Our Earth Sheltered Home | Page 5 | Construction and DIY projects | Forums

A A A
Avatar
Search

— Forum Scope —






— Match —





— Forum Options —





Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters

Lost password?
sp_Feed F-Construction-and-DIY
Our Earth Sheltered Home
Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
33
24 May ’12 - 6:15 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print

and started to jam on the shingling

3861876365_f5a760de0a_z.jpg

3862927370_65a5a8048c_z.jpg

I finished double the work in half the time and my body was intact, I am not going to make that mistake again

3863364574_0532b2c232_z.jpg

3862582955_3cbf442a12_z.jpg

my wife went and picked up some paint, we decided to go with a dark green

3871255369_5eb13f3bb1_z.jpg

3871552379_89c00cd668_z.jpg

front all finished

3872522562_8a7be54190_z.jpg

and started working on the sides

3871956201_0bf02151d3_z.jpg

3872740362_ed38b4ea26_z.jpg

we picked up stain for the cedar, and started on the front

3880963187_ebda1cd0e5_z.jpg

3880963523_7f4604dfd3_z.jpg

3880966655_b0d63fab83_z.jpg

and started on the soffitt

3880938203_327189fafd_z.jpg

3881702608_df8ed65817_z.jpg

3881741870_92fde6bde1_z.jpg

I hopped up on the roof and knocked out the front face

3880900267_4bbf19637d_z.jpg

3880903369_99751a3961_z.jpg

3880903791_7635a2ec94_z.jpg

and the exterior of the house was almost complete

3881705934_15db65806f_z.jpg

Avatar
Albinorhino
Farm Hand
Members
Forum Posts: 218
Member Since:
19 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
34
25 May ’12 - 11:08 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print

WOW MAN! Talk about a step by step. Did you ever tally up what the structure cost to build, including back filling and boulders?

Did you have to have footing inspections?. Any problems with code enforcement with this project being different than what the inspectors are used to seeing?

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
35
26 May ’12 - 12:17 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

yes I have a complete breakdown of the costs, without the land we were at 57,000

no issue with code, the house is basically a daylight basement with a roof, the only difference is the landscaping. We did run into a issue with our insurance company because we didn't have a thermostatically controlled heat source, we got around that though

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
36
30 May ’12 - 10:24 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

The water company came and hooked up the meter, we finally had running water in the house

3881422006_d16e7f5f4d_z.jpg

I wired up the panel, we have a disconnect breaker in the panel to feed the generator directly into it if we lose power

3880624551_180fb7946e_z.jpg

I ran the feed for the generator out the side of the house

3880618223_7ccddc0b5c_z.jpg

and mounted a box on the side of the shed

3881421362_7e87e51239_z.jpg

getting the wire to bend through this elbow was a pain

3881913740_ab182c4c99_z.jpg

I dry fitted some conduit

3881110491_1469285912_z.jpg

and glued it all together

3881950330_093267e5f6_z.jpg

I covered the conduit with cement and watered it down good

3887632744_9721f204ed_z.jpg

and covered it with dirt

3882038678_87027fb3f7_z.jpg

I picked up some motion lights

3881629573_ce24efcbc2_z.jpg

and we wired one up on each side of the house

3881992673_abf8b99b99_z.jpg

3882009765_12484d78d5_z.jpg

and one on the front

3882840544_51d44d83e1_z.jpg

all complete

3882778372_062789970a_z.jpg

3882841034_81e05798b7_z.jpg

with the way the house sits, you don't know if someone is coming around the house, from a security issue this a concern. My neighbor is good with electronics and controls, so I had him make these buzzers, when a motion light goes off, it sets off the bell, so we know when someone is coming around the house

3882803396_5b8f54e469_z.jpg

they have been useful several times

we were debating going underground with the power, but the cost and depth required, we instead chose to pay the 750 dollars to have a pole installed

3883820149_fc9735f076_z.jpg

3883820551_9c5967d0cc_z.jpg

3884618330_c9790f5f03_z.jpg

3884630810_488c9dbe43_z.jpg

3883839295_df60dc80be_z.jpg

3883855559_09bac7ef00_z.jpg

3884669610_ff00d9d2bf_z.jpg

30 minutes they were done

we ran conduit for the power supply to the house

3910032540_9afcab1dbb_z.jpg

and attached it to pole and connected into the bottom of the meter

3910593855_62c0d3bfba_z.jpg

3900847952_fd83c8b88c_z.jpg

and ran the feed up the pole

3900847372_9123213a76_z.jpg

the power company came and did their hook up

3925558115_56e1b0f319_z.jpg

we had to bury the conduit under 2 feet of soil by code, so I had some fill dripped off

3923151294_9f7d56932c_z.jpg

I think I got a little much

3920753586_331496280d_z.jpg

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
37
30 May ’12 - 10:29 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

I hauled down our remaining fire wood from our old house

3900077769_2882d7dfa6_z.jpg

and filled our shed

3910032912_42889ed13e_z.jpg

at this point the outside was complete, it was sept 11 2009, we were three months into the project

