1st of many house building questions. Help please

[sancraft]

Okay, if Home Depot will finance me, we're going for the two-story deal they have called New Day. It's not the big barn, but one that looks like a house with a front porch. You can up+rade the 3/4in pressure treated floor to 3/4 in tongue and groove for .35 per sq. ft. In finishing this floor, do I have to stain it or can I just oil it?

2. I don't think I'm comfortable with trying to do the electricity. But how hard is it to plumb a house. It'll have 2 bathrooms, a laundry room and kitchen.

3. I need a step-by-step on building a post and pier foundation. How hard is that to do. Can 1 woman and 2 teen girls get it done?

4. How can I get a one mighty big stump? It's about 4 ft. in diameter and is where we want the house to go.

5. How do you install a ceiling?

[ed/IL]

Perhaps you could burn the stump. Sorry to say plumbing is not easier then electrical work. I think you will need a few skilled people to help out. I would try to round up a crew. Maybe a church group or some people from here. If time was no object you could learn as you go. Good luck.

[farminghandyman]

tongue and groove ... In finishing this floor, do I have to stain it or can I just oil it?

stain is color treatment, and most does little to preserve wood, (out side stain normally is thin paint),
question, what do you mean by "OIL", normally oil is not used in most wood working, as it is a natural resin and for the most part is not very long lasting, there are man made finishes , LIke Urethane varnishes, that will stand up and seal the floor much better than most "oils" and now there are even water based varnishes that will remove most of the vapor hazard and the flammability hazards,

. I don't think I'm comfortable with trying to do the electricity. But how hard is it to plumb a house. It'll have 2 bathrooms, a laundry room and kitchen.

If your wanting to save some money there may be a way of doing some of the grunt work for the electrical, (like drilling holes for wire, and even possibly even pulling some of it, by working with some of the trades, it will have to be a deal that you work out with the electrician, and before you ask get a quote on the complete job with out your help first, to see if the saving is worth the work. or that there is any saving,

depending on the plans the pluming could be a do it your self project, If it is a step by step plans they should show ever pipe size and basic rout of the piping and the venting,
some may depend on the inspections that could come in to play, as some inspectors are *sses when it comes to "do it your selfers" as one of there buddies did not get the job,
ask some other people in your area what your up against, when it comes to inspections and the inspectors,
If the plans are not complete, and your knowledge of plumbing is limited, and have to design the system your self , I would suggest getting some one in that has some experience , and again get a bid up front, may be a couple and get some references, for your workers, to see if they have treated customers right in the past,

I need a step-by-step on building a post and pier foundation. How hard is that to do. Can 1 woman and 2 teen girls get it done?

again this should be covered int the plans,
but the basic is you dig a hole that is below frost level, (depending on where you are 12", to 48" and pour the proper sized pier, (round or square), at a given height, (normally all the same level) determined by either a contractors level, or a water level, or a laser level, and pour them with concrete and the proper reinforcing rod,(steel) (placed in the pier before pouring,

yes this is stuff one can do by them selfs, if they under stand how to and have the strength to do,

(I am going to ask you a question. is there any habitat for humanity or any building sites you can visited and watch and learn, even possibly get hired on to for a short stay, it is possible if you tell why you want to work (to learn) some one may make a place for you, and possibly move you around so you could see the entire scope of the building process before you start, if you could go and watch and work with some one that knows how to do various jobs, and you then can determine if your skills match the job,

How can I get a one mighty big stump? It's about 4 ft. in diameter and is where we want the house to go.

