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View Full Version : A New House-Update #3 Long-With Pix



Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 5:11 PM
Well, today was DEMOLITION DAY!

Shortly after I arrived this morning a van belonging to the GC showed up. The guy, Benny, informed me that he was there to shore up the basement walls for the demolition and excavation. Seems the south facing block foundation wall was bowed in from external pressure about 3". No idea how/why this has occurred, but it had to be stabilized. While he shored up the north and south basement walls the demo/excavation crew were taking care of some small stuff around the foundation.

The demo began about 9:30 and that first CRUNCH was bittersweet. I had to leave about 10:30 and it was going pretty quick as the pictures can attest. The only wall standing when I left was the north/back wall.

Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 5:25 PM
Upon returning this afternoon about 1:30 there were 4 gas company trucks and about 6 gas company guys standing around where my gas line used to come into the house. The demo crew had inadvertantly knocked the cap off the gas line and natural gas started spewing out. Thank goodness no explosions, but progress was halted for about an hour while the gas crew got the line fixed.

By this time the only thing left was the basement. Excavation started shortly after the gas crew left. The footings will be laid out and poured tomorrow [Friday] and the foundation walls will be poured Monday. Then it has to wait to be back filled for 7 days. I get to relax next week and get some other stuff done.

Oh yeah, it was 53 degrees today, so that made the work a little nicer, although a bit muddy.

Lars Thomas
01-12-2006, 5:30 PM
Things are moving quickly now. I'm sure that had to be bittersweet. Thanks for the update.

Bruce Page
01-12-2006, 5:33 PM
Boy, watching a machine tear down you home must be bittersweet! On the other side, I'm sure you'll love your new home!

Andy Hoyt
01-12-2006, 5:41 PM
A T Shirt in Wisconsin - in January! Unbelievable!

Just remember Karl. What happened today is, without a doubt, the fastest phase of the project.

Art Mulder
01-12-2006, 6:35 PM
Karl...

I believe that you mentioned that you'd done up the plans yourself, but I looked through the three threads and couldn't find them. Were they posted in another thread, or am I just misreading things.

I'm always keen to see peoples houseplans -- custom ones, especially!

Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 6:36 PM
I just found one of the pix that I wanted to include to show where the new part will be in conjunction with the old. The part within the white lines is all dug out now.

Karl

Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 6:43 PM
Karl...

I believe that you mentioned that you'd done up the plans yourself, but I looked through the three threads and couldn't find them. Were they posted in another thread, or am I just misreading things.

I'm always keen to see peoples houseplans -- custom ones, especially!

No, you didn't miss anything Art. :o Yes, I did the BASIC floor plan using "PUNCH PRO", which is an easy program for a donder head like me to work with.

I don't quite know how to get the plan from my 'puter to the internet so it can be viewed, however. :o

Steve Ash has a copy of the plans that were drawn up by the GC. Perhaps he knows how to post those. I would not be opposed to his doing it if he can. They would show more detail as to the layout as my original floor plan just had walls.

Karl

Steve Ash
01-12-2006, 7:15 PM
Steve Ash has a copy of the plans that were drawn up by the GC. Perhaps he knows how to post those. I would not be opposed to his doing it if he can. They would show more detail as to the layout as my original floor plan just had walls.

Karl

Yep, I have a copy....I thought it was such a great plan I'm using it to build a spec home, (you didn't want a commission didya?) I didn't know you wanted it back.:eek:

Actually Karl, I have it out in the shop right now, but I have NO idea how to put it in a post....except to take a picture and do it that way...I'll see how it turns out.

Steve Ash
01-12-2006, 7:31 PM
Karl's floorplan...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/GardenBay/100_1414.jpg

Steve Ash
01-12-2006, 7:34 PM
Elevation drawing...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/GardenBay/100_1413.jpg

Steve Ash
01-12-2006, 7:35 PM
last one...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/GardenBay/100_1412.jpg

Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 8:02 PM
Thank you Steve. I owe you big time.

