Get 2 days to exhale while we await a series of 5 inspections this Friday…those consist of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, gas piping and framing. The chance of us skating through all 5, I am guessing, is zilch…but we will see. Have spent many of the past nights at the house running over 5,000 ft of coax, cat5e and speaker wiring – so have not been home for dinner too much…Diet Cokes and Fiber One bars for me…but I am complete (my goal is to not have my DIY work slow the process down at all – which it has not so far).
Naperville requires some more unique tests on plumbing and gas. They do what they call a stack test…basically fill up all the pipes and returns, fill up the bathtub and if it does not hold the water at a certain level in the bathtub…you don’t pass. Same with gas piping…fill the pipes with gas, attach a pressure meter and hope it stays about 30…or you don’t pass.
My only concern about the inspections is the framing/plumbing…we have finished living space above the garage – which includes plumbing. I am not sure if they are going to require anything special in terms of building that area out more. We shall see.
After inspections – or I should say, after passing inspections, I hope to get the siding guy up and running and then at the same time get the insulation guys in there. Quicker we get to drywall phase, quicker we can get on to the finish work.
My desires to turn this project into a long-term business model appear more and more possible – my problem is my mind is always thinking about the next step and every time I sketch an idea on paper (i.e., parlaying this build into two builds, and so on) – its seems possible and only gets me thinking more about it, which leads to more ideas and so on. However, the fact that we are as far into this as we are is something I would not have thought possible 3 years ago…so taking some (calculated) risk and putting your mind to something goes along way.
The other day, the 60yr old HVAC guy was over and made a comment that he wished everyone ran a build like I do – that most builders are morons! So I guess I am doing something right.
More on the inspections after Friday…
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Progress continues...
Well, we had success with the basement pour last Friday. Concrete crew was in and out in less than 3/4th of a day - and the best part is we did not have to pay $1900 for a pumper. They were able to cut a 2x2 hole in the floor between the joists and pour it in from there (thank god). When they were done, they put the floor back and it looks good to go.
My planning ahead and having the framer scheduled for today worked out well - as they framed out the basement stairs, got the kitchen island kneewall up and finished some odds/ends. They should finish up by tomorrow. Have the electrician back tomorrow to wrap up his part (which may bleed into Wednesday), HVAC guys set the furnace in the basement today as well.
This was the first day in which I actually took the entire day off and worked the entire day 7 am to 7pm (pretty good, considering we started this thing in Nov and so far have been able to survive by stopping by at 7am and nights/weekends). My plan for today was to be on site when the framer was wrapping up and at the same time start all the wiring I planned to do. I made very good progress on my DIY tasks - got all the RG6 Coax run, majority of the Cat5e run and got all the in ceiling speaker mounts up. Much easier than I thought, and glad I am doing it myself - as was able to modify stuff as I did it. My initial idea was to "home run" to the basement (ie, run all wire from EACH room back to a central hub in the basement - this central hub simply houses EVERYTHING in one location - meaning you somewhat future proof yourself by having a separate run to each room versus the old fashioned daisy chain method). However, the one finished room in the attic for the furnace worked out much better. Given our open floor plan - was difficult to get stuff to the basement - was much easier to drop down from above. Basically each room will have RG6, Cat5e and phone - some will have in ceiling speakers. One of the big advantages of having Cat5 in each room is some of the technology that is spawning from it - like running an HD signal and having your PC/DVR distribute a movie via Cat5e to rooms in your house. For example, I could pipe a a movie into Connors room and maybe pipe the same DirecTv signal that is playing in the great room into the Den or Master Bedroom. Most of this stuff is overkill - but when the walls are open and Cat5 and RG6 are pennies for a foot - its a no brainer to at least set it up.
Anyways - we are hoping to be calling in for rough inspection by early next week...I am meeting with the siding crew this week, in hoped to get them lined up to start asap once we pass inspection...after siding - its blow-in insulation and drywall - and then pretty much the final stretch of the interior finishing (floor, cabinets, etc) - which will take some time.
Framers putting the island kneewall together...
Its a lot of wiring ... and a little hot working up on the attic level...
Starting to get the wiring "cleaned up"...
Another view of the island...keep in mind - cabinets will sit in front of this - doubling its size.
In ceiling speakers in the Master...
My planning ahead and having the framer scheduled for today worked out well - as they framed out the basement stairs, got the kitchen island kneewall up and finished some odds/ends. They should finish up by tomorrow. Have the electrician back tomorrow to wrap up his part (which may bleed into Wednesday), HVAC guys set the furnace in the basement today as well.
