Some of you might have seen the picture I posted here months ago of the footings I had poured for my new house. We’re finally well underway on the construction and I thought I’d post a couple of pictures.
The first is what I expect it to look like roof tight. The second was taken this evening.
You don't have to sacrifice historical elements of a house in the name of energy efficiency.
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Replies
hey now, you're well under way. Looks like you should think about a break around August.
Ron, would you do me a favor and shoot some pictures out of the windows of the house? I always like to get an idea of what you look at.
thanks.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
So far so good. Are those ICF's?
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jt8
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits. -- Mark Twain
Edited 5/2/2005 2:33 pm ET by JohnT8
John,
That's right. Logix brand.
ron
Already poured? How tall were your courses?
How'd you like the ICF's?
jt8
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits. -- Mark Twain
I've poured two wall pours on this house so far, each around nine feet high. Tomorrow I will pour the last four or so feet of wall and the gables up to ceiling height.
I am a fan of ICF construction, but not a blind fan. There are a lot more limitations on what it makes sense to do in ICF than in wood. With ICF's simple floor plans and few corners are good ideas for a start. It is also helpful to design within the dimensional limitations imposed by the product.
But if somebody is willing to pay, I'd happily form circles or odd angles or add all the bracing you need in order to put windows right in corners or work off the dimensional framework of the product.
Ron
Ron, I'm interested in the ICF construction. Currently, I'm researching different suppliers.
How many man hours has it taken you to get that much material stacked? What are you using to hold it from blowing away before you pour it?
blue
Blue,
I don't have the numbers at hand. I'm running the job through my company and I report everything to the bookkeeper weekly. I'm due for an update. I'll let you know.
You don't need to worry much about wind after the bracing is attached. If we expect really hard conditions we will tape down the top courses but it isn't a big problem. The biggest problem with wind is keeping the scrap under control.
That house is about 3000 sf of block. It is sized to fit the block and could hardly get simpler to form. It has been a fairly quick job, which is to say it might have taken us twice as long as it would take you to do it in wood. As we do more of them, we're getting faster at it, learning tricks and techniques every day, but it will remain slower than wood frame.
I started the roof framing this morning. We had a lot of setup to do and other distractions so it was nearly noon before we had the first rafter pair up. About a third of the roof is framed. We should be able to finish the rafters tomorrow. The dormers will take a bit longer. I want to build them on top of the sheathing anyway, maybe even build them on the ground.
What brands are you looking at? I know what the salesmen have to say - their product is the best there ever was - but do you see any significant differences between one product and another?
I see small plusses and minusses to the selection of products I've worked with and sometimes choose one product or another as better suited to a job but the differences are about the convenience of the installer. I think they are all identical once they are in place. I don't see any advantage to me in brand loyalty.
Ron
Do the Logics have an open center ? plastic ties?
don,
The Logix block is a unit similar to Arxx, Reward, Nudura and a few others. It's a double wall block with webs formed in every 8 inches. The webs are very open compared to some of the others giving good concrete flow. I can pour Logix with dryer concrete than in some of the other ICFs I've used, which reduces the probability of a form blowing out and reduces the slight bulging between webs you sometimes see in ICFs.
Ron
Ron, so far, I've looked at tritex.com and ndura products. I don't know enough about either to talk intelligently about them though!
There's an Ndura job coming up near us and I'll be able to meet the sales rep and see a job going in. I'll tell you more after that.
blue
Blue
I've never heard of Tritex, but Nudura is a good product. I wouldn't mind building with that.
On Friday, I and someone from a company much like mine met with the local Nudura rep and talked about becoming Nudura installers, together, pooling resources. He says there is enough work to keep us as busy as we want to be, but it costs $0.60 per sq ft more than Logix. If I can make money, I don't care, it's still a concrete house and that's what I want to do. It just looks harder to make money with that premium attached.
What I was telling him was that ICF construction is a job for an experienced carpenter, and should be kept out of the hands of the residential formwork cowboys. We are the ones who give a shid about straight, plumb and level and know how to achieve it. Right?
Ron
Ron, ever since I've been looking into the ICFs I've been racking my brain as to how to keep it all straight. I've got a few ideas brewing but nothing really has me excited. I think I'll have a much better idea after seeing this other job go up.
I'll contact the Logix people to see if they can send me some info.
The Tritex guy sent me one of the forms. They look great, but the Nuduro sounds more promising because they are 8' long and they fold up for shipping . The Tritex is 4' long and they are rigid. I'm curios about shipping charges.
blue
I used 16 ga. 2"x3 5/8" steel studs 12 ' long . I had 4'x8' panel forms . I screwed the studs to the foam with a plastic screw. Then used hexhead snap ties to join both sides together .
Use turnbuckles on the top to adjust for straight.
It's been two weeks since we got up the first rafters. We've lost nearly a week to wet weather but we now have the deck built on the back, the roof framed and sheathed, the dormers bult and the gable returns complete. I still have to build the roof over the porch before calling the roofer.
I've included a picture of myself. I don't usually look quite like that but I'm swelled up a bit with pride.
The last picture, dormers, was taken this afternoon.
Ron
Ron,
Looks real nice. Do you guys ever get Springtime? Notice that the leaves have not buded out in your neck. Check your mail. Sent a little pick-me -up. Keep posting the photos!
hey, ron.. nice detailing on the exterior...
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what are you going to do with the entry ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks, Mike.
I'm planning a clapboard sunburst in the gable you can see, which faces the road. I've never built one.
The roof over the porch is hipped. It misses being half a pyramid by about 8 inches. The roof will be cantilevered 30" over the door to give some protection. I'd go more but I want the peak of that roof to be pretty close to on-centre, and extending the cantilevered portion would throw that off. The slope of that roof will be a little less than the slope of the main roof - 9/12 compared to 10/12.
I don't know exactly why I like that effect, but I do. When you are opposite the house on the road, you're looking down at it and the progression of slopes seems to emphasize the height.
A tree beside the driveway fell across one of the trucks today. (Only the smaller branches hit the truck.) When we bought that land, we couldn't see another house from our house site. Then we had a hurricane. Trees have been falling ever since.
Ron
We've missed a lot of time due to weather. We managed to work outdoors three days last week and two days the week before. The weather seems to have broken at last and I have finally finished the roof ready for shingles.
I took this at lunchtime.
Ron
OK we've been living in the house since Christmas and it's about time I put up a couple of pictures.
Calvin, if you see this, I haven't yet taken any pictures out the windows - it just looks like trees anyway on two sides, the road and the driveway on the the other two.
And a few snaps of what makes the house function:
Here's a room that makes life pleasanter for all of us in a lot of ways. It contains a 5' iron clawfoot, a basin and windows on two sides. A bookshelf is pending. Next door is a similar sized room containing: tiled shower, basin, toilet and linen closet.
Turned out nice. I like the framing over the tub window. And how do you like that arc-shaped light in the K?
jt8
"If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying." -- Coleman Hawking
John,
The light was an accident, sort of; we discovered we didn't have enough light over that part of the counter and had to install some sort of track or multi-light fixture - and that was the only one we both liked.
The house has fiver dormers, three small ones on the North side and two larger ones on the South - seven gables.
Ron
Did you buy that tub, Ron? Or maybe salvage it and refinish it yourself? Gall, that's inviting looking - so's the rest of the house.Tipi, Tipi, Tipi!
http://www.asmallwoodworkingcompany.com
Jim,
My GF had the tub in storage since before I knew her. She has another, larger office on the main floor, does more than half her work from home.
The layout separating tub from the rest of the bathroom is very old fashioned, in my mind. It gives us the functionality of a second full bathroom without the price. She can be in there soaking for hours and nobody will be pounding on the door to get in, holding themselves and hopping from one foot to the other.
This house is very comfortable, very welcoming. I have just been soaking up the compliments. I'm quite puffed up with it.
Ron
Hey Ron,
I agree, you have built yourself a lovely home.
Gord
Gord,
Thanks
Ron
We've has an uncommonly mild winter here except for a brief cold snap. Your house is ICF so R 28? You must have saved a ton on oil.
Suzy loves your color scheme.
Any progress on he window seat?Gord
Gord,
It's not easy to tell what we might have saved as we do burn a bit of wood, too. I have the impression that I'm bnurning about half the oil I burned last year in a house 2/3 as big.
We're going to have to make an occasion for her to examine the colour herself, aren't we?
Ron
We have a wee occasion coming in July.
You smoke cigars?Gord
Gord,
Fantastic! Congratulations in advance!
Licorice?
Ron
Very nice Ron, I especially liked the "small security system".The handrail makes me a little nervous, reminds me of a few weekends in the town hoosegow about 45 years ago.
mike
Sweet, Ron!
You didn't take long to fill it up. You worked long and hard on that ron, way to go!A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Blue,
At the time that picture was taken, more than a week ago, we had put about 600 hours into the job. That's for footings, 3000 square feet of wall, window and door bucks, foundation drainage, waterproofing membrane, two floors installed, stair carriages and we had poured the first two levels of three.
A more complicated floor plan would take longer for the same wall area. Details like having odd angles or windows close to corners would add to the time, too, because that would require more bracing.
Ron
I hope that you will pardon me for asking this but "what material are you using to build with?" It looks like some kind of block but to big for it to be cinder block.
Dane
I will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Dane,
It's an Insulated concrete Form product called Logix
http://www.logixicf.com/
There are a lot of them around
http://icfweb.com/
It's a foam and concrete sandwich.
Ron
nice house ...
good job.
Looks comfy and very inviting.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
fantastic house! Very welcoming.
Is that copper pipe on the stairs, or is my wife riight about me needing glasses.
Thanks, gentlemen,
akb, you're right, it is 1" copper pipe. The longer pieces have a wood core for stiffness.
Ron
nice touch