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
38
30 May ’12 - 10:41 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

so we moved into the inside, we were debating how we wanted to insulate, we were really interested in spray foaming and had a conventional company come out and their quote was 4000, we then had a soy base foam company come out and their quote was 6500, there was no way we could spend 10 % of our budget on insulation, so we went with bat insulation for 800 alex

3909898909_f6f5671db1_z.jpg

we were debating on doing the whole interior in pine, but we felt it would be to much, so we decided on sheetrock for walls, and pine for ceiling and gables, so we had 70 sheets of drywall dropped off, I

hate drywall

3909899165_27d96ba058_z.jpg

and pine for the ceiling

3909899537_71fd7cd7e0_z.jpg

and grabbed some vent panels for the ceiling

3915875626_76f40c009b_z.jpg

my wife started installing it while I was working on something else

3916102278_31bf0b0239_z.jpg

when I came back, I was looking at it, something didn't look right

3916102998_9262b5c5a0_z.jpg

quick google on my phone and sure enough, hey honey you have to take all that down. Why she asked. Because you need a gap for proper airflow. Many curses were heard that day.

we got that fixed and started installing the insulation

3915929453_ae0dbd126b_z.jpg

I really hate insulation

3917136186_d854c89393_z.jpg

3916995558_f3ac3c34e9_z.jpg

3917136942_e791e1ea1e_z.jpg

3917463188_92a285af6e_z.jpg

the next day we covered it with plastic for a extra vapor barrier

3919864904_e0231ae3c7_z.jpg

3919081473_8f2416da92_z.jpg

3919082223_35dd1b90ec_z.jpg

3920195906_8938c41d41_z.jpg

we taped all the seams and were done

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
39
30 May ’12 - 10:57 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

we weren't sure if we wanted a stained ceiling or natural, so we did a test piece

3919413305_8051d4c616_z.jpg

we decided to go with natural

3923156272_6bd2a03239_z.jpg

hand nailing again, I thought I learned my lesson

3920618206_f9f7d02e87_z.jpg

made a quick phone call

3923148566_c32e26fb66_z.jpg

and we started jamming it out

3921156688_809ba5440d_z.jpg

we had bought a lift of camp grade pine, so there was a lot of cutting out knots and splits, but the finished look was coming out nice

3923844182_41c74da752_z.jpg

kitchen/living room done

3924312706_742aaa8084_z.jpg

3924412948_8cdac7e8e1_z.jpg

and we moved onto the bedrooms

3924310809_64f8d241d7_z.jpg

3924311155_d57708c7d9_z.jpg

3926336094_0ebaec4d21_z.jpg

we finished the ceiling around midnight, it was a long day

3926336094_0ebaec4d21_z.jpg

the next day I started on the gable ends

3926498201_30fee6e672_z.jpg

3926542641_072a691f86_z.jpg

3927455878_a645e683bc_z.jpg

3929665264_8f34028e9a_z.jpg

and then knocked out the bathroom ceiling

3933859959_f43fef3a3b_z.jpg

3935356430_28da591b7a_z.jpg

the pine ceiling was complete

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
40
30 May ’12 - 11:26 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

Did I mention how much I hate drywall? Drywall is one of those things that someone that does it really well makes it look so easy that any hack thinks they can do it. I realized years ago that I am to cheap to be good at drywalling, with drywalling you use big sheets and have a ton of scrap to cut down on taping and mudding, me, I use every 3 foot scrap I can to save a buck

started in our bedroom, just stand em up, roto zip around outlets, and screw it down, sounds easy rights? until the rotozip takes off in a different direction and you got a 5 foot gash you have to tape and

mud, but I digress

3929887998_2d051d4bb8_z.jpg

3930213592_838bfe262e_z.jpg

nothing like rotozipping around a electrical panel to keep you on your toes

3931022923_28787b76e1_z.jpg

3931622719_13e38f4648_z.jpg

hardest part was getting the angles right for the ceiling, A flat ceiling is much simpler

3931670457_7a392cfc91_z.jpg

and did the same for the other bedroom

3934575147_8e5126af8f_z.jpg

we moved onto the bathroom

3937734776_221a3bfe8d_z.jpg

taping the 13 foot wall is going to be fun, with the pitch of the ceiling it's hard to get a high enough ladder to work comfortably

3937349365_3e465d4581_z.jpg

we moved onto the kitchen/living room

3937427871_35cb2c423e_z.jpg

3937466243_c4d2cbdd3a_z.jpg

finally a straight ceiling

3937627475_4bf58b9d0a_z.jpg

3938616080_2363724624_z.jpg

Forum Timezone: America/New_York

Most Users Ever Online: 698

Currently Online:
51 Guest(s)

Currently Browsing this Page:
5 Guest(s)

Top Posters:

easytapper: 2149

DangerDuke: 2030

groinkick: 1667

PorkChopsMmm: 1515

Gravel Road: 1455

Newest Members:

Forum Stats:

Groups: 1

Forums: 12

Topics: 11482

Posts: 58640

 

Member Stats:

Guest Posters: 2

Members: 19842

Moderators: 0

Admins: 1

Administrators: K