This was the first day in which I actually took the entire day off and worked the entire day 7 am to 7pm (pretty good, considering we started this thing in Nov and so far have been able to survive by stopping by at 7am and nights/weekends). My plan for today was to be on site when the framer was wrapping up and at the same time start all the wiring I planned to do. I made very good progress on my DIY tasks - got all the RG6 Coax run, majority of the Cat5e run and got all the in ceiling speaker mounts up. Much easier than I thought, and glad I am doing it myself - as was able to modify stuff as I did it. My initial idea was to "home run" to the basement (ie, run all wire from EACH room back to a central hub in the basement - this central hub simply houses EVERYTHING in one location - meaning you somewhat future proof yourself by having a separate run to each room versus the old fashioned daisy chain method). However, the one finished room in the attic for the furnace worked out much better. Given our open floor plan - was difficult to get stuff to the basement - was much easier to drop down from above. Basically each room will have RG6, Cat5e and phone - some will have in ceiling speakers. One of the big advantages of having Cat5 in each room is some of the technology that is spawning from it - like running an HD signal and having your PC/DVR distribute a movie via Cat5e to rooms in your house. For example, I could pipe a a movie into Connors room and maybe pipe the same DirecTv signal that is playing in the great room into the Den or Master Bedroom. Most of this stuff is overkill - but when the walls are open and Cat5 and RG6 are pennies for a foot - its a no brainer to at least set it up.
Anyways - we are hoping to be calling in for rough inspection by early next week...I am meeting with the siding crew this week, in hoped to get them lined up to start asap once we pass inspection...after siding - its blow-in insulation and drywall - and then pretty much the final stretch of the interior finishing (floor, cabinets, etc) - which will take some time.
Framers putting the island kneewall together...
Its a lot of wiring ... and a little hot working up on the attic level...
Starting to get the wiring "cleaned up"...
Another view of the island...keep in mind - cabinets will sit in front of this - doubling its size.
In ceiling speakers in the Master...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Dominos
We are at the part of the build now where it is like an intricate string of dominos - each part of the build is like a domino and you really can't knock down the ones ahead of you until you knock down the current one. The domino currently standing firm in our way is the pouring of the basement floor. Without the basement floor poured - we have pretty much knocked down as many dominos as we can. All the plumbing, HVAC and electrical is roughed in - and framing is 98% done - but they to, need the basement poured to do their last 2%.
So this week has been a scheduling maze to get everything lined up for an attempt at the basement pour on Friday. We hadthe rough in for a future basment bathroom installed, had it inspected, got a temporary furnace hung from the basement cieling to make sure any frost buried below the inches of stone fill is thawed and a spent a night cleaning all the crap that had someone accumulated in the basement from all the crews coming out. And I also remembered last minute today that I should probably have the 12ft dumpster removed from the driveway, so the concrete truck can back in (boy, that one almost got me).
So tomorrow morning the concrete guys are coming out to see if all is well for the pour. The more interesting part is going to be seeing how they plan on getting the concrete down to the basment, seeing the house is now framed in completely. If they can't get their basic equipment close enough - then its a $1,900 hit to the budget to pay for a pumper. I am hoping that can be avoided at all costs...even if it means taking up a section of the floor and joists - replacing that will only be a few bucks, not $1900. All of this is due to the challenges presented by a city lot...as there is no way they they can get to the sides or back of the house with a concrete truck.
So, hopefully by this time tomorrow - concrete is down in the basement - and we can move on to the next stage - as I already have the framer lined up to come in on Monday (I have learned its better to have folks lined up tight or even overlapping than have gaps - this way no time is lost).
Mechanical s coming along...
The supersized fireplace is in place...
The 300lb cast iron tub is in place in the kids bathroom (no, I didnt carry it up 2 floors - the plumbers did thank god). The pocket door frame seperates the toliet and shower area from the dual sinks.
5,000 ft of RG6 Coax, Cat5e and in wall speaker wire that I get to run in the house one of these nights. Also not in the pic - all the in cieling speaker brackets. Idea is (because it is so cheap to do it now when walls are open) is to run 2 coax and 2 cat5e to every room and also have a couple 3.5mm outlets/jacks to plug an iPod into the main stereo system at several points in the house. I just could not justify the money and didnt see us using all the features of some of these high end whole house audio systems . With the cheap setup I am doing, each room will have a volume knob that controls cieling speakers - which are all home-run wired back to the main reciever in the great room (thus, DirecTv, iPod, FM, CD, BluRay) can be heard in any room. Realistically, will likely use it most in kitchen, front porch, back yard and den.
