Trailer picked up, last load of lumber ready.

Despite mother nature's plans, I got the last load from Home Depot this time and managed to pick up the trailer.  All the stuff I picked up today got tossed into the shed for the sake of time since I did it during work hours.


After work, and the reason I went to Home Depot during work, it was raining so hard my wipers were splashing in puddles on my windshield.  And I went and picked up the trailer in it.  Thankfully I was the only noob on the road, since the power of magnets has failed me.  Both of my magnetic lights fell off the trailer.  But it is back on the slab.  I got it on the slab first try, but it is horribly crooked.  Given the rain and the fact that it is a blind backup, I will call it a win.


The creek was already back up to the top.  We really didn't need the rain...

Carport picked up.

I stopped at Harbor Freight today and picked up a car port and a couple of tarps to close in the sides.  If it works good, I might stop in and get another one, this one was on sale for under a hundred bucks.  It seems like a really good deal if it doesn't implode (always possible with Harbor Freight).


It is safely stowed, there wasn't enough light left to set it up.


I also finished cleaning up the second bedroom, I even swept it.  I do have an AC for the room if Dad wants it, it is supposed to be hot.  The living room AC struggles to reach that room.  I usually just close the room off and don't go in there when it gets hot.


I also started a spreadsheet tallying how much I have spent on everything, before I forget.  This way I have a direct cost to analyze and share at the end (I know people will be curious).  I am tracking direct material costs, along with other associated costs (septic, tools purchased because of this, etc.).  I am not tracking time.  I will know, but the information isn't really useful to anyone else; everyone works at different speeds.  The floor and wall construction might take me two months but would take Tim one for example.

Finally a nice day, joists ready

So in an odd turn of events, my tarping worked.  You may recall when building the shed that I normally had to go fetch the tarps from the woods every time I went up.


The work area setup.  It worked quite well.


I moved the generator to the porch.  Beside it are my bulk screws and nails.  The screws are nice ceramic coated self tapping deck screws, Tim recommended them.  When you buy 25 pounds at a time, they aren't expensive either.  The nails are the standard tubs I get from Home Depot.


Another problem I had when building the shed was that I didn't cut the boards to length, resulting in joists that ranged from 11' 11 5/8" to 12' 0 1/2" which made things not line up very well, and resulted in some strange plywood seams.  This time that won't happen.  Every single joist is within a blade width in length, and all but one is within a half blade width.
   

Unfortunately the lumber selection at Hamshaw's (my local Ace) is pretty bad, and while I avoided picking boards with obvious moisture problems, the ones I brought up on Sunday got wet when it rained on me.  Some of them now have strange colors on them, which is likely some form of either mold or mildew.  I will likely have to spray bleach on them to kill it before I put the insulation and stuff in the floor.  It is likely not harmful and would probably die on its own once everything is sealed, but I would rather not take the chance.


I got the covers back on everything preparing for the next bout of rain..




The eight foot boards haven't been cut yet, since I want to fit them to the frame and wanted to check my measurements.  I haven't gotten the trailer back yet.

I am still two 2x6 boards short, one ten foot joist and one 8 footer.  I had a few leftover 7 footers from the shed that I intended to use, but one of them was too twisted, and sadly, even though I picked it, one of the ten footers had a bunch of it bored out from insects.  Doh!  I mainly checked for straightness and major obvious defects when picking the boards, and I missed this one.    I haven't picked up any of the 2x4's yet, but I was going to get those from Home Depot where the selection is better and they are actually cheaper, along with the joist hangers.  I didn't use any hangars on the shed, but they are a good idea.

As you can see above, the tarps are about at capacity.  I am thinking I might pick up one (or maybe two?) car ports from Harbor Freight (assuming they stock them).  One to keep over the work area, and one over the part of the frame being worked on.  Given the temperamental weather of late, it would allow me to work in less than ideal conditions.  I still wouldn't work in major storms, but rainy drizzly days or occasional showers I could work through.

It looks like one day of Dad's trip (Sunday) will be washed out, but Monday and Tuesday are looking good.  I took Wednesday off as well, but the current forecast looks pretty wet and stormy on Wednesday, so I might make it Friday instead.

Four straight days of good forecasts that got me wet.