Soon as you travel accross that little pond separating us I'll buy you a cold one. ;) :D

Karl

Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 8:07 PM
Karl's floorplan...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/GardenBay/100_1414.jpg

Where the floor plan indents at the kitchen has now been made straight. The only reason for the 3' in the front and 1' in the back was to utilize the existing block foundation for that addition. It was just a crawl space as that room was added to the original home. The builder was going to replace that whole part, so it was decided to just pick up an extra 4' for the kitchen dining area.

John Miliunas
01-12-2006, 8:28 PM
Hmmmm...I'm guessing it's just a bit late to change your mind now, huh?:eek: :D Now, take some time off and give that sore arm a rest! :) :cool:

Jim Becker
01-12-2006, 9:14 PM
Karl, good move on the change. The loss of the shaddow line is insignificant relative to the benefits you'll have with the extra 4' of space, especially in that particular area!

Ted Calver
01-12-2006, 9:20 PM
Karl,
We just finished a house and kicked ourselves for not carefully checking the refrigerator layout in the kitchen plan the GC had drawn up. It showed the refrigerator on the plan as being the same depth as the counter, when in reality most are much deeper. Had we put ours where the plan indicated it would have protruded almost a foot into the adjacent doorway. We had a choice of special ordering a counter depth unit for really big bucks or moving the fridge to a less desireable spot in the kitchen--which is what we did. The kitchen goddess was not pleased!!
It looks like your GC is showing a counter depth unit. Make sure you scale in the true depth of your unit to be sure its "cool".
I'm sure you will be happy when it's done and you can move on to lifes next little crisis!!

Art Mulder
01-12-2006, 9:30 PM
Steve, the photos turned out great. Who needs a scanner, eh!?

Karl, looks like a pretty well designed layout. In particular, I congratulate you on giving all the bedrooms decent sized closets. Tiny closests is a problem with a lot of houses I find. (I have a 1984 house, which I suspect was a spec house and it does not have enough closet space on the main level. Of course, the fact that I have four kids makes the mudroom/entry a zoo with about 20 pairs of footwear taking up space...)

One thing I notice is that the front entry closet looks like it is going to interfere with the front door. Have you thought about making that a pocket door? Looks like it could fit in that wall along the stairs.

And the laundry right by the bedrooms is such a good idea. More houses should do that! I have heard people caution about noise from laundry equipment, but it seems to me that if you insulate the walls, and take a little extra care making sure that the floor is well constructed and solid, that should not be a worry.

Also, I see that all three bedrooms have windows on two walls. That is great for air flow, as well as just light.

Looks like a great layout, and I look forward to seeing the progress photos.

Karl Laustrup
01-12-2006, 10:03 PM
Thanks all for the encouragement.

Ted, thanks for the heads up on the fridge. I will check on that as our fridge is quite big. We actually have a 30 cu. ft. model. I gave the dimensions to the company that's doing the counter tops and cabinets so enough room would be given, but it's worth a check.

Art, thanks for the good words about the plan. I tried to think of everything, but sometimes you need others to look at it and critique the plan.

I have about 7-10 days before the framing commences in which I can make some changes. As far as the front door closet, I will ask about a pocket door. I'm not real keen on them, but it might work better.

Thanks for the postive thoughts about the laundry room. The laundry room will be completly insulated even though I have the quietest washer and dryer I've ever heard. Sears He-3t models. Great units if anyone is considering new washer and dryer. I'm not affiliated with Sears, just a very satisfied customer.

I'm also having both bathrooms and the computer room insulated to minimize noise to the rest of the house.

We sit on top of a hill so we normally get a nice breeze, so taking advantage of that with cross flow ventilation when possible was a necessity. I also tried to place the windows so the beds could be placed on at least two different walls while still taking advantage of the breezes. Cable TV wiring will reflect this as each bedroom will have at least two cable outlets. Master bedroom will have four and the living/family/great room will have at least four.

Thanks again for looking.

Karl

Art Mulder
01-12-2006, 10:52 PM
Thanks all for the encouragement.
...
Art, thanks for the good words about the plan. I tried to think of everything, but sometimes you need others to look at it and critique the plan.