So this week has been a scheduling maze to get everything lined up for an attempt at the basement pour on Friday. We hadthe rough in for a future basment bathroom installed, had it inspected, got a temporary furnace hung from the basement cieling to make sure any frost buried below the inches of stone fill is thawed and a spent a night cleaning all the crap that had someone accumulated in the basement from all the crews coming out. And I also remembered last minute today that I should probably have the 12ft dumpster removed from the driveway, so the concrete truck can back in (boy, that one almost got me).
So tomorrow morning the concrete guys are coming out to see if all is well for the pour. The more interesting part is going to be seeing how they plan on getting the concrete down to the basment, seeing the house is now framed in completely. If they can't get their basic equipment close enough - then its a $1,900 hit to the budget to pay for a pumper. I am hoping that can be avoided at all costs...even if it means taking up a section of the floor and joists - replacing that will only be a few bucks, not $1900. All of this is due to the challenges presented by a city lot...as there is no way they they can get to the sides or back of the house with a concrete truck.
So, hopefully by this time tomorrow - concrete is down in the basement - and we can move on to the next stage - as I already have the framer lined up to come in on Monday (I have learned its better to have folks lined up tight or even overlapping than have gaps - this way no time is lost).
Mechanical s coming along...
The supersized fireplace is in place...
The 300lb cast iron tub is in place in the kids bathroom (no, I didnt carry it up 2 floors - the plumbers did thank god). The pocket door frame seperates the toliet and shower area from the dual sinks.
5,000 ft of RG6 Coax, Cat5e and in wall speaker wire that I get to run in the house one of these nights. Also not in the pic - all the in cieling speaker brackets. Idea is (because it is so cheap to do it now when walls are open) is to run 2 coax and 2 cat5e to every room and also have a couple 3.5mm outlets/jacks to plug an iPod into the main stereo system at several points in the house. I just could not justify the money and didnt see us using all the features of some of these high end whole house audio systems . With the cheap setup I am doing, each room will have a volume knob that controls cieling speakers - which are all home-run wired back to the main reciever in the great room (thus, DirecTv, iPod, FM, CD, BluRay) can be heard in any room. Realistically, will likely use it most in kitchen, front porch, back yard and den.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
March 1
Been a bit since the last update - have been less motivated to post, as we have reached the point where the daily visual changes no longer occur. All the action is now occurring in the guts of the house - plumbing, HVAC, electrical, so those great visual leaps and bounds dont happen anymore, as this is the part where it slows down a bit.
Have been able to keep the plumbing, HVAC and electric within tight timing - in fact maybe too tight. Plumber started last Tuesday and HVAC came in on Friday. Electrician is itching to get in tomorrow (Monday) but will have to delay him a few days - as there is simply too much going on in the house right now for him - and plumber and HVAC get "priority" over location of piping/etc...electrician gets the space thats left over. Of which, I am learning my massively open floor plan has created some challenges for the plumber/HVAC - but nothing they have not been able to figure out.
Last Thursday we got about 3 inches of rain/t-storms in the matter of 4 hours...given that the lot has not been final graded, all the rain got funneled into the sides of the foundation and the sump pump was running non stop. Basically the water that was pumped out was circling around back to the window wells, via all the little rivers created by the electric service underground install. I simply went out back and dug a couple holes to divert the water and within 2 hours, sump had turned off. I was surprised when I heard the sump running non stop...as when this lot got 10 inches of rain in the matter of 2 days back in Sept, there were no water issues. Plus, the excavator had commented how dry it was digging nearly 10ft down - never hit a drop of moisture. So my hunch is once the lot is graded, this wont be an issue again.
Also, the other day, I had stopped by the site and happened to run into a Verizon tech at the site. Apparently Nicor gas had called them to flag their utilities on site. It was perfect timing as we always had what I called the "hatch" from Lost in the front yard - basically a 4ft by 2ft utility vault in the ground that was going to be an eyesore and cause issues with the final grading and driveway. I dont know if it was my lucky day or just got a nice service tech...but mentioned to him the situation with the driveway and final grade. I was hoping at best to get them just to agree to bring it up to the level of final grade and put in a new cover - as the current one was cracked and likley 20 yrs old. Well, after discussing the options and him making a few calls...he more than surprised me when he called me about 2 hours later and said they will not only take care of it...they will just bury the wires and fill in the hole - meaning no hatch and no eyesore. Better yet, it is all on Verizons dime. From the way the tech was talking - I think Verizon was more concerned with someone/something falling into the hatch and blowing out service to the northside of Naperville...burying it, I guess, solved that concern.