Each day in the last four was forecast to be mostly or partly sunny, with a percent chance of precipitation under 20%.  Each of those days I got rained on.  Today I didn't even try to do anything, coming out of work to this:


Yesterday I went to head up to Home Depot to get the rest of the wood, and saw an even darker more ominous cloud, so I went up to the property and got everything covered.  The wood already got wet once when I picked it up on Sunday, since it rained right after I got out of the lumber yard.  Something that I find rather annoying is that I never seem to have enough bungee cords.  I bought two packs of them last year, and they have seemingly all vanished...  Thus the blocks holding the left tarp down.


The generator is tucked away under the former truck bed tonneau cover.


If it clears up early enough to get some more wood (not looking promising at the moment) I will make another trip.  I only got half of it on the last run, I didn't want to chance piling it way up high when I had 14' boards in a 6.5' bed.  It is supposed to be clear and sunny again tomorrow, so we shall see.

Unfortunately the rain that was supposed to come in for the end of the week has been pushed out, so we will have to see how much time Dad and I get to work this weekend.  It was originally supposed to clear out Saturday morning, but now they have pushed it into Monday.  I am seriously considering getting one of those single garage tent things to work in, like the green one we used to keep the wood in in Argyle.  They aren't cheap, but time is rapidly becoming more of an issue than cost.

I still haven't gotten the trailer back, apparently the job right before mine in the queue kind of blew up on him (not literally thankfully).  He is still confident that I will have it by the weekend though, and I plan to hold him to that, though it isn't actually all that important, since I don't have the building permit yet and won't be building on the frame (just making prefabricated parts for when I do get it).

On that note, I received what I think is the formal letter approving the septic system from the state.  The plan itself:
 

The approval letter.


I have one outstanding question on the driveway permit (there wasn't anyone in the highway department when I went up today at lunch), and I am on the next Selectmen's meeting agenda, which is the 10th.

Generator acquired.

I bought the generator I went to look at this morning.  It is a Porter Cable 5500W generator, big enough to run the house once I am done using it to build.  It was a ways to go for one, but it was a pleasant drive on a bunch of roads I have never been on before.  I tested it, ran a drill off it and probed the outlets to make sure they were at 110V.  They came in at 108, which is close enough.  The generator is being stored under the old truck cap to keep it out of the the rain.  The guy used a pretty close to normal procedure to start it: turn on the gas, wait a minute for the filter and whatnot to saturate, turn the choke on, then he pulled it over a few times very slowly which he said was to prime it (he always runs them dry).  Then it started first pull.





Due to the off and on rain, I haven't gotten much else done, but did get some cleaning done in preparation for Dad's arrival next weekend. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so I will hopefully get the subflooring started.  it is supposed to be reasonably nice the first half of the week, so I will hopefully get the joists at least cut and read to install before Dad arrives.

Prep work and details for the subflooring.

Not much going on today.  It was a nice day, just did a little paperwork and a bit of browsing.  Because of the issues getting an electrician, I am looking at getting a generator.  I found a couple of cheap ones on Craigslist, a 4kW for 100 and a 5kW for 150.  I will call the 5kW one first, since if I plan to use post-construction, a 4kW isn't really sufficient, given that my heating system alone is 3.5kW.  Add in the fridge and water pump, and it would be game over pretty quick.

I also planned out the subflooring, creating the final BOM (bill of materials).   I started looking up board prices on Home Depot's website, and will call Ace tomorrow to get theirs.  I still need to measure the wheels, but these are pretty close estimates.  A couple things of note:  I avoided any outer framing joints on a 16" boundary, staggered all joints in the framing, and kept the area around the wheels free of joints.

Note that the scale on this drawing is 16" per square, most of my others were 12" per square.  Everything lines up better when framing that way.



My final BOM is:

• 11 2x6x8'
• 4 cut to 67".  These are the inner joists inside the wheels.  
• 2 cut to 80".  These are the outer framing for the inside wheels joists.
• 2 cut to 72".  These are for outer framing
• 3 of them will be cut to fit for inter-joist supports.  Most will be 14.5".  This isn't actually enough supports, but I will have enough scrap to make the rest.
• 17 2x6x10'
• All cut to 99".  These are the joists (and 2 are outside framing).
• 1 2x6x12'.  
• Left at 12'.  This is for outer framing
• 2 2x6x14'.  
• Left at 14'.  These are for outer framing.
• 8 2x4x8'.  These will be cut to fit, they are to double up the outer frame since I am putting the wall directly on the frame, not onto subflooring.
• 38 joist hangers

For reference, if I were to only go to Home depot for the lumber (which means buying 16' for the 14') the total cost would come to $243.76.  Not bad.  The expensive part is not the framing though, it is the plywood.

Still waiting on the septic approval.