I would suggest you hire a back hoe to dig it out, or a tree removal guy, to grind it out, (again get a estment or bid) (NOTE: if you do hire a back hoe, have him dig the pier foundation holes, many times there is a min time he is going to charge for, you will need to have them layed out before he show up, and know the depth fo dig, my guess is you will have a milage charge as well, and you don't want to pay that to many times, if you can he can dig the sewage lines and that if you can get it planed out,)

How do you install a ceiling?

that all depends on what kind of ceiling it is,

DRY wall pros use there head, (really, they hold it up with there heads and hold it there until they can get it nailed or screwed in to place, and then a finisher comes in and tapes and muds the joints and the fastener holes or dimples,

some tile ceilings are held up with staples and on furring strips that were nailed in a proper grid for the tiles,

so we would need to know what kind of ceiling your wanting before we can really answer this question,

(note: I am not trying to discourage you in any way,
but building a building is a process, and if you can break it down into little individual jobs, and then accomplish the jobs, you will succeed,

one of the problems is many things in building have changed in the last few years, materials and tools, and products,
many of the new products have a right and wrong way of installing them, and it needs to be followed for strength and long life,

and there are things I would call improvements in the industry, and things that I think are going the wrong way, but are totally accepted in the codes and by builders to day,

like your footings you can now buy pre made forms for most piers that you set in the hole to pour the concrete in,
when I started in building we had to build our forms out of 1 by lumber and #9 wire and twist it to build the forms, and it was a précising and engineered item, that you had to build and design on the site, (thinking of the forms, it may be possible to use 55 gallon drums with the top and bottom cut out for the form, many trucking company's will give you there old oil drums, if the bottom of the drum is not big enough around one can or could pour a footer that meet the specifications, and set the drum over the top for the pier, and if 55 is to big, look in to 15 gallon grease drums, just some ideas,

to lay out drive in a stake and then measure over the distance you need, drive another stake, then one can get close, by using the 3,4,5 triangle measure 3 units along the line, then 4 units at a approx 90 degrees, (right angle) and it should measure 5 units along the angle, one can multiply the 3 by any number to enlarger the triangle, say 15, 20,25,

and then temporally drive your third stake, and measure the distance, from the other stakes and find the fourth corner,

THEN CROSS MEASURE IF THE CROSS MEASURE IS NOT THE SAME IT IS NOT SQUARE, ADJUST AS NECESSARY,

I usually lay out two strings on separate stakes and make two parallel lines two work with, and then adjust the square in the center of the two lines, (if you understand what I am saying, I dont know if the "drawing will post right or not. but will give it a try, (the dot were added to hold the "I's" in place repersenting the across strings,

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[huisjen]

If you aren't comfortable wireing, don't do plumbing either. Both take some knowledge of how the systems work. Plumbing also takes some soldering skill. Neither one is rocket science, but either one can destroy the house if done wrong.

Post and pier foundation: How deep is your frost depth? How rocky is your soil? If you know what you're doing, yes, you and the girls could probably do it, unless you hit more rock and have to go deeper than you can manage with hand tools. You'll need to do a lot of careful measuring and get a good water level, like a bucket and a million miles of fish tank clear plastic tubeing. Books are available to tell you how to do it. If you end up not quite square or level, it isn't the end of the world, but it makes the rest of the construction more difficult.

How much time do you have to get rid of the stump? How dry is it? Can you get a burn permit and slowly burn it out? Can you cut it off flush with the ground and install your piers around it? Can you fence pigs around it and pour corn down holes around the stump made with a long bar? Got any new neighbors with big tractors that want to show off? Have you ever read "Shane"?

Ceilings: I assume you're talking about drywall. Make T's out of 2x4 that are the drywall thickness shorter than the ceiling joists and have 4' cross bars. Two of you lift the sheet. The third gets a T under one end to hold it, then the first person runs and grabs a second T and gets it under the sheet while second holds up the other end. While the two hold their T's and all three get the sheet in perfect position, the third starts fastening it with the screw gun. With three of you it should be easy. I've done it solo with one T and it can be done, even if you can't quite reach the ceiling without a ladder. Scaffold benches are nice.

Dan

[big rockpile]

Sandra I hate to be negative but I think you might be getting in over your head Sorry thats just the way I feel.

big rockpile

[Lionrose]

Now you went and done it Rock pile
You just as well of told her she couldn’t do it. lol
Tell a woman she can't do it and most times, good as a guarantee she will.
(just given ya some love there Rock)

Sancraft you can do anything you set your mind to. Not to say that it will be easy but then most thing of worth and value to us aren’t. If your committed and take it day to day just dealing with one thing at a time you will reach the end of the journey. And be better for it, all of you.
You must know something about you and your girls that gives you the inclination that you can, so I say go for it.