A functioning casement window above the garage...
The master bedroom cieling has plenty of room...
The nearly 5x6 walk-in shower...(keep in mind - we ditched the whirlpool tub and put the $$ in a massive shower).
For virtually no xtra cost, the framers are putting 2ft "tray" cielings in the other 3 bedrooms...and they are fabulous...not the small tray you see in some tract housing, these are some deep trays...amazing what and experienced framer can do. Make the rooms feel much larger.
One of the awning windows functioning...this one in bathroom #2.
An inside look at the breakfast room door and awning windows...
Left side of great room...cutout is for fireplace...
Back wall of great room...middle area is for the TV....
Another shot of the door that ate up 20% of the entire window budget...
The shot of the plumbing aren't exactly sexy...but its progress...
No more telecommunications hatch in the ground...
HVAC picutres aren't as sexy as windows either...
The 8ft crafstman front door...
Connor would have fun in this mess...
A look down the hallway into the 2story foyer...
Have been able to keep the plumbing, HVAC and electric within tight timing - in fact maybe too tight. Plumber started last Tuesday and HVAC came in on Friday. Electrician is itching to get in tomorrow (Monday) but will have to delay him a few days - as there is simply too much going on in the house right now for him - and plumber and HVAC get "priority" over location of piping/etc...electrician gets the space thats left over. Of which, I am learning my massively open floor plan has created some challenges for the plumber/HVAC - but nothing they have not been able to figure out.
Last Thursday we got about 3 inches of rain/t-storms in the matter of 4 hours...given that the lot has not been final graded, all the rain got funneled into the sides of the foundation and the sump pump was running non stop. Basically the water that was pumped out was circling around back to the window wells, via all the little rivers created by the electric service underground install. I simply went out back and dug a couple holes to divert the water and within 2 hours, sump had turned off. I was surprised when I heard the sump running non stop...as when this lot got 10 inches of rain in the matter of 2 days back in Sept, there were no water issues. Plus, the excavator had commented how dry it was digging nearly 10ft down - never hit a drop of moisture. So my hunch is once the lot is graded, this wont be an issue again.
Also, the other day, I had stopped by the site and happened to run into a Verizon tech at the site. Apparently Nicor gas had called them to flag their utilities on site. It was perfect timing as we always had what I called the "hatch" from Lost in the front yard - basically a 4ft by 2ft utility vault in the ground that was going to be an eyesore and cause issues with the final grading and driveway. I dont know if it was my lucky day or just got a nice service tech...but mentioned to him the situation with the driveway and final grade. I was hoping at best to get them just to agree to bring it up to the level of final grade and put in a new cover - as the current one was cracked and likley 20 yrs old. Well, after discussing the options and him making a few calls...he more than surprised me when he called me about 2 hours later and said they will not only take care of it...they will just bury the wires and fill in the hole - meaning no hatch and no eyesore. Better yet, it is all on Verizons dime. From the way the tech was talking - I think Verizon was more concerned with someone/something falling into the hatch and blowing out service to the northside of Naperville...burying it, I guess, solved that concern.
A functioning casement window above the garage...
The master bedroom cieling has plenty of room...
The nearly 5x6 walk-in shower...(keep in mind - we ditched the whirlpool tub and put the $$ in a massive shower).
For virtually no xtra cost, the framers are putting 2ft "tray" cielings in the other 3 bedrooms...and they are fabulous...not the small tray you see in some tract housing, these are some deep trays...amazing what and experienced framer can do. Make the rooms feel much larger.
One of the awning windows functioning...this one in bathroom #2.
An inside look at the breakfast room door and awning windows...
Left side of great room...cutout is for fireplace...
Back wall of great room...middle area is for the TV....
Another shot of the door that ate up 20% of the entire window budget...
The shot of the plumbing aren't exactly sexy...but its progress...
No more telecommunications hatch in the ground...
HVAC picutres aren't as sexy as windows either...
The 8ft crafstman front door...
Connor would have fun in this mess...
A look down the hallway into the 2story foyer...
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