Category Archives: House Building
Arteries, colon, nervous system and lungs (plumbing, sewer, electrical, HVAC)
In about mid-april the rough plumbing started going in. We had already picked out all our fixtures as early as November the year before. It was installed by Chris from Apex Plumbing and Heating, who we hired for the plumbing … Continue reading
Planning for structured wiring and home automation
I knew pretty early on that I wanted to incorporate some kind of structured wiring and home automation, audio and security system. The basic structured wiring will be comprised of bundles of two Cat6 (internet/phone) and two RG6 (cable-TV/satellite) cables … Continue reading
Perimeter drains, septic tanks, windows and deck. Lots going on!
Before we can backfill around the foundation there are quite a few things you need to do to keep the basement nice and dry. The first thing we do is coat the concrete foundation with a dampproofing compound. It is … Continue reading
Trusses, roof, surveying oh my!
The very next day the crew had finished with the wall panels we received our roof trusses.| Again, the truck arrived early in the morning and the construction crew shortly after. Everyone got to work right away. Unlike the SIPs … Continue reading
SIP walls assembly
Day 1 I had been concerned about the offloading of the panels for some time, trying to think of the best way to handle it. Insulspan recommends a forklift with 8′ fork extensions. Having that you can easily lift of … Continue reading
Day 137 – Foundation finished and framing started!
So quite a bit has happened since the last update. I will make an attempt to go through everything that has happened. As soon as the concrete contractor was done we moved in to start preparing for the concrete floor. … Continue reading
Not much happening at the moment
With the snow all the work has stopped and we are just waiting for things to warm up a little so we can continue. In the mean time, have some pictures from the surrounding area.
Day 105 – Still working on the foundation
So we have concrete walls poured! After we had our footings poured we expected the rest of the foundation to move along quickly. However the contractor we had hired decided to disappear. We attempted communication for a week, but he … Continue reading
Day 81 – Meter Pole Installation
Early in the process we decided to use underground services for two reasons. Practical and esthetical. The practical reason is we avoid having to hang overhead wires through dense foliage, in the inevitable winter storm we minmize the chance of … Continue reading
Day 69 – Footings are poured
After several delays the concrete contractor finally got our footings poured. The contractor delayed the inspection more than once and on one occasion I went to meet the building inspector at the lot and nothing at all had happened. When … Continue reading