Steps of Building a Home

2009-09-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

For the one or two of you who may check in occasionally, I have moved my blog. I am now blogging about living in our green home at www.illinoisgreenhome.com Come see what is happening in our world!

We are moving in!

2009-05-31T14:03:00.002-07:00

Well, time flies when you are having fun! Or when you are working like crazy to finish building your house!

We are actually just about completed with our home, and we are moving in soon. I have, obviously, failed miserably at keeping things updated here on the blog. I am going to continue the blog after we move in. I have continued to take pictures and video, and I have a bit of journalling I have done to help me keep track of what happened in what order.

My desire is to take you through the steps we went through to build this home, and then I'll let you know what ideas we implemented that are working beautifully, what is Ok, and what I wish we wouldn't have done! (I am hoping there aren't many things in that last category!)

I look forward to sharing all our fun stuff with you in the next few months. Meanwhile, keep praying for us as we are in the final days of preparation for the big move!

We are moving in!

2009-05-31T14:03:00.001-07:00

So sorry!

2009-03-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to move the blog over to my domain, but I'm having trouble. So sorry about that1 I'm back, kind of!

We are going to be out of town for several days at a conference. When we return, I'll start posting again, with a vengance!

Upstairs!

2009-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

The next time we went out to the house, they had the second floor on! Still no roof, that will come next. Here is Larry in his office - great view, don't you think?

Here are the boys in their bedroom. They are so excited, I almost couldn't get them to stop jumping around long enough to get this picture!
Here are the little girls in their bedroom. Again, the hopping was only interrupted momentarily for the photo opportunity!

Slideshow of inner look of walls

2009-02-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a slide show of what the walls looked like from the inside the day after they were installed. I just stood in one place and turned around to take the pictures.

More about the walls

2009-02-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a look at what our walls look like in a cross-section. You can see there is a piece of OSB on each side, and there are 2x4's every so often that run vertical through the wall. Then, there is a very dense foam filling in the wall. This is what gives these panels such great energy efficiency. They are only 4 inches thick, but they are so well insulated! We are using the solar heated water to heat our basement, and a fireplace for the rest of the house. The fireplace sits in the middle of the main level, and will put out enough heat to heat all the 2,200+ square feet of those two floors! The walls will hold the heat in very well, so we will be able to heat with just water & sun, and wood! Both are renewable!I can't wait to get in there!

Slideshow of walls going up!

2009-02-14T06:53:00.001-08:00

Ok, I can't seem to get this slide show embedded here, so I'll just give you all the link to the slide show on Photobucket. Here, you'll see a progression of the walls going up. It took only one day! They started putting walls up at about 9:20am, and the last one was set at 4:00pm!

Here's the link! http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/SuePerIdeas/?albumview=slideshow

You can see on a couple of the pictures, but not well, they used a strap with a big ole razor sharp arrow on each end to grab the wall sections and pull them together to get a tight fit, and then they would nail the two panels together. This is what gives an air-tight fit between the panels. That, and some weather stripping put between panels! Can you believe something so simple as that?! We have been in the house recently, and even on colder days, I'm amazed at how warm it feels already!

I'll be back to post more pictures, soon!

More Pictures

2009-02-13T06:13:00.001-08:00

This was the day they placed the walls. January 2, 2009. Here is a picture of the sunrise - I can't wait to see all the sunrises from my bedroom window!Here are the walls arriving! It was about 7 am - the Thermacore guys drove up from Jefferson City, MO overnight. The same guys who built the walls drove them up and put them in place. This allows them to see exactly what happens in the field as they are putting them up, and then they can keep getting better and better each time they do it. Below is a picture of the crane in place getting ready to put the walls up.This is the first panel being set into place! this is along the back wall of the garage. The next picture will show you how the panel fits onto the foundation wall.

Everything fits together with grooves and then is pulled tight into place and then nailed or screwed together. So, the panels fit over the base, then they slide into the next panel, then they pulled them tight, and then nailed them to each other. This allows them to have strength, to prevent air and weather getting through. I'll add some more pictures from this day in the next post!

Pictures!

2009-02-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the joists and subflooring going in on the first floor. This was done way back in November, but I don't think I have put these pictures up, yet!

The last picture is what the frost walls and fill in on the garage floor looked like. You can see our neighbor's house going up in the background.

Grading and future of blog

2009-01-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, the blog has been quiet, but I have not been idle! Neither has Troy!
Here are some pictures of the grading of the yard. They did this on the Friday after Christmas, in preparation for the installation of the walls - the SIP panels - I'll tell you more about those later!

Here, you'll see the walkout basement (you couldn't see it before because of the piles of dirt!) This is facing the back of the house. The trees are on our property, and they'll provide some great summer shade!

Here, you can see the grader sinking in the mud! It was quite muddy that day, and the grader was nearly lost into the woods behind it! But they were able to get the job done!

Do you ever wish there were about 40 hours in a day? I do! We have been busy with Christmas celebrations, illness, and some of the biggest events of the house building! I think the hardest thing so far for me has been that I have discovered that I can't be involved in the house building project AND keep up with all the things I normally do in a day or week - we just won't ever get 40 hour days!

