OZ - How About an Update of the Barn House?

[Ken Scharabok]

You should be pretty well settled in by now. How is it working out for you now you are going into full summer? Would you do anything different? A couple of recents pics please.

[oz in SC]

Well there is a 8 week plus backlog on septic permits so that is dragging BUT the good news is it should only cost us about $1000 or so to have the entire system installed.

Having power run INTO the barn and a few outlets and lights is also going to be about $1000.

We asked the electrician how much to wire the whole place-can lights in the ceiling,outlets as required by code,etc and he gave us a 'ballpark' figure of $10,000.....
We about DIED!!!

Soooo, needless to say we have bought a book on wiring and will install the wiring ourselves.

We started on insulation but decided it would be better to do AFTER the wiring is done.

We sorted out flooring and walls- the walls will be the same as the outside of the barn( pine lapsiding) and the floor will be tongue and groove from a local sawmill.

Also bought a gas cooktop and wall oven off of Ebay for a pretty good price so that is taken care of.

We do not think we will be ready for Christmas on the 'farm' which is a pity but we have 'too many irons in the fire'-we are trying to finish off the house down here in SC to sell and do stuff up there.

We also sealed MOST of the barn except above the sheds as I will need to climb out the windows to do that part,came out quite nice,keeps the yellow color of the wood.

Our camp shower worked out pretty darn good and even looks good...

I have a line on free utility poles to use for fencing,just have to transport them up there and of course cut them to size.

So that is about that....

[seedspreader]

Hey Oz, not sure how things work in NC, but make sure you don't have to have a certified electricians seal to get the electric approved. If you do, what we have done is to just have the electrician put in the box, a light or two and a few outlets, get it approved and then add everything you need to after it passes approval.

[oz in SC]

Originally Posted by ZealYouthGuy

Hey Oz, not sure how things work in NC, but make sure you don't have to have a certified electricians seal to get the electric approved. If you do, what we have done is to just have the electrician put in the box, a light or two and a few outlets, get it approved and then add everything you need to after it passes approval.

Well.....I THINK that is what both the barn builder and the electrician were hinting at....get power run into the building,get it approved,and THEN do the rest of it ourselves...

Sometimes we are a little thick.

[StatHaldol]

Originally Posted by oz in SC

We asked the electrician how much to wire the whole place-can lights in the ceiling,outlets as required by code,etc and he gave us a 'ballpark' figure of $10,000.....

WOW I had no idea!! I guess I'm way out of touch with building costs!!!
I wonder if that's the going rate for the work you mentioned...

[Iddee]

In NC you can do your own wiring in your own home. You will never be allowed to rent it out or run a business in it. You can only use it for your own family's residence.

Also, many counties work on the "good ol' boy" system. If you don't have one of their "buddy" electricians sign off on it, they will continue to find things wrong and flunk the inspection. It is better to do it yourself, then pay a local electrician a few hundred to inspect it first, then sign off on it. That way, it will pass inspection the first time. Be sure to make the deal with the electrician before you start work. Knowing he is making some easy money, he will probably answer questions as you go along, saving you a lot of rework.

[Sand Flat Bob]

Originally Posted by oz in SC

Well there is a 8 week plus backlog on septic permits so that is dragging BUT the good news is it should only cost us about $1000 or so to have the entire system installed.

Having power run INTO the barn and a few outlets and lights is also going to be about $1000.

We asked the electrician how much to wire the whole place-can lights in the ceiling,outlets as required by code,etc and he gave us a 'ballpark' figure of $10,000.....
We about DIED!!!

Soooo, needless to say we have bought a book on wiring and will install the wiring ourselves.

We started on insulation but decided it would be better to do AFTER the wiring is done.

We sorted out flooring and walls- the walls will be the same as the outside of the barn( pine lapsiding) and the floor will be tongue and groove from a local sawmill.

Also bought a gas cooktop and wall oven off of Ebay for a pretty good price so that is taken care of.

We do not think we will be ready for Christmas on the 'farm' which is a pity but we have 'too many irons in the fire'-we are trying to finish off the house down here in SC to sell and do stuff up there.

We also sealed MOST of the barn except above the sheds as I will need to climb out the windows to do that part,came out quite nice,keeps the yellow color of the wood.

Our camp shower worked out pretty darn good and even looks good...

I have a line on free utility poles to use for fencing,just have to transport them up there and of course cut them to size.

So that is about that....

While you can get too everything, have the ground under and around the bldg. treated for termites. Sounds like you are providing lots of food for them. Much better long term to treat now. Worth what it costs.

Bob

[CraftyDiva]

Originally Posted by Iddee

It is better to do it yourself, then pay a local electrician a few hundred to inspect it first, then sign off on it. That way, it will pass inspection the first time. Be sure to make the deal with the electrician before you start work. Knowing he is making some easy money, he will probably answer questions as you go along, saving you a lot of rework.

I have to pass on a funny (?) story about that. Had a co-worker add an entire 2nd floor to his home. Made a deal with electrican to bring in the main and let him do all the wiring and then have the guy sign off for inspection. Didn't happen as planned. My co- worker did all the wiring and when the inspection was due, the electrican wanted more money (pretty much what it would have costed had he done it). Reason? His name was going on the inspection, if there were any mistakes (fires later), his rep would be shot. The co-worker had no choice but to pay, or all the work was for nothing and his kids couldn't have thier bedrooms upstairs.

So have the guy do the main and box, get inspecton signed off, "THEN" you do all the wiring you want.


.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

"gas cooktop and wall oven off of Ebay for a pretty good price so that is taken care of."

Are you using Natural Gas or Propane?? One kind of stovetop or oven will not work on the other without a conversion kit.

Also there are some funny laws regarding how and where you can run gas piping. For instance in Texas the RAILROAD COMMISSION (???) makes all the rules for running gas and propane lines. Lines can't go UNDER a concrete slab, they must go through it and they have to be either black iron sleeved or be black iron pipe with yellow plastic coating on them to not be affected by the concrete. You can't use galvanized pipe for gas either as the galvinization either reacts with the gas or flakes off and clogs orifices ( I can't remember which).

[oz in SC]

We will be using propane and need to convert the oven and cooktop I believe.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

Contact the stoves manufacturer. All I needed to change on my stovetop was new orifices in the burners, but I did need to change them and since the stovetop was new it came with the needed parts. It took about 15 minutes for the first burber and probably 20 minutes for the next 4 total. With the oven you may need a whole new regulator as the oven doesn't use burners like the stovetop or possibily the regulator may just need adjustment..