I had another meeting with the town tonight, this time with the selectman with regards to the septic.  Pete had a preliminary design that he brought, with the septic going in the front yard, that didn't meet a couple of setbacks, but was as close as possible to meeting them.  He has to get a hold of the town highway department regarding a flood zone, but otherwise the meeting mostly went positive.

The unfortunate part is that this was the last selectman meeting before Dad comes up.  Since the plan wasn't approved, I didn't get the building permit.  I don't intend to prolong the building any longer though, and will be starting on it if the rain ever stops.

I also will be seeking a second opinion on the electric.  The quote I got was a lot steeper than I expected, it was 1600.  I was expecting 500-800.  If that isn't done, I can get a generator on Craigslist pretty cheap.

Official approval arrived, and some other odds and ends.

Mother nature decided to play Jekyll and Hyde again today, but a little work got done today.

I received the formal letter of approval from the zoning board.  Apparently I can't copy PDFs into the blog, but the rundown of the constraints is:

1. A septic approved by both the town and state EPA will be installed.
• Not a problem.  The design is underway.  I knew this would need to be done.
2. A new well will be drilled.
• I already have the well quote.  I knew this would need to be done.
3. The tiny home will be located on the slab.
• Not sure where else I would put it...  But this was the intent all along.
4. The variance is only valid for 5 years.  At the end of the 5 years, it must be either removed or converted into a non-dwelling structure.
• 5 years ought to be long enough to get the real house up there.  I might have liked a bit more time, but 5 years is sufficient.
5. A valid driveway permit is obtained.
• I have the form and sketch required ready to go.
6. Construction of the house may occur simultaneously to the installation of the septic and well.
7. A certificate of occupancy is required before the tiny home can be occupied.
• I am not entirely certain what this entails, but I knew it would have to be done.
8. I actually follow through with the rehabilitation of the lot that I claimed I would.
• I wasn't blowing smoke when I wrote out that plan (and a lot of it is already done actually), so no problem.

I also picked a fridge today.  Originally the guy listed it for 25 bucks, but because he couldn't find the rails for the drawer shelves, he gave it to me for free.  It is in a bit rougher shape than it looked on craigslist, but it works, he had it plugged in when I got there. It is now in front of the stove, propped open.

It is a bit dirty too, but nothing I can't handle.

Even comes with an ice maker.

The shelves were intact, but got jostled around on the ride up.  Oh well, I can put them back together.

The missing door rails.  I will either pick up a cheap set on ebay, or just build some rails for it.  

It even came with some free Mexican Urine.

I might want to get around to leveling the approach to the shed at some point as well.  The camera was level when I took the picture.  Made it interesting to push the fridge out.

A couple of other things: I also got the front mowed before it rained on me, and I brought a bunch of the parts I have collected up and are in the shed now, the first step towards cleaning up the second bedroom.  

Despite temperamental weather, weed whacking started.

The weather was kind of temperamental.  It has gone from sun to rain to sun to rain.

Apparently this weed wacker only likes to run once.  I got it running after the fuel lines, and when I went to start it today to actually use it, the primer bulb gave up the ghost.


I picked one up and got it replaced.


I finally got it running and used it.  I have confirmed no leaks, though it didn't run for long, It ran for a few minutes, then stalled out, with a bunch of smoke billowing out of it, but I think that was just burning the cruft off.  It is almost like it was overheating, but the fuel was mixed properly.  Hopefully this is just due to the fact that it was coated in fuel from the leaking.  I am also thankful that it idles high enough to use without giving it gas, so I did that for most of the trimming today.  It didn't seem to stall out when I was doing that.

I cleaned up the driveway a little bit, up near the top.


The front corner of the slab


The front down the old well.  I will need something a bit tougher to take out all the other stuff.  Might be time for a chainsaw.  I want to take out everything but the actual trees.


Out by the road, I can finally see when I go to pull out again.


I pushed back the other part of the front as well.


I also started to go towards the back when I ran it out of gas.


Almost all of what I chopped down was the Japanese knotweed that I mentioned in a previous post.  I chopped down a lot of it.  This is just at the corner of the driveway.

Getting close.

I had the second meeting with the zoning board today, and got my approval!  There were a few conditions, but none that made me nauseous, so that's good.  Next up is the selectman, round two.  I have a meeting Monday with them to discuss the septic design, and then all I need is the building permit, so things are moving along which is good.

It was too late afterwards to go up and weedwack, so that is still on the docket.  If it isn't too wet tomorrow, I might do it anyways.

