Two years ago we started working on plans to increase the size of our home to provide more appropriate space for our six children, as well as a nice apartment for my parents. My father has failing mental health, and my mom increasingly needs the support.
This is what the home looked like two years ago:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/2011_orig.jpg)
Monday, we finally kicked things off on our home expansion. First steps were demolition of the garage, dining room, kitchen and attic.
End of day Monday:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/2013-03-11_EOD_small.jpg)
And last night:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130313_EOD_small.jpg)
By tonight I expect the roof will be completely gone, as will about half the front of the house. Thursday I expect they will clean up and pull up the concrete, and Monday excavation will start.
So far, no big "Oops" moments. Keeping my fingers crossed.
It is certainly a strange feeling to be effectively "homeless". We are living in a condo nearby, but still really odd to drive by my house and see it like this.
A plan in motion. Nice. I hope it turns out better in the end than you planned. I know what you mean when you say; "...really odd to drive by my house and see it like this."
Good luck getting things built, damn cost are rising daily for materials! Mostly due to higher fuel cost which is past one to everything! Thanks Obama... ???
Quote from: The_Shadow on March 14 2013 07:00:00 PM MDT
Good luck getting things built, damn cost are rising daily for materials! Mostly due to higher fuel cost which is past one to everything! Thanks Obama... ???
No kidding. First bank fiddled around forever with our construction loan app. After several months we pulled the loan and sent it to another bank. They approved us in 48 hours and gave us better terms to boot.
But, during that time costs rose 25%. Very frustrating.
Here she is as of last night.
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130314_EOD_small.jpg)
Hopefully they will wrap up demolition today.
excavation is finally done. Footings start on Monday
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/2013_04_05_EOD.jpg)
That's a mighty big under taking but for a great reason, Praying for all!
Happy to see the progress moving right along.
Hopefully the expansion was approved with underground vault. LOL. Congrats on the start. It will be well worth it when its done.
Quote from: fuzzytek on April 08 2013 08:36:55 PM MDT
Hopefully the expansion was approved with underground vault. LOL. Congrats on the start. It will be well worth it when its done.
Actually it is. Under the front porch will be a concrete storage room with rebar reinforced wall, floor and ceiling. Unfortunately the vault door is not in the budget at this time, so I will probably weld something up until I can recover from the cost of the addition.
The vault room is labeled 'fruit storage' on the plans so as to not raise eyebrows at city hall. The room is 8X37, so it has plenty of room for not only guns, but long term supplies of canned good, water, grain, etc.
Wishing you all good luck and smooth construction of the building! :)
So how's it going? Curious to see more pics.
The basement floors were poured on Thursday. I don't have pics of it yet as I am in Florida visiting my grandfather.
By the time I get back the suspended slab for the garage should be in place, and most of the basement framing done. I will grab some pictures then and post them up.
Here is the shot from night before last:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130501_EOD_small.jpg)
As of last night they had the rest of the sub-floor down and one garage wall up. Progress was slowed yesterday with the lumber company delivered 2X4 instead of 2X6. The exterior walls are all spec'd 2X6, and they couldn't get a second load out after it was discovered.
Hopefully today they will get most of the exterior walls up.
Looking good...I have done some construction work in my younger days, I use to enjoy working in many of the old historic homes in New Orleans' Garden District. :D
And...now some walls are up:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130503_EOD_full.jpg)
I am hoping they are setting attic trusses by the end of the week.
Good deal....starting to look like something now. Good luck with rebuild....much more than an expansion. ;D
The girder trusses went up yesterday. Since the second floor has 7 dormers, a bunch of it has to be stick framed, but with the trusses up, the space starts to take shape.
Here is the shot from my traditional perch, but now broken into two so you can see it better:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130513_EOD1.jpg)
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130513_EOD2.jpg)
And here is a shot of one of the smaller attic trusses sections that will become two kids rooms:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130513_kids.jpg)
And here is the space for the master suite (I pivoted 90 degrees left from the last shot for this one:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130513_master.jpg)
And finally, a time lapse of the trusses being set (this is taken from the same side of the lot as the first pictures, but from the back instead of the front. So south west instead of south east):
Its coming along nicely! Best of luck! :)
Love seeing the progress! 8)
Finally looks like a house:
Front:
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130527_EOD.jpg)
Back
(http://fellingfamily.net/images/20130527_back_EOD.jpg)
They should finish framing in the next week-10 days.
Lookin real good! 8)
One might think, that after all the expense and effort it appears to be going into this, you'd at least spring for the indoor plumbing......
Great project. Looking good. :)
Quote from: DM1906 on May 28 2013 09:54:45 PM MDT
One might think, that after all the expense and effort it appears to be going into this, you'd at least spring for the indoor plumbing......
You noticed the upscale porta potty too? Around here most of the workers get a five gallon sheetrock bucket. ;D
Coming along very nicely! Wishing you more continued progress! :D
City code requires the job site to have "facilities". Don't get me started on what I think of building codes and job site requirements.
I saw what you posted in the Father's Day thread about the electrical do over you and your son are working on. I feel for ya!
Bunch a crazed no good demolitionists anyway...@#$%&... >:D
Sounds like they could have been a lot more careful in doing their job properly and professionally. Like...
(http://gavuladesign.com/sites/all/files/blogIllustration/brandexcavation_465x200.png?1304662283)
...yeah, like that. ;)
Overall, they did a pretty good job. Considering the existing house was concrete block with a brick veneer on the outside and plaster directly on the block on the inside, the fact they didn't knock the whole thing down was pretty amazing.
But, I had asked them to save the meter box, master disconnect box and 200 amp power center. In my mind that was remove, set aside. In their mind that was grab with the track-hoe claw and drag from rubble. I spend half the morning Sunday getting the power center back to the right shape on top, getting the old service cut out, etc.
Luckily we are about 75-80% done.
As soon as the plumber gets his butt in gear, we can finish the high and low voltage in the new part of the house, get the 4-way inspection done and be ready to insulate and sheetrock.
Quote from: sqlbullet on June 17 2013 01:23:17 PM MDTIn their mind that was grab with the track-hoe claw and drag from rubble.
Okay...fell off my chair...back in the chair...I think I'm better now...wow. ???
Glad you were able to take it lightly! 8)
It was pretty easy to swallow once the general said he would make them eat the cost or he would.
At that point they aren't destroying my stuff anymore, and that is less hard to watch.
One thing's for sure you'll have your hands full selecting the central air conditioning? The new 410A Freon runs at fairly high pressure...340 psi. I got a brand new Lennox high 15 or 17 SEER rated unit, and have had to replace several "A" coils (7) over the last 10 years...The good thing was having the 10 year parts and labor on everything and 20 years on the scroll two stage compressor. Waiting on the AC guys as we speak! 10 year warranty runs out in October!
While it was designed to save you money, it has been inefficient because of loosing the freon has been a PITA! ??? However the propane fired heating unit is great, but down here we rarely need much heating.
The good thing is it will run on my home generator if that need arises.
The HVAC has been interesting. The 5 ton high efficiency AC unit is coupled with an 80% efficiency heater in the upstairs(second) floor. THe main floor has a 95% efficiency natural gas furnace paired with a 3 ton standard efficiency AC unit. THe basement will be heated a cooled by the existing 95% furnace with an (overkill) 4 ton AC unit.
They no longer really spec anything by hand. The enter the room sizes and layouts into a program that determines effeciency ratings, capacity, duct size, shape, bends etc. That program says 90% of the cooling of the main and upstairs will be carried by the upstairs system, and 95% of the heating will be by the downstairs system.
The electrician had to re-run the power drops for the AC, as he ran power expecting a couple of 4 ton units. Not enough for the 5 ton, too much for the 3 ton.
And, they have to rotate the downstairs furnace either 90 or 180 degrees. The set it so the service doors would face the two 50 gallon water heaters.
Lots to do, and 4-way inspection is tomorrow. Busy guys at my house today.
I got most of the quad cable pulled. I am still waiting on the cat6 for the bedrooms. All told there will be about 8000 feet of cat6, rg-6, and fiber in my house together. Plus speaker wire and any control wires I need to run.
Quote from: sqlbullet on June 26 2013 10:29:54 AM MDT4-way inspection is tomorrow.
If you don't mind, could you spell that out for me? I've never been around construction much.
Basically the walls and all the stuff in them....Framing, Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical.
Once the 4-way is done, you can start covering the framing and stuff in it with insulation and sheetrock.
Wishing you continued good luck and progress with your build! ;)
I wanted to make a correction on the high side pressure for the 410A Freon on my unit it runs at 340 psi...but they are coming to replace the coil in a week or so. This will be coil #7 and it will be a coated coil, I hope this one last like forever because after OCTOBER, it will be out of warranty!
Quote from: sqlbullet on June 26 2013 02:25:43 PM MDT
Basically the walls and all the stuff in them....Framing, Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical.
Once the 4-way is done, you can start covering the framing and stuff in it with insulation and sheetrock.
Thanks for spelling it out! Hope it goes smooth as silk!
Thanks redline, although to be honest right now it feels more like a cheese grater. I would be thrilled to get to as smooth as 100 grit sandpaper. :P
:)) Hey, if you're overall satisfied and 100 grit smoothness is smooth enough to pass that 4-way inspection, no reason not to walk away with a smile! Sometimes all out perfection is smoke in mirrors at the end of the day anyway. 8)
Did the 4-way go smoothly? Is everything still/now continuing to move along as well as can be hoped for? New pic?
Outside looks the same. They are mudding/taping today. Over the weekend we picked up 1000 sq ft of travertine. As soon as the mud/tape is done, we will start painting. I hope by this weekend.
Glad the rebuild is moving ahead without many snags... 8)