I have been learning so much about alternate energy & healthy home issues as we have been going through this process. I am anxious to share them with you! I will be linking to other sites with some great articles and even kids activities, so if you would like to learn along with me, you can! We are so excited about getting to move into this new house and see how our health improves, as well as our utility bills!

I'll add more later, but in the mean time, you all take care and stay warm!

So much is happening!

2008-12-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been quite a while since I've added anything, but we have not been idle! Our online business was very busy for the past several weeks, and we have been busy preparing for our own Christmas celebrations. Work on the house has continued, as well! Even in this cold! I'm such a wimp - I show up, take a few pictures, and leave the guys to keep working!

Well, here's some pictures of what has been happening:
This was the day they were putting in the floor joists. The webbed design makes them stronger, and they are able to put wiring and duct work through them without cutting into the wood, unlike an I-beam. I'm told this is also safer if there was ever a fire. These kind of floor supports don't burn through so quickly, so a firefighter walking on the floor would be much less likely to fall through! Hope we never have to test that one!

These guys have got some special DNA that prevents them from realizing that the wind is blowing and it's only about 12 degrees outside! They are walking on the tops of walls like it's something they do everyday!

Below is a shot of the sub flooring on. The stairwell is guarded so no one falls through - the stairs aren't there, yet! We are so excited to see our first floor!

Larry took these pictures when we stopped by after church yesterday. The windchill was below zero, so the rest of the family stayed in the van - where it was warm! I was so jealous - he's been on our first floor!

Below, you can see some of the framed up walls - this is Rebekah's room! She is packing, already!

Today was the original date set for placing the outer walls, but our builder and crane operator have come down with the flu! We are praying for a speedy recovery for them, as well as good weather for next Monday - the newly scheduled day for the placing the outer walls. The walls will go up in two days, Lord willing and weather permitting! The SIP's are a huge part of the energy efficiency of the house, and I'll be telling you more about those later!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year! We'll be posting more in the days to come!

2008-12-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

Here is my first attempt at adding a video to this blog! Turn down the volume - I wasn't thinking about the sound when I was filming, and we sound silly! Tell me what you think! This was the day that they put in the basement walls.

Slower week

2008-12-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

This week, we really don't have a lot going on, but I thought I'd better post an update!

Last week, I was out of town, so that's why there were no posts for so long.

The work going on last week was behind the scenes - our builder was working on coordinating suppliers and sub-contractors. That work has continued this week.

They have also started framing the interior walls of the basement in preparation for the sub-flooring for the first floor. My builder tells me this is pretty boring. Well, it might be for him! BUT - I've never seen the walls of my new home being framed in! Nonetheless - it's a muddy mess out there, and so I'm staying away for now. Our truck will not hold me and the five children, and I'm not willing to chance getting our minivan stuck in the mud with all those construction workers there! How embarrassing would that be!

Right now, and Lord willing, the subflooring will be complete early next week, and the SIP's (outer walls - more on them, later) will be installed on December 22. I'm told that if that date doesn't work out, then they'll be installed on the 29th. We'll be sure to have pictures and video of that available!

We also have a neighbor to the north of us who is busy building his own home, so it's kind of fun to get a first-hand look at two completely different types of construction happening at the same time.

More pictures - What a week!

2008-11-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind of a week! I wanted to show you all some more pictures of the basement prep done this week. My builder was kind enough to share the pictures he had taken.

Here you see the rock being thrown in to fill just inside the walls. This completed the prep work for the underlayment. The underlayment (my own layman's term!) is a vapor barrier and a reflector (to keep the heat from radiating into the ground).

This picture shows what the tubing for underfloor heat looks like. The heated water (heated with solar power) will be pumped through these tubes (the pump is also solar powered!) and heat the basement floor. Just imagine - no cold basement floor, even in winter! And all for free! (OK, once the equipment is paid for, THEN it's free!) We'll even have heat if we loose electricity!

Here, you see Jason - the solar heat guy - attaching some of the tubing to the pump.

I hope you are enjoying this journal of our home-building journey. We have so much more to share! I'll write again, soon!

2008-11-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest pictures from the house! They have laid a reflective/insulating lining in the basement floor, that also acts as a vapor barrier. This will keep the heat moving up into the room, rather than staying in the floor, or radiating into the ground. The builder also did a rough 'drawing' of the walls, so they would know where to place the tubing for the heat.

This area is where the bathroom will be. I took it while standing at the bottom of the future stairs to lead up into the rest of the house!

This one shows you the first line of tubing coming out of the box. The rectangle here is the closet for Rebekah's bedroom. You can also see the sump pit next to the box. I was standing in the bathroom area when I took this one.

Here, you can see the tubing stretched out of the window - this was how he straightened it out to for an easier install.

Next, you see a wider angle including the box where the tubing is originating, the two white pipes are on opposite sides of the stairway coming into the basement, and our two water heaters (120 gallons EACH!) will sit partially under the steps. I was standing just outside the bathroom door for this picture.

