Raising The Panels 12-31-2009

More panels raised on New Years Eve. It was a short day due to the holiday and the weather. Nonetheless, the house is taking shape.

Raising The Panels 12-30-2009

The installation crew went right to work this morning raising the panels. Straight and strong. I love these things!

The Panels Arrive 12-29-2009

Early in the morning on Tuesday the first load of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) arrived from Korwall Industries in Arlington. Basically, the exterior walls and roof were constructed in a warehouse in Arlington (near that new Cowboy's stadium!) per our custom plans. The panels are all labeled and will be assembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Notice panel DR-4, that's part of one of the 3 dormers.

The panels were offloaded with a Genie 842 and staged around the jobsite for ease of assembly. Installation will begin tomorrow provided the weather holds up.

The Foundation 12-17-2009

The foundation contractors have pulled off the batter boards and the foundation looks great. It was late in the afternoon before we could drive out for a look and the kids were excited. They ran all over the place.

Some of the neighborhood kids came by and visited for a while. They mentioned that the nice view out the back window will be quite lovely. I think they are right!

Pouring the Foundation 12-16-2009

The construction reached a major milestone Wednesday when we were able to pour the slab-on-grade foundation. The concrete should be solid enough to walk on by Thursday and we'll take a few more pictures. We're still set to erect the SIPs on 12/28. All of this is a very nice Christmas present.

Final Grading Complete 12-12-2009

Progress is slow due to scheduling conflicts between the subcontractors but there is progress nonetheless. The pest subcontrol contractor has sprayed the foundation area with 100 gallons of Bifen pesticide. All I had to do was call them, they went out the next day and I paid them the following day. By far the easiest part of this job!



The foundation contractor has reformed the footings and graded the foundation so it will be the proper thickness. They still need to cover the soil with polyethelene plastic to prevent soil moisture from entering the slab and add the post-tension cables.

The blue skies and green pastures of summer are gone but the red and blue of PEX piping is in full bloom on our jobsite. The foundation is scheduled to be poured on Wednesday 12/16. Let's see if that comes to pass.

Plumbing Rough-In Complete 12-3-2009

The plumber had several other jobs to do before getting to us but they finally came out last Thursday. It had rained off and on for several days but we had put a giant tarp over the areas where the plumbing would be to keep them dry. Seems to have worked well enough.

The jobsite looks like a big mess now, but all the plumbing that will be below the slab has been installed. The plumber is using PEX, which is a flexible plastic pipe that can withstand freezing and thawing without bursting, unlike PVC or copper. Also, since it comes in a roll, it can be cut to length so that there are no joints beneath the slab. All connections are above the slab.

Now we're just waiting on the foundation guys to come back for the final grading, the electric, the pest control and then we pour. I've been told the Structural Insulated Panels will arrive on 12/28. A late Christmas present!

Forms Are Set... Drilling The Piers 11/18-2009

B&B Concrete got the forms set for the foundation and they had a drilling rig sent in to drill holes for concrete piers which the foundation will rest on. The clay soil is terribly expansive and the foundation engineer recommended 29 piers. Think of the foundation as a table top and the piers are 29 legs sunk down in the ground that the top is resting on. They aren't physically connected, though. The foundation rests on the piers. Even if the soil heaves a bit going from wet to dry, the foundation, in theory, will remain stable. At least that's the plan!

Not a bad view of the job site from up on the hill. The form where the front porch is will be closed off once the drilling rig pulls out.

House Pad Finished... the Potty Arrives 11-12-2009

Rusty the Dozer Driver showed that sticky, wet clay who is boss and finished up the housepad. It's not pretty, but it's big and level. Due to the lay of the land it drops off about 3 feet over a span of about 15 feet in the back. I'll have to try that out with my bicycle eventually!




Got To Go Solutions brought us a nice blue potty. They do weekly cleanouts, in case you're curious.

Jeff, Clint and Roberto - the foundation guys - staked the corner offsets and plan to start setting the forms and digging piers on Monday. We're moving now.

We're using Structural Insulated Panels for the walls and roof from Korwall in Arlington, TX. Essentially, the exterior shell of the home will be built at their facility over the next 2 weeks and then shipped to the home site where they will be erected. Kind of like Legos. Hopefully the foundation will be ready just in time when the panels are ready.

Rocks For The Driveway 11-8-2009

Work continues on the house pad. It's slow work with wet clay. Meanwhile, the driveway (or construction entrance) is easy enough to complete while the housepad continues to dry.

The Culvert Gets Covered 11-5-2009

Rusty the Dozer Driver covered up the culvert with some of our incredibly thick clay soil. I'm thinking about a career in pottery once we move here.

The Culvert Arrives 10-26-2009

A big silver culvert arrived at the home site. Rain the previous night has made it too wet to work once again.

Clay + Rain = More Delay.

That culver is pretty wide. I'd say 2 cars could go across it at the same time.

Breaking Ground 10-23-2009

After a two week rain delay, we've finally broken ground on the construction of our new home in Paradise, TX.

3 acres of land with a 20 acre lake adjoining the back of the property. It really is Paradise.