Wish I could be of more technical help am jack of all trades and master of none

Reads as though some here know what there talking about and are very willing to lend you there knowledge. Good on them for that.

Personally I wouldn’t be afraid to tackle the electric or the pluming like someone said it isn’t rocket science. Get you a good DIY book with lots of pics and in layman's terms.
Sounds like some here could even lend some knowledge. I would wire the place to the box and then get someone to come out and inspect and do finale hook up on the electric. It would be easyer for me to do it that way for I know theres no chance of me getting hurt till it is connected from the box to the pole. Same with the water. I would plum the place then get some one out to do the finale inspection and hook up.
Good luck I’ll be watching to see how it goes.

Rose

[Alice In TX/MO]

At Home Depot, they have very good books about basic plumbing. Paperback, good pictures. Worth the money. Yes, you can do it, but READ READ READ first. Did I mention read? Oh, and do research.

Build a small campfire (if it's safe and you've had enough rain) on the stump. Roast marshmallows, cook hotdogs, grill that neighbor who has been a problem. Wait, cancel that last one. That was from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, and they were really lucky to get away with it. Anyway, burn it out carefully. Cheapest solution.

Rockpile, you need to look into some books about pioneer women. I can send you a reading list if you are interested. Then just fast forward 200 years, and you have Sancraft.

[coalroadcabin]

Make sure your county will allow diyers to to their own plumbing, hvac and electrical first.

Then contact your local vocational school. Most vo-tech teachers are really nice and may know of a new graduate who is looking for experience & is willing to take on your job with you doing the grunt work. Also, our local vo-tech has night classes in all of the trades too, might be worth enrolling (maybe a new career in it for you? )

Best of luck with the project!!

[Westwood]

Sancraft,

The local library is a good resource! Time/Life has some really good books on most every aspect of building. Check out those first for a good overview of what you're wanting to accomplish. Then check out specific books on the individual tasks. Foundations, framing, plumbing, wiring, drywalling, roofing. Read them all until you know the procedures, the lingo, and UNDERSTAND the whys and hows.

Know what tools you need and start collecting the inexpensive ones and RENT the expensive ones. We just rented a panel lifter that made it possible for us to put up 12 ft drywall panels on a 10 ft sloped ceiling that would have been a BIG problem without the lifter. In our neck of the woods and climate, everyone uses PVC for plumbing rather than copper or galvanized pipe. If PVC is appropriate for your area, all you need is a measuring tape, a drill and wood bits, and a hack saw.

We had the advantage of growing up on farm/ranch and have always done our own work, but if we needed to know how to do something new, we hit the books.

You can do it!

[almostthere]

We burn our stumps. Find out if you are allowed to burn first. Then like someone said, build a campfire. We have a burn barell and when its worn out we punch holes in the bottom so its open on both ends( and holes in the sides for oxygen), put it on the stump to contain the fire for the first day. Depending on how big the roots are(ours were huge and didnt burn out even after two weeks) it could take a couple days, but once the fire is out it will smoulder and you can leave it that way while you are home. If you can't get it to burn down completely, dig out as much as you can and put some fill in it, from another part of your property, or even some bricks or extra pieces of wood to build up the area. Youre not going to use this, right? Don't need to make it pretty.

[painterswife]

You can do it! I " a female" built my first home when I was 30. I bought several good books and read up and refered constantly. My parents helped. I spent all week reading for each step and then we worked each weekend.

I had the electricity subbed out but did the plumbing my self. It is even easier now with pex.

Sure had the cement guys in town talking when they saw a female pouring her own stem walls with no help!


You can do anything!