But all in all, pretty psyched :)

Weed wacker running again.

Today's big project was getting the weed wacker running again.  I got all the fuel lines replaced.  The stuff Barry gave me was Tygon tubing, so it shouldn't be a problem ever again.  It is a high end soft tubing (developed by Saint-Gobain actually), but it is what he uses when he needs to replace fuel lines.

All tubed up.


The fuel filter is oversized for the engine, but it should work fine.


I got it all put back together, and it took a little bit to get it started, but a few cycles of primer x 6, turn it over, and so on, and it fired back up.


It was a little dark when I finished (thus the flash in the last pic) so I couldn't clearly see if there were any leaks, but I couldn't smell any and didn't see any in the darkness.  I will look at it more closely next time I go to use it.

I also stopped at the highway department today, the markers that I saw are the right of way markers, so I will update the lot map accordingly.  According to the guy that was there, he says that round-up will kill the Japanese knotweed that I mentioned yesterday, so I will knock it down and spray it this weekend.

Zoning board checklist complete.

The big task for the weekend was to get the zoning board checklist done.

I spent a good chunk of the weekend completing the self-survey of the land.  The map I got when I bought the property was reasonably close to accurate.  I walked both walls this weekend.  On the east side, the marker was quite clear.


No sign of a wall for the back of the lot though.


I walked the west side tonight, and while there was no pin, the stone wall abruptly turns out towards the field, and it was approximately the right area to be the end of my lot.


When I was up there yesterday, I saw a small black bear too (on all fours, he looked to be about the height of a newfoundland dog).  Unfortunately I scared him, and didn't get the camera up quick enough to get a picture.

The good news is that I have proven (more or less) that I own the game highway that is right behind my backyard, so I will have a place to hunt.  While I was walking it, I found these, so they are definitely still using it.  You can't see my house from the trail in the summer, but in the fall when the leaves fall you can.




It appears that at one point someone actually tried to have livestock or something up there.  Must have been ages ago, but I found barbed wire in several spots.





The completed maps.


Including a slightly modified version with extra info for the driveway application should it be necessary.


Here is a quick rundown of everything from the checklist:

1. The maps are complete as noted above.  I am still debating whether to bring a map to scale or not, but right now I don't think it will be necessary.
2. I have a meeting with the town tomorrow for the septic.  I technically don't have to be there, but the septic guy is presenting my septic design to the town tomorrow, so I figured I might show up.
3. The window in the living is large enough to be an egress window, but I made a note on the plans that it has to be a complete window type (like a casement window), it can't be a standard single or double hung window.  I also lowered it a little on the plans, since it was right on the edge of being too high off the ground.
4. I have started (and will complete tonight) the outline of the zoning board questions that have to be answered to the state.  
5. The abutter's list is updated with the one I missed.  
6. I have a driveway permit application and the sketch for it.  I don't think I will need it, but I have it ready to go just in case.  

I also saw Barry at Andy's birthday party yesterday, and he brought the proper fuel line length to the party, so if I have time tonight (and motivation to go out into the 90+ degree heat) I can finish that up so I can chop down the Japanese knotweed.  Apparently it is a major problem in the area.  It grows ridiculously fast (it is like bamboo), you can almost literally watch it grow.  The drainage ditch out by the road I have knocked down twice this year, and it is literally over 6 feet tall again.  I also heard from one of the people on the zoning board that if you chop it down, the stalk can reroot itself and start growing, so just chopping it down won't get rid of it.  Unfortunately, if you read this short blurb on the stuff, it looks like this might be a long term battle: http://www.gclandscape.com/quick-guide-on-invasive-species/.  Here is the excerpt on how to get rid of it:

How to get rid of it:

If you have a lot of this stuff, the most effective thing you can do it call someone with a backhoe.  Seriously.  Knotweed has a large underground network of roots and it very quickly crows out anything around it.  If you want it gone, you will need to dig it out.  All of it.  It’s going to be expensive, but its the best way to make sure its gone. If you just have a little, you actually have a lot and it’s trying to trick you.  You just can’t see it.  Start digging.

I am not as pessimistic about it as they are, since the stuff in the lawn is gone, it just takes continuous mowing to allow the rest of the grass (or weeds) to take over.  That said.  I have a lot of the stuff.  And I do mean a lot...  I think the part that will eventually become yard I will just keep mowing it, and the stuff in the ditch, I will knock it down, and spray the grass killer I got from dad on it.  I don't care if everything in the ditch dies, as long as that stuff dies too.  

For those curious, this is what it looks like: