Building a new house and shop (3 Viewers)

[knuckle47]

Point the camera towards a wall, play in the background!

 

[1911]

SkyNet attempting to map my office.

The Mrs. bought a robot vacuum cleaner on the Amazon Prime Day sale. I was surprised; it actually did a half-decent job getting the peanut crumbs off of the floor under/around my drafting table.

 

[1911]

Getting a metric sh!t ton of EPS foam, fiberglass netting, Portland cement, and more STO delivered today. The big van with a fork lift on the back could not make it more than half-way down my road to the house, so they’re unloading it on a flat spot (old gas well pad) and I’ll have to bring it down a bit at a time with my tractor and/or trailer.

This will all go on the exterior of the house, with stone and stucco over the top of that. Was originally going to use 2” thick foam, but decided to go with 3-1/2” instead. R value of 14, versus an R value of 8.

 

[Dunbar]

II'd like to see your electricity bill when done. I bet one month of shop AC in the summer is more than a year in the house.

 

[65swb45]

View attachment 3971425Getting a metric sh!t ton of EPS foam, fiberglass netting, Portland cement, and more STO delivered today. The big van with a fork lift on the back could not make it more than half-way down my road to the house, so they’re unloading it on a flat spot (old gas well pad) and I’ll have to bring it down a bit at a time with my tractor and/or trailer.

This will all go on the exterior of the house, with stone and stucco over the top of that. Was originally going to use 2” thick foam, but decided to go with 3-1/2” instead. R value of 14, versus an R value of 8.

It’s still sinking in with me (pardon the pun) how neolithically slow you can change the temperature inside the house because of both the structure and being mostly submerged. And now you’re going to make the rate of change even slower!

 

[1911]

II'd like to see your electricity bill when done. I bet one month of shop AC in the summer is more than a year in the house.

I hope so! Right now, the heat pump runs more often than I would have thought, but its 20 SEER and the electric bill has not been bad, but I’m still expecting improvement after the EIFS.

It’s still sinking in with me (pardon the pun) how neolithically slow you can change the temperature inside the house because of both the structure and being mostly submerged. And now you’re going to make the rate of change even slower!

It takes some getting used to, not fiddling with the thermostat but just to leave it on one setting.

 

[knuckle47]

So you’re keeping it in and keeping it out at the same time?

 

[1911]

So you’re keeping it in and keeping it out at the same time?

That’s the idea. The morning sun soaks heat into the concrete; the foam board insulation should help with that.

 

[1911]

3-1/2” foam board going on. It gets cemented on with the same 50/50 mix of Portland cement and STO primer that I plastered the inside of the domes with. You use a 1/2” notched trowel to make vertical lines, so if any moisture happens to condense or get behind the foam boards in any way, it will just drain out the bottom. That is why the foam boards terminate an inch or two above the footers and ground level.

 

[dieseldog]

Thanks!



Not a bad idea. Might be hard to find a Feng Shui practitioner in rural north Texas though. At least this will be the first time in our lives that we can build the house we want, the way we want it. For one thing, it's not going to have a yard, as in lawn grass to mow - I hate mowing a lawn and I'm not going to do it anymore.

It's pretty awesome to have such great access to water and land features up towards North Texas way. For some reason, I had always thought you were nearer to the Panhandle. I don't know where I've been, but I had never seen this thread before.

 

[dieseldog]

Some photos of the first module with the forms coming off, and the dome form(s) removed and moved next door to the next module to be formed and poured. The large openings in the third photo that are still covered or partly covered by forms are where windows will go on the east side.

1st module exterior

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

1st module interior 1

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

1st module interior 2

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

So, ground water from above the finished product can flow in the valleys between the several concrete roof domes, correct? Is there slope built in on the dome tops to move the water flow where you need it to go?

 

[dieseldog]

Some photos of the first module with the forms coming off, and the dome form(s) removed and moved next door to the next module to be formed and poured. The large openings in the third photo that are still covered or partly covered by forms are where windows will go on the east side.

1st module exterior

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

1st module interior 1

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

1st module interior 2

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

The inside pics (to me) appear reminiscent of WWII bunkers that I've seen pictures of. Of course, this is completely different, but that's the "feel" of it from these build pics. Extremely interesting build!

 

[dieseldog]

Thought about it, but decided not to, based on cost and low usage. Our "winters" are mild.




I hope not, but my wife likes it COLD. Plus, per the builder it will take a year or two for the house to reach equilibrium temperature with the soil, so especially for the first year or two we will probably need more A/C.

Our favorite local HVAC contractor did a load calculation for every room in the house, and concluded that it will only take a single 2.5 ton unit for the whole house (~3,900 sq. ft. of living space, not including the garages). But we will also have mini-split ductless units in some rooms to supplement, and so we don't have to cool or heat the whole house just for the two of us.

Amazing on the AC. Our 2,200 sq.ft. home has two central AC units. The larger is a five-ton unit and the smaller is a brand new 2.5-ton unit. So, yeah--you're gonna love your electric bills.

 

[dieseldog]

At least until we run out of money. If we can get it enclosed and buried before then, the rest can wait until I can make more money. We're paying cash for the whole thing, and don't want a mortgage. We underestimated the cost of concrete and rebar in our local (booming) new house building market.

But we did get the floors poured today, and the waterproofing of the exterior moves apace.

Pouring the floors #2

• 1911
• Oct 18, 2017

I realize now why I had never noticed this thread before. On the date of this post, I was having the stanky leg cut off. And the months leading up to it were sort of a mess of dealing with the progress of the infection. Damn glad that's all in the past and also damn glad that your excellent build turned out so well!

 

[dieseldog]

Everything about this is ridiculously cool! Except the whole having to live in Texas part. I can’t wait to build my shop and house. I don’t remember seeing the dimensions of your shop (including the guest suite). My plan is for a 50x70 building with a guest suite in it. We will live in it while I build the house.

Congrats!

I'm afraid you are mistaken, sir. I'm certain that @1911 is giving careful consideration to thanking his lucky stars to be in the State of Texas!

And that's coming from me--having been born and raised in the Great State of Iowa; however, I'm damn glad to say that even though I wasn't born in Texas, I got here as fast as I could.

 

[dieseldog]

Thanks CD.

Feral hogs have a lot more fat than livestock pigs, which have been bred for more meat. They taste fine to me; some think they are more gamey or greasy tasting but I guess I'm not picky. When we start catching some I will let you know. Linda will not cook or eat them, because they are not wormed, so you'd be welcome to any that you want. I'm just going to shoot them and feed the turkey vultures and coyotes.

I love the feral hogs and have never been concerned about their not being wormed. Cook pork like you're supposed to and there's no problemo.

 

[dieseldog]

They go crazy when that door slams and will beat themselves to a pulp banging into the walls so be ready for 'em.

Choot 'em!

 

[dieseldog]

(Cross-posted with the Pig Shooting thread in the Hunting & Fishing sub-forum)

First night's result of the pig trap, one sow and two piglets. Had hoped for more; will continue to bait and set the trap.

View attachment 2710834

Nice FN-FAL!

 

[dieseldog]

Before widows it reminded me of a WWII gun emplacement. However, he can either make it disappear into the topography or have awe like the Doge's palace in Venice.

/this\

 

[dieseldog]

That's why you maintain multiple interlocking fields of grazing fire around the house!

Fixed.