Jill

[ponyboy123]

Sancraft, no doubt in my mind you can get this done. Take it step by step, research and don't be afraid to ask for help. To build your own home is a great accompishment. Once it is finished you have an intimate knowledge of it and if there is a problem later on you will be one of the best quailfied to identify and fix it. It is always great to be able to consult with the builder of a house to diagnose problems. For the stump, hire a back hoe and dig it out, dig the footings at the sametime and anyother work you may want or need done whilke the equipment is there. Maybe the space you create by removing the stump could be used for cold storage or a crawlspace. As for the elec. and plumb, elec is by far the easiest but does take a little knowledge. But easy to run wires, install boxes for switches and fixtures, just do the research on the codes. As for plumbing, easy to run the supply lines but the waste pipes should be contracted out to a plumber. But all that said, break into small managable jobs and know when to call in an expert for certain jobs.

[big rockpile]

Ok my wife said the same thing as you guys.There is Books and Films to give the Basics and get you started.Me and my Wife are still learning.Plus if you have questions most people will help even here.

I will tell you this though Sandra if I had to do it over again here I would put it on a Full Foundation.You might think about Hiring someone to dig it and Lay it for you.

Wiring isn't hard,problem with it if you make a mistake you can get fried or burn the House down.

Oh I've told my Wife she is getting in over her Head and she turns around and does it.She does Very seldom but she does ask me for advice.

big rockpile

[Triffin]

Sancraft ..

Lots of useful how to construction info here ..

http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

Triff ..

[bill not in oh]

When I was in NM there was a female general contractor that had a small (all female) crew that built residential and commercial buildings. She was a licensed electrician and plumber. So, yes you CAN do it. You have to be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for the challenges you will encounter. (Please see tag line...)

Some building codes do not allow anyone other than a licensed electrician and/or plumber to do those jobs. It's not always a state or county regulation, municipalities can have their own regulations. The only way around this is to find an electrician or plumber that will agree to pull the permit in his/her name. inspect your work and certify that they did it. You would have to know them pretty well to get this done. If the code allows you to do it yourself, you can. You simply have to gain the technical knowledge, know what the local code are, and get the tools.

Foundation
Again, find out what the code requires for spacing and depth and then decide how you want to accomplish it. In that part of the country you are probably only looking at 18-24 inches of depth so the digging would not be that much work unless you encounter ROCKS - then get a backhoe operator or a permit for dynamite (just kidding about the dynamite). As mentioned earlier, a backhoe operator is golden. A good one can accomplish more in an hour than four large strong people can in a week. Personally, I'd plan to hire one to do all of the excavation work - just have it ALL planned out before you contract with him/her. They are usually one of your best resources for regulations in your area.

Stump - see Foundation. Get a backhoe operator to dig it out and regrade your building site. If you decide to burn it out, be aware that the roots of that tree (depending on the type of tree) could reach as far as 40-50 feet from the stump and you have the potential (as minimal as it is) for surface fires throughout the root system.

Floor
There are specially formulated polyurethane (and other) finishes for floors. Personally, I'd not even consider any type of oil finish on a floor.

Ceiling
I'd rather chew broken glass than hang drywall. Acoustic panels offer a pretty good variety of colors/styles and offer the additional values of sound and heat inslulation. Wood to match the floor is one option. I've seen this in a couple of houses, and it's a pretty nice effect.

Lastly, check with a couple of plumbers about the feasibility and cost of installing radient heat in the floors. Since you're dealing with new construction, this would be the time to consider it. I realize that cooling is more of an issue than heating in most of Georgia, but radient heat is awsome and pays back over time in your utility bills.

Good luck and keep us posted on the progress...

[BeckyW]

A suggestion on the electrical and/or plumbing if you decide to do it yourself. Many times, for a token fee, you can have a licensed professional go over your work and critique what you need to redo.

If you have a local building supply house nearby (not Home Depot), you might go in and talk to them about who they know who is happy to walk through a DIY's work. And this is where being a woman with two teenagers actually will help you out. Don't be afraid to tell them your story. Ask the supply house, starting with this phrase "if I were your sister who you dearly loved, who would you tell me to talk to about ...."
They'll smile - maybe even chuckle - then ask you if you really mean to do this. They'll most likely send you off with names of the best fit for what you're doing.

I used to be a partner in a construction firm. Now I'll tell you, we did twice the homework our male counterparts did because we knew if we made a mistake word would spread like wildfire, we'd be labelled as goofs and we'd get crummy bids from everyone. So I ditto the READ READ READ and talk to everyone.

My only advice to you other than what you have already been given in the previous posts is START SMALL and KEEP IT SIMPLE. Easiest house to build is a box with a simple roof - it's also the cheapest. No fancy angles - fewer chances of mistakes. And down the line if you want to add on, then add another box.

Keep us posted on the adventure! Best wishes to you.
BW

[cc-rider]

Originally Posted by sancraft

Okay, if Home Depot will finance me, we're going for the two-story deal they have called New Day.

Hi Sancraft!

Sorry I can't help you with any answers, but I DO have questions! I can't find "New Day" in their search engine. Do you have a plan number?? Also...I can't find prices. How affordable are they? (I'm in the same boat you are...but no helpers! Just me and the chickens. )

Also...I believe YOU can do anything you set your mind to! You are my inspiration and what made me set out on my own "homestead-building" journey. I can't believe all of the stuff I've learned just over the last year because of HAVING to do it! Wanna know about putting in well pumps or corn-burning stoves??!?!? Hehehe.

[Piney Woods]

Check out www.countryplans.com - specifically geared to inexperienced home builders... whether you use their plans or not.

[Lynne]

Can I make a suggestion? How about a sticky on this thread so that people can reference and follow building of Sancrafts home? I’m sure she will be back with funny tales and more questions, all along the process. Sort of a journal. Other people here like Big Rockpile build their own homes and such and then others would learn from their advice.


And


One other thing.

Lionrose - That green hurts my eyes

[CatsPaw]

Well....as a contractor, I have to say...this thread is mighty scarey.

I don't understand the 3/4 pressure treated floor.....sounds like it's not a house designed for primary occupancy. NO TREATED WOOD IN LIVING SPACE with very few exceptions (I forget which rule that is.)

Second of all, that business about 'just because you're a woman, doesn't mean you can't do something' or ' you go girl, you can do anything you set your mind to' is a big trip bucket full of bull. You might be very capable of doing it yourself. Or you may not. doesn't matter whether you're a woman or not. Some people just shouldn't pick up a hammer. I know plenty of men AND women who just shouldn't own a hammer. (and, btw, I don't care if someone has done it and is proof...blah, blah....people have done everything there is to do...that doesn't mean everybody can or should.)

It isn't about gender, it's about capability [ I guess I should define what is meant by capability...as in, do I have the capability to swing a hammer, can I swing it 8 hours a day, can I see the project through, can I figure out my financing, can I boss people around, can I work a 40 hour job and come home and go to work on the house even on the weekends, etc. etc.) That's what you need to find out first.

With that said, my thirdly thoughts are.....

Don't buy anything on time until you've figured everything out. You don't want to finance something and then take three years to build it in your spare time while you learn each step. Get some experience first. Try habitat for humanity. ANYbody can help there and you will get lots of hands on experience. Hands on will teach you faster and better than books will. Books are mostly for reference, are usually biased (mostly by locale) and rarely teach you the finer points. Every place is different for building.

Home Depot probably won't finance for the long term (they probably will "finance" until the house is completed and then assume you'll be able to get your primary.) Most banks wouldn't lend to an owner builder...particularly one without experience. Construction loans are only for as short a term as possible. Take too long to build and the interest will kill you and you'll end up losing the house (or what parts of it you have done.)

Mechanicals (electric, plumbing, HVAC) are NOT rocket science....IF you know how to do it. Errors in these trades can cause serious repercussions. Everything from flooding and fires to ripping out walls to fix problems to the building inspector saying you can't get your occupancy cert.

It takes anywhere from 5 to 10 people (including subcontractors) to build a modest house (1200-1400 sq ft) in 3 to 5 months. Think of how that relates to your crew of you and your kids.

My main concerns are the "home depot financing", your eventual primary mortgage, and your overall timeline of learning while you build. I know enough about mortgages, banks and financing to know something there is adding up to a real problem.

I say.....go to Habitat for humanity. It will educate you to no end. THEN set your sights on building yourself a house. (who knows, you might even meet some friends there that would volunteer to help you with yours.)