dirt axiom is You pay (a lot) when you need it and you pay (a lot) when you have too much to get rid of it."  That seems to be true most of the time in my experience.

  

We backfilled in 8" lifts compacting with three passes (minimum) as we went.  Makes for a long day but in the end you can drive your truck on it and it doesn't even leave a track.

 

We ran out of light on the first day and finished up by lunch the next.  

Breaking Ground, finally

Garage-Shop with 980 sf residence above

The day we break ground on a new project is one of my favorites.  When things go well its even better.  This project is one of those that feels especially nice to be underway.

Finally off the drawing board and through the permit process - this county added a whole new layer of bureaucracy that I haven't had to deal with before here...  These days it doesn't matter if how good your land is, if your neighbor has a well or wetlands or has designated habitat or septic system or any kind or County recognized designation requiring a buffer, that buffer extends onto your property too.  Essentially, you need to consider not only the building conditions of your own property you must also consider all of the surrounding properties.  If during any part of the permit process anyone finds a Bigfoot (Sasquatch) track in the vicinity that whole area can be considered habitat or a corridor and the bureaucrats can proclaim your property to be unusable (worthless) and  still tax you as if you could build on it.  I can understand the purpose but giving one person that much control to make black and white decisions in gray areas is going to make a rocky road rougher.  Unless you have money to fight it (yes money talks loudly to government - I see it over and over), you are saddled with whatever that bureaucrat says you can do.

Anyway, we can finally put the spurs to it!!!

Drawers

Baltic Birch Plywood makes a pretty nice drawer.  Only about 20 more to build...  Good problem.

Mini Project - 36" vanity

This is one stout little cabinet.

Permaculture Residence

An intriguing opportunity to design a  Permaculture Residence has come my way.  Among the challenges are incorporating a cook stove that will also be utilized to heat water (Thermosyphon).  My goal is to create a design that does not compromise kitchen efficiancy or complicate plumbing while maintaining ease of fuel (wood) access and storage.

I would very much like hearing from those who have experience with wood burning cook stoves, what they liked, what they didn't and any other recommendations they might have.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this will evolve and will try to share the progress on this blog as it unfolds.