A lot has happened since my last post, but while it was happening none of it seemed particularly noteworthy. But I seem to be way past due for an update. It's Spring, the dogwoods are starting to bloom (in addition to all the myriad of other beautiful trees, shrubs, and flowers) and things are really starting to turn green around here. It's a great feeling to be out in the country (even if I am technically in the city limits).
Since the last post in late January I spent about three weeks digging tree stumps out of my driveway, and then another three or four weeks re-grading the 440-foot driveway -- all by hand. The reasons for doing it by hand instead of getting a bulldozer in there are because I'm not really fond of machinery (especially big, destructive, noisy, polluting ones), plus I wanted to save money, get some exercise, and do a good, thorough job. I still have some final touches to do on the re-grading, but it's just about done.
I've also gotten well into pricing out the cost of the house and have discovered that I'll have to cut back on the house, both in size and scope. Since my last posted picture, I've shortened the house in both height and length, eliminated some windows and taken out the spiral staircase. The new design will be a 12' x 32' footprint and 1-1/2 stories (instead of two). I still plan to have a wrap-around porch and the wood cookstove, but they will have to wait until I go back to work and save up some more money. So basically, I'll just have a basic, no-frills rectangle house for now. At least that's the plan, assuming there are no more pricing surprises. I'm hoping to finish up the pricing this week and then finish up the plans the next week. Maybe I'll have a building permit in 3 or 4 weeks! It's about time, isn't it?!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Farmhouse Drawing and Site Photos
Progress on the home front has been going much more slowly lately due to the unpredictable weather and church and dating activities. I've been cleaning up the limbs from the tree-cutting operation, cutting down dozens of 'weed trees', and yesterday I started digging out some stumps from the driveway. My dad and I also put in some cedar logs along the sides of the culvert at the road to keep the gravel from washing into the ditch. I've also been doing some research on metal roofing, spiral staircases, and building code requirements. The plans are still in progress, but I've got the major design changes worked out. Yesterday (while it was sunny!) I took some pictures of the site, including the new fencing and the driveway. I've also included my latest SketchUp drawing to give you an idea of the new look of the house (above). Enjoy!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Plan Enlargement and Fencing
I had been sick for a couple of weeks around Thanksgiving and have made a few major changes to my plan, so that's my poor excuse for not keeping up on here. Plus, a new dating relationship and church activities have kept me distracted.
The tree guy finally finished cutting most of the excessively tall/large trees from the wooded area and hauled them off. That procedure left a lot of mangled fences and piles of branches. So two weeks ago my dad and I cleared things out again and got started putting in some metal fence posts and stringing up the barbed wire. We're on the last leg of the fencing, which will total around 750-800 feet in length (we have about 150 ft left to do).
On bad weather days and evenings, I've been redesigning my house to accommodate a family of four, just in case my family size changes in the future. Instead of being around 300 square feet, we're looking at around 700 sq ft. The newest plan is two full stories, with two upstairs bedrooms and a full bath downstairs. There is a spiral staircase connecting the floors. The exterior would have more of a traditional farmhouse look with a wrap around porch on all sides except the north. I'll try and post some updated plans and some pictures of the fencing in the next few days.
A couple of other house decisions that I've made recently are to abandon the idea of using a wood cookstove as a water heater and to hold off putting in a solar water heater. I'll just use a 28 gallon electric water heater. The reason for not using the stove for hot water came after much (much!) research and realizing that it was going to have a lot of maintenance and safety issues, not to mention being complicated to design and install (I still plan to use that wood cookstove for cooking and heating though!). I may put in a solar water heater eventually, but I'm leaving it out now to save on initial cost.
Well that's about all the news for now. Pictures to come soon!
The tree guy finally finished cutting most of the excessively tall/large trees from the wooded area and hauled them off. That procedure left a lot of mangled fences and piles of branches. So two weeks ago my dad and I cleared things out again and got started putting in some metal fence posts and stringing up the barbed wire. We're on the last leg of the fencing, which will total around 750-800 feet in length (we have about 150 ft left to do).
On bad weather days and evenings, I've been redesigning my house to accommodate a family of four, just in case my family size changes in the future. Instead of being around 300 square feet, we're looking at around 700 sq ft. The newest plan is two full stories, with two upstairs bedrooms and a full bath downstairs. There is a spiral staircase connecting the floors. The exterior would have more of a traditional farmhouse look with a wrap around porch on all sides except the north. I'll try and post some updated plans and some pictures of the fencing in the next few days.