Oh I could criticize -- after all, we are all different individuals with our own likes and dislikes. I, for instance, would be interested in putting on a front porch, assuming it suited the property. But I did assume that nothing much was going to change now, since you'd started building, so no point in criticizing unless I saw big problems.

Here, I'll make a suggestion: save yourselve a few bucks and omit one of the sinks in that bathroom. Realistically, how often will two people share the room? You only have one teen, after all. It's more likely that your wife and you would share in the master bath.

I'd also reconsider the swing on the master bathroom door. I worry about it swinging into the shower like that. I have a much smaller master bath and I replaced my door with a pocket door to save space. You could even have yours swing out into the bedroom.

I'll stop now.:rolleyes:

...art

Karl Laustrup
01-13-2006, 6:20 AM
Hmmmm...I'm guessing it's just a bit late to change your mind now, huh?:eek: :D Now, take some time off and give that sore arm a rest! :) :cool:

Sheeesh, I tried to get them to save all those 2x4's, but they didn't listen. I figured there was enough there to build a house. ;) :D :D

No time to rest though, combo is coming. Probably early next week.

Karl

Frank Pellow
01-13-2006, 7:01 AM
Thanks for the pictures Karl and for the floor plans Steve. They certainly don't appear to be wasting any time knocking down your house. I hope that they are just as dilligent about building the replacement.

Isn't this winter weather crazy. We are getting the same sort of non-winter in Ontario and yesterday I worked outside for about two hours in a T-shirt.

Nathan Hoffman
01-13-2006, 8:17 AM
I also tried to place the windows so the beds could be placed on at least two different walls while still taking advantage of the breezes.

Karl

I'm glad you thought of this one! We built our house in '04, and we put in lots of windows, which is nice, but there is no way to rearrange 2 of the bedrooms! Looks like its going to be a nice house.

Nathan

Tyler Howell
01-13-2006, 8:31 AM
On a roll Karl,
This is exciting

Dan Larson
01-13-2006, 8:58 AM
No time to rest though, combo is coming.
Stealth gloat??? I assume you're referring to woodworking machinery here. Is this the outcome of your jointer thread of a month or so ago?

Dan

Jim Becker
01-13-2006, 10:17 AM
Cable TV wiring will reflect this as each bedroom will have at least two cable outlets. Master bedroom will have four and the living/family/great room will have at least four.
Please be sure to do this all right...home runs for all communications to a central distribution point and use the highest quality and specification materials--as well as proper installation techniques. Not only will you get more enjoyment, any future owner will also benefit. HiDef TV is real and will become more and more ubiquitous over the next few years...you don't want sub-standard components and cabling buried in your walls. Telephony is changing, too...a Cat 5/5E cable plant insures that you are ready for the future while at the same time makes it easy to distribute data services throughout your home "today". The small increase in material costs today pay out very well in the long run. Do it the best way the first time.

BTW, there is bundled cable available that provides (2) Cat 5/5E and (2) RG6 coax cables for easy installation...one pull for all four connections. SmartHome.com, for example as a 500' spool of it on sale for $240 and you can likely easily resell the leftover for what you pay or even a little more.

Dennis Peacock
01-13-2006, 10:19 AM
Looks good Karl.....I hope and pray that all goes smoothly, and within budget.

Karl Laustrup
01-13-2006, 11:27 AM
Looks good Karl.....I hope and pray that all goes smoothly, and within budget.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


That's a good one Dennis. WITHIN BUDGET!!! Are you starring at the local comedy club? ;) :D

Alas, we are already going over, as we are having to get a new HVAC system and now ALL new windows, although the extra cost for the new windows, as opposed to using our old ones, will only be about $2100. I don't think that's too bad considering I'm switching from double hung to casement type windows and they will all be Pella's. Now I have to find someone to buy my old windows. Anderson Renewal type. I can get sizes etc. if anyone is interested. I'll have about 12 or 13.

Jim, I already talked to the electrician and he said he uses the Cat5 cable and all will be home runs. And as to that he will let the cable company put the ends on so they are of top quality. We are planning a plasma HD for shortly after we move in.

I was referring to a COMBO PIZZA Dan. ;) ;) :D :D

John Miliunas
01-13-2006, 11:42 AM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!



I was referring to a COMBO PIZZA Dan. ;) ;) :D :D

Hmmmm...Let's see. Considering the point of origin and where it will make its ultimate home, I'm guessing cheese and pepperoni???? :D :cool:

Dan Larson
01-13-2006, 11:55 AM
I was referring to a COMBO PIZZA Dan. ;) ;) :D :DMmmmmm, pizzzaaaa (insert Homer Simpson voice here). Almost as tasty as a new J/P combo!!! I wonder when Minimax is going to start offering a pepperoni & cheese option?;)

John Miliunas
01-13-2006, 12:07 PM
Mmmmmm, pizzzaaaa (insert Homer Simpson voice here). Almost as tasty as a new J/P combo!!! I wonder when Minimax is going to start offering a pepperoni & cheese option?;)

I just ain't gonna' spoil Karl's fun!!! :D I will say, though, you are in the right country!:) :cool:

Jim Becker
01-13-2006, 2:01 PM
Jim, I already talked to the electrician and he said he uses the Cat5 cable and all will be home runs. And as to that he will let the cable company put the ends on so they are of top quality. We are planning a plasma HD for shortly after we move in.

Make sure whoever terminates the Cat5/5E knows how to do it properly. There are very strict tolerances to insure that the installation qualifies at Cat5/5R....example: no more than 1/4" of untwisted exposure on each pair when punching down at the terminations. If he uses RJ45 jacks or at least modular jacks (Leviton, Systemax, etc) those terminations will be more flexible in usage, especially when combined with terminations at the distribution point on some form of patch panel. Leviton, for example, makes a very nice home distribution system that handles multi-line voice as well as data feeds from a central location.

Anthony Anderson
01-13-2006, 4:11 PM
Karl, Congratulations on you new house. Although from the size of that house you may need an intercom system, or really good lungs for getting the attention of someone at the other end:D. Just curious, was the south wall bowed from external pressure from mother nature and/or earth movement, or was it due to the external pressure/force from the backhoe being too close to the house? Is your old basement walls concrete block or are they poured concrete? If they are block, and that wall bowed 3", you may have some serious cracks in the walls, which could give you some basement leakage problems in the future. You should inspect that wall, and if needed make repairs and have it resealed, and then backfilled. Another thing the basement walls should have been shored up before that equipment was brought near the house. Did the GC do that? These are just some things that popped into my head when reading your post, and looking at the pictures. Again Congratulations, it is a very exciting time to build a house. Regards, Bill

Jerry Olexa
01-13-2006, 5:31 PM
Karl: I'm sure you're excited about this BIG project!! You will be blessed for doing this...When is the housewarming?? I'll bring the refreshments if u or John M provide the cheese...:D

Jerry Olexa
01-13-2006, 5:33 PM
BTW, Spring's new avatar has him looking pretty hollywood. Maybe he should move to LA. Tom Cruise needs a stand-in..

Karl Laustrup
01-13-2006, 5:40 PM
Karl, Congratulations on you new house. Although from the size of that house you may need an intercom system, or really good lungs for getting the attention of someone at the other end:D. Just curious, was the south wall bowed from external pressure from mother nature and/or earth movement, or was it due to the external pressure/force from the backhoe being too close to the house? Is your old basement walls concrete block or are they poured concrete? If they are block, and that wall bowed 3", you may have some serious cracks in the walls, which could give you some basement leakage problems in the future. You should inspect that wall, and if needed make repairs and have it resealed, and then backfilled. Another thing the basement walls should have been shored up before that equipment was brought near the house. Did the GC do that? These are just some things that popped into my head when reading your post, and looking at the pictures. Again Congratulations, it is a very exciting time to build a house. Regards, Bill

The bow in the wall was discovered upon taking down paneling that had been installed on the walls at some point before we moved into the house.
The heavy equipment hadn't even arrived on site when the bow was discovered. Before the equipment started doing anything the GC had the basement walls shored up, both north and south.