The water heaters will be solar powered. We will have solar panels on our roof that take in the sun's energy and convert it for use in heating our water. There will be a small solar powered pump that will pump the heated water throughout the tubing, which will be coiled under the basement floor. This will give us heat in the basement. It will also provide for our hot water needs in the rest of the house. Because we do have some stretches of no sun in the winter, we do have a backup tank-less water heater that will help us through those days. However, if there is any power loss in the winter, we will have hot water and heat in the basement as long as there is sun! (I'll explain what we are doing for heat upstairs when that time comes!) We will have a thermostat downstairs so we can regulate the temperature. I am really looking forward to living in this house to see how everything works together! Just imagine - virtually free heat in the winter! (Once we pay for the equipment!)

This just shows you the outline of Rebekah's room. She's already started packing!

Pictures!

2008-11-20T05:04:00.000-08:00

I have finally gotten the pictures figured out. (Video will be my next step!) Anyway, here are some pictures of the basement walls going in:

These are the walls sitting on the trailer waiting to go in:

And here is a photo of one being put into place by the crane:

It was incredible to watch them do this! This was a gusty, windy day, also, but that crane operator moved those walls around like it was nothing! They slid right into place, and the guys on the ground guided them right in. The walls lock into each other like puzzle pieces, and the guys on the ground would put a sealant on the end of the wall on the ground just before they placed the next section down. This seal is so strong that if you try to break it just one week later, the wall will crack before the sealant gives way!

OK, here's another one. The basement is in, and the footings for the garage. This is a view of the front of the house. You are seeing the front porch base, and the garage is off to the left of this picture.

Here is a picture of Rebekah looking out her future bedroom window. This girl can't wait to get her own room!

OK, I'll share more pictures later, but this gives you a glimpse at how the basement went in, and what it looks like now.

Later this week, perhaps early next week, the solar folks will be putting in the tubing for the radiant floor heat, and the basement floor will be poured.

I hope you enjoy seeing the progress - it sure is fun to watch this happen!

Many steps come before you break ground

2008-11-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I would step back a bit and share our story of how we got to the place we are now.

About 2 - 1/2 years ago, my husband walked a beautiful piece of land with the landowner. Her mother had passed away, and they were dividing up the family farm into sections and selling them. At the time, the smallest piece was 20 acres. Ouch. We couldn't swing it. But Hubby loved that land.

Every so often - after another 2 frustrating months of searching for a new home for our family - Hubby would call and ask (again!) if she would be willing to break up one of the pieces into smaller sections - we could swing about 5 or 6 acres.

After a year of seeing homes, pieces of land, almost buying a piece that would not have worked for us at all, almost giving up hope - she called us. She was willing to break up one piece into 3, and one would be 6 acres! It took a lot of working with each other - but after nearly two years, we bought six acres!

That was just buying the land! I'll write next time about some more preparations for building your own dream home!

We Jumped off the cliff!

2008-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Something I'm finding out is this - when you decide to build a home, it feels a lot like jumping off a cliff!

We knew the day would come when we would have to actually commit to building our home - officially, with a bank and everything! - and today was the day! We signed the papers at the bank today, and now we are truly committed to building this house! YEAH!!

Of course, we don't have control over everything that comes up, so we are trusting the Lord, our builder, and all the subcontractors that are working on our home to do a great job, and stay in budget! See what I mean by jumping off a cliff?!

Of course, we've selected a great builder, who has done a great job of educating us about building an energy efficient home. We'll even get an energy star rating for our home, before it's all said and done!

I'm having computer issues with getting pictures and video up, but as soon as I get it all worked out, I'll add those, too! I'll write soon about the basement walls going in - it happened in six hours on Wednesday! I'll tell you all about that soon! Come back often to see what's happening with our new home!

Superior Walls hard at work!

2008-11-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today was an exciting day! The basement system folks were working hard at our place. Our hole in the ground now has the sump pit, drainage tile (inside and out, per county codes! Oh, joy!), and rock in the bottom. Tomorrow is the day our basement walls go in. Some of the walls are sitting at our property even now!

We are using Superior Walls for our basement. This system is made up of pre-formed walls, that will be set into place and locked and sealed together for a super-dry, super-strong basement for our new home's foundation. I'll take video and pictures of the events tomorrow, and post them when I get another chance to sit at the computer!

Welcome!

2008-11-01T14:44:00.001-07:00

Hello, and welcome to my new blog!

We are just beginning the process of building a new home, and we are building green! I know there are a lot of people out there who want to know what this process looks like, so I thought I'd share it with you!

We have actually been working for months on this new home, and you will get insights into what we have done so far as we move along.

This week, we finally broke ground - and now we have a big hole in the ground and mounds of dirt all over! The pictures were taken at about 7:00 am on Thursday!

I can't wait to see how everything comes together! I'll be posting updates and pictures as we move along in the process. I'm told the basement walls will be in the ground by Friday - barring any bad weather. We seem to be blessed with great weather right now, so we are moving along well now!

I hope you'll come along with us on this exciting ride and see how you really can build a green home of your own!

Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments for me. I would love to share information with you on all the great things that can be done to build a green, energy efficient home. I hope to inspire you in some way for your own home - whether you plan to build a home of your own, or just want to improve your current abode.