A couple of other house decisions that I've made recently are to abandon the idea of using a wood cookstove as a water heater and to hold off putting in a solar water heater. I'll just use a 28 gallon electric water heater. The reason for not using the stove for hot water came after much (much!) research and realizing that it was going to have a lot of maintenance and safety issues, not to mention being complicated to design and install (I still plan to use that wood cookstove for cooking and heating though!). I may put in a solar water heater eventually, but I'm leaving it out now to save on initial cost.
Well that's about all the news for now. Pictures to come soon!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tree Cutting and Code Compliance
Once again I'm behind on reporting the local news. On October 21st, the Cookeville City Council gave us final approval for the rezoning of the land, but then it took two weeks to take effect. So by November 5th I was allowed to apply for a building permit. Unfortunately there have been some hang-ups.
First, we decided to have a bunch of top heavy, towering pines cut down because they tend to get blown over onto the fences, and I figured it would be a good idea to get them down before I put up any new fencing. Well, the guy we hired only works on the weekends and he's still working out there. Plus, we've had a lot of rain lately, which has slowed him down.
The second hang-up is with the design process and making sure everything I'm doing is up to code. You may remember that I mentioned the code book, which happens to be 1 1/2" thick and those 674 pages don't exactly read like a novel. My dad and I read one paragraph about six times, trying to decipher its meaning. Then there are the drawings. I am one of those types of people that probably came up with the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared." The code enforcement office doesn't need everything that I'm putting into these 'blueprints,' but I want them to be thorough so that I know what I'm doing and so that I can pass the 9 inspections that are coming down the pike. I also realized that even though my house is only 339 square feet, it has almost all the same components of a 3390 square foot house.
So, basically I'm trudging away with these drawings, and as soon as I can get them to a comfortable completion, I'll apply for a building permit and get back out on the site work. It'll get there eventually!
Oh - we did manage to get a culvert put into the ditch along the road, so now I have driveway access, which the logging trucks have been using extensively. By the way, the whole logging operation is so destructive to the woods -- it looks like a scene from Lord of the Rings where Saruman slashes and burns a big chunk of Fangorn Forest (and the Ents, outraged, retaliate and drown Saruman's estate). But I'm sure by next summer it will all be grown up again. I'm planning to plant some new trees wherever there are big gaps.
Till next time!
Barry
First, we decided to have a bunch of top heavy, towering pines cut down because they tend to get blown over onto the fences, and I figured it would be a good idea to get them down before I put up any new fencing. Well, the guy we hired only works on the weekends and he's still working out there. Plus, we've had a lot of rain lately, which has slowed him down.
The second hang-up is with the design process and making sure everything I'm doing is up to code. You may remember that I mentioned the code book, which happens to be 1 1/2" thick and those 674 pages don't exactly read like a novel. My dad and I read one paragraph about six times, trying to decipher its meaning. Then there are the drawings. I am one of those types of people that probably came up with the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared." The code enforcement office doesn't need everything that I'm putting into these 'blueprints,' but I want them to be thorough so that I know what I'm doing and so that I can pass the 9 inspections that are coming down the pike. I also realized that even though my house is only 339 square feet, it has almost all the same components of a 3390 square foot house.
So, basically I'm trudging away with these drawings, and as soon as I can get them to a comfortable completion, I'll apply for a building permit and get back out on the site work. It'll get there eventually!
Oh - we did manage to get a culvert put into the ditch along the road, so now I have driveway access, which the logging trucks have been using extensively. By the way, the whole logging operation is so destructive to the woods -- it looks like a scene from Lord of the Rings where Saruman slashes and burns a big chunk of Fangorn Forest (and the Ents, outraged, retaliate and drown Saruman's estate). But I'm sure by next summer it will all be grown up again. I'm planning to plant some new trees wherever there are big gaps.
Till next time!
Barry
Sunday, October 17, 2010
House Drawings, Cookstove, and Sorghum
Here are a few updated drawings of my house. Hopefully they're self explanatory, but feel free to ask questions.
Floor Plan
West Elevation
South Elevation
East Elevation
North Elevation
Section - North Wall
This is the stove that I picked out at the Lehman's store in Ohio. It's a Heartland Sweetheart model.
Here are a few pictures of the sorghum operation in Muddy Pond, TN.
Back in the Saddle (so to speak)
Well, it's been a while, obviously, since I've written anything, mainly because there wasn't much to report for a long time. My dad and I cleared out the last few logs along the driveway path back in September, a day or so after my last entry. Then I spent a couple weeks recuperating from the poison ivy and the mosquitoes. I also started back with my handyman gig, doing some work at our pastor's home (bathroom renovation, mainly).