Not sure what we're going to do about it just yet. I suggested that as they place the next two rows of block that re-bar be put in and the columns filled, but I don't know what the GC has come up with.

Thanks again for the input and well wishes.

Karl

Karl Laustrup
01-13-2006, 5:44 PM
BTW, Spring's new avatar has him looking pretty hollywood. Maybe he should move to LA. Tom Cruise needs a stand-in..

I'm not sure about that avatar of his. Kinda looks like a zombie to me. :eek: :D

If all goes according to plan and what the GC says we may be having a moving in party about mid April. Everyone is invited. :D :D

Karl

John Miliunas
01-13-2006, 5:45 PM
BTW, Spring's new avatar has him looking pretty hollywood. Maybe he should move to LA. Tom Cruise needs a stand-in..

Hollywood??? Naw, but you DO have the right state!!!! :D Hmmmm....An old, fat and flabby Tom Cruise, huh???? Not sure he'd take too kindly to that! :eek: :D :cool:

Dale Thompson
01-13-2006, 9:15 PM
I get to relax next week and get some other stuff done.

Karl,
Why not relax ALL the time? Pic #4 on both your first and second posts look pretty much like what I consider to be "finished carpentry". ;) As far as a new HOUSE is concerned, I usually get to Pic #4 in Post #2. I then go across the tracks to where the "rich" folks live. Those folks buy stuff that comes in BIG cardboard boxes!! :D I highly recommend the three-ply cardboard from those wide-screen TVs instead of the "cheaper" stuff that they use for refrigerators, china cabinets and dining room outfits! All it takes then is a visit to my local hardware store to "lift" a couple rolls of Duck Tape and my new home is all but done! :)

A SHOP is another matter! You haven't mentioned that yet!? You had better get on the ball!! Those custom-designed Italian crystal chandeliers usually have long "lead times". Gold and Silver inlaid workbenches are not exactly "off-the-shelf" items and Platinum tops for your TS, BS, DP, OSS, SCMS, Jointer/Planer, etc. do NOT "usually ship within 24 hours" from Amazon. com or even ebay. :( Get with the program, Karl! :D :) A "certifiable" Cheesehead is one who gets his/her priorities in the PROPER order!! ;) :)

I'm expecting better things on your next "progress" post! :) :p

Dale T.

Dale Thompson
01-13-2006, 9:42 PM
BTW, Spring's new avatar has him looking pretty hollywood. Maybe he should move to LA. Tom Cruise needs a stand-in..

Jerry,
You are obviously a person of exceptional vision! ;) For the past seventy-five years I have been BEGGING "Spring" to shed the wax mustache. ;) Given that, he could EASILY become the next 007. :) The only problem with that is that I would have to grovel at his famous feet begging to be his Casting Director. :o Whatever, I would LOVE to have a hand in choosing the next bevy of beauties who will be seduced by the "master". ;) :cool: :)

Dale T.

Jerry Olexa
01-13-2006, 11:20 PM
Jerry,
You are obviously a person of exceptional vision! For the past seventy-five years I have been BEGGING "Spring" to shed the wax mustache. ;) Given that, he could EASILY become the next 007. :) The only problem with that is that I would have to grovel at his famous feet begging to be his Casting Director. :o Whatever, I would LOVE to have a hand in choosing the next bevy of beauties who will be seduced by the "master".

Dale T.

Dale, I agree with your wisdom. He could easily be 007 or a Pitt, Clooney, Cruise leading man type. Last time I was with him, he was sporting a Packer jacket and, wisely,liberal amounts of "woman repellant". Karl and I had to protect him and fight those groupies off. (they didn't bother us)And now those shades add even more charm. But he's like the rest of us: I think he'd rather watch the Pack and enjoy some cheese..Oh well.:cool: :D