Last Tuesday my parents and I drove up to Kidron, Ohio to check out the wood cookstoves and countless other wonderful things at the Lehman's store (lehmans.com). I've pretty much decided on getting the Heartland Sweetheart stove, which is UL listed and can be fitted with all the bells and whistles (e.g., a "water jacket" that allows me to use my stove as a water heater).
Upon our return to Cookeville on Thursday (Oct. 7), we had our second of three zoning meetings, this time with the City Council. Our zoning request was unanimously approved by the council, but we still have one more meeting in November for final approval.
This past Tuesday my parents and I drove up to Muddy Pond, a Mennonite community where several families raise and process sorghum cane into syrup. One place demonstrates the old-fashioned way of using a horse powered mill to squeeze the juice from the cane and cooking the juice over a wood fire. So we watched the operation and came away with a couple of cookbooks, a couple loaves of sorghum-sweetened bread, and lots of pictures.
This past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I staked off the corners of my roof and the corners of the yard, and then cleared out a path through the woods for a new barbed wire fence to keep my neighbor's cows out (he rents the land from my parents).
Next week I hope to get someone in to cut down some of the tall trees (mainly pines), instead of waiting for the next big storm to blow them down onto my new fence. Once that's done I'll commence with the fence. I noticed that along the new fence row are several dogwood trees, so I'm looking forward to seeing them in the spring.
I've also done some updates to my house drawings, so I'll post those next time, along with some other interesting pictures.
Goodnight!
Last Tuesday my parents and I drove up to Kidron, Ohio to check out the wood cookstoves and countless other wonderful things at the Lehman's store (lehmans.com). I've pretty much decided on getting the Heartland Sweetheart stove, which is UL listed and can be fitted with all the bells and whistles (e.g., a "water jacket" that allows me to use my stove as a water heater).
Upon our return to Cookeville on Thursday (Oct. 7), we had our second of three zoning meetings, this time with the City Council. Our zoning request was unanimously approved by the council, but we still have one more meeting in November for final approval.
This past Tuesday my parents and I drove up to Muddy Pond, a Mennonite community where several families raise and process sorghum cane into syrup. One place demonstrates the old-fashioned way of using a horse powered mill to squeeze the juice from the cane and cooking the juice over a wood fire. So we watched the operation and came away with a couple of cookbooks, a couple loaves of sorghum-sweetened bread, and lots of pictures.
This past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I staked off the corners of my roof and the corners of the yard, and then cleared out a path through the woods for a new barbed wire fence to keep my neighbor's cows out (he rents the land from my parents).
Next week I hope to get someone in to cut down some of the tall trees (mainly pines), instead of waiting for the next big storm to blow them down onto my new fence. Once that's done I'll commence with the fence. I noticed that along the new fence row are several dogwood trees, so I'm looking forward to seeing them in the spring.
I've also done some updates to my house drawings, so I'll post those next time, along with some other interesting pictures.
Goodnight!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Driveway Clearing: Part 2
We are just about finished clearing out a route for the driveway through the woods. Hopefully it will only take one or two more days to finish cutting up and clearing out the last few logs that are still blocking the way. Once we finish that, I'll need to clear another small path for a new barbed wire fence, because we'll be cutting through the current fence. I also need to get a drain pipe put in the ditch along the road so that vehicles can cross over onto the property. Then I'll hire someone to bulldoze the driveway, to make it level and smooth. After that will come the gravel.
We also measured the distance through the woods and it came to about 440 feet.
More wildlife observed: lizards, lots of song birds, and a flock of wild turkeys. Oh, and a bunch of cows, but they're domesticated, of course.
Rezoning from light manufacturing to residential.
We also measured the distance through the woods and it came to about 440 feet.
More wildlife observed: lizards, lots of song birds, and a flock of wild turkeys. Oh, and a bunch of cows, but they're domesticated, of course.
View of the end of the driveway at the road. Across the street are my closest neighbors. The house was originally my grandparent's house, where my mom grew up. The house isn't visible here, but you can see the log cabin behind their house, and the old barn beyond it.
This is the opposite end of the drive near where my house will be. There's my dad with his truck. He's been indispensable with his power tools, elbow grease, and wisdom.
This is a view looking the opposite direction into the woods. I took some pictures of the path we cleared, but it just looks like a jumble of green right now. Once we get a bulldozer in there, the road will be more obvious.
Till next time!
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